must lose weight

[Dave]

ok
time to diet again
18 months ago i lost 5 1/2 stone
well done me!
i have now put 4 1/2 stone back on(bad boy)
i lost weight far to quick (8 months)
only eating 200 -300 cal a day(not good)
i need recipies that only use basic food stuffs
i am a bit of a fussy eater
i do not want to eat home made curry every day again
for 6 months!
this time the weight stay off!

i might post the weekly weigh in
maybe a diet thred maybe others might join in?

[wendy]

Hi Dave,
I think a weekly update would be a good idea. Like our very own weight watchers. But Down the Lane watchers.

I lost 21lb about 7 years ago, after losing a lot and putting it all back on again. I did it with weight watchers, and I have kept it off ever since. They are really good, the men really get spoiled as not many men go along.
Wendy

[Mo]

You need to get into the habit of filling up your plate with fresh veggies (no sauce or butter on them) and eating lots of fruit to fill you up.

[Dave]

this is my trouble
it might sound a bit wimpish
i don't like fruit (i do eat apples)
and i only like peas or carrotts

life get very bland eating apples all day!

[lancashire lass]

... not to mention belly ache and other things Dave!

I'm the last person to preach on losing weight - I lost it, gained it back plus, big loss, back on again plus.

One thing I definitely learnt during the last weight loss - its not about how many calories you eat nor is it about a crazy keep fit thing either. I still had my cake, just not every day and meal portions were what they should have been for someone my age & height.

But I did take up nothing more than walking at least twice if not 3 times in the week in an evening - the only excercise I can honestly say I like. I had to build up my fitness first and gradually increased the distance until it was getting on to a brisk 4 to 5 mile walk.

No one would believe me when I told them I was not on a diet!

[wendy]

Nothing tasts as nice, as being able to fit your clothes. LOL
If others eat the food it cannot be that bad. It is just adjusting your palette.
There are many ways of eating veggies apart from just plain boiling them. There are so many recipes out there and the good thing about cooking vegetables is that they take next to no time to cook. Not like meat that can take some time.
Wendy

[AnnaB]

Dave

If you are serious then it is possible to loose weight and not go without tastes that you like. (said by someone who used to eat 3 Mars(c) bars a day to maintain weight and whose ex lost 3 stone in 3 months and ate well)

I go with calorie counting as everyone needs to have a certain amount of calories everyday for whatever they do. It is when input overtakes output that you gain weight.

It is stupid to go on 'fad diets' as they are not the normal way of eating.

Another question to ask yourself is would you rather a lb of tomatoes (100 cal) or a packet of crisps (150 cal)

[melons]

Well done Dave, you go for it
My other 1/2 was a massive lardy before we were together, he weighed 20 stone, he used a nordic ski machine & only ate ice cream to loose it, he is 6' 4" & went to 13 stone in a very short space of time, he was starting to stoop, so he put about a stone & a 1/2 back on, now looks way better, but he runs an awful lot & has kept it off, he goes between 14 & 15 stone now, but is really strict about running, it's all about finding the balence between the amount that goes in, & the amount that you burn / get rid of, some people have bigger mouths than bums

[b_cos_1_can]

go for it dave!!
since last christmas ive lost 3 stone, im better for it, the dog is alot fitter, and ive worn my trainers down to the inside bit so i got wet feet when i walked!!
this month i treated myself to new trainers
balanced diet, smaller plate (i bought one especially), smaller bowl, little alcohol and lots and lots of dog walks!!!

good luck, keep us posted, and be happy doing it!

kat xx

[Willow]

I'm with you Dave...!!

I've sat and have been reading this post and avoided making any sort of commitment.. but its time to do something!! I dont like me anymore and its affecting my moods and relationship! there, I've said it!!

I was incredibly fortunate till I hit 45 . No routine excersize, and ate like a piggy - huge amounts of whatever I fancied whenever I wanted to.. and stayed a size 10. Two jnrs made no difference, infact before and after I had them my problem was keeping the weight on, and I spent most of my time feeling very self concious about being too skinny...

But thats all over with a big 'O' .. I think as my metabolism has slowed down my weight has gone up and I kept telling myself it was temporary (eh?)..
Well I stopped smoking Jan. 1st this year and amazingly have stuck to it.. but weight has shot up with my food intake, I've also started 'comfort eating' (which I thought was a fallacy, because in the past any upset made eating impossible for me, so how could anyone eat when they were upset...... ?)
Any way, the upshot is that I have managed to go from a 12 to 14 in less than a year and am still putting on weight very quickly..

I'm not into dieting as I know I wont stick to it.. but what I will do is start eating sensibly, smaller portions and loads of veg. and fruit.. and.... walking, it will do me and the dogs good.. I'll weigh myself when I get home Dave, and will post my weight and shall then update every .. week or fourtnight or month? what do you think?? and no cheating!!

[Mo]

I know about the comfort eating thing, when I was caring for Jim's Mum I would slip those fancy wrapped choccy bics into the shopping bag. And went from a size 14 to 18.
But some years back I wanted to stop gaining weight. I looked at what I was eating and found that I was always having 2 slices of bread and jam at breakfast, though I wasn't really that hungry. Changing to 1 (and not eating extras) tipped it. And if you don't have any fancy snacks in the house you can't cheat.

[wendy]

Good for you Tina.
I never had problems until I became 40. But once I hit 50 it just piled on. How annoying.
I just had to alter the way I ate.
Wendy

[Willow]

Ok.. I have just weighed myself, and am 10stone 11.5lb..
I'm going to eat smaller portions and loads of fruit and veg and lots of water before and after meals.. plus walking.. we'll see whats happened same time next week..

[AnnaB]

Tina
Don't get despondent if nothing happens in a week - keep at it and tell us in three weeks as that is when its is really noticeable.
Best wishes
Anna

[heebiejeebie]

I entertained myself yesterday whilst waiting for the plumbers to finish by cooking.

lamb casserole

350g lamb - diced
1 onion
250ml red wine
250g mushrooms, halved
1 tin chopped tomatoes
100g haricot beans, boiled fast for 10 mins and left to soak for a while
about 10ml olive oil
handful of mixed herbs from the garden: thyme, rosemary, oregano

Heat oil, add onion, add lamb, sizzle a bit, add wine and tomatoes, add mushrooms and beans, stir, add herbs and some pepper and stir again. Once bubbling, place in oven at 125C and wait several hours (3-5, it's very forgiving. The longer you leave it the better it tastes and the softer the meat). It will be served with either couscous or rice or bread (if I can be bothered making it).

Substitute different kinds of meat and beans, beer instead of wine, add different veg and herbs e.g. lamb, dill, white wine and new potatoes works well - just add the spuds an hour before you want to eat, beef, parsley and Newcastle Brown is good too.

I have a very sad obsessive calorie-counting spreadsheet and if the above serves 4 (should do - with moderate appetites) then it's 360kcal per serving. Ish. If you need bigger portions just add more beans and tomatoes.