This time I'm gonna stick with it

[mady1911]

Hi guys,

I'm new to the site. Hope I'll make some friends!
My name is Mady, I'm 26 and mum of a 3 years old beautiful girl. I'm struggling with weight and since I gave birth can't get rid of some pounds. I am 171 cm and currently 78 kg. Used to be 62-64kg before pregnancy. Just had some blood tests done and my cholesterol is high...which was quite a surprise for me as I was avoid eating fatty things and eat take-away may'be once a month. Was reading recently that could be genetic...but this is the first time in my life when my cholesterol is up the roof.
So for 2 weeks now I'm on diet, started of from 82 kilograms...barely lost 4...they seem to stick with me and it's so hard especially in the evenings to keep my mouth off a biscuit or something sweet.
My diet is made up by me from what I read here and there...what I plan is stick to it, even if is quite severe...and indulge myself once a week with a portion of: pasta, baked potatoes, bread. Otherwise, it's salads all the way, no oil...grilled chicken breast, fresh tuna grilled and the only sweet thing is coffee or cocoa with skimmed milk which is awful and sweetener...bleaaaah!

 

[amy1985]

Hi, and welcome to the forum

Have you lost 4kg in 2 weeks? That's an awful lot- in fact, more than recommended safe weight loss (1kg a week max). So you should be pleased, but perhaps you shouldn't be taking such drastic measures. In fact, from your description I'd say that you need to loosen up and find an eating/ exercise plan that you don't hate. I know from previous experience of diets that eating in a way I hated was a recipe for binging and general disaster.

Do you have a rationale for your current eating plan? Have you thought about calculating your calorific needs?

 

[mady1911]

re: amy

Hi, and welcome to the forum

Have you lost 4kg in 2 weeks? That's an awful lot- in fact, more than recommended safe weight loss (1kg a week max). So you should be pleased, but perhaps you shouldn't be taking such drastic measures. In fact, from your description I'd say that you need to loosen up and find an eating/ exercise plan that you don't hate. I know from previous experience of diets that eating in a way I hated was a recipe for binging and general disaster.

Do you have a rationale for your current eating plan? Have you thought about calculating your calorific needs?

I came to the conclusion , Amy, that my scale is stupid!!! it's a electronic weight watchers scale but if I put it in different places in the house, on a smooth surface..it shows 3 different weights!! ( I'm pretty sure I'm 78 now but can't tell if I really was 82 'cos when I saw the figure didn't try it somewhere else, I was too disappointed( . I'm trying to eat healthy..when I have spare time I read a lot about it, found some sites...daily calories are 1100 in order to loose 0.5kgs per week. My husband always says I'm not gonna make it( that's a great help!!! ) and says: come on..I love u anyway!..well...that's not good enough for me...I wanna be able to dress whatever I want. Haven't binged ate ever before...I'm trying to keep it cool, even if I cook for my husband and my daughter everyday...most times 2 times a day! I feel like eating but it's enough for me to look at my belly hanging like a piece of pork in a butchery.
Drink plenty of water...for my weight I have to dring over 3 l a day...I can hardly swallow one large glass...
I'm a bit disappointed..my clothes stay on the same( and that's tight). Last year I was down to 70kg and felt super but fainted after 2 weeks of diet
Thanks for being kind to me, Amy!

 

[amy1985]

Where did you get the figure of 1100 calories? You shouldn't be eating that little without personal advice from a doctor or dietician (the generally accepted minimum for adults is 1200 calories a day). Try this calculator:

I'd recommend putting the scale somewhere and leaving it there. That way, even if, say, you actually weigh 78 and it's reading 76, it reads consistently (so if you start out with the scale reading 76 and it says 75 in seven days, you know you've lost a kilogram- even if you really weigh 77. Does that make sense?)

You need to make sure you eat enough and properly- not only can eating too little slow your metabolism (as your body fights to survive what it thinks is starvation), but it can also damage your health. I follow NHS guidelines in how I eat, and keep them within my calorie goals.

