LOSE IT! February 2022

[TheRealHousewife]

A Warm Welcome to New and existing Members alike! Fresh new month, 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?

LOSE IT! January Thread 1

LOSE IT! January Thread 2

Useful link for lower carb menu ideas Free Low Carb Diet Plan

• more links to follow.

I’m in. I restarted my diet on Jan 3rd and I’m officially 5.2lbs down today. I’m calorie counting, doing as many steps as I can (min 15k) and re-doing couch to 5k. On week 2 of that now, 1 more run to go. In the zone now

@ImALittlePea, It’s very easy when dieting to become fixated on the number on the scales. I think you’re doing the right thing by staying away from them for a bit.

It’s also pretty normal to want to eat more high calorie food after you’ve had an indulgent weekend, especially when you’ve not been dieting for very long (not sure if that’s the case for you?)

A lot of it comes down to your gut bacteria. Basically if you eat high calorie foods for a few days, the gut bacteria that deal with those kinds of food will multiply rapidly and start sending signals to your brain that they want more and more of those high calorie foods. But it works the other way round too. If you eat a lot of high fibre, healthier foods, you’ll grow more of the bacteria that are good at processing those kinds of things and you’ll soon start craving carrot sticks!

@SunshineCake1, a fall off the treadmill? Yikes 😬 That sounds really painful. I hope you recover soon. I’m amazed by how much you managed to walk and run last month. I’m sure you’ll soon be back on it.

@buzzofthebumblebee 40 km of running is great! Are you planning to do a lot of training for that London: Brighton race? I’m sure you’ll be racking up the km in no time!

I weighed myself this morning and am starting February at 76 kg. I’d love to make it down to 75 this month. It’s only a modest goal, but February is short and I’ve not exactly been great at sticking to my healthy eating plan over the last few months, so best to be realistic 🤞

My plan for today is:

Lunch: Homemade lentil, carrot and cauliflower soup with pitta bread & cheese, plus a satsuma

Dinner: Tofu stir fry with satay sauce, soya yoghurt and a banana

I’m sure there will be some healthy(ish) snacks too, but I haven’t planned those out yet!

Morning all, happy February 🙂

I joined the Jan thread, having really been brought down by a pesky half stone that I've struggled to keep off since 2019, having always been slim & healthy. I've shifted most of it, & have discovered that weight-wise I'm comfortable where I am. If I lose more it'll be a bonus but it's not necessary - I no longer feel the need to see my username on the scales 😀 I'm focusing on maintenance, so I don't head to the wrong side of 9 & a half stone again, & better eating, both in terms of mindful enjoyment & healthier options. I've met lovely people on the Jan thread, & can see many of them here 👋🏻 Waving to newbies too. This is a great group full of support & encouragement 🙂

Right, first weigh in of Feb:

Day 31 - Tues 1st Feb - 9s 3 & 1/4lb
BMI 21.4
BF 24

Still recovering from the weekend's indulgence so not a bad result! Today will be the same as yesterday, I'll be having the other half of the carrot, lentil & coriander soup, along with some of the cheese scones & sponge pudding, all home made 😋 I think I'll have the latter with lemon curd 🍋

I'm one of those strange people who loves January 😬 It always feels like a blank canvas to me - I do loads of organising, sorting, clearing out, planning, & generally eating much better. Jan truly feels like a fresh start after the frantic nature of December especially with kids, I seem to spend that month shopping, wrapping, hiding what I've bought & wrapped, planning for culinary indulgence...so Jan is like a detox on all levels! But Feb...ugh. Slump. Rubbish weather, spring too far away, energy sapped by Christmas & the achievements of Jan. But I'm going to try & keep my momentum up this year!

Morning! Weighed in today to mark the first of the month. Slightly up on where I have been but I have still lost just over 7lbs in January. Happy with that. Work should settle down soon so I will get into a new routine for exercise and better eating 👍

Well done to all the January graduates 😊 and lovely to see all the newbies 😘

Good morning and happy February!

The rain wasn't inticing me out for my walk before work this morning so I did a workout on the spin bike instead. I'll get my walk in at lunch.

Lunch today is veg soup & a roll, and dinner is a Thai yellow tofu curry with rice.

Welcome to the thread @Darbs76 . Congrats on your loss to date! 👍👏

I totally agree about the gut biome being part of the weight loss/health puzzle. It explain why I actually do get cravings for veg 😬 Sensible feb goal 👍

That’s Healthy BMI you’ve got to @8stone13 👍 You can definitely keep up the momentum for February 🤞

@swampytiggaa that’s a great loss for January 👏👍🏅

@Crazzzycat on reading your last post I thought I’d read that healthy gut biome had been linked to less severe covid infections I found this link that suggests just that Gut Biome May Influence C19 Severity & Immune Response

@Crazzzycat that’s interesting what you said about gut bacteria. I’ve changed the types of food I eat, so instead of my old chocolate, biscuits and crisps I’m eating more (and more varied) vegetables, fruits, and also lots of nuts and seeds and natural live yoghurt. I’ve found my appetite has massively decreased and I no longer snack between meals. I do wonder if switching from squash to plain water has helped too.

I got my period this morning, and instead of finding I’ve gained a few pounds, I’m actually down half a pound. I did have less energy when I went to the gym, but I still walked there and back (about 25 mins each way) plus about 40 min exercise. On the way home I thought about what to eat and had a delicious bowl of strawberries, banana, granola and natural yoghurt. I really enjoyed it, and I know it’s healthy. 2 months ago I would have been hunting in the cupboards for chocolate. I’m really surprised it’s only taken about 3-4 weeks to make that change!

