20 week weightloss challenge...Anyone else want to join me?

[MovinOnUp]

I have a trip to go on in 20 weeks to a uk resort My daughter is desperate to go horse riding and the weight limit for the horses there is 13 stone.
I weighed myself 2 weeks ago and was 15 stone 8lbs.
I'm down to 14 stone 12lbs today but obviously have a fair bit still to go but hopefully achievable by the holiday.

Anyone want to keep me company in my efforts? I thought I'd start a thread here to keep me focused.

The last two weeks I've been.....

Intermittent fasting (8pm-12noon)
Sticking to 1200 calories or fewer.
No bread or pasta
Walking for an hour every other day.

I'm planning to up the ante on the exercise and find some low impact routines online.

[Dashel]

I hope you feel better soon x flu is awful and your body will need to recover.

I am now back to my pre period weight but am hoping to loose a bit more as I have been really good with food and steps and started doing either a les Mills class or a joe Wicks hiit class before work this week.

[MovinOnUp]

Well, I've no idea what I weigh at the moment.
I've had the most awful flu, I'm past the fever, sleeping all day part of it.
Now I'm just sore and tired and quite frankly want to eat everything today :(

[Dashel]

I still feel bloated and horrible. Periods and when I get stressed or drinking alcohol are when I start snacking usually. Yesterday I only did 9k steps but apart from a 63 calorie bag of popcorn I ate well. I gained a pound in 24 hours which makes me feel crappy but hopefully it will be gone in a few days when I debloat.

Not having chocolate or biscuits in the house makes it so much easier to stay on track.

[MovinOnUp]

I find it very hard to stay on track when I'm on my period, But if I do stay on track I don't feel as bad symptom wise as I usually do!

[Dashel]

@MovinOnUp

That sounds like progress, if you upped your exercise then you might be gaining some lean muscle whilst loosing fat. I have some Fitbit scales' they were expensive but I love / hate them and the weight goes on the Fitbit and Mfp apps automatically so great for seeing the history


Until this afternoon I thought my tummy was looking flatter and my jeans looser but then bam my stomach bloats and it’s my least favourite time of the month so joggers and hot water bottle and trying not to make DH go out for treats or make me cakes.

[MovinOnUp]

Still stuck on the same weight (I think anyway, Am using the manual scales in the bathroom at the moment)
But am seeing and feeling a definite change to my body. Belly is definitely flatter and waist and hipbones are slowly re-emerging.

[Dashel]

@Failingbettereverytime that’s great and every pound off is a win!

I was scrolling/obsessing through my Fitbit looking at steps vs calories burned, it makes motivated reading and I haven’t been doing anything special on these days apart from a walk on these days

14k steps 2290 calories
16k steps 2484 calories
12.3k steps 2273 calories
9.9k steps 2068 calories
3.4k steps 1712 calories
2.8k steps 1726 calories
4.9k steps 1829 calories
20.3k steps 2936 calories

It’s kind of mind blowing that I can burn nearly double the calories on a 20k step day than I do on a 3k step day. It’s massive if you add it up over the month or week. 20k is pushing it a bit for me but 15k is challenging but just about doable. Even going from 3k to 12k is roughly an extra 500 calories which is 1/7 of a pound of fat. I have a tendency to be great step wise on holiday and weekends and a laptop and tv slave now I’m working from home. This really shows I need to break this habit as I’m likely to be wfh for the foreseeable future the vast majority of the time.

[MovinOnUp]

Hey @NemoRocksMyWorld & @Failingbettereverytime
Slow and steady will get us there in the end, Onwards and downwards.

[Failingbettereverytime]

Hi All. Weigh in day today and I've lost another pound. Only 1lb to go to get my BMI under 30! I feel like I should be losing more weight but slow but steady will get there in the end I suppose.
I am back at work in two weeks tomorrow so hoping all the prelockdown work clothes will still fit. I will do a big try on next week when I have lost one more pound! I think that will bring me back to where I was at the beginning of lockdown before the elasticated waists kicked in.
This time last year I was a stone lighter and actually on holiday in Greece in a highwaisted bikini. I don't' know how I managed to gain all that weight so quickly in 9 months or so. I guess I put on about two stone over the winter and the first couple of months of lockdown. I have lost a stone of it now, but I'm cursing myself for letting it happen.

[NemoRocksMyWorld]

Haha @Dashel... Fair enough...good luck on string bikini quest. Unfortunately I have had 4 C sections, I could lose half my body weight and my lower abdomen would still not be for such a garment!

