LOSE IT! July 2021

[TheRealHousewife]

Hello and a warm welcome to new & established members. July already! Lockdown easing and an end in sight! Hallelujah! Let’s embrace the summer and extending freedoms feeling like our best selves.

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 reap the rewards. Better mental health = better choices. It becomes a healthy cycle.

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. Personally, I rarely drink alcohol and keep sugar to a minimum. I try to not overload on carbs etc, include a protein source with most meals and aim to glug enough water. 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. We generally have WOW (weigh on Wednesday) day each week. However post and share your progress as often or as little as you prefer. I’ve weighed daily at times and weekly at other times. Do what works for you.

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

June 2021 Thread

NHS 12 Wk Weight Loss Plan

Fast800 Recipes Free Content

Benefits of Water to aid Weight Loss

MyFitnessPal

Evidence Based Weight Loss Tips

The Psychology of Weight Loss

Thanks for the new thread! I'm starting the month at 9st 13 which is around my goal weight. It's taken a while to get here and this thread has been amazing and supportive. I aim to do 5 one hour workouts a week and try to eat healthy low carb meals in the week but have some treats at weekends. My aim for the end of the month is to maintain or ideally lose a pound. I have a posh wedding at the end of the month and have brought a lovely new dress

Checking in on the shiny new thread 😎

My official goal for July and August is to get down to 83 kg. That’s the goal I set myself when I started loosing weight in March and I’m sticking with it. As I’m currently around 84 kg, it’s not the most ambitious target ever, but obviously I’d be more than happy to smash it early 👊 The ultimate goal is to have a healthy BMI by the end of October, which would be 78 kg for me.

I’m trying to take a bit of a holistic approach. Not just focussing on how much I eat, but also on what I eat, trying to get enough sleep and using mindfulness to keep stress levels down. I’ve significantly increased my exercise levels; I walk every day (as long as it doesn’t rain too much) and do 6 additional cardio sessions a week.

I eat a lot for someone who’s supposed to be on a diet, but I’ve had pretty steady weightloss since the start, so clearly something is working!

Other goals I have for the next two months, in addition to weightloss:

• increase 2 of my cardio sessions to 1 hour sessions each week

-loose another 2 inches of my waist to bring it down to 32.5 inches

Good luck everyone!

Thanks for the new thread op

I'm weighing tomorrow and hoping for a loss after an odd week due to messing up my grocery order!

Prompted by a Facebook post I've just looked on tdeecalculator and apparently the cals I thought I was able to have are more than I thought!

Don't know how accurate that is.

Nhs says 1448-1862 cals and I'll admit I've been allowing myself up to the 1862 as I'm just starting out and wanting to ease into it - I know I need to reduce cals as I reduce weight and that it will get harder!

I've just worked out based on last 2 weeks figs I'm averaging 1521 cals per day, I rarely go over the 1862 but occasionally as low as 500-600 if I'm having a bad day mh wise as anxiety kills my appetite

Tdeecalculator though says

BMR 1436
Maintenance 1723
Weight loss therefore being at least 500 cals less than maintenance so I should be on 1223 but quite honestly that ain't gonna happen!

And I have been losing when I stick to under 1862, the week I gained I had 2 days I went waaaaay over due to emotional stress eating and drinking

Thoughts?

I'm also disabled (for those new to thread) so I'm limited on exercise somewhat. I'm "mum dancing" on occasion (low impact step together step together type thing) and I have physio I have to do daily anyway but these are stretches and don't really burn cals.

Have an appointment with physio coming up soon I hope (it's just been postponed not by me) so I'm hoping to get advice on cal burning exercise I can safely do.

Other than that my way is:

1 Drinking more water (I'm terrible for not drinking enough anyway and getting dehydration headaches which is stupid!)

2 Increasing veggies - despite being a vegetarian I can get lax on this!

3 Regular fruit intake - yea it's sugar but it's better sugar than a Mars bar!

4 Portion control - thanks to the lovely posters on thread I've halved how much rice and pasta I eat, which has made a huge difference!

5 Wider variety of meals - I tend to get stuck in a rut and make the same favourites repeatedly, taste buds get "bored" and I end up seeking to fill that gap with "junk" like crisps and chocolate and cake. I'm trying not to order exactly the same food every week! Eg tonight I'm making stroganoff which I haven't done for a while. I've got different types of pasta in now so I'm gonna have it with tagliatelle. I've also had an Asda delivery today (I mainly use Tesco) so I've now got in some falafel, quiche and different fruit to usual. I'm trying to remind myself each week to look at the special offers in the fruit and veg sections and even in other sections so I get ideas for different things to have.

6 trying to eat at normal times rather than putting it off until I'm starving and then grabbing the most filling high cal option! - still working on this one clearly

Hope everyone well and happy and welcome to any newbies

Checking in ready for morning weigh in.

