25 stone to 19 stone in 8 months.

Drag0nfly said:
I think you're over-thinking this Helena, worrying about obstacles that don't exist yet.
Click to expand...

I'm one who likes to know how things are going to pan out, and also one who likes to "be prepared" with a contingency plan.
 
366to266 said:
I'm one who likes to know how things are going to pan out, and also one who likes to "be prepared" with a contingency plan.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's possible to know how a diet will pan out though, all you can do is try it and see. And if it doesn't work, try something else. If you worry too much about it not working, you'll just add to your stress levels. And lord knows it's all stressful enough as it is.
 
Just have to jump in and say I was browsing your diary with my 4 year old son sitting next to me when I came across your photos. He suddenly piped up "mummy go back. Look that lady has flames on her top, why does that lady have flames on her top? She's lovely" bless his heart. I wish we could see ourselves the way children do sometimes.

Good luck on your journey, will be following along x

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Biker Chick said:
Just have to jump in and say I was browsing your diary with my 4 year old son sitting next to me when I came across your photos. He suddenly piped up "mummy go back. Look that lady has flames on her top, why does that lady have flames on her top? She's lovely"
Click to expand...

OOoooh! How wonderful! You've made my day with that anecdote!

Here is me yesterday, holding the instructions for a flatpack cabinet and my trusty screwdriver.



h3.jpgh2.jpg
 
I really wouldn't think in terms of extra calories meaning you can now eat more chips etc

Moderate carbs, no chocolate , not too much bread and up your vegetables. Don't snack.

The weight would drop off
 
Rather you than me with the flat pack!

Apparently when asked about this photo you now look "happy". Asked him how I look today and got told "tired"! With 3 boys under 10 & visits from both my parents and my in laws today, I'd say that was spot on.

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The plan Helena is for you to lose fat not weight the very low calorie diets tend to burn up your lean muscle tissue as well which means that when you start eating normally again the pounds pile on and most of it ends up as fat.

I would suggest that you base your meals on "real food" rather than ringing the takeaway and then once a week have a splurge day for your fast food fix after all we are trying to re-train our taste buds and habits away from the foods that led us to be in this situation in the first place.

I think you're going to have to make friends with your kitchen lol

I have to admit it is difficult to use up all of those calories on fresh/home made meals. I generally have a splurge night on a Saturday when I treat myself to some decent chocolate or some wine with my saved calories.
 
they should let you in to it wonder why x x
 
tranquility said:


I would suggest that you base your meals on "real food" rather than ringing the takeaway and then once a week have a splurge day for your fast food fix after all we are trying to re-train our taste buds and habits away from the foods that led us to be in this situation in the first place.

I think you're going to have to make friends with your kitchen lol

I have to admit it is difficult to use up all of those calories on fresh/home made meals. I generally have a splurge night on a Saturday when I treat myself to some decent chocolate or some wine with my saved calories.
Click to expand...

Hi Tranq... I was taken aback by your comment. "I would suggest that you base your meals on "real food" rather than ringing the takeaway."

Since I started this diet one month ago I have eaten all real food every single day. In the whole month I only had ONE takeaway and that was three pieces of Southern fried chicken and some chips. One meal in a whole month that wasn't home cooked.

I have a freezer full of home made spag bol and home made cottage pie, having spent hours slaving over a hot stove to make those meals in batches specifically to avoid supermarket ready meals. My fridge is crammed with salad stuffs, wholemeal bread, fresh vegetables, yoghurts, fruits, milk, ham, chicken, lean beef which I am about to casserole and other "good" foods.

Helena
 
366to266 said:
Hi Tranq... I was taken aback by your comment. "I would suggest that you base your meals on "real food" rather than ringing the takeaway."

Since I started this diet one month ago I have eaten all real food every single day. In the whole month I only had ONE takeaway and that was three pieces of Southern fried chicken and some chips. One meal in a whole month that wasn't home cooked.

I have a freezer full of home made spag bol and home made cottage pie, having spent hours slaving over a hot stove to make those meals in batches specifically to avoid supermarket ready meals. My fridge is crammed with salad stuffs, wholemeal bread, fresh vegetables, yoghurts, fruits, milk, ham, chicken, lean beef which I am about to casserole and other "good" foods.

Helena
Click to expand...
good on you helena thats great that you batch cook like you said it stops you ringing the takeaway and you have slaved over it plus you know its good for you and know what as gone into it
i need to do this when me and hubby or working late shifts x x
 
Last night was really weird. By 7pm I was done with eating, no appetite at all, but only up to 1100 calories.

Based on advice given here I forced myself to eat another 600 calories worth of food but I really did not want to eat it. I sat there thinking, "why am I forcing in food that I don't want?" The answer: "because I need to lose weight." That sounded really silly. Eating when I was not hungry breaks the McKenna rule of never eat until you are hungry. But I did what was suggested by my friends on here.

