6 stone to lose - my journey!

[StanleyOscar]

Hi everyone, long-time lurker here but decided to pop my head up and talk about my weight loss journey which I have just begun.

49 years old, yo-yo dieter for approx 20 years. Never have much problem loosing weight, just can't keep it off. So, I joined Slimming World on Wednesday and have around 6 stone to lose. So far I have lost 3lb, which is to be expected in week 1. Very much enjoyed the group meeting, and the meals/recipes are good too.

So far, so good. Anyone else on their journey too?

Well done on the fast, kitty! I was hungry at 11 but held off. It was worth it to enjoy my lunch guilt free!
Tonight we're having Chinese crispy pork in lettuce wrappers. Saturday breakfast is SlimmingWorld pancakes and bacon. Tomorrow, who knows! Really should meal plan better!

Thank you. Your food sounds delicious, specially the pancakes!

Thanks all.

@WheresMyTweezers that's disappointing, but as others say, given the heat, and the four weekly pattern, next week you will probably go right back down again.

@picklemewalnuts that sounds delicious! I am staying with family at the moment and finding it tricky to calorie count, so am trying portion control instead. Roast duck the evening (delicious but so fatty!) so limited food before then!

On good news, I tried on the dress I want to wear for the wedding in three weeks, and it goes on! It is too tight to wear at the moment, but if i carry on losing weight at a similar rate it will be find by mid August. Phew!

Pancakes! YUMMY!!!

Morning Team!

Weighed in at home this morning, another 1lb off, chuffed to bits! Coxed a crew yesterday and hurt my back lifting the boat out at low tide. It weighs 500lbs and normally takes eight people to lift it out the water, but we only had six people and it's a steep long slip with mud.

So, total loss so far for July is 11lbs and there are still 8 days to go. To be honest I am sticking rigidly to a very strict diet, which basically is the Slimming World format, albeit slightly modified as follows:

Breakfast: Strong coffee +1 boiled egg + multi-vitamin tablet.
Lunch: Sachet of Tesco soup + 1 boiled egg.
Dinner: Medium plate of salad including lettuce, pickled onions, low fat cheese (small slice cut into chunks), cucumber, ham, chicken, low fat salad cream, one Rivita biscuit, one small air fried baked potato & 1 egg followed by a 0% -Fat yoghurt. I am only eating between 9am - 6pm, and so a 15:9 diet low in fat and carbs, high in protein. Not for everyone, but works well for me and I don't feel hungry, those feelings have long gone.

Throughout the day I drink lots of water, tea, coffee etc, but I don't snack at all. There are no snacks, treats or fibre bars etc in the house to tempt me (fibre bars are nasty for my dieting).

Exercise - aim for 10k steps a day plus a mixture of tennis, rowing, treadmill & spin bike.

How's everyone else today? @picklemewalnuts @73kittycat73 @WheresMyTweezers @ThroughThinkandThing

SW = 18st 4lbs
CW = 16st 3lbs
TW = 12st 7lbs
Loss = 29lbs

Not too bad- I've done a 7000 step walk and my Tai Chi. Had a lightish lunch, though short on fruit and veg today.
Had toast with lower fat seriously strong cheese spread (very nice!) and egg mayo (lighter than light), some bacon, and lots of gherkins. I'll eat some fruit across the afternoon. So that's an A and a B, leaving me an A for later.

Pasto and pesto for tea, so will have to syn the pesto. I'll add lots of peppers and tomato to the pasta, too.

I need to ring my mother shortly, so will line up the yogurts and fruit before I start!

I hope your back eases off soon, Stanley. Bad backs can be very difficult! What is your usual work? Just thinking about snacking...

@picklemewalnuts - That's a good amount of exercise and lots of nice food. I couldn't get my head around the healthy A-B choices, but to be honest I didn't read up properly on it. I'm not very disciplined with diets and so it's all or nothing. Little treats, syns etc snowball into bad eating habits and eventually the diet fails for me and I am back to square one.

As regards work, I was lucky to be in a position to retire at 42 years of age, I am now 49 years old and so I have the freedom to do pretty much as I like day to day. To be honest, I probably retired too early. Pre-pandemic I spent part of my time in the UK, and the rest in Germany or Vienna, usually walking, eating, relaxing etc, but for the past 18months, not so much. Six years ago, my wife and I sold up all our businesses, property etc and relocated to the South West of England. Bought a nice house with land, gardens, woods, private drive with gates etc, all nice and private and took on gardeners, housekeepers to do all the day to day stuff. The down side was it became too easy for me to sit around eating all day, and not being very active, hence the weight increase. I spend a lot of time playing my pianos, cuddling cats etc and really need to get a balance.

What do you do day to day?

I've had what I laughingly call a portfolio career! Was a teacher, then had dc, went back to teaching part time, then foster carer, then total physical breakdown and Fibro which I'm gradually recovering from/with. So I now do admin work for the church, 15 hours a week. I also did a spell as a parish Council clerk, but had to stop as my dad was terminally ill and I couldn't juggle well enough. I do community work as well, which can be pretty stressful. I'm gradually reducing my responsibilities there.

