Countdown to May...

[desikated]

Welcome old and new fasters, those on and off the wagon, those losing, gaining or maintaining for a gentle supportive countdown to May thread.

Never started a thread before copying in people so let's hope this works - some previous usernames no longer existed so had to do a cull..

@HarpQuartet

@MademoiselleFrenglish

@jane46b @TheBorderBinLiner @Crazycrazylady @Doughnutcarrotall35 @2Early4BreakfastIn2024 @TerroristToddler

Please tag in anyone else

@Saraswati @loveyouradvice @ItRainsItPours @Clearingaspace @Fouramclub

Thanks, @desikated , much obliged to you. I've had a bit of an easter-eggs-and-biscuits day, but can be a grown-up tomorrow and Thursday in preparation for Friday's check in 😄

Oh man, I wrote a whole self indulgent update about myself and managed to delete it. So the TL: DR version

• end of March was a chocolate roast potato delicious binfire
• I haven't weighed / been avoidant
• did get back on it yesterday with fasting and calorie counting and exercise.
• BUT....feeling a bit meh that a couple of days of indulgence feels like it does damage and I wish I could be a bit more flexible..
• and..going on holiday next week which possibly means a week of just eating and drinking as I like. Not sure how to approach it, whether to enjoy a week off (I'd love to!) or stick with it, or stick with the fasting but don't calorie count. Any tips or suggestions or experiences welcome.

What's everyone hopes for April and potential pitfalls they are going to conquer?

My brain was a bit - 'EH? no chocolate?' come yesterday and the 'grown-upping'. good luck xx

Hey! Thanks for the add to this new forum. I have also been avoiding weighing in, however did so yesterday and stayed the same, which was a miracle as I'd been sooo bad and fell off the wagon!
I'm back on it - let's do this everyone 🙌🏼

@desikated you might find that when you're on holiday, the food and drink you fancy is the stuff that's delicious and healthy and good for you 😊 I'm sure that when I eat in a way that ultimately makes me feel unwell, it's because I'm tired, stressed, bored, sad, happy, excited etc (it's not just the 'bad' emotions) and I just haven't mastered other ways of coping with those feelings. I hope you'll have a lovely time.

I do have a goal for April, but it's not very imaginative: I want to be 77.x kg (i.e. under 78kg).

Thanks for the thread, I have had a ‘normal’ day after all the Easter excesses (including snail eggs obviously) and am sat here starving. I just need to get everyone to bed so I can crash and hopefully not eat till 2pm tomorrow.

Thanks so much for the thread @desikated enjoy your holiday. I have a weird habit of eating well and staying the same on holiday then gaining when I get back 🙄 agree with harp that hopefully the delicious but healthy food will call to you!

Urgh feel like I am bringing the thread down but I was literally ravenous all day Monday for carbs and had 2 g&ts to boot my weight is up more!!! it is 1 step forward 2 steps back at the moment.
my body seems determined to regain weight - but I keep trying and I really don’t want to leave the thread so hope you all don’t mind. Thanks for all the support.

@desikated Huge thanks for setting up... and GOOD LUCK with your holiday... I'm loving the positive threads from others above. I'm afraid Im the opposite - if I start going off piste on holiday and eating with gay abandon the weight rockets on and I feel dreadful, both physically and from guilt that I've binned so many of the gains of having a healthy body. Whereas when I eat healthily, have a great holiday and come back only a pound or two heavier, I feel triumphant and good physically from eating food that my body relishes (it really rebels now if I eat too many carbs - slothful and craving`).

Perhaps tell us about holidays that you've enjoyed in the past where you've eaten in a way you're proud of? What works for you?

And April goals - what are all of yours? - I weigh 11.7 and would like to lose a pound or two, but most importantly maintain my weight loss so far.

@loveyouradvice - goals - I would love to just eat in a way where I am not feeling guilty in April and ideally have weight come consistently down for a change! That’s not going to happen for w1 but hopefully from then. I also would like a fasting streak.

ooh I found a plant counting app and am already on 30 - probably won’t get much higher now though this week.

That sounds so great @Clearingaspace ... I'm loving eating piles of veggies and leaves at the mo... think it is the better weather!!

Unfortunately it's not a hot holiday it's a walking holiday up north, so pies/pints type affair (NOT good for fasting or weight loss).

I think I will try and do some fasting, but not calorie count and carry on doing some running and hopefully not be too dreadful as a result!

I've fallen off the wagon so many times this year that I've regained something like ten to twelve pounds. Eating earlier every day because I had to start driving one child to school, followed by calling in at the shops every day instead of online deliveries because my credit card kept being refused. Good excuses at the time, but self-destructive madness in reality, and ultimately fairly low mood every day.

