13 weeks countdown til summer holidays begin, I want to wear shorts this year!!

[twoandahalftimesthree]

For years I managed to maintain my weight but since I turned 40 and had a injury which prevented me doing my usual exercise the weight has slowly crept on. I was just over 11st on my 40th but two and a bit years later I am at least 12 st 8 (just come back from a week on holiday where I really overindulged, I will weigh in accurately tomorrow morning!) The last time I was this heavy I was pregnant!
Earlier this year I did 5 weeks very strict (no sugar, low carbs, no wine, no gluten). In the first week I lost 6 lbs and then no further loss for the following 4 weeks! I never strayed from my restrictions, ate a huge amount of non starchy veg so I didn't feel hungry but it was a big commitment and after a month of no loss I fell off the wagon.

Predictably, i have now put back on those 6 lbs and added another 3 for good measure!
I had an operation to repair my injury 3 weeks ago and now feel recovered enough to start back with my exercise which I feel may have been the missing ingredient from my last weight loss attempt (i hope so, cos otherwise wtf?!)
I have just worked out there are 13 weeks until the schools break up for summer holidays so that seems like a reasonable time frame with a specific end point. If I lost 1.5 lbs a week for 13 weeks that is almost a stone and a half which would bring me down to very nearly my comfort zone weight wise.
I am now committing to exercising for 20 mins everyday (at least on average) and going back to my low carb, low sugar WoE.
I have just got to do it!!!! If there's anybody who'd like to buddy up and join me here that would be great.

I started in earnest on Monday. I'm 9.10 and very small framed. 8.10 feels much better on me. Love your idea of getting to a goal for the beginning of summer hols to feel good in shorts.

My clothes don't fit, my thighs are rubbing together and I look all wobbly.

Am sticking to 1200-1400 a day INCLUDING WEEKENDS. (Wine and unhealthy food at weekends has been my downfall). I'm avoiding all white carbs and no alcohol in the week.

Green smoothies for breakfast, salad for lunch and nutritious dinners. Naked bar, fruit or two oatcakes are snacks. Lots of chicken and eggs.

I find eating the same meals every day really helps me keep calories down.

I have joined a gym and gave my first class on Thursday. I'm over 40 and have noticed a real loss in muscle tone - I want it back!

Day 2 here.
The plan for today is to do a half hr run this morning and stick to my 12-7 eating slot.
I'm going to make a soup for lunch again (yesterday's leftovers were wolfed down by dh), and chicken with rice and broccoli for dinner.
I'm actually really hungry this morning but will hold out. This feeling is telling me I'm having to use fat reserves! (Don't quote me but I like to think it's true)

Welcome ssymonds, your plan sounds excellent, good luck.
I have no challenges scheduled for today so hoping to fast til 7pm then have v healthy dinner. Also make time for extra catch up yoga.
We are off to visit relatives for two nights tomorrow and then have other family coming for Sunday lunch. It is ds' birthday too so there will be lots of challenges. I plan to skip as many meals as possible and just nurse any glass of wine I am given. This sort of thing tends to be the biggest challenge for me as when you're dependent on others for food and eating out a lot you've no control over your choices and refusing seems rude!

Morning , and hello .
3lbs is brilliant twoandahalf!
I'm 1lb down this morning . I do 3 13 hour shifts a week and am never as good food wise at work . Still I managed to go on the bike watching catch up Eastenders and get rid of 200 cals .
Hope everyone has a good day.

Just weighed in at 12 st 4 so that's 4lbs off in 3 days- yay!
Checking on my happy scale app that's just below my starting weight last march Last year I managed to lose 11lbs over 6 weeks of april/may but then I had my injury and was on crutches for 3 weeks and wasn't able to exercise properly all year. I put those 11lbs back on plus a little more. I had my op 4 weeks ago now tho and i reckon I'm back in the zone now!

Well done twoandahalf - 4lbs is a great loss - I'm going to wait until Sat am for a weigh-in, that'll be a week. 9.55am and I'm counting down to 12pm when I can eat (hold on Livelifewith passion - we can do it!) - homemade chickpea chilli - and I have cooked chicken pieces in fridge in case I get peckish in the afternoon. My trousers feel ever so slightly looser I think so hopefully I've lost something.

