Countdown to Christmas

[ItRainsItPours]

All welcome!

Supportive thread for setting goals including self care and fasting, and chat in between!

@EmbraceTheBeans good luck with omad! i am going to try tomorrow. I have some fancy chicken stock in the fridge so I am contemplating having that for 1 or 2 meals tomorrow alongside a proper meal, as a warm up version of omad. I should really have done it today but I wanted breakfast too much! I am feeling stuffed this afternoon for some reason, so today will hopefully be a 2mad day.

Sooooo much to comment on, but I'll make do with.... You can do a handstand?! 💪🏻💪🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Brilliant, what a great investment in yourself!

😂 @HarpQuartet this is where my mind went!

I hope the process of getting a diagnosis for your dd was ok @EmbraceTheBeans. amazing if it has also provided a lightbulb moment for yourself - I have seen on a few of these boards that there can be a link with weight problems and adhd.

I am just having an early lunch break and have broken my approx 20/22 (depending if milky coffee delayed my start) hour fast with a milky coffee. My super fancy Waitrose stock is simmering and I have used it to make a stew with Turkey, beans and lots of vegetable. So far so good for today being a omad …

How is everyone? I have had a pretty good week not much processed food and a decent bit of fasting. The regained weighting exactly flying off, but I think hrt could be at play from what I am reading on another thread in weightloss chat. Still I think I am down 1 or 2lbs. Hoping to do a slightly longer fast next week. Have a lovely Sunday all!

That's good, @Clearingaspace , less processed food can only be good.

I'm in quite an interesting place in that I'm maintaining without any effort and with as much chocolate and snacking as I feel like. So, when I am feeling more robust in myself, I feel like I can lose my desired 6kg over a few months.

That is really great news @HarpQuartet and a great place to be at!

This has to be the loveliest group on Mumsnet - I have missed you all!

Thank you @Clearingaspace for wondering how I am... and SO GOOD to see other familiars like @HarpQuartet are still around (and sometimes @Fouramclub) - Thank you @ItRainsItPours for bringing us together in the lead up to Christmas.

You won't be surprised to hear that for various reasons I've been in a very tough place - and the fact I'm able to post again is a wonderful sign that I am emerging. As usual my weight has yo-yo'ed up and down: sometimes it is the one thing in my life I feel I can control, and I relish that; at others I eat my emotions, with a voracious appetite for any and everything appearing as if from nowhere.

I am so glad to be joining you for wonderful reflections, musings and support as we all approach Christmas. At the moment I'm at 11.9. I'm hoping to gently lose 1lb a week to reach 11.5 in December, eating healthily and not worrying if it doesn't go. My main much more challenging goal is to stay stable through the Christmas season. Then in the New Year, I'll lose the final pounds to 11.2: a weight I am very happy at, liking my tall and curvy figure (yup, it's voluptuous and the 20 year old me would be shocked, but I now like it especially as Ill be able to wear my favourite clothes again).

Great to read all your contributions @GameOfJones, @EmbraceTheBeans and others who pop in and out.

Fabulous weight loss @GameOfJones and I'm another who enjoys all those warming soups and bean concoctions - good luck with the economising.

@EmbraceTheBeans HRT is something I'm exploring too - you're definitely not too old but whether you find an NHS doc who is happy to start you or not is a different question. I suspect at 55 you should be able to but I know many women still have to hunt around.

There seem to be two camps of thinking around HRT - one is just use it for under 60s for menopause symptoms (NHS), the other is use it until you die for general health, vitality, bone health, etc (I see you're in this group @ItRainsItPours!). I'm 63 and had a very late menopause at 59/60 and ignored HRT until my SIL sang its praises: I've just started 3 months ago... yup, that feels strange to write. But having read Liz Earle's A Better Second Half, met my SIL's consultant and heard my osteopath (the one health practitioner I've been with for 20 years and totally trust) tell me I'd be mad not to, I'm giving it a go while investigating the research more as well as how I feel while I'm on it
.

My understanding is that while I'm having to pay privately for this bit, once it's clear what my stable dose is, I will be transferred to the NHS - who will fund it until I'm 102... or that's the theory, yet to be proved.

Love to know @ItRainsItPours why you're so keen? And if any others have thoughts or experiences to share.

And shall we have a little round of self-care? What are you doing for yourselves for the next few weeks?

Me lots of lovely long baths and walks with friends.

And as always, my wonderful 85%/90% Lindt chocolate - 1-3 pieces a day and I adore it!! Satisfies my sweet tooth and I hear rumour that it's even healthy....

