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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

LOSE IT! August 2021

545 replies

TheRealHousewife · 30/07/2021 19:54

Good grief, I’m sure the year is speeding up! July has passed so quickly!

This is a space 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

LOSE IT July 2021 Thread

NHS 12 Week Weight Loss Plan

Fast 800 Diet & Fitness Plan

Water Intake & Weight Loss

MFP

26 Evidence Based Weight Loss Tips

The Psychology of Weight Loss

😬. Better than reaching for the snacks.
LOSE IT! August 2021
OP posts:
Thread gallery
53
toppocket · 03/08/2021 19:15

Thank you @Crazzzycat & @FuckingHateRats they sound like excellent soups too!

swampytiggaa · 03/08/2021 19:18

Meant to say I’m not running this week because I don’t have access to a shower and although I can wash I don’t really trust it to be good enough to not make everyone hate me at work 😂😂

Graphista · 03/08/2021 21:09

@TheRealHousewife I hope they deliver too

@toppocket very hard during school holidays I agree. Small goals are achievable and motivating

@SunshineCake I hope I get somewhere too! Well done on the 1lb loss

@fallfallfall we'll definitely try to help. Stay safe is most important thing

Meal 1 today - soup with added parsley, Italian ham style sandwiches, nectarine and milk slice

Meal 2 is gonna be veggie chilli with cous cous

@gggrrrargh you need to look at it as not a "wagon" you're on but a lifestyle change and one more calorific day than another is not the end of that. Draw a line under it and move on. Plan to account for what you're doing and you're more likely to make healthier choices

@132orbust onwards and inwards is right keep at it

Links to good soup recipes much appreciated!

Mine are more...instinctual? Based on what I've got in that needs using up. Eg I've a load of celery there at the moment needs used so am planning on making a batch of celery based soup tomorrow

My dds favourite that I make is a roast, spiced butternut squash and carrot one:

(All measurements approx)

One butternut squash cut in half length ways, seeds scooped out and sprayed with fry light prior to roasting

Roughly same amount of carrots as squash

Frozen diced onions

Garlic - fresh cloves peeled I usually use 4-6 depending on clove size

Fresh ginger grated

Mild curry powder or chilli flakes or powder

3 tbsp tomato purée

1 pt stock made with at least 2 stock cubes

Method

Place Garlic cloves in the gap left by the seeds in the squash

Peel and roughly chop carrots in lengths - I cheat and use a pack of batons

Spray with fry light and roast in a hot oven for approx 45 mins

When veg almost roasted fry off the diced onions and spices in a large pot/saucepan

Get roasted veg out of oven, scoop out the flesh and roasted garlic cloves from the squash and put squash and carrots in pot

Stir to mix veg mix and spice mix together

Add in the purée and mix

Add in the stock and stir

Bring JUST to the boil and then reduce to a simmer

Simmer for 20-30 mins

Blend if you wish (doesn't always need it) and serve

Lovely thick spiced and warming soup, you can add a swirl of creme fraiche if you like

Generally though I do carrot and tomato based soups which I just then add/throw in whatever veg I have in the fridge that's needing used up, add stock, herbs and spices, allow to cool, blend and freeze

@20FlowerPower yea I think I need one of those lamps too

toppocket · 03/08/2021 21:17

@Graphista is absolutely right.

It's not a wagon - it's about long term change. I found it too hard to make too many changes all at once so i set myself small goals. Firstly I stopped snacking between meals. Then I looked at making one meal more healthy, making better choices and then the next and the next and started adding in exercise.

I have days when I dont stick to the above. Kids having things on that disrupt the exercise routine or we meet friends for a meal. I make the best choice I can based on what's offered but invariably I gain some weight back and then when I'm cooking at home it comes back off again. Life doesn't allow for the perfect intake and calorie burn everyday but I'm happy to be on a general downward trend.

fallfallfall · 03/08/2021 21:56

thank you @Graphista, my exercise is low impact and safely done in my living room (although i'm eyeing new runners to prevent slipping esp with lateral motion).
breakfast: boiled egg, buttered toast and a handful of blackberries (from the garden).
lunch: browned halloumi, on steamed swiss chard (from the garden) with lemon and half an apple.
supper: boneless skinless chicken cooked on the bbq, served with a bulgar wheat salad i mixed up last week estimated at 140 calories for 1/2 cup. i'll aim for a supper just under 500 calories

FuckingHateRats · 04/08/2021 08:00

@Graphista that butternut squash soup sounds amazing, definitely trying that!

