Yes We Canuary! Lose 7lbs in A Month Thread.

[BitOutOfPractice]

Happy New Year Slenderistas.

Let's move away from the Christmas bugger and ditch Linda for good.

Checking in again. I've lost about 3 lbs but my lifestyle hasn't changed much apart from my dinner portion size (much smaller) and amount, ie. just the one dinner (I'm a Hobbit I have two dinners sometimes ). I still haven't cut out soft drinks or alcohol and I know that is my next obstacle. I'm considering terminating my gym membership though, I'll give my reasons and can you all pipe in with advice please [carrot]

1. I have a long commute approx 1 hour and a half in good traffic so gym eats up precious home time
2. It costs $140 a month (i don't have any children yet hence the extravagance)
3. I feel like it could tip me back into my horrible eating disorder that I've managed to nearly forget. I feel paranoid about eating after a workout and I push myself really hard as well to the point where I feel ill sometimes.
4. I feel stupid most of the time and I'm the most unfit in the class. I'm also really uncoordinated and I can't get the hang of weight lifting techniques.

The good points are that this gym has great staff and when I have applied myself I've had great results. I've also become a lot stronger which I know I'd never achieve on my own. I don't know what to do, please help. I'm agonising over this because I have a pattern of quitting and I'm impulsive as hell and I feel guilty that I'm being mean to a small business.

Just remember "You lose fat in the kitchen, get fit in the gym.

So if you're doing anything, reducing calories will do more than the gym. So don't feel bad.

I don't really have a time scale but it would be nice to be thin by then so I can insist on some cringy Kate and Wills style engagement photos!

But that is getting ahead of myself right now I just want to be under 12st!

Ooh tough one liqourice I would definitely find it tough to go with that commute, also don't feel bad at leaving-much better to save that money each month! Do you have any pay as you go classes in your area that you could use some of the money for instead?

I would also say try to try a couple more classes before you resign membership. Classes are the only thing I enjoy at the gym-everyone thinks they are the most unfit / uncoordinated at the beginning, then after a few goes you realise that no one notices what you are doing as they are all trying to 'get it right' themselves!

That is tough Liqorice. How often do you realistically make it? If it's say, once a week, I'd ditch it: that works out at like $30 a visit which is insane, and sounds like it would be better for your mental health to put that money into something less intense like pilates classes. My gym was a fraction of the cost of yours and I ditched it for the same reason: I only went on weekends and if anything got in the way of my ability to go I just wouldn't, meaning it could sometimes only be twice a month I ended up there

I was so hungry today after an inadvertent vlcd yesterday (having fasted on Monday!) that I have broken my self imposed bread ban and had a bagel for breakfast. However, I do not desire a second one so I have clearly managed to reset my bread issues over the last 10 days.

I have oh fuck you soup for lunch, or may cook some veggie filled egg dish instead as I'm at home, and will make a chicken and spinach curry for dinner with brown basmati.

I didn't sleep much last night (need far less when I eat less) and I'm still feeling tender in the back so I think my exercise today will be cycling, walking and likely cleaning! Though I may feel up for a run later if my running buddy requests it.

Thanks everyone. I've written an email to the owner to say I wish to cancel my membership. I barely make it in these days, I think I thought the New Year would magically resurrect any latent gym bunny aspirations I had . Binary I really like that phrase, it makes me feel like I'm still doing ok.

BusterTheBulldog pay as you go classes are a great idea, I dismissed them in the past because I thought it wouldn't be motivating enough as opposed to an 'official contract' but it might just be the ticket

liquorice That's what I do, it's great, no guilt when I don't go! I do lots of activities outside of the gym and would be bored stiff if I only did gym exercise. Guilt isn't very motivating really, just makes you feel even worse about yourself I find.

When I first lost a load of weight I changed my food habits first, then started with exercise - mostly just walking or cycling more, then started c25k programme and built up from there. There's no need to do everything at once, build up slowly and make each new positive habit stick, one at a time (or whatever you prefer). It's the accumulation of small changes that makes for a lasting change.

I use the gym a lot. 5 times a week maybe. I think that's the only way to justify it. By going a lot and making the per visit visit go down. I'll probably go later to do some weights and maybe a little swim / spa.

I can't wait to get back to classes once my shoulder has improved.

