The Not So New Mums. Our kids are getting bigger. Christmas weight loss thread. (Edited by MNHQ)

[SolitudeSometimesIs]

It’s been 6 years since the first New Mums thread but this year will be the one where we get skinny for Christmas!

We’ve tried pretty much every diet going and have supported each other through the good times and the bad. This will be our year, motivation is high and panic has set in.

Hope you’ve all had a good day.

Food planning isn’t going too well. I seem to have bought loads of food but can’t remember what I’m making with it. I think I wrote it all down. I can’t focus on much this week.
I spent the day clearing kitchen cupboards. The kitchen seems to get too cluttered with no room to cook properly.
I really need to start planning meals around everything we already have. I seem to be hoarding food for the apocalypse.

I’m busy tomorrow but will try to prepare some meals on Thursday.

I’d love to see your wedding ideas Rachey. PM me your username.
Rock and Roll bride has quite a good Facebook group with more alternative ideas.

I’ve had granola and yogurt this morning. I’m planning a baked potato and beans for dinner.

Hi Sol. Well done for today. You’re right about focusing on the plan but scales are so tempting.

I was going to start with extra walking with week but I’ve felt too tired so far.
I’m planning on just going on a walk after dropping the DC at school. The obvious solution is us all walking to school but that always takes too long.
I just have to make an effort really. I just always feel like I’m trapped in the house trying to tidy it up.

I completely get what you mean about being trapped at home and constantly cleaning. I have a pain in my arse trying to keep this house tidy and then the gremlins that live here just undo all my work in 10 minutes.

Decluttering is a great idea. At least you will have an organised space to work with. Can you drive to the kids school, walk home, walk back to the school and then pick them up? I hope that makes sense.

I'm thinking of hiding the scales. I'm focusing on the wrong thing, and if I lose weight I sabotage myself. I'm a disaster.

I'm hoping with the world cup being on soon I can leave DH watching the matches and get out for a walk in the evening. And then re-watch all of Game of Thrones obviously

And definitely send me your Pinterest link Rachey.

We have those gremlins too. We came back to a clean house last week and while I was trying to sort the cases and wash clothes they’d wrecked the place. Plus they were mainly playing outside.

I had thought about leaving the car. I park at the inlaws anyway so it’s no problem. I might try that on Friday.

I love GOT, can’t wait until next year. I have a Jon Snow crush!

Morning all,
sol I think hiding the scales is a good idea. Maybe just weigh one a month, but don't forget to take measurements.

green extra walking sounds like a great plan, how far is dcs school? Do you use a Fitbit?

pom how are you getting on? When is your weigh day?

I have stopped dieting for the moment, I'm not in the right frame of mind. I'm just going to continue exercising and writing everything in my fitness pal and weighing my food.

Today I did my spin and circuit class. I only burnt 1000 cals I'm feeling quite tired today.

Breakfast was Greek yogurt with blueberries, strawberries and banana = 192 (all weighed out exactly)

Snack = pink lady and 1/4 bag of hulla hoops

Not sure and the rest of the day. Will keep You posted x

1000 cals is amazing Rachey. That is a huge amount. If dieting isn't working for you I think it's wise to leave it. You don't want to be adding extra stress.

Green my kids seem to leave a trail of destruction too. And their Dad is even worse. My house is like a bombsite, I have no motivation to tidy.

Today is my last day of work. I am not sad, in fact I will be skipping out the door at 5pm and not looking back. I have managed to stay to 30 pp per day but actually most days I've been coming in at around 24, I can rot up my points through the day as I know the plan backwards. I feel and look no different but it'll take more than a few days I suppose.

My goal is to be 10lbs down on the weight I was when I weighed myself a week or so ago.

Oh ladies, I am hungover today.

I went out last night for my friends 40th birthday and I may have drunk my entire body weight in wine. Thankfully I don't feel sick, but if one of you could drop in a burger, chips and onion rings I would be so grateful. I'm so hungry and all I want is junk food.

I had a great night though, my friend whose birthday it was, she was telling us her MIL had been going on and on about the amazing present she had got her and how she'd gone to do much trouble but she knew my friend would love it etc. So my friend gets a lovely gift box on her birthday, her MIL is mugging around getting all of friends family in to the room to see the amazing gift (her MIL had been going on about it for weeks), she opens the box and it's a year pass to the local Slimming World!!!! My friend has 6 month old twins and a nearly 3 year old! Anyway, it made my voucher for H&M seem brilliant in comparison.

I wore a dress last night that I couldnt fit in to properly a few weeks ago, so maybe weight watchers is paying off. I'll weigh myself at the end of the month and see how I'm getting on.

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

sol I've just ordered you a deliveroo
You'll have to eat through it... I'm at your friends present from MIL - so rude !
Fab you got in the dress, fingers crossed for a great weight loss when you weigh in.
I STS again ! I'm going to have to be stricte, I will increase my protein and try and have healthier snacks. I'm a bit hungover and tired today do have carbs +++ will start tomorrow !
Hope you've had great weekends rachey and green keeping a house in order is exhausting, especially with children and a husband ....
I've a dilemma. Would you move to a more expensive, smaller house in s better area/school?

I have eaten all the carbs. All of them. Now I have a bellyache but feel so much better.

Thanks for the deliveroo Pom , were you out last night too?

How far away is the new area you're thinking of moving to? Will it change commutes, how much smaller are you talking? There's so many things to think through. I suppose the big things are if you're moving out of a bad area to a nice area and will the kids be able to get in to the better schools.

I like having space but I would definitely downsize if I was moving to a better area. Can the house you are looking at be extended/renovated in any way? Start looking at storage solutions for small homes and thinking about how much stuff you could probably ditch.

It's a big decision, what are thinking?

