Lose in 2020/January.

[BustedDreams]

Happy New Year! Here we are! Not just a brand new year but a brand new decade. New decades always feel that bit more significant and life enhancing.

I, like many others, would love to embrace the Twenty Twenties feeling more svelte, toned, healthier & happier. A massive part of that is underpinned by what we eat, when we eat it and why? In turn, how we feel mentally underpins our eating habits. Eating feelings, celebratory meals out, food rewards etc. By being balanced and mindful around food will help us all stay on track.

I know that if I don’t keep on it by setting goals, logging, calorie counting, utilising time restricted eating, and eating a mostly Mediterranean style diet I would gain month on month. Diet and weight loss isn’t a one size fits all. There are so many enjoyable options. Personally If I eat a carb heavy diet I hold not only extra weight but also carry water. My whole silhouette blobs out. I also rarely drink alcohol and keep sugar to a minimum. I exercise by walking & swimming.

I’m petite in statue, have an under active thyroid (medicated) and every bit of extra weight shows. Previously I allowed myself to get obese but since dropping 20+ lbs I’m no longer in that category. I’m still working on getting my BMI into the ‘normal’ category and this is one of my goals for 2020.

The previous threads have proved wonderfully supportive and inspiring The ladies on these threads have been awesome and shared some great achievements!

Anyone like to join me in 2020?

Add your name, personal goals, eating/exercise plan etc.

Together we can do it!

Useful Links

Fast Diet

Low Carb & Mediterranean Diet

My Fitness Pal

Intermittent Fasting

Mindful Eating

Meal Planning

Pinch of Nom

Water Intake & Weight Loss

Nutrition & Mental Health

How To Lose Weight

Love that quote busted

I made it to 6am CrossFit despite not being back at work yet it feels good to be back in routine.

I have the Fitbit charge and really like the sleep functionality, and the calories and exercise FROM mfp are fine, it just won't sync the other way. Agree they have got too clever for their own good!

I got my daughter one for Christmas, she's 14 and I'm worried she sleeps too late (12-12 in the holidays??) and does no exercise so trying to gently encourage earlier bedtime and I'm taking her with me to yoga class tomorrow

I used to think 1200 calories a day was impossible but I'm actually realising that as long as i don't snack at all, and possibly just have coffee & protein for breakfast, the other two meals are ok and not leaving me hungry.
I'm also usually bad at drinking enough water so increasing that instead of eating is helping.

I weighed and I am 0.6 lbs up. I was disappointed and DH said I told you not to weigh everyday. I told him I wasn't up because I weigh daily but because of my two treats yesterday, mince pie and cream after dinner and a nougat, chocolate and fruit bar earlier. Straight away I knew why I might be up and I will just walk more or faster with the dog. If I weigh once a week or fortnight like he thinks I should and he will then that is how it is easy to creep up half a stone without realising it.

Good morning all, yesterday's IF was far better having the all bran breakfast so shall stick with that.. for now! Once the kids go back to school there will be no time for breakfast so I shall see how I cope next week. I'm ashamed to say I bought an Apple Watch some time ago.. played with it for a week or two then left it in the car 🙈 I shall dig it out and see if I can focus on actually understanding how it works! Stepped on the scales again this morning and I'm another 1lb down from 10stone NYD. Now 9.12 slowly does it.. booked into a class at the gym this Sunday 1. To get out house minus kids.. 2. To motivate me into getting back into the gym! I used to go daily after the school run so that's my plan from Tuesday next week 🙌 Happy Friday all, have a great day x

@sunshinecake I weigh daily too but you need to look at the trend not the fluctuations. You won't have instantly put on fat from eating 2 treats yesterday, it's probably water retention. Don't stress and get back on the wagon

But I agree weighing daily helps alert you if the trend is up over a week or two!

@BustedDreams thank you. It says just over 3 litres if I've worked it out right.

Hope everyone has a good day today x

It's been a while for me. Over the summer I lost over a stone with you lovely ladies. I still have over a stone to go to be a healthy BMI. I had a baby 11months ago and suffered horrendous pelvic pain, I'm still having a tough time so I can only do 30min walks - even then it's so so painful. I need to keep up with my physio exercises and stop making excuses.

Diet plan for me - lots of homemade soup, it's filling and low calorie. Only occasional treats. Just try to focus on eating well and looking after my body.

Good luck to everyone - it's great reading your stories and being inspired!

