Jumping into June

[Octopus37]

Happy June everyone. Here is the new thread. Not sure what my aims are this month, mainly to try and get on a more even keel. I'm up from the start of May 9st5.25 this morning. Hope everyone is still enjoying the good weather.

Getting through day to day is not a bad plan!
Logging for today
Ono deluxe and 2 X cappuccinos
Nutty fried rice
Bacon, cabbage and mash
Yum. Short walk. Exhausted but I have to go to the trampoline now.

Ah sorry to hear it @TheHoneyBadger. Day by Day is not a bad way to live your life

I've managed to stick on 1300 calories and 12000 steps today so not bad. Hopefully have a good day again tomorrow.

Look after yourself @TheHoneyBadger. Dont know how many calories yesterday, but did over 15,000 steps and drank lots of water, so 9st3 this morning.

Well done Octopus, your steps are amazing!
8st13 for me. Happy with that. Just happy with regular eating and not binging tbh. Water water water and have a good day all.

Back down to 13:6.8 today. Bit stressed about work stuff but will try not to use food and drink to deal.

Hi everyone, checking in trying to retain accountability. I was doing well yesterday until someone gifted me cake (600 fecking calories) then I was in a fuck it mentality and had a snack size twix finger. Nothing disastrous, all in all it was probably around 1600 calories all in but not great in terms of trying to stick to my goals.

Water water water today. Aiming for better restraint with the sweet things. Under 1500 would be good but today is first period day so i won't hold myself to too high standards.

I'm impressed at the amount of steps people are managing. I sit all day wfh so getting steps can be hard. I have been walking more, although last night went for a walk and tripped over and skinned my knee like a 5 year old. Had to get DH to collect me as I felt really dizzy. So only managed half of my 5k walk.

I have lost 2.5lbs this week though. Down to 12st 8.5. I am desperate to see an 11 on the scales. Never thought I'd see that day. 11 stone would have been utterly miserable in the past.

I feel you there Lady! I'm desperate to see 12 despite the fact that I'd have been horrified by 12 in the past. Well done on the loss.

Hope the cake was nice at least Nutella? I ate a chocolate muffin and various other crap yesterday as I was fed up about work misunderstandings and politics. Not sure how the scales were down today.

Been reading up on restriction/binging and hard as it is, I'm going to have to incorporate some food I find it easier not to have, but that always results in a to hell with it binge.. So, I'm logging for today, not L super but normal enough eating, which has to be my priority now.. Happy enough.
Ono with cappuccino
Ratatouille
6 X maoms
Roast ham, chicken and potato salad
Latte and dark choc energy ball (these latter my substitute for my alone time binge) Probably should have tried harder with the maoms but bit dreadful.
Have a lovely evening all.

Maintaining a healthy relationship to food really has to be the priority HeyGirl. I don't think a few pounds are worth slipping into eating disorder territory. Could you take the focus of losing and just aim to maintain for a month or so and try to be relaxed about being within a bracket of say 8:12 and 9:2 and get comfortable with fluctuations within that bracket and turn down the anxiety that way?

An old friend of mine used to have what she called, 'fat free friday'. Rather than incorporating every day she had a day off every week where she was allowed anything she wanted and was very controlled for the rest of the week.

Not sure if that's really 'healthy' either but she'd had eating disorders in the past and this was the best balance that she came up with for her and her food issues.

Not sure many people would win gold stars for healthy eating and we're all a bit messed up with food which is hardly surprising the constant mixed messages of junk food advertising and healthy eating campaigns and obsessions with being slim v massive focus on food as the centre of everything. Hope you know I'm not nagging x

I know you're not, I appreciate every word Thank you. No, the day off thing would result in a binge. I think what I did tonight worked well, had my latte and energy ball solo but reasonable mindfully. I think taking time off is good, I will check in with my meals to ensure regular good meals and will go to a once a week weigh. I do think it's disordered eating really, whole not an eating disorder, if that makes sense. Let's see how I go and thank you.

My very unhealthy thing today is that I haven't eaten all day but then had 2 beers come in my grocery delivery and am drinking the second one now. Ds proudly announced he is making dinner when he gets in soon which will entail me being served some instant noodles.

Nutrition for the day will = ? Empty carbs and sugar basically.

Tomorrow must involve balanced nutrition!

My excuses: It's been a stressful week at work with office politics and miscommunications (despite only being Tuesday) plus it's so hot I have no appetite and am struggling with hot flashes. I'm also generally struggling with the whole single parent of a teen whose having issues at school, work, house to manage, financial decisions etc plate spinning right now and meal planning and cooking has slid right off the bottom of the list of things I have energy for.

Not on top form at the minute so certainly in no position to lecture anyone else about healthy habits.

Please don't think you're lecturing at all. Our sharing of thoughts and information here is always thought provoking! I have starting doing proper dinners just in the last few weeks and it is really worth it, I just planned a few basic ones and you get in the swing again. I will post the two articles I read, in case they speak to anyone else.

