I'm going to try and change 1 thing a week and see how I get on,

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

I'm so sick of diet plans, healthy living gurus, calories, carbs, leg days etc etc. I've tried them all, I've paid with money, I've gotten sick from plans, I'm still overweight, in therapy and so sick of the whole lifestyle industry thing in general.

However as said I'm overweight, I feel like crap on a daily basis, tired, brain fog, painful joints etc etc.
I am seeing drs to see if there's anything wrong with me other than my body being battered by my lifestyle on a daily basis. My therapy is aimed at discovering who I am and then loving that person and treating them with respect, something my current self is not good at doing.

So here's my plan ...

I'm going to endeavour to work on one thing a week, Monday - Sun, 1 challenge. I'm not going to plan ahead too much and they monthly not be all good/drink related but to start with.

I'm going to aim to eat 3 meals a day, at the moment I graze all day from about 10am and then have a large dinner, my grazing is mainly quick, convenience food based.
No rules as such apart from eating 3 meals a day, and making them actually meals that I'm sat down for, no sandwiches stuffed in between people at work etc, no taking a handful of biscuits to the staff room while
I do paperwork and calling it 'lunch.'

I don't mind if anyone wants to join me, I'm doing this one way or another and I would like to document it somewhere.

We've been to Wahaca for lunch today, later in the day for lunch and I'll have a lighter dinner. I love Mexican street food! No regrets here spending some time with my family and some nice food!

I had a really hungry day today, and in the spirit of this thread decided to listen to my body and eat a bit more. I don’t want to needlessly gorge myself, but nor do I want to feel slightly sick because I am so hungry. Think I was well under my calorie allowance yesterday and it caught up with me. Bit carb heavy though. Love a bit of toast!

At the end of my first week, I'm feeling good, feeling hungry for my meals and my meals are well thought out. It's challenged a lot of things I thought about stuff which is also positive.
I endeavour to carry on with the 3 meals a day on a 99% basis, at no time will I not snack on a mince pice come Christmas for instance.

A few of my more troublesome health symptoms have eased off as well and I'm really enjoying my meals.

This week I'm focusing on more fluids, water ideally but weak squash is also something I drink when I can't stomach water anymore. I don't envisage any major pitfalls this week. My lack of drinking is often because I'm too lazy to get up and get a drink, as last week, no defined goals, I'm not going to set an amount to aim for per day - just more. More than now which is very little.

Well done @TitsalinaBumSquash sounds like you're doing well.
Good method for monitoring intake is to have a bottle that you know the size of and a target of how many times to refill it!
I've just made "tragic vegetable" soup for lunches for the week ahead and will batch cook some baked potatoes tomorrow- aiming for a low bread week and three/ four alcohol free days!

What is tragic vegetable soup?

I've lost 4lbs!! Really chuffed. Managed not to snack or eat crap and it's spurred me on to walk to meet my friends tonight instead of driving.

Hi All,
Sorry, away at parents for BH weekend. Titsalina, great to have such positive feelings about your week.
Hope, that is amazing! You must feel fab!
Londonloves, I love the idea of tragic vegetable soup! I have imagines sad old mushrooms and wilty cabbage going to meet their end in a big pot.

I have had a lovely week-and-a-bit - feeling so much calmer around food that I am genuinely shocked. Also made me realise how much I was thinking about food, diets, weight etc.

Going to weigh once a month as it will really throw me off if I feel I haven't lost enough. However, I have much more energy, and have tasted my food more! Also my tummy def flatter (still huge but it's all relative at this stage!)

Victories for me:
I refused the cheeseboard every evening because I was nicely full. (Btw, my parents are not posh, my mom just prefers cheese to pudding!)
I didn't polish off leftovers at all, kids or otherwise. I actually put the last piece of leftover cake in a tin. Unheard of for me!

I passed on pudding several times.
I told myself "you can have it if you really want it, but just wait until your next meal to eat it..." and then when next meal came round, I didn't fancy it.

I will be interested to see how effective this approach is for weight loss. In terms of moods, obsessive food thinking etc, it is a game-changer. I also need to be mindful that I am 39 and 5.5stone overweight. I am happy for it to take a year if needs be, as long as it generally works.

