It's Offtober! The "lose 7lbs" in October challenge thread

[BitOutOfPractice]

The last thread inspired us to shift the pounds so let's kick October's butt too!

Link to the September thread here

Hooray! Despite nothing coming off for the first few days, my week of refined carbs abstinence has paid off and I'm officially 3lbs down from Monday. And that's despite a few glasses of bubbly to celebrate a new job.

I will continue with the routine for weekdays but there are lots of celebrations this weekend... I may well be back to square 1 on Monday but I can live with that. I feel like I'm back in control which has helped my mindset enormously.

Thank you for the encouragement Plum. I think I will try Monday to Thursday booze free. Usually on a Sunday we have a cook up. Lamb Navarrin today in red wine sauce with onions and carrots, roast potatoes and peas tonight. But it is only on Sunday that I have a big meal. But I have had three big Bacardi and diet cokes tonight - lovely . I bought some small tubs of rhubarb crumble in Tesco and when I got home looked at the calorie count - 315. By the time you add custard, it would be around 500 calories - I think that's about half the daily intake for my day if I want to lose weight. I have left them in the fridge for my teenage DC and non-teenage DH. Walking as a start to exercising is a great idea. Must try harder. Weight has stayed much the same this weekend - as always. Bought a nice new bra in Peacocks though - in the sale for £5 - gives me a bit of a lift in more ways than one.

By the way, very well done to those that have lost weight and I am really impressed with the walking and swimming some of you are doing. Plum, you have done so well to lose that amount of weight this year. Fantastic ! I bet you look really slim now. I think I would be really happy to be about 10 and half stone.

Well done Kiki.

Your Sunday Lamb sounds lovely Trish and great work on not eating the calorie bomb crumble. That's a good plan to keep off booze in the week as changing up those habits is what makes all the difference - for your health and weight. When I lost 4 stone a while back it was mostly through making small changes like that - making more effort to get moving with long walks as well as stopping daily drink habit and just thinking about what I was eating a lot more.

As for me, I've had a free-for-all weekend, but not to excess, and now I'm back to no refined carbs for the week.

Fantastic abstinence Kiki and Trish! Ditching the booze M-Thurs is the single most effective thing for weight loss in my experience. It also helps me stick to my resolve wrt food.

Let's do this pony When are you planning to weigh? I think it'll be Friday for me.

Oh. The wheels have dropped off here

Just back from second amazing weekend break in a row ( went to Venice with my mom and sister) and I am 2.5lbs up. I really didn't go mad but I didn't stint on the wine and gelato either.

I really do need to get back in the groove. Kick me up the arse please. I can feel my resolve slipping

BOOP that sounds amazing, I am incredibly envious!

What happens when I have a blowout is that I have an initial bloat, and a day or so of very careful eating and tons of water helps it settle down. When I first got back from my honeymoon I looked and felt enormous, but after a couple of days I weighed, and was only 3lbs heavier than I had been when I left; obviously that's a lot but I hadn't been thinking about what I put in my mouth for almost a month!

I'd get straight back on the wagon, guzzle some water and herbal tea to get the fluid retention on its way, and try again in a couple of days. 2.5kg is 5lbs, nobody can truly gain that over two weekends!

BOOP I second Quim! If you've been feasting then your body will be in process-those-calories mode (#badscience) so you can shock it by halting the proceedings and it'll burn off the excess in no time.

Just trying to convince myself that my lunchtime veggie and miso soup is as good as the baguette my kids are chomping through. It's always much harder in half term.

Thanks quim (though it was 2.5lbs not 2.5kg). I'm intending to have a golden week. You are right to remind me about the water though. Must drink more

Bloody hell, 2.5lbs is nothing! A couple of low-carb low-dairy days will kick that into touch!

When's your next weigh-in scheduled for?

Right I have meal planned and on-line shopped so I feel a bit more in control

I'm 5 glasses into my water target of 8

I can do this

Yes, yes you can!

I'm doing well so far. Fast day, 9km-odd walked, and 1 mile swum again.

Feeling positive!

Not had dinner yet but I have a hairy dieters chilli bubbling away on the stove for after the gym (just off there now). I should be well under calorie target today

Sits with boop in the scoffing corner

I have had a great weekend but I have eaten pizza and sweets and drunk beer .

2 pounds on and I need to buck up and get on with it .

All kicks welcome !

And I didn't even have Venice as an excuse :(

I have printed off one of the pictures of me in Venice because I looked so fat and frumpy I can use it as motivation

BOOP you sound so down this week Please don't let a bad diet week get to you, if that's all it is; in years to come you'll always remember your amazing trips to Venice and Portugal, and you won't at all remember the extra lbs. I know we all get into this weight loss thing, but there are much, much more important things in life

Aww thanks quim I do feel a bit fed up. I just feel like I've been dieting for months yet I'm still fat if you know what I mean.

I've had a golden golden day though so the only way is up I guess.

I had an absolutely fantastic couple of weekends. My mom sent me the loveliest message this morning about how much she enjoyed our trip and how much she loves me. So you are right, it was all so so so worth it

Well done everyone on the losing side, and commiserations to those who have stayed the same. After our weekend away I am happy to report I stayed the same. On Saturday according to fit bit I walked 25088 steps, so no wonder my feet were aching at the end of the day. It's just over 9 weeks till we go away so I will be trying harder. Must do more food planning!

Today is my official weigh in day and i am really pleased to say that after reigning it in after my weekend of pizza and beer I have managed to lose a pound this week .

So that is 6 pounds off this month . Fingers crossed I can get the other pound off before the end of the month . But even if not I am happy with that .

Good luck everyone !

Howlong Whoop! Good work.

I am still on my weekday no refined carbs jag and it's going well, even though the weekend contained puddings, wheat products and cocktails. I am surprised at my resolve, it's been a while since I've been able to do this without caving.

Well done chris, Howlong

Kiki I find it's easier to have set days when you "can" and days when you "can't". It just works for me if I can't really negotiate with myself.

How's it going today BOOP?

Bleurgh. I feel flat and depressed this evening.

Dragged myself out for a walk and a swim but got there and told the pool was closing early.

Craving wine.

Humph

Quim Hope you're feeling better this morning.

I've finally dragged myself out of my slump and started doing my physio exercises again, which is bare minimum but it's a start. I'd got myself into a bit of negative spiral I think but hopefully I'm out the other side. Getting my eating sorted and holding myself to account on here was a necessary stepping stone.

I over-ate yesterday though so I'll be happy if I keep my weight level this week rather than a loss. Baby steps.

Hello!

Sorry to find you In the blue corner quim think I'll settle down next to you. I'm so sleep deprived that's not helping. Constant pain from frozen shoulder is dragging me down. As is the fact that the bloody scales will not bloody well budge

I've just stomped along the sea front for half an hour so that's blown the cobwebs away a bit.

Hope we can all have a good day.