2018 - Thread 2 of Help Me Mumsnet I have 4 stone to lose and 10k debt to pay off

[ChickenVindaloo2]

Hi everyone,

It's the day after the day after Boxing Day, Thursday 28 December 2017!

Just over a year ago, on Boxing Day 2016, I was 14 stone exactly (My highest weight ever was 14st 5, I'm 5 foot 2 ish). So I needed to lose 4 stone just to get to a healthy weight. After a false start, I lost 3 stone, getting down to a low of 11 stone exactly through stopping binge-eating. I also went to (private) CBT therapy and started going to the gym. I had popped back up to 11st3-4 in the run up to Christmas, mainly as a result of complacency and dropping the gym visits due to the dark evenings.Having eaten more than usual and some salty foods over Christmas itself, as of this morning, I'm 11st 5. I need to lose at least 2 stone really to be a healthy weight and perhaps 2.5-3 to achieve peak gorgeousness!

(I also had £10k worth of debt, mainly on credit cards. I re-mortgaged and I now have £5k on a 0% credit card for 2 years. I've worked out I need to pay it off at £200/month)

In terms of weight loss, the general rules are to err on the side of low carb, unprocessed food. I need to get in more salad/veg and restart the gym sessions. I also need to watch portion sizes and ditch the snacks, treats and extras.

Rowgtcfc has been an amazing help throughout and I hope she will join me on this shiny new thread! Would also be delighted to see new comrades of any size, shape or "diet" plans!

I've attached a pic of me at my heaviest plus one at the end of last year.

Thread 1: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/2811974-Help-me-MN-I-have-4-stone-to-lose-and-10k-debt-to-pay-off?pg=1

Some of my best tips which I hope help!

• every day is every thing. it's what you do every day over the course of a year which makes a difference. In a year, what will you wish you did today?
• it's ok to just not eat crisps/chocolate/sweets/cakes/biscuits, easier, even, than trying to moderate
• eggs for breakfast
• salad and veg are your friends
• low sugar but good fats is anti-ageing too!
• You need less food than you think. You won't die from hunger.
• The secret is: there is no secret. Most slim folk have to prioritise it and work at it.
• Practice being slim. Act like you're slim.
• Do what suits you, find your own path. Eg don't assume breakfast is vital for you.

Hello, that is such a fabulous photo of Chicken and Britney! Chicken if you're reading you look gorgeous and thanks for sharing this with us.

Row I didn't realise you had such an early start. Do you actually cycle to work in the middle of the night in the dark in all weathers? If so I am so impressed. And as coffee said, I'm not surprised you don't feel like more exercise after all that.

Coffee when do you go back to work? Hope it all goes well!

All ok this end. Been trying to diet and exercise to shift the couple of pounds I gained on the bank holiday weekend after my eating and drinking marathon. Hopefully by the weekend I will have got back to where I was as we have a party to go to. Just been looking for suitable dresses online and some mumsnetters have kindly recommended some nice ones. I then clicked through to another website and saw some Ted Baker dresses and was thinking how expensive they were and then I saw a lovely blue one which reminded me I have a very similar french connection dress in my wardrobe which I'd forgotten about which I think I will wear so mumsnet has indirectly saved me a fortune. Just need shoes but will try on all my existing ones first as I once read that the best place to shop is in your own wardrobe as you often find things you'd forgotten about.

Morning!

Was very pleased to hear from chicken and good to know she's still with us.

Firstly, I bought a jacket!!!! I hate clothes shopping and live in jeans and fleeces. Realised I don't own a small coat,only my big winter wooly. This is a cross between a parker and a bomber jacket and an xl. And it fit which it wouldn't have done a stone ago. On the weight front I'm back to 14 3. Should be much worse as I know what I eat on the weekend. I find I can be very good during the week, it's the promised treats at the weekend that go to pot. Need to reign them in.

Ninja has settled into senior school which gives me a spare hour on a monthly and tues. An hour on a wed between karate drop off and pick up and two hours on a thurs between guide drop off and pick up.
Need to fill these hours usefully. If I'm home Im with the fridge and I find if I exercise I sleep better so just got to get up off my lazy bum now!

Ninja was bought a Ted baker dress as a bridesmaid dresses. Eyewateringly expensive. It fit six weeks before. Was snug on the day and promptly passed onto the smaller bridesmaid after the day. But it was beautiful and as a primark girl the quality was worth the price!

Have a good week all.

That's amazing about the dress MrP. Saves you a few pennies!!! That's also so true about looking in your wardrobe. I feel really conflicted as this foot injury means I'm unlikely to be able to wear heels again for any time, but I have quite a few gorgeous pairs of heels and it seems far too wasteful to send them all to charity. Especially as there are some expensive ones I "bought for best", but then never wore as I didn't want to ruin them (I'm looking at you my gorgeous L K Bennett shoes).

