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

May I join please?

How do you plan to do it?

I'm following a no-processed foods diet, which is naturally low in sugar - similar in many ways to low-carb but, there's no ban on 'carby' fruits and vegetables, rice and potatoes - but flour is out so that means no pasta, bread etc.

What do you want to achieve?

My start weight was 13 st 8 and current weight is 12 st 3 (BMI 29). My target weight is 10 st but I'm hoping I can continue this way of eating forever, as I feel much healthier, and that my weight will eventually settle in a healthy place.

I am post-menopause and have found it much harder to maintain at a healthy weight/lose weight since menopause - in my younger days a phase of calorie counting would reliably shift any excess weight but nowadays that doesn't really work, but I'm finding that focusing on what I eat, not how much I eat, is giving much better results.

What excites you about your future self?

Mainly that I have a wardrobe full of lovely clothes that I no longer fit into and that I really want to wear again! I'm not a fashion-follower and some of my things would be considered vintage now but I just want to wear them again!

Welcome arbadacarba and well done on your losses so far!

Thank you joysmoy66!

@overthedorona and @Avocadorable WELL DONE. That is an incredible loss .

Nice to see you @Galvantula and how are you @Foreverlexicon? @ForeverLexicon

@joysmoy66 don't forget, Easter is to enjoy the treats. Don't try and deny yourself as a lot of us find we eat double. Just accept it but make sure you enjoy what you have and eat mindfully.

I need a slap. I'm happy for everyone with their losses but miffed I'm still so much slower. I know it is a stupid feeling but I can't deny I'm not envious and genuinely pleased for all who have lost more and quicker . If I achieve my goal it will have taken a year to lose two stone with the same half coming off and going on about six times and I am now losing the next half stone for the second time .

Welcome @Arbadacarba and well done on all your achievements so far.

Tonight's dinner is chicken and mushroom casserole with mash. I'm craving green veg so will have lots of broccoli on the side as I have no kale or spinach.

Morning all. Weigh in day- stayed the same but it's rubbish TOTM and it's better than a gain. Finishing March just a 2lb loss, but it's a loss!

Sunshine I'm your slow pal over here 👋, remember. We'll get there.

TOTM this month is horrid! They're definitely heavier these days- bloomin' peri menopause! Day off so I'm on the sofa with my Options (obsessing with Salted Caramel HalfShrunk) hot water bottle and Queer Eye. It's still freezing up here but I quite like it when I cosy up and it's cold outside.

Have a great day and enjoy the chocolate everyone.🐰

Thank-you for your kind comments@TheRealHousewife - I shall call it cushioning from now on as sounds better than fat.
Day 87
SW:151
CW:137.5
GW:132
Another 0.25lb! At this rate I'll be 99lbs by the time I'm 80
Long walk today. One big last push before Lent ends.

Afternoon all! I’ve decided to continue to work with waist measurements, not the weight on the scale. I just find it too hard to deal with all those little fluctuations in weight. It’s demoralising!

My goal is to lose an inch this month, or as close to that as I can get🤞

I’m planning to use April to continue working on my exercise and eating habits. I’m on leave for the first two weeks of April, so plenty of time for exercise, but also more time to snack. Hopefully it will all balance itself out.

Good luck everyone!

Hello all and thanks @TheRealHousewife for starting another thread. I found the March one really helpful.

Was certainly easier (for me) to keep to healthy eating and regular exercise when the kids went back to school. Really going to have to try not to slip into old ways during these holidays. Luckily I have a savoury and not a sweet tooth, so at least the chocolate is less of a temptation for me.

SW: 14 stone 4
GW: 10 stone 7
CW: 13 stone 12
Lost: 6 llbs since 1 March 2021

Thank you @SunshineCake . I'm a fellow spinach lover!

Tonight I'm making a vegetable curry as I have some chillies to use up and I feel like something hot (in both senses of the word) now the weather has cooled down. With it being so warm the last couple of days I've been having green salad with cold meat, so I'm looking forward to something heartier tonight. I'll have a bit of Yeo Valley natural yoghurt on the side.

Thanks for all the welcomes! I forgot to come back to the thread! We are having work done on our house and it’s all a bit chaotic/ stressful. I’m managing to eat on plan still and have been going for an evening walk every day after dinner to help decompress. We are in a lovely semi rural location so now the weather is brightening up, it really is wonderful.
My start weight for April is 11st 11lbs but I don’t plan on stepping back on the scales until the end of the month. I lose so little (2lbs last month despite being fully on track) that I find it disheartening to step on too often. I know the plan works so this way I am happy just plodding on. I lost weight so much quicker the first time round, about 12 years ago... can’t believe how difficult it is this time, doing exactly the same thing 😩 Still, it IS coming off, and I can see such a big difference since I started last June. Oh and I just realised I said before I have lost 2st3lbs in total... that was a lie (dodgy maths 🤣), it’s actually 2st2lbs

Oh, not sure if this will help any of you, but I have made a change to my eating the last couple of weeks that helps with my snacking/ afternoon hunger. I have switched so my main meal is at lunchtime: I work from home so this works for me. It means I am more full for the est of the afternoon so less likely to give in to temptation. I am not really an evening snacker so it’s only really the afternoons I found problematic.