For water, try adding a splash of lemon juice to it to make it more palatable- it's very low calorie and might help make it easier to go down. The water you have in your foods and other drinks also counts too (fruit and vegetables have a lot of water in them. Black tea has no calories on its own, and black coffee is almost calorie free- the problem is what you add to it)

I'd recommend having a look around the forum to see what people here recommend (particularly the stickied posts) and are doing (particularly the diary section) to see if there's anything that might work for you.

 

[mady1911]

Where did you get the figure of 1100 calories? You shouldn't be eating that little without personal advice from a doctor or dietician (the generally accepted minimum for adults is 1200 calories a day). Try this calculator:

I'd recommend putting the scale somewhere and leaving it there. That way, even if, say, you actually weigh 78 and it's reading 76, it reads consistently (so if you start out with the scale reading 76 and it says 75 in seven days, you know you've lost a kilogram- even if you really weigh 77. Does that make sense?)

You need to make sure you eat enough and properly- not only can eating too little slow your metabolism (as your body fights to survive what it thinks is starvation), but it can also damage your health. I follow NHS guidelines in how I eat, and keep them within my calorie goals.

For water, try adding a splash of lemon juice to it to make it more palatable- it's very low calorie and might help make it easier to go down. The water you have in your foods and other drinks also counts too (fruit and vegetables have a lot of water in them. Black tea has no calories on its own, and black coffee is almost calorie free- the problem is what you add to it)

I'd recommend having a look around the forum to see what people here recommend (particularly the stickied posts) and are doing (particularly the diary section) to see if there's anything that might work for you.

Amy,

I used the calculator U gave me and says I shoul have 805 kcal per day in order to loose 1kg per week.
I'll tell u what I had today..u'll see it's not over exagerated:
breakfast:
omlette of 2 eggs with grilled low fat cheese and salad( lettuce, radish, spring onion, tomatoes,cucumber)+ coffee
lunch:
1 bowl of soup creme made of tomatoes, parsnip, celeriac, onion, 1 small potato, 1 teaspoon olive oil added at the end to the whole pot. sprinkled with bunch of parsley( love it). dessert: 1 nectarine and 1 apple
diner:
100 grams of non-fat pork steak with salad( celeriac, swede, cucumber, red onion..sprayed with oil twice vinegar and salt). + green tea.

And yes..it makes sense the thing with the scale!

also..I'm aloud 2 eggs per week as my cholesterol is high..so I enjoyed them...haven't had eggs in more than a week!

 

[mady1911]

Where did you get the figure of 1100 calories? You shouldn't be eating that little without personal advice from a doctor or dietician (the generally accepted minimum for adults is 1200 calories a day). Try this calculator:

I'd recommend putting the scale somewhere and leaving it there. That way, even if, say, you actually weigh 78 and it's reading 76, it reads consistently (so if you start out with the scale reading 76 and it says 75 in seven days, you know you've lost a kilogram- even if you really weigh 77. Does that make sense?)

You need to make sure you eat enough and properly- not only can eating too little slow your metabolism (as your body fights to survive what it thinks is starvation), but it can also damage your health. I follow NHS guidelines in how I eat, and keep them within my calorie goals.

For water, try adding a splash of lemon juice to it to make it more palatable- it's very low calorie and might help make it easier to go down. The water you have in your foods and other drinks also counts too (fruit and vegetables have a lot of water in them. Black tea has no calories on its own, and black coffee is almost calorie free- the problem is what you add to it)

I'd recommend having a look around the forum to see what people here recommend (particularly the stickied posts) and are doing (particularly the diary section) to see if there's anything that might work for you.

And also...please help me with something..'cos I'm new and a bit disoriented. how do I put the ticker to my signature when I write to people?

 

[amy1985]

805 calories?! That can't be right. How tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're particularly short (under 5 foot) you should check with your doctor.

You can't create a signature until you have more than 10 posts, but when you want to create it, you'll find a link in the user control panel.

 

[amy1985]

Ah, I see (I've taken your stats from your diary).

