Eight weeks to sort myself out - lose weight, get fit(ish), clean the hovel

[workatemylife]

I just checked the calendar - eight weeks till Christmas and I really need to sort myself out. And not just in the Christmas preparation department. I need to sort ME!

(1) Lose some weight. I have been a total pig for the last few weeks and it shows. Starting tomorrow, ditch the mindless eating, up the intake of healthy food, and get myself back into the clothes that I like

(2) get fit. Oh help. We signed up as a family for a boxing day fun-run and I can't see how I can do that in my current lardy lazy state. Couch to 5K or some other planned exercise is required.

(3) sort the house. One room per week, clear the clutter, clean the space properly, and fix anything that needs to be fixed. Get this done and I might have space to put up a Christmas tree in December

I've got myself into a state where I can't be bothered and I need to turn that corner now. The house is a mess, I want to do that fun-run, and I stepped on the scale this morning and I'm ten pounds over my 'happy' weight.

Week One plan: Monday
DCs back to school. Decide which room to tackle this week. Packed lunch for work, and stop the mindless scoffing that comes when I buy lunch. Walk / cycle rather than drive, and work out where to fit C25K into my week. Money saved on food / snacks goes in a jar, and that's my pre-Christmas treat fund. New clothes / outfit, maybe, if I take this seriously.

Anyone else want to join in?

[tiddledpink]

You've just written everything I have been thinking this morning so I'm definitely in.

I have just downloaded couch to 5k and have signed up for a 5k for the first week in January.

Sitting down this afternoon to plan meals for the next week and have already decided the order in which the rooms are being done- starting with the kitchen tomorrow.

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

My house is ok

And i dont want to do 5k

But can i still join for the eating better and more excercise

And vague yells of 'yay tiddle' and 'well done work!'

[TheVeryThing]

Count me in! Need to lose more than a stone but 10lbs would be a good start. Also need to get back into running & start that T25 workout.
Also, serious decluttering needed. Can’t afford to fully re decorate but planning a good clear out & some new lamps & cushions for the sitting room.
It’s half term here next week, I have a couple of days off but will have dcs to entertain.
However, i have booked all the following week off with the express purpose of decluttering & getting back into exercise.

[mayathebee]

Count me in. I started a teaching job in September - I love it but it has been very full on and everything else has gone to pot. I'd like to lose a stone by christmas (doable because I have quite a bit to lose), get back to running and get this house tidied. I am back at work next week but the kids are off with DH so I don't need to get them organised too. This should be a good week to get started.

Week One plan: Monday

1. Pack some quick food for work as I tend to be too busy to eat all day then get home absolutely starving and pig out
   
2. Put down my planning and get out for 3 runs this week, no matter how short. I tend to put exercise at the end of my to-do list then I never get that far so this week I just want to find some time.
   
3. Clear out the dining room and make some space for my work things which are taking over the house.

[workatemylife]

Hurray! Nice to have some friends to keep me on the straight and narrow.

mayathebee I'm with you on the exercise thing - always the lowest priority in my week and then I never get round to it. I need to make it part of the week routine. Same on the food - I'm guilty of buying too much at lunchtime, or missing lunch then eating anything I can find between about 5pm and bedtime. Hoping that a healthy packed lunch will fix both.

rufus you are clearly of sound mind. Deciding to run 5K in November is not sensible, but it does give me something to aim for. We can chivvy each other along with the healthy food and more exercise

tiddle you are brave starting with the kitchen, but I might copy you. I suspect that it will be the biggest chore if I do it properly, and I'll probably need to go over it twice before Christmas. But getting stuff in some sort of order would be good now. Piles of thing just grow, but if there is no pile in existence, I don't put things on the top of it.

very like you I can't redecorate the whole house, but there are niggles that I've just been ignoring. Our entrance hall gets a battering from DCs and DHs with bags and boots, and I have half a tin of paint in the cupboard that I just never get around to using. Hoping that some minor touching up here and there will make the house feel more loved. I don't know how much money will accumulate, but I reckon that if I lob the coins that I would be feeding to the vending machine / café drinks into a jar then there will be a nice pot for spending on 'treat' clothes, candles etc. Yes, I'm bribing myself, but it might be a wake up call as well.

