Healthy weight loss without weighing ourselves

[BrimfulOfBaba]

Weighing myself is driving me crazy! I know what works for me and that's managing my calorie intake and exercising regularly. Whether or not I have the drive to stick to it consistently is another story entirely...

It doesn't help me to see the fluctuations in weight on the scales anymore. All it does is demoralise me if it's up, or make me compete with myself to get it even lower. Not healthy!

My wedding is in July and I want just enough fat loss to feel comfortable. I can monitor this via how clothes fit and photos rather than the scale, for now.

I'm going to use this thread to record my activities for the day as it keeps me motivated. Please feel free to join me!

We’ve had a nice few days at home. Dh can walk a bit so we’ve been out for lunch a few times and I’ve carried on walking outside which has been glorious in the sunshine. I’ve accidentally got a stupid tan-bright white feet from wearing shorts and trainers. Doh! Might need to sit out with my book later.

Pilates was brilliant. I’d forgotten how much I like doing a proper class where the instructor comes and adjusts you if you’re not quite in the right position. Aching today which is good I suppose!

Eating has been a bit dodgy because it’s been half term. Today I’ve had fruit bread for breakfast, lunch will be spinach potato pancakes if I can be bothered to make them or soup from the freezer if not. Tonight is Bosh cauliflower wings with wraps and/or spicy rice and salad.

I’m envious of your local puffins @Crazzzycat. What did you end up doing? Hope you’re doing well @BrimfulOfBaba.

Happy sunny Saturday!

Hello! Ooh did you see puffins @Crazzzycat??

Ah @PurpleDaisies that sounds great - it's been so long since I've done anything with an instructor?

I am finding it really hard to stay on track despite being a month away from the wedding. I'm trying to maintain now rather than lose as it feels healthier for my headspace for now. Do you two have any strategies for keeping on track?

Went to a bbq yesterday and had some lovely curried veggie patties. Today I've got a tabata circuit and a strength circuit which I'm quite looking forward to after a rather relaxed week!

I decided to ditch the exercise bike and went to see the puffins instead. It was totally worth it! After we’d seen the puffins (and lots of other birds) we went on a beautiful walk along the sea cliffs and watched the sun set. It was all rather idyllic.

My city break over the weekend was a bit more hectic. I think I did ok on the food, but as I wasn’t counting calories, who knows?! 🤷🏻‍♀️ I had my first bit of cake in weeks, but found it way too sweet, so left most of it. I also said no to sugary drink and dessert and didn’t really feel like I was depriving myself. I feel like a changed person..

Glad you enjoyed your Pilates class @PurpleDaisies. It must be so nice to be able to do an actual class.

I wish I had some wise words for you @BrimfulOfBaba, but I’m afraid I’m clueless when it comes to maintaining. When you say you’re finding it difficult to stay on track, are we talking about minor deviations or feeling like you want to eat lots more than usual?

Puffins were a good choice! How lovely. I would love to see them in real life. Ahh amazing how tastes can change after sustained periods of eating more nutritionally.

I'd say it's a lack of consistency for me - a real mix of 'healthy' meals with an appropriate amount of calories for my size (and goal size) and then big takeaways and drinks, as well as days of exercise followed by not much at all. I am still trying to work out of this is balance or just inconsistency!

But it's a new week and I am genuinely looking forward to eating some more vegetables and moving more!! Brekkie will be overnight carrot cake oats (with Skyr instead of milk/water) mixed in with stewed apples, lunch is...leftover Chinese. And dinner will be pasta, if I am hungry after leftover Chinese. And if no one bungs in a mid-afternoon meeting I'm hoping to get a workout in at lunch :)

Hope everyone has a good start to the week!

Well it feels like a Monday here. I’ve got a stinking headache and crushing tiredness from somewhere so it’s been a very quiet morning. I’m trying to get ready for some work later but I can’t quite get my brain to focus. I’m hoping a strong coffee does the trick.

Food so far has been fruit toast for breakfast, hot and spicy squeaky bean fake chicken wraps for lunch and dinner is going to be soya mince bolognese. Possibly Zumba? I’m putting a lot of faith in the power of caffeine!

Ah hope you feel better today, @PurpleDaisies.

Managed to wake up for an early morning session on the cross trainer today! Yesterday I actually had the Chinese leftovers for breakfast which kept my full til dinner. So I had my overnight oats this morning (mm carrot cake), lunch was the very last of the leftovers and I'm not sure what dinner will be...probably some frozen pumpkin burgers!

