LOSE IT! November 2021

[TheRealHousewife]

Hello & Welcome

October has flown by and now November is upon us! The outside temperature is actually warmer than this time last month, so feels quite unseasonal. Still have bumble bees and lady birds in the garden 😮. I for one do look forward to cosy nights by the fire and prepping for the coming festive season.

With just 59 days until Christmas there's still time to svelte up for the Christmas holidays. A part of my Christmas prep includes dropping a few extra lbs ‘to make room’ for a little foody extravagance… and a Baileys or two 😬

Carrying on from October’s thread, 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. The important thing is not to think of it as a diet (based on deprivation and unsustainable) but more a way of life (sustainable & enjoyable).

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

Blood Sugar Diet based on Mediterranean Recipes

Intermittent Fasting

MFP App also available.

25 Tips to lose weight & improve health

The Science behind sleep & weight gain

Holistic approaches to Eat Sleep Move Be

The Importance of Fibre

The Importance of Water for Weight Loss

Good Morning All

@Graphista I'm the same. If I know I have a busy day I need to plan for it before hand by pacing myself then compensate after it by taking it easy.

@buzzofthebumblebee yes a real live otter, it was utterly joyous! I'm in my 6th decade and its the first I've ever seen. I wished id had my camera on me to capture it all. I feel so privileged to have witnessed such a spectacle. Parakeet you say, wow. Id be happy to see those too :)

Me too #notallcarbsareequal. There are complex carbs and simple carbs. The highly processed simple carbs, think white sugar, white bread, white rice, pasta etc are processed very quickly and cause cravings and mess with blood sugars. Complex carbs on the other hand transit more slowly, contain much needed fibre and aid in maintaining good blood sugar levels. Think vegetables, fruits, seeds, whole grains and nuts.

Personally if I don't eat enough of the right kind of carbs I don't sleep well and it my tummy doesn't like it. I'm all for a balanced diet of the right kind of foods. Your skin, hair, tummy and energy levels will thank you for it.

@MistySkiesAfterRain sending a loving hand hold, you seem to have a lot on your plate. Don't be hard on yourself. Are you tapering off with the support of your GP? You might not be ready yet?

Menu
Meal 1 - Porridge made with the big fat large oats, no added sugar. Small amount of honey.
Meal 2 - Home Made Chicken Curry & Cauli Rice. 2 satsumas.

Water, tea, coffee.

Have a good day!

Info graphics re:- carbs

I feel like I've accidentally started some massive thing about carbs here.

I'm not going to give up carbs and I honestly don't think my coach was implying I should either, I think he was just saying there are carbs in tomatoes and a lot of carbs in pasta so when cooking a dish like spag bol, you already have carbs in the veg so the pasta is overload, at least that's what I think he meant.

Not at any point did he say to cut out carbs, just to cut out the over processed crap as much as possible.

I find I can't eat many carbs at all without bloating up. Losing weight for me is easier if I cut out pasta/bread/cakes and other refined carbs. I still eat vegetables, but not potatoes. I don't eat fruit either. I mean, I will eat all of these things from time to time, but definitely not in my daily diet. I tend to eat fish, meat, eggs and fermented veggies. If I stick to that, I lose weight really easily even if I eat a large volume (which works for me) and combined with intermittent fasting, I don't get hungry between meals, and tend to just forget about food. So it works really well for me, but it does get boring and it's hard to fit in with other people, eating out etc.

Everyone is different though. Part of the journey to weight loss is understanding what works for your own body, and it takes trial and error. There no one "correct" way of eating - as long as you're getting the nutrients you need, then it's what works for you. Carbs are not inherently bad, but if you're like me they will quickly get you into a cycle of insulin rises and overeating. Understanding the way insulin works has been key for me, because now I can control my hunger way better. It doesn't necessarily help with emotional eating, but it certainly stops me craving sugary food and binging so much. But we are all different.

I think it's maybe a case of working out which slightly disordered style of eating works best for you as an individual! Calorie restriction, fasting, keto, vegan, low fat... none of these ways are totally healthy, but all can work, and some will suit you better than others.

