Lose 7lbs in August

[BustedDreams]

Following on from the July thread for those who wish to carry on and for new joiners alike.

Ive been inspired by the ladies who posted on the July thread. There have been some awesome losses.

Not quite the end of the month and I’ve achieved my July goal of getting below the elusive 140lbs. As of this morning I was 139.6lbs, bmi 27.3. Down from 145.9lbs, bmi 28.5.

I’m doing a lower carb Mediterranean diet. Plenty of veg, some berries, salad, olive oil, butter, cream, fish, chicken and some red meat. Occasionally I will have whole grain rice and gluten free pasta (good for my micro biome). I rarely drink alcohol. Chocolate can be my downfall . I naturally only want to eat twice a day. I’ve read that intermittent fasting can be beneficial in the battle of the bulge as well as keeping blood sugars in check.

How do you intend to lose?

Any tips you’d like to share?

My tips are drink plenty of water and be mindful of portion sizes.

0.2lb off so far this month slow and steady eh?

Not going to be the best weekend for me as I’ve already managed to have a few biscuits (but I put the rest of the pack away which is a start!), going out for drinks tonight and then a big family bbq tomorrow. I’m just aiming to be moderate and then looking forward to a good week!

Not a great start to the month here. Went out for a celebration yesterday, and had planned to have a burger, chips & beer as a treat. But ended up having an unplanned g&t and ice cream also. Oh well, onward and upward. Did a body pump class & a 5k run today, so hopefully that's the beginnings of a better week :).

Today started well, but will end badly!

Healthy breakfast and lunch, then gardening.

Going to MIL's for a roast dinner tonight (and wine) so hoping that I wont gain this week is about as high as my expectations get!

I lost 4lbs today

Going to reward myself with homemade chicken Indian curry and (a small portion) rice!

Going to incorporate some exercise this week , just 20-30 mins walking on the treadmill see if I can keep this up

I’m going to sneak in here for accountability, hope that’s ok! Started on 18 July at 13 stone 2. Weighed at 12 stone 9 today, goal is 10 stone by Christmas. So a7lbs a month goal is a great thread for me! I’m short (5’2”) and 48, so ten stone is a ‘let’s get there and see how you feel’ goal, as it’s top end of ideal. And it’s been many years since I’ve been anywhere near 10 stone, and I suspect it might be quite ageing
I’m off to a good start anyway. I’m old-schooling it with a loosely applied Anna Richardson body blitz (no alcohol, no starch except rice, low dairy etc). I’m basically having two ryvita with peanut butter in the car in the way to work, a banana mid-morning, massive salad for lunch, and then normal family dinner (whatever it is) but replacing the potatoes/ pasta/ pastry with greens of some description. I’m too lazy to calorie count, and could happily eat all day, so fasting isn’t an option. I’m a lazy dieter.

Today not going to end well... I'm ridiculously hungry and DH has left half a bottle of wine in the fridge....

🐖🐖

@cary2012 Thank you - it was a good feeling this morning!

@cheesenpickles Thank you! I do have a fitbit somewhere, I really should dig it out! I wasn't allowed to wear it at my old job but there's nothing stopping me now! And yes, having my dismal step count there should encourage me to get out the house a bit more!

@Alaimo That could have been a lot worse! And well done on keeping up with the exercise!

@beenrumbled One meal won't ruin everything - you might still lose! Just being cautiously optimistic over here

@ZiggZagg That's fantastic!! Enjoy your curry and good luck getting the exercise in - maybe listen to a podcast/audiobook/youtube/watch TV whilst your doing it to make it more of a treat?

@Ornery Welcome! Congratulations on your loss so far! And if lazy dieting is working for you, lazy diet away! And it'll probably work long term as well if you're not working really hard at it iykwim?

