Anyone keen for a 6 week challenge?

[NoNameNellie]

I do well with shorter goals and am hoping to focus on shifting some weight and being more active.

Anyone else care to join and see how much weight we can shift (sensibly!) in the next 6 weeks?

People are welcome to join anytime, I personally will be counting from Monday 7th until March 22nd. I was hit pretty hard by lockdown and am the biggest I’ve ever been... I’ve already managed to shift a little bit of weight, now looking to tackle my long term eating habits and sedentary lifestyle in the coming period.

I’ll be sticking to the following :

1. No snacking.
2. 5 fruit/veg per day, protein source at every meal.
3. Trying to hit 10,000 steps a day.

Other than that, I’m not following any diet in particular, I’m trying to change my habits for the long haul. And of course, being comfortable in summer will be an added bonus!

In these 6 weeks, I’m hoping to shift 8-9 pounds, as well as losing a couple of inches off my belly and bum.

Any takers?

@Buckeejit re the rice scoop, weigh once and then put it in a glass, then put a marker on the glass where it comes up to maybe?

@NoNameNellie the Louise Parker Method is something I stumbled across and really appealed. I believe she made her name with it a fair few years back now with the likes of Emma Thompson and Duchess of Cambridge extolling her virtues. Not sure I can do it justice here but basic premise is that it's a lifestyle change, not a diet, as she wants people to get away from concept of doing a diet then putting it all back on. Also she is big into not calorie counting as it's both boring, annoying, and as she says, if you just lose by calorie counting, you could eat really badly and just end up 'skinny fat' ie still unhealthy. This speaks to me, I want to have healthy lasting results! Anyway, basic premise is food wise you do an initial 6 week cut out of all sugar (including pasta, rice etc, only whole grain bread allowed) and processed foods, up your vegetable content so most of your carbs come from that, no alcohol, lots of water, start day with lemon water. Oh and 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, so you are never hungry, which helps! Alongside this there are exercise plans, sleep tips de stress tips etc. The idea is to get your whole self running smoothly. After 6 weeks (or 8 or 12, basically those are the cycles to get to your goal weight) you then stay with her lifestyle, but you are now in the lifestyle phase rather than the transform phase, thus your weight now stabalises rather than continues with loss. At this point you keep up your new healthy lifestyle and relax eating habits slightly so 20 % of food can be a bit of what you fancy. A glass of wine at the weekend, a plate of pasta in the week or whatever your poison is. I'm not sure I've explained it very well but she's written 3 great books, got mine on ebay, and they are jam packed with recipes etc as well as all the other info and tips. I'm not always managing to stick to plan but when I do I'm honestly feeling great on it, the meals are really really tasty too! I just add extra sides of potatoes or rice etc for my family.

Had a rubbish couple of days, think I'm in some sort of weird limbo waiting on the kids going back to school now, they are all a bit on edge so this is not helping me, hanging on by a thread. Plan is to try and get house tidy today as a tidy environment does help me feel less give-up-y and then inwards and upwards. I really notice how much better I feel on days I eat better. Need to not give in to temptation when tired which is hard right now as kids all waking at various points in night. Roll on Monday, I'm hoping that will settle things!

@ElvenDreamer

Had a rubbish couple of days, think I'm in some sort of weird limbo waiting on the kids going back to school now, they are all a bit on edge so this is not helping me, hanging on by a thread. Plan is to try and get house tidy today as a tidy environment does help me feel less give-up-y and then inwards and upwards. I really notice how much better I feel on days I eat better. Need to not give in to temptation when tired which is hard right now as kids all waking at various points in night. Roll on Monday, I'm hoping that will settle things!

I think all our kids at the moment are terminally bored and going back to school will wear them out mentally and seeing their friends will be a tonic.

Mine's back at school and today I've already done my housework, done 7k steps, a kettle bell workout and some resistance band work.

Working now for a few hours before pick up.

You won't know yourself once they're back. It's been a long time for them, stuck at home and not easy for us parents. End's in sight so go easy on yourself!

My youngest has been at school the whole time as I work at another school but the older two have been stuck at home. Not even going to get a day at home alone 😬

I'm with y'all on getting them back to school. I'm a childminder & this last few months have been horrendous!

@ElvenDreamer -good idea about marking the cup to measure rice. Will do that until I learn proper portion size!

Even though I'm fairly convinced weight loss is 90% diet, (I'm averaging 15k steps a day lately & doesn't seem to help shift weight, even though I'm obese & generally eating healthy & under 1300 cals lately), I'd like to start some sort of short exercise class via youtube or something. I used to like body pump & zumba. Any recommendations would be great, preferably closer to 20 mins than an hour!

I'm big all over but most conscious of my tummy(s) area so would like to reduce or hide it more!

@buckeejit

I'm with y'all on getting them back to school. I'm a childminder & this last few months have been horrendous!

@ElvenDreamer -good idea about marking the cup to measure rice. Will do that until I learn proper portion size!

Even though I'm fairly convinced weight loss is 90% diet, (I'm averaging 15k steps a day lately & doesn't seem to help shift weight, even though I'm obese & generally eating healthy & under 1300 cals lately), I'd like to start some sort of short exercise class via youtube or something. I used to like body pump & zumba. Any recommendations would be great, preferably closer to 20 mins than an hour!

I'm big all over but most conscious of my tummy(s) area so would like to reduce or hide it more!

I use my DS’s Xbox to stream YouTube and there are sooo many free exercise classes to have a go at there, lots of 20/25 minute Zumba classes etc. Diet is most important but exercise helps you metabolism and to keep toned as you lose the weight and for me because it makes me feel good about myself it helps me stay on track food wise as I want to treat myself well iyswim?

