How do you control YOUR weight?

lilaclomax said:
Since my dog passed away I try and go running twice a week with my pony! Always early in the morning to avoid the funny looks I get from dog walkers but it does raise a smile or two :D
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I did wonder if anyone would suggest/do that! I go running with my dogs, and have even done a half marathon with two of them a few years ago, I collapsed in a huffing puffing heap at the end, they were taken off my my hubby for a gallop!!!!

After not riding for many years (but being fit in the meantime) I was surprised how much my body ached after my first couple of rides, however, the human body gets used to what it does regularly really quickly.

Eating well is the most important thing, it is difficult when you are tired and busy though so a bit of preparation is key.

If you can manage it, running is great for weight loss as it is weight bearing, but, it is tough. Whatever you manage to do you need to keep challenging your body so you don't get used to an exercise and slack off.
 
I do put a bit on (like about 1/4 stone) over the winter - less riding during the week, christmas munching and I'm a bit less keen to walk everywhere! I don't go to the gym (too expensive!), but riding, mucking out, poo picking, sweeping the yard etc seems to do me ok - I'm 5'8 and 10 stone so am happy with my weight - I will naturally drop a bit going into spring.

Generally though I cook our evening meal from scratch (generally one pot wonders - try to go easy on cheese and meat (they are expensive so is easy to do!) but max out on lots of different veg.). If I know we are going to be really busy then I over cook for a couple of nights and make a pan of veg soup too - these I put into tupperware and stick in the freezer so I have home made ready meals. I make sure I don't buy things like crisps/choc/biscuits as I just scoff them. If it isn't in the house then it is alot easier to resist temptation! I have fruit/cherry toms etc so I can have a snack. Breakfast is no sugar cereal (exciting bran flakes or shredded wheat), filling but not choc full of cals before you even start! On cold weekend mornings I sometimes have a poached egg on wholemeal toast to last all day when I'm at the yard! Lunch is a sandwhich/salad/soup.

No matter how much exercise you do (within reason) you pretty much can't get away with eating heaps bad food!

At the end of the day - eat less calories and do more. An extra 5 mins walk each day, a couple less choc biscuits each day etc makes a huge difference. It feels like less of a lifestyle change too if you can alter little everyday things.
 
It's definetly down to eating less. I do shed loads of exercis (IE. a typical week is at least cycling at least 7 miles a day, riding most days, hockey twice a week, climbing two/three times a week, caveman training twice a week plus extra walking/climbing at the weekend) and still weight about a stone more than I should. The only time I managed to loose wight was when I had vets bills to pay and couldn't afford to buy food so just had to live off what was in the cupboard until payday, shame I then went home for a week and got fed by my mum *rolls eyes*.
 
i try to do portion control, avoid carbs + protein (i do carbs + veggies or protein + veggies), only eat rubbish stuff occasionally, only have alcohol v occasionally, and i look after 4 at home and poo-pick daily etc, walk the dogs daily (and they like speed-walking, which helps). if i get really desperate i have a gym but tbh it's just collecting dust at the moment, to my shame. so, it's not difficult to maintain my weight, but losing takes a bit more effort.
 
I work full time and can ride upto 6 horses a day, general yard duties (work on a commerical stud with over 50 neddies in winter and far to many in summer ;) )

I eat lots of cereal :) but eat a meal at night, i snack a lot, and one day im gunna wake up a size 40 :)
 
Well, i am veggie too but love my pasta and cheese which, if eaten in lareg quantities don't do the waistline any good!

I too work 5 days a week 9 to 5 and cannot ride during the week in the winter - we have a field and stables but there is no way you can ride in it in the winter in the dark. Think yourselves lucky those who do have access to nice arenas to ride on!

