Countdown to NOVEMBER and beginning to think about Christmas goals

[loveyouradvice]

All are welcome!

We’re a friendly group that uses Fasting in one form or another to lose weight or maintain our weight loss. We all have our ups and downs, and welcome insights from others and laughter along the way.

Gosh - I can't believe we're approaching November: Christmas feels rather close. I've added up the weeks - it's just over 11 to Christmas itself, and 10 to "party season". So come and share your hopes and goals for this month - and for Christmas.

Fridays are our informal day for weighing-in (optional) and reflecting on the week – often with ideas for self-care and new goals for the coming week.

We cheer each other on, and commiserate when things don't go to plan.
If you’re new to this group, do introduce yourself and share your hopes and plans.

Some of us find daily posting helpful for accountability - others just pop in every now and then

😂

@tiredwitless - how are you doing? And what's your plan for the week?

Welcome back @2Early4Breakfast ... hoping that you're managing to settle into an autumn routine and wondering how the snack reduction et al is going? Come and share!

Great to have you with us @Rockfordpeach and @JadeVS72 . Seriously tough doing this with an MS diagnosis, but as you say there is increasing evidence that fasting and a healthy whole foods diet makes a huge difference to progression. How does the next week look for you? And so agree that when your body is going through a stressful time scaling back is a good approach. Gin Stephens always says don't combine stress with intense fasting - neither helps the other. @JadeVS72 love your relatinship with your scales - congrats on a 2kg loss!!

Great insights @IDareSay - and I think it's you I adopted I can do hard things from... I had it as a post-it on my bathroom mirror last Christmas, and regularly remind myself. Yes we can!! Posting here is so brilliant for me too - and yes, IF and tracking are what work for me long term too. How's the coming week look for you? Yes, that tantalising 62 is SO close now!!

@StealthSightHound Yes still in Provence - and the water has got even colder. Just one degree so now 17 not 18 but it's really thrown my systems out - core temperature tough to get back up without a hot bath and a couple of HWBs!! Yes, frolicking with kefir and sauerkraut ... and learning to cook steak. At my grand old age, I have not mastered it, but one a week from the market and I'm learning lots!! When I'm back I'm planning on going to a local reformer pilates class - everyone keeps raving about how brill it is, and I confess it does rather appeal... hilarious visually as we all crank our machines, and hopefully intensely beneficial.

So get the go in hard and fast so the scales come down rapidly - it so helps me, and makes a loss easier to maintain usually.

Oh wow @IDareSay I am truly in awe - 90 days of Jillian.... wow, wow, wow... and how are your muscles, looking and feeling??

Feeling RATHER annoyed as I do my Friday check-in. My weight was deeply satisfyingly at 11.0 for SEVERAL days, and then, changing nothing, it decided to leap up to 11.2!!! After a sociable evening, I feel glad to have kept it there, but am sad to confess I am a pound UP from last week with the allure of 10something still VERY strong and tantalisingly close.

So here goes
SW 14.2
TW 10.12
CW 11.0... one pound up on last week (two pounds up on first half of week!)

I've had to give myself a strong talking to that 2lbs is NOT the end of the world, that the small changes are basically meaningless - but do I believe myself? Not one bit.

Gently reminding myself I had a good run over the last few weeks, and maybe just maybe my body is trying to reclaim some of that weight.... Hmm.

Adore this @StealthSightHound.... made me chuckle. Yes having two of those sounds very desirable!!!

ps of course CW is 11.2... typo there

My muscles are certainly much improved in that I can almost see vague outlines of them @loveyouradvice
Feeling good heading into a new week and could not resist jumping on the scales this morning; as I hoped I could see a 62 on there! Let's see if it sticks...

Looking forward to my poached eggs on sourdough toast this morning though, so I know my weight will probably fluctuate up due to the bread. A pound or two is often due to a particular food and is usually water weight as many of us know.
Keep going everyone!

62!!!! congrats... and gosh how gorgeous to see outlines of muscles. Huge congrats. You're creating amazing health for your body - so inspiring

Normally do my fast (500) days on Fridays and Mondays when I am working from home but not too hard 😁
Last week I did Thursday as Friday was DH's birthday and we went out, and I am doing today as out for a meal with a friend tomorrow. If I was trying to restrict every day I just couldn't as so many meals out at the moment and I don't want to be rubbish company! Today has been tough though, probably not helped as I exerted some energy taking my daughter swimming this morning.

Anyway, decided 70kg would be a good target for Christmas/end of the year.
SW was 77.4kg
TW I think 63kg would be good, have been around there before, and less, but hopefully realistic and maintainable now I am a bit older too.
CW 75.4kg

I used to do Jillian Michaels dvds when I was slimming for my wedding in 2013. I don't seem to have the 30 day shred any more but do have a couple of others. Not very manageable for me these days as have some nasty arthritis in my joints but have been doing a gentle class at my local health club!

