Anyone want to join to lose up to a stone?

[BroodyBridget]

I have 10-14lbs to lose to start feeling comfortable in myself again. I'm 5' 6.

9 stone is my fighting weight but I'm at least 10 stone now, and I know it's going to continue creeping up.

I look at threads already going on here but when lots of people are already on I feel like I get lost on it

So I'm aiming to start Monday, not sure what plan I'll be following yet, but will have to eat less and exercise more as I've noticed my thighs are rubbing a little and got some fat on my back etc.

Oh @Michelleoftheresistance I love cabbage! Maybe I need to whip up some soup...

Some good ideas for foods and meals here - keep them coming!

My contribution is Thai chicken salad: leaves and anything green - cucumber, mange tout, sugar snaps, green pepper. Chicken breast. Roasted crushed peanuts. Handfuls of Basil, mint, coriander. Dressing of chopped fresh chilli, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar. Less than 500 cals and v filling.

I have been v busy today doing all sorts, but managed 1800 cals with cal burn of 2500 (some walking and a five-mile run). Lots of fruit and veg.

I’ve been doing ok, a bit of picking in the evening again. I got some Halo Top ‘ice cream’ and it’s quite nice but I did end up eating half the tub last night. It’s very low in calories though.

Can feel my motivation wavering a wee bit so I think I’m going to get some new exercise gear to try and keep it up. Still loving my Apple Watch!

You are doing so well @kirstinm. Is there anything that would help with your motivation?

Thank you very much @Egghead68 I think I'm just feeling a bit sad because I caught sight of myself in the mirror and got a bit of a fright - you know one of those moments when you catch your reflection unexpectedly? I just don't look like me. It's easy to want to give up once the initial burst of motivation is gone, I guess! I think I'm going to order some new trainers. How are you getting on?

Anyway, walk done, calories for the day logged and I am in the library for the afternoon. Got a few calories left for a bowl of that Halo Top ice cream stuff this evening.

New trainers sound good. You are inspiring me with all your exercise etc.

I’m doing ok thanks for asking. Stuck to 1500 calories a day this week (albeit not always healthy ones). I’ve done gentle exercise everyday but can’t exercise vigorously (or leave my flat much) at the moment so am probably not burning many calories. I’m going to assess on Monday whether I need to drop my calorie intake further to reflect my new enforced sedentary lifestyle.

@kirstinm new exercise stuff excites me enough that it really spurs me on! I got some lovely new leggings recently and felt great for ages.

What kind did you get @Swearwolf? I need some new leggings.

I got fabletics ones (and then forgot to cancel it, really must do that!). They are really comfy and have a lovely big pocket in the legs!

I got fabletics ones (and then forgot to cancel it, really must do that!). They are really comfy and have a lovely big pocket in the legs!

I got fabletics ones (and then forgot to cancel it, really must do that!). They are really comfy and have a lovely big pocket in the legs!

Whoops, sorry, I guess I just really want to tell you about my leggings!

Thank you! I’ll take a look at them.

Tomorrow’s plan:
B: Baked peaches & yoghurt 450
L&D: Macaroni cheese 650 Roasted Veg 350.
Gentle exercise class.

I feel and look quite a lot fatter than at the start of the week. Something’s not right!

@Egghead68 It's so tough when you can't really get out, isn't it? I didn't realise how much I move on a regular day. I found a few exercise classes on youtube that I quite liked, don't know if that would be worth a go for you? Baked peaches and yoghurt sounds like such a nice breakfast by the way!

@Swearwolf I had a look at the Fabletics leggings and they look really nice, are they quite thick fabric? I wasn't sure about the whole membership thing either, knowing me I'd forget to cancel. I really like Sweaty Betty leggings and gym stuff but it is quite pricey. I tend to look out for the 20% off student discounts. I dream of being one of those girls who can wear shorts and a little gym top - not going to happen!

