anyone got any weight loss tips???

Can only say what i have done.not on purpose mind . i moved in with my OH and got a dog so total lifestyle change. i was a size 10./12 and now an 8 (was happy being a 12 btw)

still eat stuff you like, ie take aways , chocolate , but just dont eat them as often.smaller portions

this means you dont miss certain foods.

also eat an apple instead of a packet of crisps

excersie more . i have a dog, so i go walking every day at least an hour total. sometimes 3 hours.

IMO it is best to do a gradual lifestyle change rather than a diet as such..

also you will loose more weight quickly to start with but dont be discoraged when it starts slowing down this is normal just carry on as you are

I'd reccomend definitely joining a slimming club. I used to be size 16, now a 10 and I tried for a long time to lose weight but could never maintain it.

I joined Scottish Slimmers (most of the clubs are much the same) and lost 3 stone over 18 months and have kept it off over the last 3 years.

Going to the meetings makes all the difference as everyone is so nice and knowing that you're going to be weighed publically gives you the motivation not to cheat! It's great to be part of a group all working towards the same goal.

You really will be amazed how easy it is and what a difference you see. Try to get a friend to go with you too, makes you less likely to skip meetings.

Best of luck!

Ww'ers is the way to go if you ask me. and if you've two years, at even 1lb a week that works out at 104lbs gone - that's over 7 stone! quick fixes rarely happen, and don't work if they do. slow and steady is the best way.

Erm... having a baby worked for me. Was a size 22 when I fell pg, 2 weeks after giving birth I was a size 18.

Failing that, I've kept the weight off by portion control and extra exercise. If I fancy something sweet, I'll have some dried fruit, or drink water.

I quite often find i'm actually thirst, rather than hungry, so try drinking water first.

Come over to OT - there are loads of weight loss/diet/exercise threads as well as some pretty inspirational ladies who've lost loads of weight.

My tip (borne of having done these things!) is not to bother with Slimming World or WW, really the only pounds you'll lose long term are the hard earned ones in your pocket.

If you seriously want to lose weight and lose it for good (and not just for a wedding dress), then you need a lifestyle change. I won't say eat what you always have done as I don't know your diet - but you need to eat a balance of everything - fats, carbs, protein....also lots of fruit and veggies.

Try and get 6-7 hours of sleep a night as a lack of sleep can lead to weight gain (you find yourself snacking on sugary things if you're tired). Also drink plenty - I know this can be difficult but if you can manage 1-2 litres a day then that's great.

Finally, and most importantly, EXERCISE! Doesn't matter if its the gym, a Zumba class (which are great fun btw), a walk in the park or a jog - so long as you're doing 2 and a half hours of excersise per week that raises your heart rate. I know better than anyone that this is difficult sometimes but really, you can find the time.

Remember - if you burn off more than you put in, you'll lose weight. Life isn't worth living if you starve yourself, so eat the slice of cake and go for a run for half an hour!!

PrettySparkly - WW?SW may not have worked for you but it does for some people. I lost 4st in 9 months doing ww. I knew before I went what I had to do to lose weight and had tried on my own and it didn't work. I found that the meetings and the structure of the plan made a real difference. For some people that makes all the difference.

Lots of good advice already. The key is motivation. If you really want to do it then you will regardless of what route you go down. The advice about lifestyle change as opposed to a diet is so, so important.

I have lots of tummy/digestion problems so cut out all meat except for fish, cut back on diary and now have soya milk/yoghurts and only eat carbs a couple of times a week all of which have improved my digestion but I also lost quite a bit of weight which has stayed off.

Find out what works best for you and remember, if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got!

All the best!

What Cricks said. There are a few of us losing weight and we all use Myfitnesspal to help us track exercise and calories. Helps keep you motivated when you see what others are doing.

I second the advice to check out "My Fitness Pal'. It's free to download the app and the website is full of great advice and support from other people.

It's like a free online version of weight watchers. It's mainly about portion control and choosing healthy options to meet a set number of calories per day. If you do any cardio exercise then you can input that too and you're allowed to eat a bit extra, great motivation to hit the gym/zumba etc. The thing I like about it too is you can change your goal from loosing 1-2 pounds a week down to maintaining your weight so helps combat the dreaded yo-yo dieting.

I know it's frustrating but remember you didn't put the weight on overnight so it's not going to shift overnight!

Good luck!

Excersise! Excersise! Excersise! That would be my advice xx good luck

My own experience of WW is that it works when you are on it, but when you stop going it's so easy to fall back into old habits and pile it all back on. It really takes a lot of motivation and willpower to make that a permanent lifestyle change.

I think for me WW worked not because it taught me to eat better, but seeing everything I was eating in a day written down had a lot of impact. I'll be totally honest and say I cheated my way through WW, I was still eating chinese, McDonalds, chocolate, crisps, Coke, whatever I wanted but still managed to lose weight, and I put this down to the visualisation of "this is how much food I have had already today". I'm using the my fitness pal app now and like someone else said above, it's similar in that you are taking a note of everything you eat in a day. Really makes you aware of how many calories are in foods and it makes you aware of when you're just snacking for the sake of it.

Exercise is the big thing though. Get yourself doing something you enjoy, so you don't see it as a chore and it is easy to stay motivated. I used to go to the gym once in a blue moon, now I've joined a fitness club and the membership includes unlimited classes, so I can pick and choose what I want to try out. Classes are brilliant IMO, doesn't matter what one you do, as long as you are enjoying it. I have found the best for toning and dropping dress sizes is pilates. I lost 5 inches and a dress size in the first 2 months of doing pilates and while I didn't lose any weight at all, I looked like I'd lost a load because I was so much more toned. Think inches more than pounds, they are more important when it comes to how you look and feel about yourself!

My tip.... eat less (or more healthy) and move more. It's working for me. I'm a size 18 and have lost 6lbs in 2 weeks.

Very much this.

I used to go to WW and ended up being a helper at the meetings (I was the lady you gave your hard earned cash to that kept your record cards!) and did that for 2 and a half years and the majority of people who I saw get to goal were back 6 months later having put most if not all and a bit more of it back on again. It's how WW make their money. Maintaining is the most difficult part of it all.

It really is a case of courses for horses (or is it horses for courses? ha!) and trial and error until you find something that works for YOU and fits in with your lifestyle.

For me it was Paul McKenna's program, H2B and I have 3 kids, doing dinner for them and then something low fat for me costs too much money and uses up too much of my energy, so I eat the same as everyone else and just stick to his 4 rules and lost 6 stone. The ONLY thing I did differently was eat massively smaller portions because I followed the rules and listened to my stomach. If you're kid-free then doing a low-fat meal with points/calories etc could work perfectly fine for you.

The best advice I can give you is not to expect spectacular results in a matter of weeks. It's a long road, you'll have blips, you'll have fat days, you'll go off the rails for days at a time and when those do happen you have to draw a line, step over it and get back into whichever system you've chosen. Don't leave it till Monday, if you decide on a slimming club don't miss your weigh ins if you think you've done badly and you'll get there at your own pace.