Why does life actually feel better after exercise?? Ha.

Thanks @BrimfulOfBaba, I’m still tired but it’s not as bad as it has been. It was a pretty quiet day yesterday. The last of the fruit toast for breakfast, hot and spicy squeaky bean wraps for lunch and dinner was a fab pilaf with coconut, spring greens and tofu. I had a nice walk in the sun.

I’ve got a ridiculous walker’s tan going on-my feet are bright white. I might need to start sitting with my feet out for half an hour a day until they’re less like a daz advert.

Today it’s cheese on toast for breakfast, leftover pilaf for lunch and something easy for dinner.

Have a good day both!

Your food sounds as delicious as ever @PurpleDaisies. I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better.

I totally agree with you @BrimfulOfBaba. Life feels a lot better after exercise. If only there was an easier way to get the same benefits!

I’m having yet another IBS flare up at the moment, I’m dutifully planning meals, but what’s on the menu isn’t always what gets eaten. At times like this, I prefer to go for what my body tells me it wants. Currently that’s absolutely no food at all, but we’ll see if things change during the day.

For exercise I’m planning a 30 minute session on the exercise bike. I also have this afternoon off, so am planning to go for a nice, long walk somewhere. Walking usually has a positive effect on my stomach cramps, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that will work 🤞

That pilaf sounds lovely @PurpleDaisies!

Hope it passes soon, @Crazzzycat. I'm awed you plan exercise around flare-ups. Hope you have a lovely walk :)

Brekkie was skyr and granola, lunch will be a pumpkin and spinach pattie with salad and I'm going out for dinner - Vietnamese so I can keep it quite light. Thankfully as actually I forgot I had made plans and will now have to skip a workout!

It’s a great easy and adaptable recipe @BrimfulOfBaba. I’ll post a picture. I hate okra so just left that out. It’s a bit salty for me with both stock and the salt so I tend to just use one or the other. Spring greens, kale or other greens are good instead of the spinach depending on what’s in the veg box. It’s great with a fried/boiled/poached egg, or crunchy tofu, or with extra nuts (especially almonds or cashews) for a bit more protein. I’ve got the last small portion for dinner tonight which I’m going to wrap up burrito style with aubergine pickle and cashew nuts, plus some salad on the side.

I’ve met friends today so it hasn’t been the healthiest of days but I’m not too worried because it’s been good for exercise. Toast with cheese for breakfast, a veggie sausage roll, salad and crisps for lunch then a scone with jam. Dinner is the pilaf burrito wrap experiment. I’ve managed a long ish walk and it’s Zumba tonight. Can’t be bothered but I’m hoping the music will get me through!

Really sorry about your Ibs flare @Crazzzycat. Do what you need to get through. Hoping it’s a short one.

Thanks for the recipe! Will give that a whirl - I actually really love okra and am curious to see how it'll fare in this. Love the idea of having this with almonds/cashews!

I had my hair and makeup trial today, had a glass of morning prosecco while it happened because...because :D I walked into town and back so about an hour in all. I tried my wedding dress on again out of curiousity - and the straps are slipping off! Going to chalk that up as a 'yay' - albeit an expensive, faffy one as I need to get it re-done.

We missed the morning alarm so no workout this am or yesterday! Will be doing 30 mins on the crosstrainer today and maybe a mini circuit.

Brekkie was granola with semi skimmed milk (and prosecco...), lunch was an m&s nutty wholefood salad pot, and dinner will be tofu stir fry. However, my period is due and I am endlessly hungry so I also scoffed a twix finger and a pack of salt and vinegar crisps. Why do I never accept they don't help with hunger?! Ha!

Hope you are feeling better @Crazzzycat!

Sounds like things are starting to get pretty exciting @BrimfulOfBaba. Excellent news on the dress!

My flare up was, for once, fairly short lived. May be it was the medicinal walk by the sea!

I’m not doing great on the food front though. I think it’s a combination of stress and having lots of junk food in the house. I thought I could be trusted with having a few bags of crisps in the house, but clearly not. Lesson learnt...hopefully 😳

Anyway, today is a new day and another chance to do better. I’m planning the usual bean wraps for lunch and bean & halloumi stew for dinner. I’m also planning to hit the exercise bike this afternoon. I’ve been having an unusually active week with an average step count of 15k. I’ve done at least 30 minutes of cardio each day on top of that. So it’s not all bad!

