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Slenderisters! Watch the weight Fall off us this October
78 replies
RedLipsAndRosyCheeks · 30/09/2019 15:06
OP posts:
QuimReaper ·
31/10/2019 10:43
Thanks Ello 
I hear you on the carb envy. My husband now doesn't bother with added carbs (because his mancrush at work told him to reduce them 
) which has made it easier, but I developed coping strategies over the years (if I haven't said all this before, which I'm almost certain I have - sorry):
- Firstly, wherever possible, plan dishes which are complete in themselves, but which the kids can have carbs on the side of, rather than separate meals, so protein and veg and they can have potatoes, or a stew and likewise, or soup and they can have bread. You don't have to deprive your kids of spaghetti etc. forever, but breaking the carb habit is one of the hardest things I've ever done (more in terms of coming up with enough non-carb-centred recipes than anything!) so give yourself at least a couple of weeks of reduced temptation whilst you get used to it. (Which you will, honest
)
- Eat most things out of a bowl - a smallish one. This helps with not feeling deprived: it took me ages not to see protein and veg as an "incomplete" meal, so I started paying attention to how meals are presented in restaurants (and on Instagram...). I eat practically everything out of a small, shallow pasta bowl (if it's soup or similar I just use a cereal bowl), so for protein + veg meals I cover the base of the bowl in salad leaves, then sprinkle any veg over those, then add protein, then sprinkle a garnish (chopped spring onions, feta, whatever) so it looks "complete", and husband has the same but on a plate so there's room for extra carb component. Mine looks better
- Make carbs you're not jealous of! I really struggle to make lovely buttery mash and not eat it, but I'm less jealous of rice so he gets that a lot...!
- Similarly, make carbs you can't "nibble" - you mentioned a baked potato, that's a brilliant thing to have on the side of a lovely vege stew etc., and they're contained amounts so you can't change your mind and just chuck some on your own plate at the last minute or graze on. Less easy with bread, but having the exact number of bread rolls for everyone except you, for instance, could work.
- On that note ^, plan ahead: I always have the most willpower in the morning and the least whilst handling food, so I keep bread rolls in the freezer and get out one in the morning for him. That way the decision's been made and they're not taunting me whilst I'm at my weakest. Similarly, with baked potatoes, you can make them ahead and heat them up, or even just put them in the oven earlier in the day so you can just turn it on at the right time, and not have to contemplate them.
I'll try and take a pic of my dinner sometime so you see what I mean about presentation, it sounds like a small thing but I honestly think it's made a massive difference to me. On the small bowl thing, I also eat from a side plate if a plate is required - when I make frittata (every week practically) we both have a big pile of salad leaves with cherry toms, but his is a dinner plate and mine's a side plate so my smaller slice doesn't look dwarfed.
Having said all that, carbs are not necessarily the enemy. Have them at weekends, have them every other day, you don't need to go into all these acrobatics to avoid them if it's making your life miserable. I'm a bit evangelical because as I said, it was pure habit with me, and I managed to cut a lot of calories out of my life by changing things up, and I think lots of people could really reduce their carb intake (and up their veg intake) quite painlessly, even if it's only a couple of meals a week.
Elloello ·
30/10/2019 17:44
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
QuimReaper ·
30/10/2019 11:01
Ello welcome back into the fold! I'll take your questions:
I need to devise a basic menu which I can work with the family.
Do you / your family mind things being a bit repetitive? We eat the same things over and over in this house (during the week especially - I get more creative at weekends or when we have company, but not much more) purely because I like to keep things simple. I keep a spreadsheet of all of our meals so I can just flick my eye over it if I'm feeling uninspired, but also so I can pre-enter our dinners, which I do as I'm doing the weekly shop online, to make sure we have everything. Takes the thought out of it and, more importantly, the spontaneity. Husband has the same breakfast every day and packed lunches which are essentially the same 3/4 things on repeat. I'm very happy to help you come up with a meal plan for a few weeks whilst you get into the swing of it (and I'm sure the more creative others will too!) then it's just a question of keeping it ticking over.
Is 800 too low? 1600 to high?
Not necessarily and not necessarily #Helpful I would say that 1600 is almost certainly too high for you. It's unlikely to leave you in a calorie deficit unless you are in an exercise regime. There is no "too low" on any given day; plenty of people have 500 cal days, and I do a 48hr-ish liquid fast each week. But the right calorie amount is what you can stick to the majority of the time without being hungry, grumpy, miserable, etc, and 800 is tough psychologically (even if it's adequate physically). Most people find 1200 to be a happy medium: doesn't allow for many indulgences but doesn't leave you hungry or deprived. There's a great reddit feed called something like "1200 is plenty" where people post their 1200-cal daily meal plans, great for inspiration!
Do I have to do the gym or can I just do something I like?
Of course you can do what you like, you great noodle I haven't been to the gym in donkey's years. I like plugging into a podcast / audiobook and going for a walk, so I do that and nothing more. It keeps the weight off, and I'm not toned, but I don't seem to care enough about that to do anything about it...
Can any cereal actually be healthy? I'm yearning for fruit and fibre in the morning at the mo, eggs don't always appeal.
Boxed cereal can't really ever be healthy. The problem is that they're stuffed with sugar; and also that the calorie amount cited on the box is usually for 30g, and I think most people naturally have about triple that! 30g is absolutely measley. Do you like porridge? 30g of sugary cereal simply doesn't leave most people satisfied all morning, so you get a lot more bang for your buck with porridge or protein. That said, it won't kill you to just have it when you don't fancy eggs a couple of times a week.
Regarding the exercise thing: is your rationale that if you've paid for it you'll be motivated to do it? I know that works for some people, but I wouldn't trust myself not to just waste money and then hate myself. I don't know anything about that programme, but my suggestion would be to committing to doing a free youtube tutorial x times a week for a fortnight first, see if you can do that, and then reassess. Even if it's not your ideal workout programme, find one or several you don't mind too much and do it just for the habit-forming of it.
Blahblah 3kg in 1 month is a tall order, we'll handhold you through it! What an amazing achievement so far, well done. What's your strategy been?
Kick it's the weather, definitely! As Ello says everyone wants to hibernate and gain a winter coat It would also make me disinclined to go for a run, but then, I am always disinclined to do that, you might feel different.
Here's my shout: if you have an absolutely superbly golden day today and tomorrow you'll feel AMAZING, in control and determined, and it'll carry you through the indulgent bit and you'll come out the other side clear-headed and ready to tackle any gains. If you admit defeat now and just eat your way through it, you'll feel sluggish and grumpy and will struggle even more to find the wagon.
So start now, and then enjoy your plans, and then get back on it. You know it makes sense!
KickBishopBrennanUpTheArse ·
30/10/2019 06:49
Hello all. I'm still here in spirit but lurking because I'm so far outside the zone I'd have to shout!
Quim and red well done to both of you for holding the fort. And well done on your successes 
I've got back into bad habits and its showing. I'm not sure why really. Just struggling to engage will power. It might be the weather or it might be because I'm running loads which makes me eat more (but not lose weight).
I've got a big week next week with dd's birthday followed by a weekend away so I think I'm waiting for that before I start but I know that's silly because I could easily have gained another 3-4lb by then.
Please come and shout at me!