This sounds like the thread for me! I used to be slim but have piled on weight since having kids 8 years ago. It has just been 3 or 4 pounds a year so I hardly noticed it at the time, but I am now 2 stone overweight and suddenly feeling incredibly fat and unhealthy! I'm not a massive snacker, but my downfalls are wine, convenience food for lunch and portion control. Oh and a woeful lack of exercise!!

This week I am only allowing myself wine once a week and am trying to make healthy lunches to bring to the office. So far so good! Next week I will try and tackle the exercise and aim to do 10k steps at least 3 times a week and introduce a bit of a core workout to sort out the mum tum. It sounds so easy, but it is never as straightforward in real life!

Good luck to everyone!

Hi sah!

How is everyone getting on?

Are we on week 2 now? I am sticking to my one change (three good meals a day) just until kids back at school, as want to strengthen such a good habit!

Next week, I am thinking about adding in regular exercise - maybe a HIIT as free (I have Joe Wickes books and the Shred dvd) and I can do while kids in bed.

Have others moved onto two new things now? How is everyone feeling? And how is the "tragic vegetable soup"?

I'm on week 2, I'm keeping on with my 3 meals a day which is getting easier and this week my goal is to increase fluids (not gin though! 😂) I'm doing ok, just a case of making myself go and get a drink or making sure to have a glass or 2 every time I'm in the kitchen,
I had some bad news this week. I have a rather leaky heart valve so I will have to have heart surgery. This is what my Mum died of so it's quite upsetting but she wasn't very healthy (lifestyle wise) when she went in for it so I'm determined that I won't follow suit and I will be healthier all round when it comes to my turn.
I have weighed today, mainly to see if the ball park figure I gave the consultant was correct and it was, I'm still the same as when I quit team RH because it wasn't really working for me.
I would be interested in the tragic soup, soup is my go to quick lunch!

Hi OP, just want to give you some encouragement. This is a great way to get going and stop drowning in the big “I’m on a diet” headfuck... I did exactly this a few years ago and I was massively obese and physically very unwell. (Obviously pretty unhappy about it too.) I am now 60kgs down. I have lost more than I now weigh. I lead a much healthier life mentally and physically. I have ditched a few unhealthy people (my call) along the way too, but I had the time to come to the decision that it was completely necessary. Just thought I’d pop in and let you know that I think you’re being really smart with this approach to things! X

Oh Titsalina, that is bad news, I am sorry to hear that. It is good that you are able to focus on the positive rather than head straight for the fridge! Hope you get good, kind treatment from your HCPs.

Agree about water. It is a small simple change but one that always makes me feel better when I remember to do it.

justilou that is so good to hear - and you really sound like you turned your life around.

How are others getting on?

Hi @TitsalinaBumSquash - sorry to hear about your heart valve. Must have been typing my encouragement for you (one-handed atm as I tripped over the dog, so I’m VERY slow!) and I missed that bit!!! My lifestyle change was partly inspired by several deaths and illnesses in my family that I realized were largely preventable (for many reasons) and I wanted to get my shit together and live for my kids. I am now studying nursing st my crumbly old age (47).... My first placement actually confirmed my theories about living well, etc.... a lot of fairly “youngish” people in nursing homes seem to have decided to be old because of things they have done to their bodies due to obesity, smoking, immobility, etc.... (obviously some of these people were unaware of the effects of smoking on their bodies, etc but I can’t say that I have ever had that excuse. There are also a lot of people who are in these places through no fault of their own, too....) Could have been me if I hadn’t made some serious changes!!!

Hi folks, sorry lost track of this thread a bit. Tragic vegetable soup was - onion, some spring onions which had seen better days, some bendy courgettes and celery, half a marrow that was given to me and half a butternut squash, all chopped up and fried off in oil, then added some herb de Provence and three chicken stock cubes plus water, simmered for 30 mins. Actually pretty nice!
I though I hadn't been doing so well this week - pre menstrual so starving all the time, plus Boris-induced extra wine drinking. But I have lost a bit. 5lb to go to hit my 1st October target...

