LOSE IT! March 2022 🌼

[TheRealHousewife]

WOW 😯 Where did February go … 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 fast and generally eat twice a day.

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

February 2022

Useful link if you’re unsure where to start:-

NHS Weight Loss Plan

More links to follow.

That’s lovely fall!
I think I’d be willing to do once a month, but the charge for one-off sessions is £40 for 45 mins. So it would quickly add up, and I’m a bit of a cheap skate 🙂

@SingaporeSlinky

Sunshine I think you’re right. The PT has already emailed me. I was going to throw my husband under the bus by replying that I hadn’t consulted him, and he doesn’t really want me spending so much money on top of the gym membership (20 sessions would be over £600!) but he said the PT might then reply offering just one or two sessions, and then I’m stuck again. So I think I’ll just say I’ve changed my mind, he did say the consultation was completely no obligation. And when I see him at 2 of my weekly classes I’ll just hide at the back 😂 I’m kidding, I’m sure he won’t mind.

Yeah, don't use your husband as a get out. You are a grown independent woman and you can say no without hiding behind him. Sent with support as I know how hard it can be to say no.

the pt had me doing 200 calories of cardio in 20 minutes, so treadmill, or bike with the resistance working it's way up and down. then 20 minutes on some equipment with weight/resistance (it was a circuit type place) then 20 minutes of alternating upper or lower body work including core.
i did this daily for a year. but that schedule wasn't sustainable much past year 2.

Thanks fall yes I keep reading that the resistance going up and down is very good for you, rather than just a steady rate for 30 mins. I have been doing uphill fast-ish walking on the treadmill, but my heart rate only goes up to a max of about 135, whereas my friend running on the flat treadmill is easily getting 150 or above.
On the cross-trainer, we were on machines next to each other and I had my resistance higher, but slower, and although I was sweating and heavy breathing, still only 135. She was lower resistance but faster, and much higher heart rate again. So I’m wondering if I need to reset everything I’ve been doing!

At least the classes I’m doing will be properly thought out, I do 2 spin classes, 1 legs, bums and tums, 1 body tone and 1 pump.

That is interesting about the heart rate @SingaporeSlinky. My friend is a professional athlete and she said I should be running at a heart rate of 135. When my watch tells me my run was demanding or very demanding I though it meant I was running really well. However she said no, it means I am running too fast. When I was on the treadmill today it was about 150 but I think it has been a little higher at times.

i was never of the impression the actual heart rate was of great importance but monique would check mine every now and then to make sure it didn't go too high. my dh has a low resting heart rate needs to really be doing something pretty intense to register over 100.

with the walk at home stuff i will go from a resting of 70ish to 154 with the average being 132.
i do some resistance upper body work 3-4 times a week? it's often included in the walking program using resistance bands.
it will be a while before i can get my bike out, which allows me to push a bit more on both the cardio and the resistance vs the walk at home program.

My resting rate is low too, about 58, and according to online calculators (and the PT today) maximum would be 220 minus your age, so 180 for me. According to my Fitbit it hasn’t gone above 142 all week. So either I’m not pushing myself enough, or it just won’t go that high as it’s starting lower than average. Who knows. To be fair I’m not pushing myself to my absolute limit, but that’s not what I want to aim for.

Sunshine that’s interesting she said 135 - is that for you, specifically?

Yes.

Morning all! Currently in bed with tea 😊 gearing up to get ready for parkrun 👍 last 2 days at work then I have 5 off yay!

Next week we are getting a skip to clear the garden of the storm broken gates and to get the shed cleared. My neighbour has a skip company so we got mates rates and it’s coming on Tuesday 👍

@SingaporeSlinky, I do a program that switches between higher and lower resistance on the cross trainer, but I can only get my heart rate up to the max on the lower resistance. I simply don’t have the muscle power on the higher resistance to go fast enough to hit my maximum heart rate, if that makes sense. So higher resistance doesn’t always equal a more intense cardio workout, but it should help build muscle faster.

