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?

Hi, I hope it's not too late to join you?

I need to lose 10lbs, a stone if possible. I look a mess and I have a lovely dress for Christmas that I wore two years ago and no longer fits .

Exercise is a step too far at the moment, but I do walk every day. Would prefer to spend any spare time doing a pedicure or shaving my legs, tbh.

The house is manageable, as I did a big clearout over the summer. But I have loads of projects on the go (all handmade presents needed by 16th December, when we all meet up and exchange cards and gifts).

I'm going to attempt low carb, as it has worked for me before. And get on top of the Christmas planning. Not a good start today given breakfast was tea with milk and toast loaded up with butter and marmalade. Must try harder!

Good Luck everyone!

Projects on the go:
Two cushions 80% complete, but need to knit about 20 flowers.
Two rabbits knitted but not stuffed / made up.
Bath hampers, need to buy baskets and wrap in cellophane and add bows.
Make all the gift labels, these need printing.
Bobble hat in dark colours, 50% complete. Matching infinity scarf not started.
Two monkeys, not started.
Bobble hat and infinity scarf in bright colours, not started.
Eek!

owl eeeek so many projects!! How nice that after th 16th they will all be sorted though!

I am having a slight spanner thrown in my works by a) baby deciding he wants to potty train (was planning to wait until after Xmas!!) b) twin 2 wetting her bed c) DH taking on some extra overtime (the money is lovely but I need another adult!) d) it raining.

Grrr. Still, onwards and upwards. Solidarity fist bump to the dieters - am going to have a balanced day with a run in the evening then some lovely wine!

I had a healthy omelette for lunch and fish for dinner. And no alcohol, quite a rarity for a Friday evening. So far so good.

Projects update:
Two cushions 80% complete, but need to knit about 20 flowers.
Two rabbits knitted but not stuffed / made up.
Bath hampers, need to buy baskets and wrap in cellophane and add bows.
Make all the gift labels, these need printing.
Bobble hat in dark colours, needs making up. Matching infinity scarf not started.
Two monkeys, not started.
Bobble hat and infinity scarf in bright colours, hat started.
Plan to finish both hats over the weekend.

Hi everyone, can I join you? I really want to get the house sorted (and myself sorted!) before Christmas. Ideally well before Christmas so I can enjoy the run up with no last minute present panics. We've cut down the list of who we buy for as much as possible and I'm aiming to get all presents bought, wrapped and dispatched by mid-December.

@Gemi33 I think you can definitely make a difference weight wise in 4 weeks! I always find if I stick at eating healthily (calorie counting) during the week for 3 weeks, I start to see a difference. I use MyFitnessPal to help me keep on track. Having said that I need to follow my own advice as I've been meaning to start it again for ages but haven't managed more than a couple of days .

Making a start on the house this afternoon while DH and the DC go to PIL - meal planning and decluttering. I'm quite excited!!

@Gemi33 - welcome to the thread! As @Jelly10 (welcome also) said, four weeks can make a big difference. Even if the weight loss doesn't progress as hoped a month of generally healthy living will make a big impact because it will help you to feel more confident and in control. I firmly believe that improved confidence is the key looking and feeling better about life.

Having said that I was out at a dinner party last night (took the salmon, it was yum) and was joking with a friend who is also feeling like us about the ridiculousness of trying to start a weight loss / healthy living lifestyle so close to Xmas! But nevertheless I shall try!

ManitobaOwl - oh wow you sound so creative! I wish I could do stuff like that. I would absolutely love to be able to knit, but I lack the patience .

Got home on Friday night and stood on the scales and found I'd lost 2lbs, which is a good start. I need to lose a good 2.5 stone in the long run but I'm aiming for 1 - 1.5lbs a week in the run up to Xmas.

Yesterday went shopping and did Father Christmas' shopping for him so this week I need to get that all wrapped and put away. I also need to start clearing out the dining room in readiness for Xmas. There's tons and tons of crap in there, so a strategic approach may be required for that!!

How is everyone else doing?

Morning! Well, I had a healthy breakfast and lunch yesterday (berries and yogurt and a large salad) but enjoyed a pizza with a couple of glasses of red in the evening.

I'm back on the case today, not going out, so planning something tasty and homemade.

Project update:
Two cushions 80% complete, but need to knit about 20 flowers.
Two rabbits knitted but not stuffed / made up.
Bath hampers, need to buy baskets and wrap in cellophane and add bows.
Make all the gift labels, these need printing.
Bobble hat in dark colours, needs making up. Matching infinity scarf started.
Two monkeys, not started.
Bobble hat and infinity scarf in bright colours, hat ready to make up.
Plan to finish both hats once the faux fur pompoms arrive from amazon.
Love the knitting, but typically not so keen on finishing and making up .

