LOSE IT! June 2021

[TheRealHousewife]

Hello & Welcome 😊 WOW 😯 June already! What a start to meteorological Summer; stunning weather and easing of Lockdown.

Firstly a massive Thank You to @SunshineCake who has done a stellar job in taking charge of May’s thread 🙏🌟❤️. I was happy for sunshine to carry on but she kindly invited me back to start the new month, so we agreed to make it a joint effort. (I’m still battling ill health and will post when I can).

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

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NHS Free 12 Week Plan

MFP

Water & Weight Loss

Thank you @CocoaMojo, that is lovely of you to say. I'm only trying to repay what I was given last year when I was falling apart and sulking at not losing anything. I'm sorry you feel your run was awful. I'm awarding you a ⭐️ as you did it and kept going and then made good choices for lunch.

@Graphista your microwave rice can be eaten the next day and reheated once. Or can be frozen for up to six months.

Stir fry sauces - freeze for up to 3 months.

Pasta sauce - up to 2 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.

Crisps - DH and I have just discovered some baked crisps in three flavours from Marks and Spencer's, £1 a pack. Really lovely and definitely taste a lot healthier, no grease after taste for example. I can look up calories if you want.

Sainsbury's and Asda, I think, do a bag of mini cheeses and I think M&S sell them separately.

Well done on your run, @swampytiggaa and extra well done for your clever timing to avoid the rain! Good stuff on the food too.

I walked the dog, have put away a huge pile of clothes, done some weeding, been jumped on a lot by the dog and made the biggest cauliflower cheese I've ever seen. Will take the dog for another walk once it cools down a bit.

@SunshineCake I love cauliflower cheese! Daughter has decided she is veggie so trying to find interesting food for her that we can all eat during the week.

Ok well not quite pick and mix but

aforementioned baby bel light and several other brands with small portions of cheese even selections of cheeses which even if not lower cal than the larger packs at least makes it very easy to control portions

philadelphia snack light 103 cals - I'd happily have that with some "crudites" as a lunch

@BrioLover thanks for guidance on pasta sauce, I tend to store in "Tupperware" (not real Tupperware)

I've never tried freezing, way I make it is -

Sauté garlic and onions (I use frozen diced onions)

Add Passata, tinned tomatoes, and purée plus herbs

Simmer for 30 mins minimum - the longer the flavours have to develop the better.

It's the onions I'm wary of as they can cause foods to turn rancid.

I'm also loving the sound of your Salad! That's right up my street. I've not tried the merchant gourmet range but will give it a go.

Best granulated sweetener anyone? I'm terrible for sugar on cereal! And will occasionally have a cuppa with milk and sugar

@Graphista re. healthier crisps, there’s quite a few different ones around (Walkers oven baked, french fries etc). I really like PopChips, but find a lot of the other options a bit too much like cardboard 🙈

Re. stir fry sauces, you probably find that most of those are fairly low calorie (check the packet!) and if they’re soy sauce based, they should keep in the fridge for a day or two. I like to make my own using a combination of soy sauce, sriracha sauce, a tiny bit of honey and a hefty amount of garlic. I use the So Lazy pre-prepared garlic.

Sweets & chocolate - this may not work for everyone, but I find that the darker the chocolate, the less I need to eat to get my chocolate fix

Cakes - I am quite partial to the occasional chocolate covered rice cake. I’m not going to pretend that they are a “proper cake”, but they are nice for a low calorie snack.

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo that advice re sauces inc the stir fry sachets? That'd be great!

I have ziplock bags (a recent fantastic discovery) so can definitely use for rice - also great

Not only will this save me cals it'll save me money too! Thank you

I only have medium and large but will get some small on Fridays delivery

I'm a Scot so soup is practically our national dish! I make soup a lot and freeze it but I usually use foil trays, I've seen on mn a few times about freezing in bags but couldn't figure out how to do it tidily/safely thank you so much for posting that method! I've copied and pasted in 3 sections in my notes app so I don't forget/lose

I generally don't have leftover fruit but you've reminded me that frozen grapes are great in this hot weather

Veg like you I'll use up in casseroles/chilli, stews and soups - soups are great for this.

