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?

I managed to tidy the spare room and clean the bathroom which I’ve been putting off for ages (we don’t use it but having guests this weekend so needed doing) have sorted boxes and tidied them in a slightly more visually appealing manner
But then LO got sick and so haven’t done much else. Glad I got my exercise in yesterday as he has needed lots of cuddles and can’t imagine tonight will be easy sleeping for him poor love.
More tidying and hopefully day 2 of week 4 C25K tomorrow. Oh and better food choices. Didn’t do well today

Well done all on the bits u have achieved so far either big or small all counts!! I finally descaled the kettle today been putting it off for ages not sure why as tipped a oust sachet in and was done in 10 mins lol x

Wow - lots of company here! I'm clearly not the only procrastinator when it comes to fixing things. I'm inspired to keep going at this having read everyone else's posts!

Decluttering: got off to a start outside after deciding to make use of the good weather to tidy up the garden. Not a massive job, but I filled a big 'green waste' container, and put away some of the outdoor toys, patio chairs etc that probably won't get used again this year. I need to clean the patio as well though, or persuade DH that this is somehow a manly task. I took down the summer hanging baskets which had died off to one sad looking petunia. Not sure whether to stick some winter pansies in, or just leave the baskets until spring.

Food: not perfect, but much better. Porridge for breakfast, sensible packed lunch, and a family dinner that let me eat the same as everyone else but less than usual. Snacking has been well controlled. I said yes to a birthday chocolate x2 from a colleague (her birthday, not mine) and had two chocolate digestives after dinner, but I've not eaten may way through the entire packet. DS came home from school and asked for toast, and I had the knife ready to slice a chunk or two off for me on autopilot, then stopped. Mindless eating stopped in its tracks on this occasion.

Exercise: not a great start. Put my trainers on to go out for the first C25K session, only to find that the soles have detached from the rest of the shoe all the way round the front. I've ordered a replacement pair online, but can't really do running until they arrive. But I cycled to work instead, and it was actually quite pleasant in the autumn sunshine. So that's an easy thing to build into my routine at least while the weather is okay. Little steps, little changes.

Well done to everyone else today!

Well done everyone 🏅
In work 8-2 tomorrow then afternoon with Mum and Dad but will fit dropping off clothes to charity shop.
Not sure how much else I will get done.

I'm starting today if I can join in. DC have gone back to school today and I'm going to need every day of the next 8 weeks to get the house sorted. It will be 2 years since we moved in at the beginning of December and we still have packed boxes of stuff every where.

I need to get the downstairs sorted completely before Christmas, so that means a lot of sorting and decluttering plus sorting proper storage, a desk area for DC1, curtains for the office and blinds for the conservatory. I'd also like to decorate the hall which the previous owners painted a revolting peach, but I know we are likely to have some electrical work done next year which would mean redoing some bits so I need to think about that.

Upstairs, I really need to sort some curtains for the DC's room, currently we have what was left by the previous owners and I hate it. Also need to sort through all the clothes for the DC and make sure that only their current clothes are in their wardrobes.

I'm also on another thread aiming to shift a stone before Christmas, I have more than this to lose, but it would be a good achievement (have already lost a stone since the beginning of summer).

Checking in for today. Been gardening and having a bonfire all day. am absolutely shattered!!

Porridge for breakfast, pea & mint soup for lunch, chocolate oatcakes as a snack and going to have a couple of boiled eggs and some fruit for my supper. Have got two Bendicks Bittermints to have as a treat later too!

How is everyone else doing?

Did really well on my fast day of 5:2 on Monday. I was in work & rushed off my feet so didn't really think about food at all.

today was all about starting the deep clean of house. I've managed 3 black bags of clothes/shoes old toys/books for 2nd hand shop. Just really need my oh to step up & drop them off on his way to work tomorrow. I've also put a deposit down on a new rug for my front room. It's 50.00 that I don't have. but shop being really good & allowing me to pay off as & when. So should be paid & in my house for Christmas.