So I ate 1800 yesterday.

And this morning I have gained yet another pound. In one week I have regained almost half the weight that I lost in the first two weeks. If this goes on, then this low calorie diet will end up making me fatter than I was. That is totally crazy!

Chezz: "Like you said it stops you ringing the takeaway". I have not phoned up for a takeaway in 3 months.

Here is a photo of my spag bol. 350 calories per portion.


Made with 5% fat extra lean steak mince (Ocado). Fresh leeks, carrots, mushrooms and a little cabbage.Tinned tomatoes and tomato puree. Mixed herbs. Garlic. Organic 100% wholewheat spaghetti. In the portion in the photo I had sprinkled a tiny bit of strong cheddar hence the yellow "bits". Still using up the old cheddar from my previous "diet".


My food diary is 100% accurate, I log everything religiously and open to anyone who wants to read it.

A very miserable, scared and worried,


Helena



spagbol.jpg
 
I too have been reading your diary and my immediate concern is that you're not eating nearly enough. You need to eat enough to fuel your body. As others have said, try not to over think it. Also try not to weigh every day as the normal fluctuations clearly upset you. Your body is not a machine so will rise and fall on a daily basis. I've recently converted over to calorie counting as I've found i wasn't eating enough following sw. The weeks i struggled were the ones where I was under my cals by alot! Wishing you luck today :) look forward to seeing how you get on xx

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I found this on another thread, thought it might help back up what we're all advising xx
Fattack said:
How many calories do I need to eat every day to lose weight?
This is a common question on our lovely forum. So I figured I'd write a thread about it - if it's any use / helps people, maybe it could get stickied. NOTE: if you have health problems that affect your mobility or metabolism, then I advise you seek medical advise rather than following this guide.

The fast answer:
If you don't want to read the long version of the answer - go off to myfitnesspal.com and that site will work it out for you!
Note that MFP.com gives you NET calorie intake per day - you are encouraged to eat whatever calories you burn through exercise BACK if you use that number.

My Slightly-More-In-Depth Guide - the longer answer:

1.Work out your BMI here, if you don't know it. If you've input your weight into your Minimins profile, you probably know your BMI (as it's under your details when you make a post!).

2. Work out your BMR
Your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) is basically how many calories your body burns by just existing - by doing basically, nothing. If you lay in bed all day and did not move, this is how many calories your body would burn. If you ate this many calories, and did not move all day, you would maintain your current weight.

3. Remember this figure and use it in the Harris-Benedict Equation. This equation works out how many calories you specifically, according to your activity level, burn every day. The more active you are, the more calories you burn (duh!), and therefore the equation is different for the woman who sits at her desk all day and does no exercise, than for the lady who runs a 5k 6 times a week. The number you get at the end of the Harris Benedict Equation is the number of calories you need to eat daily to maintain your weight, at this lifestyle.

4. But I don't want to maintain! Exactly, this is why we create a calorie deficit. To lose a pound, you need to shave off 3500 calories from somewhere, this equates to 500 calories a day, to lose 1lb in a week. You shouldn't aim to lose more than around 2lbs a week unless you are very overweight - this is because when you lose more than 2lbs a week, you are not just losing fat, but water, and more importantly, the good stuff - muscle.
Muscle is great because it increases your metabolism(the rate at which you burn fat!) and the heart is also a muscle! You don't want to lose it!

Here are the recommended daily deficits, depending on BMI (which we worked out in Step 1, remember!):
Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week).

So, if you had a BMI of 28, and the Harris Benedict Equation gives you 2000 calories a day to maintain, you'd make your deficit of 500 calories a day, and consume 1500 calories daily / 10500 a week(and wouldn't consume your exercise calories on top of it - they're accounted for in the Equation!). Do not ever go below 1200 calories a day if you are a woman, this is dangerous and creating too large a deficit.

Oh my goodness, that was all a bit complicated! Help!
Here are a couple of examples of following the steps in case you're stuck.

CASE 1- ME
1. My BMI. I'm 5'0'', female, and weigh 146.5lbs. The BMI calculator tells me my BMI is 28.6.
2. My BMR. I input my height, weight, gender and age (26) into the BMR calculator, and it gives me 1456.775.
3. The Harris Benedict Equation.
I exercise roughly 5 times a week, so I'm "moderately active".
So I calculate my BMR by 1.55.
1456.755 x 1.55 = 2257.9.
I'll round it up and say 2258.
I need 2258 calories a day to maintain my weight, with the amount of exercise I do.
4. With my BMI, I can run a healthy deficit of 500 calories a day.
2258-500 = 1758 calories a day / 12306 calories a week. I do NOT eat any exercise calories back this way. This is what I have.