You're actually similar to me- I'm 25, 167cm, and started at 74kg. I've run your stats through the same thing and see how you got that number. The answer is either exercise or slower weight loss- to lose half a kilo a week you need 1355 calories a day. Alternately, if you engage in moderate exercise, you need 1360 calories to lose a kilogram a week. (any lower activity level and you get unsafe calorie levels for that much weight loss) Unfortunately the lighter you are (I don't think you're obese, so you're at the lower end of weight loss for this site, I think) the harder it is to lose weight.

 

[mady1911]

Ah, I see (I've taken your stats from your diary).

You're actually similar to me- I'm 25, 167cm, and started at 74kg. I've run your stats through the same thing and see how you got that number. The answer is either exercise or slower weight loss- to lose half a kilo a week you need 1355 calories a day. Alternately, if you engage in moderate exercise, you need 1360 calories to lose a kilogram a week. (any lower activity level and you get unsafe calorie levels for that much weight loss) Unfortunately the lighter you are (I don't think you're obese, so you're at the lower end of weight loss for this site, I think) the harder it is to lose weight.

Good morning, Amy!

The thing is that except hoovering around the house...I don't do much exercise!That's how I got to that low number of calories. plus weather in London in rainy most of times and when I get some sunshine I run quickly with my daughter to the park or to the supermarket. They're both in walking distance but even if it weren't I'd walk to it. Because my daughter starts nursery in September I'm bound to her 24/7 and can't go running. I did some for 3 weeks, quite recently...but found the results very disappointing...I was asking my sister in law to babysit for me...and still I gained 2,5kg during those weeks...with regular meals and quite restraining myself from sweets, carbohidrates
But I'm over this now...got on the scale this morning..it shows 77.3 which is heaven to me...
How's your diet going on? my apology, I've been selfish..all we talked about was me until now...what do u plan eating today?

 

[amy1985]

My suggestion to you would be that you need to find time to exercise (can you get a friend to look after her? or do some exercise when your husband/ partner comes home from work?)- or else you simply won't see the results that you're looking for- and control your calories strictly, to between 1200 and 1500 calories a day (I live in a rainier, wetter, colder place than London, and I still manage to get exercise in) Also, without exercise, while you might lose the weight, you may not have the figure you want at the end (because nice shaped bodies depend on muscle composition)

It's your thread, we're expected to talk about you

But to show you what can be done- I've lost 9kg since the beginning of April- through a combination of diet and exercise. I aim to lose half a kilogram a week and with moderate exercise (3-5 times a week) that allows me to eat 1750 calories a day. I monitor my calories quite strictly so I know exactly what I'm eating and I don't have to deprive myself. If I were doing no exercise I wouldn't be able to eat nearly as much, and I'd find the diet very hard to stick to, as I get hungry a lot.

 

[mady1911]

I know you're right and it sounds like I'm lazy. I'm gonna do my best in trying to do some exercise even if when my husband comes home I'm beat and don't feel like running. I should do some exercise indoors because if u want, u can...I'm so aware of that...but I just don't find the energy to do it...may'be because I eat so little. On the other hand, running in the past hasn't helped me much...what helped me build my muscles was being part of a handball team and being on the stadium 3 times a week for few hours a day. I can't afford that luxury now...

 

[amy1985]

What about playing with your daughter? It may not be the intensity that you're after, but any activity is better than none. It may also help her develop a healthy attitude towards sport and exercise. My mum used to jump around with me to songs on my favourite children's television programs, for example.

Eating a normal amount will definitely help you have more energy (and enjoy life more in general).

I'm not trying to judge you here, just come up with something healthy and workable.

 

[mady1911]

What about playing with your daughter? It may not be the intensity that you're after, but any activity is better than none. It may also help her develop a healthy attitude towards sport and exercise. My mum used to jump around with me to songs on my favourite children's television programs, for example.

Eating a normal amount will definitely help you have more energy (and enjoy life more in general).

I'm not trying to judge you here, just come up with something healthy and workable.

