A glass of water - the self-optimisation thread

[pigmcpigface]

Let me start by saying this is an experiment, and I have no idea if it will work!

I made a thread called 'Shit, I'm obese'. It was about getting onto the scales and finding out that I was far more overweight than I had realised. A bunch of other Mumsnetters joined in, very sympathetically, to say they'd been through the same thing, but had lost weight and I shouldn't despair. Others posted that they were in the same place as I was, and that they wanted to lose weight too. Some said that they didn't have problems with weight loss, but they had other goals they wanted to reach.

This has just made me think- rather than having weight loss threads with a one-eyed focus on pounds and ounces, why don't we have a thread devoted to wellbeing more generally? That means fitness, healthy eating, happiness, self-development, and generally feeling comfortable and at peace with ourselves. It can mean learning to run or to do yoga, or fulfilling a life ambition, reaching a career goal, or getting a qualification. It might mean anything from tidying and sorting the house to huge emotional steps - leaving a bad relationship, or finding a good one.

It can, in fact, mean achieving ANY goal that is related to self-care and that can be reached by steady baby steps each day, with the help of a supportive bunch of people.

I also thought it would be good if we had a kind of "base" activity. This is a first step, but also something to do when things get overwhelming. When everything feels too much and you feel like giving up. When you're having a really bad day and are tempted to do something that doesn't care for yourself. It had to be something simple, straightforward, quick and accessible to most people, but that would be a tiny thing to look after yourself when the chips are down. So I settled on the idea of drinking a glass of water (hydration is important, right?!!). The point is that if you take even a little step, like drinking a tiny bit more fluid, you can feel just a bit better - and that this makes taking other steps a bit easier too.

Anyone with me?

Count me in! I’ll have a look at your other thread too.

What an excellent idea
Looking forward to progressing with you & others - have some as a token of happy appreciation!

Ill join

Hooray! I'm so glad people want to do this! I thought it might just be me and the tumbleweeds.

Tell me about your step-by-step goals!

Mine are:

• lose weight (4 stone, but gradually and gently)
• get fitter
• write a bit each day so I can finish my first book (this is a very nerve-wracking thing for me)
• be kinder, to myself and other people
• drink more water

Oh I like this idea.

I definitely would appreciate help keeping on my goals.

I've been dieting since November and have lost nearly 3 stone. I'm almost at my prepregnancy weight but I still wasn't at a healthy BMI then so I still have 2 stone to go.

I've increased my exercise a lot recently, completed c25k and am aiming to complete 10k in the next few months.

I was educated in a different country so I don't have GCSEs - I've recently started a maths and English class to get equivalent qualifications. My maths tutor said I should be able to take the exam in June and offered me a place on a free maths GCSE course starting September. I'm quite excited about that, as my DD is in year 10 so we can do our maths GCSE together. :)

I have a toddler as well so sleep is often hard to come by. When I'm tired I turn to sugar or caffeine for a boost which isn't remotely sustainable.

Goals:

Lose 2 stone over the next 3-6 months
Run 10k by June, increase speed to manage this in 1 hour (don't know how realistic this is tbh)
Achieve my qualifications in current courses, move on to other courses later
Drink more water (as well!)

Oh and get more sleep

Hi op,

I was also on your other thread.

My goals:

• reduce carbs and cut out processed foods as much as possible. So trying to do a bit of a lowish carb, whole food / Mediterranean diet. Hoping this will help me lose some weight. I’d like to get to a healthy weight to begin with, but would like to lose a bit more eventually
• drink less milky tea and coffee
• drink more water and green / herbal teas
• do some yoga every day
• start running / jogging / maybe do regular park run eventually
• read more books and stop using my phone so much

Thanks for starting this. Great idea for a thread .

"I've been dieting since November and have lost nearly 3 stone"

WOW! That's incredible. I am full of so much admiration. And congratulations on the 5k too - 10k by June sounds very realistic if you already are able to go that distance. You are like a level 5 water drinker already, you have achieved so much! Are you doing the follow-on programme that comes after C25k?

I have a PhD in English and while I got it, I taught GCSE students at an FE college, so maybe I can help support you through that course, though judging by your post help isn't really needed!

@athing just reminded me to add that I’m also thinking about some sort of further education/training for when I want to go back to work. I’ve been a sahm for over 3 years and have a 3mo at the moment, who I think will be our last baby.

Taking some time now to figure out what to do with my life career-wise, as I didn’t have time... ok, ok, I might have had time, but I didn’t bother , after graduating from university and before getting married and having babies.

dance - your goals sound a lot like mine. Except the yoga. I can't do yoga. I did try once, but it was like watching a hippo trying to be a gazelle, in a room of gazelles. I even fell over, flat on my face, in front of everyone. Hopefully we can help each other to get there with the healthy weight.

Ah, thanks mcpig. I appreciate the offer. :) When I first moved here I managed to get onto an English literature a& level course but that was many years ago. I loved it. I am thinking of doing an OU cours in English literature eventually so you will definitely come in handy. ;)

Making all these changes has been a big commitment but it's worth it. I'm suddenly feeling so light on my feet (might be lack of winter coat tbh!!)

