I've lost a couple of stones by fasting only, either 5:2 or Alternate Day Fasting, ( eating 500 cals, or 600 for men on a fast day).That has worked for me up until now with no change to the types of foods that I eat on non fast days. I only needed to watch the amount I ate when I fasted 2 days a week.
That suited me, and the weight came off steadily.
The last few weeks I've been less well behaved, strangely happened when I hit a new low weight. Anyway I'm back fasting alternate days, so hopefully the weight loss will restart.

If you feel that you need to change your diet maybe try a healthy breakfast and lunch, and relax a bit at dinner. What do your menus look like at the moment?

What do you eat on your fast days - and do you use your calls in one hit or spread throughout the day?

This is the best advice and I can reinforce this by saying that I did exactly the same with excellent results.

They key to weight loss is small changes in a diet and moderate exercise. Try to avoid snacking during the day if you can, restrict treats to a dessert after your main meal. If you find you miss snacking too much then just do it less frequently and in smaller quantities. If you have 3 slices of toast in the morning, have 2 instead and switch to brown or wholemeal bread if you can (if you can't then don't). AVOID full fat drinks. This means Cokes/Pepsi and beer. The biggest enemy of weight loss is fatty drinks, not fatty foods. A can of coke is 120 calories, beer is equally bad. Go to the pub for a few drinks and you immediately gain 300+ calories. It's so easy to forget about how fatty some drinks can be.

I used to have "Fat Fridays", but honestly, "Fat Saturdays" are better. One day a week where you don't worry about your calorie intake (as mentioned above, within reason).

I walked 2 miles or more, 3 times per week. I started off slow, just a mile a few times a week, then that increased. Now I tend to go for a run (not a walk) of about 5 miles once a week (sometimes more depending on the weather). 4-5st was my result over 8 months doing the above. Diet or exercise, it works better when you do both in moderation. Ultimately the goal is to tip the arrow into a slight reverse, slowly lose instead of slowly gain weight.

Has anyone on here used The Slender Blend? I started on Boxing Day and have already lost 7 pounds!

It was odd at first as i suffered a few dizzy spells but now its great. I really recommend this. I have about another 2 weeks of stuff left so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens!

only thing with shake replacement diets as soon as you stop that weight is going to go back on

Good luck everyone! So wonderful to see success and hints and tips.

Tonight is my official weigh in, so I'll see just how much Christmas set me back.

I mentioned my anaemia before, and can't exercise as such. I'm currently at the point I can't even carry my 1 year old up the stairs at night without a sit down at the bottom, one half way up, and one at the top. I discovered an under the desk cycle machine thing though. So when I'm sat down, I peddle on that. I also peddle with my arms.
It means I can still do some sort of activity rather than being totally sedentary. And I don't have to risk passing out and injuring myself. It'd be useful for those who have to spend long times sitting, and want a little boost.

On the plus side, I have an iron infusion in a week, so with any luck I'll be able to move about properly!

Yes this is my concern too. I am planning more exercise so hopefully I will be able to keep it off.

One other recommendation I'd make is don't get obsessed with weigh-ins. Measuring the waistline is far more useful than measuring weight, especially if exercise is part of the routine as you'll gain a little muscle and that weighs more than fat. So don't get disheartened if you don't lose as fast as you hoped, it might be muscle gain.

Yes. My long over due weigh in happened this morning but I will not weigh myself for a couple of months as it can be disheartening. I want to be healthy and fit so I need to eat healthily and exercise as a matter of course, not just because I want to see the dial go down.

I had always done just the one meal a day, usually I would wait until dinner to eat, but will now sometimes have a cup soup, and maybe a couple of cracker breads if I'm feeling cold and hungry earlier. It does stoke the fire a little though, and I tend to get a bit hungry as a result.

Other than that maybe salmon, prawns, or chicken with veg/salad, tinned baby potatoes

I also buy a few prepared items when I fancy them, Morrisons mushroom/leek/bacon pies are 100 cals each. Aldi and Tesco chicken, mango salad, around 100 cals. Apparently M&S do some good ones too. Occassionally slim-type noodles or rice, Heck sausages.

I'll use spiralised courgettes (about 50 cals for a large one) as noodles in dishes, or cauliflower rice (grated or minced cauliflower cooked with whatever spice I fancy).

I also tend to save a few calories for a mini Twister, and a Highlights hot chocolate before bed.

There are lots of Facebook groups, mostly UK based that I find helpful, lots of recipe ideas and before and after photos.

Thank you. I might consider that as well although I think I will need 100 calls less.

First official weigh in of the year, and I've somehow managed to lose half a pound.

Which takes my total loss to exactly 1 stone.

I'm aiming for 10 stone by June. 5 months to lose 2st4. And then I'll see how I feel from there. 6 years ago, I was a size 8 at 10 stone. I'm thinking I'm gunna need to drop more to get back to that size!

The allowance on fast days is actually up to 500 for women, and 600 for men. Some people do less, or even just water fasts on those days. Others do a up to about 100 calories more.