Thanks @Fembot123 I will check them out. Yes, definitely hoping the feel good factor & extra effort helps me stay on track

Let us know what you find ☺️ I’ve stumbled across some real corkers that are hilariously funny but still a good workout and doesn’t feel as bad if you are laughing

Urgh, replaced the batteries in my scales and realised I'm heavier than I thought. Never mind, at least now I have something concrete to aim for.

Today has otherwise been a good day.

Exercise : 5km fast walk before work.
Breakfast : meal replacement shake
Snack : cereal bar, black coffee
Lunch: Tuna and avocado salad, yoghurt, blueberries
Dinner: Roasted vegetable omelette, salad

@ElvenDreamer That sounds really sensible and essentially what I'm aiming for. I lost quite a bit of weight several years back and then of course put it all back on and then some over a 7-8 year period. I'm really trying for something sustainable this time. It's been a pretty unmotivated sort of week, but I've just told myself to try and maintain, not go mad and we'll attack with more vigour next week. For now, getting the steps in, not snacking and trying to eat 5 fruit and veg a day is the target.

@Fembot123 There are some great resources out there, but bloody hell I can't wait to be able to sign up for the gym again. Working out at home is pretty unmotivating for me, I'm forcing myself at the moment, but will be glad when I can swim and do classes again. I'm really keen to start some weights so will be paying for a few sessions with a personal trainer to kick start that when we can.

Thanks @Fembot123 it is a real challenge to stay off the treats. I basically have an IV drip of coffee though! I managed 10 mins on the exercise bike today which I was pleased with, hoping to get out for some walks soon but it’s so cold I can’t face it with the baby at the moment.

Anyone done any easy food swaps? Going to swap my white bread for wholemeal this week.

@ElvenDreamer I too am in limbo waiting for the DC to go back to school... the house is such a tip, I want to do some meal planning, I need to job hunt... uurrgghhhh.

Have you already swapped white pasta for wholemeal @Sunshine1235? Or tried some of the other pastas like beetroot? Holland & Barrett has some useful alternatives - I use a lot of the Sweet Freedom syrups in drinks and cakes.

@buckeejit I have to say that I seem to need some cardio to lose weight nowadays when I first did WW about 20 years ago the pounds came off with diet alone. Now however all the weight likes me and wants to stay I've been doing a Joe Wicks workout most days but there are some good ones on Fitness Blender too. The Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred is a great one if you're up for a challenge!!

Feeling a bit bleurgh with period this week. I have been within licking distance of 10st for the last couple of days but I was up to 10 st 2lbs this morning, which is unsurprising considering how much ate yesterday. I really enjoyed the creme egg!

I've not gone for my usual run this morning but hope to feel up to running with DD later - she is on week 3 of couch25k.

I prefer wholemeal pasta and granary bread. These are better from a fibre point of view, but they are not low calorie substitutes (especially with the amount of butter I put on my bread...)

Period weeks definitely don’t count @RunnyPaint. In a normal week you’ll be at 10st. I’m with you on generally preferring whole meal/brown/seeded carbs. I wish I was organised enough to remember to put brown rice on early enough-I kept forgetting hand having quick cook white instead.

@Sunshine1235 the main food “swap” I’ve done lately is to buy a new cookbook and try one recipe a week. That’s generally meant swapping a boring freezer meal for one full of veg and flavour. I’m liking that a lot! I’ve managed to train myself into having black coffee as a treat-I’ve bought a grinder for a tenner, posh beans and an aero press. I’m reasoning that I’m saving money on biscuits and crisps!

I’ve had a d and v bug which has artificially put me lower on the scales. I’ve only been able to keep down beige food so I’m looking forward to eating some veg instead of potato waffles, plain pasta and toast! I’ve got a couple of exercise classes booked later but I’m not sure I’m quite up for it yet. I might do a stretch yoga instead.

I weighted myself today morning: 69kg. I'm happy :) I want to loose 10kgm so I'll achieve my ideal weight, 59kg.

I've reached peak lazy. There's treat food in the house and the only reason I've resisted is that I just can't be bothered to adjust my other meals or exercise to incorporate eating it.

I agree, period weeks don't count! @RunnyPaint I was amazed to drop over a kilo after my period a week ago, I didn't even feel that bloated!

I'm trying to reach a point where I appreciate other good food as a treat. Today, a colleague made the most delicious orange salad for us. It really did feel like a treat, so I'm hoping I can reproduce the same thing sometime soon!

Today in eating :

B : 2 slices of grain bread with butter and apricot jam
L : Couscous salad, hummus and tapenade with bread, orange salad and a couple of squares of dark choc (it was a colleague shared lunch, and I work with some keen chefs!)
D : mushroom omelette, apple, cheese

An OK day, we'll see what the scales say in a few days!

1 pound down, whoop!

Well done @Fembot! My weight is a little down again today, and I'm feeling much better. And the best bit is knowing that I'll not feel bleurgh in the same way for another 4 weeks!

@RunnyPaint

Well done *@Fembot*! My weight is a little down again today, and I'm feeling much better. And the best bit is knowing that I'll not feel bleurgh in the same way for another 4 weeks!

I was outraged by my scale during my period but it went quickly back to normal when it had gone.

TMI time

Good news and bad news.

Bad news - This isn't bacon brand vegan bacon although delicious has made me so sick. I'm dying. Apparently some meat replacement stuff causes bad tummies in some people.

Good news - I'll be a size 8 by tomorrow morning if this continues much longer.

How often do you all weigh, out of curiosity?

I officially weight in once a week, but I can't help having a sneaky little look during the week, on occasion... @LivingMyBestLife2020