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 🧐

@Clearingaspace that's a good idea thanks, at the moment I'm normally a 10 but in some shops trousers in a 10 are a bit tight, so I'd like to be a 10 on the bottom everywhere! Not sure my pelvis will ever be a size 8 again after 2 kids 🤣 I think ill also aim for 60kg which is 9st 4lb, so a nice round number in kg!

Oh and snacks, i meant to add whenever I feel snacky I've been making myself a little pot of a handful of mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds hazelnuts) some raisins and some dark chocolate chips. Not loads but just enough to take the edge off that 3pm boredom sugar craving and gives a little protein boost from the nuts. I wfh so snacking is too easy and I need to keep myself distracted!

SW. 193lbs
LW 178.1 lbs
GW. 163 lbs and review!

CW 177.2 lbs

I feel like the number drop should have been bigger this week but if it's going to be a pound a week then that's the way it will be.

No breakfasts, few lunches and mostly sticking to keto. A few carbs - but better than my previous type of food.

Hello all

SW: 14.2 (May 23)
CW: 11.9 so 2lbs down on last week
TW: 11.2

I’m feeling well chuffed ... I've not been at this weight for 18months and my goal is feeling SO close now, just 7lbs to go. One skirt and a couple of pairs of trousers still too tight, but I'm wearing most of my favourite clothes again and enjoying feeling slimmer again.

Lots of talk about sizes this week: I'm so impressed by all you 10/12 gals! At 11.2 I will be that elusive size 13, which suits me fine, as I now like my curves: so a 12 or a 14 depending on the cut.

Self care and joy this week – a massage this afternoon. I love them and haven’t been having them because of the cost but have decided to have one or two just in these final weeks. And inspired by @Clearingaspace , a few more Epsom or scented baths and early nights.

@Clearingaspace ... we’ve all been there, so so easy to just hoover up those extra chocs. And congrats in almost reversing it so fast – and great you’re putting such a good habit in to boost your self-belief and inspire you: looking forward to hearing how many plants you eat this week!

@Saraswati ... hey hey, just 2lbs to go, that’s utterly brilliant and congrats on all the running too. Enjoy the books! And I’m liking the nut/choc pot, I do something similar and it really works.

Oh wow @desikated .. almost in the middle of healthy weight is SO impressive, congrats on tackling the grape monster and enjoy buying those new jeans!! Seriously ... same size as when you were 18 (almost)... Wow and triple wow!!!

@HarpQuartet ... there’s a magic in moving the next band down, congrats. Do share more about your insights on your food habits if you are comfortable doing so: I would love to hear more and think we could all learn masses! Congrats on taking this on.

@jane46b – you are on a roll!! Congrats and looking forward to hearing how the gym goes. You’re right this is a great wee circle of online friends!

@ItRainsItPours ... yes, meals out for me this coming week are going to be a challenge and I SO agree about it being a wol so plenty of opportunity for me to practise. Thanks for the M&S tip – Im seriously curvy so am going to give those a go (I spent my teenage life taking in jeans’ waistbands!!)

@TheBorderBinLiner .. its tough sometimes just needing to be patient. Congrats on the pound and the power of your thinking

Hello! Could I be a late joiner, please?

I successfully did IF a few years ago and lost about 10-15kg, kept it off for quite a few years. As is the case with many, I lost most of those results over the course of the 7 million lockdowns we had.

I've been TTC for the past 16 months and my BMI is just slightly in the overweight zone, so I've been wanting to get it back down to the healthy zone. I'm short so the extra kilos are unforgiving!

I only properly fast during my period and follicular phase, as soon as ovulation hits I just eat sensibly until the end of my cycle where I start up again, or stop entirely if I get a positive, fingers crossed!

I've been watching my weight since January, properly fasting since about mid/end Feb and absolutely no weight is shifting. I've been bouncing around 62kg-64kg every couple of days no matter what I do, including calorie counting, longer fasts, ditching alcohol unless special occasion. I try and break my fast with raw veg, then have a snack when I get home from work, then usual dinner and fast again.

