Shorties trying to lose weight!

[SwimmingOnEggshells]

I started my fatbusting journey a couple of weeks ago and my plan is to document my progress here.

So far I've been doing a fair bit of cardio - 5 times per week - and I'm hoping this will help me get rid of some lbs. I posted a thread on AIBU looking for people's advice on only using exercise to lose weight but the general consensus is that no, I need to calorie restrict too. Boo! is what I say to that but maybe I need to face facts that I'm no longer a spring chicken and need to make a concerted effort with food too to shed anything!

Anyone want to join me?! @neverenoughchelseaboots

Current weight: 60kg/132lbs
Target: 50kg/110lbs
Height: 5'0 :(
Age: 39

I was 10st 6lb on Friday. I'm settled into the new jobs and back in a good routine so aiming for 10 stone again by the end of March.
It's nice to read the success stories. I've been following along even when not posting.

Hope you are all having a good week.

I just had some Sunday leftovers for lunch. The oven roasted onions, peppers and tomatoes were cooked with olive oil.
Is mashed swede carby and calorific? It’s very tasty with black pepper. So easy to do! Loved my soul-food bowl. Aren’t tasty leftovers the best!

According to a packet of ready made mashed swede and carrot it’s about 125 calories a portion. The sweet potato version was a lot mire

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Okay, thank you so much for the info - mashed swede isn’t too bad, and less calorific than sweet potato (which I think I knew though I am unsure of where the swede fits in on things). Carrots seem lighter. Next time I will mash it with carrot included. Thank you .

Thanks so much for the support @modernfemininity and @SwimmingOnEggshells
I am feeling quite proud of myself. I’m a very typical dieter, get stuck in for about 4 weeks lose a few kg, fall off the wagon then the weight goes back on and I start all over again 6 months later.

But not this time.
I think the game changer has been exercising every day, once I got over the first few weeks, it’s just become a habit now. I get my kit ready every night, plan my workout (a mix of running, gym and hiit workouts using the Nike app) and then the alarm goes off next day and I just get up and get on with it. No thinking about it really it’s just part of my day and I love it.

Lockdown has really helped me with the food diary as I’m eating at home 90% of the time and I tend to eat the same things all the time so calorie counting is no bother. I also love numbers so working out my calorie deficit everyday is my idea of a good time!

I think everyone is doing great, slow and steady is the only way to keep the weight off. Maintenance is the tough bit for us shorties as we really can’t eat as much as our non vertically challenged friends.

@modernfemininity I’m not sure how easy it is to buy in the UK, but butternut squash is low cal and low GI. Really filling as well.

I bought a bag of sweet potato frozen oven chips the other day to have in place of the oven chips the kids were having and then to my horror discovered they had more calories in than oven chips, wish I’d saved my money.

Rainbow, I was shocked too as I thought I was being more healthy with the sweet potato! I’ve cut sweet potato out completely and enjoy a mini portion of standard oven chips instead maybe once a week.

Just had the last batch cooked portion for our tea out of the freezer. “ mystery surprise casserole” as I forgot to label the plastic tubs with either lamb, beef or chicken. It was lamb. I used loads of veg and little pieces of meat though.
Will have to have a session of batch cooking to refill the freezer.
Went for a walk today with single ( quite a good cook) furloughed local son and he hinted that I haven’t made him a lemon meringue pie recently. So Thursday plan is to make a batch of pastry, give grandchildren no 1 and 2 a lump each to make pastry shapes whilst I make a pie and shift it all out of the house by teatime so I’m not tempted!
Fortunately my husband doesn’t like pastry so it’s not often made here.
Here is my usual repertoire of meals for the freezer , do you have any to add? Need some inspiration
Chilli con carne
Spaghetti bol
Lasagne
Veggie lasagne
Lamb, chicken, beef casseroles or similar
Curries ( husband also has meat versions)
We eat anything except pork

@Knittingnanny My freezer game is so poor, (but I have been moisturising my neck!) The only thing I'm good at batch cooking is chilli and soup. I've started doing soup for lunch sometimes and make it fairly thick so it takes up less space, and then just add stock when I defrost and reheat. It reminds me of the Campbells condensed idea, is that still going?

@RainbowCookie I know what you mean, it's so much easier to exercise if there's no decision to be made. I heard someone on social media say you can get results without motivation, as long as you've got discipline. When I heard it I did a bit of sick in my mouth, but later (begrudgingly) admitted that it's actually true. You might not want to go for the run, but if you do it because it's planned - it works.

