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?

Ah well done, @DottieLottie1 ! You do motivate me to keep on track! One benefit of my competitive nature

Planning ahead really helps doesn't it? I would never be able to stay this low in cals without going hungry if I didn't plan the day ahead.

@Seer and @DottieLottie1 I'm exhausted and just about to drop off to sleep. You're both doing brilliantly. I have to say I'm getting used to eating less and planning ahead does help me a lot.

So today I was working and at

10am - apple
1 pm - ratatouille, pulled pork and mash potato.
6 pm - 3 small kabanos sausages from Sainsbury's
8pm - 10 jelly beans, ratatouille and finn crisp with Philadelphia was what I grabbed as soon as I walked in the door. I very nearly went towards destroying a tub of Haggen Daz but grabbed the ratatouille and completely forgot about that craving till now.

Instead of a G&T I had Robinsons Lemon barley squash with sparkling water. So delicious. That's my new go to instead of a G&T for now.

Morning @TantricTwist your meal plan yesterday sounded nice! Unfortunately I've got no way of warming up any food at work. Or storing it for that matter as we have no way of chilling it either. I work in a very very warm atmosphere.

My meal plan for today (slightly repetitive) will be-

B- nothing but a cup of tea 
L- almond based hot choc from Costa
D- 4 egg omelette with salami, fresh basil and goats cheese. Copious amounts of salad with lighter than light mayo.
S- a few glasses of Prosecco, tub of blueberries

If I stick to plan that's 1100 cals. I have obviously adjusted what I'm having today to factor in some wine  No more until the weekend.

Morning @Seer and anyone else still following

That sounds like a good day @TantricTwist especially given you came in late and hungry!

Your plans for today sound fab @DottieLottie1

I'm holding fast on my new lowest weight which I'm fine about because I suspect there's a loss coming soon.

B: fasting
L: A palm heart, Olive and chick pea salad
D: Mediterranean puff pastry tart (will keep my portion small), new potatoes, lots of veg

Aiming for a 1k day but haven't had a chance to calculate it all yet

Wishing you both a lovely day!

Its all gone a bit off piste today after lunch! I still have a headache and not feeling my usual level of motivation.

I found myself eating a vegan sausage roll this afternoon when I bought the children something from the bakers - I haven't snacked on something like that in weeks.

And then I've asked dh to pick up an Indian take away on his way home instead of having the dinner I'd planned.

Hoping it's still going to be under 1300 cals so it could be worse.

I have done lots of walking and some kettle bells too.

I'm going to enjoy it and then start afresh tomorrow.

Enjoy @Seer the occasional treat isn't going to make much of a difference and 1300 cals is still very low.

I'm lucky as that we have always meal planned in this family anyway so it's not a change of habit, more about making the better choices. So unless we are on holiday etc we would only ever have a takeaway one day of the weekend.

Will finish today around 1100, have stuck to plan. Having a chilled glass of Prosecco after a long day at work

No breakfast
Same lunch as yesterday
3 hob nobs with coffee
white cabbage coleslaw
making caramel ice-cream with the DC so have been trying it, had to add more milk as there way too much double cream in there and it wouldn't set.

Already ha e plans for tomorrow 

So it will be a working day so I'm out of the house for 10 hours. I work a double shift tomorrow so I will go for a long walk between the two shifts.

B- almond milk with vanilla milk shake (155 cals- filling also contains whey)

L- raspberries and a protein shake (I'm not on a meal replacement diet, because previous to dieting I had no breakfast or dinner- if anything I'm adding these meals!!!)

D- Sweet potato burgers in a soft white bun. Lettuce, tomato and onion. Lighter than light mayo and spicy jalapeño sauce. M

How about you @Seer and @TantricTwist as we seem to be the last on this thread???? 😬 Everyone (of course) and any refreshing ideas are welcome!

Thank you @DottieLottie1 I think I needed an evening like this. And my headache has finally gone!

I've always meal planned too but deffo not the calories part and I could often be swayed by the idea of an impromptu take-away!

Tomorrow's plan:

B: fasting
L: salad (150 cals)
D: the puff pastry tarts etc that I was meant to have today!

Will aim for a solid 1k day!

Has anyone noticed a difference in you yet @TantricTwist or @DottieLottie1 ?

People keep saying things like "I like your hair. Is it different?" or "You look well!" Or commenting on how tanned I am... But still no-one has mentioned my size!

