Accountability: 2020, the year I changed my life

[OlaEliza]

Posting for accountability, to try to stay on track. I have about 5st to lose (I don't currently have any scales).

I want to try to do some type of exercise everyday, either yoga, fitness blender YouTube videos or 'running'. I'm not very fast but I've done c25k twice and got up to half marathon distance before. I also used to go to British military fitness three times a week and sometimes did double sessions on Saturdays, but they don't have that here where I am now. Since then I've become REALLY unfit, and haven't done anything for about four years now.

I'm going to low carb with an eating window of 12-8.

If anyone else wants to join in, feel free 😊

[Aurorie11]

Hi Eliza, I'll join you. I have a similar amount to loose, I lost 3 stone about 2.5 years ago and life got messy and put all back on.
I will also low-carb, but not 12-8 as I find the key for me is breakfast. I generally have porridge, soup for lunch and small portion of family evening meal.
I'm not a runner but need to get my step rate up!

[OlaEliza]

How are you getting on @Aurorie11? My low carb has gone out the window. I don't think I'm going to ultra low carb, just drop out the bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and sugar/junk.

Day before yesterday I had chicken & potatoes and yesterday I had:

B: Orange, banana, Greek yoghurt.
L: Wrap with coleslaw, leaves, cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sweetcorn, chicken and a squirt of mayo.
D: Mussels in a chilli tomato/wine sauce and I did have a bit of bread & aoili.

I haven't started running yet, I need to get some running shoes, which I'll get next week. I'm going to try to go for a walk today though I think.

Are you using any apps to track your progress? I've got mfp, but I need to get some food scales, and I've got runkeeper for the exercise. I downloaded the NHS c25k app again but was really disappointed that it doesn't have the music on it now, it plays the voice over your own and I haven't got any music on my phone 🙄

[Familyband]

Hi! I'm hoping to lose a couple of stone by April (ambitious I know!), using Louise Parker's Lean for Life method. We've got a big holiday to New York coming up and although I'm not hugely overweight, I've been having some joint issues (not weight related, but losing two stone won't put me underweight). I need to be much fitter and slimmer and I think her principals will help with the joint issues as it will cut right down on the inflammatory foods. Planning to start Monday. Food looks fairly straight forward (actually getting a bit sick of the Christmas excess now!), but fitting in the recommenced exercise will be a challenge.

[Aurorie11]

@OlaEliza cautiously I'm saying first two days were ok, but have had low level headache from sugar withdrawal.
Yesterday I had, porridge for breakfast, had loads of errands to do so ended up having an orange at 2 for lunch, and for dinner small portion of pasta, Bolognese sauce, and half the plate was salad.
My downfalls are bread, snacking, so I try to do no alcohol, bread, biscuits, cake, crisps, chocolate or cheese.
I record weight on fitbit app and here for accountability.
First weigh in next Saturday, starting weight was 14-3

[OlaEliza]

@Aurorie11 You're very similar to me, I reckon I'm about 14.7.

[OlaEliza]

@Familyband DH wants to start a plant based diet from Monday, I reckon he'd got huge issues from inflammation so I'll look her up.

[Familyband]

@OlaEliza I've heard the most recent book is a lot more plant based. Sugar and gluten are also big issues for inflammation. DH is coeliac so I don't eat loads anyway, but cutting down certainly won't hurt.

[Familyband]

Hi everyone, again for accountability's sake, I got up and did my Davina dvd and now having smoothie from Lean For life for breakfast. If I make it to work a bit early, will take a walk for half hour before I go in. Happy Monday everyone - anyone else dreading first day back at work?

[OlaEliza]

I haven't done any exercise yet. I will hopefully get some running shoes this week but I will try to go for a walk this evening.

Diet hasn't been that bad, but not good. It hasn't been low carb. I've had a bit of chocolate, and crisps. I've been having fruit for breakfast, wrap for lunch and on Saturday we had chicken pot pie, with a filo top, yesterday I had cheese and pickled onions, and crisps & chocolate for dinner and today I'm making chicken soup. Breakfast will be fruit and lunch will be salad as there are no wraps left and it's a holiday here today.

[Aurorie11]

Lost 2lbs, down to 14-1, should have been more as eating wasn't great on some days. But it's a loss and have walked 10k steps every day

[OlaEliza]

Well done!

I still haven't weighed but feeling less bloated and slightly better. I still haven't gone and got any running shoes yet. My dry January was going well until the 8th, and then the 10th, last Friday, but not drunk since or had a cigarette, and it's now Tuesday.

I did fairly well diet wise yesterday, I had 2 boiled eggs for lunch and managed not to have soldiers while dh did, and then we had beans on rye toast for dinner. I did have a bit of cheese though, I never cut that out as I don't drink milk.

[OlaEliza]

I got my running stuff yesterday! I'm going to start on Monday though I think.

We ate out at a burger place as we were at a big shopping centre until late and I had a slim chicken burger (glass bun, whatever that is, red cabbage, lettuce and grilled chicken, it was supposed to have mushrooms but I asked to leave those off - 290 Cal's minus whatever for mushrooms) and instead of fries I had 'onion rings' which were stringy strands of onion, battered and fried, which weren't very nice so I didn't eat much of those, with Coke zero zero (sugar and caffeine free).

[blubberball]

Keep going! You can do it!

I've just been doing free work outs on YouTube every day. I always wanted to try yoga, so I'm happy that I can do that now.