@MistySkiesAfterRain don’t hate yourself for eating too much chocolate! I am firmly of the view that if you want to lose weight, the most important thing you can do is learn to be kind to yourself. You did something many of us do or have done and learnt something from it. You’ve identified the reasons behind it and thought about how to stop it happening again. That’s the only bit that matters. You can’t change what happened yesterday, but you can change what happens today and every day after that

Remember @buzzofthebumblebee that it is what you eat not the amount on your plate. Try not to weigh too much. It has taken a while for me to wean myself off weighing daily, after each run, etc as I wanted to make sure I didn't miss the one second I was lighter for but it isn't worth the feeling when I see I have gone up.

@MistySkiesAfterRain no no no. Don't feel like that. We ALL have days when we eat everything in the house and all you need to do is remind yourself in that moment you needed self love and it just happened to be in the form of chocolate. To be on antidepressants you have been brave enough to ask for help and as long as you don't come off them too soon - I felt fine so came off mine but then realised I was fine because I was on them... - then you will be fine. If it is hard to say no thank you to chocolate gifts maybe consider donating them to a food bank. Having said that if someone doesn't take it well when you say no thanks then that is on them. We have all got you. We have all been there with difficult days even if not been on ADs and some of us have learnt that we are eating our feelings and some of us have learnt not to do it. Sometimes if not all the time. I hope you enjoyed the chocolate. Sometimes we just have to have it and as long as you enjoyed it.

Well done for the boot camp @Youdoyoutoday!

I ran 5km today. I'm so excited and proud as I've knocked 4 mins 47 seconds off my total time and was 57 seconds faster on my once average. I wasn't pushing myself. I had two little moments where I was running slightly down a slope so ran very slightly faster, just pushed a tiny bit, and I feel so proud. It had lifted me so much. I need the boost as mentally and emotionally ❤️Wise I am all over the place so really need this.

We nipped into Lidl as dh wanted a baguette and I bought a crate of veg that were nearly too old. All of £1.50 and I can not believe how much is in there. So much more than I realised. So I am going to make a veg tray bake and some soup, dh will have most of the fruit and I'll make a smoothie with what is left.

A courgette
Onions
Swede
Carrots
Potatoes
2 peppers
Fancy lettuce
Plum
Bananas
Apples
Oranges that's all I can remember off the top of my head.

Thank you @Crazzzycat @TheRealHousewife. I'm down to 0.25mg of Citalopram once a week so I'm pretty much stopped! I've decided to get back on it and have healthy days Thurs - Sat. I managed 2 healthy days and I want to get to 3 consecutive healthy days.

Enjoy your lunch out Crazzy.

Wow - super haul of veg Sunshine & I can hear the smile in your voice after your run!

Misty - you have really made me smile. All been there, and done it. In your defence advent calendars are all box and no chocolate. Minimal damage. It's all gone now, no more temptation. Hope you start to feel better & yourself very soon. Good dose of sunshine and crispy autumn leaves helps me ; )

beastly - you are so right. My general mood is so much better (to a degree !!) without the insulin highs and lows following a starchy carb or sugar. Thanks for your post. I needed a reset.

I got a cauliflower too!

Well done on your run, @SunshineCake1! That sounds brilliant!

That’s a great price to pay for such an array of tasty veg @SunshineCake1 … Enjoy! Well done on your run too 👍👏⭐️

Baby steps @MistySkiesAfterRain ❤️

@beastlyslumber you are so right. There isn’t one ‘correct’ way to eat … only what works for you. We are all individually unique.

Enjoy your afternoons x

Loving the fruit and veg haul @SunshineCake1. I would love it if the feeling of getting a bargain/healthy bargain could be bottled and then available for when I feel like eating crisps and chocolate .

@MistySkiesAfterRain I ate two creme eggs when I heard about my DH's workplace closing, you are in good company self soothing with chocolate. I hope you are not beating yourself up about it, it's so hard when we are continually surrounded by chocolates and treats, especially at Christmas.

I read something that stayed with me this week. Imagine that you have got to the last day of your life and someone tells you hey, you know the body you have? It turns out it was exactly the right body you needed all along.

