Countdown to April

[Clearingaspace]

Copying from @fouramclub : checkins are on Fridays but feel free to check in anytime for support/musings/a rant/anything else!

all welcome, original thread was by @peae

Tagging previous posters from March thread @HarpQuartet@CreationNat1on@FastingPhilly @Fullsteamahead@GreatHighway@HarpQuartet @LosingAndWinning@Notmycircusnotmydonkeys @PartridgeInAPearShape@PercyPea@Saraswati @StealthLaSilkySightHound @Welcometothenightcourt @loveyouradvice @pottypotamus @booksbooksbooks @Carno18 @desikated @catherino @GildedAge - please tag anyone I missed as preview suggests usernames don’t exist 🧐

Thank you @Clearingaspace let the countdown begin!

Note to self: 89.3kg on 01 March

Happy to join the March countdown 🐣

1st March: 76.7kg

Hey hey - thank you for starting this @Clearingaspace - great to be on a roll to Easter, just 4 weeks away so a great timescale for focussing.

You haven't lost 2 months - 2lbs is nothing, and will I suspect vanish in the twinkle of an eye as you get back on track if its come from recent overeating. I hope you can congratulate yourself on NOT going majorly off track, and re-establishing your commitment now. I seem to remember you've lost a shedload of pounds, 20 or so from over 200lbs. So maintaining that weight loss in itself is a huge accomplishment. Do repost your March targets as you suggested - we'll all be cheering you on towards them.

I'm looking forward to a dynamic, supportive and interesting month with all of you - I'm loving learning new stuff from such a gorgeous, insightful and often humorous bunch of glorious women xx

SW 195.5lb
CW 178 lb down one pound
GW 150lb

ugh I just typed a huge reply thanking loads of you and it disappeared. Thanks for new thread.

Thanks for all the February inspiring posts including focus on nourishing with proper healthy veg based protein rich meals, the dangers of milky tea, how to measure waist for deep abdominal fat analysis and why it’s good to measure and savior treats like nuts.

bit annoyed I’ve lost and gained 2lb all week to end up 1lb down.

positive things: walked 4,5,6, 8 and 5 k on various days, lifted heavy weight sets x 3.
logged 50 consecutive fasts on Zero

less positive: two nights drinking wine with DH reacting to various American political crises.

maybe the slow weight loss is muscles
maybe it’s wine
who knows?
onwards

SW. 193lbs
CW. 183.6 lbs
GW. 163 lbs and review!

Been lurking on the previous thread. First knocked the alcohol on the head, then the cereal, then embraced the longer fasts and protein.

Got to the point that I'm enjoying the fasting and am really motivated to drop the belly fat and get down to a 14. Sometimes I'm health motivated, sometimes vanity.

Thank you for the new thread. I’m scrambling back on to the wagon after a difficult February and a return of my lifelong emotional eating disorder and inevitable overspend on junk.

IF with low carb is my best plan. Also trying to reduce, then eliminate, added sugar and sweeteners. Shopping fridge and freezers as much as poss, and buying only salad and fruit. Starting some sprouting tomorrow.

7 lbs to lose is my hope for March.

Sw 204 lbs
cw 181.5 lbs
gw 149 lbs or a comfortable size 12
waist 100cm goal waist 81 cm -is half your height the thing to aim for?

@loveyouradvice thank you so much for your positive message - I read it yesterday and it really motivated me to get back on track this morning- I managed to resist toast and had spinach and cheese with my eggs instead!

Sounds like a great plan @2Early4BreakfastIn2024 - this is along the lines of what I need to do also - good luck!

amazing steps so far @TheBorderBinLiner

@PartridgeInAPearShape i love your 50 fast log - I am going to try for a daily log too. Sometimes I don’t bother to hit the button on the app, but I think it might help me to do that for consistency.

Waves to @PercyPea and @HarpQuartet

Thank you so much for starting the new thread @Clearingaspace ! Count me in! Will check in on Friday!

I've just dropped from one stone to another, good to see the 12, heading in the down direction.

Can I join pls?

I've done 16:8 along with calorie counting historically and been successful. Bad health, busy work etc. has led me to gain 10lbs last year that I need to shake off. I'm short (5ft 1) and extra pounds really show, and also my BMI needs reducing for health reasons. So starting today!

CW - 135lbs
GW - 125lbs

I am a very very slow loser too!

@TerroristToddler welcome to the thread. I dream of weighing under 10 stone so am a tad jealous. I do think once you are within a stone of your ideal weight it makes sense to lose it slowly. I don’t think it’s a good idea to ‘diet’, get to ideal weight and then stop dieting. Very likely to regain doing it that way.

@ItRainsItPours Totally agree - I can usually maintain my weight using 16/8 (sometimes might do a bit of 5:2 if I get bored with 16/8, or if I have events in a given week where I know I'll need more flexibility on eating windows) and it doesn't feel like a diet as I can easily just skip breakfast and don't tend to be too hungry then anyway.

But let things slip in the past year as there has been a lot of stuff going on. The medication I need to take at the moment requires healthy BMI and I've sneaked into the overweight BMI and my GP gave me a bit of a nudge 2 weeks ago to try to move back to the healthy BMI as a result.

Stuck to my IF window yesterday 10am-7pm. Didn't look for excuses to go to the shops.

Started 16:8 yesterday. Hoping to lose 13kg by the summer to get back to my pre-pandemic weight!

Going to my first ever Park Run on Saturday 🏃‍♀️🤞

04/03/24 - 100kg ⚖️

Happy Friday, hope everyone is well.

Last week: 79.3kg
This week: 79.1kg

A small but significant loss, as next week I hope to be 78+, and moving down a kilo does make me happy!

I’ve lost 2lbs this week, very happy with that as had a stinking cold.

Sw 204 lbs
lw 181.5
cw 181.7 - up a tiny fraction but my period is a week late so I am ok with that!

@ItRainsItPours well done losing when you are unwell - hope you feel better soon

@HarpQuartet good luck for 78!

hi @2Early4BreakfastIn2024 and @TerroristToddler

good luck with parkrun @Doughnutcarrotall35

i think next week I am going to aim for healthy eating and early bedtimes and not try aiming for weightloss

SW. 193lbs
LW 183.6 lbs
GW. 163 lbs and review!

CW 178.1 lbs

Last night went to bed with a noticeable squishy, fatty stomach, this morning there's obviously still a lot of baggage but it's 1.5lb lighter and 7cm smaller. No wonder I've struggled to find clothes over the last couple of years, the fluctuations have been in double cm figures.

No loss this week for me, 9st 10lbs again but I'm having the worst period ever so didn't expect to lose anything and have dug into some chocolate to console myself!

I have managed 3 runs this week and a strength training class though despite feeling awful so quite proud of myself. Actually enjoying running again which is nice.

Only 3 pounds off my goal now (although secretly would love to be 9st but too old and lazy now) so losses will be slow. Definitely seeing IF as a sensible way to live and fend off impending middle age spread after I turn 40 next year!

@Saraswati you are amazing with all your runs and strength training - really impressive!! And wow only 3lbs off your goal... that is phenomenal. So exciting. (I'm already feeling excited to be just 9lbs off mine, heavens knows how good I'll be feeling at just 3lbs!!!)

Great to see so many new faces (and bodies!!) on here... @TheBorderBinLiner 7 cm is a huge waist shrinkage, hope you are enjoying those loose waistbands!! Looking forward to hearing how the park run goes @Doughnutcarrotall35 Welcome @2Early4BreakfastIn2024 and @TerroristToddler .... WHAT a great name!!

SW: 14.2 May 23
CW: 11.11
TW: 11.2

I'm feeling very chuffed with my week ... a glorious multi course restaurant dinner with 3 cocktails for my birthday, two other much simpler suppers out and I have STAYED THE SAME as last week. So I'm well on the way to 11.8 for Easter, one pound a week.

And while half on holiday, I've increased my 5/6,000 steps a day to 12/13,000 .... now aiming to see if I can keep up 10,000 a day once back home. And then hopefully starting some strength training after Easter.

@loveyouradvice thank you, you are so close too! Your birthday sounds glorious, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself and didn't worry about eating. I'm impressed with your step count too!

Thank you @Saraswati

I'm feeling enormously sad - I noticed that StealthLaSilkySightHound hadn't posted on this month's thread and I wanted to message her to see if she was okay, only to find that she is now "an invalid account" and has erased all her entries on the last couple of threads (and therefore I assume on all of them).

Gosh! She was such an active and vibrant and insightful and funny contributor - I gained so much from her posts, and loved how she described using this thread as therapy as she grappled with her weight and life and daughters and milky tea. I felt she was a true companion as we moved forward - and yes, I indulged in the fantasy that if we met in real life we'd have a real laugh and masses to talk about.

So Silky I really really hope you are okay... I know you've struggled with mental health in the past (as I suspect many of us have). I hope that you have found something that works better for you, and are not struggling. You will be hugely missed...

and if you read this, and have the capacity or inclination, do post a message on here (or DM one of us) to let us know how you are - I recognise this means creating a new temporary name, given you want to protect your anonymity, but it would mean a lot if you are able. You are truly stellar ... and if there's a time in the future that it feels right to come back, in whatever way, please do so.

Good luck with weight loss and all the challenges in life... you are an extraordinary woman, and deserve the very best moving forwards.

Hey, I started IF 16:8 on Wednesday so would love to join!

Starting weight 12stone 4lbs (78kg)
Goal weight: 10stone 6lbs

Going to the Maldives in September and want to feel/look better!

I've developed bad habits since being off work since December with a shoulder fracture - no exercise, rubbish diet, eating out a lot, watching every boxset with a bottle of wine each night (and a sharing bag of haribo to myself!)

Time to get a grip, I've started couch 25k (on week 3 and it's time to change!

Well done all! One step at a time, one fasted hour at a time....

I havent weighed myself as thats a bit of a no go zone for me / my brain but....

I'm almost getting to the point of needing to drop a jeans size given. But perhaps better is feeling quite energetic and 'clean'? much less bloated and getting through fasting periods without major trouble. Cutting out milk from coffee was definitely the right call.

Aims to go ahead? Weekends are my biggest weakness as while I do fast, I tend to be pretty free and easy by the evening and will wine/chocolate as treats. I'm not going to stop that but need to keep it within reason hah.

The other thing is the amount of fruit I eat, specifically grapes! Full of sugar (albeit GOOD sugar) but I think i probably need to reign it in. Any thoughts anyone? I am kind of calorie counting but generally going for eating well over anything else alongside fasting, so fruit has been basically 'ok' but am I doing myself over by eating loads of grapes?!!!!

I think it depends what you mean by “loads” of grapes @desikated . I think a punnet is about 450 calories so that’s like two donuts. It will fill you up more and is healthier but at the end of the day it is lots of calories. Also for me if I ate loads I would have diarrhoea 😩