I need to lose at least 3-4 stone and by august this year

3-4 stone within 6 months is pretty ambitious - to achieve that you'll need an average weight loss of 2/3lbs per week, every week. Easy to achieve at the beginning but a lot harder the closer you get to your target and as you've discovered in the past, achieving your target weight is only half the battle, keeping it off is a whole lot harder. Also, the longer you've been serial dieting or yoyoing up and down, the harder it becomes each time to shed the weight you've regained plus the little bit extra that creeps on each time. Believe me I've been there!

Losing this weight and keeping it off is really only going to work longterm if you can also make the lifestyle changes that are necessary. This is were joining a slimming club can really help - as others have said you'll gain a lot of support, the weekly payment is an incentive to keep at it and with most, once you've achieved your target weight, as long as you maintain it then you can keep going to the weekly meetings for free. You'll learn all sorts of helpful ways to keep your calory intake down and adopt a healthier diet for the long term. That said they've never worked for me! This is because like you, I've found it difficult to fit the regular weekly commitment into a very busy life.

What has worked for me is the complete lifestyle change option and finding a form of exercise I can keep to with little effort on my part. What has worked for me is not restricting what I eat but maximising using up the calories I take in but it has to be said that this hasn't been achieved at the rate of 3-4 stone in 6 months. I also threw the scales out because I found in the past that if after a week of feeling deprived - I do love food! - I hadn't lost any weight, I'd get disheartened, think what's the point and have then hit the biscuit tin! So for over more than 2 years now I've no idea how much weight I've lost but I do know that I'm now 4 dress sizes smaller and feeling so much fitter and good in myself. I decided that it was better to settle for this much slower rate of loss but have found it rewarding because it did come off, has stayed off and I'm still losing. I could still do with dropping another couple of sizes but I'm also content to let that take another 12 months if necessary. I now know that I can maintain this approach to weight loss and control for far longer than any diet has ever lasted in the past, and that if need be it will be no hardship to stick with my current eating habits which are 'good enough' on the scale of heathy eating even if not perfect and to keep salsa dancing until I drop

SM

SMa, that post is inspiring, well done you!

Hi Everyone

Lost 1.5lbs again this week very happy with that as I didnt think I would have. It appears the more you eat on Sw diet the more weight you lose I Love this diet. Even had my chinese and ice cream this week. Was very good I really wanted a whole tub of Hagan dass Baileys which I would have eaten ALL TO MYSELF but settled on the smallest tub from my local icecream shop.

Good luck to everyone this week

Lynn

Hi Everyone,
Back from class and I lost 3lb and shared the slimmer of the week award
Was not sure how it would go as I am still on antibiotics and with not eating for a couple of days hope it didn't mess up the plan. Only 1 stone to go now to target. If I can lose 2lb I will get my first stone award - mind you I have been going since April.
Keep up the good work everyone.
Irene

Woo Hoo. Good news girls. Mine is not until Thursday .

Well done Irene & Lynn.

My weigh-in is this morning.

I am hoping to have lost 2 lbs because if I have I will get my very first silver 7 sticker. I still haven't decided what non food/drink reward I should buy myself if I have. Unfortunately, I have been carrying a bit of water for the past couple of days (if you get my drift), so I may not have lost the 2 lbs. I just don't want to have put any weight on.

Good luck to everyone who has weigh-ins this week.

Sheila.

Morning everyone.
Well done on the losses Irene and Lynne.

My weigh in last night and, I dont know how to type this without smiling to myself :D, but I have lost a whopping 6lb this week. All the girls at class clapped me, I was so embarrassed - but in a good way of course. Incidently, I had 90 syns altogether this week plus another 5½ for a Hifi bar to treat myself last night (a cherry and almond one to make me think I am eating a real cherry bakewell ).

Well to say that I am chuffed is an understatement especially with last week's gain. I know that it was probably a bit (lot) of water that I lost but it does feel good. Mind you, I was convinced the scales were wrong last week.

