Summer 2023, the final weigh in & ongoing chat

[prettybird]

I started, so I'll finish.

I've agreed with the lovely @BIWI that I'll start this thread as I started the Boot Camp and I wanted to finish it.

She's going to jump back in with her much bigger Big Stick until I feel more up to it.

The lovely @FinallyHere will be along shortly with the link to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness.

Thank to both of them for their support - and to you lot too!

I hope you've got what you wanted from this Boot Camp. We'll stay around here for chat and support until the next Boot Camp is organised.

I started Boot Camp early myself in early June at 12st 12.75lb. Having got down to 12st 1.75lb, I then had a massive blip in July for various weird reasons and sent back up to 12st 6lb ( above where I'd started on Week 1 of official Boot Camp ) but had got back to 12st 4lb 2 weeks ago.

Since then, I've dropped to 11st 12.75lb, so that's a whole stone. A bit drastic, but I'll take it as a minor positive but for a sad reason

I might manage to get under 11.5st before we go to South Africa next month

It seems more appropriate to post this update on this thread rather than the prep thread for the next Boot Camp.

Good news is that I've finally breached the "3 figures" target: I was 11st 9.5lb this morning . Only 3/4lb to go until I'm back to where I got to last Christmas - I might even manage to achieve that by the Monday weigh-in for the new Boot Camp/going off on holiday the following day

Given how much wine we've drowned our sorrows in drunk in the last 5 weeks, I'll take that

I've just broken an extended fast if you exclude wine with done Greek yoghurt, cream, strawberries and cinnamon Yummm!

I've bought some nice Size 14 shorts from M&S: a navy blue pair new and a beige/cream chino pair off Vinted. Two size 14 swimsuits and a cute bikini from Vinted too.

We have done a "trial" pack of our clothes and have plenty of room for the couple of ornaments I'm taking over for my aunt and my dad's lady friend. We now need to unpack and split our clothes between the two checked in cases.

Well done on breaching the weight barrier @prettybird.

Vinted is awesome isn't it? I'm addicted - bought 2 fab blazers, brand new for a fraction of what they'd cost on a shop. And some very chunky 90s style boots.

Posting here and not on the new bootcamp thread as it's a bit dispiriting! Anyone have any advice for when weight loss stalls? I've been the same weight for 3 weeks now and it's so frustrating. I'm sticking to this woe religiously, and week have introduced a PT session as I need to get back to exercise anyway. Any good tips?

Stalls are normal  - that's why we remind people that weight loss isn't linear and that a healthy rate of loss is an average of 1-2lb a week. 3 weeks isn't really that long in the grand scheme of things, even though it must feel frustrating while you're in it.

Sometimes the body takes a few weeks to reset to its new normal and the scales will start moving down again once it has.

I'll put on my @BIWI hat and ask how much you've lost so far? Plus outline what you've been eating over the last week days and we can see if there is anything you need to adjust.

Sometimes a stall is due to not eating enough and you need to up what you eat! This can be particularly the case with the amount of fat you're having.

Are you having all the water? I often find if I'm stalling, it's a sign that I've not been drinking enough water

Also, you mention that you recently started an exercise regime. Again, sometimes the micro tears that your muscles ensure especially at the start of a new regime can cause a bit of fluid retention as your body works to repair them. So again, up your water intake

Also, have you noticed any other benefits? Sometimes when the scales are stalling, your body is still changing shape for the better. So are your clothes fitting Amy better? Are you sleeping better? (I've noticed that although I'm still making sure to drink all the water, I'm no longer having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the loo!) How's your skin?

Thanks @prettybird. I think I could definitely do better with my water intake, so I'll focus on upping that. I've lost 1 stone and 4 pounds since the last bootcamp started, and have another stone to go. I have definitely noticed other positive changes (my clothes are fitting better and my knees don't hurt any more) so maybe I need to stop being so fixated on what the scales are telling me!

@cardboardbox24 a quick look at the spreadsheet shows that you've lost over a stone so far, so:

a) you're doing really well!
and
b) low carbing is obviously working for you

As @prettybird says, 3 weeks isn't a stall, even though I know it feels like it.

Have a good, long, hard look at what you've been eating and drinking and ask yourself if you're really following the rules, or have you allowed 'carb creep'? Are you getting all the water/fat?

Perhaps go back to strict Bootcamp for a week or so and see if that makes any difference.

Thanks @BIWI . I'm joining the next bootcamp so will be doing the strict version from tomorrow but tbh am doing it already! I occasionally have a couple of blueberries but no other fruit, nuts etc. I'm also doing the 16:8. I have lunch at 12, snack around 3 (normally boiled egg) and then dinner around 7.

@cardboardbox24 sometimes I mix up my I/F regime (change the length of the fast - shorter or longer, change the times that I eat). Sometimes I add in a 'carb reload' - never very much but a day when I have less fat and whatever 'healthy' carbs I have been missing: puy lentils, a few black beans, some beetroot.

Sometimes that kicks my body back into a "it's OK to let go of this fat" mode.

You say you've another stone to lose - is that to get into a normal BMI (whatever that actualy means?) or is it to get back to the weight you were age 23 before you had kids? (or whatever is your relevant target). Weight loss does slow down as you approach a lower weight. I know that I get stuck if I eat too much dairy and cutting back on cheese and cream can make a difference for me.

@venusandmars I need to lose half a stone to get me to the top of my healthy BMI, and then the other half a stone to get to a weight I'm happy with. I think you're right about having a mini "splurge" though. Now that you mention it, whenever I've done that in the past (birthday etc) it seems to have kick-started things a bit.

In good news, I've got to 11st 8.5lb - so have achieved my revised target of "better than where I'd got to by 0.25lb for Christmas 22"

Who know, I might even manage by some miracle to get to below 11st 7lb by 3.30am tomorrow when we go to the airport