@RunningNinja79 Have you tried green tea with mint tea together? That’s what I’ve been drinking and it’s not too bad.

12 hour shift at work today for me so I’m unlikely to get any exercise in. Going to wait as long as I can for breakfast though - it’ll need to be about 1pm if I’m to keep to 16:8 today.

@BustedDreams - thank you so much for your brilliant and detailed response to my post. I will do what you suggest. Have fun this weekend.

Morning all. We are out of the house today so hopefully that will cut the number of snacks
@Selfsettling3 what is the dairy free cheese you have found? I thought finding an edible one was the Holy Grail!

Good morning all! The official start for me is today, although I think establishing good habits could be hard until I am back at work and the kids are back at school next week. But worth a try.
I am trying to keep up with the threads, so many people on it, which is great, I hope that we manage to give each other support and enthusiasm.

RunningNinja quick comment - green tea is a topic close to my heart and I can make some recommendations that could make the drinking of it a more pleasurable experience. First of all - teabag green tea is awful, do not get it! It is bitter and foul. What is nice is the loose varieties. Much less bitter, and very cheap - a smallish packets lasts forever. You just few a few leaves in a cup, pour over the water, and then drink (avoiding the leaves, of course). You can then just top it up with hot water as you go along. I would recommend something like Jasmine tea (check it is made with green tea as I think that there could also be types with white or black tea). The absolute best sort though for me is Dragon Pheonix Pearls. It seems expensive but it lasts a long time and is delicious (although I do not get it through that website, which seems particularly expensive...).

I have been hiking for a few days and am only starting officially today. Weigh-in at exactly 11.5 st. I am a shorty, so it is a lot more than ideal for me. I am going to try the 16:8 intermittent fasting programme as that could suit me - I do not like breakfast much anyway so no big loss there). Also take up running again - used to be very keen on it but it has lapsed over the past few years. And try to find ways of managing stress better - some family difficulties last year were a bit of a trigger for me and while most of the problems have subsided for now they could well come back at some point. I already do yoga and that helps, but also finding other ways of unwinding (baths, or meeting up with friends, that sort of thing). I would like to gradually get back to about 9.5 stone.

Hi again

Just sat down for my first meal of the day and thought I would chat to you all .

@FrazzledCareerWoman please can you explain more about the trends I need to look out for as I'm not sure I fully understand. Helpful to know two treats weren't the cause of the slight gain. Especially as I've made mince pies for everyone and I would like one.

I walked the dog this morning for 1.5 hours and I was feeling very hungry on the way home. I just decided I needed to keep busy so I didn't eat and I've done loads. Cleared out three cupboards so far, loaded the dishwasher twice, checked the dates on everything in the baking cupboard and done three wash loads. I've just put some red lentils on to boil as use by December 2019 and I'm not wasting them. I will turn them into soup.

Good afternoon everyone.

@RunningNinja79 I don't know if you can buy it where you live, but when I go shopping tomorrow I'm going to try Lipton's non-bitter green tea in teabags that I saw the other day. I usually drink peppermint tea but also have Lipton's green tea with jasmine, which is tolerable.

@SunshineCake well done for keeping busy.

No running for me today, went for a long swim instead - 25 lengths at my usual pace (a 4 year old could lap me, honestly).

I'm a daily weigher and the scales haven't shifted yet, but I am on plan and it will happen.

Hi sunshine what I mean is that while if you ate those two treats every day then over time your weight would go up yes. But those treats haven't instantly been converted to body fat since yesterday! Eating refined carbs can cause you to bloat and retain more water. Or you're more full --
For example I was up 0.6kg this morning and I know it is because I haven't been to the loo yesterday (sorry tmi) as sometimes happens when I change my eating habits suddenly.
Over a week / month if you on average burn more calories than you eat then your weight will come down. When I lost 10kg last year and weighed in daily, it wasn't a straight line. There were lots of little fluctuations and some weeks even I was up (but usually if up on a week not a day there is a real reason like been slacking!).

Hi. I'm joining as I need to lose about a stone to get to my comfortable weight. Have put on a lot in the last 6 weeks as DH has been ill and my exercise routine collapsed and then came Xmas.
I started on New Year's Day and am using mfp to log calories plus adding back the exercise.

I've done ok with eating for 2 days now and went for a shortish bike ride today so it should be another good day as long as the exercise doesn't make me eat more.

I'm down 1.5lbs although I'm sure most of that is either water or a shrinking stomach.
I usually get half way to my target and then give up so looking for support to keep going this time.