Today for me went completely off kilter! Firstly we didn't have a proper meal for lunch, just toast (big mistake). We decided to go out for a walk down the river and pop into Waitrose which was all good until Waitrose didn't have what we needed and so had to go into the city so I grabbed a snack there (katsu curry bites and graze flapjack thing) - finally managed to get what we needed but then OH was starving and begged for McDonalds. And thankfully their menu thingys have options for meals under 400 and 600 calories so I didn't even have to think too hard. Grilled chicken wrap, melon and sprite Going to make myself some pasta and pesto and go soak in the bath for a bit - gave OH the baby to look after because I currently have vomit in my hair. Who said mum life isn't glamorous?

I've got the hump too @sweetsorrow82. Weighed in after a text book perfect week and am 11st9.8lbs. Down 0.2lbs which is a bit rubbish given two fast days and no days over my 1500....I hope I make another lb by Wednesday otherwise I am never going to get my 7lbs this month. Felt really cross today but have been very good at still logging everything in MFP which has stopped things going nuts and am probably going to be about 1500 calories. Kitchen closed! I am doing run every day August and managed a very slow Parkrun this morning. Am going to be relying on inspiration from this thread to keep me on track.

Mixed bag here I see ladies, but I think at least we're all in it together and what a lovey supportive bunch you are

I managed 16 hours!!! of fasting before having a GF brownie and hot choc. Didn't finish the drink as it was too sweet - a first for me!

Walked for 2 hours, chicken salad for lunch, fruit salad, roast and a bowl of pop corn. Now going to brush my teeth and that's it till tomorrow.

Wasn't planning on fasting at the weekends but ended up doing a 17 hour fast as there was nothing in that I fancied for breakfast/brunch. Went for a nice long walk with DS along the prom and had an egg and cress sandwich, packet of oven baked crisps and some apple slices but they mostly got fed to the horses we came across Cherry toms, apple and small bag of popcorn in the afternoon and just had a small slice of buttered toast with 2 veggie sausages and some beans for tea with a jelly pot after.
I always like to have something sweet after tea and forgot we had jelly pots so stupidly bought a small bar of galaxy but I've put it in the fridge out of eye line so I don't get tempted as I'm done for the night.

Those of you having frustrations/slow progress: don’t give up!! I really think consistency is key, and the scales will shift if you keep going. Plus, I remind myself that it isn’t all about the scales - I just feel better eating healthily so the benefits to mental & emotional health are also really worth it. So well done on keeping going.

I’ve had a good day and am learning to enjoy restful moments in my day rather than feeling guilty about them. For lunch I had a salad with black beans, sweet potato & hummus.
Dinner was a quorn & cauliflower curry with rice.

@cheesenpickles I’m hoping there’s some sort of science at least behind it 🤣. My initial goal weight is 9stone and I am 5ft. That it is at the top of ‘normal’ weight though so I will probably aim eventually for 8st 7lb and will be a comfortable size 8.

@Somuchroom thanks for the you tube link. Really interesting!

Welcome @StepAwayFromTheChoc @galvantula @Ornery

@Shecanmoveinanydirection it’s so frustrating isn’t it. Must make sure we use the frustration as further motivation though.

Amazing ! @MarvelMum3. Well done, great result.

Definitely @rushka despite the gain had a photo with my daughter tonight and straight away noticed how slimmer my face looked!

Good day today. Under 1200 calories which includes wine, gin and ice cream. Perhaps a bit high on the sugar front 🤣. Faster until lunch, unintentionally. Lunch was a large salad, no dressing. Dinner small fillet steak, broccoli and mushrooms. Treats were the alcohol and ice cream. 18,500 steps which includes a 30 minute run this morning.

Can I join? I was near enough my ideal weight (10 stone) early this year as I was doing a lot of exercise and eating well, but then I got injured and it all went to pot. Injury is better now but I've got into some terrible habits. Going to weigh myself tomorrow morning but I suspect it's crept up to around 10 stone 10 ish. Gah.

