Calling all Grinches! Who wants to lose weight in December?

[FrancisdeSales]

I have to start watching what I eat and exercise as I am stuck in a rut! It may be bad timing but I don't care. My goal is 2lb a week so 8lb by the end of Dec. I am 159 lb right now (11 stone 5 lb). Please come and join in my insanity - I am also joining a gym this week.

Wow, Helena, that's phenomenal - well done. Brilliant losses for everyone else as well.

Francis I've stopped snacking too and it's amazing how mindful I've become of what I eat now. I'm actually really enjoying being hungry enough to look forward to mealtimes.

I've given myself two cheat days a week (usually the weekend) so Christmas and the 28th will be mine. Visiting family so will hijack their scales and finally see what I weigh!

Thank you Tessie! Keep going, you'll see that number soon enough - and hopefully you won't have an emotional meltdown like I did

DP and I had a good chat this morning and we've decided that, while we hopefully have many more Christmases ahead of us, we only have one chance (hopefully!) to get to our 'fighting weights' for our wedding, which is only 20 weeks away

We'll have a low carb Christmas dinner with a roast, veggies, nice gravy, pigs in blankets, maybe even a cheeky Yorkshire pudding and then have a normal cheat day at my mum's on the 26th. That should be enough to keep us happy without going balls to the wall in the Quality Street all of Christmas week!

We've both come to the decision that we'd rather look our best in our wedding photos than have potatoes and extra mince pies this year!

That's interesting about the weight watchers points changing Charley. Years ago I did the old points diet and it worked really well, recently I've tried to lose weight with pro points and I've either maintained or gained.

So got weighed today and have put back on two of the three points I'd lost. I'm pleased it's not more. I haven't eaten yet - I tend to eat later in the day as work late shifts and if I have an early breakfast I feel like I'm just eating all day. I'm going back to old fashioned calorie counting with a day off on friday for a friends birthday, and then hope to keep going until xmas eve.

I'm the same as a lot of you on here actually. Hovering around the 14st mark. I weighed in at a whopping 15 stone 2 8 weeks ago- it was a real shock and since then I've got down to 13 st 10 which is lightest I've been since having kids. I was so chuffed at this as it made me only overweight, not obese! However last couple of weeks I've let it slide and I weighed in today back up to 14 stone 1. Wahhhh! I really wanna get down a bit more before Christmas starts properly or else I'll be hovering around 15 again come January, and that will not do at all! My belly (otherwise known as my nemesis) had gone down loads but I fear the beast is back! I'm going to get back on MFP, 1500 calories a day, and smash it for the next couple of weeks.

Had pasta and veg for lunch, 250-300 cals, not especially nice so I need to get a bit more creaative. If I don't enjoy what I eat I will end up reaching for chocolates/crisps. Didn't have any breakfast so I've saved a few cals for later in the day when I eat a lot more.

Wahhhh I find it so frustrating how easy it is to put weight on if I don't stay focused - it takes me about a week of strict eating to lose a pound!

Hi Grinches, have just caught up on all the motivational chat.

I'm trying to do 5:2 and today is my second 'dust' day. Trying to stay under 600 cals for two days a week and then monitor on MFP the rest of the time. I accidentally ate a pear and ginger muffin this morning but it was only small and I am going for a run tonight. Just had chicken and salad for lunch.

I bought some of those Lighter Life FAST products from Superdrug thinking they would help. Minging. But I'm determined to eat them because they were expensive. Just not 4 a day as per their suggestion.

Oh please oh please let me join! My baby is 6 months old and I still look pregnant. I have lost 10kg since he was born but could do with losing another 5. And I was doing really well then went on holiday and just ate, all day, every day. Don't want to do the same over Xmas and undo all my hard work!

So....71.2kg this morning (post mammoth BF). Would like to hit 70 by Xmas, then maybe be at 65 (target) by Valentine's Day. Plan is.....no sugar (I have no self control, has to be all or nothing), no bedtime snacks, more water and trying to not have carbs with evening meal (well, only veggie carbs - not massive bowls of pasta!!). I have a toddler as well so exercise is limited but I will do my best!

You are all doing so well, I am hoping that will inspire me!!!

Fadingblonde- yes I have to be on my A game or it all goes tits up. I was in the zone for a good few weeks as hitting the 15 stone mark shocked the hell out of me. I lost over a stone in 5 weeks- first week I lost 6 pounds!! But then as you say- lost focus once I had come out of the 'danger zone' and my clothes started fitting again. I do want to be slimmer than this. Mind you- I say my clothes are fitting again- my jeans today are feeling rather snug.

I just need the motivation to continue once the initial weight loss and good results have happened. My friend said she got her boyfriend to take photos of her in just her underwear, from all angles!! And she looked at them all the time to remember the horror of seeing them! I'm not sure I could do that. Certainly couldn't do that to my poor dh!!