I recently (and am still working on it) have lost about a stone so far. I don't do any additional exercise and my job is office-based (sat at a computer). However, I changed jobs last year and have goen from one with parking right outside to one where the car park I use is a 10 to 15 min walk away. Therefore I guess I am getting 30 mins in total walking every day. I have also cut out wine during the week and only have it at weekends and, although not my favourite, I have bought a lot of quorn fillet things to have for dinner. Essentially I am doing it the old fashioned way - calorie counting.

I never thought i would ever be a calorie counter but I have found it pretty easy. I do a 'weigh in' once a week so that keeps me motivated and it doesn't cost the same as going to WW! Lol. Basically I try and stick to 1200 kcals a day but know that up to 1500 is ok. I do though treat myself at weekends with wine and maybe 'naughtier' foods (ie pizzas etc). I have never really been one in to takeaways so that's not a problem. If I do buy microwave type meals/ready meals I look at what the calories are. i don't look at the fat/salt etc etc, just the calories.

Oh, and I am loving Ainsley Harriot's cous cous packets at the moment!!! :-)

I think all in all it's about a bit of eveything in moderation.
 
I've had to join WW. I found that exercise without the healthy diet did nothing for me personally, but that's just me. 2 weeks in and I'm doing ok but I've just started training for a triathlon, the distances aren't big enough yet to make a significant difference but once they ramp up then I'll have been doing WW long enough to do it without going to class. I also play Squash once a week, take a Yoga class once a week and have a lesson once a week too (no horse - yet!!). Trying to fit it all in is fun :eek:
 
Eek, since giving up smoking and losing my dogs (both died) hubby and I have piled on the pounds. Luckily my 3 year old 15.2 is now 5 and at least a hand bigger so we have grown in proportion. Still at 5'6'' and 12 stone I need to do something about it. Trying the no alcohol route at the moment. Also brought in 4 horses and mucked out 5.30am on Monday but as 2 had clearly got cast in the night will need to find another way!
 
I have to say, i don't envy you guys at all, having to fit in full time work, families, horses and exercise. I'm extremely lucky in that I'm a personal trainer, so I am outside training with clients every day, running (hate it, so only a little bit), cycling, boxing, kettlebells etc. I also teach 15hours ish of poledancing lessons a week, plus do trick riding and am about to start aerial silks training, plus I ride every day.

My best suggestions would be to eat little and often, watch your portion sizes and drink plenty of water before each meal and between meals. People often mistake thirst for hunger, and then don't listen when their body says it is full (remember being told to clear your plate when you were a kid? That's the best way to teach a kid to put on wieght if they are actually full). if you are full up with water you are less likely to eat too much in one sitting.

Then make life more difficult for yourself, by that I mean use the upstairs bathroom if you are downstairs, park further from where you are going, so you have to walk further, that sort of thing. A good tip is to buy a cheap pedometer and record how many steps you are taking each day, then challenge yourself to add to it each week. Set yourself a goal - I am cycling from John O' Groats to Lands End in July so I know I HAVE to train!, but it doesn't have to be that big. If you have a small amount of space and time, i find kettlebell training and boxing padwork to be some of the greatest exercises at getting your heart rate up.
 
I'm in a similar situation, could do with losing 1 stone to be a healthy weight though I'm probably fitter than a lot of people I work with.

However I love food and wine :D I also have to drive past two takeaways in the village on the way home from the yard..

I too work full time (office based) and have 4 ponies on DIY plus a collection of other animals and a house to look after plus a life outside of horses so my time is limited - not enough hours in the day as it is!

My body is now used to my usual yard duties. I get up at 5am so I feel ready to collapse by the time I get home from the yard about 8pm, no way could I start exercising then..

Before I had horses I was 2 stone lighter by using the gym plus calorie counting. I haven't got the time or money to go now. I live in a rural area so too far/not enough time to walk to shops etc.

I can't ride in the week during the winter as no lights in school - will do more when clocks go forward at the end of next month and I'm just starting to bring my horse back in to work after a winter break so will start having weekly lessons again, perhaps do this? It certainly helps both me and horse get fitter and is fun too!!

