LOSE IT! January 2022 - Thread 2

[TheRealHousewife]

Following on from January Thread 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022 🍾 🎊 🎉 🍾

Fresh new year, fresh new start, fresh new habits. Jump right in to reset & refresh to become a healthier version of yourself.

As no one size fits all, members need to follow their own way of eating. 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. 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).

I calorie count based on a lower carb Mediterranean diet. I intermittent fasting and eat twice a day.

Are you in😊 What food plan will you be following? What do you want to change and why?

Useful Link - more to follow

@SingaporeSlinky it's also worth having a read of the article that @Crazzzycat has just posted on weight loss plateaus, it really helped me before. Also you're not massively overweight for your height according to the height/weight charts so you may find it a bit more of a slog. I'm classed as obese on those charts and still find it difficult to shift weight.

Thanks @crazzzycat, I'm definitely finding January hard but also think I might be being too hard on myself, I'm still working out on average 4 times a week a day eating far better than I was this time last year as I started at the end of Jan last year.
Just so annoyed that the lbs slip on far bloody easier than they slip off!!

@8stone13 definitely cook your favourite foods 👍. Live is for living. It’s all about the balance.

@ImALittlePea sending get well vibes. Plenty of fluids and rest when you can. I realise it’s difficult with a little one.

@Zalen well done on your progress to date 👍👏🏅. It isn’t easy losing and doesn’t come off as quick as it went on (wonder why?) You’ve come to the right place if you want support, motivation and inspiration… some great ladies here (you won’t be alone 😬)

@Youdoyoutoday You’ve done marvellously but perhaps you might benefit from a few days or a week ‘off plan’ but remaining mindful. I always know when unconscious self sabotage is biting at my butt as I tend to stop weighing out portions as well as myself. Usually at times of extreme fatigue/feeling under the weather/stress&anxiety. Be kind to yourself, you’ll get back on it 👍

@Crazzzycat great link! Thanks for posting. And bloody well done on not giving up. I agree January/February can be the worst months. Every day is a fresh start and if you’re doing your best that’s all you can do. I find once the Spring sunshine & warmer weather makes an appearance it can be motivating (thoughts of if only I’d kept at it I could wear this or feel that etc if that makes sense) 😬

Life*

Thanks @TheRealHousewife - I've decided to give myself a kick up the bum and stop wallowing in lethargy/guilt etc and try and pull myself out of the doldrums by being productive. Fingers crossed it works!

Great link, thank you @Crazzzycat - totally makes sense. Great exercise stats too btw!!! And far better for longer-term maintenance to have longer period of weight loss too I guess.

So for those feeling unmotivated or plateauing - me included - don't be disheartened. January is a really rubbish month anyhow. I always see January as a month to reset my mind rather than my body. Great to keep up the exercise but body too naturally probably wants to hold on to stores for the winter months (she says clutching at straws!).

My weight is really on a plateau too - despite me doing the same exercise and eating the same as when I was losing 1-2 lbs / week. Interestingly though, I still seem to be shrinking, despite what the scales say.

Don't be too hard on yourself @ImALittlePea and @Youdoyoutoday and others will little ones. Your day is so focussed on DC and energy scales can be so easily tipped by a bad night's sleep. Keep eating - but have healthy snacks to hand. Resist the sugary highs and lows. You will get there.

Welcome @Zalen you are in safe hands here! Lots of positive vibes your way.

That prawn & spinach curry sounds delicious @8stone13. I'd make a batch and have it anyhow - especially if DC's having a carb-high dinner.

Well done on your loss @Ste23321 very motivating to loose a chunk at the beginning. You are obviously doing something right !!

Your traybake sounds delicious @TheRealHousewife - note to self to buy sweet potatoes. Love them. I'm doing cabbage + bacon + pasta (only v small amount pasta for me), with half-fat creme fraiche, lots of black pepper for dinner.

All quiet from @SunshineCake1 and @Graphista .... hope you are both OK? I know I haven't known you long, but miss you!

Keep up good work everyone. As unmotivated as we are now, it will be so worth it come late spring & summer!

@buzzofthebumblebee Thank you. Your dinner menu is now in my recipe bank 😬

Morning all,

Stepped on the scales this morning .... big mistake!!! Anyway I'm telling myself it's not a real gain, and it will go away if I don't draw attention to it!

I have a good exercise plan this week, and will be on plan as much as I can be. But I am aware I need to be kind to myself as well. On Saturday I'm heading down to stay at my late dads place to begin the task of sorting through his belongings. I doubt I will get through that on salad.