@Seer same, no one has noticed yet despite almost losing almost 1 and a half stone!!! I've definitely noticed as my clothes are now loose. I'd say I look a lot slimmer too. To be fair I like that no one is going on about it, I think it keeps me in the right headspace.

It's bizarre isn't it? I'm not complaining because it would only make me feel conscious that people must have seen how big I was before!

Another thing I've been noticing is the power of having only one big change to focus on. I'm a type of coach (not a life coach or a sports coach like you) and so spend a lot of my time supporting people to achieve their vision.

It's been interesting noticing personally how much more focused on and successful I've been with weight loss since I've made having a slim, healthy body my single big goal. I was initially running another intention alongside it but decided to pause that and just focus on my body until I've reached my goal.

Turns out there's lots of studies showing the benefits of only having one goal to focus on. It's not easy to drop the focus on all the other things we want but it makes sense!

@Seer @DottieLottie1 I think no-one's noticing because maybe they didn't really think of us a 'big' people like we see ourselves and also because the weight loss is slow not sudden.

See that's why we're motivating each other so well we all have jobs where we encourage people. I'm a nurse in critical care in a specialist area so help my patients pre and post operatively.

I'm so happy that my clothes are looser, I have more of a body shape, and that I don't feel so sweaty in the heat, I have more energy so therefore am moving more.
I also don't have the urge to cover myself with cardigans over T-shirts on a hot day to cover my arms which is a good thing.

My first attempt at making ice cream went a bit wrong. There was way too much double cream so it wouldnt set and tasted too creamy. So had to sort of scoop out most of it add milk churn it up a bit and then put it in the freezer. We tried a bit today before the DC went to school and it tasted great but we will try more fruity flavours next as the caramel one was very indulgent. I mean to be honest you can make it without the ice cream maker I'm sure.
Our ice cream maker is quite big but I think we over filled it, so less ingredients next time for sure. Will try a lemon or mango sorbet next.

Breakfast - 2 teaspoons of homemade caramel ice cream

That's a great point about our jobs and how we've continued to support each other so well here @TantricTwist !

And thank you for doing the amazing work you do. My mum died in intensive care (it was inevitable, she was beyond help) and the wonderful doctors and nurses made such a difference to the experience for all of us.

I'm on track for a 1k cal day even if I do have a glass of wine with the friends we're seeing later. Feeling clear and motivated again.

@Seer sorry to hear about your mum it's sad for the whole team too when that happens I'm glad she was surrounded by love on all sides

Thank you @TantricTwist ♥️

I fit back into a fitted size 12 dress today! It wasn't exactly comfortable but it did fit!

OMG @Seer I'm so jealous and happy for you

I on the other hand will be doing no such thing unless I throw the ice cream maker far far away ....

The calories in double cream are simply eye watering as are those in the amount of sugar required for sorbet

Bet they are delish tho @TantricTwist.

Good on you @Seer I'm looking forward to comfortably being a size 10. I don't actually know what size I am as I wear stretchy waistbands, leggings and dresses. I'm going to wait until I get to my goal weight then find out! X fingers

@Seer and. @DottieLottie1 I'm looking forward to being a size 14 but I will keep going till a size 12 and then I'll relax a bit.

It wasn't even that delicious because I followed a crappy recipe for some unfathomable reason.

It'll be mango flavoured ice cream next as per DS request, followed by Lemon sorbet then pistachio flavour.

Don't say the words "pistachio ice-cream" that's enough to destroy your will power.

Not read full thread but you are more than halfway
Have you lost a stone or more yet ?

You're selling the idea of an ice-cream maker @TantricTwist Stop that! 

It's really lovely feeling more me again but I'm not feeling quite 'there' yet. 2 more inches off my waist and I think I'll feel done.

I'm really noticing this week how even the more forgiving/loose clothes that I was wearing look so much better now they're falling properly (instead of clinging to my tummy!)

Ending on just over 1k cals today which is pretty good considering I drank 2 175ml glasses of wine! Also managed to hold off on a 3rd when the others topped up

@Bignicetree yes I think we've mostly around a stone or more. How about you?

Hello @Bignicetree I've lost 1st 5lbs in 8 weeks. I'm following a low calorie

@Bignicetree I've lost a dress size and am about to fit into the next dress size down.

I'm also following a low calorie diet which I'm sticking to really well all things considered.

I get full now by eating far less, I only eat when I get hungry which to be fair I was doing before hand.
My food choices are far better and I'm prepping food properly for lunch and when I get home from work feeling exhausted.
And I'm now looking forward to a cold glass of lemon barley water with sparkling water rather than a G&T.