@fallfallfall yesterday's menu sounds amazing!

I gave in and weighed. I've lost 1.5kg which I know is all the big loss at the start, water weight etc but it's nice to see it go down anyway. So am now 83kg on the money. I definitely under-ate yesterday though and need to make a conscious effort to eat all my calories today.

Today:
Porridge pot for breakfast
Basa fillet with salad
Realistically, coffee and cake when I meet my friend at an art place this afternoon.
Chilli (which I'm having with cheese and sour cream and guac - don't even care if it slows things down for a few days)

I'm going to walk to pick up a parcel, and then am taking my youngest to this cool kind of park/art installation place so lots of walking there. Should hit 10k steps easily.

Hope everyone has a good day!

CarolinaWeeper · 04/08/2021 09:10

I agree with making small changes at first and viewing weight loss as a long game. I was beating myself up yesterday as DC wanted to bake biscuits so I did that with them in the morning and then of course I ended up having two! But.... I stopped there and viewed it as my breakfast and didn't have any more of them late afternoon or after dinner which I previously would have done. For me the plan has been to stop snacking between meals which actually I'm finding easier than I thought which goes to show it was probably boredom and not hunger. Next I'm trying to work on making my meals a bit healthier.

Meal plan for today is:

Breakfast: skinny latte
Lunch: garlic mushrooms on toast
Dinner: stir fried pak choi, yellow pepper and onion with rice.

Juno231 · 04/08/2021 09:45

@swampytiggaa exercise and no shower sounds... swampy Grin

Morning ladies! Yesterday was decent. Had ryvita and cream cheese and cherry tomatoes for lunch, snacked on celery throughout the day but when I had a sugar dip at 3-4pm I did cave and have a few crackers with thinly sliced cheddar on top.

Dinner was tricky as we got invited over to our neighbours for drinks and tapas but I mainly had veg and enjoyed 3 glasses of champagne. I reckon I probably stayed within my maintenance cals anyway so not a bad outcome overall.

Only managed 7k steps as I didn't get to do a second walk of the day due to the neighbours' do. I'll do better today!

swampytiggaa · 04/08/2021 09:48

@Juno231 yeah I’m doing everyone a favour aren’t I 😂😂

toppocket · 04/08/2021 09:56

Morning!

Quiet day today for me with one of my children going for a sleepover at lunchtime.

I've skipped brekkie as I still feel full from last night but am going to go into work for a while late morning so will take something with me and avoid staff canteen. Dinner is omelette and salad as my hens are over producing. I plan to hike or run this evening before making dinner.

Weigh in is looming but im no longer disappointed in making small gains as it's obvious from my intake why it is. I find it worse when I have a baffling loss or gain... that I can't trust my body.

QueenMabby · 04/08/2021 11:29

Morning all - well done @FuckingHateRats for your loss!

I weighed in this morning. Wasn’t expecting much movement as I only weighed last on Sunday due to new wizzy scales but…

SW: 10st 1.8lb (1/8)
CW: 9st 12.2lb (4/8) A 3.6lb loss! Probably mostly water but I’ll take it!!
GW: 9st 4lb (whenever but hopefully by the end of the year!).

I’m thrilled to be back in the nines again although I have been 9st 12 at least three times this year already but then I relax and gain again. Am determined not to do that this time and this thread is certainly helping me keep my mind in the long game - thank you all.

Am trying not to think that this-time-last-year-me would have been horrified at 9st 12! Think I was 9st 5 then and that was heavy for me! Hey ho - Covid and all that. 🤣

Hope everyone has a good day today.

toppocket · 04/08/2021 12:36

Well done @QueenMabby and @FuckingHateRats on your losses!

SunshineCake · 04/08/2021 12:55

I'm giving myself a good star. Slept terribly than up at 6am for parenting duties. Walked the dog for an hour and a half. Then small food shop. Vacuumed everywhere. Waiting for dh to come back for a late lunch. So far have fasted for 19 hours 20 minutes. And after all that haven't eaten the chocolate or doughnut. Lunch will be warmed up new potatoes and a whole bag of salad some cherry tomatoes. Dinner is roast chicken though don't know what else yet.

