good luck to all! Yes I agree loose clothes are a great incentive. I have lost 11lb since Jan 7 but have hit a plateau despite being able to run nearly 3 miles. Gone are the days when I was a size 12 now I would be happy with a size 16.

Pippa I have a theory that your body still changes shape even when you don't seem to be losing lbs. I've noticed that - it takes a while to catch up, then your clothes start getting baggy!

I had a wardrobe cull this week and took a load to Oxfam this morning. Then I went to M&S and bought new jeans that fit me reduced to £7!!! How good is that?

That is fab Fiona. What a bargain! I love a bargain too. And soon they'll be too big for you.....

I think everything nearly fits me in the wardrobe now but haven't tried on my really posh dress from about 6 years ago!

... I had to stop myself from buying another pair in a size smaller. I actually have jeans that will fit me when the new bargain ones are too big!

Birthday outfit??? That would be a real bonus if it fitted when you enter your next decade!

We've got an evening do coming up in 3 weeks - may attempt to get into it then.

i have lost 1 stone since joining last january 5 yeheyyyyyyy

so dont worry too much just keep up with the exercise regime you have and things will work out and eventually you will reap the rewards . Summer is nearly here yehhheeeeeyyyyyy

Hi, I've only joined this site today, so I've been spending some time looking around the forums. Although the tips you have all given are aimed at people getting over a plateau, I'm sure they will be helpful for me as a complete newbie! I'm 5'10 and aiming to be 12 stone, which will hopefully make me a size 12.

Hi Laura - welcome to THC.

We have a group called Ab Fab U Less - most of us lied about how much we had to lose, and actually have far more than we've admitted - maybe you should check us out and join in the banter?

One thing that seems to work for all of us is setting smaller goals. Aiming to lose 7stones is a massive challenge and although you probably will lose 3 or more lbs a week, your weight loss will slow down over time.

Make sure you don't cut down the calories too much at first as that will make it far harder later on. You need to leave yourself some scope to cut back further when you're thinner and expending less energy just being.

Anyway, you've made a good decision today - good luck!

Thank you

I know that my goal will be very far away- and I think I will take it one stone at a time. There is no fear that I will reduce my calories too far- I think the opposite problem applies! At the moment I am thinking of going slow and steady- it will be a big adjustment. I hardly eat any healthy food and the only exercise I currently get is while walking my dog. I sense a rather steep learning curve

Off to check out Ab Fab U Less now, I think I'll need all the support I can get! Thanks again.

I havent read everyones posts in detail so apologies if I am repeating myself. I have lost over 7kg's since Jan. My main reason was to have a better diet as I ate no little veg and not much variation. so I printed off the recipes from the times that accompanied the initial health club pack and wrote a weekly menu for myself so I had enough food in the house for the week and ate what I had planned for. This was basically much smaller portions than normal and keeping each meal to 300 cals or under and using 400 per day for additional snacks.

I also trained for this years Swimathon and exercised for an hour 3 times a week, this is hard exercise where I really break a sweat and cannot talk during workouts (important to ensure you work out your correct heart rate to optimise exercise so you are actually burning fat).

I have pretty much stuck to this for the last 5 months, with lapses over weekends where you are out or away and cant diet for whatever reason. The food change has been responisble for my loss. Before the diet change I exercised the same amount but just maintained my weight. the smaller portions and calorie counting did it for me.

It also helped me to have goals and learn to say no and not eat more for the sake of it. You get into a habit like smoking but train yourself to break habits.

I suffer from IBS and indigestion and since the diet change I have had no probs with either (unless I eat the wrong stuff or large meals!!), so for me its been very much a positive change and have seen results.

Re the stuff about height and dress size. A good few years ago (over 10) I was 75kgs. I was in hospital and noticed they wrote "overweight" on my chart. I asked them for clarification. Apparently my "ideal" weight is 65kgs. Now being 5' 10" and a small size 10 at the time... well it was clearly nonsense. At the time I thanked goodness I was 30 and not an impressionable teen.

(God knows what they would write now....). So don't get too hung up on the scales or the BMI index.

... you certainly don't look overweight in your new pic - far nicer than the green blob! Have you put on weight since you got married? I really like the lacy jacket you're wearing - far more subtle than loads of flesh!!!

Nope I haven't put on weight... was the same size then as now. 15st 10lbs. I do have a huge frame though. Shoulders like a navie Oh and the empire line (straight down from the boobs) is very flattering on the stomach.....

ah - is that what's behind the bouquet?