@modernfemininity you asked about coping living in the renovation and to be honest, it was fine at the time as I just got on with it. I'm pretty relaxed and knew it was totally worth it. It's a huge undertaking though and everyone at first thought we were mad, it was a real state. But it's really coming together now. We had no kitchen for a year, which with a one year old was interesting. That's the cause of a lot of the extra weight I think, eating oven-ready pre-made meals. But we did what we needed to to get through.

Yes I still have a campbells condensed soup recipe book free with Living magazine in the 80’s . Best ever recipe for risotto etc. Think they are Baxter’s now although I’ve found the odd campbells condensed in Home Bargains.
Well done ladies for mousturizing your necks.

Moisturising x appalling spelling for an ancient teacher!

I’ve stayed under 1000 calories today but have made poor choices, so I’m ravenous now. Crisps, hot chocolate and a buttered hot cross bun all featured. No wonder I’m hungry - not enough protein and too many carbs.

I’ve also abandoned sweet potato wedges for the same reason. I love them though (I love pretty much everything, that’s my trouble).

Down to 9st 12lb, which is the lowest I’ve been for about 18 months.

Freezer inspiration - Moroccan tagine?

Well tidy, that’s a coincidence, when I was talking out loud this evening my husband said lamb tagine. Not my favourite but I’ll make some for him and when that jumps out of the freezer I’ll have omelette!

Knitting my family like nigella's lamb, date and pomegranate tagine, with cous cous. I love it, but its not exactly low calories. I have beans on toast when they have it!

I can't believe sweet potato is more calorific than regular spuds. That's a new one on me, good to know.

My freezer game is very poor so nothing to add there, sorry! I call things I take out that I can't identify UFOs - Unidentifiable Fridge Objects :)

@neverenoughchelseaboots I like your attitude to renovations, I've never had that level of work done but when we had our attic/loft converted I really didn't mind because I was so excited about having an extra room.

@WellTidy I was also 9st 12 yest. Determined not to weigh till Saturday now.

@neverenoughchelseaboots I am glad for you that your refurb is over! Ours was some years ago. Having heavily used the house with lots of teens, we now need a new kitchen and new bathrooms.. and maybe some walls moving and that seems too hard. It was very hard to cope with the building work and I vowed, “Never Again”.

I honestly wonder if it is worth improving the house again now! Maybe we could give the kids money and go on holiday ourselves, instead of spending all that money. But then, the house is getting grim..

@Knittingnanny In my cooked/prepped drawers in my freezer, I have
Chilli (various types)
Shep pie lamb base
Plaited pie
Bolognese
Vegetarian lasagne
Mushroom and asparagus risotto
Soups
Chicken fajita (spiced chicken, onions and peppers)
Beef madras

If you would use it, I can recommend a vac packer!

I love it that our house can have a meal that is homemade but from the freezer and I don’t have to do a huge work-up in cooking, on some nights. I just need to plan the defrosting!

Some of the stock (oh yes I freeze literally stock too) is there so that we can keep going if we self isolate due to Covid. So far we have been lucky.

I will try @WellTidy’s Nigella recipe!

Weight-wise; I was light yesterday and then heavy this morning!

Good morning everyone. Friday weigh in for me and I'm now 122 3/4 lbs or 8 stone 10 and 3/4. That's 1lb off this week. 10lbs now until my goal weight :)

Whoop whoop swimming! You must be pleased with that.

I'm the same as last week, not sure how though as I've eaten terribly this week. I've been ill and so eaten tons and without worrying about the bad stuff. Also makes exercise hard.

Off for a covid test now as the cough is awful, but sure it's not as the rest of the household have tested negative.

Well done Swimming, that's absolutely fantastic. You should be really pleased!

Still 9st 12lb here, which I am taking as a win. I've stayed around 1,000 calories each day all week, but have been very carb heavy in my choices (story of the last ten years, really) and haven't done proper exercise in a few weeks. I think I probably need a change in approach if I am going to continue to lose, and probably need to really cut the carbs. This makes me very sad (genuinely!) as I absolutely love crisps and bread and have both daily,, but I think needs must. I will keep going over the weekend and see where I am on Monday.

I seem to lose weight only in certain parts of my cycle, and this next week or so should be a time for losing for me. Fingers crossed.

Good luck with the test @neverenoughchelseaboots. Nothing to report here as am same weight as last week which is fair enough as there has been pizza, wine and birthday cake. Am now making more of an effort with exercise either 10000 steps or on exercise bike every day so hopefully I'll have better results next week.

Fab results @SwimmingOnEggshells. I love my carbs too @WellTidy