Moving down in May

[Octopus37]

So here's the new thread for tomorrow, excuse the boring title. Unless a miracle happens by tomorrow, I will be starting the month heavier than I started April. Weigh 9st1.5. Aiming for 8st13. Hopefully things might start to change in May. even if its only slightly, which will lift our spirits.

Salted caramel Haagen Dazs is half price at Tesco. Took some resistance for it not to end up in my online basket.

Made myself have a proper meal this evening as I wasn’t hungry but am fasting tomorrow and need to keep some contrast between fasting and eating days itms.

Having a glass of red then shutting the calories window early to give a head start on fast. If I stop cals by 7 I’m already at 18 hours by 1pm.

Not sure whether it will be long fast then very low cal meal in evening or a fast all the way through to Monday. Will see how I feel tomorrow evening.

The Swiss roll looks like a good calorie bargain monster - I need to try some of the low calorie ice cream people have mentioned

Wow really good progress made everyone! I've just had a long catch up on the thread and love reading how you're all doing and what you're eating!

I've been quite disciplined at tracking on MFP but sticking to 1200 cals is not always easy... sometimes fine (if I'm organised and use the calories on filling foods) but other days I'll have a creme egg and then starving at dinner 🙄 this week had a 1400 day and a 1300 day. I'm 10st 9 today and only really want to lose another 2-3lbs so accept it's going to slow small losses.

I've been focused on exercising, doing 5k plods 3 times a week. Worried that when I get to my goal I won't sustain it.

Today:
B two coffees and a tea
L salad with sliced roast chicken and cottage cheese, Kit Kat
D king prawn laksa
S another cuppa, 6 almonds, 6 oven chips from kids plates. I've got about 100 cal left for another snack... feeling a bit peckish 😬

Today's food:
B. Dippy egg & toast (400)
L. Salami, celery cream cheese, lettuce, cucumber, square of dark choc & piece of marzipan (300)
D. Take out fish curry, lemon rice & paratha (wagamama not open after all) guessing calories are about 800 for that.

I managed to avoid completely slashing tyres by having some of that chocolate roll (I got my maths wrong, it was 1/8th that was just under 150 cals but no big deal) and some Halo top ice cream. It felt super decadent and I only went to 1240 in the end which feels like an achievement.

Do you guys have any phrases you say to yourself when you feel like eating everything in your path? Reminding myself that the treats will still be there tomorrow (when my calorie count refreshes too) helps me.

I wouldn’t be this fat if I knew the answer monster 😆 Once I start snacking I can’t stop hence fasting is easier for me. I am not a very moderate person. You’re doing so well and you’ve avoided takeaway.

Ended up having another drink so only just stopped calories. Going to try to get out for a decent stomp with the dog first thing.

@MonsteraCheeseplant we have very similar goals. I started at 11st 2 just after Easter weekend. I'm aiming for 10st 7, and weighed 10st8.5 this morning. Hoping it'll be 10st8 on Tuesday as that the day I officially weigh myself!

I lost a steady 3lb a week initially then had 2 birthdays and an anniversary celebration in our house in the the space of a week, gained 2lb 😬 but have been good since and back on track.

I'd also love to be 10st 3 or 4 but starting to think 10st5 might be as low as I can go. I'm 5'8 and like my food!

Honey Yeah I know i'm looking for something that might not really exist here but hell, i'll try anything

Yes Hangover I noticed we are pretty level pegging! I find it really hard to estimate my goal to be honest but I agree that 10 stone 5 ish is a great goal and lower might not be too realistic. How exciting that we're so close to it! I hope progress doesn't grind to a halt being as we are so close.

By the way losing 3lb a week is crazy good. Avoiding birthdays during lockdown has been a real life saver for me. I can see how your progress got skewered. How is couch 2 5k going? I remember trying it years ago and not getting very far...I have had more luck doing my own version recently until I got shin splints which i'm impatiently waiting to resolve on their own.

@MonsteraCheeseplant it definitely tougher the closer to the goal! And feels like every blip seems to show on the scales!

I'm actually really enjoying couch to 5k. I'm nearly through the programme, having started it a couple of times before without success. I'm going out 3 times a week and starting to be able to run longer to get the full 5k distance. I think lockdown has helped as I'm able to run at more sensible times and I don't have any social engagements to throw me off course! Shin splints sound painful! Sorry to hear that. I hope they improve soon for you.

