Anyone else want to make a real effort from tomorrow - 4 weeks of exercise and eating well?

[amiboverd]

I have been trying on and off to lose weight for the past year but now planning to really exercise 3 times a week if I can and cut down on the sugary crap I eat. A but part of it is the habit of wanting something sweet after dinner when I don't even really want it.

I’m going to consider yesterday as a temporary blip, and get back on it today. i ran with my friend at 6.30, and will do a lunchtime circuits session at my gym at 12. I don’t normally double up workouts these days but occasionally I will.
I’ve planned my food. I got given a lighter life shake sachet yesterday so I had that, it was actually really nice (153 cals) except I made it with milk which adds another 90 or so. Then I have made oats, chia and berries with a dash of milk for a mid morning breakfast.
lunch will be salad and tuna and mayo, and dinner will be chicken and chorizo with sweet potato. Total calories should come in at 1200 ish, which is very good for me.

Morning everyone!

Sounds like everyone is doing well.

Hope your DS is ok @BaffledOnceAgain

I was planning to do some exercise this morning but woke up late and DH is being a bit of an arse at the moment so it didn't go to plan.

I still plan to fit something in but honestly find it hard to do a full workout later in the day and also I feel like I don't have the energy because I'm not eating the sugary foods.

Does anyone else feel like they have less energy for exercise because they're eating less or fewer carbs / sugar?

Yes I found this so reintroduced some starchy carbs. When I tested my blood sugar with a cgm exercise was really effective in reducing spikes so I feel I can have more carbs before exercise. I also try to increase resistant starch by cooling and reheating them which seems to help.

So my first two days went okay, managed a work out with the personal trainer both days and meals were okay.

I'm trying hard to not write today off. It's my ds' 18th birthday and I knew I'd eat a slice of cake, but thought that would be all. However we've woken up to his cat being really ill, the vet is operating atm, but they have warned us they may have to put him to sleep. Ds is autistic and loves his cat far more than real people, if he dies on his 18th, I'm not sure he will cope with that.

I'm a stress eater and right now I just want to eat all the chocolate I have for decorating the cake.

Yogurt for breakfast and then managed first bit if modified couch to 5K, multi tasking while dog walking. Encouraged by the fact I put jeans on for the first time in ages (way too hot before) and they don’t feel as tight as I thought they would given I have been living in floaty elasticated skirts with the heat wave!

EnglishRose1320 Your poor son, I hope the cat is ok

I’m off today so have done some planning - bought extra fruit and veg, and a yoga strap so I can do proper stretches at home. And I have booked physio for this weekend to see if I get myself better for running - I miss it so much.
I need advice for meal planning - does anyone have a good method or app they can recommend?

@EnglishRose1320 i think cake is a reasonable response today. Hope you get good news soon

@Bubbles254 That's interesting. Perhaps I need more carbs for dinner if I'm going to exercise in the morning. I had fish, chips and salad last night so I did have carbs but maybe I'll have a bit of something else too if I'm going to exercise the next day...

@EnglishRose1320 That sounds like a really tough day 💐 Please don't beat yourself up over food

That's great @Gloaming23

@Toytransportemergency Planning definitely helps me -
getting healthy food in, putting exercise in the diary... we don't use a fancy app for meal planning. When we do it, it's the old fashioned way with a magnetic pad on the fridge and a shopping list on the side

I haven't eaten yet today again so it's like I'm inadvertently intermittently fasting. I couldn't think what to have but making a jacket potato with cheese and some onion.

That's why I exercise first thing in the morning. I find it much easier than delaying it until I've eaten breakfast.

Typically I work out at 8/8.30 and have my first meal - brunch containing lots of protein plus some veg/salad - at around 10.30/11.

Then dinner around 6/6.30. Again lots of protein plus loads of vegetables and some carbs. Some fruit in between and for dessert.

I exercise in the morning too but I can feel the difference even after I wake up, if I haven't had sugary stuff the night before!

Had a bit of a blip yesterday and ate some of the kids leftover pizza before my dinner and today have had 2 biscuits and a bit of cake. But hopefully I’ll still be under calories for the day today. Trying not to just throw in the towel on day 3.

DH has Covid and I’ve got a massive event on Saturday and I’m so stressed I’m going to catch Covid and not be able to go. I’m making him stay in one room and wearing a mask in the house. Praying I don’t get it.

I missed breakfast today but had a decent lunch

I got out for a 5k run this afernoon followed by a series of exercises from my physio which left me feeling pretty knackered.. An apple and a small piece of cheese to counter the sugar spike for lunch. Am planning on baked salmon and salad tonight.