Also, what are you using to measure your heart rate? If it’s a FitBit, I find mine incredibly unreliable with any kind of exercise that gets you to bend your wrist (like a cosstrainer, or rowing).

@Crazzzycat yes a Fitbit, although whenever I’ve used the machine heart rate handles it’s been only a 2 or 3 beats difference.

I don’t like running, so prefer to walk uphill to get my cardio. On the cross trainer, I thought the higher resistance would be better, but I guess in both instances, my friend doing the faster speed is getting a better workout. It’s so confusing.

I will make a plan for next week to try and vary what I’m doing, because after the morning class I just do treadmill, cross-trainer each for about 15-20 mins, then 10 minutes or so on weights.
I’ll try the rowing machine as suggested, and varying my speeds on the other machines. Thanks.

@SingaporeSlinky, there’s also the possibility that your max heart rate is lower than average. That formula that the PT used works for “an average person”, but there are always people who aren’t average!

I find that nothing gets my heart rate up as high or as fast as rowing. So if you put in some decent effort on that machine for say 2 to 3 minutes and look at your heart rate then, that should give you an idea of whether you can push your heart rate up. (be mindful of form though, push hard with your legs and don’t give yourself a back injury)

Finally 😅 getting your heart rate above 135, is important if you are trying to build up your cardio fitness. It’s not actually that much better for burning fat. In fact your body tends to use fat stores more at lower exercise intensities. At higher intensities, it will be taking the energy from your muscles and from the carbs you may have been eating. Obviously that helps with weightloss too, because those energy stores need to be replenished, but it’s a different process and lower intensity workouts definitely still burn fat!

Day 63 - Sat 5th March - 9s 1 & 1/4lb
BMI 21.0
BF 23.1

Wow I didn't expect that loss! Really pleased though, that's the lowest I've been for over a year & the last time I was consistently in this zone was late 2018 👏🏻

Gorgeous spring sunshine here & it's set to last for the next 5 days apparently, hope it's the same where other UKers are ⛅️

Happy weekend all 🙂

Impressive, 8stone13.. congrats! Hope you get a chance to take advantage of the sunshine.

I don't have a fitbit or anything similar so don't measure my heart rate - is it worth investing in something? I guess it's a good thing to know if you're ovedoing it so perhaps when I get a bit more full on with my exercise?

My DC are with their Dad every other Friday night so I get the opportunity for a Saturday, non working day lie-in (well, other than the 6,30am wakeup call for my kitties but at least I can go back to bed!) It's bliss and means I can have Brunch - smash my breakfast and lunch calories together and have a mid morning feast It's great and such a treat. Today had a mini Full English... yum! DC are never away more than about 24 hours but it really makes the daily slog a lot easier...

Hope everyone else is doing what they fancy today... I'm now lying on my bed, watching my littlest kitten maul a ball toy and don't plan to move until the small ones come home!

Thanks @SanFranBear High five to you from another single mum ✋🏻 😀

Mine go to my ex-wife EOW, she lives nearby & does all she can to be involved but I still carry the weight of everything to do with the kids (by agreement - she works a lot of hours & is very generous financially but has little time) so I know just what you mean about the break - enjoy the sweet taste of time to yourself!

Thanks 8stone13 - it's a tricky one... hard, hard work but also so rewarding at the same time. Good to see your ExW supports you, even if just mainly financially - wish my ExH felt the same level of responsibility but hey.. its never a race to the bottom and this thread is all about building us up and staying positive!

That said, it's one of the reasons I find getting time to sort myself out so hard - years back when I lost so much weight, they were really little so I'd just do exercise etc when they were in bed. Thankfully, they're getting ever bigger now and can be trusted enough for me to nip out for an hour or so for a brisk walk, but my evening alone time is now limited as they stay up so much later. Swings and roundabouts, I guess. And if you prioritise it, there's always a way!

Incidentally, that's why I'm a big fan of the 30 Day Shred - I could fit it in, whatever my day had been like, as its only 25 minutes... I really should look out my DVD again

Honestly my weight is up and down like a fiddlers elbow at the minute! Never mind it’ll settle eventually.