Sounds good progress ladies.

I however have achieved nothing measurable.
I do feel I did well though as I spent the afternoon in the presence of my parents who sap all joy from my soul. I didn't do anything other than present the picture of the perfect daughter so that I can hold my head and say I did the right thing even if they don't.

Poor you Strutters. My mother has that effect on me. Visiting her can be like an afternoon with a Dementor (Harry Potter fan, here!), so I feel your pain!

🍷🌹 strutters
That more than counts as an achievement.

I'm in!

I've about 1.5 stone to shift but I'd be happy with 1 stone off. Mainly because I just want to fit into my own clothes again, so even if I don't shift the weight but tone up the flab I'll be happy!

Diet:
I've ordered the 5:2 book, and the BSD book. I'm cutting out booze, and bringing in home made soups and salads for work. I plan to put away about 2l of water a day. Dinners are generally healthy anyway so I'm not worried about the content, more portion control.

Exercise:
I'm going to restart the C25k again - I may only be able to do it on weekends, but I'm hoping to do the 30day shred during the week as well.

Health wise: I'm dentist-phobic and going to put on my big girl pants and book a long overdue appointment. I'm also due my smear test with the practice nurse and while I'm there I want to sort out contraception as I think I'm in the early stages of peri-menopause and that's not helping with my weight gain creeping. It's also affecting my libido and general mood and I'm sick of it. So I'll talk to my nurse to find out what's going to solve that.

House: It's not too bad. We moved during the year and did a big clear out then, but there's big stuff in the attic that I can try to sell online - clear the clutter and be quids in for Christmas. I Kondo'd my clothes 18 months ago but want to do it with toys and paperwork.

I made a huge effort yesterday to do a full fast day. I knew I would be busy in house and in and out all day, so I would be sufficiently distracted. I had some kefir early on and later on a miso soup.

I feel sooooo much better today! My body desperately needed it. For breakfast i had a brocoli soup with lashing of tumeric and lemon and garlic, goats cheese and walnuts

Wow autumn that is fabulous well done!
Thanks constance and spy you are right they even managed to suck joy out of my new nephew as his name isn't what they wanted. Argh!!!

Anyway Christmas shopping started today.
Basic tidying and cleaning done plus one more bun bag of toys to charity.

I'm in! I need to lose about 10lbs, it'll be nice to have company! DS had 2 weeks off for his October holidays an the weather was so crap we hardly left the house. And I was eating a disgusting amount of sugar.

I've cut out (most of the sugar), and I'm trying to not have (simple) carbs with every meal because they really are my downfall. I'm allowing myself a Highlights hot chocolate in the evening to quell any chocolate cravings I have, and one other thing like popcorn/mince pie ().

Exercise wise, I'm trying to get back into the habit of walking DS to school at least 4 days a week - it's a 4 mile round walk for me up and down hills while trying to keep up with him on his scooter, and according to my fitness tracker that's over 300 calories, and it's just short of an hour at a brisk pace. He gets the school bus home but it's just too easy to put him on the bus in the morning too.

Health wise - I need to see the GP for a follow up about my bowel. I think I might be coeliac or have IBS, but when I first broached it she said "they wouldn't assume that in a woman of 27" and gave me some tablets to help me go to the loo, but if I don't take them they don't work. So they haven't really helped with getting things going naturally.

Well done on the fast autumn

Hello Gherkin and Soc - glad to have you! The walking thing sounds ace - four miles a day is a lot. I used to walk that every day when I was at Uni and it certainly helped keep me slim!

If I say so myself, today I was epic!! . The house clear out continues (she was a hoarder) and today I got rid of another 5 boxes of old papers and magazines (I thought I'd found everything and then opened the Cupboard of Doom) and 22(!) bags of ancient clothing, curtains and linens!

Then I came home and have prepared two sides of salmon that I am curing for a dinner party on Saturday. One is a beetroot and horseradish cure and the other is treacle and fennel. Proper posh.

Weirdly I'm not exhausted. Yesterday I was on my knees but I'm full of beans still! Been too busy to eat, really. Porridge this morning, a chicken breast with some pickled beetroot for lunch and a bowl of soup tonight.

Oh please can I join? You all sound lovely!

autumn I fast Monday and Wednesday. I’m overseas so there is a time difference...but if it works for you we could be buddies. I did a great one yesterday.

My goals:

Sort out house - we are in a tiny rental so keeping on top of —the kids artwork— the crap is an effort. I did the kitchen yesterday but need to sort out playroom and ditch toys etc.

More running - 3x a week. As a minimum.

Not cheat on fast days or eat crap on other days. Less sugar, more water.

Do we put Christmassy things on here too?

Persis, I guess as it's now November Christmas preparation panic related posts will be permitted.

I tried the fasting thing a couple of times. I found that it would often give me palpitations at about 3pm, especially if I had a cup of tea at about lunchtime to keep me going. Also the next day I would crave (and gorge on) sugar. Gave it up in the end. My DH has done it for years and has lost loads of weight. He only fasts one day a week for maintenance now. Wish I could get it to work for me, though. It's so much easier when you can follow the same plan as your partner.

Hello, may I join? I am v overweight so just making a dent in that before Christmas. I joined slimming world two weeks ago, first weigh in today (I couldn't go in half term).

I have a 4- month old baby who won't be put down and a 5-yr old with SN. Since the baby came I have been surviving on biscuits and chocolate so it has been good to get back to proper food!

The house is a bit of a mess with piles of stuff sprouting everywhere and baby clothes /equipment taking over. We also have a study that is so bad it looks like something out of a hoarders documentary. In that study are some Christmas presents and half made Christmas decorations, like the advent calendar I started to make for my son three years ago, so I really need to sort it out. I also have a leaking conservatory that I have been burying my head in the sand about. So time to get a grip!

Aims:

1. Lose 1.5 stone by Christmas
2. Tidy study so floor is clear

3 do tax return so not flapping in January

1. Declutter living spaces
2. Sort DS's toys and store them in his bedroom rather than all over the sitting room
3. Get conservatory and guttering fixed

There are other things that need doing but that's enough to be getting on with!

Wow - lots of news to catch up with!

I'm doing well with efforts to get the garden sorted this week, although in short bursts now that there is less daylight in the late afternoon. I'm discovering some underused muscles I think after some energetic raking, sweeping, and patio cleaning.

I went around the house yesterday once the DCs were asleep and made a list of things to do for each room. Ticking things off the list would be a nice way of keeping track. Strumpers gherkin and red you will be my inspiration next week.

I've never tried proper fasting, but some of the things that you ladies are eating sound fab Constance I've been eating a low calorie diet this week to try to kick start the weight loss so I hope the scales show some progress on Sunday.

Like you gherkin half term was a bit of a festival of sugar. I seem to walk into the house after work and start nibbling on auto-pilot so I'm working on breaking the habit, and trying to have some more healthy snacks around for me and for the DCs. I've got some of that lower calorie hot chocolate too - a boiling hot chocolate drink takes a while to finish and is a distraction from munching. Persis yes, more water! I never drink enough when the weather is cold.

C25K progress has been slow (trainers falling apart) but a replacement pair should be here in the next day or so, and I've managed to muddle my way through the early sessions wearing the old ones. I'm not as totally unfit as I thought - I could manage the first sessions - but there is a long way to go. Five kilometres in fact. Soc good luck with the walking. I'm trying to walk / cycle rather than drive just to keep a bit more active. Four miles sounds great.

Seacow welcome. You sound busy. I remember the new baby biscuit and chocolate days! My study looks like yours by the sound of it, so perhaps we can find the floor together.

Lovely to have all this company - really motivating.