Luckily, DH has been gainfully employed throughout!

I find 15 hours in a low stress job is about right for me. Community work keeps me stimulated. I miss working with children, and being on the front line, but realistically I haven't got the resources for that any more.

By the time I walk the dog, do tai chi, washing, cooking and 15 hours work the days are pretty full! I think I'd love to garden more, do sewing, creative crafty stuff, learn to play my harp and practice my guitar... realised that's all pipe dreams and actually I'll just potter along doing a bit of this and a bit of that!

I get side tracked by enthusiasms like baking sourdough, or fermenting... I'm a bit eco minded so make my own cosmetic stuff, and other random items that feel more eco than a supermarket offering- all a bit drop in the ocean really, but keeps me feeling like I try

Wow! Essay! Sorry!

@picklemewalnuts - WOW! That's really interesting and thank you for sharing your stories. Clearly you are a very clever and dedicated person, there should be more people like you in the world, happy to help others in need. Well done!

I don't think I have ever known anyone who plays the harp, that is wonderful. How long have you been playing it?

Hello!
A stay the same for me which is better than another gain!
But...family celebration yesterday (managed to keep it fairly low cal at the buffer but did have cake and a couple of glasses of wine). Today I'm polishing off some chocolates someone bought for me AND I'll be having a G&T tonight.

My view...if it takes 3,500 extra calories over a week to gain a pound, then yes, I'll probably gain a pound because of today/yesterday and that's ok because I know why and it's not a big deal. I am kind of hoping though that being low on calories for the rest of the week AND the weight I should have lost this week (and the weight I've inexplicably put in!) decides to disappear AND the additional walking I'm doing while on leave (eg 15.5k steps today) that it won't be that bad after all. If it is, it is and at least I'll know why rather than glaring at the scales bamboozled.

Glad everyone else is doing well though ha ha

Don't grit too hard, Tweezers! You'll do yourself an injury! Family celebrations have to be celebrated! I do find though, that some foods are remarkably hard to eat while still losing weight. For me, that's nuts, bread (at least in satisfying quantities) and pastry. Buffet staples. So I dread a buffet! I turn the sandwiches into 'open sandwiches' - peel half the bread off.

Re the harp, Stanley, I've Had it two or three years, but am still at the picking tunes out/playing scales stage. I quite enjoy having a go, but am a long way from anything useful! Guitar I play at church, so keep on top of that. Again, I'm not good, but can manage most worship songs and a bit of finger picking. I'm a happy amateur. Musical, but not proficient at anything.

No gain today so that's a win of sorts even though I'm still 4lb heavier than last Friday for no apparent reason. I'd like to blame the scales, but husband is merrily losing away.

Looking forward to seeing some movement - in the right direction! - next week. Bastards!

Have you tried the skin on kiwi fruit to cleanse your gut? Might be worth a try!

Did an interesting workshop today about nutrition, fibre was mentioned, and we compared all the dairy stuff- yogurt, quark, from age fraud, ricotta etc. Protein/fat and salt/sugar content mainly.
Was interesting, and will influence my shopping!

Good morning my little Cherubs, how are we all today, and how did your weekend go?

On Staurday I drove up to my 90 year old mother-in-laws to drop off my wife who is looking after her for the next two weeks, and then I returned home on my own yesterday, in total a 422 mile round trip. I took with me plenty of water and eggs for my trip and for dinner on Saturday I had chicken, peas & boiled potato, but only about a third in volume of what I used to eat. I was a little hungry later in the evening, but not too bad.

For the whole weekend I was able to wear a pair of slimfit jeans which I haven't been able to get in since 2018, and they weren't tight either. In fact, I really could have done with a belt as they kept falling down. I really could do with buying some new clothes, but there is little point at the moment as I 'hope' to lose more weight and get down to a medium size, eventually. I have dropped from a 'XXXL' to 'XL' and bordering on size 'L'.

I avoided buying any snacks or goodies at the service/petrol stations which is well controlled for me. In the past I would always buy something like a burger, chips, crisps etc to eat whilst taking a break from driving, and my good behaviour paid off!

So, weighed in this morning and have lost another 2lbs since Friday So, total loss so far is 31lbs!

@picklemewalnuts @WheresMyTweezers @ThroughThinkandThing @73kittycat73 - How are we all doing today?

SW = 18st 4lbs
CW = 16st 1lbs
TW = 12st 7lbs
Loss = 31lbs

@picklemewalnuts - That sounds like a very interesting workshop about nutrition, any tips?

Wow that's an amazing total @StanleyOscar ! Reward for the dedication.

@picklemewalnuts no I haven't had kiwi with skin in (I just couldn't!) but I did have jacket potato with cheese for tea, so skin on the jacket potato, and erm, cheese can "go through me" (sorry!) so I thought that might help my gut. Scales this morning show a slight loss for first time in a week but I'm still heavier than I was a week and a half ago so but I have continued doing the right things, I haven't let it sway me and I know it will come off. I probably have to get my head around having 3 good weeks each month and one truly horrible week!

