Losing weight

[flirty41]

I'd like to lose up to one stone in weight, but I hate exercise! Is it possible to lose that amount of weight without putting any physical effort into it? And what do you make of the recent Kellogg's ads, that tell us to eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast and lunch/dinner and eat a sensible third meal and we'll be able to lose pounds in mere weeks? Is that possible? Thanks!

[dave_in_cw]

I would also like to, but I think exercise is essential, which is why I just ordered a treadmill from Argos - I hate gyms! After much research I have been lead to believe that in order to lose weight you should watch your diet (and alcohol IS fattening - doh!) and excercise - resistance combined with cardio (aerobic).

[flirty41]

What, no alcohol allowed but exercise essential? As you say, doh!!! Perhaps I'll hold on to my extra stone then! Good luck with the treadmill idea, though, Dave - I hope it doesn't get consigned to the back room/garage after a week! Anyone any other thoughts? What about the Kellogg's claims?

[beenee]

What you end up doing with the Kelloggs diet is consuming less calories than you would normally so of course you would lose weight. It's the same thing with Slimfast - you're having 1-2 shakes in a day instead of a proper meal and so fewer calories.

In my experience though, exercise is the most effective way to lose the pounds in a healthy way. The weight loss is also easier to maintain compared to diets such as Kelloggs/ Cabbage soup/Slimfast which you could never realistically sustain your entire life.

If youre looking for drastic short term results then by all means go for it, but for longterm benefits you need to change the way you think about food hence consumption as well as making exercise an important part of your lifestyle.

[molly]

Would you consider doing a bit more walking? In my view one of the more easier types of excercise to do. You could walk to your local and have a slimline lemonade with your whisky.

[BadBob]

There are many factors in losing weight but its really all down to the simple formula of consuming less calories than you burn you will lose weight. So if you combine exercise with a change in diet its better but not essential. Having said that your body does have a starvation mode which kicks in if you reduce you calorie intake by a significant amount, so the best results are seen in a slight reduction in calories and increased exercise. I was losing over a Kg a week doing that and still eating well (but healthily). On the cereal part yes its true by the previously decribed formula as beenee points out. And as molly suggests you need to look at exercise as something with doesnt have to involve the gym. Walk to the shops, get off the bus a stop or 2 early etc etc every little bit helps.

[Zipper]

I lost 2 stone in 3 months on Herbalife and still haven't put it back on yet :-)

[sft42]

Amputation of a limb would shed a good few pounds?

[flirty41]

Well, obviously sft's thoroughly researched and in-depth answer has stopped everyone in their tracks! Thanks sft, but amputation is a bit drastic! Thanks everyone else for your answers - I've taken note! Unfortunately, a car is necessary for my journey to work, and I have a fairly sedentary job in an office, so I don't get an awful lot of exercise anyway. I always use the stairs though, and always walk into town if I'm out and about at lunchtime. I'll try just cutting down/being careful with what I eat to start with and see how it goes. Exercise is definitely a last resort!!!!! Thanks everyone!

[banana]

A great little program is - Calorie companion- which you can download from here http://caloriecompanion.com/. It allows you to put your favourite foods into a database along with the calorie count. You get a fixed amount of calories per day according to your personal spec and you detail what foods you eat during the day which are then taken from the daily total. I find it keeps you one the straight and narrow and is much better than just guessing calories .You can also get the serial off any site that offers cracks.

[linlam]

I've lost 4 stones in 9 months doing Atkins. (6 months with my doctors permission), then I eased off, and am still doing a low carbohydrate, but not so low as Atkins, diet. I can't say I enjoyed Atkins, at first it was hard to believe how quickly the weight dropped off(one and a half stone in a month), eating what I did, I'd have killed for a chip butty, but the weight loss made it worth while. Now I can walk the dog for miles, I've dropped 4 dress sizes. And best of all I'm joining the local gym.I missed so many things, bread, pasta, potatoes, and I'm taking so many extra vitamins and supplements I rattle.2 litres of water daily minimum helps too. Good luck