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.

just back from the doctor
been asked to lose weight again
bizarrely, no one seems to have actually made a note of my weight on the last visit so even the tiny amount I've lost doesn't show up. Gah.

I don't mind them asking me, it just blindsided me a bit because normally they say it at Pill check - this time it was totally unrelated and I could see the doc looking at me and then she asked what I weighed.

I so want to be done with this problem.

My old doctor was like that. I'd go in with a chest infection and she'd ask me to "just pop on the scales"

My new doctor is really helpful, I've been referred to the local NHS weight loss scheme. Also, her scales weigh me 3kg less than mine so weigh in is less traumatic than at home

Helena, these scales have put me at 2kg heavier than how I weighed this morning at home - it was first thing at home and at the doc with no breakfast, so most irritating.

It was also annoying to know that no one has actually bothered to note my weight last time because I couldn't even say "yes, I really am trying although it's slow".

I know I'm supposed to be on this "measure yourself" workout and not weigh in for a few weeks but I still do weigh myself daily to make sure i'm not going up.

sorry, I just find this really frustrating.

It sounds frustrating, I'm sorry.

It's really rubbish that nobody noted your weight last time. At least they did this time so you can push yourself between now and your next visit. Then you get that smug "a-ha!" moment when the scales have gone down.

When I went to get my contraceptive injection a couple of months ago, the nurse weighed me and said, "oh dear, never mind!" when she saw the result, but she was at least three dress sizes bigger than me!

that's interesting Helena because this lady is about the same size. I accept that she is doling out advice she should dole out and not to be held up as an example. Plus, although I wasn't there for a Pill check, it's being overweight and on the Pill that was her concern.

Thanks for the sympathy. It just felt like a triple whammy because 1) wasn't expecting it 2) thought I could get on the scales and say "well, see, I have lost weight since my Pill check and 3) I honestly didn't think the scales would show up a full 2kg higher than mine.

i was wearing PJs this AM when I weighed myself so surely blouse and trousers would weigh roughly the same?

How’s everyone getting on?
I am officially Not Happy!

I started this workout what, 3.5 weeks ago. I am not supposed to weigh myself till 6 weeks but let’s face it, we are nearly there. I have lost less on this than on my average diet/exercise regime which had me losing half a pound a week.

The sad thing is, I agree the workout has changed my appearance more and that’s what I wanted for going on holiday. But not that much to the point that I’m impressed by it. I think I might have achieved the same result with an easier and less time consuming workout and a better diet – the muscle work on this makes me really hungry.

Also, now the doc is weighing me again 2 months…

It’s now a month till my holiday. I think I’ve got to take a different approach (maybe fast a couple of days a week though I hate the idea) not just for the holiday but for the doc weigh in.

I think it’s time to go back to the combo I was doing before - aiming for 1200 cals on non workout days and 1500 on workout days. The workout was an easier combo of cardio and weights with about a 50/50 split, unlike the current one which is 30/70.

Sorry, I realise this might sound nonsensical but I find as a regular gym goer you really know what you can do and what makes a difference to hunger levels.

I think I’ve got to give up on looking any different on this holiday and focus on getting the number down for the doc.

Thanks for listening. Be interested to know your thoughts.

Hi Lorelei, that does sound incredibly frustrating. Do you have the kind of scales which tell you your body fat percentage? I would imagine, given the amount of effort exercising and the fact that you can see a change in your body that you have gained muscle and lost fat. When it comes to health it's the amount of fat you are carrying which is of concern to doctors, so if you could demonstrate a loss of fat that might go some way to allievitin their worries.

However, if it's weight loss that you want then I think calorie counting is your friend. What kind of weight loss do you want to see and over what time frame? You might not have to go as low as 1200 on your non exercise days depending on your resting metabolism and your expectations.

And what you have been doing is not meaningless just because the scales can't measure the improvement that brings to your body. I have poorly controlled asthma that keeps interrupting any effort to improve my fitness. I'm working on it but I'd feel fucking epic if I could throw my body around like you do. So don't let the bastards get you down.

Alleviating - I can spell, honest

thanks for your kind words Kondo
I won't bore you with the details - but suffice to say, the resting metabolism figures don't add up for me - they allow me a lot more calories than I can have in reality and I just maintain.