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend!

Hello, can I join please?

I've been trying to lose a stone for a year, since DS2 was born I've managed 1/2 a stone, then yo-yo'd between another half stone for ages. I really want to get under 11st by Christmas! I had lost all motivation but am hoping with 7 weeks to go, this thread is going to make it come back.

Also need to declutter the house - I'm a terrible hoarder, much to DH's frustration, but am trying to get better at getting rid of stuff. However, EVERYTHING needs sorting in the house and it needs a good clean too. I'd love to have it sparkling by Christmas.

Plan for every week from now til Christmas:

• take packed lunches to work to stop me buying crap from the vending machine.
• drink more water
• get out for a walk at lunchtime
• do 30 day shred at least 5 days (my longest streak doing this has been about 9 days and it made a huge difference!)
• stop snacking, especially in the evenings

Plan for this week:

• deep clean and sort downstairs loo, will then be easier to do a quick wipe around
• deep clean and sort room that house rabbit lives in, will also be easier to stay on top of cleaning.
• try to sort one folder of bills/paperwork and thin it out - we have stuff from the house before last, which I think we could probably live without now!
• list 2 x baby clothes bundles on FB/Schpock - have sorted and taken photos, just need to actually list but am the world's worst procrastinator.

Will report back!

Good luck to everyone in their missions for this week

Hello, can I join? Our house looks like a massive tip at the moment, and though I've done most of my Christmas shopping I'm drowning in piles of laundry, stuff to tidy away, admin and dusty piles of paper. Need to get things manageable by the end of the month so that I'm not frantic in December. aaargh!

I also need to sort my diet out - was hoping to lose some weight this autumn and so far have failed miserably. Planning some soup for lunch and then steamed salmon this evening to kickstart some healthier & lower carb eating. I always mean to do this but then the clocks go back and I'm carbing it up like crazy - must get a handle on it as I am thinking of planning another baby but need to lose a lot of weight first!

Ooh, can I join you all. I really need to sort myself out and could do with some extra support and encouragement!

I had hit my lowest ebb earlier this year, and have been making a concerted effort over the last couple of months to improve things, but it is so hard! I work full time in a demanding job, and volunteer as a school governor. Between those commitments and looking after dd/ferrying her around to her different activities, there isn't a lot of time left to focus on me. However, I really need to lose weight and improve my fitness, and I desperately need to sort out my house which is a tip at the moment and really getting me down.

I have been doing better since the summer, though I keep sliding backwards. Bought a fitbit and have started walking much more. I have also tried to cut out all junk food on weekdays, but am letting myself eat what I want at weekends. Don't always stick to the rules but I do try! I've lost just over a stone since the summer, but still have quite a long way to go. Won't get to my ideal weight by Christmas whatever I do, but it would be nice to drop down a dress size or two! I'd also like to bring order to the chaos in my house and improve my fitness. Would love to do couch to 5k, but not sure if I'm ready for that yet.

Plan for week 1:

No wine/junk food during the week
Do at least 10,000 steps every day
Get at least 7 hours sleep every night
Declutter and tidy my bedroom

Oh, and I've just decluttered my wardrobe and put all summer stuff away. Winter clothes now hanging up nice and neat . Chest of drawers will need reorganising this week to relegate any summer stuff there into the underbed storage (if I can make room ).

Taking a couple more bags to the clothes bank today had to be ruthless didnt realise i had so many old dressing gowns etc hanging on back of bedroom door ha.
Was looking around downstairs and feeling annoyed and random things that need doing and clearing etc need new diningn chairs mine are falling apart big time.
Have made zero effort of sorting myself out destined to be a chunk forever!!
Well done everyone though sounds like your all making good progress and some fab projects going on! Hello to new people you can defo make changes between now and xmas xx

What a nice busy thread! Hi everyone! Good work on the projects owl and the weight loss constance

Busy day here for me - twins have doctors appointment and we have the absolute joy that is swimming lessons this evening. And another wet bed this morning. But......the sun is shining here so it’s a good start.

It’s a fast day for me so coffee and water so far. Stir fry planned for supper, kids will have baked beans to stop me eating their leftovers.

Still no progress on Christmas stuff though....

I'm feeling a bit inadequate amid all these tales of craft activity, epic clearouts and healthy living.

But given that I'm the OP, here I am checking in for the start of week 2. Seven weeks to go!

Diet - been pretty good for a week. Avoided too many snack attacks, and I've been putting the coins that I might have fed to the work chocolate and drinks machine in a jar / piggy bank for me. It is nice to see it mounting up, although annoying to think how much it has cost me to put weight on!