@SunshineCake thanks for your reply too, so helpful. I don't have access to M&S but will check low fat crisps on Tesco - just looked, anyone tried the lentil curls? Just 93 cals a pack, snack a jacks I used to like too

@Crazzzycat I also like the lazy garlic, Favourite stir fry sauce works out to 158 cals per sachet, so 79 cals per portion if I just stop having the whole sachet!

My own version is soy sauce, garlic, honey, a little ginger and cumin, splash of lime juice if I fancy it

I currently have some tinned pineapples there so thinking I may make a sweet n sour sauce I have the other ingredients in

I do like dark chocolate but it doesn't make me eat less been browsing Tesco app for ideas - I searched "diet" and loads came up - and was reminded about cereal bars! I know they're not "healthy" but chocolate ones are a lot less cals than actual choc bars

Choc rice cakes a good idea for a cake alternative

With the help and advice from you guys I can save 265 cals on my stir fry meals alone! Without even changing products - so if I add in changing products I'll save even more that should quickly translate to a weight loss as I have them at least twice a week! Sometimes just a veg one (usually some combination of peppers, baby corn, mushrooms, mange tout, broccoli) or sometimes with some quorn chicken style pieces

@Graphista I like the walkers baked crisps. Took some getting used to but I don’t like the taste of normal ones now. Apart from frazzles because they are awesome.

@BrioLover thanks so much! The salad sounds absolutely perfect for my lunches when I'm at work and I need a change for that!
@SunshineCake thank you for my ⭐
@Graphista I'm not so big on crisps but have you tried popcorn as a replacement? Metcalfes do some at about 80 cal a bag, I sometimes eat them at work. Also agree that choc covered rice cakes are good, M and S do some really yummy ones I've just discovered lately but sure there are plenty of others out there

Love frazzles! And not too calorific too

Pretty sure I’ve had lentil curls from the co op and they were rather nice so assume they are nice from other shops too

Welcome Graphista 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (soup loving Scot here too!) and Doilooklikeatourist we're a decent bunch. So many people here are so incredibly helpful and I like the checking in, so I feel answerable to everyone- keeps me on the straight and narrow.

I was laughing today and thought about you Sunshinecake. Driving home there was a vintage car in front of me at the traffic lights. As I drew closer I saw it had a bumper sticker with an outline of a 🐢 and ' I'm going as fast as I can'. This could be the new motto for the 🐢 club.

Fabulous to see you back Halfshrunkmoretogo. We all need a break at times. You're such an inspiration so I'm delighted to see you again.

@TheRealHousewife and @SunshineCake
Fall is fine! Maintaining under 150, usually 147 although not lower.
Ideally I’d like to see 145 this month and as usual aim for 135 in this lifetime.
Biking, hiking, and Leslie, feeling fit though belly flabby…should have had the tummy tuck when I had the breast lift…maybe my 70th birthday present to myself if it doesn’t budge in six years 😉
Keep up the good work everyone, even if it’s not always a win on the scales. There are all kinds of ways to help achieve our goals.

Welcome all and welcome to the newbies everyone is super helpful and supportive here.
Today is not a good day - I’ve done something to my back and managed to make it back from work but I’m in agony. Trying to wait for the painkillers to kick in whilst in the bath and I can do some exercises to try and gently stretch it - feels like a trapped nerve. The only upside is that the pain is making me feel sick and I don’t feel like eating - taking the upsides..... DH is likely to have to do the online shop as my brain is just not coping. This could be interesting!!

@Ionacat sorry to hear about your back pain, I know it's a warm day but I always find a hot water bottle or heat patch helps loosen up my back when it twinges.

I'm just back from the gym, 20 mins on the cross trainer and 20 on the treadmill. Really need to book a proper induction to learn how to use all the other machines 😂

I've been doing a bit of a slim fast thing this week, not really following it properly with their snacks but having the shakes for breakfast and lunch which I'm finding OK, mainly I think because the heat puts me off wanting to eat properly so a drinkable lunch suits me. The Ming chocolate one is actually really nice so need to stock up if I see them in a shop again, think I got them from B&M or Home bargains.

Another cheese lover here too , my favourite meal is macaron cheese with grilled tomatoes ( and toast ) which probably explains why I need to lose weight !

