March lose 7lbs a month

[Foresttheout]

Hi All welcome to the March loose 7lb a month. Our founder and usual host @cricketmum89 is taking a well earned break so I've started this thread to help keep us all on track.
We are a friendly bunch doing lots of different diets at lots of different weights.

[quote WhoAreYah]@Sunsetsandroses what do you do? I find if I don’t get out first thing I don’t go. The school run is my saviour as I walk it if not raining. That gets me 30+ minutes in.[/quote]
I work in a hospital. Luckily don't have to do shifts, but by 6pm I'm shattered. And that's before making tea and putting the toddler to bed. Plus roughly once a month I'm on call so could be contacted at any time.
I used to walk on my lunch hour, but I've started a new contract so only get 30 minutes break now. It feels too short to manage to get any exercise in after I've eaten my lunch, whereas before I could walk for at least 30 minutes without it having an impact.

I tried 16:8 a few months ago, but I found that when I was on call I couldn't necessarily have my evening meal before the time was "over" due to dealing with work queries.
Question for anyone doing 16:8 - can you have a tea/ coffee in the morning or is it literally just water outside of the 8h eating window?

And I've just weighed myself and I've put 2.5lb on since 3rd March .
Hopefully partly due to having just eaten and usually weighing myself in a morning.

So current weight: 11stone 12 (166lb)
Initial goal weight 10stone 6 (146lb)
Ultimate goal weight ~9stone 7 (133lb) - but think this is unlikely.

Today I've had:
Salmon pasta for lunch
Some cheese for a snack
Chicken fajita with a few chips and salad for dinner
1 cup of tea
Orange squash

@Sunsetsandroses ah yes that does sound hard 😫

My friend does 16:8 (plus 5:2) and has options hot chocolates if needed. I’ve done it and had coffee with a splash of milk. Apparently up to 50cals is ok. To follow it ‘properly’ it’s black tea / coffee

@Sunsetsandroses my understanding is that you can have black tea or coffee, no milk/sweetener/sugar, and that won't break your fast.

I've been ill since yesterday morning and despite hardly eating, the scales tell me I've gained. I'm not listening to them though

@Sunsetsandroses I do 16:18 and just do water but that's because I don't like tea or coffee black so would rather just wait. I also don't do it everyday, I aim for 5 days a week doing it as days when i have a lot of early it's just not doable

Weekly weigh in time

Start of this weight loss journey was 1st Aug 2020 - 233lb, BMI 35.4

24/02/2021 - 178lb, BMI 27.0
03/03/2021 - 177lb, BMI 26.9
10/03/2021 - 177lb, BMI 26.9
17/03/2021 - 176lb, BMI 26.7

Loss this week - 1 lb
Loss this month - 2lb
Total loss since starting - 57 lb

I have also lost 8 inches off my waist and 6.5 inches off my hips

HalfShrunk that is amazing progress!

I'm finally back in the 9s for the first time since Christmas:

SW: 10st 4lb
CW: 9st 13.4lb
GW: 9st 4lb

@MegBusset @HalfShrunkMoreToGo

Well done! You’ve both done brilliantly! 🥳

Morning all. Had such a hungry day yesterday so ended up going over my calories. It's a day off with the 3 year old today and I'll go for a run when my husband gets home later hopefully.

Well done everyone on their losses.

whoareyah options hot chocolate is a good shout. I tend to have a cup of tea instead of breakfast generally.

getthepartystarted I wouldn't believe the scales, its probably water weight due to being ill or something. Hope you feel better soon!

halfshrunk & meg that's incredible both of you, congratulations!

foresttheout that's a good idea, there's nothing saying I have to be religious about doing it every day is there. Do you find it works?

nerr sometimes you just need to give your body what it needs. Hope you get chance to go for a run.

@Sunsetsandroses I find it works for me, probably not as well as if I did everyday but if I try and force it on days where I have a lot on I find I end up with feeling awful by lunchtime and then I eat way more calories than I would have otherwise because the only thing that will solve the headache I get is coke and carbs.
My weight loss is very very slow though but I don't think that to do with not doing 16:8 everyday but more because I need to work on reducing my calorie count within those hours.

Hi all,

Been abit inactive on here, whole house came down the flu, so between feeling like shit and Covid testing everyone I have done nothing but eat chocolate and cake.

1lbs loss this morning which I was shocked at, think it was all the snot

Back on it today!!!

Evening all.

Just checking back in. I’ve been plugging away after a slightly indulgent weekend.
@MegBusset and @HalfShrunkMoreToGo you have done so well, congratulations!
I am still 10st 6lb - hoping for 2lb this week, so 10st 4lb by Tuesday weigh in.
@NerrSnerr I have days like that too! I think it’s important to listen to your body on those days and it usually balances out.

Morning all. Hope you're feeling better @golddustwomen and that you enjoyed your indulgent weekend @Smarshian.

I had a better day yesterday and was under my calories and ate very well. Managed to get out for a run. Hoping to get our for another run today and will go for a walk with my 3 year old. I am currently 11st 10 which is a 5lb loss so far in March which I am happy with so far.

Happy Friday everyone!