Also in the last few months my OH has taken a real interest in cooking so more often than not my dinner is ready when I get home :) I just need to work on the portion control...

Good luck!
 
Over the last year i have lost nearly 3 stone, the aim was 2.5 and having lost 1.5 i got stuck so used WW to finish off.
I've now lost 6lbs or so having just joined my local gym. I gave myself the motivation by signing up to do a 10k run in October.
I work odd shifts at work, but started by getting up a bit earlier and walked to the stables, is about 15 minutes each way. I also buy WW meals for work or the healthy tesco version.
I do feel loads better for loosing the weight and now my fitness has improved i have more get up and go.
I have a holiday planned for May/June and then its my 30th in July and i"m desperate to still be slim then.
 
pip6 said:
Suggestions welcome.

Can't eat veggies (I love them, they hate me), limited amount of fruit. Avoid caffine for health reasons, knackered ankle, knee, hip improving now had surgery (what preceeding two need but can't afford time off work), very knackered shoulder including metal, can walk, but don't appreciate uneven ground, run about 2 steps before too painful, can't afford gym. Muck out 2 stables per day. No school so can't ride over winter months (I leave for work 6.30am, get back 5.30pm). Horse now ready to come back into work after 6 month rest for injury, so will have to take things gently. All road work, can only use fields when dry (currently mud). Used to be extremely fit until injuries kicked in & stopped me training. Any ideas how to shift weight which has accumulated? Have few small gadgets at home to improve core strength, but too much aggrevates stuff. Very frustrated! Wish I could afford year off to get all surgeries done & in best condition now possible so could start doing things again.
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When the fields dry out a bit, stick your horse on the lunge but walk a decent 10m circle yourself instead of staying put! I've had to lunge my horse every day while he comes back to fitness and I don't even know how much ground I'm covering just walking round the arena - more knackered after 15 mins on the lunge then I'd ever be after 15 mins riding (he needs chasing with the lunge whip to keep him going too)

Also there are lots of little food swaps you can do that you won't even notice, e.g. white pasta for brown, leave butter out of sandwiches etc, and if you're a grazer like me than there's nothing like a bunch of grapes to fill the afternoon!!

My sister is a marathon runner and she tells me that walking can get you as fit as running, so don't underestimate the power of a 20 min walk during your lunch break, if she's right it's almost as good as a 20 minute run! Hope this helps, and good luck :)
 
I've had my loan horse for just 4 months now and in that time have lost 2kg (4lbs-ish).
I think it helps that I am up and about doing Skye before having breakfast. Then in the evenings I'm at the stables instead of sat on the sofa nibbling.
So now instead of eating just because it's meal time, I'm actually eating when I'm hungry - which is nice.
It is a lot harder to do proper cooking through - I just don't have the time.
Maybe it's a case of picking the 'right' quick and easy food in the evenings. (I hate salad with a passion so my weight loss isn't about healthy eating!!)
 
Quit the booze! (not that I'm suggesting you're an alcholic!:o) Apparantly fat can't burn when there is alcohol in your system - very depressing. Even more depressing is seeing Gwyneth Paltrow on a luxurious jaunt in hot climes, with the body of an 18 year old:(
 
Luckily, I don't have to!! :p

Getting fairly close to my thirties nowadays but I have a really high metabolism so the minute I start eating it kicks into overdrive. I'm 5'6" and weigh on average about 8.5st, give or take the odd few lbs.

I'm starting my young lad in two months but do also intend taking a run round the arena to keep in better shape - nothing quite as good for you as a run on sand!!
 
Just eating better food and not filling my body with rubbish - it's amazing how much better I've felt by not eating junk, less tired, not sluggish etc.
I don't have a horse at the moment but I have a rowing machine in the house which I use twice weekly and do 2hrs of kickboxing once a week as well.

Foodwise, if I am totally starving between meals I eat a little protein bar which is great for filling a hole and isn't high in calories.

