Self improve plan

[MistySkiesAfterRain]

So I have some 3 month goals and need accountability!

1. 13 weeks until I go on holiday , lose a stone at least and get into exercise routine
2. Pay off holiday and pay off debt also in 13 weeks
3. Stop working extra hours
4. Declutter

Anyone want to join with their plan?

I’m going to jump on this thread! I have quite a few lbs to lose since having my little girl. She is 8 months now, so I feel ready physically to start excising more. My diet is not terrible but I think the biggest thing I need to work on is tone. I’m aiming for a 1-2 stone loss, with more cardio for fitness and some light weight training to work on overall tone.

I like that you are taking on an overall declutter of life, hopefully your determination will rub off on me. I have a bit of baby clutter and new house clutter to get on top of. I know that when I exercise, it makes me more motivated to get on with it and on and do more!

My baby is in a very good routine so I need to take advantage of this stage and get some proper workouts into my day. I think I’m going to buy some weights and combine this with pilates at home. Wish me luck🍀

@Llamasally haha it just a personalised laminated chart with stickers!

Welcome @SherryPort18 Good luck, sounds like a great plan especially to start with exercise.

1. I've lost 5lbs so far! I had quite a stressful week and had a couple of slips but managed to steer it back. I also had a terrible headache for 2 days as a reaction to some medication. Not making excuses but still no swimming although I did walk a bit more.

1. So my credit card is down to £430 and my overdraft is £950. It has been super successful on this front - mainly things I needed to return/refunds and I made £70 on ebay.

1. I have made a new plan to work somewhere else on a Friday as I am really struggling with WFH full time. So I will be working out the home Weds and Fri, hoping this will give me back the normality.

1. I went through the freezer and store cupboard and got rid of out of date things. Also, this was unplanned but last year I bought a subscription to an app that cleans email inboxes. I used it last summer and had a zero inbox. I got an email to say it was running out so I quickly used it again and went from 2,500 emails to 0 emails. Have determined to keep unsubscribing from emails. Lots more declutter jobs to do.

How is everyone else getting on?

Wow great progress @MistySkiesAfterRain! I’ve lost 3lbs so far and got a big basket now full of outgrown DC clothes to take to the charity shop. I’ve thrown a few bits out that have been taking up mental capacity to look at! Need to do some selling this week after a few ruthless sessions in the wardrobe (and buying myself new things)

@Llamasally that's great progress! I think some of mine was water retention ha ha! Clearing out does feel good. I'm gradually working my way around rooms but it is mostly tidying at the moment.

Tried to scan a bunch of books into We Buy Books but I don't have enough for a sale and can't bring myself to part with cook books, so that was a non starter 😂

Off to bed now as I am hungry and if I stay up will end up snacking 😂

Just posting a small success - today had cereal, chicken casserole, a banana and just making a chicken fajita for dinner. No snacking! I really want to lose 2lbs this week but will be happy with 1lb!

Doing excellently at killing my own thread.

How are we all doing?
@Hereforthedramaz
@RunningKatie
@Llamasally
@AnneButNotHathaway

@SherryPort18
@Readytostartagain

1. 13 weeks until I go on holiday , lose a stone at least and get into exercise routine

I haven't gained or lost weight this week, but I really think I am cracking the sugar thing. I was SO tired and I think it may have been stopping sugar. Energy has picked up again now.

1. Pay off holiday and pay off debt also in 13 weeks

Budgeting is going well.

1. Stop working extra hours

I'm focusing on getting caught up.

1. Declutter

I tidied two rooms this week.

Goals goals goals. I've got some batch cooking to do this weekend, also catch up work tasks. I would really like to finish tidying up and also I need to clean and stain some wooden decking while it is warm and dry. I also must swim.

@MistySkiesAfterRain I’ve somehow gained 3lbs and feeling very fed up!!

In better news, I tidied up the garage and office, have an even bigger basket of outgrown DC clothes and now starting on mine - ordered lots of new knickers!

Thanks for the prompt @MistySkiesAfterRain !

I've done ok on the weightloss, I'm down 1kg (2.2 pounds) since I set my goals.

Not so well on the other things!!

@Llamasally Oh that's frustrating, some weeks are like that. Hope you have a better week next week. Sounds like great progress on the decluttering!

@Hereforthedramaz That's amazing well done!! One step at a time!

I weighed in this morning and had lost half a pound this week. Finally! I need to log my food but its so time consuming. I know it will help though so will try and start from tomorrow.

Have started a new fund as saving towards a car. So that's a goal for later but one I need to start on now. Did a lot of batch cooking today.

I also cleaned the outside decking. I forgot how much I hate doing that, which is clear in the fact I have lived here 7 years and its only the second time I have done the balcony. Tomorrow I will stain it.

I also have to do some work tomorrow.

Next weekend I might tackle the kithcen and boxes. I got so fed up of all the clutter I put it in plastic boxes and the time has come to sort them out.

I am really putting off swimming/exercise aren't I.

1. Weighed in again and actual weight loss last week was 1.5lb, woop. Started meal logging. Also using digital scales for weighing as less forgiving so more motivating.

1. Have £35 in my car fund! I want to sell £350 of things over the next few months. I've scheduled a "selling weekend" in April to upload stuff.

1. I'm finally catching up with work with the help of the Focus Mate website. Giving myself a deadline of end March. I think work stress has been motivating my cleaning as I at least feel on top of something!