Day 178
SW:151
CW:134.25
GW:132
Another 0.25lb off
2.25lbs to go.
Starting the July thread with a little loss. Will I get there by the end of July....
@Graphista my maintenance BMR is only 1276. You can imagine how hungry I would be if I lopped 500 calories off that! I have to eat carefully and try to stay as active as possible to even lose a 0.25lb. I find making a KG of carrot batons, stored in cold water in the fridge, a great nibble to stop me grabbing something else before thinking about it.
Onwards and inwards my chums.

Thank you for our new thread!

@joysmoy66 you've done so well to be at target, enjoy the wedding, you'll look amazing :D

@Crazzzycat we must be around the same size, I was 84kgs a couple of weeks ago, (5 feet five high), it's amazing how much we can eat and still lose weight!

I started this month with a shock.... my scale battery must need replacing as they read 79.6kgs. This is definitely wrong, I was weighed at my pre-op assessment a couple of weeks ago and was 84kgs, so I'll buy new batteries today and re-weigh tomorrow, then post a more accurate weight.

The error did make me feel rather good though, a taste of things to come when i eventually claw my way down into the 70 kilo range!

Good luck and happy summer dieting to all.

I’m starting the month on 83.9 kg.

@Elle200, sounds like I’m not far behind you then! A few years ago, I tried to loose weight by aiming for 1400 calories, as recommended in one of the NHS weight loss plans. I did loose a lot, but progress was so slow, plus I felt hungry all the time. This time round I’m aiming between 1700-1800 and the weight loss is so much faster. I’m fairly tall though (5 feet 10) and active, so the 1400 calories recommended in that NHS diet were probably never going to be enough for me.

@Graphista, I think on average those BMR calculators are accurate, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll get a number that’s necessarily accurate for YOU personally. I note that there’s a disclaimer at the bottom of this one, which says that there is an unexplained 26% variance between people. So, if you are loosing on more calories than those calculators suggest, I’d just keep doing what you’re doing. It’s clearly working.

www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html?ctype=metric&cage=25&csex=m&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=10&cpound=160&cheightmeter=180&ckg=90&cmop=0&coutunit=c&cformula=m&cfatpct=20&x=75&y=15

Morning! I’ll weigh when I get out of bed 😂😂 (it’s my day off I’m enjoying not getting up at 3am)

I’m pretty close to goal so now I’m onto my new way of life. So going forward my non negotiables are

15k steps every day minimum
3 bottles of water (2.25l) minimum daily
No biscuits
No crisps
Minimal chocolate
Sensible food
Run when I can

I can happily live with this I think. It allows for meals out and nights out and hopefully keeps me fitting in my expensive jeans 😂😂

Ok

1/6 9st 12.7lb
1/7 9st 10.4lb

So just over 2lb lost 😊

Goal is 9st 7lb ish but tbh I’m just going to carry on with what I’m doing and see where I end up 😊

HELLO!

So I’m 12’5. I’d like to lose half a stone this month, making me 11’12 on 31st july.

I’d like to use the gym a bit more than I am doing, as those of us with young kids know it’s hard finding the time. I struggle to get there in the day as fitting crèche around toddler groups and naps is hard. But in the evening I feel guilty leaving dh with witching hour to contend with! But I think I’m just going to have to be a bit selfish with that.

Plus walking. Back in the winter I walked so much. Now not so much. I still do a good 12000 steps usually but I think I could do more.

Thanks elle200

Good Morning All

Lovely to see so many joining the Julys thread. Congratulations on all those who have see a loss. It’s never easy and does seem to get harder the older we get. However we can lose with due diligence and persistence.

I’m 2lb less than I was on June 1st which I’m pleased about. I’ll agree it’s slow progress but nonetheless a welcome loss. I would like to see another 2-3lbs gone by the end of the month.

For those who use visuals rather than calorie counting to monitor intake you might find This interesting.

The The Benefits of Losing 5% of Body Weight is worth a read if you feel your motivation needs a boost.

We can do this ladies! (Men also welcome).

Hi all - can I join please? I've not got much to lose, about 9lbs, and I'm using the Lose It! app (which I thought this thread would be about ) which is like MPF etc but I prefer the layout of this one.

I've done WW/SW successfully in the past but everything is starting to get really tight and I just want to feel confident in myself again as we've recently moved to a new area and I am feeling so frumpy in front of the new mums. (I know I shouldn't really care...)

Anyway, here are my July stats:
SW/CW 10 stone 13
TW 10 stone 3

My DD8 is also trying to get me to start running again as I did c25k 2/3 years ago and then some of the race at your pace challenges and she often asks me when I'm going to get some more medals so I need to get my bum into gear and do that again but I actually hate running apart from the fact that it's free and I can do it from my house

That's 10lbs to lose not 9lb!

