If you are a regular reader of my blog you may know that last year (and the start of this year) I lost 4 stone doing the Diet Chef plan. I felt amazing, like I was going to change my life, break the cycle of dieting and finally feel comfortable in my own skin. People commented on how well I was looking and I was no longer in the plus size department.
I am not sure what has happened this year, I have struggled a little with my PND, I have been busy, we have been away alot; whatever it is my motivation has disappeared and I am in danger of being back where I started, about 1/3 of the weight I lost has already gone back on (below is a current photo).
So I am staging an intervention for myself. I have asked a couple of blogging friends who have been amazingly successful in losing weight AND keeping it off to share their stories and also their top weight loss tips. I hope that the stories of these beautiful ladies will inspire and motivate me to restart and keep going this time. I hope they do the same for you too, should you feel the need to lose a few pounds (or, like me, stones!).
Lucy from Mrs Bishop Bakes and Banter
Back in August 2013 after the birth of my son Bert I was at my heaviest (17st 2lbs) and feeling pretty dreadful. After a lifetime of being overweight I decided enough was enough and things needed to change. I wanted to be the healthiest mum possible for Bert, and I wanted to feel confident in my own skin. I knew that fundamentally my attitude towards food, portion size, emotional/comfort eating and exercise all needed an overhaul – so decided that a diet ‘club’ wouldn’t be the right choice for me: I wanted to go it alone, and learn a way to eat/cook/exercise that didn’t follow a plan, as realistically I think it is hard to stick to any ‘diet plan’ like that in-definitely. I wanted to change my habits forever, and from the inside out. I knew I needed to put work in to change emotionally, and start from scratch with my diet education.
Luckily, I love to cook and am passionate about food – so over the past two years I have got my head down and re-educated myself completely. I now understand how many calories I personally need each day, how much to burn off through exercise, and no longer find myself tempted to gorge on high fat, high sugar treats as I know what they are ‘worth’ in terms of calories/exercise needed to burn them off. Instead, I exercise moderation in all things, and enjoy treats guilt-free (which is a revelation to me). It is amazing how un-burying your head from the sand can lead you to make much wiser choices.
I use the brilliant phone application My Fitness Pal to count my daily calories (and two years on I still use it every day), and I balance my calorie intake with loads of fast power walking on pretty much a daily basis. I now make better food choices due to my new understanding of ‘good calories vs bad calories’ ‘good fats vs bad fats’, and by habit I now check food labels for fat, salt and sugar content, while also cutting out white flour and opting for whole grain where possible. I drink plenty of water, limit my alcohol consumption and save it for a treat, and honestly I enjoy all my treats so much more now that the guilt cycle has been removed from my eating.
Two years on and I have now lost 6.5 stone and counting…I’ve slimmed from a UK size 20 to a size 12, and I feel like a completely different person – happier, more confident, I feel healthy and most importantly I have gained back control of my life. I still eat cake, I still have takeaways, I still drink alcohol, I still bake a lot – I’m just moderate with it all.
Lucy’s Three Tips for Weight Loss
1.Try to address the emotions behind your eating habits – work out why you over eat/binge/make bad choices, and determine whether you could make life changes that ultimately would make you happier and therefore make you less likely to reward/punish yourself with the overeating cycle.
2. The ‘I’ll start being good on Monday/after my holiday/after Christmas’ mentality is a dangerous one – don’t see this as a diet, see it as a commitment to healthier living IN DEFINITELY. You don’t need to ban any foods, stop drinking alcohol or only eat lettuce leaves – exercise moderation in all things and it will happen for you. If you have a ‘bad day’ don’t think “Oh well! I’ve been bad so I might as well be REALLY bad!” – just accept the ‘blip’ and move on to being committed to a healthier day the following day.
3. Set yourself mini goals – don’t run before you can walk, especially if you have quite a lot of weigh to lose. I used to set myself achievable targets, then once I had achieved them I would the change the goalposts and set myself a new target. If at the beginning I had said ‘You must lose 6.5 stone’ I would have been so daunted/overwhelmed and it would have seen like such a massive task that I don’t think I’d have been able to cope. Instead I said to myself ‘Lose one stone by Christmas’ or ‘get into the next clothes size down’, and before I knew it I was smashing my targets and achieving more than I could ever have imagined.
Emma from Life According to Mrs Shilts
It was the summer of 2014 when I decided enough was enough. I was struggling with my self-esteem, my confidence was at an all-time low and my weight was ballooning out of control. I didn’t like the look of myself in the mirror and it was only when I went on an unsuccessful shopping trip for clothes for a beach holiday that I realised just how bad I had let myself go.
After a holiday in Turkey, I returned to the UK with a determination to change my ways. I wanted to look in the mirror and smile, I was so fed up of being miserable and I wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin. I signed up to a Slimming World class and I haven’t looked back.
In just over thirteen months, I have lost five stone and gone down 3 dress sizes. At first, the weight came off quite quickly which was highly motivating. My weekly losses spurred me on to stay on track The weight loss slowed down after the first four stone came off and it’s taken a while to get off the fifth stone but I’ve tried to stay positive throughout as I’m now seeing and reaping the benefits.
My 3 tips to stay motivated are
– Remember why you started. Look back on old photographs and focus on your losses and what you have already achieved.
– Plan your meals in advance and get meat out of the freezer if it’s not fresh. You won’t want to waste it once it’s defrosted helping you to stay on plan and save money you would have once used on a takeaway.
– Don’t turn a bad day into a bad week. You can always start a fresh the next day.
Aren’t these ladies amazing?! They look totally incredible and I hope they have given you some motivation if you feel the need to change your life.