@MonsteraCheeseplant every time I want chocolate I eat a mint. Unless it's after dinner and I genuinely have some room left in my plan to use on some nice chocolate - individually wrapped and in a hard to get to place, I take out exactly what I want and give exactly the same to DH then put it all away, and then sit down in the other room to enjoy it. Writing that all down sounds a bit mad but it works for me for.now!

I like the idea of the treats still being there tomorrow

I love couch to 5k!

Whatever works stopfunding! Sometimes I wonder if it is just anything that delays stuffing one's face that works.

Bit of a disaster with insomnia, peanuts and Bourbon biscuits last night. Fortunately only bounced up to my old low of Xst11. Hopefully today’s fast will remedy things.

My highest risk time is late in the evening.

I wonder @honey if having things you like but don't love might help? For example, I LOVE cadburys chocolate so I never buy it... Instead I buy some that I still really like but I know I won't go overboard with. That helps me anyway.

Today is a new day

9st2.25 this morning, had some Tesco Finest Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cheesecake which was seriously yum. Didn't do much exercise yesterday as didn't feel great

I used to have a peppermint tea if I felt like snacking as it’s very soothing and snacks just don‘t go with it. In fact, I think I’ll start using it as a strategy again as it used to work really well.

I drink lots of herbal tea when fasting. I’m mixing senna and damiana today. I have a cupboard dedicated to ingredients for teas

Struggling with fasting today. Maybe because I ate sugary processed carbs last night. I keep clock watching.

Still going. Got past the difficult patch by going for a good stomp in the wind with the dog.

Good job Badger
A good day for me today. With a lot of planning, managed to satisfy DHs craving for Burritos with surprising success. Kept it under 300 cals for me, he had 2. Sainsbury's sweet potato wraps (free from range) were a life saver. DH dragged me on a bike ride too. Not my favourite past time but good to give my shin splints time to recover.

B: Honey on toast
L: Soup
D: Burritos
S: Chocolate roll, ice cream, fresh pineapple

Hello all, well done for sticking with it @TheHoneyBadger. I used to do the odd fast, but find them too hard to continue with long term. When I was struggling I'd have black tea with mint and honey (doing the 400cal a day fasts)
Today's food:
B. Bacon, mushrooms, tortilla, coffee
L. Tortilla, apple, 2 slices of salami, bottle of sprite
D. Lamb kebab, oven chips, salad
S. Oppo hazelnut Cho ice-cream, square of dark choc, raspberries.
That puts me just over 1500. Should have eaten more veg to be satisfied today. I have walked nearly 17000 steps though

You both had delicious sounding days.

I’ve prepared oats, seeds, cranberries and almonds to soak overnight so that’s something to look forward to.

Aim is to fast through to morning having made it this far. So long as I can get to sleep.

Hi all,

Love the sound of your overnight oats @TheHoneyBadger. I've been doing similar and really enjoying different combos. I've got pear and blueberries in mine for tomorrow.

Today was
B Just a cuppa, fasted until 12:30 (because I happened to be out so distracted!)
L porridge with pear, strawberries, blueberries and a blob of yogurt
T Lamb tagine and cous cous
S Almonds, half a chocolate cup cake, 3 breadsticks with beetroot & mint dip

I did a 5k run this afternoon which nearly killed me.

Burritos sounds very very nice, would you mind sharing the recipe please? @MonsteraCheeseplant

Hope fast day went well @TheHoneyBadger

I also find fast days too hard. I'd rather eat less over a whole week than very little two days a week, so wishing you lots of luck!

Lamb tagine also sounds great!

Yesterday I had

B - small pastry
L - chicken roast with some roast potatoes, one Yorkshire pud, lots of veg
D - (decaf) coffee oats and banana

So pleased today! Just had weigh in, 9st 9½, that's my lowest weight all year! Onwards and downwards also waist now 77cm which I'm pleased about, I would like to be further from 80cm by the end.

My goal now is to hopefully lose another lb by end of may whilst I'm motivated

Stopfunding that is brilliant, well done. Well done on your fast Badger, I am in awe of you. Winging it here if I'm being honest with life being so busy, weighed 9st1.25 this morning, but I suspect the cheesecake calories will make themselves known to me today. I'm aiming just to eat less this week as would like to see that 8st13.75. However (and there's always a forever), its my DS's Birthday tomorrow and he wants me to make him a cake and to have a take away, a day at a time

Well done stopfunding and octopus. Enjoy sons birthday and just make up for it after.

Whatever goal weight and method we have it has to be able to accommodate the odd birthday.

Managed to sleep. Having lazy lie in but will try to get out for a walk for an extra bit of fat burning before I break my fast. Scales are back where they were before the late night biscuit fail.