Menu today is avocado on sour dough for breakfast. Spicy sweet corn soup for lunch. Chicken with saffron and pistachios for dinner. Because I'm a slave to the marketing I ---- bought some "squaffes" yesterday. Butternut squash cut into waffle shapes so I'm going to try those

I am scared of the Gym I feel super self conscious that everyone is going to laugh at the fat girl.

Where did you get "squaffles"!? I want some easily hooked I miss chips today

Sainsburys in the pre-prepared chilled bit of the veg section

I shall report back later

Honestly, quite apart from the fact that you aren't the "fat girl", nobody is taking any notice of anyone else at the gym. I am by no means a skinny merlink and I'm not bothered and nobody has ever made me feel bothered.

In fact I'm trying to get to as many classes as I can this year (injury allowing) so tomorrow I'm a power plate class and Friday I'm doing aqua aerobics (probably full of older ladies but thought it might help my shoulder)

I went a few times years ago, and I could obviously see that noone was looking at me but I still felt very paranoid. I do want to try again, I need to be brave!!!

I made it to the gym this morning for a new Zumba class. I swear I spent 50% of the class faving the wrong direction but I was properly red and sweaty by the end so I'm feeling good.

liquorice I've done pay as you go trying out new gyms before-it worked really well. It's nice to have freedom to do stuff outside the gym without feeling you're paying twice for exercise. I'm fine with exercising but find calorie counting really difficult to not get obsessed about so I avoid using MFP. You're really sensible to know what things can send you on the road to a bad place and avoid them.

Not down but not up on the scales which is ok I suppose.

So, my first world problem is my work. We have a free staff canteen that produces AMAZING food.

Every day they have soup and fresh salad and jacket potatoes etc. However, to get to that counter, you have to walk past the hot food....

Today's options?

• Veggie Toad-in-Hole or Lancashire Hot Pot With "Buttery Mash" and cabbage
• Pizza Bar (Pepperoni, BBQ Chicken, Margherita, Spicy Beef, Sweetcorn,

Ham & Pineapple)

Then you walk past the dessert counter on the way out - today:
Bread and Butter Pudding or Crème Caramel

Waaaaahhhh

Oh binary that's a seriously hard temptation to resist.

bitoutofpractice I'm making spicy sweet corn soup after reading your post and having a massive craving for it!

I'm so glad my work canteen is expensive! I'd devour toad in the hole AND pizza!

Oh what a fab facility to have binary but oh how hard to be good!

Purple is it the HD one? With spicy bacon chopped on top? Mmmmm!

No but I now wish it was bitoutofpractice! I've got some chorizo in the fridge so I think I'll add some of that. It's just one I found on Google that looked nice.

www.veggieinspiredjourney.com/spicy-summer-corn-soup/

Binary Oh my God tell me about it! I used to work for an amazing food delivery company and one of the perks was free lunch every day. There was a colossal menu and you could order whatever you wanted and I was terrible, even when I had a salad I'd have something carby and fried on the side. It was soooo difficult to resist having pizza etc., especially on days when you're hungry / tired / stressed / hungover / it's cold / it's Monday / it's Hump Day / it's Friday / 10 squillion other spurious excuses...

Both my friend and I were reflecting the other day that we expected to automatically drop a ton of weight when we respectively left, but it didn't happen for either of us.

Now I'm thinking longingly of spicy corn soup too

Wrt gym costs, I actually pay more for PAYG swim sessions on the average week than I was at the gym, but I figure I do actually at least go swimming so it's still a Good Thing, whereas I just wasn't really going to the gym.

Long-term I may still think about getting back into it, as I'd like to get into lifting, but for now I'm happy with swimming and walking.

Absolutely quim - you sound like you have found your groove with the swimming and walking and it's all about finding exercise that we a. enjoy and b. is sustainable

All this talk of canteen food has made me remember that it's macaroni day at work today. If I get there in time (on bus heading in after working from home) I am having some! Hurry up, bus! Our canteen is cheapish and serves school dinners type food. Macaroni cheese is the best thing they do. My diet compromise will be to not have chips with it!

It's not a fast day and I Shredded this morning and am going to my trampoline class this evening so I need a large lunch. Trampoline doesn't finish until 8.45 and I've tried eating before it and felt sick.