[Dashel]

@Movinonup thank you I am really trying. When I worked in an office, back in the day, I used to park my car 2000 steps from my desk and got for a walk each lunchtime. I even kept an umbrella by my car. That with using a toilet on a different floor (not the one 50m away) meant I didn’t have to worry too much about steps. It was done on a routine and I had a colleague to walk with for a chat.

@NemoRocksMyWorld I want a string bikini and I want to look good in it, but thanks I know there are more flattering ones. Congratulations for getting in the healthy weight range that’s fantastic!

I think I would like to be between 9 and 9.5 stone but not having been that weight for around 20 years it’s going to be a struggle.

I have a les Mills subscription and a small gym including a spin bike so I have no excuse. I’m hoping to get on my bike and to a 20 workout tonight to get back into it with DH. I tend to start super motivated and it just fizzles out, the saying consistency is key is true. Even if I lost 1 pound a month if it was every month I would loose 12 pound a year. I just need to stay focused longer than two weeks

[NemoRocksMyWorld]

Hey guys,

I didn't post much last week as had an annoying 3lb gain just as I was getting close to the healthy boundary, that I didn't budge for ages! Was extremely frustrating. However, I did get rid of it and as of yesterday I'm in the Healthy weight range. Bmi 24.7. I started at a similar weight to you @Dashel and at 5ft 1 it didn't look too great! Have you tried high waisted bikinis by the way? I hadn't worn a bikini in years and I love these.... Much more flattering than little stringy ones 😂.

Well done @MovinOnUp. Getting to 14.7 is really good. I dont always count the hours any more I just don't eat after dinner and don't eat before lunch. Sometimes dinner is a bit later than 8 (when I work long days, it's more like 11 😁). But i figure it all helps!

We've just got to keep it up. I'm down 22lbs but would like to lose another 19 to really get to my fighting weight. Currently losing half a stone a month, so I'm hoping it's achievable by Christmas.

[MovinOnUp]

Hey @Dashel You're doing really well.
I seem to be a bit stuck at 14:7, So I am going to put extra effort into my exercise.
Puppy is just over four months now so that's at least 2 x 20 minute walks, Plus my 5K fast walk every other day. Also going to look for a low impact workout to do at home every morning.
I am back at work today and begin my degree course in October, So I need to plan a way of incorporating my walks/workouts into my working/studying day.
I do better with a routine.

[Dashel]

Me again, yesterday was pretty good-
B soya yoghurt and a few raspberries at 11am
L Buddha bowl of chickpeas quinoa, roast squash and soya beans
D Jamie Oliver’s noodle omelette with salad

I was struggling with my steps but I went for a late walk and finished on 14000. My 52 minute walk was 5500 steps and burned 305 calories. Definitely worth it when I got on the scales or sad step as I ears Joe Wickes call it.

I had two days of 11st 3.6 pounds so was very pleased to see 11st 2.9 pounds today. For anyone struggling with their weight I would really recommend upping your steps if you can, I try and move as much as I can during the day. I’m hoovering more than normal, washing up my hand, dusting more, taking recycling out in smaller quantities than usual anything to get those steps up a bit

[Dashel]

We do indeed have this in the bag.

Last weekend I read some tips by a lady in her 70s who had lost weight and gained muscles and a killer physique, one of these was don’t wait till you get to your target weight to buy the cute clothes, if you walk around wearing baggy clothes that are past their best, you will feel awful, so go shopping by some cute clothes and dress up a bit so you feel better and if you feel better then it encourages you to take better care of yourself.

So today DH and I hit the shops for the first time in a year. It was a Weird experience but masked up we did our bit for the economy and a pretty quiet outlet village. I didn’t get everything I wanted but I know have two pairs of m&s size 12 jeans that don’t have a hole in them. They are a little tight but I will shrink into them. I got some socks to replace miry threadbare ones and a shirt dress (need to feel a bit braver and with a smaller tum before I go out in that). It’s not that I’m skint, it’s just I hate shopping.

Long story short, even if I’m going to be stuck at home, I’m going to try and look less like a grungy type teen in jeans with holes and a massive hoody and messy hair. Hopefully this will help.

I also managed to get my 15000 steps in 🤗 and eat reasonably well today with only a few crackers and hummus for snacks. It’s been the first weekend in an embarrassing number of months without alcohol so I had a Coke Zero to celebrate.

[MovinOnUp]

Hey @Dashel welcome aboard. You have got your head in the right place and seem really focused and determined.
We got this :)

[Dashel]

Would it be ok if I joined in a bit late please? I could really do with support and kind words.