I have got those sort of scales, looks like a 2% fat loss in about 6 weeks but I hear those scales are pretty unreliable and the doctor doesn't use them anyway.

If I have my particular contraceptive Pill refused on account of not losing weight, I will be very sad. So I think I've got to concentrate on showing a loss on the scales and will think about how I can achieve that better.

I also have asthma and there are some days that I can't do whatever I planned - you can tell in the first few minutes I find - but I note you say yours is "poorly controlled" - is your doctor being crap about looking after you? Mine is up and down but I can always do something - I may not reach the level I want to but it's very rare that I can only do a brisk walk, usually intervals or steady state higher rate is fine for me. (I find it really helps with SAD so I feel I've sacrficed that benefit for this other workout as well - grr...)

It just seems such a shame to change tact when you seemed so motivated to follow this route but I can see why weight loss is your priority now.

The 1200/ 1500 calories solution you have planned looks like the quickest route to your new goal. It'll just be a bonus when you shred the weight and swanning around on holiday!

My asthma is a bit all over the place. Exercise isn't really a problematic trigger but when I get a cold or react to an allergy I drop like a stone and it takes longer and longer to recover. I'm more nervous of my breathing now since my Dad passed away with his respiratory illnesses four years ago. Meh, it's just one of those things although I should probably bug my dr about it more than I do.

I hate having asthma. Luckily for me, mine is well controlled most of the time and quite mild. FIL died from respiratory illnesses as well as being asthmatic, so I'm a bit nervous about keeping it under control.

My scales at home show that I have lost about 3lb since Monday. I have counted my ww points and made sure I've eaten enough but not too much.

When I counted cals I could never find the right amount for me to have that didn't leave me starving but did let me lose weight. The ww plan seems to be working for me so far and I'm happy with that.

We have booked our first ever Summer holiday abroad, so I have the fact that I will want to be wearing my swimming costume in front of other people at the resort. And even maybe wear shorts - eek!

I don't care about the scars on my leg from my hip procedure (in fact, they take me by surprise when I see them as I don't think about them normally), but I don't want to be self conscious of my figure. I won't be tiny by then, even if I stuck rididly to everything, but I have an hourglass figure and can usually get away with looking nice but curvy if I am at a healthy weight.

I always used to hover around 12st 4 without trying and didn't look too bad (fitted size 14s and some 16s) and that's my first main target. That's 1st 7lb to go so far.

Charley, may I ask what a normal days eating would be like on your diet?

Kondos, the thing is my holiday is now in a month and doc check in two months so there's no more time for experiments.

Just been out with one of the friends I'm away with. She tried on a dress in Hennes, the medium was clearly too big and the small a bit small but she looked st me and said "I can diet into this in a month can't I?" She can because every time she goes abroad she goes from size 10 to 8. It won't be beach weather but she always goes tiny for special events and holidays. So jealous. She maintains her 10 very easily and she's a boozer, so she has a very easy way to cut calories.

Kondos, re the asthma, talk to your doc but exercise will probably help. Also, post colds etc you might find using your preventer helps, I know mine does. My doc loanec me the peak flow thing to do tests so I learned a bit about the patterns I have.

Um, sure, but I'm not a paragon of good diet etc.

I should probably eat more in the day and less later on, but this is what I tend to eat...

No breakfast or a small bowl of cereal with milk. Most usually nothing though as I don't care to eat very early.

Lunch on a workday is enough soup to fit in a mug, with some fruit and a chewy delight cereal bar as I have a sweet tooth.

Dinner is meat (chicken/pork/steak etc served with a small serving of carbs and plenty of salad or vegetables.

Then I have a snack in the evening as we eat quite early in the pm together and I get hungry again. So I have a bowl of cereal (dry to eat like crisps) or a bowl of oat so simple porridge. Or even a few chocs as it's been Christmas and we have LOADS left!

Charley, you've managed to lose three pounds in a week, not for the first time, hence my question.

As I feared, that wouldn't be enough for me, I'd need more at lunch.

Och well. Just have to keep trying.

