LOSE IT! April 2021

[TheRealHousewife]

Hello & Welcome 😊 WOW 😯 April came around so fast. The sunny Spring weather and easing of Lockdown brings so much joy and promise for the coming year.

This thread is for those of us who enjoy healthy eating, exercising and feeling motivated to reach (or maintain) a healthy weight/bmi. The members of these threads are inspirational, supportive and happy to share their progress (the ups and the downs).

We all know that if we eat right, get outside & move more your mental health will heap the rewards. Better mental health = better choices. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

There are so many enjoyable lifestyle options out there without the need to resort to extreme measures. Whatever way you choose, it needs to be enjoyable & sustainable for the long term. This is a long term commitment rather than a quick fix. I rarely drink alcohol and keep sugar to a minimum. I exercise by doing walking vids & strength sessions with light weighs.

As no one size fits all members need to follow their own way of eating. Nonetheless this thread aims to offer guidance, support and a bit of hand holding.

There is no shaming, competition or harsh words to be found on these threads. We are in this together.

Jump right in! If you’re not too shy, post a bit about yourself 😊. How do you plan to do it? What do you want to achieve? What excites you about your future self? Together, we can create a whole new you!

You’ll be glad you got on board this time next month 😊

Useful Links

Useful Tips For Lockdown Weight Loss

Free Recipes

Free NHS 12 Week Plan

MFP

How drinking more water helps you lose weight

Thank you @Crazzzycat. I'm just going with the flow today. I feel I needed to eat as felt so off today. I have dh making dinner and said I wanted lots of veg with it so they will off set the sweets I have had and I'll be running tomorrow.

🥳 🎉 well done @Puffalicious!! That is fabulous and it makes such a different when you drop to the next stone level. That is my hope for April. Not going too well so far . Same yesterday as April 1st but I was lower last week. It is keeping it off!

Oops. Forgot to refresh. Will go and read all I've missed now.

Glad you are feeling better @HalfShrunkMoreToGo and sounds like you have a handle on what is going on and have had a productive day.

@CocoaMojo @TheRealHousewife is the queen of IF but I've found it great for me. I used to struggle with not eating breakfast in that I'd want to eat in the evenings after dinner but I have been doing it for a while now and maybe twice I've needed breakfast. I plan for 18 hours and in my head was eating between 12.30 and 6.30pm. In reality now we have been having dinner earlier now that dh is at home so we eat 5-5.30pm and then that is it. My main problem is now I've learnt to just eat when hungry I run out of time to have treats. I've only opened my Easter egg today! Needing a 3pm snack is when I usually have the naughty stuff if 8 don't have it as a pudding after lunch. I do it every day but I am wondering whether I would benefit from the odd day off.

@Supergirl1958 at the very least your fiancé needs to be doing every other morning so that you get to have a shower, etc. I quite often make too much dinner so I can have leftovers for lunch the next day.

We currently have a daft amount of food in the freezer and pantry so we are making a concerted effort to eat it before we buy more. We do need milk and potatoes so dh is going tomorrow as I can't go to the shop and come out with just milk and potatoes.

@Crazzzycat @SunshineCake thanks so much!! I think I will give it a go, like the idea about starting with a smaller fast window then building up. I guess it is all about seeing how it works/could work for me really. Think I'll give it a go today/tomorrow in fact and see what happens!

The app I use is Zero and is orange, @CocoaMojo.

10st 4 this morning so up 2 lb☹️hoping it comes off quick now totm ended.

It may be water-retention @joysmoy66 if you're just at the end of your totm. Fingers crossed it will be gone the next time you weigh.

I hope so arbadacarba!

Aww I know, he has IBS though so he has to if that makes sense. I don’t mind, it won’t be forever and he does most of the feeding at bedtime etc.

I’m increasing my water intake this week, is it a thing that water helps you to feel fuller? Or does it just flush out toxins? Either way my caffeine and alcohol consumption will be decreasing too!!! So I’m hoping that has some sort of impact on my weight!