Crazzzycat · 04/08/2021 15:03

Well done @QueenMabby and @FuckingHateRats

My FitBit tells me I only had 30 minutes of deep sleep last night, and I can believe it! I feel wrecked and unable to think clearly 😣

I thought it’d be a good idea to go on the cross trainer. It was…interesting. My speed wasn’t really affected much, but I felt like a zombie!

Food wise, I’m not doing too badly. I’m sure the urge to eat high calorie food will kick in at some point, but I’ll try to stay strong. Being prepared is half the battle 🙂

Juno231 · 04/08/2021 15:20

@SunshineCake that's def gold star material!

@Crazzzycat well done on getting on the cross trainer :) Shame about the lack of sleep - best go to bed early tonight then!

I'm definitely on track food wise today so that's good. Will go on a walk after work and then try and get 20-30 min of exercise in afterwards too. Currently snacking on some celery and had a small apple before that so that should be my afternoon cravings sorted!

20FlowerPower · 04/08/2021 16:57

@QueenMabby are you me?! I am EXACTLY the same - starting weight was c. 10st 5lb on Monday and I'm waiting on my new scales arriving to see what my current weight is as I do feel like I'm less bloated so hopefully have at least lost some water weight. I have also gotten to 9st 12lb a few times in the last wee while and taken my foot of the gas every.single.time - I remember previously being horrified when I got over 9st as 8st 10lb was my "happy weight". Oh how things have changed.... (stupid Covid Angry)

Victory for me today though as I took the kids to an ice cream parlour this afternoon....and only had a Diet Coke Halo

Juno231 · 04/08/2021 17:04

@20FlowerPower ha I used to be 55 kg and was horrified when I reached 58kg, then 60, 63, 65, 70 and so on - it's like my goal post kept shifting! Now I'm dying to just see my weight start with a 6 - it did so briefly in 2018 and for a few months in 2017 but I seem to always go back up again.

QueenMabby · 04/08/2021 17:17

@20FlowerPower - I used to be 8st 10lb too… 😳🤣 I’m 5’ 7”. And you??
To be fair though I was just very thin at that weight - I wasn’t exercising so probably wasn’t very healthy! I’m going to have a good look at myself if when I get to 9st 4lb and see how I feel.

20FlowerPower · 04/08/2021 17:24

@QueenMabby I'm 5ft 4in. Was also unhealthy at 8st 10lb - got to 8st 8lb one weekend due to a tummy bug and remember being delighted....then having to have a good chat with myself as that clearly was not a healthy mindset to have.

My goal is 9st. Breaking it into smaller chunks though - 9st 12lb (again Grin) then 9st 7lb, 9st 4lb, 9st 2lb...... That's my plan anyway.

Graphista · 04/08/2021 17:53

@toppocket I don't always follow my own advice/knowledge but I should!

I got out of the healthy eating habits I had started years ago, some unconsciously but some of it was conscious "sod it" thinking cos I was struggling so much with mh, that's what I find hardest to work against

@FuckingHateRats thank you - try the soup when the squashes are back in season. When I used to make it when dd still lived at home it never made it to the freezer cos she'd polish it off!

Well done on your loss!

@QueenMabby well done to you too

I too can remember MANY years ago being horrified when I tipped over 9 stone I'd give anything to be 9 stone now!! At 5'2" I cannot carry extra weight wish I had tackled it much sooner than I did.

FuckingHateRats · 04/08/2021 18:42

@Juno231those sound like such sensible choo es, even with alcohol involved! I am in awe.

@QueenMabby I have a similar loss in a similar time at the start... Just taking the win in a similar attitude. What are you aiming for longer term in terms of weekly or monthly losses?

@Crazzzycat hope you get a good sleep tonight!

I was once 9st exactly at 14 weeks pregnant...and I'm 5ft9. I must have looked skeletal. My
next target weight is 12st which is actually what I weighed at 39wks pregnant with him... I think age has a lot to answer for.

QueenMabby · 04/08/2021 19:47

@FuckingHateRats - I have set myself a calorie limit of about 1550 a day - approx 300 cals deficit which is about 0.6lb a week. I’m usually pretty well under - around 1350-1400 and normally I’m fine on that.