You will but I cant stress the importance of exercise along will a healthy diet like I've said before I was the worse eater in the world I'm talking take away every night a sucker for cakes and the like but that's all gone and feel so much better for it

the shake thing may give you a kick start but just be careful

Hi Bermondseybrick

I didn't reply to your message yesterday as I didn't want to start an argument in the advice section

But I just wanted to ask, do you really think that working out 6 days a week is a long term, sustainable solution to maintaining your weight? I mean, when you were unable to exercise you put on roughly 2 stone in 2 months . . .that's not normal. . . .

its definitely sustainable I've been doing it the last 2 years (sometikmes I do a double session) and my injury came through work rather working out

the reason its sustainable is because each day/session is different Monday we do anaerobic exercise Tuesday is HIIT Wednesday is strength Thursday is core and stretch/boxfit .. with Saturday is "fun" day with team games and Sunday is a mixture of everything a secondary reason is purely because I love it .. threes a core group of us that have become friends outside of bootcamp and its a good way to meet up and arrange nights outs parties etc

the two stone in two month was easily done as I went back to my old eating habits sugar in my tea take-aways cakes sweets chocolate and pretty much anything else I wanted without zero movement

I think the whole exercise thing is a personal thing and you need to do what works for you . If I wasn't working out 6 days a week what else would I be doing sat at home watching tv eating crap ... no thanks

ill try and find my progress shots and post here so you can see what healthy eating and exercise can help you achieve

I think exercise is important for general health and well being, but not necessarily for losing weight. That is all about what, and how much we put in our mouths.

The loss that I've had has has mostly been without exercise ( just a bit of running before my holiday last year). That said, I am going to add more to my routine, and am looking to go out running regulary, and sign up for a climbing course.

In 2015 when i am hungry i ate vegetable so in 2016 i used the same diet to loss my weight

in a way you are correct that weight loss is generally more to do with diet as the saying goes you cant out train a bad diet in its simplest form its all about burning more calories than you consume and no 2 ways about a decent 45 minute workout will help you burn more than just diet alone

but

exercise will turn a 2lb loss over say a week into a 5lb loss over that same period and it has many other health benefits too it will increase your mental well being and like you say your general health itll make you stronger fitter and numerous other benefits

good luck with your running and climbing sounds awesome

here are the progress shots from when I started the weight loss

pic one was a couple weeks into bootcamp and at my heaviest

pic 2 was the weight loss with no real diet change other than cutting the bad stuff

pic three was after I changed my diet habits and started eating "clean " and healthy

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...2F50A8CE72.jpg

what sort of timescale was that? great transformation regardless, you must be really pleased. Well done!

first picture was taken april 2014 the second was taken was taken august 2014 (3 stone lost purely via exercise and cutting out the junk food ) the third pic was taken in march 2015 after the diet change (to healthy clean eating) in Jan 2015 (a further 2.2 stone loss ) and gave up on weighing as I was buiding muscle so weight was no longer a good indicator

took longer than expected as I wasn't very strict on myself as from Jan to august as I ate healthy during the week then on the weekends I was out drinking with friends meals out where I wasn't selecting the healthy options - take aways and the like

yeah I was pleased extremely pleased this time I plan to improve on that last pic by a country mile

You don't need to convince me that intensive exercise and a changed diet can lead to radical weight loss. I've achieved it many times in the past - losing 3-4 stone in the space of a few months. The issue is whether the regime is sustainable in the long term, and i don't mean for a couple of years, i mean the rest of your life. Will you still be going to boot camp 6 times a week if you have two kids, or a new job that requires you to travel, or if you break your leg? Basically just life. And then putting on a stone a month if you can't exercise is extremely hazardous to your health.

I don't know if this is your first period of weight loss but you sound a lot like I did 10 years ago; convinced that I had 'cracked' my problem through my gym routine and not eating rubbish. I enjoyed the gym, I didn't miss the chocolate/sweets, this was how I was going to live the rest of my life. And then things changed an overnight I was back to my old ways.

I've repeated the above cycle at least 6 times in my life and each time I end up fatter at the end of it. So it's not that I don't understand your thinking at the moment, it's just I'm not convinced that it's a long term answer.

see that's the thing I know I can .. im 37 years old have 4 kids (granted they don't live with me but see them regularly ) I work 10-hour day (7.30-5.30) and I had the injury with my back which stopped me exercising

my problem was when my back stopped me exercising I got down which then lead to me eating rubbish. If I had stuck the diet there is no way I would have put the weight on again

this isn't my first go round with losing weight had a period about 6-7 years ago where I lost a stone and a bit and that was just with running before I knew anything about eating clean or nutrition

look im not saying my way will work for everyone..it wont
some of bootcamp friends are thin as rakes and eat what they want and use the exercise to maintain their weights

I on the other hand just cant do that ,,so for me its clean eating, plenty of exercise, no secret indulgencies and if bootcamp ever shuts down or moves or whatever I have learnt enough to be able to exercise on my own, by myself anywhere, be a park ,a gym or my bedroom

at the end of the day I'm a stubborn single minded pain in the ass and I refuse to ever let myself get back to that 18.5 stone mess that was I was two years in that first pic and if it means working out 6 times a week or 7 or 8 times then that's what ill do

Day 3! Not doing too badly, still allowing myself to snack on fruit when I'm hungry...it's meant to get easier from today though, isn't it?