Weight Loss Support Thread

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

I've tried many times to lose weight over the years and the only time I managed to do so was when I had some support so I thought I'd start this thread to help. Hopefully it'll become a thread where any of us who are trying to lose weight can support each other and share food and drink ideas and other tips without ridicule. That's the type of support I'd welcome anyway. Just blokes helping each other to be healthier for themselves and their families.

My target is to lose 2 stone 2lbs or 30lbs by Christmas which is 21 weeks away so just over a pound a week on average which is an achievable and safe weight loss rate. My plan after reading up on things on the NHS website is to simply calorie count so I burn more calories than I consume. I've worked out that to achieve my target I'll need to keep below 1600/1700 calories/day. I haven't got a meal plan as such as I want to keep things simple but I will avoid foods that are obviously bad like ginsters slices, chocolate and crisps and I'll cut down on alcohol. I'll be going for lunch time walks and I'm looking to start the couch to 5k.

I'll weigh myself every Wednesday.

Hopefully this will resonate with a few of you and we help each other out. Any support appreciated.

Cheers all.

 

[Upthecowboys]

Good luck. Worth building in a bit of gym exercise if you can, most gyms will help you with a free routine planning session.

I’ve lost just over a stone in last couple of months. Mainly through cutting down on booze, when not drunk / hungover you tend to make better food choices!

 

[Peterdev]

Good thread. My wife recently diagnosed with diabetes and blood pressure recently lost 2.8kg on her monthly weigh in to reach 78kg.
She was delighted.
I bought two fitness watches in an effort to do 12000 steps a day. She managed 20000 around Oxford on Saturday.
We set up with good intentions, and although we stopped off for drinks yesterday we walked there and back.
Also gone partly vegetarian too which I’m convinced helps, but it has to be gradual.
Little steps. The difficult bit is cutting down alcohol

 

[SteMerritt]

Good luck with it. Look at foods you are buying for hidden sugars, that's where you can make some decent changes.

Eat less move more is a good, if basic, motto. Find ways to elevate your heart rate. If you can force a gym routine, look at low impact CV like oliptical or cross trainer.

 

[Gary Baldi]

Don't get down if you have a bad day or put some weight on - you're in for the long game so occasional blips will happen and its ok. We aren't perfect. Keep a strong mind and don't be afraid to fail when you push your own physical/mental barriers, no matter how minor it may be to other people. Be positive and see each LB lost as a win!

I'd also look at other exercises to sit aside running - it may not be cool as a man, but stuff like Yoga and Pilates can really help with weight loss and keeping the body ticking.

 

[SteMerritt]

Don't get down if you have a bad day or put some weight on - you're in for the long game so occasional blips will happen and its ok.

This is important, so I'll quote it again. Think long term, expect some losses to start with and then for it to slow down as your body adjusts.

Good luck with the running, always good to have another of us idiots pounding the pavements. Couck to 5k is good. Running is tough to start, beginners tend to struggle with breathing and give up. Stick with it, after about a month or so the breathing will sort itself out.

 

[AbbeyOx]

I've tried many times to lose weight over the years and the only time I managed to do so was when I had some support so I thought I'd start this thread to help. Hopefully it'll become a thread where any of us who are trying to lose weight can support each other and share food and drink ideas and other tips without ridicule. That's the type of support I'd welcome anyway. Just blokes helping each other to be healthier for themselves and their families.

My target is to lose 2 stone 2lbs or 30lbs by Christmas which is 21 weeks away so just over a pound a week on average which is an achievable and safe weight loss rate. My plan after reading up on things on the NHS website is to simply calorie count so I burn more calories than I consume. I've worked out that to achieve my target I'll need to keep below 1600/1700 calories/day. I haven't got a meal plan as such as I want to keep things simple but I will avoid foods that are obviously bad like ginsters slices, chocolate and crisps and I'll cut down on alcohol. I'll be going for lunch time walks and I'm looking to start the couch to 5k.

I'll weigh myself every Wednesday.

Hopefully this will resonate with a few of you and we help each other out. Any support appreciated.

Cheers all.

try a vegan diet for a month and see how you get on. I don't want to get into a debate about veganism, but I stopped eating meat when I was about 14 and vegan for the last 10 years. If you have a balanced diet of vegetables and beans/pulses etc you'll get all the vitamins and protein you need. I'm 47 next month, very rarely get ill and weigh about the same as when I was in my twenties.
good luck with it

and just to add, there's some really tasty meals you can have. plenty of recipes on the interweb thingy

 

[McVicar]

Good luck with this. I had a mild heart attack 2.5yrs ago and was advised that I needed to eat more healthily and lose a bit of weight. I was 51 and weighed just under 15 stone.
I have lost c3.5 stone and my main way of doing this was to cut out eating crap and drinking alcohol during the week, combined with some exercise - I go to the gym 2-3 times a week and try and do 10,000 steps a day (a fitbit device is great for easy monitoring of this).
During the week stick to 2000-2500 calories, porridge for breakfast, fruit and sandwich for lunch, sensible dinner.
Weekends I allow myself to eat and drink what I want but try and keep it sensible!
The main tip I would give based on my experiences is "everything in moderation".
It is surprising and quite inspiring how motivated you can get about this if you are quite disciplined.

 

[Oldham]

Take up walking football! It’s a great way to exercise and believe me, the walking bit is just in the name ?

