Anyone want to sort their shit out?

[nyxie]

I'm starting a diet today. So fed up with looking like this and being uncomfortable and self conscious all of the fine. I hate how I look so I need to change things.

Would anyone like to join me?

Oooohh. Please share the good ones.
It's not so much that I eat much meat, it's too much chocolate, crisps, cakes, biscuits and cheese boards.

I reckon just cutting those out will tip the scales in my favour.

I've also switched to brown everything. Rice, flour etc.

When I go back into higher fat, I’m going to try to have almond milk rather than regular milk as apparently it has less sugar.

I’m actually really healthy - but I think I just eat too much. Also also my middle age doesn’t help.

What is motivating me is imaging how good I will feel when I’ve dropped the weight.

Imagining*

I'm not mad on almond milk in tea and coffee, but, tbh, I should probably just learn to suck it up! Today, I've just cut down on the number of s I've had. So, I've had two so far. Might stop there. Will have green tea later if needed.

I've just had a salad for lunch so far and nothing else yet. I've got dinner planned already and it is lean protein and green veg. Potatoes for everyone else. I might stop at the shop during school run to get some berries as we all like them.

Feeling quite positive about today so far.

Ooh, hi everybody!!!

I also do the trick of imaging myself where I want to be patsy. I wore a dress today that would be so much cuter if I were 10/12 pounds less.

I much much prefer normal milk to almond milk. Tbh what I miss the most right now is my regular gallons of milky tea every morning. Also buttered toast. And roast potatoes .....

I’m not enjoying this diet but it is working. And working fast, so I feel very motivated to continue.

I just keep imagining how good and confident I will feel when I reach my goal weight.

I don’t know how old you all are but I’m finding it so much harder to lose now I’m middle aged. I’m very healthy everyday. Make everything from scratch / no junk / I rarely eat white carbs. But this is no longer enough for me. So I’m taking these drastic diet steps. If you want fast results you need to make huge changes.

But it is worth it when you see the changes! I am long term single and I want to start on line dating and that is why I want to drop the pounds... to feel more confident in myself.

Other posters, what is the reason you want to lose weight? How are you hoping it will make you feel / improve your life?

Tips I can recommend:

1. Use stevia as a sweetener (I use when I poach fruit) and on grapefruit. Flavoured stevia drops in coffee for a change instead of milk. I might get some for water too.
2. Bulk out meals with as much green veg as possible. I put a whole cabbage in with some lean mince last night.
3. Konjac noodles if you crave pasta /rice
4. Careful with nuts. I think this may have been my downfall previously - I eat far too many and they are full of calories.
5. Soups are good as the liquid is so filling. And you can have a large portion for minimal calories. But include protein and no starchy carbs/pasta.

I have a friend who says ‘but, I don’t like those things’. I don’t like many of them either but as a PP said, I’m just sucking it up. And I will be thinner by Christmas and she will still be complaining she is fat (she isn’t really - but she is unhappy).

I don’t much like green tea but I am making myself drink it. Apparently it is good for weight loss.

I just wish I was effortlessly slim

I'm in . Almost 12 stone here. Can't believe it ! But there it is - right in front of me.
I'm used to working in kilos. So I'm starting at 76kgs.
I'm aiming to lose about 1kg a week. I'm aiming to do that by exercising and eating less basically. I want to be aware of eating healthy, nutritious food whilst I'm doing this too.

Fingers crossed.

Over 3 years i have somehow managed to get from a size 12 to borderline size 18. I want to get back down to a 14 before Christmas and hopefully back to a 12 for summer but I'll be happy if i only make it to 14! I've noticed that stairs are now getting harder and housework now makes me sweat buckets . I'm dancing while doing housework to see if it helps shift some of my squidge. @winterisstillcoming I have some saved on my phone somewhere, I'll dig out some tasty ones

@PatsyPet, I'm trying to lose weight so I don't feel like a wobbly mess, and hope that by being able to fit into my clothes better, it will spur me on to make other improvements.

Being more mindful this week has one unexpected benefit; I am drinking more water, so that's a big plus, as I'm not drinking tea and scoffing biscuits.

I will be happy with small but sustainable changes, as long as the scales are moving downwards.

I'm also happy with more sustainable changes. For me, if it comes off fast, it comes back on again, with interest 😒.

Good day today, so far.

I had yoghurt and berries for breakfast, garlic mushroom salad for lunch and just snacked on some cheese. I'm making chicken something or other for dinner. That's two days in and no terrible slip ups yet 🤞.

My motivation for losing weight is to feel comfortable in my clothes again and feel a bit lighter on my feet. Contrary to traditional MN wisdom, I'm actually happy with how I look at this size , I know! But I would like to feel better, so that's my motivation . Great question!

I helps me to keep thinking of the person I want to be. How it will feel when my clothes hang well. When I can enjoy going out with more confidence.

Think of how good we will feel by Christmas. It’s not long, but enough time to make a real difference.

Minestrone soup is a good vegan meal. No pasta. Just white tinned beans. Cook two sliced courgettes with garlic and onion. Then a tin of tomatoes and fill the tin again with water. Add stock cube - I use vegan marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder. Add finely sliced savoy cabbage and the beans. Lots of cracked pepper. It’s amazingly filling and good way to get in the leafy veg. I take it to work for lunch. Delicious with thick buttered bread

It’s not long, but enough time to make a real difference.