[OlaEliza]

@blubberball I want to start yoga. We haven't got WiFi atm but as soon as it's installed I'm going to start. I also used to do the fitness blender videos, they are really good. I used to do the 100 squats, 10 minute arms and standing ab exercises, all three only take about half an hour.

[OlaEliza]

How's everyone getting on?

I'm 27 days completely alcohol and cigarette free. Not had one or a drop, cold turkey.
3 days refined carb free.

I've had fruit for breakfast (which I'm going to stop and switch to eggs) and meat/prawns and salad for dinner. Nuts as snacks.

I still haven't done any exercise (I'm trying to tackle one thing at a time, get that down, and then add in another change, rather than do it all at once) but I think I'll start next week once the keto flu has passed and I have mad energy back.

[OlaEliza]

Yesterday I hit 30 days with no alcohol or cigarettes 💪

I've done a week of no carbs and feel like I've lost about half a stone.

From here on in 'no carbs' means no bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, sugar, fruit other than berries. I disregard the carbs in veg, other than root veg as it's negligible.

I've been having tuna crunch (tuna, mayo, red onion, coriander, a tiny bit of sweetcorn sometimes, cucumber) or a plate of cheese and/or ham, silverskin onions, cucumber, cherry tomatoes etc for lunch and prawns and salad, shell on prawns, fish and courgetti for dinner. I made a curry the other day and had that with cauli rice one day and chopped white cabbage another.

Been drinking peppermint tea after eating and have had a few matcha teas this week too.

I need to improve my water intake, some days I haven't drunk 2L but I'm aiming to consistently drink 2-3L a day.

Went for an hour's walk on Friday, so will try to do that at least 3 times this week.

[wapbapboo]

This sounds great, well done op. I need to come back and join you. Keep going.

[OlaEliza]

How did you get on over the weekend?

I'm 38 days alcohol and cigarette free.
15 days carb free.
On Tuesday I went for an hour's walk, on Friday I did agility with the dog and on Saturday I went on a two hour walk.
My fasting blood glucose has been 5.something for the last three days (I don't know what it was previously as I'd stopped testing).

I need to concentrate on upping my water as I haven't been drinking anywhere near enough last week.

[Moanranger]

Ola you sound like you are doing really well & have worked out what is right for you. I am reading The Last Diet, which is all about empowering you to find an approach which works for you.
I have been doing various preparatory exercises with a view towards starting this weekend, the day after my birthday. March and April are event free, so I plan to lose 1.5 stone. But I am ultimately aiming to be a person with a very different attitude towards food.

[OlaEliza]

@Moanranger Having a different mindset is the key. I now stop eating when I've had enough, instead of finishing it because it's 'nice'. I don't eat a meal just because it's a mealtime, if I'm not hungry now either.

I'm still not doing well with getting 2-3L of water down. I'm going to work on that properly from tomorrow. I'll add in 10 squats every time I have a wee. I'm gearing up to start the c25k, I'll try and start on Monday.

I'm now 50 days alcohol and cigarette free. 27 days carb free.

I ordered some exante bars and will have those for breakfast and lunch, and a proper carb free dinner.

I weighed myself today and I was 88.20... kg which I worked out to be 13st 12lb! Last time I weighed, in October, I was pushing 15st and I reckon I was bigger than that over Christmas.

I just need to work out how I'm getting keto wrong, I don't have mad energy and the weight loss has slowed I reckon, although I'm noticing visible changes, like yesterday I noticed the flabby bit between boob and armpit was much improved. It could be as simple as not enough water or too much coke. They only have coke zero really when out & about here, no diet lemonade etc. When they have zero zero (sugar and caffeine free) I'll have that but the sweeteners aren't good. I might post a daily food diary for a week and see where I'm going wrong.

[OlaEliza]

Still haven't got anywhere with the exercise. I really want to start c25k but the inclines not even hills around my house are putting me off. I think I have a mental block. I don't want people seeing me either. A neighbour asked me the other day how I was getting on with it (I'd mentioned starting it to her) and said they'd been looking out for me. Like fucksake, what a way to put a fat girl off 😂 I can't 'run' at night because there are wild boars out at night.

My exante bars have arrived so I will try to do 12pm - bar, 4pm - bar, 8pm - bar or homemade soup.

I once combined an eating window of 12-8 with every other day fasting with a calorie limit (500 calories one day, 1200 the next) and low carb which really worked for me. I lost a stone in 2 weeks. So I might try that depending how sticking to the bars go. 3 bars one day, low carb, 1200 Cal's the next.

[OlaEliza]

I went out to eat last night, to a Chinese buffet but didn't drink and am back on it today. The way I see it is that I still have to live occasionally, and as long a it's once in a blue moon that's ok.

But! I actually did some proper exercise yesterday 💪 I started that 30 days of yoga with Adrienne, I skimmed the pool (took ages and was quite an arm workout) and helped put a fence up. #SmallSteps 😂

[OlaEliza]

We are a week into complete lockdown.

My lowcarbing has gone out the window but I think I've lost a pound or so. I'm trying not to eat much to make what we have last as long as possible. Plus keep my carb count down.

We have food in our shops but obviously want to minimise going out. I last went out last Monday, to the supermarket, so a week ago, and DH went last Tuesday for some last bits.

I was a bit ill last week with a sore throat and a feeling like my chest was going to come down with something, not Coronavirus but my chest still isn't completely right so I've held off on exercising. Once it doesn't feel weak anymore with any exertion I'll start yoga with Adrienne again. And hopefully it will be warm enough to get in the pool soon!

I caved and had a few vodkas yesterday but I was actually sick in the night so no more for me for a good while.