Spending a month in South Africa, drinking their water and eaten their food worked for me...although it was all unintentional and a bit messy 

Rawky, seriously, some girls I know tried that route with *coff* laxatives.

Daughter did Atkins for a couple of weeks prior to her sixth form leavers ball.    the weight did drop off her, but she was miserable on it, and as soon as she reintroduced carbs she put the weight back on.    She's not that overweight...  just has a fluxuating half a stone to manage.

Me - hahahaha...   the best and most radical weight loss I have had is being miserable.   Broken heart, life going tits up..    the weight just falls off me (so there is a silver lining "I may be sad, but I'm thin" kinda thing).     In the past I have had success with slimfast, but by far the most sustainable one was the old Weight Watchers 123 points diet.    That was fab & I still go back to that now (when I can be bothered).  And the best exercise (for me.. in terms of affordability, and having the time to do it) is energetic housework activity..    doing everything energetically.

Being married makes me fat    (too many cooked dinners, and lack of inclination to do energetic housework when it will just get trashed again )

Be careful when you go back onto carbs Rosie..     the weight seems to go back on at the same rate it came off..      

Well done Rosie!!!  That's a great loss and even better that you felt it was so easy.  I'm forever on a 'diet' but I lose weight and then put it back on as soon as I stray back to old habits.  Every monday I start back on track and by friday I'm saying oh well I'll start on monday again   I've had a bit of success with Slimming world when I am strict on myself but I can't seem to find the willpower again   I don't eat much during the day and my OH works late so I usually end up with takeaway around 9pm most nights which is obviously my problem!  I try to do an hour or so on my treadmill most days but once I skip a day or 2 it's hard getting back on track again.

Laziness is actually what is wrong with me.....too fond of the internet, going out drinking with my mates or cosy nights with wine and takeaways with the OH

A big well done rosie  

Keep the exercise up  

Lifestyle changed made me loose a lot of weight once. And stress made me loose a lot of weight another time.

Living abroad for a while i ate a load of salad and fresh food. I still drank like a fish but the weight fell off me, so much so that i actually lost too much but it just goes to show that eating good fresh food makes all the difference.

WOW, Ditty sounds like you''ve been through the spectrum, weight watchers... to,.. broken heart weight loss. its strange but a broken heart makes you lose appetite more than anything, I agree 

Thanks, I'll be careful with carbs... luckily I don't have a sweet tooth so  I should be ok... when i get the odd sweet craving, Atkins low carv choc bars hit the spot.

Ellis... try exercise ... I was the laziest git you could ever meet... then I bought a cheap exercise bike off Amazon [70 quid]. It was hard for about a month then I fell in love with working out - it gave me a buzz and I lost a pound of weight for every 4 hourson the bike. I got a real endorphin rush = its worth trying - just cycle to your favourite radio show on BBC Iplayer!!! Laziness... I got over it, and you will too  I bet you.

Thanks I will Velvet 

Hi Gyps  Funny you say that,  I lost aload of weight while abroad too,,, working as an au pair  in Madrid the weight fell off me! I was also eating fresh food = steak, salads too  I never ate so well since, Spanish peeps got their diet sussed 

I'm on a diet atm, lost 800g last week (1.7lbs according to google). I'm just eating better and exercising more - no cakes, choc etc *slides away plate of crackers and cheese*

Ells, I'm a lazy sod too You just need to find something you enjoy I reckon - Zumba or something thats fun so it doesn't feel like exercise? Swimming is my fall back one, cos I love it and find it kinda easy so I never really mind going that much

Thats why I'm reluctant to do these sort of diets, as soon as you eat 'normally' again then it just goes back on. Though I could never do Atkins cos I bloody love carbs I know someone who is doing that raw food diet, she did lose a fair bit of weight, but then went on holiday to Italy for about 10 days, ate all the yummy things there like pizza, ice cream etc and pretty much put it all back on

Thats really impressive Saz - proper weight loss, congrats!!!

I've had my OH re-arranging the kitchen to fit my treadmill out there so I can walk in the evenings and watch NCIS on my lappy it's better than staring at a blank wall which was my main complaint and excuse as to why I didn't want to go on it.

Just the diet part now to add to it and I should be sorted   I stay up late and eat mostly in the evenings so I think maybe a ban on eating after 7pm would help me the most as it would mean I eat right during the day.

Saz...crackers and cheese, that's supper for me sorted lovely.

That sounds sensible, if you feel hungry later on a cup of tea (normal or herbal/green) can help stave off the hunger pangs I'm with you on staring at the blank wall btw when on the treadmill, I can only stay on the one at teh gym for 20 mins by watching one of the TVs to distract me a bit

 Well done to you rosey!   'specially keeping up with the exercise bike!

I've recently lost nearly 2 stone following the WeightWatchers Pro Points plan - I found it relatively easy because it is so flexible and nothing is forbidden.  I didn't follow any prescribed diet or join a club, I just bought their Points Calculater and used it to work out the points for what I felt like eating, and for hubby's posh recipes when he was cooking.  I was strict with my daily allowance so that I could use my flexible points on wine and chocolate at the weekends.  Worked for me!

