LOSE IT! August 2021

[TheRealHousewife]

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.

@Graphista blummin’ well done on your not insignificant loss! Awesome! 👍🌟👏🥇

@swampytiggaa you look so different! Both photos nice but now you look super cool and edgy! Totally Rockin’!

@SunshineCake hoping it’s nothing serious! Well done on swerving the chocolate 🍫.

I don't know. He's going to have some blood tests I'm nagging him

I did have some chocolate but not as much as I wanted.

@SunshineCake much love to you and hope it’s nothing serious with your husband 💕

Hope Dh's health is sorted soon @SunshineCake

Men are murder for not seeing drs aren't they?!

postive thoughts @SunshineCake.
all is well enough in my corner, still smoky but i stay in as much as possible. indoor exercise with leslie or denise working well and today's meals going well:
toast and tomato for breaky with blackberries
lunch is the bulgar wheat/bean salad with some added veggies and hummus to total about 210 cals
supper will be the chicken with salad.
i made a batch of broccoli/leek soup as i used up the last one yesterday for supper.
a good amount of veg available in the garden the occasional tomato lots of carrots (which need thinning)
now if only youngest ds would contact me/us i'd be less stressed...he is the kind to only text/message every 3-6 weeks?? he's not good at all about touching base and i'd like to address that.
plane tickets booked to visit dd in the fall, i'll be in the same time zone which hasn't happened since feb of 2019?? amazing how time flies.

Thank you all. It's not ideal he's arranged to do the blood tests himself but it is better than nothing.

Sympathy or is it empathy? @fallfallfall. My 20 year old son and I have contact every day, sometimes Skype, sometimes texts, sometimes just a photo of my dog/his dinner/out with his friends. Dd is a different matter. When she left home for what turned out to be about five weeks, I said she had to check in every day for a week then we'd see. We then had quite a few days with no message. It is hard as she sleeps weird times as she has a sleep disorder but tbh even if she didn't I suspect she'd be the same. Once she goes to uni I suspect we will only hear from her when she needs something or I message her.

@SunshineCake, just simply positive thoughts it's nothing serious.
ds is well into his 30's and it's a well established pattern. he's self sufficient and always seems content and in control but i wish i would here from him more often.

Good Morning Ladies & Happy Friday

@fallfallfall great to hear you’ve a family tripped plan to see dd. Fingers crossed ds gets in touch soon!

@Graphista I agree men are totally reluctant to self care & seek medical attention/advice when bits and bobs start to go wrong.

Menu
Meal 1 - Kale, red pepper, butter bean and Halloumi salad.
Meal 2 - Spanish omelette & salad.

I dreamt DH went missing and was presumed dead. Didn't sleep well and when I did I dreamt that. Today is going to be hard. I wanted to see a friend but she has to work. Another friend is great for text support but they have a really busy day. I'm tired. Can't even face running but need to for my MH. Will be a long day as dd needs a lift at 11 and I won't be able to sleep until dh is back with her. I need a free pass for chocolate or cheese or biscuits.

That sounds tough @SunshineCake - hope you manage to grab a bit of sleep when DH is back. Good on you going for a run regardless - fingers crossed the endorphins give you a boost.

My fancy new Fitbit scales arrived yesterday so I did my first official weigh in this morning and I'm 10st 1lb - although I'm not 100% sure what my starting weight was I think it was roughly 10st 5lb, so I'm happy with that. Definitely feeling better and less bloated. I've also gone to bed at 10pm each night this week and charged my phone away from my bed so I'm not tempted to scroll. It's made a big difference.

Bless you @SunshineCake What a disturbing dream. Clearly dh is much on your mind atm. Things sound so difficult at the moment. Sending a hug and 🍫 if that’s what you need to get through. ❤️

@20FlowerPower that’s great news! My scales are Fitbit/Aria although I no longer have the fitness device I can still use scales & app to track fluctuations.

Sorry to hear things are stressful @SunshineCake and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and your DH.

Well done on your excellent loss @Graphista.

I fear I'm running into another awful plateau. It took three days to get back to my Sunday morning weight after the family meal and I've only lost 0.8lbs on top of that this week. Last time it lasted almost 7 weeks before I managed to lose more then half a pound a week and with massive up and down fluctuations. It becomes a real battle for me when it's like this because of the calorie counting isn't bringing results I'm more likely to say fuck it and eat half a cake.

@SunshineCake hope the tests come back okay - such a worry. Fingers crossed all is okay.

@Graphista well done on that weight loss!

@20FlowerPower great to have good, reliable scales. And well done on the loss too.

@TheRealHousewife your meals always sound so tasty and varied! Today's salad sounds excellent.

Yesterday I had some leftover chilli for lunch (no rice or anything, just chilli), then a bowl of tagliatelle carbonara for dinner and also a mint magnum 🙊 but it was within calories, just, and I walked 16k steps.

Another big walk today - we're walking to our local outdoor shopping centre to get PE kits / tights / stationery for going back to school. I have some leftover carbonara I'll have for tea and I'll make the healthiest choice available when we're out.

Going to weigh in properly on Sunday to see how I've done this week.

Thank you everyone. You are all so lovely.

I was sensible and didn't run but I knew I needed to do something so I did 20km on the bike then walked the dog down and up and lot of hills. Got soaked to the skin. Had a lovely shower and hair wash. At 1pm dh is dropping off dd and then will go to the shop for lunch for us. I really want a granary baguette with soft cheese and smoked salmon. We then have all afternoon with no children until he picks up dd at 11pm. DH will do his blood tests on Monday but I've told him if they don't go well he is going to the GP.