Thanks for the reminder and kindness @Puffalicious .

On the days we've had a main lunch meal I enjoy a smaller dinner, salad, crackers, soup, etc @EssexLioness. Does fit with the breakfast like a king, lunch as a prince, dinner as a pauper, or something like that!

Yes indeed it does! I’ve always been starving hungry in the evenings so couldn’t imagine having a smaller dinner. But I think that’s because I wasn’t eating enough earlier in the day.

Hello Ladies

A warm welcome @Arbadacarba, you’ve made a great start👏 Keep going, you’ll be glad you did 👍

I hope you’re feeling better; I know exactly what you mean about yo-yo losing/gaining @SunshineCake. I had my lowest weight (since sci) last September ish time. Since then I’ve gained and (mostly) lost the same STONE & HALF due to meds, oedema & illness. The last med they prescribed ive decided not to take due to it being a very addictive medication. I don’t want to be a prescription addict. I’d rather go to ground, hibernate, meditate and breathe through the pain. Im my lowest for a while but not where I should be for how I eat. (Dare not post yet, shame based, although I know I’ve nothing to feel shame about).

You have my sympathies @Puffalicious, Aunt Flo can be cantankerous as we get older.

@overthecorona great progress👏 You’ll get there!

@EssexLioness walking after your last meal is such a great habit to get into. Gets you fitter and trains the snack dragon 🐉 too. Well done on your commitment and consistency. We do exactly the same, DP home works so we eat a larger lunch and a lighter evening meal. I try to close the kitchen by 7:00 at the latest. Today it was closed at 18:00.

Let’s do this ladies and get fitter and feeling great for our big reveal when we can all go about normal life (I think it’s planned for June)

Oh love @TheRealHousewife. No need to feel any shame. We are all here for you and will help and support you as much as you need .

heaven knows when canada will get this show under control. what a mess.

Hi fellow losers!! Weighed in at 91.8 so a loss of 3kg in March. No Easter eggs for me this year as I want to break into the 80's in time for May.

SW 134kg
CW 91.8kg
GW 75kg
Loss so far 42.2kgs

Congratulations to everyone on their loss throughout March!

Hello all! Please can I join - I’d like to be a loser too!
I started 16:8 in March and saw a slow trend of weight loss or at least plateauing, although I probably put it back on again yesterday when I had a sofa day with marshmallows, chips and Easter eggs . I’d had my Pfizer jab the day before and I was hoping to avoid symptoms by, you know, resting. It worked, by the way. No fever or symptoms to speak of.

Back on 16:8 today. I have also ordered a pair of dumbbells to play with, although I’m not sure when to schedule the exercise in my day.

I also have clutched to my bosom an HRT prescription that I can start at my next period. I’m hoping that will support me in some weight loss too, as the peri menopause has been grim for me, and that hasn’t helped.

You all seem very kind and supportive and positive, and I’m looking forward to being a regular and staying with it.

An amazing loss Elle you are phenomenal.

Welcome Blueskyblinking the best thing you can do is start and you've done well in March. Your body will be preparing to lose. Don't ever best yourself up about the marshmallows/chips/ chocolate/ whatever, enjoy it and the next day is a new day. In the past I've done too much of the 'It's all crap now, may as well give up. Yesterday I gave into the croissant at lunch and chocolate late at night (I'm also on 16:8)but I enjoyed both and back on form today.

*beat

Hi ladies can I join please. Got 60lb to lose in total and hoping to kick off with a 7lb lose in April. Easter eggs dependant

Thank you @Puffalicious and hello @Marbsyearofhealth!
I used to quit if I fell of the wagon but not this time. I told myself that this was a conscious, one day only deal.
I also realised something recently when I saw someone post that one day of unhealthy eating won’t make any significant difference to your health, just as one day of healthy eating won’t make any significant difference. It’s about trends over time, isn’t it?

I haven’t weighed today because of yesterday and I don’t want an uptick to derail my attitude. But I’ll weigh tomorrow and post stats at that point. I’ve got to lose about 30lbs to get into a healthy BMI. [we can do it arm]

Welcome @Marbsyearofhealth. That's a great aim in April.
Day 88
SW:151
CW:137.5
GW:132
After a big walk (and a big BBQ!) no change today.

Welcome @BlueSkyBlinking and @Marbsyearofhealth.

Thank you everyone (waves) I forgot to say I am aiming to count calories for a month for a start and then add in more of a Mediterranean diet way of eating. Also charging up my Fitbit to make sure I’m doing at least 7k steps a day