Losing lockdown pounds & MOVING - 10k steps/day - please join me!

[10kaDay]

I’ve gained a whopping 2 stone since March, and have an overall 3-4 stone to lose. This is a combination of : alcohol/crisps/general boredom snacking while WFH and a very sedentary lifestyle.

I used to walk 5-7k steps most days just going to work/out and about at weekends, but now seem to be glued to my office chair or sofa and am really feeling the ill-effects... also without the motivation of social life I have been less inclined to look after myself .

Does anyone want to join me on a push to be less sedentary (& eat healthily) to lose weight

My focus is:

• 10k steps/day minimum
• healthy (mostly unprocessed food) diet
• limiting empty calories from alcohol & sugar

Just got a fit bit to count steps, & will be going for a walk/jog 1st thing to get most of my steps in, then making myself have a few other breaks in the day to get the numbers up

Hello @LarsErickssong... that’s a good motivation, I expect to change doctors soon myself so losing a few pounds beforehand sounds like a plan!

Well done on the 10k steps this week... how have you been doing them, all in a chunk or a few different walks?

Checking in but not starting until Friday as I have a bad knee and want to give in a couple more days. Really noticing the difference in WFH as just going to work I was doing 5k+ every day without a walk. Need to schedule in at least one walk a day probably first thing and then try and go the rest around the house

Can I join in as well? I also have 3-4 stone to lose but would be delighted with losing 2 stone by spring. I also have a fit bit, aiming for 10K a day. I used to run but cannot manage 5k these days. I need and want to get back into running yet seem to completely lack motivation. I eat and drink out of boredom and stress, I need to change my mindset here.

Hello @Hairyfairy01- I could have written your post word for word! I’m aiming for 2st off by Easter which is 2 pounds a week.
With 3500 calories/pound

• the walking should take a pound of off a week (500 a day)
• considering i was having a magnum, some crisps and a glass of wine most days that’s another 500 calories/pound a week right there

Do you know how to add people on fit bit (I don’t, but it seems like a really good way to keep honest.... I’m serious about doing this for the whole year (the walking, hopefully the weight loss won’t take that long but need to maintain it after)

Hello @Onthebrink67: same here, it was around 3 15/20 minute brisk walks to get to tube/office/home, whereas I started not even leaving house so recent activity levels for me have been shocking, I’ve been a bit better since Monday...

The real test is going to be next week when I’m back at work (WFH, it’s usually 9 hours/day - I need to be disciplined to take a few breaks even if it means finishing a bit later I think ... I won’t walk in darkness but I hope a few 15/20 min breaks would be feasible & need to build them in).

If not, I’m going to walk around house/up & down stairs with my laptop in my arms.. will improve my balance too

@10kaDay we did a big walk on Monday which gave me my 10k by lunchtime and then yesterday did an hour walk (I find roughly that 10 mins walking = 1k steps) then went round the supermarket so by bed time I had got 10k.
About to go for a walk into town now which will be about 6k steps and then I'm going to go to the gym later where I should get about 2k.
Once I'm back WFH next week it will definitely be harder, I try and get out for a 30 min walk at lunchtime but it's so hard when it's cold and miserable!

@10kaDay they're 14 and 10 so not tiny, but need sorting to get out to school etc (if they go back....)

Just back from a long walk with a friend - 12500 steps, now collapsed on sofa

Well done @thetrees!

Am just back from a long-ish walk myself, up to 9600 steps (9k on walk, rest before I left the house). Feeling inspired to drag the hoover round to get those last 400 steps in

Well that's my plans for going to the gym 4 x a week buggered as I'm going into tier 4

@LarsErickssong: are there other things you can do at home? Tier 4 should only be a month or 2 (realistically I think 2)

I understand your disappointment though as it can be easier to get motivated/push harder at the gym

Just cleared the house of Xmas treats and put any remaining ‘off-plan’ foods in the freezer to avoid temptation so been a good start here getting ready for Jan

@10kaDay I bought my OH a weekend away at the start of April, it's in a secluded cabin on a fishing lake including private hot tub! So would love to be able to go there feeling a bit more body confident. I went for a run Boxing Day feeling all Motivated but wore the wrong shoes and killed my lower legs. Today is the first day iv been able to walk without looking like iv pooed myself so thinking I might try and get in the gym tonight once the kids are in bed! Just need to keep reminding myself of the end goal

