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

@GiveMeStrengthOrAHobby Congratulations on your losses so far. You’ve proved to yourself you can lose. Also aiming for a lb a week loss/52lbs in one year is doable. That is a sensible aim. Both your health conditions hinder weight loss but with planning, medical support, correct meds etc it can be done. I’m aware my blood sugars aren’t great and I was classed as ‘pre diabetes’ earlier this year. I’m trying to reverse that by eating an healthier diet and losing weight.

I think the main thing I’d say is not to get despondent and give up if you don’t lose week on week. Plans work out on paper but in reality weight loss isn’t linear. For most of us it’s a total lifestyle change that will reap rewards in health and weight loss over the long term.

Hi @DownUdderer nice to see you on board

Welcome back @Foreverlexicon. LifeS difficulties do get in the way sometimes. It’s good to read you’re through the worst and you know what your triggers are. 2020 will be a great year and you’ll start off by beating your Jan 2919 running totals.

@dottydolly72 hop on board. The people on these threads are fabulous. Always friendly and supportive. You’ve come to the right place

I’m posting This link about the SIRT diet. People might be interested (not for me) but what is useful is at the end of the article are links to a multitude of other ways of eating. Hope the links work.

I would definitely advocate thyroid testing! I have currently under control graves disease (overactive thyroid autoimmune) which has royally screwed over my metabolism. When i was symptomatic I lost loads of weight (but the other symptoms were not pleasant!) then the meds made me put so much weight back on and even though I've been off meds for almost a year now my metabolism is still really slow.

My plan for this afternoon is to go through my fridge, freezer and cupboards and write a list of what i have then write my meal plan and shopping list from that 😊

Hi, im in 🙋‍♀️

i have been a lurker on these weight loss boards for a while but i'm finally ready to change!

I'm hoping to lose 70lb in 2020 (too much?) in total i have around 120 to lose but starting out realistically i would like to hope.

i will be calorie counting and cutting out fizzy drinks (my weakness)

I’ve just paid my membership online to a slimming group in my village. Hope being part of a group doing this will motivate me as I find my motivation to keep going hard. First weigh in on the 1st January - note to self - wear light clothes 🤣🤣

I'll join! Lost 21 pounds in 2019 but put 7 back on.. want to lost at least 14 if not 21 in 2020...am doing the GNR so hoping my training for that will help!

Can I join too? I've joined a couple of other threads in the pat but never really made progress. I'm in much better place about it all now. I have 100 lbs to lose. I'm going to focus on that and not on how long it will take. I lost 6.5 lbs in the two weeks prior to Christmas and have been afraid to weight myself since. Back to being weighed weekly next week. The 100 lbs gives me the lovely (!) opportunity to see every loss as a clear % so that's how I'm doing this. We go on holidays in July and I know some others locally who may be in the same resort, I know I won't be as slim as they are by July, but not feeling in tears beside them would be a start.

past

I'm in!

Joined slimming world in November, already lost 1stone 2lbs although after Christmas I'm expecting a gain. Trying to up exercise but struggling this week in been able to get out since the kids are off school.

Good Evening,

I'll be coming back to join you having lost over a stone with you in the summer. Unfortunately further injury and planned surgery put paid to my weight loss, but I had what will hopefully have been my final surgery two weeks ago. I'm recovering well and want to get back on the wagon.

I enjoyed the thread then and look forward to aiming for half a stone a month. Will have a read over this thread and the last to try and catch up.

Hope you've all had a fab Xmas. 😊

I’d like to join. I have two stone to lose (again - managed it in 2018 but then put it all back on in 2019 annoyingly). My weakness is chocolate and emotional eating. Most of my chocolate is eaten at work - we have a huge treats culture - which is also where I feel most stressed and feel the need to eat chocolate, so that’ll be where I struggle.

I also have thyroid issues. I’m due another blood test in jan so we’ll see what that says.

I haven’t found much time to exercise. I work full time and feel guilty missing my kids’ bedtime because I’m out at the gym / a class but I’m going to make the effort to go to Pilates in the new year as my back is also screwed (which is the kids’ fault really (pregnancies) so they should let me off reading stories one night a week...)

