March 2025 starters Thread 5

[TheSpoonyNavyReader]

New thread for all of us.
Thank you for allowing me to rant, share our ups and downs. Our group blows my mind of how we are so supportive of each other.

Some of us are now hitting the 12 week mark, some of us are nearly at their goal, some halfway and some still have a way to go, but we are all losing even if it’s half a pound a week. We have all come so far and are making a difference to our health.

OMG @TheSpoonyNavyReader You look amazing! Huge congratulations, what a wonderful day it must have been. That dress is stunning!

@TheSpoonyNavyReader you look fantastic! That dress 😍😍

@Flaitchmy personal trainer suggested changing my eating patterns when I had a plateau eg intermittent fasting if you do not already, 6 small meals a day if you normally have 2, or if you are close to target doing a reverse diet to see how many calories you can increase to without putting on weight and then reducing again.

This has just uploaded again

You look fantastic @TheSpoonyNavyReader . Gorgeous dress.

You look phenomenal and so happy! Masses of congratulations, hope it was a magical day.

I think my body listened to me complaining

last week I had 0.5 lb loss and this entire week no loss until yesterday 1lb loss and expected to see a gain today .

SW 115 kg / 18.109 st
CW 102.8kg / 16.188 st
GW 11-12 st

loss this week 1.7 kg / 3.7 lb

one I’m super happy to be 0.8 lb from the 2st mark however 3 lb of the loss this week is within the last 24 hours so I expect a gain to start the week again and that the loss is temporarily (this is what has happened other weeks with minimal loss) but hopefully I have managed to battle through and completed the first plateau

Congratulations and you look absolutely beautiful !!!

Hope you had a fabulous day @TheSpoonyNavyReader , shame about your lack of appetite though! You look amazing, beautiful dress too.

Amazing scale victory today , my official weigh in day. Dropped below 15st and not only just!

Wk 10 - 3lb loss!!
Sw 17st 2
Cw 14st 12
Tw 11st 7.
Total loss 32lbs.

32lbs!! Unbelievable.

End of W11.

Had a slight gain last week despite having a really good food week (0.5lb).

This week was a bad food week. DS is in the middle of GCSEs and DD had a week of end of year exams while trying to keep up with her never-ending sporting events. So I’ve been on SportMom and revision buddy duties all week - so food decisions were either quick/easy or driven by what the kids wanted to bribe/reward study!

So I was expecting the worst when I stepped on the scales - pleasantly surprised to have a 3lb loss this week 😀

SW - 12st 8lb
CW - 11st 1.5lb
BMI - 25.95

i haven’t weighed so close to 11st since the summer of 2022 - which is just before my mum died (the first of three close family bereavements).

I love the hair and makeup as well @TheSpoonyNavyReader Your skin is amazing, it glows.

@Bipaloss @Illbefinejustbloodyfine Incredible overall losses, so inspiring! Well done - it's hard work doing this!

@Flamethrowers I have extremely low ferritin and iron levels, low enough that I've needed regular infusions in the past. It's highly likely that the stomach issues will be exacerbating that for you. Make sure you're taking Vit C alongside your iron supplements - it helps absorption a lot. If you can get Ferrograd C from an online pharmacy, it's a great double supplement, works really well.

In spite of a bit too much wine last night (although far fewer glasses than I used to drink, I seem to have lost the knock it back tendency and am sipping like a lady now!), and saying I ate too much, I just looked at the photos of my dinner plate (yup, I'm that sad, but it really helps me keep on track), and it actually wasn't that bad at all. It was a buffet (a friend's 20th wedding anniversary) - and those can be lethal for me, especially since you can't do things like ask for dressing on the side. But over half my plate was decent salads and crudités, swerved the bread, pasta and potatoes, and I went for the fish option from the protein section (a very yummy poached salmon with pickled cucumber). So having gone to bed feeling very full and thinking I'd over indulged, it was more the volume (plate was a little bit overloaded) than the composition, and since lunch was super light (green salad with chicken), I think I just about stayed ok on overall calories. That's a bloody miracle for me - I used to hoover at buffets, with multiple helpings and a lot more booze. I said no to the cocktails, and I love a good Martini!

And - scales are continuing to trend down. I suspect today's loss is probably because I'm a bit dehydrated from last night though so isn't a real loss. But it's not a gain, so that's a win. I know some people see the effects on the scale 2-3 days later, for me it's pretty much overnight.

SW 10st 4.6lb/144.6lb BMI 25.7 (prescribed MJ because of diabetes risk and hideous waist measurement)
CW 8st 12.6lb/124.6lb BMI 22.1 - 20lb down, 88.5% of target achieved.
GW 8st 10lb/122lb (22.6lb total target loss, 2.6lb to go (4.6 with 2 for a bounce) BMI 21.6

Loss by week:
W1 (2.5) 5.5lb
W2 (2.5) 1.3lb
W3 (2.5) 0.7lb (ate out loads)
W4 (5) 3.3lb
W5 (5) 0.5lb gain (ate out loads)
W6 (5) 3.8lb (Post Easter weekend plus period)
W7 (5) 2.6lb
W8 (5) 1.5lb gain (BH weekend away, ate out loads)
W9 (7.5) 1.1lb (NY trip)
W10 (7.5) 1.1lb (Hakkasan and weekend away)
W11 (7.5) 2.6lb so far (Chelsea, BH weekend)

I got an email from my provider asking me to book in for a consultation to discuss maintenance. They do a maintenance plan, so that's fine - in spite of the fact that I know I know how to successfully maintain without MJ, I'd rather stay on it when I get to goal weight. And I'm still nowhere near goal waist measurement. That might actually be the much harder goal for me. I do a lot of exercise but I'm a bit lazy and mostly do exercise I like and don't push myself hard enough, which does fuck all for my core or muscle mass!

joining the crowds cheering how beautiful you look @TheSpoonyNavyReader x

@seasidehunter I wonder if you're one of the people who sees a bit of a scale lag - so you're seeing the effect of a really good week last week now. Sounds like you've been very busy this week though, so probably burning loads of energy! Good luck to your DS - that was me last year, so stressful!

@TheBossOfMe thank you. I'm struggling a bit as I know this weight is coming off fast, and that's not always a good thing. That said, I know people with more to lose, can lose more quickly. I'm terrified of loose skin, but hoping genes are on my side in that respect.

I do also know that I need to start exercising. I am active daily, 13k steps minimum and wasted 17 plus miles last weekend for example. But no dedicated exercise really. Struggling to find time, energy, inclination....

Quite possible - let’s just hope next week’s weigh in isn’t too unkind then 🫣

@seasidehunter I think with all the physical and nervous energy you're burning off, you'll be fine. Pretty much the only time I lost any weight since end 2022 was last year when DD was doing GCSEs, and I certainly wasn't watching what I was eating. Of course, piled it straight back on again during our post-GSCE holiday.

@Illbefinejustbloodyfine I walk loads as well, and it's really good exercise. And like running (if you can call it that at my post injury speeds!). It's the more "gym" type forms that I have to really kick myself up the arse to do. Bar walking I do all of my exercise first thing, as soon as I've got out of bed and had something to drink. And I try to do something every day, even if it's only 15 mins. I find doing it first gets it out of the way, doing it daily means I don't say "I'll do it tomorrow". So it's really the intensity that's my issue.

@TheBossOfMe - our post-exams holiday is 3 weeks in the USA 🫣 I was planning on having a 2 week break from MJ so I hope it doesn’t get too messy with weight gain. Probably not as bad as a fortnight of beach holiday/AI though - everything will be expensive and we’ll be walking loads.

