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.

Charley - I obviously wasn't planning to go mad this week but tbh I never do in this week, I find all the food at Xmas a bit overkill anyway.

I find logging incredibly tedious and I start to get on my own nerves. on the current regime, I'm not logging stuff but I just mark in the diary if it's been a good day or a bad one.

Helena - I think I probably just hate the rain more!! Seriously, I felt like I had to draw a line - I think it's only because I've been around a fair bit of junk food that it occurred to me to have more junk IYSWIM.

I've baked as much as I usually do/did. But I find I'm not eating as much as I would have previously. I need to take note as it's something I need to remember next year: don't bake as much! It's a bit wasteful really but I've thrown stuff away that just won't get eaten.

I am planning to have another 'sensible' day (with the odd chocolate thrown in as we have LOTS left) tomorrow and then again on the 29th, but with a few drinks at a friend's house in the evening. On the 30th it's a normal day. On NYE we will have our buffet so a few naughty nibbles and sweet things. Not a good day diet wise, but apart from a few leftovers the next day, that will be it.

'Food' for thought..... if the grinches thread was for the run up to Christmas, will there be a new Jan thread or will we just continue this one?

We could do a new thread with Valentines in mind, or Easter?

I'm quite happy to stick with this one but I guess the normal weight loss thread I'm on will go back to normal next week...?

I could probably do with a super disciplined one - I think Wednesday 30th marks me only having 6 weeks to look better on holiday. I am going to have be super grinchy in those 6 weeks so I know I've done everything I can!

I'm going to need to be Grinchy for the next 16 weeks! I tried on my wedding dress today (with super tight control wear!) and it doesn't quite zip yet. The 8cm waist bloat won't be helping that though

I've got a clear run between now and my hen do though, I just need to keep my focused head on.

I need to be grinchy until I've lost 2 stone!

It's my birthday in Feb (6 weeks) and I'd like to look considerably nicer in my clothes by then.

Helena - what's the deadline?

Charley - yes, I've still got 2 and a half stone to lose after losing my paltry 7 pounds in 10 weeks or whatever it is. So although my holiday is the big short term goal, I will have to keep going when I get back.

We're getting married on the 20th April, but we fly out to New York on the 18th. My dress will fit nicely if I can shift a stone, anything more than that would be a bonus.

ooh I love New York!!

that's loads of time though.

feeling superlatively grumpy today

According to the scales, I have gained 2lb, really wasn't expecting that.

Also annoyed that my exercise routine went out of whack; I seem to have slept funny and have a back ache which means I don't feel like it today.

I also have a rash?? WTF is that??

I'm back in the 13's! 5lbs off in two days and 6cm of bloat gone from around my middle. I feel so much better already, I'm only 2lbs away from my lowest weight.

I dragged the dog around a brisk 5km walk, which he enjoyed for the first 3km and then started huffing, dragging his feet, climbing up on me for cuddles. I was determined that we were both getting some exercise so the poor mutt was frog marched the rest of the way

Helena, did you fast for two days? I can't inagine losing that much in two days.

Yes, I'm using up my store of VLCD shakes to save some money and lose some weight. I'll be back to low carbing after a week or two.

It's also just water weight after eating so much rubbish, it was never going to hang around for long

ah I see.

how many calories in a VLCD shake?

They're around 150-200kcal each. I know that I can cook fresh food and avoid the chemicals, blah blah blah, but I'm absolutely skint and I already have the shakes in the cupboard so I can save money on food bills for a week or two by using them up. Things are tight anyway without having to make our wages stretch six weeks so it's nice to not worry about food shopping for the moment!

oh don't worry, I'd never do that blah blah at you.

I was just wondering how they compare to my protein shakes.

I really struggle to have a shake for more than one meal.

I ended up working out yesterday after all, today I've only eaten one meal (sandwich & salad), then I'm going to work out again at 6 (it's meant to be 2 days on, 1 off), then I'm going to have chicken and veg but that will include potatoes because I always need carbs after a tough workout.

tomorrow I agreed to a lunch - a pity but it was due to sheer boredom - not sure what will be on the menu but no breakfast. Then I plan to fast all day before NYE dinner. Then I will heave a great sigh of relief because hopefully New Year will put everyone into "diet" mode.

PS speaking of the blah blah some people do, I for one cannot be arsed prepping anything for those calories, I'd just eat yogurt and seeds and fruit or something.

Well done, Helena. I wouldn't rate them as a long term diet, but I'm sure they're fine for a short blast. 5lb is excellent. I'm hoping that some of my 2lb on is food weight and some is water weight and not all fat. But I need a normal day of eating to find out! Today we got bored and went out for dinner as a family. It was nice, but not terribly helpful to my dieting.

Although I am mostly living on one main meal at the moment as they are quite rich or large meals, rather than two. I've definitely cut down on what I can eat as far as portion sizes goes. I also haven't enjoyed some of the treats I normally bake as much as previous years. No idea why, but I've binned loads of stuff!

I've never tried the VLCD thing, I don't see how it can work for a regular gym goer, I'd just be starving I think.

I am trying to sort out the flat before NYE - my sis is staying - and I am struck, once again, by how much space there would be if I didn't have 4 sizes of clothes. I haven't yo yo'd, just gone up.

I'm keen that whatever I do is realistic so I can remain one size at least till menopause (when I am informed that anything might happen, but my mum lost loads of weight and she wasn't overweight, so she became tiny, hope that happens to me). My long term hope is that by June I will be whatever weight it is I'm going to settle at and then I can buy a capsule wardrobe and give away all the clothes I wore climbing up to that size.

just thought I'd share that. It's nice to talk here about this, really does help. I've done my workout, enjoyed my dinner. It is all doable, I just sometimes forget that.

Ooh, impressive weight loss helena, you'll definitely rock your wedding dress at this rate.

Lorelei I can't wait to start fitting into my hardly worn clothes I bought just before I fell pregnant with dc3 at which point my waistline became a distant memory. I've lost 13.5 lbs since we started this thread and am 10 stone flat now. So hopefully not long now but my body needs to tell that to my stomach.

Woke up at 13st 11.5, so I'm pretty much back to where I was on the 11th December, before all of the festive eating started. Really chuffed with how quickly the VLCD shakes have sorted out my water gain, I feel so much better and, at this rate, I might even be lighter than I was when I go back to work on the 5th!

Hi can I join in? I have about 8lbs to lose to get back to my comfort zone. I've lost 6lbs so far by avoiding biscuits in the staffroom at work and being careful at home since the end of term. I'm a regular runner and have swapped steady state cardio for HIIT on the treadmill and another 20 mins on the elliptical trainer.

I'm also considering getting married in New York so would love to hear all about it!

Welcome Jess (I think that was the cat's name?)
Good start. I have to do HIIT as part of my thing too.

Helena, well done.

Was out for lunch today, had an omelette and salad so I can have a little something for dinner. Tomorrow need to save cals as we are out for NYE dinner but happily no set menu so I will have one course and only have to pay for one course.

I should look up calories in Aperol Spritz....I don't think this place does any diet mixers for vodka. Maybe I'll just have two glasses of Prosecco?

275 calories for an Aperol Spritz!!!