Happy Sunday all, hope you have had a good weekend.

Sounds like a good target @JadeVS72 and also rather wonderful that you'll then be half way there. Like you, I juggle days and eating windows depending on who I am seeing and what I'm doing. Definitely helps a lot.

Here goes - Friday check-in. Feeling quite pleased as my weight soared up to 11.4 after a day of overeating, and its come back down.

SW 14.2
TW 10.12
CW 11.1... pound down on last week, 1lb up on three weeks ago.

Hoping for a pound off this week and to be consistently 10.12 by mid December. It's quite slow and unpredictable at the moment - though I'm not very consistent either.

How are others doing?

63.2kg at the end of September, followed by 63kg last week, (with a flicker to 62.9kg to taunt me).

This morning I'm 62.6kg, so that flicker was showing me heading in the right direction 😀

Still hoping for low 62's by the end of the month and into the 60's by Christmas is looking possible.

My fasting/eating windows have got a bit blurry, so need to tighten up on that, but I'm tracking calories consistently. Considering signing up to Nutracheck, as I have been using it to discover calorie counts on random items and it seems very useful; be nice to be rid of my notebook and pen, though it seems pricier than it used to be at £34.99 for the year.
Has anyone here used it and does anyone recall any referrals/offers, e.g. Black Friday? If so I'll hang on a while.

I am enjoying the Jillian app though, and I'm currently 9 days into a 90 day programme!

ETA: my scales app still classes me as 'slightly fat' which is a fair assessment 😂

This is terrific @IDareSay ... you're so firmly in the 62s.

Yes, I believe you'll be low 62s by the end of the month and into the 60s by Christmas. Love that your scales have a verdict on how fat or not you are!!

Like you, I need to tighten up my approach and ensure I have more "restricted" days each week.

Continuing to be hugely impressed by your relationship with Jillian!

I did weigh myself on Friday but had had 3 meals out, 2 including both wine and whisky, so really putting on 0.3kg was a miracle and only due to the fact I had managed 2 fast days!! Putting me at 75.7kg but still confident I can lose a bit this week (only one meal out planned to the local Giggling Squid that I am quite excited about. Wish I didn't love food so much!)
Have discovered the konjac noodles this week and even though they don't fill you up they do make you feel you have eaten more with almost 0 calories!
I haven't heard of nutracheck but I do find myfitnesspal has most things on it (obviously crowd sourced so may be inaccurate) and the free version does me well. Do let us know if there are any magic apps that make it all easier though!

Morning all and Happy Sunday!
I’m not doing so great. Weighed on Friday just under 11.10 but have eaten lots of junk yesterday and Friday and not kept to my 8pm cut off at all. So I am sure I’ll have gained more. Have been gradually slipping over the course of the week.
I had been doing ok with 22s and 16s but feeling down due to stress with family stuff affecting relationships, and lots of work to get done over the weekend despite busy week last week and upcoming. Emotional stress affects my eating. Weather is rubbish and dark so just not getting outside much either.
On the bright side I’ve managed 16 hour fasts despite feeling crap most days and healthyish meals, just hitting the chocolate afterwards and no off button in the evening. Sleep of course also not good, watching rubbish tv going to bed late…
I’m not going to let this defeat me though. I’ve come a long way since 13.5 in March. So I’ve got to get my healthy food shop in today- start drinking more water, I’m going to hit the work early this morning-I’ll feel better when it’s done. I’m awake anyway.
It’s helping a little to post here. Will plan my week ahead which helps. Feel the need to take care of myself a bit better - my hair for instance is horrendous right now.. Will try to post more.. Hope all are well.
Good to hear about the wins @IDareSay and @loveyouradvice and a wave and solidarity to anyone else who’s struggling - we will get back on track!

@JadeVS72 - that's terrific! A very small price to pay for meals out and whisky and wine!! I am glad I enjoy food so much - it makes life so much richer and more interesting. I just need to learn to eat more consciously - I know that I can get just as much pleasure from a small portion as a large one, but often "forget"... or can't convince myself!! Im always so impressed by slimmer chefs.... Prue Leith is an amazing role model who truly enjoys her food!!

@tiredwitless so many of us are in that emotional eating club... huge empathy for you. Do come and post on here more often - I definitely find it helps more when Im wavering too. As does having a fridge full of healthy tempting food. You are so doing amazing - that's well over a stone and a half off since March, a brilliant achievement. Good luck with nailing the 8pm "off' button ... I find that helps me more than anything, and when I can do that I feel as if I'm getting back on track and the next steps are easier.

We have all been there @tiredwitless and I can sympathise with the stress eating. The weather is also certainly affecting me; absolutely no way does a salad appeal when it is dark and raining sideways!