Elloello ·
29/10/2019 17:14
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
Elloello ·
29/10/2019 16:59
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
QuimReaper ·
29/10/2019 14:02
Red Thank you! Yes, I think I'm happy with my current weight I really just decided to keep going and see how it played out but now that pretty much everything I own comfortably fits me, I'm taking my foot off the pedal a bit. I hated having so many things in my wardrobe that I never felt really comfortable wearing, but I had a huge trying on / clearing-out session a couple of weekends ago and I've really turned a corner. I'm surprised I had to go 4kg under what I thought was my "comfy weight" to get here, but I think it might be because I'm an apple, I only ever pay attention to the weight around my middle, whereas of course I do carry it on my bum and hips too, I just never pay much attention to those areas, so I had a bit of time when I was getting lighter but not visibly shrinking. I know I'm in the "vanity pounds" area, as nobody has noticed or mentioned anything about my weight even though I'm 7-10lbs lighter than I have been in recent years, so I guess it isn't coming off anywhere that noteworthy. (Most people would probably just be minding their own business, but my husband would have remarked if he'd noticed.) It's definitely been coming off the bum and thighs though, my usual jeans are confirmed Too Big now, they look a bit ridiculous!
I'm the same with taking a day to ease back onto the wagon, then on fire once I'm in the zone. I think you're right, Zumba is a much better investment than Slimming World, especially when you think you're no longer benefiting so much from the accountability and advice - I've never been but I can't imagine every meeting is a revelation, whereas Zumba will always do you good. I still haven't tried it, I really should.
dayslikethese Nice to see you back! It's gone awful quiet here this month but Red and I are still chugging away I think when the clocks change and it gets cold lots of people lost their mojo for exercise and just want to eat warming food (and remember how awesome it is to be able to hide in winter clothing...) but I'm expecting a bit of a surge of interest in the next couple of weeks when everyone suddenly wants to lose a bit in time for Christmas. Perhaps you're the advance guard!
QuimReaper ·
26/10/2019 10:47
WELL. Last week was definitely a blip - I was 1.2 KILOS down yesterday morning! 
Kicked last week's random gain and 900g besides!
Red That sounds GLORIOUS, you lucky thing, enjoy every second and happy birthday to Mr Red! Booze and cake was very much in evidence Chez Quim last night, I am a little delicate this morning and have no regrets at all
QuimReaper ·
23/10/2019 10:12
WOOHOO! New low, that's wonderful Red, well done! And hooray for smaller jeans on both of us (even if we seem to be the only two surviving slenderistas)! I only decided I was slim enough for jeans last year and bought three pairs cheap on Asos, so I'm quite chuffed with this progress. They're slightly high-rise and now too loose, so when I sit down now I have this big baggy crotch accumulation which is sooooo sezzy
In other news, my bean thing was delicious! That pulled "chicken" is great for giving a bit of bite to a vege stew without using meat, very cheap and convenient.
QuimReaper ·
22/10/2019 20:18
Red when I used to ride I had abs of steel, it's definitely not a doss!
I've got a bean stew thing on the hob as MrQuim suddenly harvested millions of beans, it's got a bit of leftover chorizo and some of that Linda McCartney pulled "chicken" in and some kale (also thrust at me covered in mud from the garden...!) and it smells fab - hope it tastes good
I think I have to say something. I've been suspecting it for a while but I didn't feel sure. I believe... MY JEANS ARE TOO BIG
Well, they're jeggings so have probably stretched in time, but I really think I may have lost weight off my arse, they're getting ludicrously loose. Hurrah!
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QuimReaper ·
21/10/2019 13:39
Hey hey guys! Glad to see you around, I was talking to myself for a bit there 
Very true Red and it does seem to happen every few weeks or so irrespective of how good I've been so I'll just brush it off. Glad to hear you're powering on - I had a very calorific day yesterday (pub lunch - SO worth it!), so am also hoping to undo the damage.
Red that's a pretty good result after a week off, and I bet a lot of it'll be fluid retention and will evaporate pretty quickly - feeling better I trust? Definitely take it easy on the running if you're still a bit chesty!
KickBishopBrennanUpTheArse ·
19/10/2019 21:54
Well I finally braved the scales after over a week of feeding my cold.
I'd gained 3lb so not great but could have been worse. I'm much better now but still a bit of lingering asthma so I am hoping to get back out running this week.
Hope everyone is having a good weekend.
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