4-week fasting countdown to December 2023

[HarpQuartet]

Come one, come all, this is the thread to see us through to December. We'll have four Friday weigh-ins: 10, 17 and 24 Nov, then (drum roll) 01 Dec, from whence time shall speed up scarily until the end of the year is in sight.

Thank you @Peae for previous threads and for asking if I'd be interested in starting this new countdown, and here is a roll call for those who may wish to continue with accountability, encouragement, sharing your wisdom, wins, or woes. All are very welcome plus of course anyone new who'd like to join us. Sincere apologies to anyone I’ve inadvertently missed out.

**@Loubelle70
**
@Fouramclub

@LucyWardrobe

@Thereyougo10

@coffeecupslinedup

@iwantavuvezela

@violetcuriosity

@Cherryblossom81

@pottypotamus

@littleblackcat27

@rockingbird

@putthehamsterbackinitscage

@Clearingaspace

@RudolphTheRedNosedSpaniel

And of course @Peae

Thanks @HarpQuartet! I'm in!

Our previous thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/fasting_diet/4915636-4-week-fasting-countdown-to-november

My goal and strategy:

I’ve been hovering around 82kg for a while and would like to be firmly into the 70s instead by the end of the year. My ultimate is 68 kg as that would get me out of ‘overweight’ and into ‘normal’, but actually maintaining between 72-74kg would be great: I feel good at that weight and my favourite clothes look nice. I also know it’s the single best thing I can do for future health outcomes, but weirdly that isn’t as much of a motivator as simply liking the way I look.

For IF (intermittent fasting): I've found that the shorter the window, the more likely I am to lose weight – 19:5 seems to work for me – BUT it’s a bit sad in terms of not eating with my family, since it tends to be about 11.30am-4.30pm. If I could start to conquer the foods I know are not my friends, that would free up enough calories for me to have dinner instead of the rubbish I normally end up eating mid-afternoon (so then I skip dinner to make up for it).

I’m starting CBT soon, which is ‘officially’ to tackle work stress, but I’m sure the overeating must be related, so it’ll be interested to see if anything changes with that.

Please share as little or as much as you’re comfortable with, in particular your goals (e.g. weight loss, clothes size, foods you want to welcome into or banish from your life, new habits you want to make or break) and your fasting plan, but also anything that’s motivating you, worrying you or just on your mind.

Thanks @HarpQuartet! I'm in too!

Weighed myself this morning....
CW: 69.1kg
SW: 72.5 kg (16Oct)
Drop: 3.4kg

But I've overindulged today so pretty sure I'll weight more tomorrow but gonna make sure I smash it during the week.

I would really like to be down to 66kg by 16Dec.

I am doing intermittent fasting between 11-7 (ish)

I’d like to join please! I am stuck. Lost 2 1/2 stone to reach 9 st 5 and am steadily creeping up this year and now back at 11 and going in the wrong direction.

I’d be happy at 10 5 but can’t seem to get there but more importantly I want to stop the upward creep. I tried the Slimpod trial recently but didn’t click with it. Also I’m having a health issue that is making excercise difficult but not impossible so I need to cop on and move as much as I can. I have a terrible sweet tooth, binge at weekends and when I come in from work and sometimes after lunch at work.

Phew! It feels good to write it all down. off to shop for the week now so I’ll try to stock up on foods that will make this easier. Good luck everyone!

I so wanted Slimpod to work for me - it must be marvellous just to re-connect with yourself in a way that makes those messages "click" but it didn't happen for me either. (Edited for typo)

Switching to kilos:
This morning: 70.1 kg
goal weight: 66kg

May I join?

I'll have to figure out my weight in kg though.

Edited to say I'm 109kg.

I have been doing intermittent fasting for a short while.

On 16th Oct I was 121kg. So in about three weeks I've lost 12kg.

I'm also taking Orlistat though so that helps.

I find I can lose three or four stone quite quickly, then I get stuck and start eating rubbish again.

My goal is ten stone. (Whatever that is in kg)

Hang on. My goal is 63 kg.

I'd like to be 16 stone by Christmas. That's 101 kg.

So basically I'd like to lose 8kg by Christmas.

I have no self control at all, so I have to make a conscious effort not to buy things which I binge on.

And the evenings are difficult.

But I've dropped from size 24 to size 20 recently.

I wish I could stick to it.

Welcome! Stones/pounds/kilos all fine, whatever you prefer. My reason for kilos is that I was scared of how many stones I'd reached (I was a lot heavier previously) and using kilos didn't carry the same negative meaning, but was simply "a number" rather than a judgement.

I always think I'm losing weight really slowly when I weigh in kg!
It looks better in lb.