So, starting weight: 64kg (141.1 lbs)
Current weight: 62kg (136.6)
Goal weight: At this point anything under 60kg (132.2) will make me happy.

Welcome @MademoiselleFrenglish - weirdly I was reading a post today on a Facebook fasting group where someone was saying whites should be cooked but yolks raw for most benefit

Ooh @loveyouradvice - now I have to stick to stick to my plant log so I can report back! Well done on your loss and enjoy your massage.

@HarpQuartet really interesting about your therapy and food - hope it is helpful

well fine on loss @TheBorderBinLiner

@Saraswatimy dh had the same snack as you and it is actually yummy (I sometimes munch a bit while prepping it!)

Ooh interesting about M&S jeans @ItRainsItPours

Good luck with gym @jane46b

Great loss @desikated lol re grapes

hi everyone and well done on getting through the week!

lw: 70.8kg
cw: 70.2kg
gw: 63kg (it was 65-67kg but I want to aim for 63kg as this is what the nhs website says is a healthy weight for me)

will I hit that elusive 69kg?! I feel like every time I weight myself I'm 0.1kg down but not quite there. When I get sub 70kg I'm going to do a big celebratory post just to mark the occasion before I shoot back up in weight 😅

I've been really snotty for the past week and work has been stressful which hasn't helped.

this week for self care I'm going to try and go to bed a bit earlier in the evenings and focus my energy on feeling better as my sinuses are killing me.

@loveyouradvice well done on your loss, you are so close to your goal! That must be extra motivating!

@Saraswati amazing work being so close to your goal!

@Clearingaspace well done this week, and it just goes to show you can fast and still enjoy treats! I'm also looking forward to hearing about the plants as some inspiration to get me to eat more!

@TheBorderBinLiner a loss is a loss so well done! All my losses are very little losses but they all add up along the way!

@jane46b so happy for you! What an incredible way to kick start your IF journey!

@desikated that's an excellent loss since January! I'm hoping I can emulate that loss over the next few months but I can't seem to get over my love of takeaways 😂

@HarpQuartet well done on the loss, a small loss is still a loss no matter what and it all adds up!

@MademoiselleFrenglish welcome! I feel like I'm constantly in the bouncing around stage but I think that's just the nature of my weightloss and as long as it goes down and plateaus then goes down again I don't really mind!

Happy Friday everyone, one more week to the end of this month's countdown and I hope everyone has had a good week.

Last week: 78.8kg
Today: 78.3kg
A loss of .6kg

I like to weigh every day and am delighted to have been under 79kg all week. My goal for the next weigh-in is to still be somewhere between 78 and 78.5kg, then next month it will be to finish the month under 78.

I am down about half a pound and I am actually pretty happy as it’s in the right direction.

sw 204
lw 181.9
cw 181.2.

Good luck with 69Kg @Fouramclub

@HarpQuartet sounds like you have had a great week - Well done on the loss

Plants - I only listed 20 and tbh it was a bit lacking in actual vegetables but that means room for improvement!

selfcare I had an Epsom bath and early night but this week I could do with more early nights

what did people think about the headlines about IF? I don’t buy it but it has made me think I should focus more on eating healthily with a little fasting thrown in rather than being my main focus.

my goal this week is to cook a healthy recipe from a cookbook

good luck all!

@Clearingaspace the headline this week was based on a study that simply asked people when they ate and make conclusions from that. It was purely anecdotal and they hadn’t balanced the two groups in any way. For example they didn’t measure the weight of either group or know their ethnicity. It is not to be relied on.

sw 243 1/1/24
cw 227 22/3/24

I have only lost 1lb this week so my loss is slowing but just need to keep plodding on.

@Clearingaspace I like that goal of finding a new recipe to try. Will you let us know what you choose?

Happy Friday everyone! I've maintained this week

Sw (01/01/24):10st 4lb
CW: 9st 9lb

Happy with that and I weighed 9st 8lbs earlier in the week so hoping for that next week, maybe even my target of 9st 7lb?! Then I can eat all the easter eggs!