I am currently getting back on track after a weekend away led to a small gain. I am in a small good streak so happy at the moment.
I think there is lots of smoke and mirrors wrt hrt. Lots of the symptoms I have been helped with might not occur to some people or just be put down to aging ie aches and pains. I had awful back pain which cleared up within a few weeks of starting hrt. Men don’t suffer from a change in hormones as they age and all we want is to have our younger levels of hormones back.
I just went to see my gp and was able to get a prescription for the modern body identical hrt but I understand this isn’t so straightforward for everyone. The cynic in me says it is made difficult as it is expensive.
I am not enjoying this weather, though it looks pretty it is difficult to motivate myself to get out for walks etc when it is so cold. I shouldn’t wish my life away but find myself looking forward to the new year when the days start to lengthen.

A 22 hour fast for me today and OMAD of a very strange stir fry of whatever I had in the fridge. So brown rice stir fried with halloumi, garlic, chill, leeks and soy sauce. It was a bit random but better than a takeaway!

I am trying to get back to my 15 minutes of yoga I day. I never really feel like it's making a difference until I stop doing it. I used to do 15 minutes religiously every morning or evening before I sat down in front of the TV but haven't for a couple of months and now I've started again my goodness I'm so stiff! So back to it. I did 15 minutes of posture yoga last night and a morning routine first thing today. I love Sarah Beth on YouTube as she doesn't waffle too much.

Just checking in to say that this has all given me a happy warm glow before bed and I think I'm going to have sweet dreams. Voluptuous is such a good word, @loveyouradvice , I'm awarding you a 🌟 for vocabulary 😃

Hi Everyone! I am so happy you are back @loveyouradvice!

self care - something I am failing at is getting to bed at a decent time, so that will be one me. I don’t know why I am so crap at going to bed as I don’t want to get out of bed in the mornings, and am quite happy snuggled up!

Will check that yoga out @GameOfJones as 15 minutes seems doable!

@ItRainsItPours i also found my aches and pains mostly cleared up on bioidentical hrt - to be honest it was the only clear benefit and could be a coincidence. Both my parents are a little arthritic so it makes sense to try what I can to avoid it though. I had been finding my knees grinding a little and hands a bit crampy, elbows aching that type of thing, which has gone. My issue is should I be taking it yet? I am definitely peri but not having hot flashes yet - my mum didn’t get them though so maybe that doesn’t mean anything.

my update - I gained a shocking amount from early summer onwards - not sure exactly but maybe 18lbs. I have now lost half of that and I am feeling more in control thanks to more regular fasting. I am wondering if fasting in winter and more of a dieting/ healthy eating focus in summer might be the way forward for me. Not sure! I am finding I can’t fast past 24 hours at the moment but I would like to build up to a longer one now and again.

A while back we used to all post about our week on Fridays – celebrating small victories, whether weight or other, commiserating or reflecting if the week hadn’t gone to plan... Shall we try that again? It meant we came together at least once a week and I loved the structure and connection.

For me?

SW: 14.2
TW: 11.2
CW: 11.8.8 ... so by a whisker into the 8’s: I’ll take that as my 1 pound loss for the week (yup, know that's fudging it, but that's okay)

I am aiming for 11.5 by Christmas but only if its easy – I so agree with other posters that in these cold dark days not putting on weight is a HUGE victory. Lots of hot soups and stews and hunkering down... this is definitely my self care strategy through these weeks, as well as connecting with friends, even in very simple ways like sending a text or a photo.

How great to be in a small good streak @ItRainsItPours – definitely something to celebrate and enjoy. I find it fascinating how sometimes losing weight with IF feels easy and enjoyable, and at others (for me) totally impossible. I hadn’t thought about men not suffering from a change in hormones as they age @ItRainsItPours – to me that is key!

Wow @GameOfJones – kudos to you – a 22 hour fast in these dark days is SO impressive. I rather like the sound of that stir fry. I too am going to look at Sarah Beth – my body would love some yoga, although my mind is very resistant

@HarpQuartet – thanks for my gold star!! I hope you had gorgeous sweet dreams – I so agree, this is truly the most warm-glow-y thread on Mumsnet. I love being on the weight loss journey with all of you – it puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face. I’m loving that you’re in a space of being able to eat as much chocolate and snacking as you feel like without gaining weight: I hope you can treasure that wonderful feeling. And it’s so good for your body to just enjoy maintaining – you’re so right the extra bit of weight loss can wait a while, and you and your body can benefit from the huge success of being at a stable weight for now.

@Clearingaspace . Me too! I love my bed and my sleep, but do I get into it early enough? Not often. So that’s my target for the week – more early-ier nights, knowing my body thanks me for it in the morning. I love feeling well slept. Huge congrats on losing half of your summer weight – that is magnificent and hopefully deeply satisfying. I definitely find I don’t want to do the long fasts in dark cold months and am going to restart those in the spring. I’m up for shorter eating windows, like 3-5 hours occasionally but most of the time I’m naturally drawn to 6-8 hours (and even 10 if with friends!)