Funnily enough, I've ended up 3lb heavier than I was the week before and all things considered I'd have probably taken that as I had a family party and my son also bought me a box of chocolates and there was no way I wasn't eating them (if they were off my sibling/parent I would have been fine giving them away) - it's just strange that the weight went on when I was doing all the right things at the start of the week! The good thing is the chocolates didn't set off the usual sugar cravings I would previously have had and in fact it was quite tough going!

Oh well, I'm away for a couple of days and will have less control over what I eat but also will be walking lots so let's see what this week brings!

Wow @StanleyOscar you are doing amazingly!

We have guests, so I am eating more at supper than I have been, and having a glass of wine, but I have been having very small breakfasts to make up, so not too bad.

Down three more pounds at this morning's weigh in, so 14 stone 8 - a total loss so far of 20lb. And down to 31.5 waist and 47.5 hips, so hoping to fit this dress!

Lots of exercise today moving furniture as we woke up to a water leak, and the room it leaked into had become a huge dumping ground of furniture and "stuff"! Thankfully the leak is isolated so I will be able to shower soon!

@ThroughThinkandThing - Well done on the 3lbs loss, that's brilliant! 20lbs is a lot to lose, and great to hear that your measurements are doing well too!

@WheresMyTweezers - Sounds like you might be retaining water as discussed before? Especially as it has been so hot recently. My weight does the same, moves along happily, then stalls for not apparent reason, then suddenly after a week it starts moving again. As you and others have said on here, it will start moving again, at some point.

Nearly there, @ThroughThinkandThing ! The leak is a nuisance though!

Well done, Stanley, and never mind tweezers- just have to wait and see!

I'm frustrated today- lots of minor things have gone wrong, and I've attempted to eat my frustration away. Obviously never going to work! Still, tomorrow is another day, and the day after is weigh day, so what will be will be!

Good luck today Stanley! I'm not expecting good news. I don't know if it's because I challenged myself to the 3lb, or whether something hormonal is going on, but I've been an eating machine the last few days. I've had late evening cereal twice, and a few biscuits and a handful of chocolates. And a couple of bags of crisps. I mean, that used to be a fairly regular thing, but I'd more or less cracked it. Still, new week starts today. It will be fine!

Half a pound off. Can't say I don't know why it isn't more!!

I'll get the measuring tape out later, to reassure myself!! Hey ho!

@picklemewalnuts - Hello there and congrats on the half pound loss, a loss is a loss and that's what you need, even if it isn't as much as you wanted, it is still a loss!

Well, I had my weigh in today, and bear in mind that there was no class last week and so the weight recorded today spans two weeks. I weighed in - 7.5lbs loss. It was exactly as I expected, and so I recieved the following certificates:

Club 10 - ten percent of my original starting weight lost
2 Stones - lost 2 stone so far
Slimmer of the Month - 13lbs lost so far this month and there are still 3 days to go!

Didn't get slimmer of the week, not sure why as the winner told me they had only lost 1.5lbs this week? Maybe I miss heard him? No matter, it isn't a competition.

So, roll on next week!

SW = 18st 4lbs
CW = 16st 1lbs
TW = 12st 7lbs
Lost so far = 31lbs

@WheresMyTweezers - How are you?

@73kittycat73 - Are you okay, not heard from you in a while? Hope all is good.

@ThroughThinkandThing - You okay?

I'm going to need a new cover for my book soon!

Fabulous! Well done!
I didn't stick mine on my book, didn't realise I should. They are on a cupboard door. I also didn't record my weight in my book- didn't see that page! It's a shame, as I won't have that record, but can't be helped. I might ask the leader if she can print it out from her tablet.

Has your group started with the baskets and the raffles etc? I don't know what they are, really. There is talk of it restarting, though!

@picklemewalnuts - You can put your stickers where you like (I mean that politely, sounds so rude), primarily where they inspire you to keep going. I only put mine on my book because I spotted everyone else doing it at my first class, before I received my first award. My certificates go on the fridge like most people, but I put mine around the side of the fridge as I don't want guests taxing me on how my diet is going, or the usual flipant comments like 'Slimming World doesn't work, no diets work etc'. Attached is a picture taken this morning of my certificates laid out on the kitchen counter and documents my weight loss for June & July.

@picklemewalnuts - Oh yes, the basket! Yes, they have started that raffle, but I declined to enter much to their surprise. I had to be honest with them, and said that the SW fibre bars are unhealthy, for me. Everytime I eat them, my weight stalls and I start to get cravings for junk food. Maybe they throw my syns into disarray?

Not meaning to criticise the other members of my group, but I see some of them buy up 5-10 boxes of SW fibre bars each class, and then the next week they have either maintained, or even put on a few pounds. It may well have nothing to do with the bars, but I 'personally' cannot see how they can be healthy or encouraging when trying to diet. But, that's just me and we all have our own thoughts and journeys. As mentioned at the class, they work for some people and not others. I am one of those people they definitely don't work for.