@seasidehunter Oh yes, I remember you saying that on an earlier thread. There's no point being miserable and denying yourself too much on holiday. And you'll be surprised how many calories you burn if you're walking a lot, in spite of huge US portions, I've done holidays in some parts of the US without gaining much weight at all. Better than a fortnight of AI on a beach, as you say. Plus if you're somewhere warm, it might act as a bit of a natural appetite suppressant anyway, it usually does for me. Where are you going? I find eating out easier on the West Coast than the East - it's the Southern states and Midwest that can be super challenging.

Re food being expensive, it is, I'm always shocked at the price of everything in the US. Few tips that might work depending on where you are and how you want to eat. Lunches - if you don't mind eating outdoors (I take cutlery in my luggage so I can do this when I travel!), supermarkets are usually good for pre-packed salads in pots that are reasonably priced and not too calorific. Trader Joes is my go to place - they also do great pre-prepared sushi. Just don't go to Whole Foods - it's seriously expensive!

For dinners, which is where the cost can really rack up, remember portions are huge, so you can eat family style and share one main dish per two people from the middle of the table rather than ordering a dish each. Depending on where you are, eating in the local Chinatown/Koreatown can be really decent value, again eating family style. Find the cheaper Italian family run restaurants - they're usually brilliant and well priced. Pizzas are gigantic and can easily be shared. Hotel restaurants are usually the most expensive option - I avoid them like the plague even when I'm on an expense account. And don't hesitate to ask for doggy bags if your leftovers have anything that would work eaten cold - if your hotel has a minibar, empty it and store your food in there overnight and have it for lunch the next day.

Some excellent tips - thank you. We’re going to California - moving around a bit inc Disneyland and the big cities. I might even take my running trainers, but if we’re walking lots then I might not feel like putting more miles on my poor feet! Have chosen hotels with breakfast included to keep the costs down - my DC are total carb fiends so if they fill themselves up on breakfast foods then they probably won’t need a lot of lunch and we’re more than happy to grab and go. Although I made the mistake of grabbing lunch from whole foods when I was in the US for work last year - never had such an expensive sandwich!

@seasidehunter OMG I'm jealous - that's such a brilliant holiday, I love Disneyland. I lived near there for a short while in my late teens, and used to hop over after work to jump on rides (they used to do a cheap local evening ticket, think that's gone now). Cali is pretty easy to eat well, not cheap, but cheaper than a lot of places in the US these days. Brilliant that you've got breakfast included - we always skip lunch on holiday if breakfast is free (early afternoon ice cream definitely doesn't count as lunch!)

If you happen to be driving past Pismo at any point, stop and eat at the Cracked Crab. It's not crazy expensive unless you want a bucket of seafood per person - their clam chowder is amazing, as are their fish tacos and crab rolls. See, food noise absolutely hasn't gone away here. I'm gobsmacked I've lost any weight at all 😂

Oh, and in Disney, eating in Downtown Disney is cheaper and better than the restaurants in the main park.

@TheBossOfMe DCs keeps showing me videos of US food and the food noise is definitely still there - maybe not screaming anymore but certainly still whispering in my ear 🤣

@seasidehunter I'm starting to research next year's holiday destinations and I've realised a huge amount of the rationale for me choosing places is the ready availability of really good food 😂

We had a devastating holiday this year - we went to Istanbul as we are turkish food lovers and the food was absolutely awful. London is way better!

@Flamethrowers I had to spend two weeks solid in Istanbul for work a few years ago. I also found the food really disappointing in the first few days, touristy mass catering, until I said something about it to my local colleagues. They made it a mission to take me out every evening after that to little local restaurants, mostly on the east side of the city, tucked away, that I'd never have found on my own. Absolutely wonderful, wonderful food. I think it's one of those cities where you need local recommendations for food from people who live there rather than hotel concierges or the like. When I got home, I had a parcel waiting for me with a load of local Turkish spices and store cupboard ingredients like pomegranate molasses that they had shipped back for me. Such amazing people - such a shame I don't get to work with them very often.