Really beginning to get excited as more things get ticked off the list :) and now that I feel comfortable with how I'll look and feel in the dress...big relief! I have definitely lost some water weight and feel a lot trimmer than I did a couple of weeks ago.

Ahhh glad you're better now @Crazzzycat - don't begrudge eating what you needed to to get through it/comfort yourself. Nice work with that step count!

I was meant to be on A/L but work is crazy so I've cancelled it. However, I'm meeting free so as soon as I get through my monster spreadsheet I'll be doing a circuit. Brekkie was 2 eggs scrambled on a slice of toast with garlic butter, lunch will be a big salad made with ' the vegetarian butcher' pretend chicken, and dinner is halloumi and salad pittas with sweet chilli sauce.

Off to London tomorrow for a friend's wedding celebration meal - a really lovely Indian restaurant and cocktails. Will hopefully get lots of walking in while there but otherwise will try to be moderate!

Hope you all have lovely weekends :)

Morning both! I hope you both had a good weekend? Mine was surprisingly active in spite of the heat. We had a bit of a birthday party yesterday (not mine!).

As the main cook and baker in the house, I did my best to manage the calorie intake, without making it feel like we were depriving ourselves. I even managed to sneak in some low cal snacks and (relatively) low cal cake. I got lots of compliments about the food, so I don’t think anyone noticed 😇

Today’s plan is spicy bean wrap for lunch and aubergine lasagna for dinner. For exercise, I’m planning a walk and some time on the cross trainer.

I’ve recently started to increase my time on the cross trainer. I’m on 35 minutes now, but aiming for 45 minutes twice a week. I actually think I’m becoming a bit addicted! I look forward to using it all day and feel a bit sad when it’s a non-cross trainer day. It’s not normal, is it?! 😄

This thread always seems to drop off my “threads I’m on” over the weekend. Maybe it knows when I’m not exactly on the healthy eating plan!

Things are ok here. I’m very much enjoying the sunshine although it’s been too hot to properly deal with the weeds and exercise has been a bit unpleasant. Yesterday’s Zumba was like going swimming in clothes. Today I’m actually going swimming and for an evening walk.

Snacking is creeping up a bit so I’m focussing on controlling better this week. Food today is houmous on toast with coffee and apple juice (it’s a both kind of day!), lunch carrot and harissa soup (less nice than it sounds) and I’m taking part in a cook along tonight so dinner is some Syrian lentil and pomegranate thing that sounds exciting.

I’m impressed with your cross trainer love @Crazzzycat. Exciting times with thd wedding @BrimfulOfBaba. Looks like positive news yesterday from Boris regarding going ahead.

Sorry for being a bit quiet! Lots of outings and now some wedding planning admin. @PurpleDaisies I feel the same - the thread blips off whenever I'm not eating sensibly or exercising! Your Styrian meal sounds lovely, hope it lived up to expectations?

Some good news re: wedding planning but still a bit confusing as we don't know yet how many people our venue will allow. They're scrambling to find out so a little anxious until then.

@Crazzzycat that is INCREDIBLE progress on the crosstrainer - actually enjoying it?! I am a little jealous, ha!

Busy day today and some wedding stress so after my sensible brekkie of skyr and granola, and snaffling my leftover curry from last night as a snack, I have ordered myself a Vietnamese salad and condensed milk coffee for a late lunch. I am really looking forward to a much delayed workout tonight! Dinner, if I'm hungry, will be a puff pastry tart with roast med veg.

I have taken off my FitBit to avoid my wrist looking pasty/weird before the wedding (how vain!) so all my steps etc are having to be intuitive...which feels weird. Means I must actually track my food properly from now.

Sorry for the essay! I hope you're both having great weeks :)

*Syrian not Styrian!

Thanks @BrimfulOfBaba, it was really lovely. It was a cook along making something called harak Osbao which is a lentil and tamarind thing with pasta topped with pomegranate, coriander and deep fried pitta and crispy onion. Really usual flavours but dh and I loved it. I can see adapting it to be a bit more healthy eating compatible with less oil and some baking rather than deep frying. Nice treat though!

I’ve had a good start to the day with houmous on toast for breakfast then hiit (loads of weights today), a bit of a barre class online (fancied a dance) and then a deep stretch 15 minute body balance. Tired and sweaty now, plus have troffed a whole pack of squeaky bean fake deli ham!

