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?

@Seer and @DottieLottie1 you both have lovely tiny waists, well done you two. I'm too scared to measure mine. Maybe I should. I just have and I'm not saying what it is because it's more than I thought A lot more.
Oh god I really need to step things up now I'm on this journey. I really did pile on the weight a few months ago when I was off work with a bad back.

I am losing weight but as I was fitting into certain previous clothes I ignored the fact that actually I was in reality a larger size.

I am losing weight but I need to be a lot stricter now and lose it faster.
I have cut out alcohol on the most part, which means I'm not craving it.
My tooth is a clean break down the middle so it's all still in my gumline as normal just split clean in half I'm going in on Friday as I can't take an earlier appt as I'm working. It doesn't hurt, only if I accidentally bit down on it.

Well done you're both doing so well and really helping me on my journey

Having a goal items of clothing is great tangible way to measure progress @DottieLottie1 Bet you'll be in those tiny shorts soon!

Mine are the shorts I mentioned a while back (that I was going to return because they were way too small but then lost them until recently). I'm nearly able to fit in those.

The other item is an old pair of high waisted jeans that I used to wear all the time 4/5 years ago - they're currently almost 2" too small for me. It would be amazing to be able to wear those again.

I think I'll go and try both on again now!

@TantricTwist well done for being brave and measuring! I know it wasn't the number you hoped for but it'll serve as motivation and also a milestone now you've dared to look. You're only going to get smaller from now on in.

My waist was 35" in May if that makes you feel any better?

Honestly, I don't know if I'd still be doing this if it wasn't for you two! You're a brilliant support!

Update! The shorts now fit! Not exactly comfortable (they're a tailored/fitted waist so no give) but another half inch down and they will be.

Good on you @Seer

Tantric you can do it, it's a journey and not a sprint. Only wish you could lose weight as easily as you can put it on!

@Seer that's so cool that they fit, hurrah and yes that actually does make me feel better, a lot better in fact.

I think if I had measured before now, like you suggested, before I was ready then I would have dug my head deeper into the sand, but like today it could have been a bigger kick up the proverbial that I probably needed. I feel much more confident now that I can actually keep going, measuring and losing the weight and inches.
I used to always have a full length mirror that I would look into daily which kept my weight at a normal level pre DC. As I no longer have a mirrored wardrobe or full length mirror I've just been glancing at my top half as I walk out the door generally alowing my weight to increase and not be kept in check.
As soon as I reach a decent weight and size I will look in DD's full length mirror in her room on a daily basis then get another one for myself.

B - fast
L - wrap, chicken, lettuce, bit of mango chutney.
D - Chicken salad.

Back at work tomorrow so chicken, lettuce wraps for each break.

I've just done a massive spring clean on part of the house so that's some of my exercise for today. I had to take apart the hoover as DD had hoovered up a hair grip etc which then allowed stuff to get wrapped around created no suction at all.

@DottieLottie1 yes I'll hold on to that thought for now a jpurney not a sprint, although I need a short burst of a sprint to get things going again. Saying that I barely ate whilst we were away and we walked miles everyday so I'll keep the calories as low as possible for the moment.

I wore my above knee length denim skirt (with cycling type shorts underneath for the rides) and a T-shirt everyday whilst we were away, which seemed to look ok so at least I wasn't feeling the need to cover myself up. This is a good thing.

You're going really well @TantricTwist half the battle is to get clear on where you are, even though that can be the hardest part.

I've closed the kitchen on 1080 cals for the day.

Has been a lazy day but I've still done a dog walk and kettlebells.

I closed on 1094 today and a dog walk on top @Seer !

Thanks @Seer I hear both your voices willing me to weigh myself or measure my waist, so I finally did as you're both doing so well. It makes for an easier goal now.

I'm finishing on 950 calories.

I've prepped my chicken salad for lunch tomorrow and will have alpen for a late breakfast around 10am.

@TantricTwist , I avoided the scales for 4 years and o don't really know why. I knew my weight had crept up a bit but definitely stuck my head on the sand. It wasn't until I tried on a lovely top (all my comfy go to clothes were in the wash) and it was busting at the seams. I looked in the mirror and that was my "lightbulb" moment. I stepped on the scales and 💥 4stone heavier than 4 years ago . My journey started that second. Straight on MN, asked advice and downloaded MFP.

It's brave stepping on the scales but seeing the results week by week (sometimes longer) is a little and happy achievement in itself. I'm going to regularly weigh once I get to goal as then I can keep tabs. I weigh weekly and @Seer does daily. Choose what works for you.

You can do this!

Plans for today-

DS is working so I've got her little ones Think we will all go to the park as the weather is ok today.

So far I've had 2 cups of tea and my vanilla & almond milk shake.

L- Berries and more tea

D- Chicken and Chorizo tray bake with vegetable cous cous.
and lots of leaves.

That's about 900 cal provided that I don't go crazy on the chorizo.

Will post more soon but I'm another pound down!!!

That means one more pound to go to my 'original' goal weight!

