Please inspire me!!

[Nini74]

I've been dieting for ages - lost about 2 stone since baby was born (yay) - but actually not that good because he'll be 2 in October. I've reached a complete standstill on the weight loss - and in fact have somehow put on 4 pounds over the last 2 months, with no explanation at all! seems so very unfair....

I would LOVE to lose another stone by baby's 2nd birthday, but am worried that, as i've been dieting and cutting down so much for so long, joining slimming world just won't bring the weight loss i'll be hoping for and then i'll just give up!

Anyway, i'm trying to push myself to do something as i gave up smoking a month ago and am concerned about piling on even more weight - so i've checked out the SW website, and found a class that's quite local which starts at 7.15 on a wednesday (after baby's bedtime so i won't miss any time with him after work). I'd like to think that i'll go tomorrow - but would love to hear some success stories to inspire me to get off my ever increasing butt and go to skinny club! TIA xxxx

[Sheenamf]

I joined SW last Sept and it's taken me a while but I have lost 24lbs. Might not sound a lot but it's the best I've ever done and having put on most of that in the previous 12 months I'm now going for the weight that I've had for the last ten years. I find SW really helpful and the group is very supportive, but ultimately it's what suits you and there's a lot of flexibility with SW that you'll probably need if you're looking after a little one. Give it a go, nothing to lose but a few pounds!
Look at the onwards and downwards thread as well.

[Nini74]

thanks for that - i know that i need to do it, just need a push in the right direction! lol x

[Sheenamf]

Good luck!

[pastafreak]

If you don't want to starve or count calories-try a low carb diet. But-you need to be committed to eating good carbs like veggies,and avoiding bread,pasta,cakes,biscuits and sugar.
I did one over a year ago-and still eat that way-it's for life for me. I lost 1.5 stone in 3 and a half months. So what you want is doable-and you won't feel hungry.

[joannie10]

you are doing really well but we all know we can work a little harder. I didnt really feel I had weight to lose but in order to lose some bad habits I followed a minimal carb plan from one of the pt's at the gym I go to. I lost 2lbs in a week and even better almost 2 inches from my belly! Anyway - it did the trick for me I am just reall careful when it comes to carbs, do i really need those potatoes etc! I inspired my brother in law to do this and in 4 weeks he has lost over a stone (thats him at target weight!). Even better though is that he was on a training course in the first week of doing this - the buffet came out and someone passed the sandwiches and he declined saying he was trying to cut down his carb intake. He was back this week for a refresher and a guy came up saying 'i need to shake your hand' - this guy has gone from 18st 7 to 17st 6 since seeing my brother in law decline sandwiches in a week. Said it has enabled him to do what he has been trying to do for years! It just takes a bit of planning - write down in advance what you plan to have, maybe be more strict in your first week. After that if you are fancying something with carbs then go for it but you might feel you can manage on less. I am not suggesting cut out completely just think things through and I bet you could cut right back.

[Kiki-frog]

I joined SW with a friend about six weeks ago, and I've been having a small but consistent weight loss every week. (The good thing about SW is that it focuses on what you can have, rather than on what you can't have.) I think it really helps if you can find someone to go with, then you can encourage each other. And have a look at the Onwards and Downwards thread on here - Wndilla and xstitcher always manage to be at hand to offer support and encouragement. Keep at it! x

[Decibel]

Yes cutting down on carbs is a good thing, but don't make the mistake of cutting them out entirely. Don't think of cutting down, think more about controlling portions. Today's average portions are actually twice what they're supposed to be. For example, a pasta portion should only be a handful! It doesn't sound like much but pasta (or carbs in general) are only 30% of a meal! A meal should be 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% Fat. Try avoiding red meats (they have a much higher fat content), instead go for white meats and fish (wholemeal toast, tuna in brine [not sunflower oil] and cottage cheese is an amazingly filling lunch and cheap too, I eat it ALL the time). Cereal for breakfast is also not that healthy (all carbs and very little protein), a full English breakfast is actually better for you (grill it and trim bacon to keep fat content down). High protein will help you build the right kind of weight (muscle), but you do need to use it or it'll be stored for later. Building muscle means that you'll burn more calories by sitting and doing nothing, always a bonus.

Exercise wise, ideally do 20-30 mins of heavy CV (Running, high impact sport, Zumba's quite fun!) 5 days a week. Or 1hour 30mins of light CV (walking, household chores) For the heavy CV, you need to be sweating like nothing on earth and have the urge to curl up and conk out when finished. If you have one of those baby rucksack things (my parents used to carry me in one) if it's a modern one, go for power walks (lots of hills) with baby in it. The extra weight will increase the level of the activity, and you'll be building muscle. Also, from experience, it's awesome being carried around in one!

Also increase water intake, I drink on average 4-5 litres a day. Yes you may spend slightly more time going to the loo (!) but it improves digestion, stops that morning after ache, and improves skin hydration! Win win!

Hope this helps and that it hasn't been too condescending! Best of luck!