I'm putting all the chocolate and cakes and biscuits and lattes behind me. It's a sunny morning, and I feel a new enthusiasm for the coming spring months.

16:8 from 10am and crucially nothing after 7pm. Low-carb, and hopefully no sugar or sweetener. Exercise in the form of sorting out the house and garden, and probably some kind of counselling and professional support.

Well done @TooEarlyForBreakfastInApril !!!

You have made a great plan, and you know what you're going to do.

Someone in the previous thread talked about thinking about hunger as a Fire and Water drowning it out. So reach for the water first!!! This visual has helped me.

Also the phrase - delay don't deny.

Good luck - you got this!!

Thanks @loveyouradvice - I think I am going to aim for more veg rather than upping my total plants next week.

@desikated sounds good - enjoy!

@TooEarlyForBreakfastInApril life has definitely been getting in the way for me too recently- hopefully we will both have good stuff to report at the end of the month.

Sorry xpost - I started typing then did other stuff before posting!

@TooEarlyForBreakfastInApril this is the place to be - great to know your plans and looking forward to cheering you on!

I'm coming on here to STOP myself eating more Easter chocolate... okay, declaration time to all you wonderful people.. I've done great til now, just something small each day and weight has stayed the same .. but today Im in bed, not very well, underslept, unable to work, a bit bored and clearly not exercising... the chocolate munchies have come on....

I AM STOPPING NOW... so far, 2 chocolate almonds, 1.5 squares 85% choc and 1 teeny-tiny and very delicious Lindt bunny... Nowt more til tomorrow apart from .5 square of 85% chocolate early evening when I close my eating window... THIS IS MY COMMITMENT TO MYSELF AND TO ALL OF YOU....

And yes, going to use the water trick and Delay Don't Deny mantra...

Thanks all!

And to keep reminding myself how far I've come... not worth putting those pounds back on that I've worked so hard to get off....the end is in sight - just 6lbs to go!!

Ahh hope you feel better soon @loveyouradvice . Feeling rotten AND trying to fast is just the worse. I must say I am currently in bed, looking at a tray of chocolate wondering......

Well done for drawing a line @loveyouradvice - feel better soon!

Phew... done it!! Huge thanks for the support. Found myself fantasising about some of the clothes I would buy ... gentle online window shopping... fun, no money spent and no pounds gained!

Thanks for supporting me. Sleep well xx

Thanks for the thread @desikated and I hope you have a good holiday! I've just come back from 4 days of eating and drinking no fasting or exercising as staying with family in another part of the country so no control over the menu. However I have stayed the same, absolutely amazed at that as I ate some of my kids easter choc too so was expecting to gain. We did do loads of walking so you might counteract it too with your active holiday.

So still 1 pound off target here, about 5 weeks until my 10k and 6 weeks until holiday so going to focus on lots of nice protein, no drinking and upping my miles and strength training.

April goals are to lose that final pound, buy myself some holiday clothes and do a long run of 8k-10k each weekend to prep for my race but ignoring the time, just focus on the distance.

Morning all, and as ever, thank you for sharing your news, struggles, goals, successes and strategies, all are interesting and valuable to me, so even if I don't acknowledge everything, thank you ❤️

Friday check-in!

Week 1
77.9kg (last week I think I was on 78.2)

This is very exciting, because I've dropped into the next kg number, if you see what I mean.

I would like to finish this month close to 77.0kg, then I'd be 5kg from my first big goal. I tend to lose slowly, and have times when I plateau for weeks and weeks, but am interested to see what's going to happen in April.

Good luck everyone xx

@jane46b I don't know if you had the Octonauts in mind, but your "Let's do this!" makes me happy every time I think of it.

Well done @loveyouradvice that first step is always the critical one - and some gentle window shopping very helpful.

Wooop @Saraswati !!!!! that's great and I hope you had a lovely time. What race are you doing? how do you find fasting around running (I also do quite a bit of running - I know I eat more than I 'should' but also the running is important and I need more food than the 1300 suggestion hah)

@HarpQuartet Well done!!!!! thats a brilliant loss and into the next kg bracket. Slow and steady wins the race - basically my motto for life as well as weight loss.

I weighed in yesterday, and then stupidly today

SW: was somewhere around 71kg
GW: 63.5 kg/ 10 stone
This week was 66.1kg (yesterday) and then 66.5 (today). same place, same time.
Last weigh in I was 66.8kg (two weeks ago)

So either way a loss just a bigger or smaller one. That 2 weeks has encapsulated a period (I have endo so periods are just a bit dreadful/ no exercise) and blow out for Easter weekend. So all in all - ok

Feeling a a bit dejected. I do quite a lot of exercise and so feel like my weight loss should be speedier, but I suspect this is me being inpatient / not realising how much I eat / slow metabolism / my grand old perimenopausal age.

How have others fared?