Hi all I started today I’m going to do 5.2 and aiming for the 2 stone and healthy BMI.
I have a question...
When you do a fast day do you have to eat your 500 cals?
I don’t know what to eat and I’m thinking of just not bothering.... but it’s only 10.25 I’ll prob be ravenous later. Will I lose more and quicker if I just completely fast for 24 hrs?
Thanks
Gemma

Yay 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 @Seer

Hello @sweetiepie1979 , I don't do fasting days as I've just gone for a VLC plan instead. I have no more than 1200 cals mon-fri but generally I'm hitting just over 1000. At weekends I have around 1500 cals. Nothings off limits but portion controlled. Yes it takes will power but once your in the zone it's easier. I'm down 2 st 1 lb in 3 months, with 1st 3lb to go to get to my happy weight.

@Seer your probably more in touch with this method than me?

Good luck

@sweetiepie1979 I've done 5:2 in the past and I used to fast in the morning and then use the 500 cals for lunch and dinner (there's some specific threads on MN on 5:2) but I prefer 16:8, 18:6 or 20:4 these days as I find it easier and also probably more effective for the autophagy benefits.

Ie I fast for 16-20 hours and eat within a window of 8-4 hours.

That can be effective for health and weight maintenance in itself without calorie controlling too but at the moment I'm also keeping to an average of 1200 cals/day in my eating window whilst I'm committed to losing weight.

@DottieLottie1 Thank you! ☺️☺️☺️

It's interesting that that this goal weight was what I guesstimated would get me back to a pretty much flat tummy and a 31" waist - and I was about right.

I'll take a break on the diet for my holiday (tho I suspect I'll be more sensible with eating and drinking than I usually am on hols!) and then afterwards I'll be back on the path aiming for 29" waist and around another 10lbs loss, which I suspect is what I was 4/5 years ago (though I don't know because I never weighed myself then!)

You're so right in what you were saying to @TantricTwist about being in denial and the sudden shock. It was so similar for me. I thought I'd just stopped wearing certain clothes (like jeans) because they weren't that comfortable, which is true compared to jeggings and leggings but I was missing that a lot of the discomfort was due to expanding!

I also thought my big bloated tummy was due to an allergy and then when it didn't go down once I'd cut out the culprit, I hopped on the scales and got a big shock that I was by far the heaviest I'd ever been! Like you, I then jumped into MFP and MN and the rest is history!

Plans today...

I'm working now and then will fit in walking and kettlebells later

B: fasting
L: home-made vegetable & chickpea soup (have made a big batch) and a slice of home-made wholemeal bread
D: bean & veg chilli, brown rice, broccoli

Should be a 1k cal day

I'm home, I'm tired will have a proper read though new posts tomorrow night.

Bizarrely this morning at 6.30 I put on my jeans to go to work and they fitted fine and although I just ate alpen at 10am and my chicken salad at 2 pm when I got changed to go home at 8pm I could barely zip them up then I went to the pub to meet friends and had a pint because I was hot which probably hasn't helped and that was my dinner with a packet of nuts

My daughter is 19 and is hoping to go to university in September (pending her A level results tomorrow). She’s really pretty but has always been a large frame and has become around 2 stone over weight. My husband and I have tried to encourage her to lead a healthy/active lifestyle but her response is often “leave me alone - if you tell me to exercise I won’t!) any suggestions as we’re really worried.

Hi @Emma4444 no real advice as the problem you face is until she's ready herself you can't make her change her change her eating habits. The only thing I can suggest is that what she does come home that there's no unhealthy or high calorie snacks or ready meals etc. I'm sorry your worrying about her and do understand.

Hmmmm @TantricTwist , maybe water retention?

I'm working today so heading out shortly. I'll have a cup of tea (no sugar) before I go. go for a walk during my break.

Oops, hit post instead of delete!

I'll go for a walk in my break and grab an almond milk based hot choc from Costa. I'm in from work mid-evening so will have a goats cheese, salami, jalapeño and basil 4 egg omelette with copious amounts of salad. Wednesday also equals Prosecco night That should be about 1100 calories.

A busy, grumpy and hungry day for me - no idea why the grumpiness tho!

Had a challenging client today and had to run the DCs quite a long way to and from a camp so maybe I'm just feeling a bit frazzled (dh doing long hours this week so have been rather left to it all here).

Have decided to have a naughty kid-week takeaway and some wine but haven't eaten much so far, so depending on how many spritzers I have I'll end up around 1200-1300, which could be worse given how I feel!

B: fasting (18 hours)
L: veg soup and home-made bread
D: Chinese takeaway and 1-2 spritzers

Snacks: 1 choc truffle, a vegetable finger and few mouthfuls of boiled rice (random!) as I was making the DCs dinner, I rarely do that these days but I was too hungry to resist!

On the upside, I tried on a size 10 playsuit earlier and it fit 😮

Hope you've had a good day @DottieLottie1 and @TantricTwist !

It's great when the old clothes start to fit again @Seer isn't it? I assume as it's a play suit it's going on holibobs () with you!

I tried on my denim skirt yesterday, it's a perfect fit (size 12) but it still made me realise how much bigger I still am since I last wore it. It used to turn as it was too big, oh well 1 stone and a bit to go.....

It was actually a new one @DottieLottie1 but I don't think I actually like it despite loving the fact it's a size 10 😀

Great to get back into your denim skirt - I was wearing my old size 12 one too today funnily enough!

Feeling a bit less grumpy now - and I stuck to only one spritzer too

I've got an important-ish meeting in the morning and the person I'm meeting has suggested brunch. I'm going to have it rather than be a diet/fasting-bore!