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

Thank you so much for that advice spicedsoup. It's the most chocolate I've had in 5 weeks since I started! I think I will weigh in on Monday. I'm coming round to the idea that this (Weight loss.) is not going to be done quickly, it's going to take months. (Want to lose another 2st 7lb.) I am a very black and white thinker, all or nothing, so I'm going to have to get my head around that. If I give myself an inch, I take a mile! lol I'm OK with savory food, I just have this HUGE sweet tooth!

So I've weighed in today (decided Friday's will ve my weekly weigh-in day) and I've lost 2lb since I started on Monday so I'm really pleased with that. However I think what I'm happier about is just how more energised and motivated I feel from getting outdoors and walking everyday. It's really made a positive difference to my mental health. Happy Friday everyone

Well done on the 2 pound loss @Riddlediddle!

I weighed in today too - I’ve had a small gain (5 pounds) in my 3 weeks if being ill with Covid (so no workouts or walking, but lots of biscuits). It’s all around my stomach…

Still recovering so not going to try to eat at a deficit, but including some more nutritious foods.

Small victory today - I’m at 7k steps and feel ok (was doing 15k before being ill, 1.5k while ill!), so getting there, guess it will take time

Congrats on the 2lb Riddlediddle. That's really good for five days! I must remember how I feel when I haven't been eating junk. So much better. Thank you for reminding me. (Confession, have eaten more junk today. Tomorrow is a new day though!)

Good luck @Echobelly with your renewed gym routine!

Congrats @Riddlediddle! I think walking is really nice, you can take in lots of different little things and enjoy at your pace whilst still getting some movement. It is one of my favourite things to do.

@BeanStew22 totally understandable when you’re recuperating and really sensible to take it gradual whilst you transition into fuller health. 7k steps is great!

Indeed @73kittycat73 there are many goals with weight loss, I like the concept of NSVs (non-scale victories), so the number on the scale is one goal, but so is feeling better, fitter, more energised, and so on. I also remember reading once something along the lines of “you didn’t gain overnight, it took time to gain the weight and it will take time to lose it as well”. I always think looking 6 months or a year ahead is good. Think: how might I feel/look etc in 6 months, in 1 year, if I go step by step? Because if I feel much better in 6 months and it is a gradual journey, that sounds great, and better than beating myself up for not losing lots in one month and then falling off the wagon (and so being no different really in 6 months from now!)

Had a good day, was able to go out for a walk and buy some really nice bits at the butchers. Having good food in the house helps! We bought some stuff recently from somewhere else and long story short, it was horrible so that messed up our meal planning quite a bit!

Still tired and achey, but it has improved a bit (enabling today’s trip out), my meds were adjusted earlier this week and it will take a while to be optimal but I’m already feeling a little bit less tired which is welcome. Had a rest when I got home, but it was later and shorter than usual.

Coffee and MCT oil for breakfast, homemade protein shake for lunch, steak and eggs for dinner. Going to have something for dessert, probably yoghurt, peanut butter, cocoa nibs and freeze dried fruit. I need a shorthand for that! And a cup of tea

Hi spicedsoup. Thank you for your wise words.
Nice to hear you are feeling a bit better.
What's MCT oil? Desert sounds good.
Any plans for tomorrow, or just resting up?

Average day here today

Some decently nutritious meals

(Yogurt with fruit& granola, avocado toast &
For dinner a leek and kale soup then a nut roast). Nowhere near a calorie deficit but starting to feel less exhausted exhausted at least!

What are everyone’s meal & workout plans for the week?

@73kittycat73 managed to sleep for about half the day yesterday my walk clearly took a toll! Today is very relaxed, just doing bits at home. Hope you’re having a good weekend! MCT oil is an oil high in medium chain triglycerides, supposed to be good for energy and brain function. Coconut oil is naturally high in MCT so some people just have that, I have a filtered oil so it’s pure MCT from coconuts but without the coconut flavour so it doesn’t really taste of anything. I have a tablespoon in my coffee in the morning. It kickstarts my brain

Great that you’re feeling less exhausted @BeanStew22

Rough plan for the week is coffee + MCT for breakfast, protein shake in the afternoon, meat and salad for dinner. Usually need more fat than that which I typically take as some yoghurt or cream with a few bits (maybe peanut butter, freeze dried fruit, cocoa nibs, etc) (I also have a bunch of supplements). Hope to get out for a longer walk at least once, twice if I’m up for it. Anything more would be amazing but I’m not going to push it!

Hi BeanStew22, sounds like a very tasty menu. Are you veggie?
exercise plans for this week is to do a 10min YouTube workout Mon-Fri, and go for a few walks in the sunshine we are (Supposed) to be having this week. Yourself?
Aww, spicedsoup, did the sleep make you feel any better? Thank you for the MCT explanation. I hope you manage a few short walks in the sunshine this week.
Weigh in day for me tomorrow. gulp lol

Hello @73kittycat73: yes I am, pre Covid I was doing whole food plant based, and lower carbs on the evenings, which I will be getting back to (slowly).