Did parkrun this morning and now I’m at work. 17k steps done so far today. Looking forward to Monday tho and my time off

I just worked out today my scales change where I put them on bedroom floor! Waahh

But I did a sort of boot camp class for an hour outside this morning,

Had half bagel with scrambled eggs for breakfast, spinach and mushroom omelette with chips for lunch and having veggie tofu stir fry for dinner. Had a few Nairn’s ginger biscuits and tea with semi skimmed or skimmed milk.

@SingaporeSlinky

Hi all, I had a consultation with a PT at the gym this morning, but quickly realised it was just a hard sell, trying to sign me up to a load of sessions at 30 pounds per 45 mins. Then asking if I want to pay upfront, or half now, half later. I did the whole ‘email me and I’ll have a think’. I was a bit too chicken to just say no, and gave the impression I’d be keen to book some for a few weeks, leading up to my holiday at Easter (which was the whole reason I started this). Now need to think how I can back-track!

One thing I realised while talking to him though, is that although I’ve now lost 13lbs, I just feel like a slightly smaller version of myself, as opposed to a toned version. So really I just need advice on what to do to tone up properly. I’m doing 5 classes a week, plus extra time on the treadmill, cross-trainer and a few weights, but I’m not strong.

Any advice? Just slowly increase weights and maybe skip the cardio?

@SingaporeSlinky - I hate hard sell PT sessions at gym.

Toning up with me it takes time… but my friend who goes to the gym most weekdays and does machines with her boyfriend has really toned up in a nice way. What’s good is she said she put on weight when she couldn’t get to gym over lockdown so since they reopened last year she’s been very on it going to the gym a lot and she’s lost the weight and toned up loads.

@Gonnagetgoing yes you definitely have to put the scales in exactly the same place every day, it can make a big difference, even on what you assume are flat tiles! I hope it wasn’t too much of a shock 😆

I spoke to my friend again today and she said it took her a good 6 months to tone up. How has your friend done it, do you know?

[quote SingaporeSlinky]@Gonnagetgoing yes you definitely have to put the scales in exactly the same place every day, it can make a big difference, even on what you assume are flat tiles! I hope it wasn’t too much of a shock 😆

I spoke to my friend again today and she said it took her a good 6 months to tone up. How has your friend done it, do you know?[/quote]
@SingaporeSlinky - thanks re scales!

My friend has just been ruthless down the gym after work every day apart from weekends and she also tailors her diet to match. I can ask her for advice if you like? She often goes with her boyfriend so they both spur each other on.

I mean it’s taken from last September to now to tone up but she was seeing results by December. Like I said she really knows what machines to use whereas I’m not as hardcore as she is, no way!

Perhaps I need to be more patient, I only started counting calories in the second week of Jan, and joined the gym about 2 weeks after that, so it’s only been 5 weeks really, and I did ease myself into it given how unfit I was to begin with. I do feel like I’m getting stronger, can do slightly heavier weights, more sets, higher resistance on the treadmill and cross-trainer.

I think it was just a strange realisation that apart from losing weight, my shape hasn’t changed, and I’m still not happy with my tummy or arms. I have 5 weeks left until holiday, which isn’t that long, but I’ll try and switch up what I’m doing a bit during the next week and see how I get on.

@Gonnagetgoing I just leave mine in the same place tbh. I’m a bit scared of them because they give me way too much information 😂😂

I’m in bed and I’ve just had an absolutely massive g&t 👍 just done day 11 of 12 at work so I think I deserve it!

So today was my first day after my birthday celebrations lasted a few days!
I’m going to weigh in on Wednesdays.
I’m cutting out toast on weekdays and will be having porridge or overnight oats.
No drinking alcohol weekday nights, actually I’m kickstarting today so no alcohol this weekend.
Fruit or you gift if I have dessert and healthy options for dinners and lunches.
Back at work Monday and will have to avoid the snack cupboard!