Yes, exactly this^^! We have just the right amount of time imo!

Hi all. Hope you've had a good day.

All going good here. Feeling good.

@Owlypants yes let me know how the vegan goes.

@PatsyPet I'm also acutely aware that it's only going to get more difficult as i get older, and I need to kick old habits out. That's why I'm ignoring the scales to avoid the quick wins that bounce back.
I know it will take longer but my body deserves to be treated well.

I don't have to go into work until a little later tomorrow so I'm going to go for a nice long walk in the morning.

Hi so have been eating abit less, and walking more hitting 10000 steps but just find it really hard! The older I get the harder it gets, have put on 1and a half stone in 3 years , all on my belly ! Really need motivation

@par05 I am the same. I sometimes think if I was 25 and eating what I eat now I would be a beanpole. Oh, those halcyon students days of bread, pasta, wine and beer .

@par05, if you are serious about losing it then you will be well on your way by Christmas. What do you think need to do differently?

I know the strictness I am living with at the moment is not sustainable, but tbh nothing else has worked and I’ve been trying for months to lose. I just felt deprived/guilty and still saw no change.

What is happening to me now that I have stripped so much pleasure away, I am more aware of my ‘blindspots’ ef my gallons of milky tea - probably a lot more calories than I realised. And the jam on buttered toast had become too frequent. Also my night eating. As soon as DCs in bed I have ‘me time’ and out come the treats. Even healthy snacks are probably an extra meal of calories - esp if there is a glass of wine as well.

And then there is the snacking on DCs bits - a mouthful here and there. Again, not unhealthy - but they are mindless calories.

@PatsyPet yes exactly when I was below 40 I could easily just cut back a bit and lose weight! Now it's a struggle.
I do need to cut back my weakness is chocolate and wine, and yep kids leftovers hate seeing food go waste!
At the minute I have no willpower i will start off good but then by evening poof all good intentions gone!

Snacks are always a bad idea for me. At least, carb laden snacks, and let's face it, all the best snacks are carb laden! It definitely adds up.

Yes, our metabolism goes when we are over 40 doesn't it? I have been warned, (not that long till I'm 40). Apparently one of the ways to boost your metabolism is building muscle mass, so it actually isn't all about diet, despite what people say about not being able to outrun your fork etc.

With that in mind, I'm off to yoga and a swim today at lunchtime. I have some free time today. Also did school run on foot as usual and will do the same again later.

Started today with a low carb sausage and a coffee. Bit weird, but it did the job.

Day 3 for me and, maybe I'm imagining things, but, I honestly feel that my jeans are a smidgen looser already.

Just having a big plate of greens and a large piece of cheese for lunch. With a coffee. Had yoga and a swim, so feeling 💪.

Again, weird lunch! Obviously I haven't quite got the hang of cooking low carb yet.

Hi everyone, it's good to see what you are up to and glean inspiration!

I've been very good today, and reasonably good since the start, but I'm feeling rough. I think this is day 4. I haven't cut anything out entirely, I.e. I'm not detoxing from sugar or carbs, I've just scaled back calories, eating more cleanly, etc., and instead of that smidgen more room in my clothes like you've had starchy I've felt bloated and thirsty for the whole of these 4 days. I'm peri and haven't had a period in 2 months. I only drink water (loads of it) black coffee and wine (not daily), so I think my blah feeling is down to being peri and perhaps I'm about to have a period. Joy!!!!!

@dudsville stick with it - it will pay off.

@StarchyStanley you are not imaging it - I also feel thinner. It’s the hardline changes I’m making though. But I seem to need the immediate weight loss so I don’t give up early on.

I continue to go hardcore. Black coffee with vanilla stevia, green tea etc. I miss milky tea . But I don’t miss those lbs falling away.

Last night I was very hungry and I had already planned a small low fat fillet steak. And I had a punnet of cherry tomatoes with red wine vinegar and salt and pepper on the side. It was so satisfying.

Later I had a punnet of strawberries which I poached in stevia and lemon juice.

Today I was down again. So happy!

Next week I will get some cottage cheese, eggs and salmon and start to add in more fat slowly. But no carbs. Would love to have nuts. But they are my downfall as I can’t stop scoffing them.

I love good quality peanut or almond butter with cut up apple and celery. Might be an easy, healthy snack option for some of you?

I should warn you - yes, it gets harder at 40..... but even harder as you hit 50 - I have very healthy lifestyle - limit carbs normally/drink very little alcohol/ no processed food / lots of veg.

And nothing was budging until I have gone very strict on eating.

I can’t live with so much restriction permanently. But I am now seeing where my problem areas are (night snacks and nuts and toast).

It is helping a lot to be specific in my goals. I am imagining how I will feel when I can tuck a T-shirt into jeans and wear a belt without a muffin top.

My next visual goal is showing tops of my arms. I am going to imagine how I want to feel wearing a sleeveless top in summer and try to make myself do some upper arm weights to make that dream come true .

@PatsyPet, thank you for the tips and words of encouragement, I really do need a kick up the bum.

Starting today, yet again. What is vanilla stevia? Is it an approved low carb? TIA.