So my plan going into next week is to meal plan my lunches, or I just end up eating toast. And keen on with my booze reduction strategy. What's everyone else thinking of for next week?
Also sorry to hear re your health issue @TitsalinaBumSquash - hard to stay focussed when bad news comes in, but you're doing so well.

Sorry to hear about your heart valve issue @TitsalinaBumSquash. But you're doing the right thing taking you health into your own hands and trying to minimise your risk. Apart from one tiny gin last night, I have avoided alcohol all week and ate healthy homemade lunches. I'm not weighing myself yet so I don't think I've lost anything, but I do feel better for it and my bank balance is a bit healthier too! This week exercise is going to be my main focus. For someone who used to love the gym it has been a long, long time since I exercised properly. Going to start slowly with walking and a bit of core work, maybe 7 minute hiit sessions a few times a week. I'm feeling quite motivated so I just hope it doesn't tail off!

Thanks for all the kind worlds of encouragement.

I've not felt a huge difference upping my fluids if I'm honest, I have a cracking headache today of anything however, I know it's good for me so I'll obviously keep it up.
Week 3, I'm going to endeavour to have veggies with all my meals and generally up the ratio of fresh veg to meat and other carbs. I have a really busy week at work but I hope to foresee and sticky points and come up with a solution, even if I have to carry a bag of carrot and celery sticks in my bag to have alongside a co op sandwich lunch.
I hope everyone else is having a good week and is looking forward to week 3.

I am going to focus on avoiding empty calories this week, sugar and alcohol in the main. I am doing well with 3 meals a day, but portion control is becoming lax,and if it’s there I will dig in for seconds.

I've found I can't physically eat the huge portions I used to, before I would constantly be stretching my stomach all day by just 1 more biscuit, 1 more mouthful etc, now I serve a huge portion, sit down for it and about 3/4 of the way though I can feel myself full. It's new for me, I've always been comically know as 'the dustbin' when I came to food.

Checking in - camping at the weekend so probably ate a bit more than I meant to (two cooked breakfasts!) But clothes feel looser around my waist which is always where I lose weight first so I am hopeful.

This week, still focussing on three nice meals plus more fluids. Actually today's meals were fairly dull but am trying to get to a shrugging 'never mind' place about those days instead of feeling I've been cheated out of home-made moussaka or whatever I didn't have the energy to cook!

Have a good week all.

Well the exercise isn't quite going to plan this week. One of the kids has a tummy bug so I've been stuck in the house for the past 3 days barely moving off the sofa! So I've switched my focus to healthy breakfasts, and have been having apple and peanut butter, and natural yogurt with berries. It's ok at the moment but I think I'll get bored quickly, so I need to come up with some good alternatives. Also sticking to healthy lunches....although I did have a doughnut yesterday

I'm doing well with my fruit and veg with every mea but my drinking more is a challenge, I've been crazy busy and I forget. I need something to remind me I'm not sure what I can use though, I don't want an obvious alarm but something like my Fitbit that buzzed if I don't meet my steps per hour... 🤔

I've not had an entirely successful week, some days I've just not had time for 3 meals so have tried to have a large brunch and then dinner which I think is ok.
I could have done better with drinking fluids I think, I've not done terribly though. I have upped my fruit and veg but again could have done more if I'm being really honest with myself.

I'm not sure what to set myself next week, I will keep up the current ones. I did think about trying to fit in a walk everyday, I do quite a lot of steps anyway though so I'm not sold on it, I though of a non diet related one and thought of decluttering one space or similar. I'm really struggling which the mess and chaos in my house at the moment.
I'll get back to you all on what I decide.

Oh Titsalina, we are all heroes really doing so much. A little bit of chaos may be inevitable. I’m working on smaller portions of food and also of the tasks I set myself. Noticed my sink was grimy this morning , so I cleaned it very thoroughly, and the work surface and cupboard doors on that side of my kitchen.felt pressured because we were going out, but the whole room needed a thorough going over. But I stopped and thought I will do the rest tomorrow. Feel quite proud, didn’t let the guilt get me.
Feel quite proud.