I hope you're doing alright.

I'm still on the mend, much better but exhausted. My weight is back down to where I was but no loss yet. Weigh in is Monday though.

I had ordered some food from Seriously Low Carb and have just had a hot cross bun for lunch. It was delicious.

Thinking of changing from keto to calorie counting around Easter time. My weightloss has slowed and I'm ready to shake things up a bit. Does anyone here count calories? Do you try and stick to healthy choices? Low carb choices? Or just count calories and have a bit of whatever you fancy?

@GetTheStartyParted I count calories using MFP, it's the only way that has ever worked for me to lose weight.

I find it forces you to eat healthily as I'd be starving if I ate a McDonald's lunch and had no calories left for the rest of the day

Luckily I'm a vegetarian and enjoy eating lots of veg. My downfall is alcohol and chocolate in the evenings, I try to leave enough for a small treat each day but on 1250 cals (I'm a short arse so that's all I get) it's tough. I do at least 1.5hr brisk walking a day which gets me a little more wiggle room!

Thank you. That's what I'm most looking forward to, the vegetables. I love keto but miss peas, sweetcorn, carrots and so on and fruit!

Keto has helped me to relearn portion sizes and that I don't need potatoes/rice/pasta with every meal so I'm hoping this helps.

@GetTheStartyParted glad you're on the mend. I calorie count. I tend to try and make healthy choices but have a bit of what I really want as well. I try to stay within my calories from Sunday to Thursday with some to spare and I have a few drinks on Friday and Saturday but still try to eat as well as I can.

Morning everyone, happy Saturday!

1.3 lbs off for me this morning. Haven’t quite done what I wanted to and moved in to the next stone bracket but was literally only 0.2lbs off doing it and I’m happy to have had a reasonable loss regardless, so I’m still calling it a win, especially as I’ve been seriously crap on the exercise front this week, have only managed a few short 30ish min walks rather than packing in a couple of long ones in addition. Hopefully I’ll do better on that front next week!

The scales stayed the same this morning but am still 5lbs down for March so happy. My current motivation is denim shorts. I spent last summer in a pair of frumpy 14s, I had to pick them up while shopping at Morrison's as none of my summer clothes fitted. I am determined not to need them this year. My ultimate goal by the end of the summer is to get back into my 10s but I got some 12s from Fat Face on eBay. 2 weeks ago I couldn't do them up and this morning they did do up- they don't fit yet but I'm getting there. As soon as they fit properly the 14s are going in the charity bin!

I've not tried my jeans on since about September have been living in Primark leggings which is comfy but fatal for waistline control!

Thank you @NerrSnerr well done with your NSV, that's such a nice feeling.

I think I will aim to have Friday as a day to be a little more relaxed but eat healthily the rest of the time.

I have learned now that I can wait to eat whatever I fancy. I bought some chocolate a few weeks ago because I liked the look of it, but I can't eat it while I'm keto so it's waiting patiently in the cupboard. I would not have had the willpower to do that a couple of years ago!

I will spend the next couple of weeks educating myself and writing a list of low-calorie meals. Planning always helps me to stick to diets. If I know what I am supposed to have, then I don't think about what I want.

Well done @Hartleyhare1206 - you're so close I'd say that counts

@GetTheStartyParted thanks!
I just wanted to see it start with a 12 rather than a 13 If that makes sense? Silly really, but very psychological. Still, I’m
Sure I’ll be there next week, can’t rush a good thing! 😆
Very impressed by your willpower resisting that chocolate - my hero 🤩
I brought a fab meal planning pad from Home Bargains - breaks each day down and it can be split for B, L and D, and also a section for jotting down a shopping list. I know you can just do that on an app or sheet of paper but it’s all pretty and lovely and encourages me to write a meal plan before I shop so then I only buy what I need and don’t go wild in the aisles. I’m less likely to go off piste during the week as I’ve only got in what the planned meals require IYSWIM?
Also stops DH asking me ten times a day what’s for lunch or tea as he has learned quite quickly I don’t answer and just tell him to look at the pad 🤣🤣

I know exactly what you mean. I was 11.1 this time last week, mysteriously went up to 11.3 midweek whilst ill and back to 11.1 today. I have until Monday to make some progress. The meal planner sounds great, I'll have a look for one. Thanks for the recommendation.

Hope you dont mind me joining. I have finally started to focus on my weight after putting on 2 stone over the past year. My sister got me interested in the keto diet as she has lost 21lbs on the keto since the end of January.

My issue was alcohol, daily drinking and snacks associated with it. So I started keto on Monday, stopped drinking alcohol too. Measured my boobs, waist and thighs. Only got new scales on wednesday so not doing a weigh in until the end of next week. However i did check my measurements and i am already 2 inches off the boobs and thighs and 4 off the waist. Appreciate on keto you lose a lot of water in the first week. However because I dont feel hungry my calories daily is around 1200 or below and without alcohol its brill. I am really happy- I cant see it being something i do long term but it has given me a focus, you have to be strict and that works for me. I use the fitnesspal app to monitor my eating etc.. so fingers crossed the weight will come off. I will start exercise next week too but I am feeling motivated.