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.

Happy new year when it comes, ladies! I'm still on the wagon but will be going to my parents' house on Saturday for a second Christmas dinner, which I'm looking forward to

I hope you all enjoy yourselves tonight, whatever you're doing xx

Thanks Helena
Just heading out for dinner, groan - but already looking slimmer than if it had been a few months ago. Worked out today but still planning just one course.

It is just under six weeks till my holiday so I will be counting on your support lovely MNers. Happy New Year all xx

6 weeks til my birthday.
Then in April there's a posh dinner dance. Dad was a mason and until last year, we went as his guests to the 'ladies evening' that was held annually. Black tie, evening dresses, the works. It was lovely and we thought that we wouldn't be going to any after last year as Dad was diagnosed with, and later (Nov) died from bladder cancer. But.... his brother is the 'Master' this year, so it's his ladies evening and the proceeds he will donate to the hospice that looked after Dad. So I have a posh frock to aim for. I have many in my wardrobe, in all different sizes. I know the one I have in mind to wear is a not generous size 14. So that's what I'm aiming for, no matter what the scales actually say.

Today was far more in control. Brunch after a lazy lie in. And meal of steak and roast parsnips (odd combo due to leftovers etc but lovely). There will probably be chocolate later, but it's a much better day, diet-wise that the recent days. So far anyway.

The scales today said 13.11, which means I've put on approx 4lb since the Monday before Christmas. Not as bad as it could have been!

so this 6 week marker is good for both of us Charley?

I'd actually quite like to stick with this thread, I know it's no longer seasonal but it will remind me that I made an effort over Xmas which in turn which will stop me sabotaging the effort when work boredom kicks in.

I worked out yesterday in the afternoon. We got served our dinner at 10pm due to a mixup although this meant the restaurant undercharged us by a silly amount to compensate so quite good in a way - so I didn't weigh myself this morning (and I'm not meant to anyway).

One person commented I was looking slimmer so I must be doing something right.

Yes, 6 weeks is great for me.

I've just dis overed Dream Topping but confused about the calories. Does anyone know if it's low cal enough to make a dessert out of fruit, say ut a couple of tablespoons on the friut? I'm finding it hard to see the manufacturer definition of a serving size. Not sure if anyone local sells it anyway though.

My fitness pal has the sugar free version, made with semi skimmed milk, coming in at approx 75 cals for 1/4 of the packet.

Six weeks is a really good goal, that takes the thread up to around Valentines Day so a milestone for anyone wanting to join us! Six weeks after that takes me to the weekend before my hen do, then I only have two weeks until we get married

I've had a really, really bad food day. We went to visit my parents and there was a three course meal plus chocolates, mince pie and port. DP and I then stopped at M&S in Edinburgh and bought biscuits and gin in a tin for the train home

I feel so bloated, my stomach is playing whale song and I'm ready for bed! Really looking forward to getting back on it tomorrow. No sign of this chesty cough/sore throat shifting though so my exercise will be limited until then. I may do some yoga tomorrow just so I don't feel quite so lazy!

Charley, thank you. I think that was my fault because I was at my friends today and could only see the lower section of the packet!

Helena, I hope you feel better soon. Gin in a tin made me laugh because when I bought my first home, I had a canned cocktail when I was given the keys, it was all I could get in the rush from the estate agent!

I neeeeed it to be Monday so we are back in routine.

Dh is at home and still in holiday mode, so there's lots of sitting around watching films together, which is nice, but lazy.

None of my exercise classes are open yet and the weather is vile so no fun for walks. I did drag my kids around the local market town yesterday though.

None of us are sleeping properly. It's 1 am here and I'm wide awake. As is dd1 next door. As is dd2 and shes 11 ffs! Then we lie in. Lovely but getting boring. My alarm is set for only a small lie in tomorrow then I'm taking dd2 swimming in the morning to tire her out, then for a walk to my mums later in the day.

I need to be back to being on my feet in my classroom all day, eating light packed lunches and a sensible dinner, trying to avoid the temptation to snack in the evening, then going to bed at a reasonable time and actually

Oh,and the mountain of tubs and boxes of chocolates is to be tidied away under the piano out of sight and brought out occasionally without pigging out.

We can be Cupids instead of grind he's if it's for valentine's.

(grinches)

Charley, I take spare chocs into work when they get silly.

I'm happy to stay a grinch. I would shrink from Cupid as I hate Valentine and all that and bloody love being single. A browse on MN shows more should try it! Are we starting another thread? I quite like this one, it reminds me I didn't pig out over xmas.

theres another one I'm on which I will link to....

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/2429208-Need-to-lose-30ish-lbs-anyone-want-to-join

I'm worried about the return to work. I get bored and there's too much junk food around. And I cant hop on here to distract myself if I'm thinking about food. But the holiday is a good focus.

Thank you Lorelei, I'm still barking like a dog and currently propped up on pillows in bed with Netflix! I swear I've barely moved this whole break

Breakfast was coffee with a splash of milk, lunch was wholemeal toast with avocado and tomato, two Babybels and a full fat yoghurt. Dinner will be some of the ham and lentil soup I made on Friday night.