But for today the plan is
Meal one - salad with baby bell, a small bag of Cadbury fingers and a yogurt
Meal two - salmon and pea pasta
Snacks - banana

I have been reading while I have been awol, and well done to all those with weight losses and some amazing and inspiring exercise stats going on!! To those struggling, we got this! One day at a time, one meal at a time, we can do this

Can anyone recommend a hypnosis for weight loss? I have Paul McKenna one but it’s really long (I think 25 minutes). I need a quick one I can do.

Interesting link @Crazzzycat, good to know these things. I'm wondering if, by incorporating healthy eating and exercise, the body still changes during that time despite not losing?

For anyone struggling with stamina whilst exercising, try omega 3 fish oil directly before a work out. I use to do this year's ago but got in to habit of taking first thing, anyway due to my period today I took it directly before exercising and it made the world of difference, I did my walk/ run without giving up and then went straight into t25 workout when I was home. I thoroughly recommend, my period is normally one of the first hurdles I fall at. Here is a link to explain more, I just googled and copied the first one to try and be helpful.
medium.com/change-your-mind/6-reasons-why-you-should-take-fish-oil-before-your-next-workout-2443112ca0

Keep making the right choices everyone. Which for me is throwing the jelly babies in the bin so I can't eat anymore. Never knew how calorific they were!

Thanks @TheRealHousewife and @buzzofthebumblebee.

First day of making an actual effort is going reasonably well, slimfast shake for breakfast and lunch, morning snack was a Toffee Crisp. Not ideal, I know, but I bought it at the weekend and slipped it into the freezer where no-one else would see it. At least I just bought one, and not the pack of 4 that I've got into the habit of picking up, so I'm going to consider that a win.

This is a really interesting question @campingqueen121 I'm wondering if, by incorporating healthy eating and exercise, the body still changes during that time despite not losing?

I have one of those scales that measures everything, including fat percentage, muscle weight and water. I tend not to pay much attention to those numbers, as I’m sceptical about how accurate they really are. But, I just had a look and in the three months that my weight has been almost stable, my fat percentage has decreased by close to 2%, while muscle mass and water are up.

The muscle mass is a difference of less than 1%, which considering the amount of exercise I do is a bit laughable, but it does seem to indicate that healthy changes are still happening in spite of weight staying relatively stable. That’s cheered me up a bit!

Today has definitely been one of "those" Mondays so I'm really glad I got organised yesterday.

Lunch was leak and potato soup. Dinner will be fajitas with leftover roast chicken. I bought the light sour cream, light cheese etc and have everything measured to the last gram. So hopefully a little bit of extra effort this week makes a difference.

Like @Crazzzycat, i have a smart scale as well, and yes when my weight is at a plateau my muscle mass and water generally increase and at a certain point the weight comes off in a chunk vs .2 lbs at a time.
i'm below 160 a weight i hope to not revisit for a long while!
159.8
goal for the week is to loose that .8
i'm back at my daily exercise routine (although only 30 minutes) and i'm pleased with this little change. the boob doesn't like any bouncing :(

@galacticpixels. i know it's not easy but the light stuff is full of chemicals which lead to cravings and weight gain. it's best to use the genuine old school as full of fat stuff as you can get and cut back on the amount to balance out the calorie requirement.
your liver will thank you.

@campingqueen121 which fish oil do you take?

I have the vitabiotics omega 3.6.9 which I usually take in the evening just before my main meal. I work out at 6.30am most days so normally on an empty stomach but wonder if it worth trying out?

I use a whole savoy cabbage sautéed with 1 pack lean bacon chopped up @TheRealHousewife but you would have worked that out ; )

@Zalen - what would be your normal breakfast & lunch if you didn't have the slimfast shakes? And dinners? Any scope to increase the protein and veg / salad ?

You sound so positive and upbeat to keep under 160s @fallfallfall it will most certainly happen, and more! Hope your poor boob heals up soon.

Can't help on hypnosis @Ste23321, sorry. But at the beginning I just repeated the following to myself - and usually out loud - on a fairly regular occasion: "Do I love chocolate / cake / bread / crisps more than I would love to be slim" ? Getting into the mindset of long term gain outweighing the short term craving worked for me. Hard, yes, very hard in fact to dig deep to restrict certain foods. But worth it? Yes! (lost over 22lbs).

