Thread 2.The 2019 Bunch:- eating well, pooping well, feeling bloody marvellous!

[TulipsInbloom1]

Second thread for those who are determined that 2019 is THEIR YEAR.

Fridge do you want to add your spreadsheet link below for ease?

P.S. I just ran 6km. It took me ages, with lots of walking, but at least I did it. Surely I deserve to be skinny by now?

I am in London and stuck in a fourth floor office watching the dark skies outside and the rain just about stopped. I love up north, everything look so peaceful up there - normally just sitting in a car driving to scotland and looking out
Ah it's gonna be fine, you have done this gig before and you know how it goes. Embrace your body, feel free and powerful that you are growing a human, how precious is that. Eat well, eat nutritious good food with a good dose of not so nutritious food. Continue with your running as much as you can and I am sure you won't gain as much as you think you will. But even if you do, don't be fazed as it's only weight and you can lose it again. But whatever you do, don't get depressed on account of the weight because honestly your body is capable of so much and is amazing and it's really not fair to be down on it after all it's doing. I will shut up now!

You’re right cellos I had a couple of wobbly days because I’ve continued to stay the same this past week which is frustrating and didn’t lose much at all overall in February. But I did lose inches which is better in many ways plus it’s now March and nearly Spring! Hope you have a lovely time back in the UK Hounds! Well done on your run gruffalos and enjoy the sunshine up north because it’s grey here today too.

I don’t know about gadgets fudge but I use the MyFitnessPal app to track what I’m eating and find that helpful. I only keep a very rough record though. I don’t weigh things out etc so I know it won’t be very accurate always and that it overestimates exercise calories but I find it helps to be a little bit mindful of what i am eating and how active I’m being.

When inches is definitely better than scale weight but I understand you as I also get disheartened if the scale doesn’t move. Are you still doing your running? Do you reckon you ought to change the food side around a bit. I think sometimes our bodies gets complacent and need a little jiggle around for instance change of what types of food we are eating, to get things moving again.

Just saw your other post When
Food like pasta rice are so easily overestimated, I highly recommend a scale for these. I was shocked when I realised my single portion of rice was something close to 1000 calories. Yes I do love rice . And it doesn’t even look much!

I’ve slipped down to two days a week running instead of three cello so need to do that more but it has been a struggle to fit everything in. I’m doing some study alongside having DS and working plus DH is trying to fit in some study on top of everything too. Probably do need to change up my diet a bit as we do get in a rut of having the same things again and again. I literally have the same breakfast every day (porridge). I’m still breastfeeding DS (13 months) so have been hesitant to cut calories by too much but I wonder if I can a bit more now he’s not so reliant on me.

When I read somewhere that the weight hangs on whilst breastfeeding so that may well be the case. Also it’s really hard to be losing weight whilst studying,working and having a toddler ( I have been there too! ). I think it’s a bit of a trial and error basis, what works one month might not the next so perhaps changing things around might help. 2 days running is better than none esp considering how full on your day is.

Thanks cello. I’ve wondered if breastfeeding has helped or hindered me losing weight or made no difference and probably won’t know until I stop. I think you’re right that I need to change things around a bit now though and perhaps especially because I seem to do well when I’m doing things for short concentrated bursts so could try something slightly different every month maybe.

6km? couldn't do that myself.

Such lovely words cello. Our bodies are beautiful even it they aren't quite what we want. I am feeling very positive about mine but also aware that I need to be stronger and fitter so need to do more exercise.

I only weigh carbs because it's so easy to underestimate portions. Most things I eat contain large amounts of vegetables that are low calorie or I can enter what portion of a pepper it is or judge it was half the packet of mushrooms but it doesn't really matter if I get it a little wrong.

whencan sounds like you have such a busy life it's amazing you're finding time to do any exercise / dieting. I don't know about breastfeeding - some people think it makes dieting easier, some harder but I do think you're probably right and the baby is less reliant on you so you probably can cut calories a bit. I also wonder if you're building muscle while running - so perhaps you're losing fat but gaining weight with extra muscle.

And yes probably need to get my scales out to be more aware of portion size cello

Yes that’s what I do too When
I change things around every few weeks.
Also HIIT is meant to get better results so if you are out of time perhaps focus on those. And do check out the Jessica Smith videos, free on YouTube and under 30 minutes. This morning I did her 15 minutes walking video whilst the kids were playing on the floor & it’s so quick, it ends before you know it. Also don’t forget the slower the loss, the less likely to gain it back again.

Thanks stealth and cellos for your advice and encouragement. Its all a helpful nudge to not grow complacent. I’ve just ordered myself a portion plate online so hopefully that’ll help and I’ll try to get out the food scales more often too. I’ll check out the Jessica Smith videos too. I did the 30 Day Shred in January and enjoyed it but didn’t want to keep doing it daily and then dropped it altogether. I’d love to be gaining muscle and I have begun to change shape (hence inches lost) so I’d be very happy if that is the case!

I am sure you have changed shape and lost weight despite the scale not showing it because you did fit into a smaller size last week so the magic is definitely happening but slowly which is soo frustrating!