So many typos. I blame the toddler who is currently trying to shove toys in my mouth

Hahahaha! Love the image of you typing with a lively toddler! I manage to make so many typos and I don't even have that excuse!!

I am sure the OU will be lucky to have you on their English course! I work in a different discipline/area now but I really loved doing my Engish degree. If there's any way I can help, don't hesitate to say! We willl all be cheering you on through the maths - hopefully someone with much better skills than me at that can help out!

I’m on the hunt for a C25K app. I might ask dh to watch the dcs on Saturday and will drag myself out for a jog / walk. Could even go tonight couldn’t I?

@mcpig I am in no way gazelle like or flexible, but I do like yoga. I’m not especially good at it though!

dance - You certainly could!

A couple of years back, I used the NHS C25K podcasts, which you download through itunes:

www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx

I remember them being OK! I didn't finish the course, but that had nothing to do with the materials not being good- I broke my ankle falling off a stool!

Thanks! I’ll d/l that.

Yikes a broken ankle is a pretty cast iron excuse for not completing it! Ouchie.

Can I join please? I like the idea of this ... self care is right at the bottom of my priority list and it shouldn't be. I struggle with anxiety and a really bad patch over the last week has made me realise I need to look after myself better. So I stumbled across this thread at a very appropriate time.

My immediate goals -

• more water (love the idea of a simple glass of water as a step in the right direction)
• use my mindfulness daily app instead of just deleting the reminders when they appear on my phone
• exercise (will aim for my exercise bike but if not then a walk at least!)

Longer term -

• lose 1.5stones (and keep it off)
• eat better in general

Thank you for this ... it feels like just what I need right now

wenchelda - Oh, anxiety is just awful. My heart goes out to you. I wish I had some pat, easy solution for it - but I don't. I suspect your list is a really, really good one for tackling it. Exercise really helps me when I feel it starting to build. I have this thing sometimes - and I don't know why, because it's stupid and I KNOW it's stupid - where I unthinkingly see exercise as a punishment. I blame PE at school! It's stupid because every time I do actually get up off my arse and move, I feel loads better! I'm trying to switch to seeing it as self-care and "time I deserve" because I think that will help me make that initial move off the couch (always the hardest step of the run for me).

I'm using an app called couch to 5k & 10k. It has adverts but they aren't overly intrusive and it works with music/podcasts (pauses audio for announcements).

I’m in! I was on your other thread - thanks for starting this.

I’m morbidly obese, have high BP following birth of my son 10 weeks ago, have very high cholesterol.

Doctor has demanded significant improvement to weight and cholesterol in the next three months.

I’m on a low carb diet plus fasting 2 days.

I’m walking mostly for exercise but once I lose a bit and my knees stop creaking I’ll try to up the exercise.

I want to feel well again - I can’t reme the last time I woke up and felt really good. It makes me feel so depressed.

Good luck everyone.

merry - congratulations on the arrival of your son. Now that really IS an achievement!

I have heard of people having absolutely amazing results by sticking to the 5:2 style diet you are doing. One of my friends was in the same boat as you, and she did it very strictly, and ended up not only losing a bunch of weight and lowering her BP but also significantly improving her diabetes. The doctors think she might even be able to reverse it. Amazing.

I am cheering you on wholeheartedly. Oh, and I hear you on the creaky knees. I really do! My body makes all kinds of strange noises when I try to move after a period of stasis now.

Yes please!

I want to:
Lose 15kg
Exercise at least 5 days each week (I'm already doing Pilates and swimming three days so I think this is doable, plus it makes me feel much better)
Complete the C25K that I'm near the beginning of, then go on to 10K
Be more focused and get more done, the nature of my work is that I tend to be dealing with several things at once and I don't always feel that I'm doing any of them very well
Get more sleep

As well as the exercise and sleep, I need to eat more vegetables and less meat, plus less crap, especially when I'm busy/fed up/tired.

Having written all this down, I can see how interlinked it all is! I really want to get up in the morning and put on clothes I feel good about like I used to, rather than put on something camouflaging and that will do up like I do now. When I go somewhere nice I spend ages thinking what clothes will disguise the flab rather then what I actually like. Plus I'd feel and be much healthier at a lower weight.

Are we going to report back regularly? I think making a regular update might help me to do this.

Oh yes, I’ll update too.

Oooh there's another Heffalump here

I would like to -

Lose 2st
Up my fitness levels (started with doing more steps)
Sleep and generally relax more (diagnosed GAD)
Eat better and reduce the convenient junk I grab during the day

I'm getting married this December and forgot to lose the 2st last year which was the plan!

Sounds a very good idea. I feel a lot better when I eat better (day 5 today of reverting to what were my normal healthy eating habits for life - some (far too regular) bad stuff had crept back in). I would also like to lose a stone or even half a stone and my be this thread will encourage me. We have our family holiday in June so it would be nice to feel a bit more my usual weight by then.

Everyone will have different ideas about what works for them. I am trying to get firmly off sugar which I know I can manage (I often have) first and then eat a bit less too.

I agree with the walkers. It's great. It's hard for me working at home (and being lazy....) to do it. I did manage 3 hours mowing (lots of grass here) earlier in the week and always feel better for that. However I'm trying to start with food first as that works for me better.

I want to stay healthy and happy above all so even if I don't lose weight that's fine too.