I'm almost looking forward to Monday and getting started!

[JustTheWayYouAre]

Ooo, I keep joining these threads, and not sticking to it. Maybe this one will be different.

Definitely would like to shed a few lbs before Christmas. Have been looking for a lovely dress to motivate myself. I tend to pack a few low cal snacks in my work bag - current favourites are no sugar jelly for a sweet treat, Alpen bars 70 cals, mugshots.

Exercise, well I might start walking to the station instead of catching the bus.

The house is fairly organised after a flurry of activity this weekend, but I do want to make it stunningly beautiful for our Christmas party in early December so need to work on that.

Good thread @workatemylife and good luck with week one

[ohanabanana]

I’d love to lose about 10lbs by Christmas, I’ve got much more than that to lose but even that amount would make me look and feel better, particularly with Christmas party nights coming up.
I also like the sound of sorting one room per week - a thorough clean, declutter and tidy, plus I need to give my hallway a fresh coat of paint to cover all the scuff marks! Count me in!

[puppydogmummy]

Me too!

[TheVeryThing]

Good luck tomorrow everyone. It’s a bank holiday here so I’ll have to force myself into some sort of action!

[brittanyfairies]

I'm in, I'm at my all time heaviest and don't like it. I will try and fit in a run even though I don't like it, but I definitely need to do some exercise. Also need to stop pigging out on biscuits and chocolate.

I've had a few days off work this week and had a massive clear out, I'm really hoping the DCs don't mess everything up when they're home alone.

I do need motivation so hopefully this thread will keep me going.

[Farontothemaddingcrowd]

I'm in. I have loads of decluttering to do, my house really depresses me at the moment. Joining the gym tomorrow to get my body fitter as I'm becoming chubby. Need some new clothes too.

[ConstanceSpry]

Can I join in too. I'm not at work this week as am helping sort out my grandma's house (selling it after she died). It's going to be quite physical but I'll add to it all by walking / running there every day (2 miles).

I'm going pretty much vegan this week to kick start me, plus quitting alcohol for November and maybe beyond.

Also making sure I get 8hours of sleep per night.

[KTD27]

YES! I lost loads doing the blood sugar diet but it’s creeping back on so must sort self.
Also have signed up to do the Santa dash 5k for GOSH on 3rd December as they look after my little boy and I want to help raise money.

Plan!
C25K - have just completed week 4 day 1 as have to get there in 4 weeks. Am colour of tangerine.
Food: track calories. Don’t want to do anything as crazy as BSD but just get back into the habit of tracking what I’m eating! Would like to aim for 1200 daily and try for a couple of fast days once I’m in the flow.
Tidying: we are hosting Xmas this year. MUST SORT OUT GUEST BEDROOM it’s full of boxes and crap.
Also have to sort through clothes - mine and LOs. DH can do his own.

Definitely need kick up the arse!

[allthingsred]

Ooh can I join. No chance of me doing the 5k (I think if I managed 1 it would be an achievement) but I desperately need to try.
Kids don't go back til Wednesday here so can attempt my kitchen then. Tomorrow I'm attempting the 5:2. I'm determined to get a stone off for Christmas

[Howmanysleepstilchristmas]

I’m in. 1 stone to lose, hall to paint, bedrooms to swap round, house to tidy, Christmas to organise... will prioritise in the morning, but diet starts tomorrow.

[UpsyDaisyluvsIgglePiggle]

I'm in. I want to lose 1 stone, paint most of house, new kitchen hasn't been fitted yet and the flooring in house is to be redone. I can't clean the house as we're living on what seems like a building site.
I've told DH I've decided to do the couch to 5K. He's also going to start going out on the bike he got in summer that he hasn't used yet...I'm going to run in mornings before work.