No problem, Amy, no offence taken! May'be that's what I actually need..someone telling me to get off my backside and do something.
I'm happy because I managed to go to the park for 2 hours and walked the distance..that's 4 miles and half in total. it's not much...but if I'd do it every day would count as I go up the hill. But by the looks of the clouds...will rain again today. Was talking to my mum whilst walking and she asked: what are u doing?? pushing a truck?? ) I said: No, mum, I'm just walking! )
I do play with her and we jump around but you know...I'm not always in the mood for it.

 

[mady1911]

The only 2 things that concern me a bit are:
1. my stomach doesn't collaborate too well with my new diet...I get constipated a lot...I know, I know I should drink MORE water...but I'm drinking about 2 l PER DAY...that's huge for me...
2. my thighs are starting to show the dreaded cellulite...and the skin doesn't feel so firm anymore...and it's only 3 kg that I got rid off...I really have to start doing some kind of exercise...

 

[amy1985]

You need to drink more- most drinks contain water, just watch out for the calories in them. Low calorie squash or other drinks, black tea (calorie free), black coffee (very close to being calorie free), fruit teas, green or white tea- it's the stuff you add to those that will cause weight problems. Any liquid (except alcohol or things loaded with sugar) is better than none. The NHS recommends drinking at least 1.2 litres a day, more in the summer, and more again if you exercise. I personally try to get between 2.5 and 3 litres in a day. The more you drink, the less constipated you'll be (if you have enough fibre) and the less hungry you'll be (water helps fill your stomach).
I'm not sure about cellulite I'm afraid. I think it's just fat, so I'd encourage you to keep up with the weight loss and hopefully it'll lessen.

 

[mady1911]

push yourself harder...

Since it's raining heavily...I decided that instead of doing nothing...to do some indoor exercising...so I remembered what I used to do while at school before starting playing handball..was like a preparation to get your muscles going, and after followed 500jumps on my counting jump rope ...well after 100 I was short of breath...it's definitely not as easy as it sounds...
Unfortunately skipped breakfast...and didn't woke up to early either...so now I'm having my soup.

 

[mady1911]

You need to drink more- most drinks contain water, just watch out for the calories in them. Low calorie squash or other drinks, black tea (calorie free), black coffee (very close to being calorie free), fruit teas, green or white tea- it's the stuff you add to those that will cause weight problems. Any liquid (except alcohol or things loaded with sugar) is better than none. The NHS recommends drinking at least 1.2 litres a day, more in the summer, and more again if you exercise. I personally try to get between 2.5 and 3 litres in a day. The more you drink, the less constipated you'll be (if you have enough fibre) and the less hungry you'll be (water helps fill your stomach).
I'm not sure about cellulite I'm afraid. I think it's just fat, so I'd encourage you to keep up with the weight loss and hopefully it'll lessen.

well...I'm having my coffee in the morning, tea after lunch and in between I drink whenever I can a fruity water, don't know if I can say the name of it..that's sugar free...that's easier for me to take in...when I get bored of that too...I add lemon and ice
see ya!

how's you doing?

 

[mady1911]

not so confident anymore...

a bit on the low today...I kinda feel like I lost my will and power to fight against my appetite. I feel constantly hungry and because I try not to stuff myself, that's when I get on the right path again, I'm feeling like I could eat a dinosaur in one go. I think this diet messes me up mentally...'cos I noticed that because I'm feeling hungry most of time I go into this latent state..of lying in an armchair and watching the damn clock showing food time. I avoid going into the kitchen at all times...I'm scared I'm gonna throw something in my mouth.
I feel I cannot go on and I'm almost near quitting.

 

[Frosteh]

You've only been at it a few weeks, it wont take long before your body adjusts to a lower calorie diet and the hunger starts to subside, you just need to push through the first few weeks and it gets easier.

 

[mady1911]

You've only been at it a few weeks, it wont take long before your body adjusts to a lower calorie diet and the hunger starts to subside, you just need to push through the first few weeks and it gets easier.

hi Frosteh,

I'm trying to keep up...on the 9th of July will be one month of diet and can't see any improvement yet. And this lousy weather doesn't help at all...keeps me inside and depressed.