I’ll also try to drag myself out of bed early at least once a week to do an exercise video.

In terms of diet, apart from the chocolate I do eat fairly healthily. We tend to eat late during the week though, once the kids are in bed, so I think I need to do more prep for stuff to just warm up. I might try low carb so meal suggestions welcome!

Sorry, that was really long. I’m hoping you lot can keep me on track though as what usually happens is I’m good for about a week then get really hungry and head for the treats... Coping mechanisms are work would also be extremely helpful...

Can I join in too; I have 21lbs to lose am going to use MyFitnessPal and intermittent fasting

Hello,
Hope it's okay if I join you. I have crept up to almost 11st in the past year and a half and I'm only 5'3" so it looks less than stellar on me. I'd like to get back down to 9.5st or a smidge below which is where I was around 12-18 months ago, and then just stay there. Instead of my weight yo-yoing about annoyingly.
I have worked out that logging my food intake in MFP really helps and it's when I stop doing that, that the weight creeps back on. So I'll be using that as well, and doing a lower carb Mediterranean diet.

I had a thyroid test and was told it was normal but a friend who had had thyroid cancer looked at my results and said it wasn't normal. My grandma had thyroid trouble but died with heart trouble and the many cigarettes she smoked wouldn't have helped either. That is why I have asthma as I had to live with her for a bit.

I'm in! I've had 10 years of being overweight and now I am borderline obese. To be truthful I need to staple my mouth shut as I always have an excuse to fall off the wagon.

I joined a gym yesterday, it's was blooming expensive and I've paid the membership all in one go as a motivation. I need to go at least 100 times to make it a reasonable expenditure.

I will banish all bad things from the house.

Looking forward to motivating each other through 2020.

20kg off in 2020 for me!

I was blaming doing the 5:2 for messing up my metabolism but maybe it is something else ?

Hey everybody, I would love to join in. Last year was a s**t year for me professionally and personally and I have over the year put on a shocking 2.5 stone which I really want to get rid of again. I started last year feeling fit and happy and I want to feel the same way again. No thyroid or anything like that (I had one of those over-40 tests at the GPs and I had them checked then because I was shocked about how much weight I had put on). At the moment I feel so unfit and just not good about myself at all and none of my clothes fit me. I think the reasons for the weight gain are: age, not exercising as much (partly because I changed jobs, and instead of walking/cycling to work I now drive), comfort eating (we had some difficulties in our family which caused me a lot of stress).

My plans are to try to eat more healthily - I am not bad at this normally but last year everything went haywire. So basically getting into good habits again. And I want to start exercising more: gym and walking (and possibly running) and yoga are what I will try to do. And maybe zumba or something like that? My DH can take me to his gym as a guest so I will try to start with that. He is quite supportive and encouraging, so that helps. And maybe running, as I used to like that a lot when I was younger so maybe I could pick it up again? I have also toyed with the idea of fasting, but the 5:2 is not for me as I get grumpy when I am hungry and I could get through the 2 fasting days. But the 16:8 fast sounds possible and could be fit into my lifestyle. Anybody got experience of that?

But more generally I want to just look after myself a bit better. And maybe find ways of coping with the stresses of life better.

Anyway, some details: I am now 11.5 stone and am just under 5'3". I would like to get back into the 'healthy' BMI range (so around 9.5 stone, preferably more like 9 stone).

Opps - just reread the whole thread and seen there are plenty of ideas about intermittent fasting - forgive my silly question. I like the idea of having a timeslot, say, between 12.30 and 8.30 during which you eat. I am not massively into breakfasts anyway (although I was brought up to believe it is the most important meal of the day) so I would find it easy to skip that, but would still be able to have dinner with the kids in the evening. I think I could give that a try.

Good Morning and welcome you lovely lot!

@ilovetrees30 sounds like a plan. Clear the decks and have healthy foods available.

@sophieg345 70lbs is an average of 1.5lbs a week. Doable with planning, consistency and diligence. You can do it!

@Ethiopianflower good luck on your first weigh in!