@kirstinm thanks. Unfortunately as well as being stuck in with shielding, I contracted covid just before lockdown and still have symptoms which mean I can’t raise my heart rate much (it causes lengthy bedbound relapses) so exercise videos are out for now. I am used to being very active so this is a huge lifestyle change (which I blame 90% for my weight gain)!

I couldn’t get into the Fabletics site without joining a mailing list or something. I love Sweaty Betty too but can only justify it in the sale.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

@Egghead68 Oh goodness, sorry to hear that! I hope you don't think I was being insensitive. To be honest I think you are amazing to even be thinking about weight in that situation! When I'm in a bad flare (I have quite severe Lupus) I literally don't care what I look like or what I eat, everything goes out the window! I've been 'de-shielded' (but still to be careful) for the moment but I think I'll probably be back in later in the year.

Sweaty Betty is lovely but yes, super expensive - happy to share a 20% off code if you ever fancy it.

Thanks @kirstinm. Sorry - I am not meaning to moan and you certainly weren’t insensitive. I know lupus flares can be truly awful. I’m glad you’ve been deshielded.

As I suspected I’m still 69.8kg which probably means 1500 calories a day is a maintenance level for my current level of inactivity. Time to bite the bullet and add in a couple of fast days a week (sigh).

@Egghead68 yeah, the flares I get can utterly debilitate me. It’s crazy how I can go from feeling very healthy to absolutely awful but I think that’s autoimmune issues for you. I’m also under investigation for a related respiratory/cardiac issue at the moment - lupus is the worst for affecting every part of your body - so I definitely see shielding again in my winter. Trying just to do one day at a time at the moment and at the same time try to believe that this time next year I will be able to be doing what I want to do (was meant to be starting a PhD this year but funding fell through). So trying to think of everything I do as being a step towards being in the best place I can for next September. Does that make sense, I don’t know? Sorry for the ramble!

Maintenance is better than gaining! My friend is doing fast days at the moment and seems to be liking it.

Hope everyone has nice weekends planned.

I’m sorry about your PhD funding. What a total pain. I really hope you can get something in place for next year. Are we allowed to ask what you are hoping to research or is it too outing? Sounds really helpful to work towards optimising everything you can for September. I feel too old for goals and as though life is just about surviving now but I need to get out of that mind-set.

In the meantime, peaches 🍑 are the way forward. They are delicious at the moment!

Tomorrow’s plan:
B: Mango & melon 300
L: Something with mushrooms, celeriac and Camembert 6-700
D: Roast veg & beans 500

Sorry to hear that @kirstinm, that's really shit. I hope you get it next year.

I'm feeling really demoralised about my lack of progress. Just weighed myself and I haven't lost anything! I've genuinely been trying really hard and I think have cut down a long way from how I was eating and drinking. So why haven't I made any progress?! Even a pound would give me hope that I'm going in the right direction!

@Swearwolf I’m in the same boat. It’s rubbish isn’t it. I supposed I’m pleased at least not to be gaining. What I’ve found in the past is that the scales won’t move for ages then suddenly there’s a jump. I can’t think of any rational explanation for it. Fingers crossed this happens for us.

I have virtually no food in the house so grim meals for me today just to add to my pain.

@Egghead68 I'm hoping exactly the same thing! I've been trying to weigh myself less often but I just can't resist it. I can tell I haven't lost anything anyway by how tight my clothes still are, so I'm not surprised, just frustrated. I keep hoping if I give my body a chance to catch up eventually it'll start working!

Oh, and it doesn't help that my husband is being really demotivating! He's trying to lose weight too, he has more to lose than me so it comes off quicker. Yesterday he basically said I won't manage it and it's because I'm middle aged now - I'm 36 on Tuesday!! I don't think that means I can basically write off any possibility of losing weight 🤨

It's the same here - I've lost the sum total of 500g in two weeks. I'm not trying super hard but am making an effort to make some good decisions.

The way I see it, I feel a LOT better than I did before joining this thread, even if I haven't lost weight. So it is better than it would have been.