There’s a lot we don’t yet know about our gut and how it impacts our bodies, but from everything I’ve read about it, it’s clear it’s something worth investing in. A good range of plant foods, fermented foods, yoghurt and probiotics are all considered to be beneficial.

I found this article about how gut health impacts weight gain/ loss. Some interesting snippets of information:

www.healthline.com/nutrition/gut-bacteria-and-weight

Interesting that there may be a link between the severity of COVID infections and gut health too @TheRealHousewife. I wouldn’t be surprised if a decade from now, we’re all told to pop some probiotics!

Thank you for the link @Crazzzycat, going to have a cuppa and read it.

We all know how mental health impacts on weight loss … Friendly February’s Action for Happiness shared via photo. Moto being Happier. Kinda. Together.

Just been out for lunch with the husband spending our Christmas vouchers from the in-laws. Steak and chips and a pint of bitter 😋 just about to have a coffee and some sticky toffee cake 🍰. Was 3 miles each way so a bracing walk before eating 👍

Appreciate the gentle coaxing @TheRealHousewife 😉 and that's very true, visualisation is important.

That's so interesting @Crazzzycat! Yes I started pretty much on 4th Jan. Definitely something to keep in mind.

I managed a lunch of mixed veggies (courgette, pepper, mushroom, tomatoes, spinach) with a couple of poached eggs on top. Was so delish! And avoided the sarnies and cake at the play centre I took the 1yo to earlier 😋

I'm trying to prep a cottage pie for dinner but said 1yo has refused her nap since we got home, so all I've done is try and get her to sleep. I'm hoping I manage to get it done as otherwise it'll end up being a freezer dinner as I have such little time outside of her naps to cook (apart from when the kids go to bed, but them I'm meant to work 😏)... it's a hard juggle sometimes.

Happy February everyone!!

I'm so pretending that January just didn't happen! All I did was put on weight, such a twit! So today is a fresh start to fix what mistakes I've made (mainly hitting the wine come dinner time)!

I haven't snacked today, drinking lot of tick tock tea as I feel too cold to drink lots of water.

Went swimming today and managed 30 lengths in 31 minutes. Sounds silly but that pissed off because if it hadn't been for other people fannying about, I could have achieved 30 in 30. I'll go a bit earlier on Thursday and be ready to get in the pool at 6.30am instead of 6.35am as that will make a difference.

Interesting article about gut bacteria, I've only skimmed it but I'll read it later properly.

I need some sort of boost though, eating 1400 calories a day and exercising 6 days a week obviously isn't working as well as I hoped which is quite depressing really!!

Well im off to finish my to do list!

❤

Hi all ... thanks for the welcome and to everyone who is up against it in various ways but still looking after their health and happiness.

I'm in a cafe with a waiter who has forgotten my order of cake because he's busy chatting someone up 🥰 I'm so relieved!! I didn't need it and was sabotaging myself for no reason for a random craving!! I might have reminded him if it wasn't for the accountability of joining you all here

My mantra for this month: I can eat anything I want - but not everything I want.

That's a fantastic mantra @RebeccaNoodles!

Well done @RebeccaNoodles for not reminding him! And I too love the little mantra! I may steal that !!

Thank you @TheRealHousewife. It has been another impossibly hard day with difficult phone calls. Our son is coming home sometime this week and then we will have to talk to both our other children about their sister .

Yep @Crazzzycat, off the treadmill while it was moving. I had paused it and because I had been running fast when it slowed down on pause I thought it was about to stop so turned to step off and just went flying. I'm still aching today.

Great swim @Youdoyoutoday and commiserations on your not 30 in 30. After I fell off the treadmill I got back on and carried on running and was so close to beating my best 5km outside and was gutted that I just missed it.

I can eat anything I want but not everything I want @RebeccaNoodles brilliant. Thought it deserved holding.

hello everyone, i'm well into the rhythm of exercising, now to get the snacks out of the way and get the stress bulge gone!
starting the month similar to two weeks ago
159.9
i'll catch up on the reading when i have a free minute or 30 free minutes :)
gung hey fat choy and pad thai for supper 397 calories i MAY compliment that with a tiny rice pudding for desert after all it's a celebration.

Thanks to you too @ginsparkles. Sorry I missed your post.

I’m pleased you read it in the spirit it was meant @ImALittlePea 🙏

Great mantra @RebeccaNoodles 👍

Hi @fallfallfall a warm welcome to Febs thread 👍.

Posted pic of meal 2 - Pan fried Salmon, oven roasted vegetables & quinoa. Drizzle of home made dressing.

oh my @SunshineCake1! following my big fall a couple/few years ago now i'm petrified of falling off anything. stay safe.
@TheRealHousewife, in the past when i forgot to log my exercise minutes i have "tricked" the watch by entering yoga and going about life for the x amount of time that i had exercised but forgot to enter.
so if you are doing your minutes and would like the satisfaction of the rings closing and the awards try entering yoga.

Well done everyone for getting through January and thank you for the motivation, I don't think I'd be as committed without you all.

I'm down from 137 to 128.2 which is fabulous, and even more pleasing are my measurements. I've lost a whooping 3.5 inches off my tum, 2.75 off my waist, 2 off my hips, 1.75 off my bust, 1.5 off my butt and between 0.5 and 1 off my arms and thighs.

I know February isn't going to look anything like January for me, so I am just aiming for 0.5lb a week now but hope to see another inch or two off in places by March.

Keep up the hard work everyone.

Can I join?

January was an absolute shambles for me! I actually started fresh yesterday (with it being Monday and all)! My Feb goal is to literally just get back into eating less calories and not snacking and then March I will focus on incorporating more vegetables etc.

How is everyone finding it so far?

Welcome @BellaElla99

I'm finding myself doing rubbish but I'll keep trying and get there eventually.

@SunshineCake1 what are you struggling with?