Hang in there @toppocket. I had many weeks with no loss, and the odd gain, then suddenly I dropped about 2lbs or so. Thank you for your well wishes. Just a thought, I don't calorie count. My weight loss is coming for intermittent fasting. Would that be something you would consider trying for a kick start?

Thanks @20FlowerPower but I didn't run. I did the bike and a tough walk so hopefully still get my well done .

Thank you @FuckingHateRats. I'm really worried about him and I have told him so. I've been very clear he doesn't get to pretend all is well when it isn't.

Well done on that loss @Graphista

@toppocket, you may find this interesting. Apparently hitting a plateau is a really good thing, but I’m sure it doesn’t feel like that at the moment!

www.secondnature.io/guides/mind/motivation/weight-loss-plateaus-explained

I had another day of eating crap yesterday. Thought I’d weigh myself this morning, just to see what the damage was…I lost 0.5 kg/ 1lbs! That’s after almost three weeks of not losing anything.

I had a look at the fat/water/muscle stats, just to see if this was the result of dehydration. The scales showed a 0.5 % drop in fat, so I guess this could be a genuine (but slightly bizarre) loss?!

I hope things sort themselves out with your husband @SunshineCake. That sounds so stressful

Thanks for that @Graphista really very enlightening and have book marked it for then I get downhearted!

Sorry I meant @Crazzzycat

@toppocket I think weighing daily is what's not helping you. You're not going to see big or often any changes in a day

I was a bit puzzled to get praise for that

Really interesting article.

It's harder to lose the less weight you have to lose too. When I was losing years back I was 2 stone-Ish heavier than now and when I started losing it was 2/3/4lbs a week BUT I've remembered the other members who had less to lose and/or were closer to goal weight they were losing 0.5-1lb a week and often had sts but they were to be looked up to cos they had lost several stone in many cases, and as the article says it can take years. My ww leader took 5 years to lose the weight but she was 20-odd stone when she started. So there was a lot to lose.

It's easy to get disheartened/demotivated which I did before plus other crap gets in the way (health issues, stress, relationship stuff, family stuff etc) and it can be hard to stay on top of things.

Checking in with you guys daily I find really helpful and motivating.

Loads of articles/research on losing slowly = better chance of success and maintaining the loss.

Our leader used to say at almost every meeting "it didn't go on overnight it won't come off overnight"

And I certainly noticed members that joined that expected a "quick fix" without their having to do any "work" towards it. Indeed one was a regular joiner and leaver and she's a friend of a friend and she ended up having a gastric bypass cos her heart was in serious trouble but she still regained the weight and caused herself medical issues cos she didn't follow the post surgery guidance. She was one of those that was like pureeing Mars bars? I suspect there was a psychological issue she wasn't addressing, as I say don't know her very well but just a sense I got and from a few things she said.

Even just identifying triggers - with me it's

Boredom
Depression (if I'm low I "hibernate" and main line carbs!!)
Learned behaviour that food = love/a treat

But I also have appetite killers:

Anxiety
Trying to be all things to all people
Pain (I have chronic pain but if it's especially bad and I have to resort to the strong painkillers it kills my appetite dead! Which is a problem as taking the painkillers on empty stomach messes me up)

And not eating is as bad for weight loss as eating too much. I'm not talking controlled fasting but haphazard nonsense

Anyway here's hoping for more success and health for us all

Saw this and thought it’s a useful reminder that it’s not so bad being a 🐢🐢🐢 possibly better than being a 🐇

Hi all
Well done @Graphista for your loss. 2.5lb is great!

Hope all is ok with your dh @SunshineCake. At least he’ll do blood tests - my dh is terrified of needles and avoids them like the plague.

Two nsv for me this week - took the dc to McD’s for a well deserved treat after a visit to the school shop. I just had a Diet Coke and then made myself a salad after we got home. Then today I went to Costa with dd and although I did have a caramel latte (just a small) I didn’t have a cake even though dd had a piece of millionaire’s shortbread. Plus I stayed within my 3 glass self imposed wine limit last night so ended the day still in deficit which was also a win.

@FuckingHateRats meal one should have read Stir fry rather than salad. Sorry it was a typo. Still delicious 😋 posted a food porn photo for you persusal 😬

Great result @Crazzzycat 👍👏

Great info graphic @swampytiggaa 👍

@QueenMabby you have a resolve of steal. Well done 🌟👏👍

Enjoy your Evenings x

@swampytiggaa

Saw this and thought it’s a useful reminder that it’s not so bad being a 🐢🐢🐢 possibly better than being a 🐇

@Puffalicious and I were ahead of the game!!!! 🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

@SunshineCake I’m there with you 😂😂

[quote TheRealHousewife]@FuckingHateRats meal one should have read Stir fry rather than salad. Sorry it was a typo. Still delicious 😋 posted a food porn photo for you persusal 😬

Great result @Crazzzycat 👍👏

Great info graphic @swampytiggaa 👍

@QueenMabby you have a resolve of steal. Well done 🌟👏👍

Enjoy your Evenings x[/quote]
That looks gorgeous @TheRealHousewife!

I made keema peas and naan breads for dinner. And had a glass of wine. All to pot! Never mind. “Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it” (Anne Shirley)!