I didn’t manage a run today , TBH I’m a bit achy from Monday night ( it was boiling hot , and even though I drank loads of water , it probably wasn’t enough )
I’m keeping a 2 litre bottle of tesco sparkling water ( 17p ) in the fridge and trying to drink it all in one day
@HalfShrunkMoreToGo and @CocoaMojo I saw the lovely looking bread in Tesco bakery and managed to leave them alone , did look good though!
Not a bad day
Loads of water ✅
Loads of fruit and veg ✅ have salad leaves in the greenhouse 👍
No chocolate or biscuits ✅even though DH ate a bar in front of me
No alcohol ✅
Didn’t get soaked in the torrential rain ✅
Day one done ✅

🐢🚗@Puffalicious.

Hurray @fallfallfall is back. Glad to hear all is going well. I was glaring at my tummy today so rubbed in some more firming moisturiser .

Ouch @Ionacat. I hope you feel better very soon.

Well done on the gym stuff @HalfShrunkMoreToGo.

Congrats on a good first day @Doilooklikeatourist

Day 150
SW:151
CW:135.5
GW:132
Gosh this last 3.5lbs is proving hard to shift which is annoying as it was just supposed to be an interim goal. I did enjoy the long weekend, probably put on a little and this is where I am today.
My parent is out of hospital so a bit of the pressure off there, DD1 is through the majority of her Med School exams and relaxing a little after an intense few weeks, DD2 is using the half term productively which make me very happy as she will need good A Levels to do her chosen course, the sun is shining, DH and I have booked some more time off to spend a few days together next week and we are all well. I will focus on the positives and also focus on getting this done by the end of the month. I probably should do a fast day but I'm eating a hot cross bun as I type so.... maybe tomorrow instead

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo I had to go and look for my post on the April thread which went as follows:
To the tune of O Christmas tree:
Oh tiger bread, oh tiger bread, why did I ever buy thee???
I'll leave it there...
We have all done it but few of us have done it having achieved as much as you - you are back on it now so onwards and inwards for us all.

That 3.5lb will come off @132orbust. It's just stubborn but you will be more so and will win . Great news about your parent and children plus you have lovely plans to enjoy. You've got this.

I'm going to walk the dog soon. Just had some news that has knocked me a bit and made me tearful. I'll be okay and as I'm walking with my friend that will take my mind off things. Probably can't run today unless it cools but I'll go tomorrow.

Have a good day everyone. Just seen the time and I'm nearly late.....eek.

Didn't realize that this change every month. New to internet clearly 😅

However yesterday's Wednesday weigh in

Start may 14: 88.8kg
Last week: 86.1kg
Today: 86.4kg

Bit of a setback and that is annoying but that's Part of it.

I think the best comfort I've heared t
It That the overweight wasn't gathered in weeks or months (usually) so it takes the same time to get rid.

Rewis you're so right! I keep reminding myself that this weight took 5 years to go on, so it'll take time to come off.

Weigh in day and I've stayed the same. Am delighted as I had a big meal out on Sunday and DHs home-made (by me!) birthday cake on Tues.
Only concern is my weight sometimes shows up the week later so I'll need to be super careful.

Day off and been sooooo busy at work I'm doing nothing except a bit of housework. Watching Sewing Bee at present with a cuppa, Babybel and yogurt- living the dream!!!

Morning! Thursday weigh in and I’m up 1lb from last week. Not too worried did a 12 mile humid run yesterday and definitely didn’t drink enough water so that’s probably contributed. Sticky toffee pudding and custard last night won’t have helped either 😂😂

I’ve been for a short run this morning as recovery… going to concentrate on upping my water over the next few days I think.

Hope everyone manages to eat sensibly and move a little today 👍

It’s annoying when weight doesn’t shift (or even goes up!). There doesn’t seem to be much logic to weightloss; sometimes you can be good an loose nothing, other times it can feel like you’ve been eating loads, but still loose weight 🤷‍♀️ I like to think that as long as I keep doing the right things when it comes to diet, nutrition and exercise the weight will shift eventually. It kind of has to!

I hope your back feels a bit better today @Ionacat?