I have got used to eating less at lunchtime, on workdays at least. In the summer it's a lunchbox full of salad with fruit and a cereal bar instead of the soup. I stick to the cup sized portion of soup as it's handy and as a teacher, I'm up against a time limit for my lunch.

It's the evenings for me that are the challenge.

I've lost nearly all of my Christmas weight. 3lb off. :)

And I've treated myself to some of the chocs that we have leftover and I feel a bit sick now! Good incentive not to indulge again.

Off to plan my next week.

Well done Charley!

I tried on a coat that didn't fit a couple of months ago, I could barely button it. It fits fine now.

One of my friends to,d me to stop weighing myself because if that coat fits then clearly all is well but I still find it odd.....the extra muscle should be incinerating fat, therefore there should be a result in the scales?

And the doctor will not view examples of coats as valid!!

how's everyone doing?

I seem to have lost another inch off my waist. Also starting to put clothes together for holiday, not as big a difference as I hoped, but not too bad given the scales are still going down at about .5lb a week.

I have reduced exercise and cut back on calories more. I am finding that i don't need breakfast at all but something psychological remains and last night I ate a bit too much at dinner. That might have been Monday-itis though, not sure.

I'm still on the wagon, had a planned cheat day on Saturday which ended on around 2600kcal and I've lost all of the bloat from that plus a little bit extra already. Currently sitting at 13st 10.2, started my diet at 14st 10 eight weeks ago so I'm pretty chuffed with that, especially because I had nights out and Christmas shenanigans in that time too. Wedding dress is closer to zipping up but I'm not trying it on again until at least the end of this month.

I had plateaued for a couple of weeks but I've increased my calorie intake from 1300-1500 to 1600-1800kcal to match my exercise regime and that has kickstarted the scales again.

Wedding plans are all coming together, just need to get my car through its MOT in March and then all of my stress can be focused on getting married

Helena - you INcreased your calorie intake and that kickstarted the scales?

Wedding is in April, yes? So you have quite a while.

I'm now officially 3 weeks away from holiday (well okay 3 weeks and one day!) but decided to tweak a bit as I will have to see doc in 2nd week of March and that isn't that far away - in fact it's what, 3 weeks after getting back from holiday!!

we had a ton of biccies and chocolate in the office yesterday and I didn't have any trouble walking past it which has to be progress. I was also really bored so that was good!

Yes, that's the best way to fire up your metabolism. If you eat at a deficit for a while, your metabolism slows down until it matches what you're eating. If you decrease, that will keep happening until you physically have nowhere to go because you're eating so little already. Increasing your calories makes your body work at a higher level again and boosts your metabolic rate. I hope that makes sense! I lost 2lbs last week eating an average of 1700kcal a day. After two weeks of no change on 1400kcal.

13 weeks until the wedding but I have my dad's birthday plus two hen parties to manoeuvre before then.

I also realised that eating 1400kcal while burning 500+ at the gym was obviously not going to work because I was only eating a net total of 900kcal. I ate 1900kcal on a gym day last week and it is boosting my losses. My stomach is flatter and my - ahem - bathroom schedule is more regular than it has been in years.

Yep, still on the diet but with very little to show for it over the last few weeks. I'm 9st12 now and my waist. (That would be my medical waist, not my waist waist ... Did you see that thread?) is still too high at 32" but I figure I just need to keep on with it and I'll get there eventually.

I've been reading a book about how to adopt behavioural changes to keep the weight off without counting calories. It's all ...'the naturally thin woman only eats slowly/ at a beautiful table/ puts her fork down between bites/ starving her tits off'. I'm two thirds of the way through and am of the opinion I would like to bitch slap the flawless prissy bitch naturally thin woman into the middle of next week.

Kondo, that made me lol so much! Let me guess, this woman wouldn't dream of lifting weights?

No, I didn't see that, what's the difference please?

Helena, I take the view that I get a lot of fluctuation in calories anyway, partly due to amends for heavy workout days, partly due to going out for food and partly due to those days where you go "meh I don't fancy much food" though I'll grant you those are mostly in summer.

I believe the waist measurement that doctors care about is just above your belly button - is that right? Most people measure the curvy bit of their waist but I've always measured around my belly button as that's the widest bit and the part that I care most about getting smaller.