I haven't been dieting since I came back from holiday but I've kept up with the basic principles and haven't put any weight on .....which has pleased me a lot, as it shows I've learnt some better habits.  I do plan to start properly again this week so I can buy a nice party dress for Christmas

I put a shed load of weight on after an illness which also made me very sedate in lifestyle.  I did the atkins a few years ago and lost 4 stone but I felt terrible on it and my doctor advised me to come off it - when I did, I put twice the amount of weight back on   I've tried weightwatchers, Rosemary Conley, The Cambridge diet but not a great amount of weight loss.

I also have trouble in that I'm now vegetarian, allergic to eggs and on medication that makes you more hungry so I'm fighting a losing battle. 

I'm waiting to be seen by a weight management clinic 

I sometimes think i should eat like that here, but im just too lazy. I should be preparing a nice salads and snacking on fresh fruit, but Its so easy to pick up a pizza or something yummy but fattening here.  Your current weight loss seems brilliant, well done x

well done rosie

i lost 4 stone on on the slimming world diet a few years ago, following illness i have put it all back on, i do get a fair amount of exercise walking dog and was horse riding until recently, am thinking of investing in a Wii and Wii fit - anybody got one?  is it any good?

Slimming World works ...............it's not difficult - it just takes a bit of thinking/organisation .................it comes off quick to begin with and then 1 or 2 llbs a week. There is no gimick - it simply re educates - silly rapid gimickey weigt loss programmes have quick results but do not re educate. Shakes/soups/pills .............work for a while but you wouldn't really want that for life would you?

you are right soozy, it is all about changing your lifestyle and with the slimming world plan it was quite easy and i was never hungry

i just cant seem to get motivated this time around

i think it is something to do with the cadbury factory shop having opened not too far away

Well done Rosie 

I lost nearly 6 stone three years ago, over the last 6 months I've put on about 8lbs and that's been due to more personal circumstances. I've really got back into being strict with myself the last couple of weeks and managed to lose 4 of them...

I never went to any classes, I just ate sensibly, plenty of salads, veg, fish, chicken and always had a treat meal on Saturday nights. I did go to the dietitian at my local GP's to make sure I was doing things correctly, she said I was doing perfectly fine without her intervention   I still watch what I eat constantly and have to because I enjoy a drink  I still stick to around 1200 cals through the week, so at the weekend I can relax, although I still try not to overdo it.

good luck Rosie 

I hate the Pro Points plan...   its way more complicated than the old 123 points one, and I think it is more restrictive, less effective, & harder to sustain than the 123 points plan ..   and it requires you to spend way more money with Weightwatchers (which, lets face it, is why the changed it)... 

I got all the pro points stuff recently..   read through it all..    and decided to dig out the old 123 points calculator & gumf.

You can still get the 123 points stuff on ebay!  

 It was that extra 49 points for the weekend that made all the difference for me!

lay offa the booze, dont eat spuds or bread

and walk instead of driving

you dont need expensive diety type things

common sense and looking in the mirror at my snug clothes did it for me

 Lookin' gooooood! 

but on the 123 plan I could live on a vat of "nul points" (said in a Eurovision styley ) homemade veg soup all week..     and use my weeks points on alcohol at the weekend 

The pro points plan has closed all those loopholes..   it pushes you to "do it properly"  

but my main issue with it is its just not as easy to calculate as the old one was.    I used an old notebook to log my points..    points eaten, & points earned..   with a "carry forward" number in the top right hand corner of each page.       

I've lost one and a half stone over the summer on the Weightwatchers ProPoints plan.

I've done Weightwatchers the old way and put most of it back on.

I'm now a Gold member (get me, got my certificate and all!!) and I hadn't been to a class for 5 weeks. I went last Wednesday and I had put on half a pound in that 5 weeks, having eaten and drunk pretty much what I want - just with an element of restraint.

Their strap line - This Time, Lose Weight For The Last Time works for me. I am truly thrilled with how I look now

awww well done Rexi!

I could never go to the meetings..   I can't abide the hard sell they give it all the time.

I wish they would still support the old plan though, I know I am not the only person that can't get on with Pro Points 

I'm with Ditty on this one!! I lost 5st on the old WW plan....stopped gpoing due to a 3mth no loss plateau....piled it all back on .....went back to WW and they had introduced the new plan....couldn't get it at all....so now I am doing it by myself using all my old WW stuff....no idea of weight loss but have dropped a dress size in a month....go me!!!

Good luck to all those trying to lose weight...tis fair easier to find it than to lose it!!!

Good luck Mrs B.... I did it with no weight plan, just healthy eating and another tip I found useful...throw the bloody scales out!!! I used my daughters every few weeks, so if I hadn't dropped any weight one week it never made me feel like giving up, I was oblivious to it. Plus. what a fantastic buzz not to be weighed for four or five week and then to see you've dropped another 9lbs or whatever

Well done on 2 stone weight loss Hoochie, thats excellent . Nothing is forbidden on Weight Watchers?. Woohooo maybe I'll try it.

Oh crap, that sounds terrible Pengy  

Aww poor Barney -  fate is against you, buy you can still do it 

Thank you Velvet  I work out early in the morning when I have most energy!

Nothing is forbidden at Slimming World either ..............you can eat all night - the non forbidden (free food) isn't boring - if you're hungry there is always something to eat - I've done Weight Watchers -I've done Slimming World .....................Slimming World wins hands down! No contest IMO!

I went to Slimming World after a friend of mine went from 25st to 10st ib 20 months. I really does work!

wow!