Hi everyone! Thanks for the new thread.
I am thrilled to be starting July under 11 st - 10 st 13.2 as of this morning. I feel like it might be a fluke as yesterday it was reading 11 st 0.8 but I haven't seen my scales read 10-something in years so I'm taking it lol.

Has given me a bit of a boost as I was feeling a bit fed up with weight loss etc. I accidentally drank two glasses of rose last night

Tracking stuff on MFP and looking at the macros thing. Seem to be eating less carbs than it suggests and more fat which is interesting. Looks like I should try to increase protein a bit. Tbf I don't really know what it all means though....! Does anyone track this or just calories?

I think I need some inspiration for meals and snacks as that might also explain why I've been feeling a bit fed up. Any ideas?!

SW 12st 7
CW 10 st 13.2
GW 10 st 7???

Target for July is 10 st 9...try to maintain a 1-1.5 lbs loss a week.

I’m desperately hoping to get out of obese BMI category this month too!

SW 17st 7lbs
CW 12 st 5lbs
GW 9st 10lbs

Please can I join in? I started in June and have lost 7lbs but this past week I have lost focus, as I need to lose another 3 stone I want to get back to it.
Am walking every day, my goal is 10k daily but also to try and do more steps than last week overall. Currently I need to do 15k till Sunday to make that happen!
I need to do a meal plan and a food shop, we've been eating random cupboard stuff before building work starts and we really need to restock a bit!

@fat13 that's an incredible loss so far 👏👏👏
👋 hi and welcome @Sparticle

Thanks @CocoaMojo! You asked for meal inspiration, what sort of things would you not eat?

I think I need some inspiration for meals and snacks as that might also explain why I've been feeling a bit fed up. Any ideas?!

What do you usually have? So we don't recommend stuff you're already bored of (I'm similar in getting into ruts)

can I sneak in?
SW 15st
W on 1st June 14st 7lb
CW 14st 2lb (so lost 5 in June)
TW (ultimate) 10st 10lb but that feels massive so trying to break it down into smaller chunks
Hoping to lose between 5 and 7 in July though lots of birthdays etc coming up - on the other hand I have a target pair of shorts for the summer which are an (incredibly) snug fit - perfectly fine as long as I don't intend to eat, move or breathe!
I'm sort of doing 16:8 (some days it's 18:6) and being a bit more mindful about what I eat and maxing out on veg and salad. Also going for 2.25L of water a day and 10K steps minimum.

@Sparticle @graphista ah thanks, I will eat most things really but trying to avoid bread. I'm not a natural cook and don't like to make anything too complicated 😂 and favour stuff that's quick to make due to fitting it around work/kids.
I tend to make a big salad type thing at the weekend for lunches at work so I have made rice salad and goats cheese and lentil salad lately. Went through a phase of couscous salad a couple of years ago and think I killed it, still not ready to go back to couscous😂

Dinners are usually something like salmon veg and rice, chicken veg and rice, bolognese with a small amount of spaghetti and salad, stir fry, fish cakes, basic gnocchi etc. DH can be a pain as not great with veggies but tbh a lot of the time I'm ignoring him or adapting his meals slightly from what I want

A Warm Welcome @fat13 @Sparticle @RunningKatie @sultanasofping , you’ll fit right in! Great ladies on here who are inspiring and are happy to share their wisdom.

I had a mishap today. Took a tumble down the last 7 stairs. I wasn’t looking where I put my feet. A bit bruised and battered and as the days go on the pain is increasing. Can’t weight bare on one foot. Telephoned surgery for appropriate pain relief. Told to go to A&E and buy over the counter pain relief (have cupboard full but have to be very careful due to risk of stomach bleeds). I don’t think anything’s broken and hate using hospital resources as I don’t think it warrants it. I’ll see how I go.

For those who like Calculators > fill your boots here 😬

Enjoy your evenings.

Blimey @TheRealHousewife, that doesn’t sound good. Should it be strapped up? (I am not a medical person!)

@CocoaMojo it sounds like your meals are quite varied already! How about mix up the rice so have brown rice instead of white, or cook it with a stock cube for extra favour. We have bulgar wheat and couscous a lot - I know you said you’ve killed couscous but perhaps with stock or added spice or herbs it might help you enjoy it again?

If DH isn’t great with veg, can you do a portion if whatever he likes but also do something different for yourself and the DC eg if he likes carrot and peas, do that but put mange tout as well for you?

You can also do spice rubs very easily on the salmon and chicken, just mix spices with a bit of oil and rub it on the top. That makes it a bit different.

We’re pescatarian so we have lots of veggie meals. DH made his veg curry tonight with brown rice and we has supermarket peshwari naan on the side. Luckily I ate low cal today so I’m only just over my daily allowance.