Banting and banter - making less of ourselves into February!

[WellErrr]

Banting is my favourite old fashioned word. Means slimming, and I got it from Agatha Christie

Another vote for the omelette, so yummy :)

Plodding along here.

I managed to eat absolutely nothing after my roast dinner last night, despite DH eating bread and choc spread and tucking into yoghurts RIGHT beside me. It took steely resolve not to even have a bite.

I found calculating the roast chicken tricky, it came to 650 but I think maybe it might've been more? I did a spin class yesterday so all is not lost, I certainly didn't go over anyway. I'm so crap at measuring and weighing, I'm just a bit lazy I think

Today I've had some cereal DD wouldn't eat (I hate food waste), coffee, ONO.
Just had a mugshot as I was starving, bbq flavour. So delish.
Will probably have soup and brown bread for lunch and some kind of a fruit snack in the afternoon as I'm not in from work until about 8 tonight.

Working late is dangerous for me as I end up getting too hungry and then snacking!

@TheHoundsofLove I love omlettes. Might have one for breakfast tomorrow. Today’s menu is already planned:

B- 2 boiled eggs
L- bowl homemade veg soup
D- spag bol loaded with veg and small portion of pasta

S- banana, apple, yogurt

What is a mugshot? Also Tom Kerridge?

I think roast chicken dinner much less than that! Unless you're piling on roast potatoes and stuffing!

Tom Kerridge is a chef - he lost loads of weight and has written several healthy eating cookbooks.
Mugshots are one serving packet pasta and sauce - bit like a pot noodle.

I'm working until 7pm today - I do end up feeling starving by then, will take some fruit in to have mid-afternoon. Usually DH just keeps my dinner plated up to zap in the microwave, but he has taken to cooking something separate for us once the kids are in bed, which is probably a lovely idea but dammit I just want it ready within 2 minutes of walking through the door!

Thanks Patchwork! I agree, v hard to eat late and when I do it makes me thinking about all thr things I can't have!

Patchwork I do 12.5 hour shifts and finish 8.15pm - I have a porridge pot around 6pm on my break (if I get one 😂) and the try not to have anything once I get home!

Can I have some help please?

I’m now having one day off a week. Usually Monday but as I was working Monday and I generally don’t get time to eat at work, I’m having it today instead.

Should I log calories on my day off!? It’s just making me full of guilt about everything I eat and then I feel dreadful when I see it reaching 1800/2000 calories and it just spoils it!

But if I don’t log, I’ll feel like my weekly stats will be ‘dishonest’ or something 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

What should I dooooo?

Mmm.... I think as you're still in the losing it zone and it's a regular enough thing I would log it... sorry!! Only because I'd hate a day to throw me offand I'm finding the food diary/log great for keeping things transparent!!

Hmm I was going to say the opposite! @WellErrr so long as you're still losing I don't see why you'd need to log it, so long as you don't go totally wild every single week I don't see the problem. I eat a little less for my weekly takeaway but I don't bother calorie counting the takeaway and I still lose

Seem to be having a bit of a week off here, I think I might need a week or two "off" I'll try to still log calories and eat sensibly but maintaining will be fine, I just don't have the head space at the moment, so we'll see!

I eat a little less ahead of my takeaway, as in, I have a few hundred less calories during the week to lessen the impact

I wouldn't bother log either @WellErrr. Sure you'll probably make reasonable choices since you've been so disciplined!

Yeah a mugshot is essentially a potnoodle, less calories though, the ones I've had seem to be either 160ish or 190. I've a kettle in my office so it's sometimes nice to have something warm and savoury that requires zero effort. Probably not the most nutritious mind.

So I ended up having three slices of edam and a tin of sweetcorn for lunch. I now have only 212 left for dinner?! argh

@Twixes that is a random lunch! I am picturing you rolling the sweetcorn up in slices of cheese.

I probably wouldn't log an 'off' day, it's good practise for long term maintenance by eating well and in moderation but not denying yourself excessively.