I've got a week off from good Friday so counting down the days, work has been hectic but these nice light mornings means I've been getting out running at 6 which helps my head so much when I'm stressed. I managed a hilly 8km at the weekend, the longest I've run in ages which gave me a real boost. Hoping to do similar this weekend.

Brava @Saraswati on your hilly 8k, bet you felt like superwoman afterwards!

Well done @Clearingaspace and @ItRainsItPours - slow and steady wins the race.

Great work on the hill run @Saraswati that's very impressive distance and terrain!

I'm down 1.2 kg this week (insert quite surprised face) to 66.8kg . My weight fluctuates a lot with menstrual cycle so I'm expecting a gain next week realistically. I don't really have a goal weight but I suppose probably 10 stone would be good (so about 7.7 lbs to lose / 5.3 kg which feels like a lot!)

However, I did fit into a pair of size 12 jeans which felt good.

My food (re) discovery this week is rice cakes with peanut butter for when I get hungry mid afternoon. Very basic but does the job wel and I really like peanut butter.

Hello all...

So I am late to check in - apologies!

I haven't checked in (or weighed myself) in 10 days and I was terrified as I've had 3 out for dinner/drinks events in these 10 days and my choices haven't always been the best, however managed to stick to my 8 hour eating/drinking window each day and adjusted accordingly. And I was blown away when I got on the scales and was another 2lbs down 🙌🏼

SW: 12st 4.4lbs
CW: 11st 10.2lbs

Over half a stone off...I am very very happy!

Well done to everyone else this week and have a fantastic week ahead 😀

Hi!

I'm still bouncing around 62kg - 64kg. I had my bloods back and my iron is fairly low, as is my ferritin. I've been doing some googling and low iron can affect the thyroid, which in turn affects the metabolism so it's potentially playing a part in my not being able to lose weight. It's also affecting TTC but that's a whole other conversation. Seeing the doctor on Weds to get some iron pills so hopefully the scale will move soon.

I'll be very happy if this is the "thing" that's been the problem, but also really pissed off as if it's affecting TTC it's ridiculous no one (including me) thought of it as it runs in the family. It's been 16 bloody months, you'd think someone would've thought of it.

@MademoiselleFrenglish same here, I've been feeling terrible lately and it turns out I have low ferritin. I hope you can get yours sorted to help with TTC 🤞

I haven't made much progress and have in fact gained 2kg since last week as I've been feeling so weak and dizzy I haven't been watching my eating. Hopefully I can get it sorted and get back on the fasting.

Good luck with getting your levels sorted @MademoiselleFrenglish and @Fouramclub

hope all ok

Hello lovely people ... I've been missing in action... or rather overeating! Hmmm... so confession time... facing the reality

SW: 14.2 (May 23)
CW: 12.2 on Friday and today - 11.9 on 15 Mar - so 7lbs up in a week
TW: 11.2

Twas a combination of emotional eating (not the fun part, hoovered up a couple of chocolate bars) and just sending caution to the wind and enjoying food over a weekend away: I ate 3 meals a day on both Sat and Sun which I haven't done in years. Not mad food, just a lot of it and with lovely friends. Still shocked by how fast my body puts on the weight, but crossing fingers it comes off fast too, as it has done in the past. And I was SO enjoying weighing 11.9 and feeling so darn close to my goal - and luxuriating in wearing all my favourite clothes.

Meanwhile - congrats to all of you on your magnificent weight losses and steps forward. Im looking forward to our final April check in and seeing where we have all got to.. I'm back on track now, so hoping, hoping it starts plunging down again.

Yes, interesting that IF study - one person said to me that the IF people are likely to be chubbier and that alone could be the reason. I hope it will inspire a proper research study that holds water about this as it's clearly important. And yes, it does make me think that once I've reached goal weight I might have shorter fasting windows.

