12 weeks to lose 2 stone

[SmiledWithTheRisingSun]

That's slightly over 2lbs a week.
I'm planning to exercise every day & do the 5:2.
Anyone fancy joining me?

Today has been so busy I have had fruit and coffee . Having a spicy chicken and hummus salad Witt pitta to fill me up before I head back out to DD's game 40 minutes away. Have steak, with roast veg couscous salad ready for dinner when we get home.

I am mortified. I tried on some Craghopper kiwi trousers earlier on in TKMaxx in a size 16 or 18, I forget now, and although they did up, they accentuated the fact I have a huge fat belly and a fat vag >>shudder

Sorry, I'm not being very supportive. Had a mental block, w which is the norm. Only about weight though, everything else gets sorted once I put my mind to it.

wildhair a good day lass.

Tantric you'll get there, we all will.

I bought some size 12 shorts. Mail order so only just tried them on. They did up, somehow(!), but they won't be seen in public any time soon...

I've hung a pair of linen trousers, that I'd really like to wear this summer, on the outside of the wardrobe door. I'm trying them on every evening. It's my, hopefully at least, way of keeping me focused.

Weight wise I've been up and down the same two pounds all week. Frustrating.

We had a work event and it was photographed and put om social media. I was wearing black but look HUGE . Literally standing beside a female and male colleague, I take up more space than the two of them.
I am 5 11 so never conspicuous but losing width would be amazing.
Nobody notices when I lose or gain weight.
Little self loathing rant over ...
Back to the diet.

Me with my work buddies-

Argh I’ve been having some stressful days and losing my momentum!
I wish I could get back to my zone I was in last week.

Tantric you’re doing well! Keep going
Habibi photos also make me think that I look massive but I bet you don’t look bad at all.

@TantricTwist that sounds like one of those defining moments that hopefully can be used as inspiration

I've been doing surprisingly well food-wise but really wanting to see more of a difference more quickly on the scales and in my clothes.

I've been hovering at 12st 7lb for several days now, which is exactly a stone above the heaviest I've been for my whole adult life. It's still blowing my mind how quickly I put on weight without realising it was happening.

Also, I've just treated myself to a glass of pink champagne to celebrate a work success - seeing how low in calories it is I'm thinking of now adopting a champagne diet

@habibihabibi meanwhile they're probably all thinking how much amazing presence you have! We never seem to see ourselves the way others do.

-1lb this morning but going out for dinner tonight so that celebration will be short!

tantric oh, I get it now. I was wondering how all these people were surviving on 1200 or whatever/day. I'd eat me arm off!

I don't get on with entering all my food and exercise into an app cuz way too lazy. So I just try to stick between 1500 and 1600/day, every day, which is pretty easy with no snacks or sweets.

Although it's an hour until dinner and there's a big lump of Manchego in the fridge... No. I won't.

Ended up slightly over 1200 today but have been under on other days so hopefully it will balance out.

Will be extra good tomorrow and go to the gym after work

I'm feeling better though - less lethargic and bloated so that's good news!

I try to stick to 1200 calories ignoring any extra allowance from exercise, assuming that I'm probably underestimating my portion sizes/calories (apparently most of us do)!

Another 2.5lbs off this morning. So 9lbs down 61lbs to go!

Amazing @wildhairdontcare !

I'm down a pound this morning to 12.6 so now officially closer to 12st than 13, which feels meaningful.

It's also back to where I was in the autumn at around 12.7, which when I first noticed I'd put on weight (I was always previously around 11.7, which I'm perfectly happy with).

And then not only did I do nothing about that extra stone, I also promptly went to India and ate my way through (what I only discovered this month) was another 6lb worth of curry, and then have spent the past 6 months pretending I don't notice that my clothes no longer fit me properly.

I guess we all have moments like this when we wish we'd dealt with something sooner, huh?

Thanks @Seer. Well done getting back on track, it's not easy!

Decided to weigh myself this morning (started the diet on Mon) and I have lost 4lb pretty pleased with that!

Must keep going now! I am off work this week for half term so I mustn't fall off the wagon.

That's amazing @PumpkinPie2016 !

You've made me think about moving to weighing myself weekly.

I've been doing it daily just to keep it in my awareness as I never used to weigh myself at all, which is part of the reason I've got myself into this 'mess'.

Also, yes, we'll need to support each other through half term! I'd forgotten that my usual eating routine will be at risk then when making the children stuff like pancakes for breakfast and snacks all day.

Oh well done for all the losses.
I’m so happy because I weighed myself this morning fully expecting to see a couple of lbs gain but I’m the same!
I was fasting last week most days but ate too many cheese and crackers and a couple of gu desserts.
I feel like a can have a really good week this week even though we’re going to a bbq tomorrow. I’ve not eaten any bread whatsoever over the last 3 weeks and am sticking to that. Bread is my trigger so it’s best I avoid it.