67.8 kg today so down a bit more. I'd be really happy if I shift another 2kg by January but I'm not sure how realistic that is as all the Christmas feasting gears up and chocolate and mince pies start throwing themselves at me.

This Saturday is going to take some discipline. We're hosting a big family dinner and I have to make a tonne of lovely calorie laden food that I have to remember not to scoff while making it and then not to pig out on it at the time and then not to demolish the leftovers the next day. And I also need to stop thinking about it, these are first world problems.

Everyone is doing so well, I love this thread! I have my work night out on Friday and I'm having beef goulash to start, traditional turkey with all the trimmings for my main and a lemon and blueberry tart for dessert. I'm not a huge drinker so I'll stick to water and then I'll be back to low carbing until dinner at my mum's.

I'm really hoping to see in the new year at 13st 7 but that seems like a tall order at this time of year!

kondos try chewing gum while you cook, it might help you not absentmindedly pop in little titbits. That's what I do during the kids meals - so tempting just to shovel in their leftovers and if I'm going to get fat I want to do it on deliciousness, not on cold, half-eaten fish fingers.

Oh, nice tip Persis, I'll try that for both the big meal and for the cold fish finger snacking which I am also guilty of

I also need to research some lower calorie alcoholic drinks. I vaguely remember from earlier dieting attempts that gin and diet tonic is the way to go but it's not very exciting is it? I'm hoping there is a diet friendly Long Island ice tea out there on the internet- but I suspect I'm on a hiding to nothing there.

I have decreed that there are no calories in prosecco if that helps.

In fact, it's probably negative calories!!

I like the negative prosecco calorie theory, hopefully I can drink enough to cancel out dessert!

That's what I should be doing!! I've eaten only healthy food today....but I've eaten about 3 days worth of it!! But I always find the first day of no sugar so hard, it's harder than stopping smoking! So fingers crossed for a better day tomorrow.

Back from my ww meeting. I've lost 2 and a half pounds. That'll do nicely (especially as in my first week I managed to GAIN half a pound through lack of planning and previously arranged social things).

The plan has changed. I'm now on Smartpoints and have a new book of points etc to learn. I usually make a note in one big go of all the types of things I like to eat and the points it comes to. Then I know in advance what different meals I might have will come to. Helps with the planning for me. And planning is everything as without it I end up grabbing food without thinking and going over before I know it.

Well done Charley :)

First day nearly done, had about 950 calories, first day is always the easiest somehow. I've made chicken salad to take to work tomorrow and planned most of my meals to try and keep on track. I expect there will be chocolates floating about at work the next few weeks so must try to resist.

Morning ladies can I join?

I'm just back from holiday where I put on 4lbs over 17 days argh! Working hard to get it off and then get back on my weight loss. I'm at 77kg and my goal for the summer is 66kg. Started at 94.3kg.

I have upped my exercise and I am doing a mix of running (30 mins) and the next day doing Julian Michaels 30 day shred work out. I know you are meant to do them every day but I get bored and I love running so I'm alternating between the two. I need to do one or the other every day including Xmas for December. I sound like a mad person...

Me too please!

I've managed to put on half a stone recently and heading into xmas with it is just making me miserable. But then I eat when I'm miserable.....

I was wondering if 7 x lb flour bags on the kitchen work surface would be a morale booster or just drag me down further....!

Hello all can I join in too? I stopped smoking in February and was quite heavy anyway at 12.8 stone, the weight has creeped up over the last 10 months and last Saturday was a whopping 13.13 - eeekkkkk! I have never been this heavy in my life and it is really getting me down. I have had to buy size 18 trousers. I have managed to get a couple of pounds off and am now 13.10 and would like to get to 13.7 for Christmas and try and stay there for the New Year. It is really hard to get into the zone at this time of the year but I was so terrified of ending up at 14 something after Christmas which was just too much to bear thinking about.

Forgot to take my healthy lunch to work today so had to make do with a cereal bar and crisps. It was actually less calories, I hadn't had breakfast as was planning to have it just before my shift started ( left it at home as well) so I didn't eat very well but had less calories. Very annoyed with myself though, and hungry most of the day.

I'm still on the wagon, which is a bloody miracle for me! TOTM arrived yesterday so I feel like a blimp and the scales went up 3lbs overnight but most of it has gone again. Lots of green tea, water and reduced salt will shift any bloat in the next couple of days.

I'll weigh in a day early this week as it's my Christmas night out on Friday and there's no way I'm getting on those scales the morning after a three course meal

71.1 this morning. Was starving all day yesterday and am starving already - have eaten an apple and a pear so far. Have to stay in for an ikea delivery so can't even go out to distract myself. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE dieting!!!!!!!!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH