Support thread : Spring Weight Loss

[DespairingHomeowner]

Following on from thread started by @tigerbird, I’m starting a new thread for

@spicedsoup
@WutheredOut
@Thedailyfailx
@SparklingLime
@SkinnyCoffeeBean

And anyone who wants to join us

Intros:

Mid 40s. I’ve already lost 20 pounds or doing whole food plant based & exercising
2 week pause due to Covid

Am ready to get back into it … 1st proper day of work today so just a walk and reasonable eating planned

My goal is to lose a further 20 pounds, which I am targeting by June

Anyone else who’d like to join us for support/accountability is welcome

Yay! Thanks Despairing.

In 2020 I lost 3 stone on low carb/high fat and 16:8. Put it all back on again in 2021, and I’ve been struggling since to stick to anything. Four stone would see me back to a really sensible, happy weight.

Hi @SparklingLime… the dreaded yo yo, I know it well!

My weight seems to cycle up when life is stressful and then I change the situation and focus on weight loss.

I was doing well health/fitness wise pre pandemic but changed jobs to one with stressful & undpredictable days/long hours so often no time and cobbling snacks together instead of meals and no established exercise routine

I started on a whole food vegetarian plan (some dairy/eggs and some carbs at breakfast & lunch) in Jan and that’s been going really well

Having had Covid last couple of weeks, I’ve eaten lots of biscuits/bread etc for quick energy while recovering but since yesterday I’ve had a craving for vegetables etc again so on the mend :)

I plan to eat healthfully at maintenance for a few days then get back to a deficit this weekend/next week depending on how I’m feeling

Todays plan

• B: strawberries with yogurt & muesli
• L: a veg soup w flatbread
• S: hummus & carrot sticks
• D: mushroom omelette, tenderstem, few potato wedges

For me, when I’m losing weight it will be similar but 3 bigger meals and no snack, in a 10 hour window, plus no carbs at night

Once my energy returns I will be exercising again, but that’s a few days off

Todays win:

• boxing up some clothes that are now too big (to donate)

Thanks @DespairingHomeowner! A pre-emptive hello and welcome to anyone else who wants to join

I’m in my early 30s and struggled with food and weight for years, but after trying lots of things (and lots of advice from doctors etc) I finally found what works for me a few years back - low carb/keto and whole foods/minimally processed. I did an elimination diet and found lots of things I didn’t expect that cause me issues.

However, had a baby late last year and gained a fair bit during pregnancy (as has been the case with my other DCs!). So I’ve now got about 45lb to lose in total, but focusing on the first 10lb as I know any movement downward will be motivating.

Taken me longer to get this point as postpartum recovery has been slower than expected. My meds have also been out of whack (autoimmune condition) which hasn’t helped and I’ve been totally drained, but just had this amended so should hopefully improve over the next month.

Onwards and upwards - or, downwards?!

Onwards and downwards @spicedsoup

And actually, in that spirit I’ve changed my username, no longer a despairing homeowner (quite like my new place after I’ve moved) to bean stew: as eating lots of beans/whole foods has been the most helpful change to me

Looking forward to learning more about your keto experience @spicedsoup

Welcome @BeanStew22 the new chapter!

I’m not one for much meal planning - we have a loose plan of sorts with our food, so we know what we’ve got but there’s several things we could do with them. So this morning I’ve had a coffee (black) with some MCT oil and a (keto) cheese muffin. It’s mostly cheese held together with a bit of coconut flour and egg!

We’ve got some leftover lamb chops and chicken legs and plenty of salad veg, so I’ll likely have some combination of that later on. Possibly some freeze dried strawberries and raspberries and a cup of tea in a bit, that has become my afternoon snack during my convalescence.

Morning all. Hope you’re all having a good week

Feeling positive for today. Yesterday was good. Finished my day with yoghurt, peanut butter, cacao nibs and dried strawberries.

Had my coffee and MCT oil so far. Probably a snacky afternoon (maybe keto cheese muffin, freeze dried berries). Jerk pork belly and salad for dinner. Need to make some mayo! And several cups of tea throughout the day

Last year I lose more than 30 pounds of weight from my body. I really like this thread. I hope, so many people will achieve their weight loss goal in this year.

Hi All - less positive day here unfortunately. Healthy meals yesterday but day ended with an unplanned bagel & loads of peanut butter- think I’m still craving fast energy as I recover

5k steps yesterday but this has worn me out so will don’t less today (it was 15k before Covid, but I guess it will take time)

Congrats @jeffersonsam!

Indeed, go easy on yourself @BeanStew22. I think weight loss is absolutely a ‘Marathon not a sprint’ situation. And recovery takes time (she says, typing from bed, ready to doze off soon ).

Please can I join? Currently 10 Stone 10lbs and wanting to get to 9 stone 6lbs (I was this previously but overeating during lockdown meant my weight crept up!). I am back on it now though as of Monday. I am using MyFitnessPal for a 1.5lb weight loss per week and I am doing a 30-40min walk per day plus a 10-15 minute HIT session at home. I am already feeling better for it. Let's wish us all lots of determination and motivation!

@Riddlediddle: welcome. Your plan sounds great!

Hello! I'm 44, 5ft 1, just reached 10 stone for the first time which officially makes me overweight so I want to get back to and maintain nearer 9 stone.

I've done 5:2 a couple of times and can drop 1/2 stone in 3 months. I did last year and thought I would be 'clever' after I finished it and drop lunch as I found I wasn't missing it that much on 5:2 days and thought it might be a quick way to drop calories. Wrong! I think I just snacked on more calorific stuff, but kidded myself that it was no more than I usually snacked on (going back to lunching has proved this). Also, it's just middle age catching up with me.

I exercise moderately for 20 mins each morning, plus 2-3 40 min sessions on exercise bike each week, but I think I need to go back to the gym now - I used to do an hour about twice a week pre-COVID.

I'm not sure what to do about diet - I honestly don't think mine is that bad, but I could probably do to cut down on my meal portions a bit.

Any advice for good strategies for gradual and maintained weight loss? I'd prefer slow and steady - weekly weigh-ins don't really do anything for me, I'd rather weigh no more than once a month and see some progress.

Hi, do you mind if I join? Looking for some solidarity! I started dieting 5 weeks ago, lost a stone in the first three weeks, then 2lb, then 1lb. I'm roughly calorie counting. Also trying to exercise at least 4 times a week (YouTube, as I'm agoraphobic and very rarely go out.).
Sat (Torturing! lol) myself earlier watching the Easter Food Fest on QVC. So much chocolate...drools lol I have a massive sweet tooth. I'm also trying to avoid chocolate, cakes, etc as I'm (Type 2) diabetic.

Out of interest @73kittycat73, what did you do to lose a stone in 3 weeks?

Hello @73kittycat73! Welcome to the Spring Weight Loss mission

I cut out all the chocolate, crisps and cake Echobelly. I also tried to stick to 150g or less of crabs a day (I know that's not low to a lot of people.) and stick to 1200 cals a day.
Thank you BeanStew22.

Welcome!

@Echobelly I think I can relate, I’m losing weight ‘for life’ in a manner of speaking, so I need whatever I do to be sustainable, so if it happens slower but I’m back in the right mindset (a hyperemesis pregnancy is what led to where I am now) then I know I will feel better in many ways. Do whatever works for you and this little group will be supportive

On that, personally I’ve found I needed to take some time finding out what works for me, longer term, in terms of eating habits, foods, listening to my body. For instance I always want to eat in the evening, I typically like a little something in the morning (but not much), but I’m not all that hungry in the middle of the day. I spent years making myself eat 3 meals a day because I ‘should’ likewise with foods, I eat what I enjoy, drop things I don’t care much about, but keeping in mind nutritional needs. So I make sure I have enough protein (necessary for my condition), then eat low carb as it fits my natural preferences - meat and cheese, yay, don’t care if I don’t eat a potato Make sure you’re sufficiently hydrated too. Finally, I like chocolate - but not constantly, and mostly it’s the cocoa I like. So I have cocoa sometimes (as a drink, or as nibs, etc). But also, I used to have chocolate even when I actually wanted something else because I felt like, “It’s chocolate! It’s my favourite!”, so I wasn’t listening to my body and that didn’t help.

I don’t want to sound prescriptive, but one thing I’ve heard a lot of dieticians and nutritionists agreeing on (where they may diverge on plenty others!) is the benefit of focusing on whole foods and lower sugar. After that they all have different ideas

Congrats on your progress @73kittycat73

Oh, also taking measurements (waist, hips etc) is good. The movement doesn’t read as big as weight loss (think, 2” would be a noticeable loss but 2” doesn’t ‘sound’ like lots and it takes a little while). So it puts you into a slightly different mindset, whilst still maintaining focus.

I think I might start swapping my 'heavier' meal to lunch, as eating less later is recommended to help middle-aged weight loss. ATM I tend to have soup or salad or something with eggs for lunch, but will try having that at dinner.

I've always gained most weight around my waist and I'm starting to look pregnant in bloody everything (not just empire-line tops and dresses) given I have small boobs.

DH also needs to lose weight and always complains about it but never manages it properly he's tried doing 5:2 but never got anywhere with it because he still snacked bits and bobs on fast days, which totally misses the point. The thing I quite liked about 5:2 is that it's so absolute - I didn't break the rules of fast days because there was absolutely no point in doing it if you didn't stick to them. But as I said, it's not something I could do indefinitely, unlike one of my work colleagues who does it permanently - knowing there was an end point is kind of what got me through it!

People often say it helps to lose weight together, but I think DH and I have such different approaches that I don't see it working. For example he can't realltyabide planning meals, because he won't stick with it if he happens not to fancy eating that thing that day.

As for exercise, he likes harder and longer at the gym than I do. He likes running - although he's limited by refusing to run in the rain or the dark, which often causes him to miss out on in because he leaves it too late to go or because of the weather. I can't run for medical reasons. I can't ride a bike - I actually learned and forgot and I am terrified of biking on roads - and we're in London.

@spicedsoup

Congrats *@jeffersonsam*!

Indeed, go easy on yourself @BeanStew22. I think weight loss is absolutely a ‘Marathon not a sprint’ situation. And recovery takes time (she says, typing from bed, ready to doze off soon ).

Thank you.

Absolutly True. You Are Right. I agree your comment, Weight loss is like mararthon. We should follow each and every steps carefully. Another thing, We should never expect results within a day or weeks. It will take time.

@echobelly : I think the switching to bigger lunch/lighter dinner is v worth trying

Has been helpful to me as I snack less in afternoon then have a lighter earlier meal (no carbs) and stop eating by around 7pm

I had a snackcident last night. The Milky Bar and most of the Throntons Easter eggs are no more. Dare I weigh in on Monday?

@73kittycat73 I have in the past weighed myself when I’ve eaten more indulgently, from the perspective of accepting myself regardless and also understanding better how my weight can fluctuate. The reality is that if you eat more than intended on one day, over the long term it doesn’t really make a difference (obviously, if it’s every day or similarly frequent then it probably will make a difference!). But it’s habits over time that are the real deal. Also no one really has one fixed weight, it goes up and down throughout the day/week/month within a small range (maybe 2-3lb? Depends on the person I guess). But if you think it will really knock your confidence then don’t weigh, just focus on your habits and how you are feeling.

Today I cracked my protein conundrum by doing something genius and… having a protein shake. Innovative, I know I have collagen powder anyway, mixed with some yoghurt, small bit of fruit for flavour, and it did the trick, easy way to boost my protein but I can make it according to my preferences. Think this might be a more regular thing for me.

Have rejoined the gym - will start again Sunday. It's going to be a bit of a pain finding time as I used to often go when working from home, but on most of my working from home days now DH has the car for work, so I can't go in my lunch hour.