For food, I’ve either got the last of the Syrian lentil pasta thing for lunch or soup. Dinner is supposed to be saag aloo (technically spring greens aloo with the cabbage from the veg box) but it’s so hot I might do a cold noodle salad thing with random fridge veg and tofu.

Ahhh that sounds gorgeous! I'm going to look it up.

I got really bad news from my venue yesterday and, disappointingly, I wallowed in bed and ordered a stuffed crust pizza instead of exercising.

The pizza will last me all of today, too so I will steadily work my way through it. My body is aching for exercise so I shall be treating it to be plenty this evening :)

Oh no, I’m really sorry to hear that the news from the venue wasn’t good @BrimfulOfBaba. That’s really shit 😔

That Syrian dish sounds lovely @PurpleDaisies. I went to a Syrian restaurant a few weeks ago and we ordered something that sounds quite similar, apart from not having the pasta on top. They also had the most lovely roasted nuts & pomegranate molasses dip. Just thinking of it makes my mouth water 😋

I’m not having a great day today as, for some reason, I’ve been waking up really early all week. It’s totally unlike me. I’m the kind of person who would sleep through a minor earthquake, so I have no idea what’s going on. But anyway, I have been absolutely starving all week as a result. It’s driving me mad! I almost ate a whole bar of chocolate for lunch, but managed to stop myself just in time 😬 Not sure if I can keep up that level of resistance all day long!

Sorry to hear your venue is being difficult @BrimfulOfBaba. I hope can get it sorted. . I’d love to try a Syrian restaurant @Crazzzycat.

I’ve had a great time with exercise: hiit and Pilates this morning, Zumba last night. Food has been a bit hit and miss in terms of actual veggies (Tuesday’s class zapped my cooking mojo). Today it’s been olive bread toast fit breakfast, a whole (!) pack of squeaky bean pastrami post hiit, more olive bread toast for lunch and a packet of salt and vinegar squares. Not awful for calories but really need to cook something good! Thinking veg curry with coconut rice for dinner.

Hope it’s been an ok day so far.

Thank you @Crazzzycat and @PurpleDaisies!

Hope your sleeping has settled @Crazzzycat!

Mmm olive bread sounds divine.

I've been pretty off track dealing with rescheduling things and getting ready for the upcoming wedding ceremony but, trying to get back on track. It is burgers for dinner tonight and my virtual hen do tomorrow so...probably not actually back on track until Sunday!

I did a very intense lower leg circuit yesterday, full of single leg squats and single leg hip bridges, repetitions to the point of actual burning pain. But I loved every minute! Will hopefull get more workouts in tomorrow morning before the hen :)

Hope you have lovely weekends!

Happy Monday! It’s felt like a Monday here-I’m battling a migraine and trying to plan some work for later. I forgot to cancel the veg box this week so have two full spring cabbages and a big bag of spinach, plus two cucumbers, two bunches of radishes and three bags of potatoes. There’s only dh and I here. I’m thinking I might need to try cooking for the freezer…
Breakfast was a crumpet, two (shock!) snack of twiglets and a strip of dark chocolate from a large bar. I’ve tried a new dal for lunch using up the end of a bag of white urid dal. It was supposed to serve four but I thought the portions were mean. It tasted lovely though and it was nice with steamed spring cabbage on the side. I think dinner will be some sort of pasta. Maybe a heavy-on-the-mushroom soya mince bolognese to help with the veg glut. Only a small walk for me today. Hopefully it’ll be better tomorrow.

This is the dal in case anyone fancies trying it.
www.manjulaskitchen.com/urad-dal-tadka/

Hope your hen do was fun @BrimfulOfBaba and you’ve had a better weekend for sleep @Crazzzycat

Happy Monday! Sorry about your migraine @PurpleDaisies, it's hard to get anything at all done with those. Ooh those meals sound lovely!

I had a really fun hen do, thank you!! Pleased I didn't give up on exercise and attempting balanced eating despite my topsy turvy few weeks, I definitely felt better in my dress than I would have done a few months ago :)

However yesterday was a write off. Breakfast and lunch today was leftover chinese: mushroom noodles, kung pao veggies, spring rolls and prawn crackers. I can't imagine being hungry for dinner but if I am, it's a med veg puff pastry tart. DP and I have firmly agreed, no more takeaway until the wedding...!

Starting a Sweat challenge via the app today, so hopefully will kick off today with a nice tabata workout.

Thank you for the dal recipe, I can never get enough of dal and the variety always astounds me! Hope you're feeling better this week @Crazzzycat!