I just realised that my "what are you thinking?" might read as if I think you're unreasonable. I meant what are your thoughts on it? What way are you leaning?

Glad you feel better Sol a be had loads of carbs too, I've no hope of losing weight this week.... I didn't have loads of drink but enough to be slightly hungover and very tired ! Not helped by a small person getting in bed next to me at 0500!!!

So the area we are in is ok, the area we'd be moving to us about 10 mins away, better area and catchment for an outstanding secondary school. So we don't actually need to move now but houses don't come up that often there.
The house we are in is spacious, low maintenance and light. I wish we still had the facility where you could privately show photos!
It is logical to move but I would miss this house.

The house has already been extended, could look into upstairs extension.

I did say to DH if we move, we need to get a proper storage system.

Could you stay where you are for another 5 years and stick it out until the kids are a bit bigger? They need so much space when they are small, but it's more manageable when kids get bigger. I know the school system is different in the UK, but how are the secondary schools in your area?

We need to move within 3 years for schools .... so if we don't move now (may not get house anyway, have not offered/sold) we risk there not being a house available nearer the time (small catchment for school).
So we either go for it and make an offer asap that get ball rolling or we wait until nearer the time ( could be more stressful plus will likely be more people looking as class sizes now bigger).

Sorry for offloading - maybe writing down will help !

Oh that does sound tricky. If the school is a better one and opens up more options for your kids then I would probably go for it. Catchment areas are quite small here too, it's very frustrating. We are in the catchment for a school with a brilliant reputation but it is VERY Catholic so I don't send my kids there. They go to a multidenominational one across the road, but parents can get stressed about places. In Ireland, all public schools are good so there isn't as much angst as there is on here about where to send your kids.

You probably have so many lovely memories in your home now, but you can take them with you. Has the house you are looking at got features you really love? Can you see yourself living in it? Really, if it's best for your children's future it is probably the best that you move. Is your DH keen to move?

Would you post a link to the new house here or in PM?

Feel free to chat about it here. It sounds stressful.

pom where about do you live? Is there a chance the schools/area will improve in a few years? If not I would move to a nicer area and risk the smaller house tbh.

I live in a not so nice area of outskirts of London/Essex but the schools are really good. We have resigned to the fact that we are hear till the kids leave for uni.

I think it is partly about memories and we like the house we are in. You re right, we have to think of the future. We're in Bucks Rachey so in grammar school area but want a safety net in case grammar not right place for them.

I'll see if I can pm a link.

Thanks ladies !

Once the children are in the school, you could move rachey ?

I have eaten so much, I'm going to really try and sort myself out....

Sounds like you both had good nights Sol and Pom.

Your friends MIL sounds awful though Sol.H&M vouchers are much nicer.
Glad the WW is going well and hooray for the dress victory.

Not sure what I’d do about moving Pom?
How much better is the new area? Or you mainly thinking about school?
Also is are only the two choices of secondary school locally?

If you did move I suppose the new house would always be easy enough to sell again because of the catchment/location.

Sorry for the dreadful punctuation. My brain is not functioning at the moment.

pom it's a tough decision, like green said would it be easy to sell again? I'm not even sure what the housing market is like at the moment?! I'm not familiar with bucks. It's great that you are considering grammar and non grammar.

Oh is adamant dcs aren't going to grammar. I grew up in Kent where grammar schools are popular, but ended going to the local high school. I don't think grammar would have been right for me.

I too have eaten far too much. Going to be mindful of my eating this week. Sorry you stayed the same again. Do you think it portion control? I've started to weigh my food, even fruit and it's shocking how much I "guestimated" weight.

sol god your poor friend, I would have been mortified on her behalf. I hope it didn't ruin her night.

Well done on your dress. Whoop whoop!!! It's goals like this we should be aspiring to not a stupid blood scale (but we can't help ourselves)

Ohhh what carbs did you eat? Had a bbq at in laws and had a Linda macartney mozzarella 1/4 burger, they are delish. I have well and truly stuff my face with chips and dips

green how are you getting on?

Off to Legoland on Friday for 2 days so I'm going to try and be good till then.

rachey I'm sure you are right re portion size. I have to make some progress, planning to have a really strict week. Why is you OH so against grammar? I do think you are right though and they are not the right place for everyone. So people choose the school we would be in catchment for over a grammar place.
We went to Legoland recently, the food isn't great so take lots of snacks. Also my top is go to the ninja go area first as it's really popular.
Mozarella burger sounds delicious !

You make a good point green probably would be easy to sell. The area is nicer, where we are now has some not as nice areas, although our street is lovely. How was your weekend? We need a diet plan!

What's a grammar school? Is that private? The education system in England seems so convoluted.

My friends MIL is a cow. She gave her the voucher at home, so in front of her family, not on the night out which I suppose is a little better. My friend is lovely, she is in the depths of baby hell, twin babies are full on and she hasn't a minute to think about her weight My friend was very hurt but she no intention of using the pass.

What did I eat today Rachey? Everything. I just had a Domino's pizza and nearly a litre of coke

There are no Grammer schools in the North east. I don’t know much about them
I’d possibly move to be in the catchment for one of the top ten schools (in the NE) most are in lovely areas, so like you it would mean downsizing.
Private schools might be an option for us for secondary.

How ‘bad’ is your area? It sounds similar to the area I live in. It’s nice enough more of a commuter town without a real town centre.

Are there any other secondary schools nearby?
It’s always worth having a look round them to get a feel of the place and talk to staff and pupils. Open evenings are normally in September.
Often the ofsted doesn’t reflect the school. I also think that parental influences are a massive factor.

It’s tricky though. I’ve started thinking about it too.

Can you PM a link to the house you are looking at?) I love looking at property)