Anyone up for a ‘sort yourself out’ supportive encouraging thread?

[SpringOn]

Hi,
I’m 47, feeing old. I’ve very much lost my way with style, exercise, hair, you name it.
I need to:
lose two stone
decide what to do with my witchy mostly grey hair (I’ve been growing out dark brown dye for 10 months, decided to go grey, but I feel so old! Don’t know whether to go back to dye or stay grey).
mu wardrobe is a disaster. I have some decent smart work stuff but my casual clothes are basically lairy leggings and hoodies. I am a size 20.
My house needs a good clean and de clutter
I want to grow veg and have lovely flowers in the garden

Good bits:
I have a great husband, three fab kids and a job I love
I walk the dog for about 20 mins every day

Anyone want to join for self- improvement on an encouraging thread?

Yesterday I paid off 4 of my debts using my savings. I’ve really struggled with debt for the last 20 years as I took everything I was offered when I turned 18 and then had to borrow more and more to repay. I have worked really hard to get this under control and I am so proud of myself. I do still have one loan but it comes straight out my salary and it is manageable. No more letters and phone calls from anyone looking for payments.

Yesterday I bought a dress for summer and a new top both in a size 22. Size 22!!! I really must get my eating under control. I also bought 2 pairs of leggings for wearing around the house so I can throw out my old scruffy joggers.

I’ve been listening to the ‘Nothing Much Happens’ podcast to sleep tonight and it’s excellent. No more tossing and turning while my brain works overtime!

I really must update every day though as I know I’m forgetting about things I have done

Well done folks! Such successes here

Morning everyone! I’ve been doing meditations on productivity and it might be a placebo effect but I’ve been super productive at work. Today I am running a couple of focus groups and have no nerves. This is huge! Plan for today is to drink lots of water, do my skincare and maybe even a face mask before work starts, and type up all my notes from the focus groups.

I might even bake with DS when he gets home from school.

Ohh @Brewskipa that sounds good, is it an app you're using for the meditation?

@sundaymorningcall yes it’s the Balance app, I love it AND it’s free membership for a year. I’ve now idea how much it is after that but I’ll be subscribing regardless because I use it daily and have done for about 8 months.

I'll check that out @Brewskipa thank you!

Hello!
I'm still here, haven't checked in for a few days but everyone is inspiring me with your continued efforts!

I'm still rowing every other day. I'm now eating breakfast again - I was doing intermittent fasting of 18:6 but in those 6 hours I got used to just grazing constantly. So I'm not doing the fasting sny more and seeing if i can knock the biscuit eating on the head. Limited success but it has been less than a week so will give myself time!

Hi all, slow going here. Time of the month so having trouble sleeping and foot still sore, thinking it's tendonitis but have a support on it now. Painting kitchen and utility then starting utility floor. Just not in the mood for fasting but keeping calories below 1500. Really tired and achy. Gas people been digging up the road and replacing everyone's pipes this week so they have been in and out yesterday and today. More doggy guests also. Some progress sorting out MIL admin.

@Handpickled hurrah! That’s such a big deal! And @sundaymorningcall also amazing.

I’m still here, lurking. Drowning in work so not much time for the decluttering stuff but that’s just the way it goes. Only run once this week so far but I went to the gym today and am feeling sore so that will do. Will push more things forwards again when work less intense.

Took DS swimming after school so that was a better choice than baking! Drank lots of water today too and worked hard at work.

DP fancied a curry for dinner so ordered out, and I’m having a tandoori mixed grill and sag paneer so low carb and delicious!

Well done everyone you are all doing amazing!

I rejoined Slimming World on Thursday and at 20 stone 0.5lbs I am the heaviest I have ever been. However, I am determined this is the last time I start over.
DP and I went for a walk yesterday, only 3k but I was absolutely gubbed afterwards, I am so unfit its scary. Today I have bought another new fitbit strap as the one I bought last week has really irritated my skin. I can't wait to get it back on and set myself an achievable step goal to aim for each day.