I had some cookie after dinner and it was broken up so I suspect I had more than one but didn't eat much day - a jacket potato with cheese and onion for lunch, a packet of Chippeas and some pasta for dinner. Not massively healthy but only are two meals so it's less than I'd usually eat

Also dId the blogilates arms and abs exercises just now as I forgot earlier and I'd never usually bother at this time so thinking of that as a win

@Gymmum82 I hope you don't catch it 🤞

I genuinely think the odd blip is good as it's good for the metabolism. If you're still eating less over the week then that's good

That sounds great @londonmummy1966

@amiboverd thank you. I hope I don’t either 🤞🏻
Well done on fitting the workouts in and staying on track.

Not doing too bad here. Not counting the calories but focusing instead on not snacking before dinner and not having a pudding every day. Have exercised every day this week. Already do overnight fasting or 16:8. Have replaced pudding with an Options hot chocolate which looks to have less than 50 calories.

Fell off the wagon food-wise today (processed carbs at breakfast, lunch and dinner) but I did go for a run. I know the run doesn’t cancel out the food but it’s still better than a bad food day without any exercise.

Contemplating booking a spin class for tomorrow. But my bum still hurts from my first class yesterday! Those saddles are the work of the devil.

Thanks @Gymmum82

@Anjelika That sounds good and I love a swap like that. I love a hot chocolate but only a hotel Chocolat velvetised one and they have more than 300 calories. I've managed not to have one so far but I'll allow myself a few

@donkey86 A bad food day with a run really is better than one without and it doesn't sound you are that badly!

I'm going into the office tomorrow might be harder to make healthy choices when buying lunch etc. I'm trying to save money too so might go for a meal deal but that's not healthy...

Hello, can I catch you all up if I join you now?!

I'm trying to cut out snacks and just eat 3 sensible meals a day. Today I had porridge for breakfast, cauliflower rice with veg for lunch, and halloumi with flatbread and salad for tea.

I'm also aiming to cut out the mid week wine and just have a couple of glasses at the weekend.

Exercise-wise I have lost my running mojo so maybe it's time to start something different. Will check out the classes at my local gym.

@amiboverd - if you're worried about lunch in the office then it might be worth having a look at the 5 minute lunch box book or the 5 minute luchbox salad book (there are previews of some of the recipes on line). Really good ideas for what you can quickly sling into a lunchbox for a healthy balanced meal. I don't normally eat lunch but have the salad book and it often serves for dinner in the summer when I cba to cook.

Checking in to make sure I stick with this.

Ds2 is fine thank you.

I made banana pancakes with fruit and a small Greek yoghurt from brunch (as the dc had a strike day). I did have a sausage roll mid afternoon when hungry, but then cycled for 30 minutes, did a gym session and mowed the lawn/swept the leaves. Dinner was half my usual portion of new potatoes, 2 grilled burgers (because I'm using up the freezer stuff this week) and lots of veg. I had a 100calorie chocolate bar thing after, but I'm now starving again.

I'm very active and still have a pretty fast metabolism so it's tricky to manage. I get low blood sugar very fast if I get hungry.

I'm struggling to work out my food requirements. My Fitbit reckon I use up 17-18000 calories per week so about 2500 per day. I don't know if it is at all accurate, but I know I need to eat more than my less active friends. It just needs to be more of the right stuff now I'm becoming perimenopausal. I've got the Body Coach app and gradually making a shopping list so I can try his meals more.

@Hedonism Absolutely! I'm planning to do this for 4 weeks at least.

@londonmummy1966 Thanks. I'll have a look. I usually take something boring like a bagel if I can be bothered to take in lunch at all but it was more for
financial reasons I was trying not to and now thinking can't do cheap + healthy unless I do it myself!

@BaffledOnceAgain Glad your DS2 is ok. Sounds like you've done lot and throes figures will give you an idea at least.

I have to eat regularly as well which is why I struggle with snacks as I find it hard to cut them out completely although sometimes some fruit juice will keep me going. I know some would say that's not the healthiest but I don't mind that and it's only a glass a day. I don't drink hot drinks so it makes a change from water!

I said I was up for this but haven’t checked in yet. It sounds like you’re all doing a good job chipping away, it’s hard to make realistic changes but ones that will make a difference.

I’ve not had any wine (my biggest vice) and feeling good. Also eating smaller portions and trying to reduce carbs a touch. I did a big clean of the home gym last night and it’s ready to go, so plan to do some exercise for the first time in ages this evening. I actually really enjoy it, it’s just planning it in to make sure it doesn’t get dropped for other things.

@Forgoodnesssakewhatnow well done for staying off the wine. My vice is sweet things and I feel good for massively cutting lot of it out.

I enjoy the exercise too and feel like I have to schedule it in (usually first thing) or I find it hard.

I didn't sleep well last night so hoping that doesn't have me making bad choices.

I'm on my way into the office and thinking about what I can buy for breakfast. Strangely the past two days when I was working from home, I didn't eat until around lunchtime and wasn't hungry.