I reckon you may drop a few pounds when you stop breastfeeding. That’s certainly happened to a few of my friends. I’m also stopping breastfeeding now (I think) so it will be interesting to see if that has an effect (although it may be hard to tell with everything else going on in my body). It sounds like you’re doing well with the fitness side of things (30 Day Shred sounds tough!) so you’re definitely doing good things for your body . I also agree that 2 runs a week is amazing, given how much you have going on!

Sorry I missed your post there SNM in my haste to impart all my worldly wisdom
You are a resilient woman and you got this. The new rules of lifting is very good if you are looking for a structured program to follow to change your shape. Alternatively, if you need two small hoomans to lift and put down to build some muscles, give us a shout. I got two free to go to a good home. They aren’t too expensive to feed as well as one can eat all the chocolate in the world and the other is happy to live on yogurt and cheese. Only for a limited time only though as I will start missing them too much

Thank you Gruffalos

Congratulations Gruffalo !! What lovely news.

Fudge - well done on the 3 lbs - that's super! I had a Garmin Vivo tracker which I liked but wasn't really using fully. I now have a Kate Spade watch that tracks steps, sleep etc. Prefer it as it looks like a normal watch. The poor old Garmin looked ridiculous on my fat arm... I am not a good advert for it!

Stealth - I love your list of things you are going to do for yourself. My goal for March is to get back down to where I was 2 weeks ago (exact figure tbc tomorrow on weigh-in)

When - it’s hard not to wobble when the scales don't move, but the inch loss is a fantastic measure of how you are doing.

cello - I made it through today! Thanks for cheerleading! I hope you are over your bug.

Hounds - have a brilliant holiday. Don’t follow my example and have take aways when you get back home 🤐

mrbob - thanks for the great tips- will update my notebook tomorrow! Time to regroup and reboot I reckon!

Hope I haven't missed anyone! Early night for me, first day back was a toughie!

Well done to everyone sticking at their chosen plan. Weight on or weight off.

Stayed the same this week. Feel like I am drifting a bit.. Need to get back on it

Morning Wizzler - I know that feeling! I have been the same since I got back from my holiday. Today is a new start, I know I need to knuckle down for a few days to get back into routine. Before I went away I was in a nice boring groove.

A STS is great though, but don't allow it to let you drift, it could end up as a gain if you get complacent. I've been there repeatedly

I am up 3. I am ok with that, considering the scales showed 11 up when I first got home but I am going to sit down tonight and have a wee think about where I want to be by summer. Refreshing my mindset a bit. Could you do similar? EG I want to get new jeans at Easter, so I want them to be a size smaller.... goals like that are easier for me to visualise instead of "I need to lose 4 more stones"

I’ve stayed the same too wizzler. For the second week in a row. But I’m picking myself up and getting stuck in again. Though I would quite like pancakes today...

Congratulations Gruffalo how exciting!

I weirdly have managed to STS despite the Japanese pizza-beer incidents... I think it was offset by sweating my arse off now I have moved to the bloody desert. I have now basically gone to being vegan keto +fruit and it feels good. I will see if I lose any more on that!

I am joining the gym here in the morning and have been inspired by all the firemen I went on holiday with who seem to spend most of their lives in the gym and therefore can eat ANYTHING they want. Also going to look at some of those work out recommendations so thanks guys

Fiontar that's a great goal but also make sure you give yourself some kind of treat too! Glad you had a good first day back. Will look up the Kate Spade watch but I'm guessing it'll be expensive.

wizzler staying the same is still good, it might mean a bigger loss next week. Is there anything about your routine that needs to change? Perhaps someone can give you some help.

whencanIsleep ignore the pancakes or just have a little one.

137.8lbs this morning - sounds good but nearly 3lbs down on last week! I know I shouldn't complain but last week I think I was feeling stressed and anxious. I once read that if you diet too quickly it can cause muscle loss and other health issues. So in theory I LOVE being my weight but rationally I need to eat more and make sure I get nutrients. I am taking vitamins although I'd rather get nutrients from food. Because I'm eating lots of soup and salad I'm going to pop out and get things like creme fraiche or plain yogurt to dollop on top of the soup and parmisan and sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. In a month you will find me moaning about only losing 1/2 a week (which is what usually happens)!

Hi everyone, well done on losses, and even if you didn't lose anything or gained. There will always be some setbacks, but if we keep going, we can do it!

Right, another month gone, so:

1st Jan: 11.2
1st Feb: 10.13
1st Mar: 10.10

So second month in a row I've only lost 3lbs. I really thought I'd be into single digits after the 10 by now. It's frustratingly slow, but I have to remind myself that I'm still 6lbs lighter than I was. And my lowest weight last year was 10.11 so I'm already past that. Let's gloss over the 4lb gain I saw on the scales this morning

I did have a proper fast day last week in ages, as got fed up with myself. However I then realised that I'm just being a bit too relaxed about it all and I don't have have to do a big fast, I just need to stick to my 2 meals a day and not snack on crap. And maybe replace lunch sandwich with soup or salad. It's really that simple, yet I keep sabotaging myself.

On the other hand, I'm back to running twice a week and will be doing a HIIT and strength workout tonight. Will have a look at some of those video recommendations!