I'm behind on several work things as I just can't find the motivation to get things. Luckily it's not a big deal at the moment but I go off on annual leave next week and need everything to be done before then so I can enjoy my time off and not feel constantly anxious. So this will be my priority until Wednesday.

I usually get an Asda delivery on Sundays so tonight I need to do a meal plan for the week and make sure everything is ordered.

Still here but not had much success to report 😕. Finished painting utility and halfway laying new floor in there. Got hair trimmed this morning. Sleeping better, falling asleep halfway through the first telling of the nothing much happens stories now where it was towards the end of the second. Managed to fast one day this week and last week so not ideal. Will try harder as it's worked for me before when I've been in the right mindset. Hope everyone is doing ok

Hi everyone!
sorry I have been missing in action- a very busy week so I blocked MN so I wouldn’t waste hours scrolling.

on the positives, I am now on the last run of Week 4 of Couch to 5k, managing to be consistent about it and even had a day last week where I went running when I was stressed out instead of eating!
I’m still being consistent about the vitamins and meds, and much better on the water drinking too.

Weight has stayed stubbornly the same. The food is where I am still not making much progress. But quite a bit of progress in other areas, so I am fairly relaxed about that.

and I feel much better. I have a few outfits of new clothes, I look nice in them. I feel comfortable in them, and ‘fit in’ if you know what I mean. Easy to look after and wear.

so marvellous to hear about the progress of all of you who are still posting. 😁

Hello @SpringOn well done on the couch to 5k progress. I have started therapy, it's still early days, maybe a month but I have found it really helpful and supportive. It's been lightening (there is a better word but can't think of it) to discuss things that basically I can't control or fix and start to accept that. I don't consider myself as someone that has had a lot of trauma in their lives but I think it's amazing how much we are often are own worst enemies. I am still working on my other goals too, exercise and health, small steps.

Everyone is doing so well - well done!

I’m massively struggling at the moment. It’s coming up to my birthday, I’m fat and middle aged and I feel my life is seriously missing direction. I don’t really know who I am or what the f*ck I’m doing. And the worst of it is, I’ve lost my mojo for everything I love. I know it’s social media so it’s not true but everyone I know seems to be having such a marvellous time, going out and doing things. I feel I could fall off the end of the earth and no one would notice. It’s coming up to the summer holidays soon (I’m a teacher) and I know unless I make the effort to contact people, the 6 weeks could go without me seeing anyone other than my partner and my parents. And that makes me feel really sad. So I need to get over myself and get a grip but I’m not sure how right now…
Sorry to be a grump, can’t talk to anyone in real life about it. Everyone thinks I have my shit together.

@ILoveNigelTufnel

Honestly, I could have written your post a year ago. I don’t know your age, but for me the things that helped me loads were Derren Brown’s Boot Camp for Life, which was so comforting and reassuring about the feelings that happen in mid life, and HRT.

Be gentler with yourself. Choose a few things you would like to do in the holidays, and plan them. As a teacher, I would happily have stared at the walls in silence for much of the summer break just to recover a bit!

Trying to keep on track with getting enough water - I glugged about 4 pints in 2 hours last night and then had to deal with umpteen night-time toilet trips, so must learn to space it out a bit more.

On the self care front I finally got round to getting my brows waxed and lashes tinted, which always makes a nice low-effort difference, and used up a pack of foot-peeling socks, which I suppose counts as something practical as well. Day 7 and starting to see some shedding! Nails are still nice and neat but haven't found time to paint them - maybe this evening.

Practical stuff I have done over the last few days - got DD9 a much needed haircut, did a 30 minute TOMM session in the kitchen, cleaned the bathroom floor and washed the bathmat (DS4 was very impressed with this one ), decluttered some kitchen surface crap

Thank you for your kind words @SpringOn
I have given myself a talking to this morning and downloaded the Derren Brown thing you recommended - I think he’s great and it sounds really good.
I’m 43 so heading towards the menopause, I did wonder if that’s why I feel how I feel as well. Don’t know enough about peri menopause so probably should read up on that.
I think you are right about planning things in. I need to do that for my days off / weekends, I’m not sure I cope very well without structure.