Do you know something?

I feel like I've lost and gained the same four stone, for years and years.

I've experienced something a bit similar, @TheShellBeach and now I'm in my 50s and I don't think I can repeat it. So I'm very at ease with my current weight loss being as slow as it is, because that's different from before. Also I feel like I might cry if I resort to counting calories (not knocking it for anyone else), and my IF habit is working as a simple way of limiting my intake. Eventually I'd like to be an effortlessly healthy eater, but I'm content enough with how things are right now. One thing at a time.

Thanks so much for the new thread @HarpQuartet

welcome to all new newbies!

I have also lost the same 4 stone lots of times - I am wavering between wanting to lose weight slowly and have it last, and being impatient and wanting to lose it slightly faster (but also wanting it to last!). Slow and steady wasn’t working all that well tbh, but I will probably have to stick with whatever I do to lose weight in order to keep it off, so not going to be too strict. Tricky balance between relaxing for special occasions and falling off the wagon needs to be figured out. I am currently 194.7 lbs and ideally I would like 139.

Surprised this morning as by some weird scale fluke I have lost a smidge after my ‘up’ day! Trying to decide when to do my next 800 cal day - either tomorrow or Monday.

have a good Saturday all

Signing in...

SW (39th October) 11 5.6
Target 9 stone
Today 11 0.8

I'm doing 5:2 plus 16:8 monday - fri evening then relaxing a bit over the weekend so I don't feel guilty about socialising or obsess about what or when I am eating and drinking.

I'd like to get to say 10 5 by Christmas so would love another thread leading to December.

So far so good this weekend - managed to stick with 16:8 so far even though I have given myself weekends off... late pub lunch today and should finish eating before 9pm tonight so might make 16:8 again into tomorrow at this rate....

Just to say being old, I don't do metric either... stones lb and ounces for me....

@trainplane I have similar issues... post lockdowns I got down to target, then through menopause, illness and injuries I stopped most exercise and ate all the junk and drank all the wine.... reached my heaviest ever non pregnant weight this March and spent the last 6 months sulking before finding the motivation to tackle it.

Hello Everyone! And thank you @HarpQuartet for taking over the threads!

My weightloss has stalled for months now, mainly due to work-related stress but I'm in a much better place. Thank god.
I am 13st 7ish and my goal is to be less than 13st by Christmas. That would be truly amazing. This week I quit Diet Coke and I can't believe it. However, if I can do that, I can also lose half a stone. So that's my goal, quit the daily chocolate bars or packets of biscuits and make some better meal choices around vegetables, protein and reducing UPF. In terms of fasting, I'm managing 16:8 pretty easy, so I'd like to slip in the odd OMAD day here and there too, but only where it feels manageable.

@Sheisready is that you Peae 🙂 or have two awesome people kicked the Diet Coke habit 🤔

Sorry! Yes, it's me - I've name-changed for the new thread :)

Good name change: I'm watching Strictly, and in that vocabulary, I think they'd say your new name has strong intent!

Thanks for the new thread @HarpQuartet and welcome everyone :)

I lost 16lb and reached my target last month thanks in no small measure to this thread which kept me motivated. I am now aiming to maintain which I have historically found much harder than losing. I’m still doing 14:10 / 15:9 with calorie counting - my maintenance calories are a measly 1500 because I’m short and old. But with IF I find that’s actually plenty to fill my eating window and not feel deprived.

My maintenance window is 8st 12 to 9st 2lb - am hoping to stay at the lighter end of that at least until Christmas!

Thank you for new thread - well two weeks of half term didn't go so well, and managed to gain 0.7 kilograms (frustrating how easy it goes back on and ages to drop off) - but I am now forging away until Mid December - just adding my details here (more for myself) - I'm going back to two OMAD days each week. I need to keep a check on alcohol and might make it two days a week (Perhaps Fri and Sat). I went alcohol free for Sept and October but will try and really moderate this. My goal for end November is to be 63

Starting weight - 4 September 68.1kg. (Goal to get to 62 by mid December)
Weight before half term - 64.8 (Total loss 3.3)

Weight today (07/11) 65.5 (Total readjusted loss 2.6)

Good grief, I need to have a word with myself: long day yesterday, got home late, tired but happy, raided the fridge. Wasn't even hungry (had dinner at a friend's). I have poor discipline and in that moment don't put the brakes on and think to myself: What would it be like to wake up in the morning having NOT done what you're about to do?

Onwards and upwards, resetting now.

@HarpQuartet you're right about waking up full of regret after eating far too much.

OTOH it's lovely to wake up on a day when you know you've done well the day before.