 

[Malc]

Good thread this. I've been fighting my weight for years. Exercise, even if it's only going for a walk, is always good (get a dog maybe). And what really works for me is cutting down on carbohydrates (potatoes, pasta, alcohol(unfortunately). And don't worry if you have a bad day, just keep on trying.
And don't to reward yourself occasionally. For every 2 kgs lost have 1 chocolate eclair.

 

[Deleted member 462]

Good thread. My wife recently diagnosed with diabetes and blood pressure recently lost 2.8kg on her monthly weigh in to reach 78kg.
She was delighted.
I bought two fitness watches in an effort to do 12000 steps a day. She managed 20000 around Oxford on Saturday.
We set up with good intentions, and although we stopped off for drinks yesterday we walked there and back.
Also gone partly vegetarian too which I’m convinced helps, but it has to be gradual.
Little steps. The difficult bit is cutting down alcohol

The watch certainly helped with me, just pushes u that little bit more, instead of getting in from work and doing nothing u go out for a little work to complete ur target. I’ve found 10k steps a day I lose weight, 8k I can maintain weight by eating and drinking what I like. (But I do have a physical job). Also not snacking after dinner made a massive difference

 

[Sarge]

drink 2litres of water a day ...on top of other liquid consumption( tea, coffee, juices, alcohol etc)... try to cut out sugar... exercise regularly, it doesnt have to be manic workouts in a gym, ie walk to the local shops instead of driving, go for a swim a couple of times a week, regular exercise like walking and even mooching about doing a bit of gardening for example are all, benificial ..... eat smaller portions , try to avoid junk food inc crisps & sweets as well as sugary carbonated drinks, cut back on alcohol consumption... over time the results will be evident

my youngest lad (aged 28) has dropped two waist sizes in 14 months , by more or less doing the above ^

 

[Sarge]

my lad found these people very helpful

Lose It! - Calorie counting made easy

With 40 million downloads and over 100 million pounds lost, Lose It! is on a mission to help the world achieve a healthy weight through calorie tracking and personal nutrition education.

www.loseit.com

 

[chuckbert]

With exercise, I have definitely found that exercising early in the day rather than late helps. If I go for a run in the morning my desire for fatty food and wine diminishes for the day, whereas if I run in the evening I just go to bed and feel like I’ve got less metabolic benefit.

 

[Pompeyyellows]

Liking this thread already. I knew I was putting on the LBS so in March this year I bit the bullet and jumped on the scales. WOW that was a shock. At 1st I blamed the scales for lying to me but once I had accepted I was a fat knacker I decided to do something about it. I had 3 months till I hit the beaches so gave myself a 2 stone target. When I went on holiday I didn't quite reach my 2 stone target but I was only 4lb away from it. I didn't beat myself up about it and I had a bloody good holiday.
Came back from holiday knowing that I had over indulged and wasn't surprised to see I had put 8lb back on. So back on the diet and lost that 8lb in 2 weeks. Since then I have maintained. I off on holiday again in 3 weeks, taking the wife to Benaldamena to show her the sights. Mind when I was there for our tour, apart from the football I only saw our hotel room and bars lol.
I try and follow slimming world but don't attend cos I don't need to pay £5 for someone to weigh me. Its easy. I have a few friends who go to slimming world and they have all the books so I just went through them photo copied pages and go from there. I batch cook now. Portion control was my biggest problem, but that's sorted now. I'm still in denial that Rum is bad for me.
Good luck to anyone who is trying to lose weight, its not an easy journey but I'm sure it will be a worthwhile one.

 

[Northstandboy]

I have started running, (somehow) doing the Oxford Half in Oct (shall be asking for sponsors!). My reason, fitness but to also shift some KGs!

Hated running as a child (PE, 400m laps). But now can run 5k, building up to 6k+ non stop running!

 

[SteMerritt]

I have started running, (somehow) doing the Oxford Half in Oct (shall be asking for sponsors!). My reason, fitness but to also shift some KGs!

Hated running as a child (PE, 400m laps). But now can run 5k, building up to 6k+ non stop running!

Good luck with the run, I've done the Ox half a few times. Pretty flat, which is always a good thing ?

 

[McVicar]

Despite going to the gym regularly, the only running I had ever done until recently was to the pub when it was raining. Gave it a go a couple of months ago and was pleasantly surprised. Have only run 5-6 times but can now do 5 miles without too much trouble. It's all about trying what is best for you, sometimes trying different things you surprise yourself.

 

[chuckbert]

Interesting to hear about running from others. I’m 49 and started for the first time (since school cross country getting ankle-tapped by twats) about 18 months ago to make sure my daughter (now 15) was getting some exercise. My son (now 10) loved it and so we’ve been running at least weekly. A few months ago we started doing parkrun. Have a google. It is a 5 km timed run in a Saturday morning pretty much anywhere in the world. We usually run in Perth, but last week I was in Krakow with billy so we rocked up to the krakow parkrun. I’m not competitive but I like the community vibe (although it can be a tad churchy evangelical at times) and that my time gets recorded and I run faster at parkrun than I do in my own.

 

[Yellow River]

Good luck to anyone making the effort to lose weight.

Personally I’ve always believed in making breakfast one of my biggest meals of the day and not having a large evening meal. Having said that, alcohol, crisps and chocolate are my weakness, and it’s too easy to snack between meals. Avoid buying or having ‘naughty’ food items in the house, less temptation.

In my opinion moderation is key to many things in life not just diet.

Without wishing to derail this thread I’m also a convert to Pilates (I never thought I’d say that!) it’s not weight related but Pilates has really helped with me with Sciatica and Patella Femoral issues, and general well being.