I've done MFP before and not sure I want the faff of it. I know I need to cut out all added sugar, which I think I can do. I also need to cut down significantly on carbs which I find a lot harder especially at work where it's hard to access healthy snacks. Planning to combine that with as much exercise as I can possibly fit in around work/kids, not so much because of the direct calorie burn but more because it puts me in the right mindset of being healthy.

Good Morning You Lovely Lot

I managed to get my 10k steps in, although had to walk around the cottage to complete

@Vixfitz36. Welcome & Well done on your 2st loss! What principles are you going to adopt to aid in reaching your goal?

@Boscoismyspiritanimal I feel you’re pain. I’ve been on point for weeks but feel the last 10 days or so I haven’t lost what I ‘thought I’d deserve’ to lose iyswim. It’s disappointing, but nonetheless I’m just carrying on. Otherwise the scales would most certainly go the wrong way.

@cheesenpickles well done on your progress and also smoke free week!

@Triceratopmeup. Don’t panic, easier said than done. If you’re exercising a lot you’ll be probably building muscle/burning fat. As muscle is heavier, you’ll weigh heavier. However you silhouette will be trimmer. Well done on the exercise, the benefits off which aren’t always immediately apparent.

@Oysterbabe Well done on getting a decent run in! Hope you enjoyed the rest of your Saturday.

@Cary2012 No age limit! All welcome . You seem to be adopting the same way of eating as I am. Although I also IF as I can’t face food pre noon.

@StepAwayFromTheChoc Welcome my friend. You’re starting weight is similar to what mine was although I’m only 5ft. I’ve dumped 2st and now I’m tackling the last 1st. You can do it! Really you can. Get in the right head space and you can achieve anything.

@galvantula Is you 1 week out of 4 increased appetite connected to your monthly cycle? Sounds like you have a sensible plan in place!

@WeKnowFrogsGoShaLaLaLaLa Don’t be too hard on yourself. You didn’t let it take over your weekend and you do have a damage limitation plan in place. Hope you get your cert!

@MarvelMum3 Great to hear baby sleeping better! Well done on your loss too! I’m pleased It’s all coming together for you. 😀

@Foreverlexicon A loss is a loss Every little bit helps. Well done!

@Ziggzagg 4lbs in 1 day? 😮

@Ornery Welcome. It seems you have a realistic awareness in what you will or won’t be able to do. That is so refreshing! You’re come to the right place for support, these ladies are awesome!

@Shecanmoveinanydirection I know it’s disheartening to not lose when you’ve put the effort in. Weight loss isn’t always linear. Are you using an app to map your progress. Is your trend over time downward? Keep going. If you falter, you might undo all your progress. Now that would proper piss you off.

@MrsJonesAndMe @StepAwayFromTheChoc Well done on your if!

@crummyusername Welcome. One of the main things to aid success is finding a way of eating you’ll find sustainable over the long haul. Exercise always helps in multiple ways and great if you can fit it in. It’s energisers, trims, motivates to keep on track with food and endorphin rushes are fab!

10 Tips for those flagging.

For those doing everything right but not Losing

Today it’s roast chicken dinner and will be OMAD. It’s just how it will work out today. Plenty of water, a couple of cups of tea and my treat of 1 coffee with cream. Exercise will be pottering in the garden and walking the dogs.

What are you all planning today?

Morning all, well done everyone for the losses. @BustedDreams I didn't quite make 10K steps but I did some weights and lunges! Lost a pound which I'm happy with. Going in right direction... it's nearly 9 in total which I'm starting to be able to feel if you know what I mean rather than just feeling less bloated which is nice.

Kids woke up at 5.30am so am having bullet proof coffee in garden. Not quite sure what we're doing today other than trying to get everyone outside... tired!

Ah, the early morning club Rubbish night's sleep but meant DC dozed to 6:30, though I was awake from 6:15.

Plan for today includes McDs so I will IF till lunch if I can hold out that long and then have an omelette for tea. There will be a lenghty walk to go with it, thankfully.