CASE 2- WE'LL CALL HER ANN
1. Ann's BMI. She's 5'6" and 200lbs, putting her BMI at 32.3.
2. Ann's BMR. Ann is 35 years old. Therefore her BMR (using the above figures) is 1670.7.
3. Harris-Benedict Equation.
Let's say Ann plays tennis twice a week. This puts her as "lightly active".
So we multiply Ann's BMR by 1.375.
1670.7 x 1.375 = 2297 calories (rounded).
4. With Ann's BMI, she can run a healthy defecit of 1000 cals a day IF she wants to lose 2lbs a week (she can run 500 if she wants to lose 1lb, 250 if 0.5, 750 if she wants to lose 1.5 etc.) she can eat 1375 calories a day / 9625 a week. This is what she has, she does not eat any extra to compensate for the exercise done.

Ann says - WAIT A MINUTE! On the days I play tennis, I get really hungry! Therefore, Anne could have 1200 calories a day (the minimum recommended for women) on the 5 days a week she does not exercise. This means that on those 5 days she has consumed 5 x 1200 = 6000 calories. Now, she has 9625 - 600 = 3625 left from her weekly total, so on the days she plays tennis, she could have 3625 / 2 = 1812 calories.
If she finds she's getting too hungry on her inactive days, she could have 1300 on the 5 "inactive" days, and then 9625 - (1300 x 5) = 3125 can be divided between the two active days. Therefore she could eat 1563 (rounded up) calories on those days she plays tennis, and 1300 on days she doesn't.

Again - this information is not accounting for people with metabolic conditions or specific health issues that may impede weight loss.

Hope this information helps! Again, if anybody is stuck, the best way to work out your calorie allowance is to go to myfitnesspal.com and input your details.
Click to expand...


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WelshJojo said:
I too have been reading your diary and my immediate concern is that you're not eating nearly enough. You need to eat enough to fuel your body. As others have said, try not to over think it. Also try not to weigh every day as the normal fluctuations clearly upset you. Your body is not a machine so will rise and fall on a daily basis. I've recently converted over to calorie counting as I've found i wasn't eating enough following sw. The weeks i struggled were the ones where I was under my cals by alot! Wishing you luck today :) look forward to seeing how you get on xx
Click to expand...

Everyone is saying the same things. But to be frank I am just too scared. Scared to eat 2000-plus calories and even more scared to combine that with not weighing. So, what is it that scares me? That I will weigh in a week and find that I am back up to 352, where I started a month ago. If that happens I will either lose my mind or slash my wrists.

The voice in my head is telling me to eat less and less, but everyone is saying eat more.

Thanks Jo Jo for that copy-and-paste, I will give it a read...

OK read it. It does not back up what you are all advising. It concludes that I should eat 1600 a day. Please read on.

I worked out my BMR which is 2175 and my HBE (Harris Benedict Equation) which is 2600 (for sedentary, which I usually am).

The advice you quoted states:

"Here are the recommended daily deficits, depending on BMI.. Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit"

My BMI is 60, so that includes me.

A 1000 calorie a day deficit from 2600 makes 1600 calories, which is what I have been trying to eat, but am being told is not enough.

The HBE states that if I do sports or exercise 3 days a week I will use 2990 calories per day. A 1000 calorie deficit from that still makes it only 1,990 calories that I can eat per day.

Have I done the maffs wrong?

Helena
 
Last edited:
366to266 said:
Everyone is saying the same things. But to be frank I am just too scared. Scared to eat 2000-plus calories and even more scared to combine that with not weighing. So, what is it that scares me? That I will weigh in a week and find that I am back up to 352, where I started a month ago. If that happens I will either lose my mind or slash my wrists.

The voice in my head is telling me to eat less and less, but everyone is saying eat more.

Thanks Jo Jo for that copy-and-paste, I will give it a read...

OK read it. It does not back up what you are all advising. It concludes that I should eat 1600 a day. Please read on.

I worked out my BMR which is 2175 and my HBE (Harris Benedict Equation) which is 2600 (for sedentary, which I usually am).

The advice you quoted states:

"Here are the recommended daily deficits, depending on BMI.. Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit"

My BMI is 60, so that includes me.

A 1000 calorie a day deficit from 2600 makes 1600 calories, which is what I have been trying to eat, but am being told is not enough.

The HBE states that if I do sports or exercise 3 days a week I will use 2990 calories per day. A 1000 calorie deficit from that still makes it only 1,990 calories that I can eat per day.

Have I done the maffs wrong?

Helena
Click to expand...

Something doesn't seem right! What does MFP quote? I'm about a stone lighter and even with moderate exercise my calorie allowance - to lose 2lbs a week is 2130!!! Also you have to remember you need to eat back the cals you burn off :) if you're worried about going over 2000 then don't - stick to 2000 for a week, and aslong as you follow it properly and there are no underlying health issues, you should lose weight xx

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