I also want to cut down on my gluten intake as I know it's bad for my IBS but I can't be arsed at times However it does help me lose weight if I cut down on it. Sugar too. I'm addicted to sugar and diet coke at the moment again...

Starting tomorrow as at the moment I just polished off a whole tray of caramel shortbread I'm not even overweight, I'm just a greedy fuck with a spare truck tyre.

[Betsy86]

Can i join you :) everything you wrote.... except for the running haha is what iv been thinkin of recently.
Really need to shift some weight at heaviest ever which trust me is heavy! And have started the declutter but end up thinking ohhh might need that etc or i could sell that etc then it just sits there tut tut xx

[hangingkebab]

I'm in. Need to lose a stone, clear out every room in the house and address the half-painted kitchen.

My current system of lying on the sofa eating biscuits is proving less than productive. I will take courage from you lot and get cracking.

[StrumpersPlunkett]

Can I attempt to join you?
Like others I try to join threads but then it all slips again.

I am over weight and would love to lose a few pounds but if I am honest I mainly need this 9 weeks to sort out my house.

Dh is a hoarder it gets me down that there are 2 rooms in the house that are unusable and it is spreading.

We had a huge row this morning.
I have a plan.
I have bagged up 5 bin bags of clothes to go to the charity shop. Dh is unsettled but knows it has to happen.

I am for this week going to outsource the ironing to clear the back log.

I am going to get a service wash dry and fold done at the local laundrette once again to clear backlog

Dh is away from next Sunday for a week so I am going to try to make inroads into the ensuite and perhaps the other room.

It won't be fixed when he returns but I hope he will see that a little more space and clarity brings peace and harmony.

We have visitors staying for Christmas so we can just shove all the crap into the spare room 🙃

Bear with me. I hope to offer support as well as asking for it x x

[TheVeryThing]

Lots of us in the same boat. Hope we can all make some progress & make some changes. Bank holiday Monday here & I didn't exactly leap in to action but did make a smoothie for breakfast & planning 10 minutes of the T25 workout later.
Changing some habits will need to include spending less time on MN, which will be hard!
Need to get showered & dressed now & try to persuade moany children to go out for some fresh air!

[Trudee]

I really need to join too.
Weight loss is my main priority, 2 stone to get rid of but obviously won't shift all of that by Christmas. Stopping eating ALL the food will help there!
I've done loads of decluttering since the summer, including sorting the entire contents of the loft so nothing more to do there.
However our kitchen needs a complete redecorate as we haven't touched it since we moved in (apart from putting a rather large hole in the ceiling ) So I intend to pencil in a job a weekend until it's sorted. But next weekend is no go as we're busy all weekend.
Fingers crossed we all make good progress

[autumnintheair]

I'm in too, have not had a good year lost a parent earlier on and couldn't focus on anything, I need a stone off by xmas and total fitness!

[Farontothemaddingcrowd]

Sorry to hear of your loss autumn

So today I cancelled an insurance policy that I've been paying needlessly for ten months because I was putting off the phone call. It was stupidly easy. Later I'm taking some junk down to the tip.

[StrumpersPlunkett]

Hi all.
I have ticked some tasks off my to do list today but tbh they are not big plan tasks.
Optician for ds1
Barbers for both ds's
Work for acouple of hours
Tesco
Dishwasher and washing machine loads on

[ConstanceSpry]

Have been satisfyingly productive today. Cleared out almost all the papers from my grandma's house (I'm talking about 250 check book stubs, Parish Newsletters going back to the 1990s). There is a lot there, as the family have lived in the house since the 1950s! Filled 6 boxes with unwanted paper . Doing the clothes tomorrow and the seemingly millions of drawers filled with linens.

Found some fascinating family history though so managed to while away an hour or so reading old letters etc.

I'm going out to dinner with my dad tonight so in readiness I've eaten sparsely (a bowl of porridge for brekky and a bowl of soup for lunch). Didn't get to run but have been pretty active and on my feet for the most of the day, so i'm not too fussed by that.

Hope everyone OK.