Have snack cravings really badly this evening but I know I’m not hungry - have just had chicken Thai green curry and rice for dinner! Am going to finish my chapter in my book and then head out for a walk to distract myself. My back’s been pretty bad today and I’ve reluctantly realised that I need to take a decent break from exercise to see if that helps it heal but I will still need to keep moving.

swampytiggaa · 04/08/2021 20:54

Food is a bit random this week - It’s weird having work people in the house all day! Plus my exercise is off track because I don’t want to be too stinky. I’ve managed 24k steps today as I’ve been to work then a walk this evening otherwise I’ve been sat on my arse today.

I’ve eaten porridge with raisins half a soreen loaf some homemade cake and a cheese toastie today 😬 oh and a cereal bar. Not healthy really.

Have to admit to being slightly constipated too probably because my preferred toilet has been ripped out and I’m having to use the slightly grotty one instead. Pretty sure that will sort itself out by the weekend tho 😂😂

fallfallfall · 04/08/2021 22:41

okay it can be a struggle some days to make those choices we all know are healthier for us...
breakfast: chocolate oatmeal a recipe from fast 800 worth 250 calories
lunch: FAIL 1/2 cups beans, 1 slice of bread toasted with butter....once it was all done weighed and measured (as per dh) it was a whopping 650 calorie meal...absolutely needed to half the bread and butter.
supper: here's the dilemma...because dh and i always eat together...do i go with the original chicken breast and salad or have a bowl of soup the soup would come in at about 200 calories...which is the wiser choice...but not what he would prefer for a supper meal after a hot workout in the bee yard...
i can make this executive decision and will fit in an extra exercise session.
hoping everyone struggles are as minor as this one.

TheRealHousewife · 05/08/2021 09:05

Good Morning Everyone

Gosh the restorative power of a good sleep. Had the best nights sleep I’ve had for quite a while and feel more human & alive than I can remember. It was probably a combination of being utterly sleep deprived, the right mix of macros, magnesium salt bath before bed, a couple of magnesium supplements and my good old sleep mask.

@swampytiggaa hope all goes well with the bathroom referb’. Well done on your 20k (I’m lucky if I do that in a week 😬’ Do they have showers at work?

@Graphista @toppocket I totally agree about the ‘wagon’. I’ve always advocated about lifestyle change rather than a ‘diet’. Sorry if I used the wrong terminology. @Graphista loving your recipe ideas 😋

@CarolinaWeeper your garlic mushrooms on toast meal is calling me …. Used to be one of my favourites.

@Juno231 your swampy comment gave me the giggles 🤭. Very funny. Sorry @swampytigga not laughing at you!

@FuckingHateRats great progress with the loss 👍👏

@QueenMabby well done! That’s fantastic! 👍👏🌟🥇I know what you mean about arriving at a certain weight, then relaxing into it and whoosh, some goes back on. It’s kinda a subconscious behaviour in my instance as I think ‘I’m in front, I’ve got wiggle room’ and take my eye of the ball.

Here you go @SunshineCake 🌟 . AND you are a star 🌟, even when not at your best you keep inspiring and supporting everyone. ❤️

@Crazzzycat you have my total sympathy! Lack of sleep is torturous! Here’s for a better night tonight 🤞.

@20FlowerPower well done on swerving the ice cream 🍦👍👏

@fallfallfall I’d go for the protein option especially after a hard work out. I’ve recently read something interesting(but I’d had suspicions about myself from my own observations), about how the amount of calories we absorb from foods varies dependant on how the food is prepared. So for example comparing a salad of 200 calories and a soup of 200 calories - we’d absorb more from the soup iyswim. The more processed the food, the more the cell membranes break down and release the sugars/carbs/calories etc. I might not have explained it very well and I’ll try to find the reference and post. But I’d go for the protein to help your muscle recovery and keep you feeling satiated (nice to see you back 🙂)

Today’s Menu
Meal 1 - Spicy Thai inspired Chicken soup.
Meal 2 - Salad or stir fry. Not decided yet. I’ve loads of romaine 🥬 that needs using, equally got kale & red peppers to use.

Going to cut the fruit down a bit as gained on weighing yesterday. Not sweating it but still ….

Have a great day!

LOSE IT! August 2021
OP posts: