12 week makeover help needed please

[newstartgiven]

I’m so excited as have been offered a new role that ticks so many boxes for me. Am currently at a very very toxic employer but will mostly be asked to go on garden leave for notice - 3 months.

how can I use this time to sort myself out and start the new place feeling good?

am 4.5 stone over woeght, do not exercise, drink too much wine, have no hobbies, lost all enjoyment in looking nice (clothes and makeup) and rubbish mental health.

any thoughts on how can chop away at these in next 12 weeks much appreciated!

Oh what an amazing opportunity! Congratulations.

I would suggest that you set yourself some basic structure for this time. Eg get outside by x time every day. Minimum 30 mins outside whatever the weather, etc.

If you do some exercise every day you will feel like a different human in 12 weeks.

Would you consider joining a gym or yoga studio or getting a personal trainer a couple of times a week?

I would also find a nice thing to do every day - might be going to a gallery, or (literally) smelling the roses at a garden centre, or curling up with a good book. Go to a concert or lunchtime recital if there are any near you.

I'd also suggest making sure you don't watch more TV/have more screen time than normal.

Get your hair done. Have a massage. Learn again to respect and appreciate your body for what it is, and take care of it.

Get a notebook and write down how you want to feel at the end of this 12 weeks. What you want to have done and start to plan how to make that happen.

Have the end goal in mind but take one day at a time.

(Also, it's fine to take time to rest as you will need mental recovery from the toxic work environment).

I'm excited for you!

Congratulations!

Coincidentally I’ve found three months is the perfect amount of time for intermittent fasting to make a noticeable difference to weight. If you choose the right hours for you it shouldn’t be too hard after a couple of weeks adjustment. (Eating only between 8am and 4pm worked so well for me that it became integrated into normal life even after I’d achieved my weight - actually clothes size - goal.) Just find what works best for you.

One way to aid weight loss and increase enjoyment in food is to sign up for a weekly veg box. If you’re overweight you’re probably not eating enough fruit and vegetables - increase your intake of those and there’ll be less room and inclination for carbohydrates and UPFs.

That will give you the energy for all the other preparatory activities suggested!

Thank you so much. This is literally life coach advice and all both great and well received!

Well done on your dress size loss!

IF seems doable for that timeframe in the day. And yes I definitely need to up fruit and veg 😳

Thank you.

This is exactly the best time of year for weight loss. Your veg box will be full of seasonal salad ingredients and stuff that needs minimal if any cooking. Yes, the famous MN ‘massive salad’ - but it’s not boring if you’re experimenting with purple carrots and limitless fresh herbs - tossed in EV olive oil and good vinegar with handfuls of nuts and seeds and a pulse / grain of choice.

Moving on to clothes - what’s the dress code at your new place of work? And do you have a projected budget for your new wardrobe?

drink too much wine

have no hobbies

rubbish mental health

Let’s see if we might trace a connection between these statements …

Could you decide to cut out alcohol for a month? And stick to it? (If that proved impossible it might be a good idea to get some formal help.)

Sober evenings might incline you to reading. Pick an author, or genre, or national literature you’ve always meant to try.

It won’t cure anything serious - but it could be a window of relief. Which, with better food and more activity might improve your sleep - which you haven’t mentioned but I suspect isn’t great.

Congratulations on your new job OP! Sounds like the perfect fresh start.

Personally, I would join a yoga studio. I agree with @PoppingTomorrow on creating a routine. This helped me massively when going through a rough patch a few years ago. I did an early(ish) morning class e.g. around 10am, and then a class in the evenings around 5pm. This added structure to my day and was a great way to de-stress and tone up.

Other things:
healthy breakfast (e.g. porridge, eggs and guacamole etc)
time-marked water bottle to keep hydrated throughout the day
eat heaviest meal at lunch
one smoothie per day (I always have spinach and carrot as a base)
light dinners (salads, soups, fish - things that are easily digestible)
on sunny days, go to the local park and read or go for a stroll
plan something nice once per week with friends/family
rewatch favourite films/TV shows
personal shopping session (John Lewis do a free one)

It might also be nice to plan a hol/mini break before going back to work. Good luck!

Amazing tips, thank you. Have a few days off this week, so sat in the sunshine making a list!

feeling so positive for the first time in such a long time. Thanks all for the encouragement and advice

Get outside every day - don't leave it longer than two hours after getting up (I read that tip in an article about improving mental health, and it really works).

Cut out alcohol for a month - as you say you think you drink too much wine, this will be good for you, and if you're lucky you might find that some weight drops off.

Start swimming! It's the most mood-lifting thing I know.

Keep a journal or diary to record your progress.

Good luck!

Pour that wine away! Go for a walk each day. Include fruit and veg every day. You've had great advice so far so I will just add this in: sometimes mental health gets worse after leaving a toxic environment. Be aware you may need to just be kind to yourself for a couple of weeks. Rome wasnt built in a day