Hope you all have a fab weekend.

Thanks seer. Yes half term can be tough but I am hoping the nice weather will get us out and about which should help.

Well done everyone, we're doing really well and we will get there.

The last couple of days I've been feeling really meh, but like some of you have said it is my defining moment and things will improve.

The last couple of days I've been eating a lot of salad and chicken ( I bought some precooked chicken which helps a lot actually) so I'm not starving and keeping to around 1200 cals. I've started doing a few crunches now and again as my tummy needs fixing, a lot.

Today however I'm out with friends for a late lunch so I'll be very careful what I eat or drink, I'll eat what I want but in very small bitesize portions.

Bread is definitely my poison too so I'm not buying any for the time being. There is some in the freezer so if anyone wants toast they can.

We will do this.

Found you all! The thread had disappeared off my "I'm on" list.

Then again, I have been completely useless so maybe it was me dropping off...

Wildhair and Pumpkin very well done the pair of you!

Tantric I'm with you on the 'defining moment'. Just had mine. I think it's finally sunk in that if I eat the wrong stuff I suffer in far more ways than one. And I'm tired of being a blob. And being an unfit blob at that. My dogs are better after their bug thing, so we'll be out walkies from tomorrow, though will be short walks for two of them until they've built up some body condition; and I'm back to logging all on MFP.

We've got family staying and I ate (and drank) so much yesterday.

It's actually been helpful to see how many calories that was (at least 1800) because this was me exercising some moderation, previously I would have had far more!

I'm much more mindful now about my 'social snacking' (ie when we've got visitors and I put out bowls of crisps, nuts etc) and realising how often that was happening. I'm not a snacker generally so it's has been a real eye opener for me to notice how much this social snacking must have been contributing to my weight gain.

I'm back on the horse today and will try to stay under 1500 calories (I stick to 1200 calories Mon-Fri).

On the plus side: I wore a dress that looked awful when I tried it on a month ago, and now half a stone down, I felt great in it. That's made all of this worthwhile

Just pondering the habits that contributed most to the weight gain:

1. Large portion sizes (I tend to mostly eat the 'right' things, just lots of them).

1. Eating chocolate and cake. I'm not even a big chocolate eater, I just had no idea how calorific even dark chocolate is! I'd usually only eat a couple of squares of chocolate a day or a slice of cake a couple of times a week but when I'm over-eating elsewhere the regular extra calories from chocolate or cake adds up.

1. Social snacking, as below, which was happening several times a week.

1. Having breakfast. Once I get into the habit of intermittent fasting/16:8 I can miss breakfast very easily and then don't feel hungry until I eat lunch at 1pm, whereas if I do eat breakfast I'll be hungry and eat just as much at lunch.

1. Salad dressing, vegan mayo, olive oil etc - I realise now how I was adding tonnes of extra calories to every meal with lashings of these kind of additions. I haven't really missed them this month, I've been using balsamic vinegar, lime/lemon juice or vegetable stock instead.

I'm finding this thread so helpful to provoke this kind of enquiry and honesty, thank you!

Seer well done on spotting your snacking thing. Your words "provoke this kind of enquiry and honesty" have struck a chord for sure.

I have wandered round some shops recently, looking at all the yummy and tasty things, but instead of telling myself "No!" I've said (internal monologue!) "Yes, of course I can have x, if I'm fine with how it's going to make me feel in a few hours..." So far I've gone with leaving the things on their shelves because not only do I not want to feel physically shit (thanks IBS), but I really don't want to be this size any more. Can't have it both ways.

Seer Yes to the social snacking - after lunch at my friends yesterday - crisps were put out as snacks later on which I just started eating even though I wasn't at all hungry - so I moved them out of reach - then a friend moved them even further out of her reach. And yes portion sizes I think I eat way too much of the good food.

Mrs Mozart good that you have your Mojo back and your dogs are feeling better.

Habib The dreaded photos, I hate them esp when standing next to petite slim people - nearly as bad as the changing room mirror. Don't let it get into your head it is what it is and now you're are making those changes you want.

IliveinSalem Enjoy your BBQ and your momentum will come back although probably after today, enjoy today.

Ltk I need to stop adding in the exercise part to MFP for sure. Did you avoid the Manchego, I love cheese, so hard to avoid. I probably had 2500 calories yesterday even though I didnt eat or drink as much as I could have and restrained myself a bit.

Pumpkinpie well done with your weightloss and enjoy time off during
half term and don't let those kids frazzle the life out of you hee hee.

Wildhair well done with your weight loss and getting back on track. I imagine your hair to be like Helena Bonham Carter somehow.

redpriest well done on losing that 1lb and I hope you enjoyed your meal out and didn't find it too hard to choose what to eat.

I love this thread you are all so brilliantly supportive