I am turning 40 in near the end of September and I had so many plans that I was going to stunning at 40. Instead I’m in my Usual weight range on Sunday just gone I weighed 11st 5.7 pounds and at 5 foot 3 it isn’t great. Don’t get me wrong I could be heavier but I could be lighter. I have hoovered around 11st 3 all my 30s and before then around 11st.

If you looked at my evening meals they are super healthy and a sensible portion, i love fruit and vegetables but I am not always so good for lunches and when it comes to sugary snacks and alcohol well .... I buy a packet of chocolate biscuits and can finish them off in three days and my glass recycling has been an embarrassment since lockdown and I don’t mean from my obsession with gherkins.

On Sunday I got quite down as I really wanted to be in a bikini on a beach for my birthday neither of which is looking likely 😭 but after a quick realisation of as DH would say suck it up buttercup, I’m left with two options continuing to eat and drink too much and feeling even more sorry for myself or get my shit together and try and loose as much as possible in 7 weeks so at least I can feel better when I turn 40 and carry on so that when I finally get to the beach I can wear that bikini.

So the plan has been fasting 16/8 night protein and cutting back on the carbs, no toast for breakfast and cut down on the PBS potatoes, pasta, bread, biscuits and sugars. Also to up the exercise and steps. For those with a Fitbit you really realise how important those twenty minute walks are. I have fallen into the wfh habits, 4000 steps, grazing and boozing and it has to stop 🛑

So this week I have hit between 10k and 15k steps each day. I went for the first run this year. A year ago I was going for 10 mile runs but now it’s two miles and DOMs. Got an online shop full of good stuff and no junk food. I weighed myself this morning and I’m down to 11 stone 3.2 pounds so whilst some of that is probably water weight, I hope I will have gained some small bit of lean muscle as well from the increase in steps.

I am also going to take progress photos throughout my journey and I would suggest everyone does the same, even if you don’t post them online or show anyone.

[MovinOnUp]

Hello all, Haven't weighed in as I decided to clear out my bedroom cupboard and under my bed and the ginormous pile of crap and clothes are preventing me from getting to my scales which are under my bedside drawers.

I'm finding my mindset has shifted so much lately, I'm much more positive about life in general and I am not constantly thinking about food.
I've got properly defined goals and plans for the first time in a long time and am just feeling generally GOOD!
Counting my blessings here.
(sorry, That was a bit of a ramble)

[Failingbettereverytime]

Well done on getting down to 14:7 @MovinOnUp I had lost a pound when I weighed in on Tuesday but seem to have put it back on again. Then we had takeaway pizza last night to celebrate DD's A level results so I didn't dare weigh myself this morning. Going to have a very restrained day today and weigh myself tomorrow. Just two pounds to go now to get my BMI back down to overweight!
There is also less than three weeks to go until I need to fit back into my work clothes that I haven't worn since March so I think I need to have a lot of very restrained days this month!

[MovinOnUp]

@Failingbettereverytime It's great to have the kids back, They are back at school today. It's very strange with just me and the puppy here.
I'm back to work/studying next Tuesday, So I'm making the most of relaxing for the rest of this week :)
Finally down to 14:7 today, Have fasted since around 6 last night and it's just too damn hot to eat.

[Failingbettereverytime]

How frightening for you both @NemoRocksMyWorld so glad your daughter is OK.
I am doing 16:8 too @Sootikinstew and hoping to move it to 18:6 before I go back to work in September. I think it is helping - having two meals a day and no snacks means I can eat two decent amounts and not calorie count too much as long as I am mindful of what I'm putting on my plate. But it's easier at home. I need to plan some decent packed lunches.
@MovinOnUp my weigh in day is tomorrow but I think I may also have stayed the same. Better than putting on anyway! Hope you are enjoying having the kids back home.

[MovinOnUp]

@NemoRocksMyWorld ? Glad your DD is fine now.

[NemoRocksMyWorld]

My daughter had another seizure and we ended up in a and e on Saturday night. She's fine now. But it culminated in McDonald's at midnight. Up a lb or so but extraordinary circumstances. Had a good run this morning and knocked 30 seconds off my previous time. Feeling good today!

I always have a bit of a whoosh then plateau a bit, I'm plateauing now but that's OK. Couple off lb of healthy weight now.

[Sootikinstew]

I was a bit greedy this weekend @movinonup

My body has definitely started to notice I am making it fast for 16 hours.

[Sootikinstew]

No further loss this week.

Dammit I hoped the whole 6 stone might have dropped off by today 😂