@Mammyloveswine an event is a great motivator. GNR 👍

@daisyhead08 well done on taking charge. Pin a pic of your destination on your fridge/cupboard to act as a visual reminder 🏖

@MotherOfLittlePeople congrats on your loss so far.

Hello again @WeKnowFrogsGoShaLaLaLaLa welcome back pleased to read you’re on the mend!

@NorthernPowermouse I think you’re my twin! We can do this! In your office would you find it easier to totally abstain from the treats rather than trying to moderate your intake?

@Kathy2020 welcome. I use MFP and IF. I feel it helps me if I’m also mindful of what I consume in my eating window. I count calories too but I know some people don’t like to do that.

@RhubarbTea of course it’s ok to join us. The more the merrier.

@SheepSocks your post made me giggle. I’d often find a stapler useful ... Have you diarised your gym sessions. Planning them in will help.

@Sekhmetthecat welcome. I if every day. I naturally don’t want food in the am, so it’s a relatively easy strategy for me. I also ritualise cleaning and closing my kitchen each night. Once it’s all sparkly clean and orderly ready for the next day I’m less likely to mess it up!

I weigh myself regularly. Sometimes that’s daily, sometimes less often. If I stick to daily weighing it tends to motivate me in eating more mindfully. Usually if I’m avoiding the scales it’s because I’ve gone off piste and in denial about any gains. When/how often are you weighing?

Not long now until Big Ben chimes in the New Year 🔔

@BustedDreams When I did it in 2018 I abstained completely apart from ‘extra special treats’ which is what I’ll aim to do again. Is your office the same then? Nightmare isn’t it!

I’m going to look up some recipes and do a meal plan so I’m not left just chucking a meal together which is what happens a lot of the time now...

How is everyone doing it?
I've just downloaded MFP which has told me I can have 1400 calories a day 😳 big jump from the 5k I've been eating over Xmas

@NorthernPowermouse it was like that when I was office based. Abstaining was the way to go for me. It never caused offence as everyone knew I never ate treats in the office, in fact I never ate at my desk. Drinks yes, foods no. Do you have books? I’m a bit of a book worm and have quite a few cookery, lifestyle and ways of eating books etc. Such as Pinch of Nom, Fast800 & Blood Sugar Diet to name a few. I often look through them for inspiration.

@sophieg345 I'm intermittent fasting, calorie counting, MFP, Mediterranean low carb style. Sounds more complicated that it is. I meal plan (look online and in my books for inspiration) and log it straight on to MFP. It’s easier when I know what I’m eating. I naturally only want to eat after 12:30 as I can’t face food any earlier. I clean and close kitchen around 19:00. In fact that sounds simple. Quite the oxymoron As with most people it’s the unexpected events & emotions/hormones that can sabotage my best efforts. In regards to calorie allowance. Those calorie calculators say I need about 1400. However in my instance, I would gain on that amount as I’m not very tall an not very active and an impaired metabolism. For me to lose my allowance is around 1,000. This I know through logging my intake over the years.

Motivational Piece by Dr Michael Mosley.

I'm in, please. 51, post-menopausal and fighting middle-age spread around my tummy and hips. Took some candid selfies from the front, back and side so I know what I'm up against! I'm doing veganuary, cutting right back on sugar and taking full advantage of the gym and pool in my building. Aiming to lose at least 8kg by the start of the new school year.

@annabell22 welcome! Sounds like a plan. When do your schools return ... to lose over a Stone 😯

Hi, can I join? :) I lost 1 stone 2lbs since November although I’ve gained back 3lbs over Christmas. Planning on calorie counting and eating “lower” carb (proper low carb doesn’t suit me, my digestion doesn’t like it) as I want to lose another 3 stone before my wedding in July.

I’ve been writing myself a list of “reasons I want to lose weight” to keep on my phone to motivate myself

1. To feel good in my wedding dress and have pictures I’m happy to look back on
2. To be able to keep up with nearly 2yo DD (and not be “the fat mum” at sports day when she starts school!)
3. To reduce my diabetes risk (which is already increased as I had gestational diabetes in my pregnancy)
4. To feel even better when I exercise