Good luck getting through the day @dancingmom and have a good day in the garden @BustedDreams

Shite nights sleep here too! Just going to try to be ok and then I fly home tomorrow so that’ll be good. Honestly just hoping I haven’t gained while I’ve been away.

Joining the bad sleep club. Youngest was awake 11:30 until 2 then up at 6. Fitbit reckons I got 3.5 hours

Joining, I am starting at 68.8kg as of yesterday. What diet would you recommend? I would like to drop a dress size for October/November as I have a couple of weddings. I hate how trousers hang low due to my big tum.

Hello everyone. I really appreciate the tips @BustedDreams. I honestly do not know what I am doing wrong but I am going to keep going.. Gained another 1.5 pounds this morning (11stone 11.4) after an OK day yesterday. I will try and be neutral today as going out and then have fast day Monday and Wednesday which should get things back on track. I do find logging everything makes unconscious calorie consumption much harder which has got to add up over time. On the plus side we are only 4 days into august so I still have time.

The diet that's best is the one that you can stick too. That varies massively from person to person. Many prefer calorie counting and allowing everything in moderation, for other Keto is the one as they don't get too hungry. I'm an intermittent faster because I'm greedy and lack the discipline to have things in moderation. I'd rather have nothing all day than a small and sensible meal that doesn't fill me up. I like to have a big meal in the evening that's covered in cheese

Morning all. Been for a run this morning. Banana pancake without yolk for breakfast today. My parents meet us here for a couple of days so hoping I can still stick to plan! Have a good day everyone

Morning all. Had a heavyish one last night and woke up to a 1.6lbs loss?! I did dance a lot though so looks like that worked in my favour.

Very impressive @suchsweetsorrow82! I went for a dog walk. I keep thinking I need to turn it into a run - but at least i'm getting out!!

This is such a great group. @BustedDreams - thank you for the way you reply to everyone, it makes it all very supportive. And it is so inspiring seeing how people are getting on, and not giving up despite set backs/needing patience... that's definitely what I know I will need in the weeks ahead, so it is a help to see other people sticking with things.

... So, Day 4!
Today I'm having poached eggs and mushrooms on toast for breakfast.
We're out for a BBQ at lunchtime.There'll be lots of salad, so think it'll be ok.
However, I haven't yet been somewhere where I've refused pudding when everyone else is eating, and that is something I find really hard to do. I'm very private about losing weight generally, and don't like to make a big deal of it.
What do you all do in that situation?
Part of me thinks I can just have a small portion (and when I'm in a group of people that's easy for me to do, it's when I'm on my own that over-eating would be the problem) but if I'm trying to cut out sugar, maybe i should just smile and say 'no thank you?'
ALSO, I don't want to turn my eating into a 'thing' in front of my kids. My mum was always on a diet, and I don't want my kids to have that going on around them, so in that way I'm loathed to be the only person not eating pudding. Does that sound stupid?! Thoughts appreciated!

I'm planning to make soup for supper as we have loads of veggies that need using up in the fridge. And that's the day. Hope you all get on well, and I'll look forward to reading about your days this evening - which is also good for stopping snacking!

@BustedDreams wow, it must take you ages to reply to us all; this group is fantastic!

Morning all; I had a rubbish sleep last night too - DH felt sorry for me and brought me a cup of tea in bed!

Weighed myself, and I'm 9st 12lbs and 6oz - so I've lost 2lbs this week!

Going to do some weights and stretches today, and I've skipped breakfast so will have yoghurt and fruit for lunch - tea will be a pork steak with salad.
This coming week will be challenging - we are at MIL's on Monday night, for a family takeaway, as its her first anniversary without FIL, who passed away in January. Tuesday is my Birthday, the first without my mum who passed away in January, so we are going out for tea. Ans Wednesday we are having a full on family day out to the beach, so are taking lunch with us, but eating tea out. I'm just hoping all the walking I will do will balance out the food!