Wow! 4 lbs is good.

I can vouch for the soup LiveLife linked to at the end of the first thread - my DH liked it too, and is having it after playing football. A positive, as normally he fancies the fish and chip shop.

I've lost 2lbs, walked just over 41/2 miles today, had the soup at 3, and made a 2 egg omelette with so much veg in it I couldn't fold it over properly.

Great to here all the positivity.

Thanks May50! I managed to hold on and run for 25 minutes before 12. I couldn't even run for a minute at the start of the year so I'm really pleased.

Breathe glad you and your dh enjoyed the soup! I think I'll make it quite regularly now.

I've had dinner and a bit of chocolate (!) before 7 so that was me done for the day. It is hard but I'm determined this time.

4lb is great twoandahalf.

I was down a bit today, fingers crossed tomorrow. Very healthy food day, but when I put it all into mfp I was over 1600 calls... the brown rice pasta for dinner was more calorific than I imagined. I still think I might have lost a bit though, and even if I hadn't, at least I didn't eat any Easter eggs and gain.

Socialising is my downfall too - dinner with v boozer foodie friends will be a challenge. Normally I decide to drink my calories, but then I get super drunk on an empty stomach and eat an entire cheese board or similar.
Three drinks max, and a bowl of chia seeds and yoghurt before I go to line my stomach is the new plan....

Chia seeds do really fill you up, I like to make a really cold smoothie with them. The combo of the frozen ingredients (kale, spinach & blueberries) with avocado for fat and kefir (i actually love the taste is this) then chia seeds thicken it even more it comes out like a semi freddo ice-cream- totally yum!
Dh wanted to go out tonight after all, I had fasted all day so thought it wouldn't be an issue and chose what I thought would be the best option on the menu. It would have been fine expect the chef had decided to drench the whole dish in gallons of oil- it was so rich i've felt a bit sick ever since and i've had two peppermint teas to counteract it!

Sadly also not had time for exercise again today- very frustrating.

My scales are broken so I can't weigh myself. I'll have to go by how my clothes fit.
No exercise today and im going to try to not eat til dinner today. I've got loads of chores to do this morning. My house is a tip and I'm getting my gloves on and turning the radio up. Will be in a calorie burning cleaning frenzy.

Another lb down this morning . Been good so far today although just had a bowl of Alpen so tea will have to be tiny . Waked 10000 steps and burned 200 cals on the exercise bike .
I have decided once I get into the 8 stone something bracket I will treat myself to Botox .
Hopefully that along with looking at pictures of a much slimmer me will keep my mouth less full off food.

Can I join please...... I am 5ft 6 12st 9 need to lose at least a 1st 6 .... however I will settle for a st ..... wine and snack my downfall ...... no drinking in the week ....... snacks off Limits unless carrot stick or celery

I have now decided that the thought of giving up wine was worse than doing it! I have banned DH from bringing any into the house. It has made a BIG difference to my resolve at night.

Another 1 Lb down yesterday, only just managed my 10000 steps, am just about to go for a walk now, before the dog wakes. He dawdles too much.

Where do you get your kefir from two? I googled it, and it looks like something that would be good for my digestive system. I already take probiotics, and have started supplementing with digestive enzymes too.

Welcome doner .
I've stayed the same today . I'm a bit worried about tomorrow night , going for a Mexican meal which will include lots of wine and cocktail . I feel completely in the diet mode and don't want to ruin it.

Never mind the shorts for summer , just been trying on dresses for tomorrow , great way to make you feel shitty when nothing fits like it should :(
How are you all doing today ?

I feel you pain Xotic

Is there an online menu for the Mexican? Prechoose something relatively healthy, try and limit the carbs, and stick to it. Don't eat all day, enjoy a drink, but forget about weighing the next morning, as you might feel despondent. Hopefully the next day you will have stayed the same - fingers crossed, you might have even lost!

I dropped another lb today. If only diets made you lose as well after the first couple of weeks.