My hamstrings have finally recovered from Sunday’s exercise, so I might brave the cross trainer again later today. I’ve done a lot of walking, cycling and (clumsy) yoga over the last few days, but I’m ready for something a bit more intensive.

147.0 this am with a few flashes of 146.9....somewhat exciting.
i've increased the exercise goal in my apple watch from 550 to 600 active calories.
honestly i exceed the 550 regularly so the added 50 will only motivate me on the rare day (once a week or less).
but since i find the watch a huge motivator and i'm doing well the tiny bump wont hurt.
yesterday was my 90minute into the woods hike, 3 ladies, i was the youngest, all ready with a bear strategy just in case :) crazy good exercise though. steep hills and narrow paths. stunning views.

@swampytiggaa I like walkers baked too I actually have frazzles and twiglets in at the moment which are both lower cal options

Had an "epiphany" last night I think part of my problem is I don't work in enough variety to my grocery order, then I get bored with what I'm eating and end up seeking stimulation in the form of high cal foods - does that make sense to you guys?

@CocoaMojo I'm open to alternatives, when I say "crisps"
I mean all bite size savoury snacks - crisps, corn chips, pretzels, popcorn - but thanks for the reminder that popcorn is a low cal high fibre alternative

@swampytiggaa thanks I'll give em a go

@Puffalicious thank you. I'm also a typical scot shape I think! Short and dumpy but slim legs and arms. Whole family is similar

Love "🐢 I'm going as fast as I can"  that would seem to be my life motto as I did most things later than most others did in my circle - baby, uni, growing up!  (actually I may not have achieved that last one yet I'm only 48 )

@Ionacat my disability is spine related (nerves too) if heat doesn't help try cool, I've recommended on here several times - hot water bottle with cold water in it can help. Hope you're feeling much better soon

Look after your backs peeps, a buggered back has a HUGE impact on your life

@Doilooklikeatourist we Scots have "improved" on standard macaroni cheese and... turned it into a pie! I dread to think the cals! Not had one in ages, must resist. I honestly think perhaps a full days cals in one pie

@132orbust well done you're nearly at goal? That's amazing. Sounds very positive for you overall

@Rewis yes when I was doing ww the leader was always reminding us that it takes time to go on so it'll take time to come off too - be patient. At that time all ww class leaders were former "losers" and periodically (maybe quarterly?) she's tell her story and there was a lot of yo-yo-ing until she was finally ready to lose it and keep it off. So we knew she "got it" I think that makes a huge difference compared to other slimming clubs who had leaders who'd never been fat themselves.

Mine has taken 20 years to go on but I'm hoping not to take that long shifting it though - although I say that in that time I have lost and been down to a healthy weight through;

The divorce diet
The finals diet
The ocd diet (several times)
The dd getting dx diet
The mum having cancer diet...

You get the idea, lose it at times of high anxiety then when things "calm down" I pile it back on

The problem mentally/emotionally is I DON'T eat when I'm stressed, I've even bordered on underweight at times so when I started eating again my friends and family encouraged this and praised me putting the weight back on because they do love me and they see me eating as an indication I'm mentally healthy and when I'm not that I'm ill again which means I internally do the same.

Does that resonate with anyone?

Only concern is my weight sometimes shows up the week later so I'll need to be super careful.

I can relate to that, when I was doing ww I was always a week "behind", on a "good" week I'd gain and on a "bad" I'd lose very frustrating

Anyone use MyFitnessPal? I was reading a post by Jason Manford on Facebook (I follow him, I like him I know he's flawed but he also does some really good things for others. The weight loss side he is honest, funny and self deprecating about and is very supportive and understanding of his followers who are also losing weight) and he mentioned it and that reminded me I had downloaded the app a while back but never used it. I've started using today and pleasantly surprised to see it's possible to "create" your own recipes so the meals you make regularly you don't have to work out the cals every time I think? That would certainly make my life easier! Thinking I can use it for my home made sauces etc? What are your experiences with it?

I've had a very unhealthy snack this afternoon after another bad night (I need to sort this) and sleeping most of day, but I've entered the snack(s!) on mfp and I'm planning a vegetable stir fry for dinner using HALF packs of rice and sauce storing using ziplock bags for next time - thanks to you clever lot! Thank you 🙏