Glad to hear you have a plan in place, I always feel better for having A Plan.

I will probably go over my calories today, but I tell myself it's just one day and tomorrow will be better. I have done my exercise and walked the dogs so might just hunker down for the rest of the day.

I love a Giggling Squid @JadeVS72 but I'm nowhere near one now (probably a good thing) but I don't think they are too calorific compared to some!
I am currently contemplating my end of month birthday eating treat; fish and chips on the beach for lunch if the weather is fair, or takeaway from our favourite Indian restaurant for dinner if it is foul. Either will feel like a massive treat.

Hey everyone!

thanks for tagging me in this new thread
Sorry I haven’t checked in for few weeks, but I have been keeping going with the 16:8 fasting most days and doing the odd 800-900 cal days here and there but find them very hard to do
I’ve also been sticking to 10,000-15,000 steps a day & gym twice a week
Aiming to do a 800 cal day tomorrow

starting weight 12 stone 8
current weight 12 stone 3
goal weight 10 stone 8

Hoping to get to 11 stone 12 before Christmas and then maintain over Christmas (really don’t want to regain any back!) and then re start losing again in Jan!
Hows everyone getting on?

Ooh good luck @Herewegoagaintake3 - 10-15k steps plus gym is amazing, I am sure it is paying dividends in terms of health an fitness. Much harder on a low cal day though so hope your 800 day goes well!
@IDareSay I looked up giggling squid calorie menu (so helpful!) And the chilli and basil veggie stir fry is apparently under 300 then 400 for coconut rice isn't terrible, as long as I drink something nice and light as well. Amazing the difference between that and the ~800cal massaman (before adding any rice!)
Thanks for the encouragement @loveyouradvice - I have been trying to enjoy my smaller portions of deliciousness lately 😁

Well… low cal day yesterday was a FAIL.
today however I managed to fast until 2:30pm and have only had 1000 calories in all, so I’m happy with that. Plus I went for 2 walks so finishing on 14,000 ish steps.
Will try do again tomorrow.
Hoping for a 1lb loss this Friday 🤞

Thank you @JadeVS72 😊

I’m sure you will lose weight cutting out milky drinks @StealthSightHound its surprising how much they add up! good luck with OMAD tomorrow

x

You are not being unreasonable at all @StealthSightHound - I'm older than you and cannot tell you how much I enjoy having my figure back - wearing those gorgeous trousers (! yup, make my legs look as if they go on forever, optical illusion, dont know how)...my body just feeling as if it glides down a street rather than galumphing...that for me is the main change, my body feels the right size. I don't feel big and clumsy as I used to do in a space. I enjoy trying clothes on and them looking good - mainly from my attic or Oxfam... but feel new to me! And I love connecting to my younger self, in her 20s, who had surprisingly good taste.

And I haven't yet achieved the muscle you have - that is my next step...building strength slowly and steadily. Looking forward to seeing where I might be by next summer - I hope you can take some inspiration from how amazing you have been in building your strength, something truly tough to do ... you CAN do hard things, and knock this weight-issue on the head

Yes, my biggest inspiration/frustration is exactly this- and wonder who else on here feels the same?
I'm very tired of always thinking about food/weight - for around 40? Years. So, how can I get to a much lower, healthier weight and then stay there without thinking about it any more
I can't believe how much of my life has been dominated by trying to get thinner, stay thin, despairing etc...yes, over 40 years.... just too much emotional energy and time. Just absurd... and rather sad.

So my main ambition this year is To eat consciously for pleasure and for health. I am never going to stop remembering how much I enjoy food - it is such a rich and pleasurable dimension of my life, whether cooking it, eating it, feeding and nurturing other people. I just want to learn to control how much I eat - to eat unconsciously less and less. And to transfer my joy to other things - watching cookery programs, planning meals, rather than eating for comfort.

I truly believe we can all do this - I have had moments of doing it - and last Xmas/New Year felt truly triumphant maintaining my weight while having small portions of pud and not feeling I was sacrificing - actually feeling joyful throughout. And felt I had space to think of other things other than food - I did then put weight on May-Aug with a health scare, so am releasing that weight and looking to gain that serenity again. I look forward to us all planning Christmas strategies starting next month.

Good luck @StealthSightHound with OMAD and 800 calories a day - it's hard core and it does work - and I hope you can be kind to yourself at the same time, and acknowledge what huge strides forward you have made around your health - really relishing these and congratulating yourself

Fish and chips on the beach in blustery autumn weather sounds fab @IDareSay - especially celebrating a new you in the 62s!

Great to have you back @Herewegoagaintake3 - yes, lets work together to sustain losses over xmas. Sounds as if it is going great for you - congrats! Those walks and steps will be really helping - and like you, if my low cal day turns into something else there's always the next day. Lots of opportunities! Let us know how it went for you today.