1. Had a mega declutter session yesterday. Got rid of seven bags of soil and all the dead plants. Will have to clean the balcony again as not happy with how clean it is. But it looks less like a jungle / Glastonbury festival and more like a calm oasis. I also tidied the kitchen and lounge. I stopped short of moving all the furniture round and just moved the rug and chair position, which looks much nicer. I also put my exercise bike by the window and facing the TV so there is NO excuse! I did 7 minutes on it today and had a 15 minute walk so I am getting somewhere, slowly! I've roughly planned out and scheduled some deep cleaning for April.

@MistySkiesAfterRain wow that is impressive progress!

I don't seem to be progressing with the big things around the house/ garden so I'm changing tactics and going for achieving something (regardless of insignificance!) every day!

Today's small task is get rid of the unnecessary cardboard boxes I seem to have started hoarding "just in case!" No idea what I think I'll suddenly need them for!

Great work @MistySkiesAfterRain!

I’ve started doing something I used to years ago - a 5-10 minute yoga flow routine as soon as I wake up- feeling better for it.

I’ve also cleared out and chucked a load of junk under our bed, which has freed up storage for some things that didn’t have a home

@Llamasally Yoga sounds amazing!

1. Lost 2lb this week. Total loss 8lb.

1. Just been paid so need to round up where I am at.

1. Still working extra hours but am not behind.

1. I'm still stuck on cleaning my balcony. I've done 3 slats to a level I am happy with. Only 12 more to do before it rains. This is my exercise lol.

@MistySkiesAfterRain what have you been following to lose the weight? That’s a great result - also depressing as I just haven’t sorted my diet out at all if I’m honest 😔 I feel like shit about it.

On the other things, I’m doing well. Sorted savings direct debits for me and DCs and opened junior ISAs, done quite a bit of decluttering, bought new storage and blitzed both playroom and the cupboard of doom…which is all good progress but I still look like an overstuffed sausage

I am doing Gousto. So no need to meal plan and it says what the calories are for each recipe. I also enter it all into a tracker and aim for a 200 cal deficit a day. Absolutely no going over! That is literally all, so zero effort really. Not a huge amount of exercise, just walking and the odd 10 min stint on my exercise bike.

Prior to doing Gousto I went through the freezer and cupboards and chucked all the out of date stuff out.

The aim is to have a stack of Gousto cards and plan out the shopping for those, maybe about 6 weeks worth, then cancel the subscription. Then when I get bored restart the subscription for some more recipes. Obviously it is a lot cheaper to just buy the ingredients. Gousto also has a cookbook website with lots of recipes for free. I have a Gousto code if you want to try.

cook.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=CATHE43038281&utm_source=weblink

That is awesome on the bank accounts and decluttering front. I am still haunted by the balcony which needs cleaning and staining before it rains. I think I may be covering it with bin liners.

Thr free website : www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/recipes

I don't tend to mention how I am doing it as I know not everyone can afford it. But I was spending more on impulse meals. So it is less than what I was spending.

@MistySkiesAfterRain

That’s interesting- I did Hello Fresh not too long ago but stopped it as all the recipes that were healthier were very onion heavy and onions don’t really agree with me. Do you have any snacks, or just 3 meals one of the Gousto?

I do porridge for breakfast, a home made wrap for lunch and a Gousto dinner. I'm not really snacking now I have got into it, but not super strict.

So if hungry I might have some apple, or a ryvita with some low fat cheese and tomato as a snack. Yest my lunch was an egg sandwich (lowest cal I could find) and some 100 cal lentil crisps as I was in the office and forgot lunch, was hungry later and on way home had a low fat plain yoghurt and small banana.

Today I feel hungry so having my Gousto dinner earlier than usually and will then probably have milk and apple later.

I tried Hello Fresh, I think Gousto is tastier personally. Gousto use a lot of tomatoes, veg stock, soy sauce in their recipes, so swings and roundabouts.

Progress so far

1. 13 weeks until I go on holiday , lose a stone at least and get into exercise routine

It's now 7 weeks to go!!! I've lost 9lbs so pretty pleased with that but going to keep going. Had my Covid jab and it is TOTM so that is yet another excuse for not exercising but I WILL DO IT!!

1. Pay off holiday and pay off debt also in 13 weeks

I'm trying to lower my overdraft. Budgeting carefully which is going well, but progress is slow. My next task is to sell a bunch of things which should help.

1. Stop working extra hours

So in theory, if I just work solidly and consistently in my hours then I should not be working extra hours. I am going to put this to the test in April.

1. Declutter

I FINALLY finished scrubbing and oiling my decking. I am really pleased with this mammoth task. I've got more cleaning tasks scheduled. I still feel there is a LOT of clutter. I'm also conscious I need to buy some holiday clothes but that won't be happening until I have lost another half stone.

Weekly update

1. 13 weeks until I go on holiday , lose a stone at least and get into exercise routine

44 days to go. 10.8lb loss so far. Just need to keep losing. Not been very well post Covid jab

1. Pay off holiday and pay off debt also in 13 weeks

I've been sticking to my budget. Not sold any more yet due to fuzzy brain post Covid.

1. Stop working extra hours

This is where I am falling down, as I wasn't very well post Covid, I now feel like I am behind and have to do it all again and it feels relentless. In reality I am probably about a day behind but my mojo has gone severely awol. Not sure what the answer is but I will find one.

1. Declutter

Home is tidy and I have done all the ironing. I need to order some coat hangers which will help with tidying. I have broken down deep cleaning the kitchen into smaller tasks that take less than an hour each, to help me get motivated.

Time is the issue really. Have been sat on my phone since 9am and need to snap out of it!