Was the party good? Try not to worry too much about the bank holiday excess. You've done so well so far, so it's healthy to have a few days off.

How is all the exercise going?

Row - great news about the jacket. I hope it gives you a little confidence boost!

As for the weight and exercise, I hope you're able to do a little more now that ninja is at senior school. Just remember that a little bit extra adds up . Also, I echo MrP, if you're getting up early and cycling through the winter...bloody hell...you have my total respect!

Very little to report here. I'm getting quite frustrated. I've been generally pretty good, and lost another pound, then my period's come (I feel like it's ALWAYS here?!) and my weight has somehow shot back up to 12.5. I'm just a bit sick of it, especially as I've been much better at exercising.

On the plus side, I'm starting to make small improvements on the exercise front. When I first started running 3 months after my CS I couldn't even get to 2km (and even then I had to walk most of it). I can now run/walk 5km in just under 40mins. It's still waaaaaaaaaaaay longer than I used to be able to do it (I used to comfortably do 5k in 27-28 mins and could run a half marathon without walking), but I'm pleased that I'm starting to make progress. I'm trying to get the time to closer to 35 mins and also increase the distance.

MrP - I start work on 1st October. It's messing with my head quite a lot . I know it's the best thing to do for my family for the long run, but it's going to be so hard missing the kids and feeling guilty and trying to juggle a full time job, parenting and exercise. Wish me luck!

How are you both getting on?

All good here! Not losing much but definitely not gaining!

How's it going being back at work coffee?
Bet it's very strange.

I take that back! Just got on the scales and I'm 14st. Get in!!

Amazing! Well done. You must feel great. Not long until 13 stone something...

It is VERY weird being back. Very hard managing everything and I’ve been chucked in the deep end at work (it’s a total different type of work I’m doing). But, it’s good to be back working and meeting other adults .

My weight is staying about the same, which is to be expected as I haven’t been an angel. I know I should have a proper dieting “push”, but it all feels a bit too much with this new stressful job, 2 young kids, the weather turning dark and miserable etc.

Don't worry about the dieting push-you sound busy enough to be losing weight without trying!

I couldn't wait to get back to work after having dd just to be with adults again.

Spent the week digging the garden over some should have burnt some calories. It's aggravated my bad shoulder though. Had to leave work early today in agony and am certainly not in tomorrow. Doctor had a prod and decided I've now got arthritis in my shoulder as well as my knee. Least I know what it is now and think I might take up yoga now to learn how to be a bit more flexible!

Thank you for your understanding words. It is tough trying to do it all!

Oh no. I’m so sorry! How are you feeling now? I hope it improves soon. Definitely try yoga! I would love to be a yogi type but am so uncoordinated and lack any flexibility!

Ahem. I'm certainly not known for my coordination. I'm verging on the dysplasia.

Me and dh have always worked opposite shifts so we're practically single parents. Except dh just has to get the ninja to school while I'm at work. I then get to come home and be mum while he's at work. I never realised how much headspace being a working mum took up and I only have the one child.
I didn't enjoy the baby stage and fortunately didn't have to do much of it. Dh loves babies and was more than happy to do it all.
Still off with shoulder. Trying to rest it and I'm bored. Diet well out of the window this week. Have stopped taking codeine to see if I still need it (only 1x8mg at night as it sends me to sleep)everything hurts. My knees are crippled. Hadn't realised how much pain it was masking. Realising it may now be important for my health to be back on the diet and be as light as I can.
Have a good week !

How are you getting on Row? How is the shoulder? How are your knees? That's not good about the codeine masking the pain. It's one of the many many reasons I need to lose weight: to protect my knees, back, joints etc for the future.

How are you getting on diet and fitness wise?

I have been really bad the past month. The new job has totally thrown me. It's been good for me generally, but it means I have so little free time I want to actually see my kids not just go to the gym (not to mention the fact that their evening routines take up the entire evening anyway, plus I am JUST.SO.TIRED!). I need to step it up big style in November, as we have less than 8 weeks until Christmas and I really don't want to spend it feeling awful. I have been REALLY bad with sugar (95% chocolate/chocolate drinks) and I am back up to 12.6 . I need an overhaul and will be looking for some sort of November/Christmas diet thread (feel free to join me! The more the merrier!).

I suppose, to end on a positive note...I'm spending the last 3 months of 2018 chipping away at my debt. I'm not bringing anything home each month as it all goes on childcare, but I'm slowly paying off my student loan (and another loan) again .

Morning coffee.
Hope lifes slowing down a bit for you and you're getting used to working and small children. We were lucky and worked opposite shifts, never saw each other but never paid for childcare either.
I'm still hovering around 14st 3. Yes,too much chocolate here too!