Hi all

Eating is just going nowhere fast since the whole house is still rammed with rubbish - but I'm drinking lots and aiming to stick to the 16:8 or thereabouts, taking my vits and doing my yoga. When they go back to school, I will knuckle down.

I'd keep weighing @SunshineCake but looking at the overall picture - is it going downwards. That's what I did before Christmas. I wonder if you need to start eating a bit earlier as you're quite active in the morning with the dog walk etc? I find I can only really fast because I'm asleep for a large part of it I wouldn't last till 12 or 1PM!

Welcome @Mumski45

Really interesting to hear all the strategies everyone is using - it’s giving me great ideas and motivation. I am on day 3 now - and logging everything with mfp. I don’t have a Fitbit so the walking I am doing is an extra bonus. I used to do a lot of running but can’t with my back anymore - I found the running helped kick start my weight loss. So now mfp has become my substitute. I find it so easy and handy to use. But am really interested to hear what’s helping you guys. I have a calendar on the back of my door and am Marking each day off with a big X - like I’m about 3 years old - whatever helps!!🤣🤣

Thank you @FrazzledCareerWoman I'll not get disheartened and will keep going.

@MrsJonesAndMe the trouble is while my weight might go down for a bit it doesn't keep going down and creeps up almost as many days as down.

I can miss breakfast okay but if I eat it I feel I eat more. The danger is if I don't eat enough lunch and dinner I then want supper.

I haven't left the kitchen today. I've cleared out all the cupboards, made red lentil, quinoa, onion and chilli soup. I'm just sautéing some mushrooms and cabbage for when I'm hungry and need something to buy me thinking time. I've done that a lot lately, especially when the oven is in for dinner. Yesterday I did jacket potatoes and cauliflower cheese so that it was already done for lunch today and just needed warming in the microwave. Once I'm hungry no way could I wait for fifteen minutes for the oven to warm up and then 35 minutes to cook it. The day before I roasted Mediterranean vegetables so had the rest of the with half the cauliflower cheese for today's lunch.

@Ethiopianflower my strategy is to eat a small breakfast of a piece of toast and some fruit and then a skinny veg soup for lunch with a little bit of bread. If I'm hungry in between then I have a few grapes or tea with sweetened but try to keep busy as then I'm less likely to snack. I usually then have enough calories left over for a decent evening meal but avoid seconds and puddings. In the first week I will try not to eat back my exercise calories as this helps my stomach to shrink and get used to feeling a bit hungry. After that I aim to eat back about half the calories I burn off with exercise so there is an incentive to stay active as I allow these extra calories to come from treats.

I am another daily weigher. I weighed in at 12:6:6 today which is fabulous as it means I have lost 3lbs so far!! Of course it will be mostly water but it gives me hope!!

I am getting into my pattern of IF now and didn't feel hungry until around 1pm. I just had chicken casserole for dinner and still have another 250 calories to use up before my IF window closes at 9pm. I may have a Halo Top ice lolly - have you all seen them? About 90 calories each and rather yummy.

It's impossible for me to calories count so I hope the IF and being a lot more mindful with eating, walking the dog and using the exercise bike, will be enough.

I’m another believer in weighing in daily. Focusing on the trend as salt really has me fluctuating without having had additional calories.
3 days in a row of identical weigh ins...

@NorthernPowermouse I did look and think about the ones with mint, but Im a bit worried that I'll annoy my co-workers with the smell. Might have a go

@annabell22 I haven't no. I'll have a look next time I pop to the supermarked. Thank you.

The tea didn't taste too bad today, it's more when I get to the end of the cup so I only drank half of it. Better than something more calorific though. I'm going to try some more next week. I might find one I like.

No exercise for me today. I've tried to exercise every day in the past and I just got too hungry. Besides we're meant to rest. Up early tomorrow for parkrun though.

I have weighed every day in the past and then worked out my average for the week. I can get quite obsessed. I'm trying to avoid that this time.

@SunshineCake I can't count calories either. Im doing the same as you. IF so eating 11-7 and during those times trying to eat mindfully. I might start to add more rules on later. One step at a time right now.

@RunningNinja79 I just use two teabags...one green, one mint...makes it much more palatable.

I’ve eaten well today but now have wine .

I might weigh tomorrow then weekly on Saturdays as Wednesdays are a bit hectic with getting kids to school etc. Hope I don’t regret the wine...