Back with a different mind set

[SammyE]

Hi all,

I lost over 4 stone on exante, so mainly stuck to that section of the forum but for the last year (yes a whole year!!) I've been yoyoing up and down the same half stone.

Exante got me down to a "normal" size 14 from a size 20 in a very short time but it was starting to teach me bad eating habits.. I would go from eating nothing but shakes for weeks to stuffing my face with everything I craved because "I'll go back on the diet tomorrow and I can't have anything then"

Now I've changed my mind set, I don't need to live off shakes to lose weight... I just need to learn the consequences of my eating actions... So I joined the gym and bought a huge range of healthy and healthier options of food... I started a food diary, I count calories of everything I eat (yes yes boring I know hehe) then I work out how long I need to do in the gym to burn it off.

I'm eating... If I want to go out with my friends for dinner I do, if I want a drink, I'll have it, if I want chocolate... I'll have it.. Then I'll spend that night sweating my guts out lol... When I see how much work it takes to burn those calories... They don't seem as tempting next time! And I'm losing more then I did on exante, if I came off the wagon for one day, I wouldn't lost anything ... Not only am I eating a lot more, I lost 5.5lbs this week, I was lucky to lose 3lbs on exante!

Now I'm not dissing that type of diet, it got me small enough to consider the gym, plus 4 stone ago I got out if breathe just climbing the stairs so it got me to the point where I am physically able to be more active etc.

Onwards and downward

Oh and I LOVE the gym... This comes from a exercisephobe... Everytime I go and go further for longer or complete something faster then the time before I feel so proud of myself, I've got 2 stone 5lbs to go and i'll get there... One week at a time.

 

[Jettica]

Go you!

I find exercising so addictive. Like you said, just being able to better your previous times/weights is amazing.

Good luck to you, I'm sure you'll find your new healthy lifestyle much more sustainable! x

 

[Caz]

Well done, you've done great so far. Your attitude now seems like you'll do really well.

Just a question. My boyfriend did Exante and lost 57lbs on it, he's now come off it as he's almost at goal and is trying to at least maintain and lose the last bit through calorie counting and healthy eating. He's been off Exante for about 2 weeks now and he's gained something like 4 or 5lbs. Personally I think it's bound to happen as your body gets used to so little so it has to readjust to food and especially carbs again but he's pretty worried about it. He's been eating fairly well, 1400-1700 a day, plus exercise a few days a week, so he shouldn't really be gaining. Just wondering if you found that this happened with you too? How long did it take for your body to settle back down again? Just hoping you might be able to reassure him a little bit!

 

[SammyE]

Thank you both

I always gain when I start eating carbs again, but it's water weight rather then fat, I gained 8lbs when I stopped (but I was pretty bad..) I then maintained weight for two weeks although I was eating less calories then I burnt, then I lost 7lbs in a week when I started gym, then 5.5lbs the next week, from the calories I burn and what I take in I should lose around 3 - 3.5 lbs a week, some weeks will be less tho as I'm eating on nights out n stuff, basically just having a normal life style again, if I'm bad, I do an extra half hour in the gym and so on