Exercise - I managed a week of couch to 5K and started on week two. Going okay, although I was losing motivation this morning. Made it out though, just need to keep at it.

Cleaning the hovel - good work on the garden last week. Sorted out DCs clothes over the weekend. Less to get rid of than I thought, and clutter definitely the next target in their room. This week's task.

Weight loss. Had a sneaky step on the scales on Friday morning but proper weigh in today. Two pounds lost. Good news, although on Friday the scale was wobbling between 2 and 3 pounds, although that was before breakfast and after a run, so perhaps a fluke. Still, two pounds per week would be good.

How's everyone else? Well done to everyone!

Checking in for the start of week 2 here as well. Weighed myself at MILs on Saturday and I gained 3/4lb So my response was to eat lots of cake... Own worst enemy!

Back on it today though!

Well done on the C25k work . I've to restart mine but my runners are knackered too. I'll treat myself on payday to a new pair. I'm doing a walk on Wednesday night with my friend so that covers about 4 or 5 miles.

I managed a good diet over the weekend. And I bought my lunch in today so that's something. I've salad ingredients for the next few days too. I did have a few beers over the weekend, but I think if I forbid myself the booze then I hanker for it more so I've decided to cut down at weekends to maybe two bottles each evening and none during the week.

Sounds like you've had a brilliant week workatemylife!

Well done with the C25K stuff. I think I'll start that this week. I've got a gym session booked for tonight and Thursday night and I've upped my steps goal on my fitbit to 12,000 per day as well, which is quite doable for me as I'm on my feet and moving about a lot at work and at the weekend I take the dog for long walks Adding in the C25K on three days should help to reach that target as well. I'm going to do it on a treadmill though, as I hate running in the dark as I live quite rurally.

How is everyone else doing?

Didn't get much sorting done this weekend but aiming for a better effort next weekend. Diet hasn't been great - we've had birthday cake hanging around - but I've just been out for a run so hoping that will inspire me for the week! (Have a feeling the cake will tempt me back in though...)

Gherkin 3/4 pound is nothing! My scales probably change by that much depending where on the floor I put them. I'm with you on the eating cake as a solution to weight gain thing though. My general attitude recently has been to think 'well that's been a bad start to the week so I might as well enjoy 27 chocolate bars and half a cake and try again next Monday'. I'm trying to avoid that. A couple of biscuits here and there is not a big deal and is absolutely not a reason to decide that all is lost and eat half the packet [stern lecture to self in mirror emoticon]

Constance good luck at the gym. The dark mornings and evenings are not helping with running here either. My local park is off limits now I think, awhich leaves me doing my flat-footed jiggly jogging on pavements at the side of busy roads. Jelly hope you're feeling virtuous this morning.

Soc I'm trying to do the same with lunches. If I don't go somewhere that sells food at lunchtime then I'm usually happy with what I've got on my plate / lunchbox. I need to mix up the contents of the salad though. What was nice last week is getting a bit dull now!

Good luck everyone!

Two pounds off this week, but I can't take the credit, as I think it's just cutting back on the alcohol, which I need to do regardless.

Dark scarf knitting still in progress, about 50% done. And the faux fur pompoms have arrived, so I will have to steel myself for some serious making up .

Hope everyone is having a fab and productive week, whatever your goals may be .

Morning everyone.

All going well here. This week I'm working full time (I'm normally part time) and so I'm quite tired. I'm getting up early though to get bits done or just have some quiet time and that adds to it.

Did Week 1 Day 1 of the C25k on Tuesday. I've got a gym session booked tonight so I'll do the second day tomorrow.

No idea if I've lost any weight but I feel in control and motivated still so that's good in itself!

Manitoba well done on losing the 2lbs!!

Thank you Constance.

I'm in awe of all those who are achieving their exercise goals.

Still doing well with food and exercise but not so well with the decluttering. But have high hopes for the weekend when I'm confident I might actually discover my dining table, once I've cleared the crap from the top of it.

Well done Manitoba. Decluttering has slowed this week - DCs claim to need every last item that they have stashed in their rooms! But I've made progress with tidiness at least. Study / bedroom half done, but I need to blitz the paperwork. I have bills and receipts from five years ago!
C25k is plodding on. I was out in the rain yesterday which made me feel like a proper dedicated runner. But a slow one ! I'm hoping that there will be good news from the scales on the Monday morning weigh in. I'm not feeling a difference with my jeans yet. Patience.
Now, the ironing pile. Does that count as decluttering, or only if I burn it?