I think the main thing is thinking about what you put in yer gob! lol. Stick with it, it's hard and you will of course have off days but you'll get there in the end if you have a goal x
 
I struggle with this as well and exercise doesn't seem to have much effect on me so I can only do it by really watching what I eat. Unfortunately genetics has a lot to do with it some people are just prone to weight gain. I put on 1/2 stone on a week's walking holiday last year - thought walking up to 10 miles a day would mean I could relax on the food front but alas it wasn't the case. I do Weight Watchers as I need the discipline. I've lost a stone since that holiday in October. One more to go!

I too work full time, and don't have much time after seeing to the horses and riding (floodlit school so I'm lucky there, or would be if it made a difference!). Being organised is the trick, I make a lot of low fat healthy foods on a sunday afternoon (soup, stir fry, chilli, spag bol, casseroles etc) and put portion sized meals into microwaveable containers. I take some to work and have some in the evenings. If I haven't been shopping and don't have the ingredients, I start to eat rubbish and it shows straight away.

The foods you say you eat all sound relatively healthy so I'd double check your ingredients to make sure they're as low in fat and calories as possible and keep an eye on your portion sizes. The equivalent of the size of a pack of cards is a medium portion of meat and a small portion of dried spaghetti should take up the diameter of a 5 pence piece - I bet you eat a lot more than that? I did. You'd be surprised how you can get used to eating less when you start, or just fill up on vegetables rather than meat/carbs.
 
I'm the opposite. When my TB had to go away for treatment and I was horseless for a few weeks that was when I piled on the pounds! It soon came off when he came back, and now I've got a second horse I'm fitter than I've been in years.
 
I follow a specific nutritional plan that just involves eating clean whole foods, it really is so simple and I feel great. Losing weight is no problem on the plan as you get rid of all the toxins from the inside out. Its great aswell, because you can apply it to the whole family! No silly points scoring, weighing or fat loss shakes, just clean eating that works every time!
 
Since Sept 2010 I've literally cut out bread, cheese, fat and crisps...that's it and I'm currently at 3 stone 3lb lost with just another 12lb to go til I hit my target weight loss. I've changed nothing other than picking!! I still have a chocolate bar a day (would die without them!!) and have 3 good meals..believe me my evening meal is a proper meal!! Combinded with exercising the horse, mucking out etc and walking 6 dogs twice a day and working full time I'm dropping the weight!! I always said I shouldn't be fat with the exercise I do so it goes to show what difference all those empty calories do to you!! I do miss bread and now have added bagels as a treat on sat and sunday but other than that I have no problems with what I eat and I'm now in size 12 for the first time in 8 years!!:D
 
Like someone else who's already posted - Slimming world!
I've lost 10.5lb since 4th Jan, I eat as much pasta, potatoes and rice as I like, I can drink wine, eat chocolate and I make my own "syn free chips!" I'm not a veggie so I can eat almost all types of meat too, fruit (not cooked or dried or its a syn) veg is free too.
My other half is amazed, even he can't keep up with the amount of chips I'm eating a week, although planning meals is the only way to really make it work. I like my extra's so I top up with my treats at the end of the day (choccie and wine).
I don't get time with mucking 5 out before/after work, (or have the inclination) to go to the gym.
 
Im experiencing the total opposite of your problem. Since Iv had my horse the weight has dropped off me! Between mucking out everyday, carrying water buckets about, grooming (vigorously!) and riding up to 5 times a week I have lost about half a stone and i eat more than my horse lol! my boyfriend laughs at the size of my biceps aswel, they are like a mans! lol
 
I wish It was a simple as that Andy. You see not all calories are equal and if you are eating toxic foods then, you will retain vast amounts of water to dilute that pollution!:) You are right though there does have to be a deficit somewhere, but eating clean whole foods is the way forward. You will feel so much more alert!

AndySpooner said:
Eat less, move more.
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Apart from slimming world which I have done foe past 5 weeks and lost a stone... I find having lots of poo is rather satisfying :)
 
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