I did have a look 123 , there is a fish dish and a chicken dish that look the best, everything else seems to have bucket loads of cheese .
They have nice wine which is a killer as well . Anyway I will try to eat as little as possible and you are right I won't weigh in on Sunday morning .
👍 For the lb off.

Morning, I weighed in today. Weighed 11st 4 so that's 2 lbs loss this week. But disappointed not more for the first week - hope it doesn't slow down! I stuck to the 12pm - 8pm window like glue , which was tough and cut out sugar etc. I'll just keep on and hope for the same next week, need to up the exercise I think. So hard after age 40 I'm finding to shift this weight!

Well done May! That's a good start!
Your method is working so keep going.
I feel your pain too xotic. I just want to look good in normal clothes. I'd love to wear a dress and feel good in it.

123 you're doing fab. I can't keep up with all your losses! How much is that altogether?

Yesterday was ok. I did my run and stuck to the 12-7 window but I ate a few things I shouldn't have really. Like a kitkat and crisps. I'll try to make it up this weekend. Dh is cooking a curry today so I'll try to not eat much and look forward to that.

Thanks Livelife. I'm only 5ft 1 by the way so do need to lose a good 2 stone really in total (though if I can get off 1.5 stone so the scales are just under the 10 I will be happy) . No exercise time today but will stick to diet. I got some Zumba DVDs so will give the beginner one a whirl tomorrow. I'd love to do a proper Zumba class but no childcare cover to do so it's going to have to be in the lounge

May. 2lbs, is still 2lbs lost - do you drink lots of water? I have to force it down, but it makes a difference.

Just about to have curry too LiveLife. Wasn't on the agenda, but Is a takeaway, so have ordered shashlick, so no sauce and spinach paneer. But won't eat any rice or bread.

Have broken my no wine rule, had an unscheduled 240 mile trip today, have been up since 4. Dog fell 30 ft off a cliff, miraculously only sustained a sprained leg. Have raided MILs fridge for some wine. But have walked 6 miles, so hopefully will stay the same. Off to batshit crazy (in a good way) step Mil now, and lovely FIL to deliver said curry.

I was 11st 9 at 4am, down from 12. Will weigh again on Tues, as no scales here.

Gosh 123 - you've been through it! Glad dog is fine, that was lucky. Deserve the wine I'd say. Good weight loss too. And no, I hardly drink any water, I probably drink one cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea plus maybe 2 glasses of water a day . I'll try and up my water. I always forget to drink, particularly when I'm at work all day.

Been away for a couple of nights so just weighed in this morning- back to 12st 8!!! Gah!
I have had treats this weekend but I think that weight gain is mostly totm. I'm just thinking actually that this often throws me off course as I have to discount what the scales say for around 8/9 days a month and then get out of the habit of checking it. I must keep at it everyday throughout the month, happy scale is quite good for that as it makes allowances for those fluctuations and shows you the overall trend. I hope it is just water retention but regardless I won't get disheartened and will carry on.
123 your dog had a lucky escape there!
I get my kefir from chuckling goat www.chucklinggoat.co.uk/ it's not cheap but it is proper stuff. I have tried the stuff from my local polish supermarket which a friend of my mum has had great success treating her cellulitis drinking the supermarket kefir but my psoriasis is of 35 stubborn years standing so I went for the premium option. It seemed to help immediately but then I stopped for my week's holiday and it got a lot worse. I'm back on it now so fingers crossed. It is reputedly one of the best ways of getting your probiotics, certainly a real food source is generally better than a supplement. For gut health and healing I also take high EPA omega 3 and powdered glutamine amino acid.

Try and pour 2l of water down you today two, don't give up, get your shorts out and put them on - it might help spur you on!

I've been doing loads of research, and have placed a standing order with chucklinggoat for 2 lots, as am keen to get my DH on it too. The blog is interesting, and I read all the Q&A page. It will still work out cheaper than my wine bill

I am down to 11.8 this morning, so goodness knows how, have managed to drop 6lbs in a week. Have worked out that I need to lose 22 lbs in 10 weeks to get me into healthy weight range. Sounds doable, if I'm lucky.