That's good going with the fasting! I tried the 5:2 but it didn't work too well for me, and I'm not entirely sure why.

More water is always good - I have a water bottle that I drink from but I stopped using it because it kept getting stolen by DD and I was tired of not wanting to take a drink without worrying about there being toddler floaters in it. But my water intake plummeted when I did that. She still steals my glass (even though she has her own...) but at least I can see what's going on with that easier!

Work I can't believe your study could be worse than mine . Thanks for the welcome!

Anyway, weighed in at Slimming World and over the last 2 weeks i'd lost a total of 7lb. So a stone to go in 8 weeks, that should be possible. I am doing a lot of walking as it's a 45-min round trip twice a day for the school run, it all helps.

I've been out all day, so house is still a tip. My biggest problem is not being able to chuck /donate stuff that I know I would be able to get a few quid for if I sold it. But then not getting round to selling it. I have lots of quality branded kids clothes (Boden etc) that just sit in the spare room of doom. I'm my own worst enemy.

Hello everyone!!

seacow could you just sell it as one big bundle? I know you wouldn’t make so much but it would be out of your hair. Or donate it to a charity shop as a conscious act of Christmas charity? Like a present to whatever charity it is? Good work on the weight loss!!

I know what you mean about toddler floaters gherkin. Also I really like to drink sugar free vimto but we have just moved abroad and it’s £11 a bottle and also then the kids want it and I don’t think it’s good for them. I was wondering about one of those bottles that you put fruit in the middle and have flavoured water? Although I GUARANTEE I would leave it in the car or something and come back to a bottle of green mould!

work good work on the running! I’m jealous of your new trainers - all lovely and springy!! I went on Wednesday evening and listened to Richard Armitage reading a Regency romance. V distracting!

Tell me about the Home cure constance. Is it easy? Does it work out good value? I am impressed with your decluttering!

Hello and Christmassy high fives to everyone else.

Ok. Today I have:

1. Put wall stickers up in the kids’ bedroom. I brought them with us from the U.K. (same ones the girls had there) but that was 2 months ago. We put them up this morning, they look great and as I put them to bed one of them said “it feels much more like home now”. Feel guilty for not doing it sooner. Poor kids.

1. I have eaten only healthy things but a LOT of them. But still.

1. I have drunk some water (mostly in the form of coffee). But still.

Christmassy panic:

I have remembered that I will presumably have to get presents for the girls’ preschool teachers. There seem to be at least 15 of them, I haven’t worked out their names, don’t know how things are done here. What do I do?!?!

List for tomorrow:
Get new glasses for twin 1. The combination of sunscreen and sand has not been kind to them
Glitter so we can start doing Christmassy craft stuff
Go for a run
Tidy kids bedroom
Find out posting dates to UK

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!

Morning! Let us know how you get on with those clothes, Seacow. I'm afraid I took a huge amount of my grandmother's stuff to the dump because they were full of clothes moths. I don't think charity shops would fancy an infestation. Such a shame because she had some good quality pieces, from Jaeger and the like but actually that was their downfall as the moths like natural fibres.

I will let you know how the homecure goes tomorrow. I'll try it in the morning so I can opt for Plan B if they are disgusting.

Back home today (yay!) via my Stepmother's house. I found so much stuff about the family tree and she is heavily into all that. I'm getting more drawn into it and spent too may hours down the Ancestry rabbit hold last night. Ended up conversing with very far removed cousins in Australia until until o'clock! Soooo tired!!

Good luck Persis - looks like you have a great plan of attack there!!

Hi

I really need to do this - my flat is a tip and I am the heaviest I have ever been. I'm coming in a bit later though - it's now nearly 7 weeks until Christmas and on Monday it will be 4 weeks until I go on holiday - feeling really gutted because I feel terrible about myself and it seems it's now too late to make much of a difference to my weight - do you think I have any hope of making a difference?

Well done to all of you, you sound like you are doing really well,

xx