Comments 29
Great post, I think all you 3 ladies are awesome, I have crash dieted so many times, I wish I could loose weight but my problem is I have a serious control issue with food.
Maybe one day I will be able to share a happy story.
Good luck Aby, although I think you look AMAZING in that picture xxx
Well all 3 of you are amazing! Takes such determination and all of you have done iincredibly well. xx
What an inspiring post – all three of you gorgeous ladies are amazing and thank you so much for sharing your journey’s and your top tips to stay motivated.
Sammy x
Thank you Aby for asking me to be a part of your blog feature.
Losing weight isn’t easy so you should be so so proud of yourself. Mrs B is looking absolutely incredible and she’s my main inspiration!
This post came completely at the right time for me as I’ve gained weight over the last three weeks (only 3lb in total) which I know is nothing in comparison to what I have lost so I am taking it one day at a time and going to turn my good days into a good week and hopefully get the weight moving again. Thanks for sharing lovely xx
you look so sassy in that black dress!! I definitely needed this post. I’m back on the wagon, but it’s a hard slog… It’s taken me two months to lose 11lbs. With another 2stone to go that’s just so achingly long and it’s because I try really hard and then relax like a silly billy for a week. Seeing this post makes me think ‘ Right, Crack on you daft tubster!’ I can’t wait to not have to look at plus size straight away!! x
Wow you ladies are amazing! it was really interesting to read Lucy’s story and to see she has lost the weight without going to a diet club. I have been a yoyo dieter since my teens and I have re-enrolled at Weight Watchers and Slimming World more times than I care to admit. I just struggle so much, I am such an emotional eater. I’m happy – I eat. I’m sad – I eat. I’m bored – I eat. You get the idea! I have lots of stones to lose and feel very daunted at the prospect of losing weight but I am at my heaviest, I wasn’t even this heavy whilst pregnant. thank you for the inspiration ladies xx
Oh wow, what inspirational women, I’m losing weight at the moment and this has really inspired me to keep at it!
What an amazing and inspiring story! I am currently on a weight loss journey of my own to lose all the baby weight from having my two kiddos and it is a lifestyle choice for sure! I love reading success stories of people who have made huge changes in their lives for the better.
Aby, you look gorgeous in the black dress in the photo above! And Emma and Lucy look amazing as well. Well done to all three of you beautiful ladies! x #TheList
Well done ladies! Proof that hard work does pay off. Aby you are looking great xx
So inspiring! I’m definitely going to get back into using My Fitness Pal again – it is such a good app! #thelist
What amazing stories and I think all 3 of you will have inspired people to take control of their health and diet xx #TheList
Wow, you’re all amazing. I really like the way you’ve included other people’s stories Aby. A very inspiring and informative weight loss post. #thelist
What a great way to take some inspiration. Emma and Lucy have done so well – and so have you Abby. All beautiful ladies x #thelist
Amazing stories of success! How inspiring #TheList
All 3 of you have done remarkably well. I need to lose a stone (or 2 if I’m honest with myself) and am totally struggling with motivation. You ladies have done so well and it gives me hope that I can too x
You’ve all done amazingly. Brilliant advice from Lucy and Emma. #TheList
Three inspirational ladies. I find I have no happy medium, im either losing weight or putting it on. #Thelist
What absolutely inspirational ladies, I am struggling to get my diet mojo up and running again so this is a great post to read #thelist
Wow, very inspiring indeed! I’ve been on my own journey since May and it is an effort to maintain your weight and to stay motivated. Grabbing a bag of Twisties is too easy. Small goals really work for me and I KEEP on making them, especially now in the maintenance phase. For me, if I lose sight of what I to achieve, then it’s easy and too comfortable to go back to the old ways.
Wow, very inspiring indeed! I’ve been on my own journey since May and it is an effort to maintain your weight and to stay motivated. Grabbing a bag of Twisties is too easy. Small goals really work for me and I KEEP on making them, especially now in the maintenance phase. For me, if I lose sight of what I to achieve, then it’s easy and too comfortable to go back to the old ways. #TheList
Great results ladies. Sometimes. It is.good to take a step and reflect and find your mojo again. X
Three very inspiring stories. And Aby, good on you for being proactive, your awareness is a guarantee that you will stay in control and continue on this positive journey.
I have a gastric band. It hasn’t worked as I had hoped and I am stil about 4 stone overweight. I regularly feel like this is a battle I can never win. I know I need to get to it soon as it keeps on creeping up and up. I am currently being sidetracked by the blog which takes up most of my available time, so I tell myself I’ll deal with it “later”. I have no idea when later is. I know it makes no difference whatsoever to how you feel, but you look bloody lovely in the black dress. Its a great choice for you. Those stories are inspirational, I truly hope you get the story you want. xxxx
Wow! Ladies! You are all amazing! I think I will need to give them a call too. Thank you so much for the inspiration. #TheList
Wow!!! I cant believe these pictures – they are amazing! I have lost 4.5 stone and find it hard to feel or see a difference in the mirror sometimes but luckily have some pictures that show it off pretty well. It really is the hardest thing in the world and its the emotional eating I struggle with when I have a ‘what the hell is the point?’ binge then instantly regret it! You and these ladies have done so well and I love that pic of you in the black dress! x
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Well done, 4.5 stone is amazing! Thanks I love that dress x
what an inspirational post, all three of you have done amazing and you are still looking amazing Aby and so different to before you started losing weight. I am struggling to shift two lots of baby weight myself and stories like these keep me going as I have lost two stone but still have a few more to go . Good luck I am sure you will be back on track in no time xx
I love reading and seeing the pictures on weight loss stories! Very inspiring and seeing their happy faces
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