I think it shows my issue that everyone disagrees re the log; if I had an unlogged day at the moment, I'd feel I could slip off the slope if I didn't log. I hope I can get to a more moderate place. I know for example if I had a bar of chocolate, I'd want four, the habit was that strong. :(

I agree that it's probably good long term practise to listen to your body and not to log your day off Well .
Dont I'm feeling pretty motivated at the minute probable mid-life crisis approaching but I had loads of weeks last year where I just aimed to maintain and I actually think it's a really good strategy.
I've had a decent day today. I'm actually feeling pretty tired as did an 8.5km run and a weights session this morning and have then taken my son swimming this afternoon. I better sleep well tonight!

Hey Habits are so hard to break aren't they?!

@TheHoundsofLove thanks for that. I hope so too! I'll just see how I get on, but not given up completely just having a little break from it. I'll get there in the end

@Heygirlheyboy I totally get you. Things will change over time, but I think really it takes years to make real life changing habits, there's no rush and with little steps we'll all get there

Thanks DontFundHate, unfortunately indulging became bingeing solo.... it's actually a bit scary. I think a dessert or food in cinema say might be my in eventually, as I'm restricted as such. Sugary food has always been a reward etc, so wrong really, and then when tired or stressed I reached for it in vast quantities repeatedly. Oh well I'll keep going. I've logged for the day, 88 under and I'm on Day 36 so I'm not doing too badly!

Batch cook success number one, doubled up on mushroom risotto. Google thinks it won't freeze well so will have the second portion tomorrow night.

heygirl I can really relate to that. It’s so hard isn’t it.

I did kind of log my day in the end, but I just didn’t do everything - if I had a few of the kids crisps I didn’t weigh and log them for instance.

I’m just under 2000 now. Which is actually the government guideline 😱
What’s scary is, that before this this would have been a normal, if not LIGHT day for me - eg I went out for lunch but had a kids meal with kids size Pepsi and kids mini pudding. Before I’d have had an adults one with adult size everything.

I’m worried I’ll struggle tomorrow now but I’m working so hopefully I should be ok. Got a 990cal day planned.

I agree with what’s been said earlier though - it’s actually getting to be less about the weight for me now (though obviously still a lot about the weight...!).
I’ve been feeling loads better and more energised and switched on, just because I’m making better choices and not actually stuffing myself every day.

I’m eating more veg, no bread, less carbs, more protein; simply because it’s the only way the calories fit! It’s definitely a change for life I think.

Dont I think we all need a break sometimes. I’ve been really looking forward to my day off - but now I’ve had it I’m really looking forward to getting back on it! 💪

Hounds I bet you’re tired after that day!!

heygirl that was my issue with logging too. I don’t want to slip down the slope..!

Twixes have you tried a porridge pot instead of a mugshot? 177cals and you can add loads of raspberries for about 20 extra cals! And you only need boiling water.

Struggled today tbh. Had a horrible stressful day, having a second period this month for some reason, also cannot get my emails so have wasted loads of time on the phone trying to sort it out, still not sorted, headache, tired, starving hungry. Food has been as follows:

Oat cakes and almonds (315 cals)
Caramel miniture hero (54 cals)
Chicken and Chorizo soup (300 cals)
Maltesers bunny (157 cals)
2 chocolate biscuits (200 cals)
Hoisin duck with noodles and veg (390 cals)
Cals about 1,416, not going to eat any more tonight, but to be honest feel as if I could eat the world. Going to have to go to bed early to manage it. Still 9st6, will see what my weigh in is tomorrow. Hope everyone else has had a better day.

For maintaining I found the ideas from the No S Diet helpful. Feel free to ignore if you don’t like it!
www.nosdiet.com/

Basically

No seconds
No sweets
No snacks
Except sometime on S days (“special” days and days that start with an S (so weekends).

It’s meant to get you thinking about portion sizes and eating high quality meals.

As for cake I treat it like social drinking (rather than daily drinking) in that it’s ok to have a bit of birthday cake but not to eat it everyday or to eat 5 muffins for tea. At a Wassailing (apple tree blessing thing) I had a bit of apple cake, shared a slice with DH so only a bit. I then didn’t feel deprived.

I know it’s tough though.

As for cake I treat it like social drinking (rather than daily drinking) in that it’s ok to have a bit of birthday cake but not to eat it everyday or to eat 5 muffins for tea.

Interesting idea, candles. I would be worried if I needed a glass of wine to get through the afternoon at work, maybe I need to treat the snack table similarly!