Anyway, got to be extra good this week to keep it off though. Back to my pre-christmas weight (although not my lowest) and only 4½ lbs to reach my target. Been a year since joining SW on 19th February. It would be a good to reach that mark with my target well and truely in hand.
everyone. Have a good week all.
Sarah

Sarah
Well done what a great weight loss

I've just booked a holiday 15 weeks tomorrow so I have something to aim for want to be at target for then.

Lynn

Well done Sarah - that,s a great weight loss. Did you get slimmer of the week? There were some great weight losses from some of the new members at our class last night. I only lost .5lb but i'm very near to target so not too bothered. Only 1lb to go to get my 1.5st award and 3lbs to get to target.

Well done every one else, especially Irene and Lynn..... and good luck to everyone else!!!!

Denny

everyone's doing so well this week!!
Well I lost 1lb, so not bad I guess although I had hoped for more as I'm still sticking to it religiously.
That's half a stone for me though so pleased I've hit that marker. Keep it up everyone!!

Hi to everyone,
Well done to Sarah, Denny and Sunaholic - hope I have not missed anyone out - isn't it a brilliant feeling.
Had loads to eat today and now feeling really full:
BF was 2 boiled eggs and 3 slices WW bread - started with some melon
MM I had a banana and an options drink (felt like the munchies)
Lunch VFF Cottage Cheese in JP
Dinner Chick pea curry then a lovely jelly with a Tbs spray cream
Also ate fruit and a bag of ryvita minis (B Choice)
Only sins today has been a chocolate digestive, the options drink and the spray cream.
People last night were saying the more you seem to eat of the right foods the bigger the loss - we will see. Off to fill in my sheet now.
Keep up the good work and have a good week.
Irene
PS A good tip from our consultant start the week with 70 - 105 sins and deduct, I found this to be a good idea.

I was a little disappointed with my weigh-in; I only lost 1/2 lb. I am not beating myself up about it because usually at this time of the month I would be carrying about four extra pounds due to my having had the munchies. Luckily, I haven't had the munchies this time. I wonder if it is because I have been eating more fruit and veg.

I am really glad that I fill in the food diary each day, because it helps me to focus.

Hopefully, next week I will have lost at least another 1lb.

Hi all

OH MY GOODNESS Everyone is losing. Me too! me too!
I lost 2.5lb and got my half stone sticker
It has taken me two and a half months to put that 7lb on and only 3 weeks to take it off.

I feel different this time ( really feel i am gonna make it) Normally if hubby gets up my nose i head straight for food or i have the odd drink (and more) but if we have had words lately i have a totally different attitude (its only took me 9 yrs to learn that one ) I will go and find myself something to do or take a nice bubblebath until i calm down.

Bring on the summer cos were all gonna be slim girls
Kerrie

Am i the only male in this club?

I've lost 3/4 stone in the past 2/3 weeks, and i'm chuffed to bits ... i always need a good start to keep me motivated, but i know long term it needs a lifestyle change. Sadly, i'm not one who actually eats a load of rubbish, i just have a woeful metabolism!!

Well done everyone on their weight losses this week. I have just added it up. This week, so far, we have lost between us (approx) 1 stone and 1lb (and thats not including Cider's loss). I think that deserves a couple of elephants a group hug and a huge round of applause.

Well done everyone and welcome CiderMonster.

Denny - I wouldnt have got slimmer of the week because I had a gain last week. Having said that due to childcare and husband's work patterns, I cant always stay the whole night anyway.

Lynn - where are you going for your hols?

Sarah

Cider And great user name by the way

Well done on your weight loss

Keep up the good work

Kerrie

Hi Everyone

We are all doing well this week. I take it all the christmas cake and goodies are finished

Sidney - dont be disappointed with 0.5lb off they all add up if you lost that every week that would be nearly 2 stone off in a year. Slow but sure is a better way to loose.

Sarah - going to Zante for a week we have friends over there.

Lynn

Thank you Lynn.

I weighed myself this morning and I had lost another 1lb So I feel much better today.

1lb off for me today. That takes me back to my pre Christmas lowest weight at SW.
Keep up the good work peeps.