July Jumping Down the Scales

[Octopus37]

Hi, here is a new thread, Excuse the ultra unoriginal title. Weighed in at 9st0.5, this morning, aim (as it has been for every month since March) is to get under 9st. Cannot believe we are in the second half of this year.

That should say about 5 bm (bowel movements) not by. Tmi repeated twice

5bm in one day? That's a lot is it? I agree re weighing food inside you, fluctuations really interesting and glad you're back to where you were. I will go weigh myself now.

Thanks @Hangoverstruggles that is very complimentary and I feel a bit of a fraud when I ate so much at the weekend it physically hurt! You would probably be shocked at how much of my calories are chocolate on a daily basis...not great!

While I know its ok to have blow out days, I do worry that I won't be able to come back from them. I've done well for a while on diets before and eventually fallen off the wagon. Low carb lasted a couple of months, no sugar lasted 7 months. I hope this is more sustainable.

Happy Wednesday campers. I am desperately trying to arrange to collect kittens this weekend but the rescue centre are not being very responsive. I'm glad I didn't weigh myself before but this morning the damage from the weekend is only at 1lb which is good.

9,7.5 here. Still 1.5 over two weeks ago but it's so true re extra cal burn second two weeks of cycle so I am going to capitalise. My steps weren't high enough last week also. So aiming for 12k average per day and so far so good. Heading out shortly.

Well done Monstera, only one pound gain is great Know what you mean about falling off the wagon etc, this is the third time since 2017 that I have been on a weight loss mission and every time I have lost weight and regained, although I still weigh more than my lowest the last two times. Hoping that I can keep the weight off this time (7 months in), although I do need to recover my loosing motivation (lost about March) to get a bit more off. Hope you manage to get your kittens this weekend. Weighed 9st1.5 this morning so still up a bit , would be good to get that pound off by the end of the week.

Octopus your maintenance all those months has been amazing! We were similar in March and I set myself back completely.. So I'm doing best to emulate you. Out on 4mike walk now.

More weight loss tips

Chips - carrots

Morning everyone!

@octopus that's amazing that you've maintained for so long. What has your weight loss 'journey' been in those 7 months? The last step is always going to be hardest.

@MonsteraCheeseplant that's brilliant as broken heart' 

@Badger good result! Re your fluctuations, I guess roll with it and not stress on the gains, and enjoy the drops? I wonder if fluctuations are bigger following a fasting method?

Anyone working on building muscle? I'm not specifically but I have been enjoying doing a HIIT work out twice a week (much prefer it to running) and also been doing abs / press up sets at home this month. I feel I look stronger, arms are more toned so guess I have built some muscle...

I've pretty much stayed the same this month but would love to think that I have lost fat but built some muscle. Anyone know if that's possible without proper weight building?

I need to focus on fat loss for now being the size I am. It’s a bit of a hot topic as to whether you can effectively lose fat and gain muscle at the same time and I’ve seen lots of bodybuilders talking about doing one then the other as they believe they require different diets etc.

Some argument that with fasting you can lose weight without losing muscle but??? From when I last looked into it there was no real consensus.

Can’t remember who said it but yes it’s good to be back where I was and yes it seems logical that fasting and calorie cycling etc would see bigger fluctuations but I’ve always fluctuated a lot so

5 bm in a day-yes. Major surgery last year and I only have half a colon now and it’s been quite a ride. Currently I seem to be blocked up for 2 or 3 days then getting it out for a couple of days. Big improvement on the legging it to the toilet 10+ times a day and having to be off work and not risk venturing far from my toilet. Feel rather cheated that I’ve gained tons of weight after surgery when it seems like it should have gone the other way

I know there are ups and downs but I honestly think that everyone is doing so well. Don't be disheartened Octopus ! I still think we can make 8 stone something.
I'm working on building muscle Hangover - I'm lifting weights 2-3 times a week. I was reading about lifting and shredding this week Badger . I could never do the shredding stage though, especially as I love my running and food too much and they wouldn't combine well at all. But, the combination of running (I do between about 40 and 50 kms a week) and lifting weights is working wonders. For the first time ever I'm really happy with my shape!

Thanks for the support and advice. I think I'll go for calorie counting from now on. How do I find out how many calories I should eat per day?

I've also found a thing on Sky called Fit in 5 which has exercises at all levels which I can do in the comfort and privacy of my own home so I will give that a whirl too

I meant to add that I love hearing what everyone is having for dinner as it gives me some new ideas! We're getting a glut of tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers and aubergines in the garden at the moment, so am trying to make every meal contain as many of those things as possible. Today it's chicken and summer vegetables with gnocchi.

Rara Jordan Syatt is a thread favourite - he has several Youtube videos about how to work out calorie goals.

@TheHoundsofLove what are you doing diet wise with that exercise? Do you follow any specific rules?

Hangover I used to do 5:2 but started to find it too hard to combine with exercise and really didn't like having to lower my activity levels in order to fast. I don't routinely calorie count (although do the odd week here and there to get myself back on track sometimes) and mostly just combine 16:8 with trying to listen to my body...and not go too nuts. sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't

I would like to lift weights and am not sure where to start at home. Any tips? I have some quite light weights that I bought years ago. I’ve done a few you tube things with them but they aren’t really heavy enough. I’ve got bored and given up! My upper arms are flabby .

@TheHoundsofLove

I meant to add that I love hearing what everyone is having for dinner as it gives me some new ideas! We're getting a glut of tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers and aubergines in the garden at the moment, so am trying to make every meal contain as many of those things as possible. Today it's chicken and summer vegetables with gnocchi.

I would recommend HFW's aubergine and tomato gratin - you can find it online. It's delicious.

@RaraRachael Calculate your TDEE here, that's the amount of calories you burn in a typical day. Your BMR is the amount of calories you'd burn if you were in a coma.
If you aim to lose 1lb a week, you need a deficit of 3500 calories which is roughly 500 a day. So you can take your TDEE and minus 500 to get your target. Caution that if you are a short woman, your TDEE might be low and eating less than 1200 a day is not recommended for being able to fulfil your nutrition needs, though that is a contentious statement to some. I don't claim to be any authority on this.

You can scan barcodes on my fitness pal but sometimes it is inaccurate so check with the label too. Don't eat back your exercise calories.

I hope that helps!

I would be roasting all those yummy veg hounds and having it with pasta or on toast with some parmesan.. Drool! I will also look up the HFW recipe, thanks! Here's a pic of today's lunchtime wrap, delicious!

Thanks Honeysuckle - that looks perfect!
Your wrap looks delicious Hey - love all the colours.
Rara I started with a Chloe Maddeley app called Weights for Women (or something like that) but I don't think it's available anymore as when I got a new phone it disappeared and I've never been able to find it again. You do need a variety of weights though as they should be as heavy as you can manage and you need to be able to progress as you get stronger. But, if you've just got lightish weights, I'd really recommend Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred!

DH recommends Chloe Madeley, he says she's like Jordan Syatt but without the waffle I haven't looked yet I must say.

I agree with your husband Monstera ! I absolutely love her Bodcast.

Just a JS reminder - drink water like it's your job!