@joysmoy66 oh no :( I sometimes find that totm has an impact on my weight loss so fx it goes soon sending best wishes :)

Sometimes you can mistake thirst for hunger so drinking plenty of water stops that happening as well as flushing out toxins.

Thanks supergirl

Weighed myself this morning and at 12 st 3. Which is 4 lbs down from when I started 3 weeks ago, and Easter holidays have happened, so I'm fairly happy with that.
I'm trying this intermittent fasting thing today as I have a day working at home with no kids so it seemed a good opportunity to see what it's like! Feeling ok at the moment, trying 11-7 but that might need adjusting when back at work next week if I decide to go with it.
Also trying to drink loads more water!

@Arbadacarba thankyou :)

@CocoaMojo well done that’s great news. Are you only weighing every so often?

@Supergirl1958 I was weighing every day, but think I find it a bit stressful when I see no difference or it goes up (which it did almost inevitably for me over Easter) so now I'm going to try weighing weekly to try to stop myself obsessing but who knows I may well change my mind again!!

@CocoaMojo aww I’m sure it will be fine :) back to work on Monday, so no time to stop! I’ve just tried to do some planning..my one year old wanted to play...nap time soon 😂😂

I'm sure it's not a real gain, @joysmoy66 so don't fret and focus on what you have achieved so far.

@Supergirl1958 drinking water can fill you up, it is recommended to drink before a meal, and I always have a drink before I eat when it is an out of meal time need and most of the time the water is enough.

That is absolutely brilliant @CocoaMojo. Well done. How is the fasting and drinking more water going? I'm definitely happier since I went to weekly weighing. @Puffalicious made me.

Had a good run this morning at just over 7km and then a 5.72km walk with the dog. Saw myself side ways on and was pretty pleased with how I looked. Need to make sure I don't eat too much bad stuff before my weigh in on Wednesday. I will run at least twice more before I way so that will help. I'm working on every other day at the moment. I felt like I'm better when I do two consecutive days as felt slower after a day off but then my times today were good so who knows.

Have a good day everyone.

I threatened her with detention and everything! I'm so glad you feel better overall Sunshine

Well, the sunshine is out here as I'm off out to scrub thr outside table. DS1 having mates round the chiminea later and I've volunteered to make punch and pizza! 17 year olds (mine almost 17) so I'd rather they were here safe with limited alcohol and food to absorb it! He's so chuffed, bless him, this lockdown has been hard for teens. I'll be avoiding the 🍕, promise!

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Hope your guests have a lovely time.

I'm supposed to be doing loads of stuff but I'm shattered after my run and walk and have chest pains so I'm watching telly for a bit.

I think I am going to revert to once a week weighing, I had a depressing moment on the scales this morning after fasting yesterday, up a pound since weds - what's that all about?!

That's not a real increase @Drybird2020 .

@Drybird2020 That's exactly why I don't weigh daily. I found myself driven mad by seemingly illogical fluctuations in my weight. I imagine it's down to hydration levels. How hydrated you are can make a huge difference to your weight.

@SunshineCake it's going ok thanks! I quite like having the focus of not eating in a specific time frame. I'm feeling a bit more confident that I could do it whilst at work but we'll see... I'd need to find something easy to eat quickly+ filling + low cal in a 15 min break window at about 10.30 I think.
I'm so impressed with your running! I managed to get out for a 5k run/walk yesterday but am struggling a bit for motivation.

@Arbadacarba I think you're right, I need to keep up with the water (usually I'm quite good with that). I'm going to go back to weighing weekly.

And thanks @SunshineCake. I measured my waist today and have lost 4cms since I last checked, and I've been exercising plenty so think I'm getting more muscly, and that's why the scales aren't moving much.

The motivation will come. I started after being ill and I have kept it up as my asthma has all but disappeared, I have got faster and can run a decent distance and the weight finally did start coming off. Good luck. Everything counts, no matter how small it may seem.

Yes, @Drybird2020. I had that same thing. CMS off my tummy but the scales weren't moving.