@10kaDay the couple who run the gym I go to have been absolutely incredible from the very first lockdown in March and luckily they have managed to carry on with the full class timetable virtually which is 40 classes a week so I still have plenty of things to do even though the gym won't be open .
For anyone that likes/would like to try HIIT classes I can also recommend The HIIT Company Challenge which is a fb group, they are running a free 2 week challenge from 4th Jan. The workouts are hard but a great way to get some steps in, I do the HIIT step classes in person at the gym (when it's allowed) so when the gym closes the instructor told us all to join this group where we could still do them, and many more workouts, virtually.

Just realised it sounds like I'm being paid to promote them but I'm not!

@LarsErickssong - it’s great that you can still join online! I’ve lined up some YouTube HIIT videos as an alternative for rainy days (big difference in HIIT vs a walk though

Hello can I join? Very similar to all of you, got at least 2 stones to lose, would be delighted with more.
Am doing steps and exercise but it's what I've been eating that is the problem. Too much rubbish.

Can I join, I'm intending to do dry jan, we are in tier 3 so am hoping can still use gym/swim.

I've gained 2 stone since March and was a stone heavier than I should have been back then.

@sofakingawesome- you paint quite a picture

Focus on the end goal!! I’ve just lunched on -hippy mush- a delicious lentil stew... I would rather have put it in a wrap and smothered in cheddar, but the fear of having to waddle back to the office in a couple of months held me back...

Speaking of waddling, my faithful favourite running leggings have quite literally burst at the -inner thigh- seams, devastated! They’ve put up with so much abuse and didn’t deserve this sorry end... have just ordered a bigger pair

@Jemmy360, @wizzbangfizz: welcome on board this (dry) wagon ... 31 days off the delicious delicious grape juice on the horizon too

Have just calculated that my ‘worst’ days (crisps, cheddar, wine AND a magnum, zero exercise) were probably around 1000 calories worth of snacks on top of meals . Surprised I don’t blog out the sun... on the plus side hopefully it will drop off as easily as it crept on ...

Thanks very much @10kaDay , I'm sure I can also trough through 1000 kcals of cheese, chocolate and mince pies a day so they will all have to go 😱. Dreading being put in tier 4 and the gym shutting as it's kept me sane, and jumping about in front of the TV just isn't the same!

10,714 steps completed so far today. Not at a particularly fast pace but it was very enjoyable being out with my dog and a friend and her much younger dog.

I lost 2.5 stone between end of June and beginning of December (combination of calorie counting and exercise, mostly running). However did too much running and gave myself shin splints so have been coming back gradually to it. Haven’t counted calories for the whole of December or exercised much so quite surprised I’ve only put on about 4lb).

Want to lose about 10 or 11lb more - will be doing at least 10,000 steps a day and keeping on with running every other day

@Randomrebel

10,714 steps completed so far today. Not at a particularly fast pace but it was very enjoyable being out with my dog and a friend and her much younger dog.

@Randomrebel: ... it’s about hitting the number!

@MirandaWest: hello, wow, 2.5 stone is a great achievement! Sorry to hear about the shin splints... are there any hills near you so you can maintain your fitness with less running?

@Jemmy360

Thanks very much *@10kaDay* , I'm sure I can also trough through 1000 kcals of cheese, chocolate and mince pies a day so they will all have to go 😱. Dreading being put in tier 4 and the gym shutting as it's kept me sane, and jumping about in front of the TV just isn't the same!

@Jemmy360: get rid of them!! If there’s lots are food bank / local friends/neighbours an option for anything not opened?

I was listening to a podcast last night... she said how much would you pay to be thinner, & consider binning junk food as pennies vs that ( I was NOT raised to waste food). If it’s properly junk it needs to go...

Would love to join in, have 4 stones+ to lose and feel lethargic and bleurrghh after working from home since March. My job used to add around 5k steps a day and I have been sat at my desk for months. Can I ask OP which fitbit you got - went online a few days ago to select one and just felt bamboozled and confused. So obv had to sit back down in a heap and eat some chocolate. Am trying to walk for 2 miles a day and do some proper stretching for a couple of weeks as I feel crunchy and stiff. Here's to feeling better in a few months eh?!