Weight wise I've now lost the few lbs I put on last month so am back to my new low (which isn't low at all.....but is progress.)

SW: 15st 1lb
CW: 13st 11lbs

My target is 11st which feels a long way off but I will get there.

if I could lose 3lbs I would’ve lost 4stone this year. That final 3lbs feels like a mountain but I am happy with my loss so far. I’m ignoring the fact I could still lose more and am enjoying the fact I had a lovely hilly walk today that would not have been possible a year ago.

Such a lot to admire and celebrate, well done excellent people 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

One day late but I will also join in the Friday feeling: my goal was to stick at 78kg up to Christmas and yesterday I was at 78.2kg, which I consider near enough.

Went on a walk, which was 50% mud and 40% nettles but the last 10% was a very nice fish finger sandwich.

Honestly, self-care is hard to enjoy at the moment. I'm on a stressful, full-on course but it's only another 3.5 weeks, and after that my brain and stomach will both feel much better. Even on my supposed "day off" yesterday I had the background hum of a stomach ache all day. Still, not much longer now.

Good luck with your course @HarpQuartet and well done on being close to your target!

@EmbraceTheBeans my memory has me worried. My hrt information leaflet specifically says it will not help with memory decline. I have heard testosterone can help with brain fog - but that is hard to get prescribed. I am not sure where I read this, but in the last week I read somewhere that the keto diet is sometimes recommended for cognitive function e.g Alzheimer’s. If I ever find more detailed information I will share it! Although I don’t want to ‘go keto’ I wonder if a couple of weeks at under 20g carbs, then upping my carbs gradually, might be beneficial? Apparently autophagy can be triggered not only by fasting but also by the keto diet and exercise. To be fair this would be a January activity as I want to be eating some Christmas treats!

@loveyouradvice how have you done with early nights? I definitely have some catching up to do!

@GameOfJones and @ItRainsItPours fantastic weightloss!

How is everyone today?

It is so gorgeous to hear everyone’s news.

Congrats @GameOfJones on getting back to your new low... and to getting into the 13s. You can indeed do it. At my heaviest I’ve was at 16.4 (a big shock, the same as I weighed the day before I gave birth!!) and I have been as low as 11.0. I’m heading for 11.2 now and it’s just a few pounds to go!

Wow @ItRainsItPours – 3lbs shy of 4 stone is utterly phenomenal. I adore the fact that you can enjoy a hilly walk which you couldn’t have done a year ago. I love celebrating these victories – recognising how different life is for us and our bodies after losing some weight.

Goodluck @HarpQuartet – that sounds seriously demanding. If you’re able to stick to the same weight, while coping with such demands that is an enormous triumph. I am so glad you finish your course well before Christmas!

Maintaining always feels like the greatest achievement to me@EmbraceTheBeans . – It’s where we’ve all fallen over in the past and the more we can persuade our minds (and bodies) this is what we do, the easier our lives will be!! It is so impressive that you’ve embedded better baseline habits and wow re your improved health. Phenomenal re heart and lung stuff. I love that phrase “limber and fit” – I think that becoming that will be one of my New Year’s Resolutions!

I can’t wait to hear how your DIY version of Longo’s Fasting Mimicking Diet goes @EmbraceTheBeans. Good luck!! I’ve now done six rounds of his actual diet this year (endless packets!!), and am having my bloods done in December for the first time since. It’ll be interesting to see what the changes are. And in the New Year, I’m planning to do the DIY version. Might you post a link to the best Youtube meal plans?? I would be interested to know if you have any side effects too – I did quite full on, the first time, but then much less the other times and my skin became gorgeously soft. Each time I seem to lose 3lbs in those 5 days.

@Clearingaspace – thanks for asking! My nights are getting better – I’m not there yet, but I’m managing to go to sleep between 12 and 12.30 most nights, and my biggest triumph is sleeping through for 8 hours on 3 nights last week... I now need to edge back towards 11 pm... A couple of weeks of less than 20g carbs sounds like it is worth trying for you in the New Year. For me, lowish carbs definitely helps – I’ve no idea what they normally are, but I don’t usually eat any of the obvious ones (potatoes, bread, rice, etc), just berries, the occasional apple, very dark chocolate and lots and lots of vegetables. I think I might add them up in the New year for curiosity’s sake – I think it is the key for me and enables me to have a couple of days with a bit more fruit or a wee pud.

And on the HRT front – one of my bookclub said her Mum started on it at 72, and stayed on it until she died! So yes, I think never too late is a good way of looking at it.