It really made me think about why we are so negative about our bodies and what the hell do we think will actually be different if we are a few pounds lighter! I don't mean that we shouldn't aim to be healthy but that it's a shame our weight has the power to make us so self critical.

Anyhoo, who wants some good news? DH has been told he his job is not at risk, so relieved!! Celebratory lettuce leaves all round woop woop!

Great news @jellyrolly.

Hurray jelly. Such a relief for you & your family. Thx for letting us know

Fabulous news @jellyrolly! Great post you wrote too!👏👍⭐️

Well done on that run @SunshineCake1! Great news @jellyrolly. That must be such a relief.

I had a reasonably good day today. It’s never easy when there’s a birthday in the house, but I didn’t go wild and I managed to fit in a long walk too. So, all in all, today went a lot better than expected 😇

@buzzofthebumblebee haha yea I remember the demonising of avocados too and eggs!

but at the end of the day a calorie is still pretty much a calorie

Exactly

And thanks @Crazzzycat it was bp getting higher (but was never clinically high) that prompted me to start this!

Wow

For the newbies a full update as it were

Sw 13 stone 12.5 lbs
Cw 12 stone 7.25 lbs (2.5 lbs off this week)
Tw (for now) 9 stone 10 lbs by mid July next year in time for 50th birthday

I got a whoosh down @DownUdderer BUT I've not eaten out and I've had a few days where due to sheer tiredness I've gone to sleep early (for me) and ended up only having one meal of around 800-900 cals

Not the right way to do it

@MistySkiesAfterRain no point beating yourself up it achieves nothing. Accept it, draw a line and start again you can do this! What you are doing coming off the ads is tough!

@TheRealHousewife yes if I know I've a busy day I need to "book in" a quiet day for the day after or even 2 quiet days

@Youdoyoutoday processed foods do need to be at a minimum I think but I eat carbs at every meal and I'm still losing weight

@beastlyslumber that's a very limited diet are you covering all food groups?

@jellyrolly fantastic news! So pleased for you!

Lovely to have a bit of good news like that on thread

I love reading everyone's updates. I'm so pleased your husband wasn't let go @jellyrolly. What a relief.

I'm still waiting for a whoosh. I think it's my TOM so I've found that in the past I just stay the same until that's over and done with. Darn hormones!

I've bought some Skinny Cow ice creams. I'm not sure if the UK has that brand. They're small ice creams in a plastic cup. I think they're low calorie. Sometimes they just hit the spot when I'm wanting a treat. I've tried different low carb ice cream and the tasted awful!

Hurray on your whoosh Graphista!! No, probably not the way to do it, but it's OK now and again (Fast 800 says 800 only every day for months!) and a good boost for will power!

Hope your whoosh comes soon too DownUdderer. I'm sure we have that ice cream but I haven't looked - sounds perfect for hitting the spot when you need it. And portion-control sized too. Even better!

My scales are all over the place. 11 13 today. So miraculously over 2 days I have put on 1.5 lbs then lost 2 !!! But I don't pay much attention. Despite coming on here to report. Honestly ; ) Honestly. I have just tried on expensive jeans bought 18 month ago, still with tags on. They fit and look good. That's made me so happy!

I tend to save best for best, so wear same old rags day-in-day out, but the boost from wearing something nice and feeling good is amazing. I should make more effort with myself, really. Hair was last cut 6 mnths ago. Right. Pep talk to self done. Onwards with the day!

Afternoon All

I didn’t weigh yesterday as I don’t have access to scales at the moment. Feel ok and clothes aren’t telling me I’ve gained.

@Graphista fabulous loss this week, we’ll done 👏👍⭐️🥇

@DownUdderer I think Halo do low carb/low cal ice cream. Not had any recently but from what I remember they are nice. I’m sure there was a salted caramel one that was rather tasty 😋

@buzzofthebumblebee overall a loss then if my math is correct 😬 Win!
I used to save best for best but as I’ve got older and realised a lot of my most lovely clothes go off trend before they wear out I wear what I want usually … still being sensible though … wouldn’t go to Aldi in my ballgowns for instance 😬

Menu
Meal 1 - Bacon on gluten free bap (treat as not had one for over a year, yes really. Not fancied them tbh)
Meal 2 - Mushroom Risotto (another treat and requested by oh. Such a faff done properly not worth doing unless for both of us).