Do I still get cravings? sometimes, but honestly, not so much. I went cold turkey, cut out all snacks, crisps, chocolate, refined carbs (cake, bread, etc). By just saying no completely, I didn't have the mental dilemma of deciding how much to have, the guilt, and the "just one more". I know this approach wouldn't work for everyone, but for me and my all-or-nothing habit, it has worked. Sorry - don't mean to preach - just sharing a different perspective!!

[quote fallfallfall]@galacticpixels. i know it's not easy but the light stuff is full of chemicals which lead to cravings and weight gain. it's best to use the genuine old school as full of fat stuff as you can get and cut back on the amount to balance out the calorie requirement.
your liver will thank you.[/quote]
You're probably right... Just having one of those weeks where I panicked as I could see myself getting a bit lazy and I'm trying anything to stay on track! 😢 I do normally buy the regular stuff since it tastes way better anyway!

Just saying hello.

I will read through properly but too late to comment as I think everyone will have.

Welcome to you @Zalen.

Still going on the treadmill most days and walking doggy at least once. It is harder running on the treadmill than outside as it is a constant speed but I'm trying. Weight loss stalled. But fed up but I went shopping and I know what we are eating every day this week. It's been ages since I have properly food planned and I feel so much better knowing all I have to do is read the board each morning.

Got the all clear for cancer but still waiting to see what is wrong with my blood tests and seeing the doctor later in the week for more tests.

Still supporting a friend through a serious crisis which I am happy to do but desperately sad she is in the situation she is in.

Sorry I have been a useless poster. Just find the busy thread overwhelming at times and you are all so knowledgeable even though some are new that I don't feel I can add anything.

Thank you @buzzofthebumblebee .

Todays food was soup and a roll, some crisps and four small squares of dark chocolate.
Snack 2 Linder chocolates
Dinner was tacos with chicken, avocado, mushrooms, onions, peppers, courgette and some parmentier potatoes. Strawberries.

Feeling proud as dh just sat next to me with a scotch egg and I definitely Did Not want a bite. Feeling full.

2022km in 2022 challenge going well.

@SunshineCake1 I had tacos with chicken too - added tomatoes, black beans and roast peppers. Avocado would have been great… I need to stock up on some. Anyone else who likes to add avocados to things (they are so tasty, filling and good for you) I found M&S to be very consistently good - if I’m spending a small fortune on them I don’t want to throw half them away cause they’re bad!

Lunch was moong dhal, boiled egg and a couple of tablespoons of brown basmati rice.

Breakfast: half a date, flaxseeds, greek yoghurt

Snacks: macchiato x2, dark chocolate, walnuts, pistachios, blackberries, apple crumble with cream

My step count was 15k - it took a lot of willpower today as my face was hurting from the cold 🥶

I’ve also been cooking more of what I love to eat, that my kids don’t like for the past few months. It means I’m having more warm salads and spicy vegetables. I tend to have these meals for lunch as they are nursery / school anyway.

Lost track of who mentioned this. @8stone13 I think :)

@buzzofthebumblebee normal breakfast would probably be, not have breakfast, then snack all morning. Normal lunch might be a can of soup with a couple of slices of bread, or nip up the shop and get sandwiches or cakes. So generally just, not good.

I've done 16:8 fasting before, that generally works well for me, but can be hard to get into it and when it goes wrong I end up snacking a lot. I mostly work best with strict rules, and as long as I keep to those rules I do fine. If I give myself permission to break the rules just once, then it's the start of a slippery slope.

This time I'm going back to MyFitness Pal, if I want to eat something, I have to log it, maybe I can hold myself accountable that way. I'm recently divorced, moved to my own place just before Christmas, it's just me and my youngest son now, so I have to stop blaming my ex-husband, it's all in my hands now.

Well, I just finished off my MFP entry for today, apparently if I carry on at this rate I will make it to 230.5lb in five weeks, that's on 8.5lb off which doesn't sound great but we'll see how it goes.

This afternoon's snack was a banana and a glass of apple juice and lemonade, dinner tonight was Crispy Tofu Nuggets with BBQ Beans and Wedges from Gousto, so it was very nice, very filling and I'm not worried that I did my usual and went way to heavy on the portion size.

@Raspberry12 Yes it was me 🙂

@SunshineCake1 Don't apologise, it's nice to see you checking in. Great news on the all clear, you've obviously got a heck of a lot on though. Sending support, look after yourself 🙂

@buzzofthebumblebee You talk a lot of sense around chocolate/sweet cravings. I might try the "do I want this chocolate more than I want to be slim" thing myself 🤔 Thanks 👍🏻