So some of you may remember me reading a book called Bright Lines Eating way back in September. It was given to me by someone who knew I had given up junk after Allen Carr. Honestly the tag line turned me off a bit and I took the dust cover off so my ds wouldn't read it - Be happy, thin and free Anyway it was talking about insulin resistance and not making decisions when tired etc, it was interesting but I knew it was incredibly restrictive - weighing and measuring and bring freezer bags with you for life etc. Anyway I came across this link/podcast taking it down, by a psychologist. Definitely got me thinking.
untrapped.com.au/bright-line-eating-part-1/
untrapped.libsyn.com/bright-line-eating-part-2
See what you think.

Thanks - I've loaded that up ready to listen to in bed later. Ideas around food are so bizarre and cultish these days. I know people who are literally religious about food and what you should and shouldn't eat and total zealots about it.

I remember reading about orthorexia as the new eating disorder and it resonating with me. Our culture as a whole has serious fucking issues with food!

Will be interested to hear what you think Honeybadger. By the way, on dinners, I've just realised that a (Joint?) of ham will have fed three of us for 3 nights - bacon and cabbage (probably v Irish), tonight with potato salad, salads etc and tomorrow what's left will go into a carbonara. Not perfect nutritionally maybe but three easy enough dinners out of one night's effort.

Hi all, just checking in. Good day for me food wise.

B coffee, small banana, small ginger cake
L chicken salad with new potatoes
D chicken & salad flat bread, Greek yogurt, strawberries
S two mini bags of haribo, tea

I really struggle with activity on Monday & Tuesday as I work 7-5, then straight to get the children and home for their tea & bedtime. Only just sitting down now exhausted but very little 'exercise'.

Mmm dark chocolate energy ball sounds nice. I feel like I've gone over today & definitely ate my tea when I wasn't really all that hungry (which is something I'm trying to avoid)
B. Granola bar coffee and a flap jack later on
L. Hummus, cherry Tom's, cucumber, two bits of French stick, couple of bits of mango
D. Roast chicken breast, salad & dressing couple of bits of French stick with butter
S. Daughter made 'butter beer' which was a very sweet sticky mix of ice-cream, milk & toffee sauce, which I had half a cup of
13,000 steps & I reckon maybe 1700 calories?

Hey everyone, i'm in a bad mood this evening but have not slashed any tyres food wise today so that's good. I feel overwhelmed and am catastrophising a bit as is my tendency when stressed. I have a cold sore to prove it. This weekend we are going out for dinner twice, i've got dinner out with friends on Monday, then social meals for the next 3 weekends after that, including a wedding. Sometimes the food at weddings is rubbish so maybe that won't be so bad. I'm going to have to start being the person who has salads and less than 3 courses in restaurants aren't i. Can't cope with that.

Sorry you're feeling rubbish @NutellaEllaElla. Are you catastrophising over the meals out and impact on your diet or something else?

The eating out is hard - especially if it will also involve alcohol. But you're so good & controlled and you know your science behind it all so I would focus on the days you can, and the meals you're making for yourself but enjoy the others and see what happens? It might be that it all balances out. And if you gain a little, you know the simple steps to reset again. Plus a little gain won't be noticeable at all to anyone but you - and it's usually just the scales not actual fat gain.

Not sure if my scales are right today, said 9st5.25, then 9st2.25, then 9st2.25 again. They had been moved cause of a spillage on the floor. Food yesterday was so so with with too much chocolate, but bout 15,000 steps again. @TheHoneyBadger I take off my hat to you for coping with so much and still managing to go to the gym etc. A day where you dont worry about nutrition really doesn't matter, be kind to yourself. @HeyGirlHeyBoy hang on in there, maybe as others have said, a month of trying to stay about the same is the way forward. @NutellaEllaElla know what you mean about meals out, I can never face just having salad and feeling deprived either.

@NutellaEllaElla

Hey everyone, i'm in a bad mood this evening but have not slashed any tyres food wise today so that's good. I feel overwhelmed and am catastrophising a bit as is my tendency when stressed. I have a cold sore to prove it. This weekend we are going out for dinner twice, i've got dinner out with friends on Monday, then social meals for the next 3 weekends after that, including a wedding. Sometimes the food at weddings is rubbish so maybe that won't be so bad. I'm going to have to start being the person who has salads and less than 3 courses in restaurants aren't i. Can't cope with that.

The other option is starter, starter, desert. Mains are full of empty carbs and starters are usually tasty and just not filled out with cheap carbs.

Maybe they're just not quite on level ground Octopus?

Weight roughly the same today. Busyish day at work today so hopefully plenty of steps at least.

Yeah I have been worrying about the amount of meals out and managing my weight. Thankfully I've never cared about alcohol so rarely drink. I went for a quick walk before work this morning. As you suggest, I'll just have to be really disciplined in between and hope for the best. I don't want to cancel any of them to be honest.

That's a great suggestion Badger, thank you.

Hi @NutellaEllaElla. Totally understand your frustration about meals out. I'd really recommend the Paul McKenna thing for those kinds of situations, the rules are

1. When you are hungry, eat.
2. Eat what you want not what you think you should
3. Enjoy your food. Eat it slowly and put down your knife and fork in between mouthfuls
4. When you feel like you might be getting full. Stop eating.

He does loads of hypnosis type stuff too, and help with specific things like comfort eating, but that's the just of it. I've found it very helpful in situations where I'm eating out and it helps me to enjoy myself too.