I feel the same about the return to work. I find it so easy to fall into bad habits there, every single person I work with is one of those 'oh I really shouldn't, aren't I so naughty!' people so there is constantly food all over the office. The 3pm slump is my danger time, if I can push past that then I'm okay.

No 3pm slump for me. That's when I'm chivvying the kids up to get their things sorted for home time. Then I'm either standing at the gate supervising them going home if it's my turn, or busy marking or planning for the next day/week etc. Only boring 3pm ish time is staff meeting day!

I work with lots of lovely people, many of whom are slimmer than me. Boo!

I'm happy to stay a grinch. I'm thinking ahead to valentines, but only because it's my birthday the day after! I want to look better in my clothes wherever we end up going on my birthday. It's also the next school holiday, so I can buckle down, stick with my good term time habits and see where I get to. I'm going up to working 4 days a week (from 3 and a half) this term for a year, which means one extra work day meal. And I have no problem with term time light lunches.

Charley, do you have a danger time of the day and how do you deal with it?I've lost the plot, was it you who lost loads in a week on Smart Points?

Helena, I do hope you feel better, what a pain. Those coughs do take an age to go.

I've just been going through some old clothes to see what I might fit in to on holiday. I fear I might have been too optimistic- well, I have, literally nothing from that pile will work in what is now 5.5 weeks.

I often hear people say "ah but it took you a long time to gain weight" - it really doesn't. It comes on with incredible speed and then is so hard shift, and the amounts of clothes in differing sizes shows that e.g. lots of size 10, hardly any 12 and 14 because I was in denial about going up, then the mostly 16 (or M&S 14 because i'm sure they vanity size) that I'm wearing now. Well, that's trousers. I have trouble fitting my butt and stomach into them so the 16s are a bit loose in the legs.

oh what a lovely picture I am painting of myself, lol. I have done the more advanced version of my workout today, that seems to being going well. so that's good news.

My danger time is the evening. Evening meal done, but I have a sweet tooth. And I have to plan a snack of some variety in that won't spoil my points budget.

I lost 3lb one week then 2lb another. Pleased with that. Until I put on a lb due to having a completely different food day before weigh in, due to it being the holidays and eating my main meal in the day with the kids before the meeting.

I've taken the last 3 years to slowly gain the extra weight I'm now carrying. I know that I can lose a stone or two in 6 months as I've done it before. I just have to do it again and then a bit more.

so what do you snack on?

today was hard. I actually ended up dividing my lunch into two because I could tell I was going to need cheering up. It was a very very long day.

oh and I was awake for a good chunk of the night and ate toast at 3am!!! but that's partly why today was so hard - I was knackered.

PS forgot to say, after doing the advanced version of this workout yesterday - didn't expect to try it till 6 weeks of current one - every time I moved today, I wanted to shout "ow!! My ARSE!!"

But it didn't seem right in the workplace

Being tired makes dieting hard!

My evening snack is whatever I'd have had for breakfast if I'd had it. So a bowl of porridge or cereal. I like eating cereal dry, like crisps, so I will have a bowl for supper. Occasionally I have something chocolatey, like a special k chewy bar (4 spts) or a few biscuits, or some crackers with chocolate spread on. If I have the points left. I'm trying to stick to the cereal though as it's lower in sugar even though it's still not as good as snacking on fruit - which I never do. I don't like to eat fruit unless it's with a meal.

According to my ww meeting weigh in, I've put on 3.5lb since I last weighed in 2 weeks ago. Not too bad considering that I've not gone mad, but I have eaten really nice things and indulged a fair bit. I feel more than 3.5lb bloated though, so hopefully it will come off quickly.

Today we had a training day. We all sat on hard chairs in the hall for three hours listening to a presentation about ADHD. My bum was NOT HAPPY at all. And I'd have loved to have shouted 'Ow, my arse!' It was bad enough that my stomach was rumbling loudly.

The kids are back tomorrow. So it will be much more manic interesting than today.

I've never bought chocolate spread - I'd be scared of just spooning it up like ice cream!!!! Although I guess it's too thick for that?

so we all have pains in the butt today!!!

I will work out again tomorrow but I can already tell you, my arse will still be hurting!!!

Trust me, it's not too thick to eat with a spoon.

I can't have Nutella in the house!

I love chocolate spread - as long as it's Cadbury. It tastes just like melted chocolate. I'd find it too rich to eat by the spoonful, because I like a thin layer. When I'm not dieting, I put it on pancakes, but you use quite a bit. When I'm dieting I use a tablespoon and spread it over 4 crackers.

(I can't stand nutella. Too nutty!)

I did twice as many steps today as the other day, despite not being on my feet all day.

just realised I've been on MN for most of the time since I got in from work

If I could do this at the risk time for snacking I'd be home free!

Right, I gotta go to bed

tomorrow's workout is going to be so hard.....I've decided to do the advanced one on the timetable suggested instead of getting ahead of myself, but if I can do any lunges or squats tomorrow I'll be surprised!!!