And for those with low ferritin/iron... a cautionary tale from two vegetarian/pescatarians in my family, both women, both advised by their doctors in their late 40s to start eating red meat once or twice a month to get their iron levels back up... for some the supplements just don't work. But good luck and hope it resolves - especially with a pregnancy hopefully lurking in the wings.

ps feeling a wee bit sad so any encouragement very very welcome xx

Awww. @loveyouradvice thanks for sharing

Honestly, we have all been there. and I would bet as much as I could that at least some of those lbs are water weight / retention from the bigger meals and increased salt, so your actual gain is probably much much less.

Remember where you have come from - and how far you have come and how well you are doing! No journey is a straight line of success, and the challenges and blips are part of what makes it life.

so, what's a thin you can do this week which is self care-y and staying on track?

Hi @loveyouradvice , how's the world looking this morning?

I have been eating my feelings this week and my "fuck it" voice has been louder than my "remember how crisps and chocolate make you feel afterwards" voice.

Nice advice from @desikated so I'm going to remind myself that I've done really well in cooking delicious, healthy meals and today, the thing I can do for myself is walk to the library, drop off the book I've finished and enjoy the sunshine.

Then, I can tell myself between lunch and dinner that it's only a few hours and don't need to eat in between. (I tend to find it difficult to stop lunch, and instead carry on grazing until it's dinner time and I'm too full to eat.) I can actually remind myself that putting in an "eating gap" is a favour to myself, not a punishment, not a hardship.

And I can picture my lovely lunch (it's basically a veg stew, no idea why it's so damn tasty when it's so simple) doing my body good as I'm digesting it, keeping me well and healthy.

@HarpQuartet i have to admit I don’t tend to get hungry in the morning whilst fasting. It tends to be after lunch before it’s time for dinner. No idea why.
I have been doing well but wondering what will happen tomorrow when dc break up for Easter. It’s bad enough when they are snacking around me in the evening, never mind when it’s all day. Bloody skinny teens, wish I had their metabolism.

@desikated ... what a lovely question ... thank you! I went to sleep reflecting on it, feeling warm and appreciative. I think something very simple that I havent done for a long time - a home spa. Facial, body scrub the works... probably on Saturday afternoon. And I've just texted a friend about walking together - deeply nurturing reaching out to friends, and will ring a handful of them over the next few days just to chat.

@HarpQuartet walking in sunshine... yes! I so love it, especially with all the daffodils everywhere. I'm feeling much better today now that I'm back on it for the last couple of days, and yes, the scales are already coming down so the water weight is shedding. I will walk this afternoon in our local park and enjoy.

Mmm.. a veggie stew, seriously delicious. You're so right `@HarpQuartet - the art is shifting our mindsets so that we can truly relish caring for our bodies with delicious healthy food and enjoying every mouthful. And strengthening our defences against that darn FuckIt voice ... I love that term, and when it next appears I'm going to envisage it as a little red devil on my left shoulder, and let it and my sane self battle it out around with words... At least that's the idea, let's see if it works in practice. And hopefully it won't appear for a long time.

@ItRainsItPours those darn teenagers - but I dont envy them their raging hormones!! Good luck with the great return - how are you planning to cope with the coming days?

And how is everyone going to address Easter chocolate??? I already have Lindt bunnies big and small ready to put out....

@ItRainsItPours I wonder if we can put our heads together and come up with strategies? I think it's fine to acknowledge I'm hungry, but I need a "what do I do about it" plan.

I think today I'll try:

1. Down a glass of water and set a timer for 12 minutes. Just to check I'm still hungry.

1. If I am, then an apple in fat, juicy slices with crunchy peanut butter. (I do love this snack but wouldn't mind some more ideas. A piece of fruit on its own doesn't seem to help when I'm hungry, except maybe a banana.)

1. Set a timer for half an hour before I decide whether I want to eat anything else.

I'm absolutely not interested in depriving myself, I just want to avoid the full throttle eating that doesn't do me any favours.

Oh how weird, my numbered list came out as all number 1s!

Ha, if that pesky devil lands on my shoulder I'm going to flick it off 😆