I’ve had a better day today, I’ve got myself up and out this morning and had a cup of tea at a coffee shop with an ex colleague which was nice. The sun is shining and I’m going to go for a walk this evening with my partner so that will do me good.

Hello! I've been AWOL

Still exercising, haven't eaten a biscuit in over a week and am now on day 2 of no sugar (apart from fruit). I gave up sugar in 2019 and it was ACE - I'm a proper sugar addict and although the first week or so was brutal, I really felt the benefit. I still ate cake, but only if I made it. That reduced in frequency as I weaned myself off sugar. After a few months I could happy have a dessert if out for meal without heading straight to the biscuits when I got home.

All went to pot when covid hit in 2020.

Anyway, I'm back to it now.

Need to build more stretches into my day but overall, I'm feeling a little bit better.

I’m failing miserably at sorting my life out. I’ve been on annual leave from work for the past week and thought I would really get my act together but in fact quite the opposite has happened. Instead of ticking off jobs on my to do list and setting good routines I’ve spent most of my days staring at the walls, scrolling endlessly on Mumsnet and Instagram and playing stupid games on my phone. I need a new approach and inspired by the Michael Mosley ‘Just One Thing’ podcast I’m starting small and adding more small steps every week. Tomorrow is week 1 day 1 of me finally getting my shit together. I would much prefer to start the week on a Monday but never mind! I would also love to establish an evening routine to be as organised as possible for the following day. Again I’m going to start small and build up

Week 1 everyday goals are:

• Drink 1 bottle of water (500ml)
• Plan food the day before
• Stick to food planned
• Eat 5x food and veg a day
• Wear Fitbit everyday to monitor how many steps I’m doing
• Monitor how much time I’m spending on my phone each day

The beginnings of an evening routine:

• Brush teeth for 2 minutes (Just giving my teeth a once over at night rather than a proper clean)
• Wash face (Currently I don't do this at all at night)
• Moisturise

A few extra things this week…

• Go to Slimming World (it's not going to be pretty!)
• Get nails done
• Zap skin tags
• Plan weekend away (I really need to do some fun things!)
• Text friend to meet up next week
• Organise friend’s birthday this week ready for next week (in future would like this to be done even earlier than a week in advance)

Hello I am back after a very fleeting appearance a while back. Haven’t achieved much at all but today I did a gym ball work out which I feel may have actually shortened my life expectancy 😆 ah well, have to start somewhere.

Seeing this start up again gave me a bit of a kick for this week.

Currently trying working in the office every day so I don't get sucked into doing things at home. Walking to and from work, made packed lunches every day and planning things to eat with DH which is all good, and tracking calories and not snacking in the evenings.

But state of house, lack of money and work stuff all stressful and even though I've been trying to be better with kids I'm still not being patient enough.

I’ve got a grip (of sorts) and today I have started Slim Fast. I used it about 15 years ago as a kick start so that’s what I’m doing again. Today is day 1 and I have had 2 shakes, an apple and then vegetable fajitas for dinner. The shakes aren’t as bad as I anticipated and I’ve not felt hungry so that’s something. Exercise is next on my list for this evening.
Saw a photo of myself today as well. My face is all podgy and doughy looking. Not a good look. I’m going to look so much better in a month…

How’s everyone getting on? I hope you’re all ok.
I’ve stuck to exercise every day since the 17th (my target was only 3 times a week) and I’m feeling a bit more in control of my eating too. I know it’s only been a week but I’m on it. Is it 3 weeks to build new habits or something?!

Ilovenigeltufnel, not great. How's the slimfast going? 5:2 not great, thinking of doing eat stop eat instead. With 5:2 I can happily fast until evening then once I eat I want to eat more. Thinking a 24 hour total fast would suit me better. Arranged a private gp consultation to see about LDN for me/cfs. With decorating have finished downstairs loo, some of kitchen and just one thing left to do in utility. Sleep is rubbish, can't sleep for hours then waking foggy and sluggish.