Tomorrow will be carb lighter 😬

Enjoy Your Afternoon!

I went shopping today and bought myself half a dozen things. While I didn't like being out with so much going on it felt nice to treat myself. I have made my soup - carrots, potato, swede and onion from the box and home grown parsnips. I have added a squirt of chilli sauce and it is very nice. So proud of my home grown parsnips! Was out with my dog for an hour and fifty minutes. Was trying to clear my head. Didn't work but doggy enjoyed being out.

Running tomorrow. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Hope you didn't feel told off by me @MistySkiesAfterRain. Was just trying to be supportive.

@jellyrolly - hurrah! Super news.

@Graphista - I think there is something genetic about red meat. I’m remembering (perhaps inaccurately, it seems so odd) an article I read sone time ago that talked about how they found some gene that caused sensitivity to red meat because there was some mosquito in the US that was infecting people with something that had a similar effect - people suddenly went off red meat and it changed their whole eating for the rest of their lives, and in figuring out what was going on there, they connected it to people who were that way naturally, as it was effecting the same gene.

I have to pace carefully too @TheRealHousewife and @Graphista - I really need to think ahead or I can get myself in a real bind. I have an agreement with work to do condensed hours so I can sleep one afternoon midweek- if I don’t I’m in so much pain by the next Wed I can’t work.

I’m currently dancing close to the edge there - I’ve got a big deadline next week and to avoid working through the weekend (which would be a total disaster), I have started working late nights. I’m feeling surprisingly good, and I think it’s to do with eating better. I’m particularly proud that I kept to my IF - other times I would have been snacking all evening telling myself I deserved it because I was working so hard. But I think it was making me feel worse!

Anyway, I did weigh on Wed but didn’t post, as I was the aforementioned busy :). So I’ll report now:
SW 14 stone 4
CW 13 stone 11

That’s half a stone in two weeks! I’m quite pleased and so proud I’ve avoided the snacking.

I'm thrilled! I got a whoosh! 2lb off.

I spent last evening feeling disappointed I hadn't lost even a pound all week. I started questioning myself about what I've been eating, whether I've been having too many calories. Anyway I'm relieved I don't have to overhaul my eating.

Thank you so much everyone!

I've stuck to my healthy eating plan and gained 3lb in a week! Thank you menopause hormones...

@DownUdderer when I used to have tom I'd get a huge gain week before/of and then lose the week after but I have endo

We used to get skinny cow ices here remember them from ww times used to get them in Tesco but they don't do them now

Well done on getting your whoosh! We're building quite a glossary on here 

Whoosh!
Tortoise club
Onwards and inwards...

@buzzofthebumblebee I don't think 800 cals for months is wise! On occasion maybe but certainly not healthy or sustainable long term

At the ripe age of 49 I don't save best for best anymore I wear what I want and feel good in, sometimes meaning a nice dress, hair & nails done and makeup and jewellery for the Tesco delivery! Why not it makes ME feel good

@TheRealHousewife thanks why have you no scales access?

Yesterday I had a veggie "beef" in black bean sauce stir fry

Today

Meal 1 - Quorn cottage pie and carrots

Meal 2 - soup and sandwich

@SunshineCake1 I'm loving the idea of adding a little chilli sauce to soup might try that love blue dragon sweet chilli sauce for a little spice kick I can cope with

@murmuration that's really interesting re red meat and genetics I've not really looked into it I was just basing it on own experiences

I think pacing ourselves is really important. Not just physically but mentally we have a terrible presenteeist work culture in Uk.

7lbs in 2 weeks is fantastic well done

@jellyrolly yea it doesn't always work as it should. Even when doing ww I had weeks where I'd been really "good" and on plan to the letter and not even allowed extras and I'd gain, other weeks I knew I'd eaten too much and I'd lose!! Maddening! But as long as GENERALLY in right direction you're doing fine.

I've found using happy scale and being able to see the graph has a general downward trend really helps

Attached pic of current graph plus it also lets you set mini goals and assesses your rate of loss I'm around 0.9lb a week which isn't super good but it's in the right direction which is fine with me.