I bought some lovely walnut/fig bread at local farmers market so that will be a treat for this week: easing into healthy eating slowly

Feeling ok having done 9k steps today so i am planning to restart my lunchtime walks this week

Food wise:

• apple & blackberry porridge
• scrambled eggs on toast for lunch (with mushrooms/spinach)
• yogurt & banana for a snack
• maybe a veggie burger/sausages with veg tomorrow, something quick & easy!

Hope you’ve all had a restful weekend ready to start the week well :)

Hi BeanStew22, I'm veggie too. I'm not a very good cook so usually rely on Linda McCartney. That bread sounds delicious. Well done on your steps and healthy eating.
I weighed in today, and even though I had two binge days, I managed to lose 2lb! I think it was cutting down on the Slimming World chips. Although I calorie and carb counted them, I think they are the culprit.

@73kittycat73: huge congratulations on your weight loss!

It sounds like you are doing really well now, but if you are interested in cooking more from scratch etc. I am happy to share menus/recipes.

Because I prefer to have a less processed diet (usually) I tend to follow some principles from Dr Furber/Nutritarian diet: I think its worth looking into as its super healthy, even if you don't want to do it fully (its quite restrictive if you do it 100%)

• ie less processed, lots of beans, tons of veg, avoiding lots of oil.
• I probably have a lot more dairy/eggs than they suggest (its meant to be 5% or less, but I often have yogurt & eggs or cheese several times a week)]

Do you like either soups or stews? I have them a lot (esp for lunch) as a way to get lots of veg in)

Well done @73kittycat73 that's amazing.
How has everyone else's weigh it's gone today?

@BeanStew22 walnut and fig sounds delicious! Totally agree on the benefits of a whole food/minimally processed diet. It has made a huge difference in our household (albeit not veggie). It’s remarkable once you start reading ingredients lists and seeing how long and complicated they can be!

@73kittycat73 ha yes a bit better, gradually (very gradually) recovering from a medication change, so gently getting there congrats on your loss!

@Riddlediddle actually weighed myself today (I tend to forget to weigh myself in any way resembling regularly ), at first I didn’t think much if it until I realised I’ve lost 2lb in the past week, which is great especially with limited activity. Important to write it down otherwise I don’t realise how is it going for you?

Hi BeanStew22 Thank you. I do like soups and stews yes. I can't say 100% if I'd make my own, but I'm interested in your recipes? Thank you.
Thanks Riddlediddle. Did a 10 minute YouTube this morning (1000 steps) then this afternoon went for my first long walk this year. The sun was nice but the wind was a bit cold! Am doing the same tomorrow but it's supposed to be a bit warmer.
Thank you spicedsoup Congrats on your 2lb loss too! How are you doing it, low carb, calorie counting, etc? I hope you've had a good day anyway.

@73kittycat73 low carb, although that has been my normal way of eating for a few years, for health reasons, however one of the benefits of it beyond managing my condition is that it has made managing my weight so much easier, and I don’t get wild cravings anymore. But, last year I had a baby and had hyperemesis in pregnancy, then a slow recovery postpartum, so my diet went quite squiffy as I relied a lot more on convenience food (or whatever I could keep down!) which is rarely low carb. My weight gain is all from pregnancy, I’ve gained a lot every pregnancy but then manage to lose it, but this time the slow recovery has also delayed any weight loss. So, back to eating normally for me - low carb, whole foods, minimally processed - and take it from there. As I go I may need to keep refining to ensure I keep losing. Hopefully becoming more active again will also help.

God luck with it all then, have you been trying to lose the weight for a long time, or have you just started? Congrats on your baby!
Do you have any exercise plans, or are just being more active generally?
Oh yeah, my Fitbit turned up today!

@73kittycat73 baby is nearly 6mo, I thought I’d be on it by around 2mo but I was still recovering, since 3mo I’ve had a few false starts so trying to make a committed go of it now. Just trying to get more active generally for now but would like to incorporate exercise eventually, I really benefit from Pilates but also looking at other programmes on Fitness Blender. Fab on the Fitbit! They can be really motivating, to keep you moving regularly and more overall What are your exercise plans?

Hope everyone is having a good start to the week!

Hi. Good luck to you then, sounds like your a woman with a plan. I've never tried pilates, but have done a bit of yoga. I'm mainly doing a ten minute YouTube video a day (1000 steps, but it does progress to 2000, then 4000.) and have just started going for an afternoon walk now the weather is better. Looking forward to testing the Fitbit (Do you have one?) tomorrow, after I finally got it up and running! (< Wasn't earlier when trying to install and update. lol)

Morning all! I did a cheeky mid-week weigh in this morning and I'm now down to 10st 8lbs. 3 weeks ago I was 10st 13lbs so a nice steady 5lbs loss in 3 weeks which I'm happy with. Just another one and a half stones to go now.
Hope you are all doing well. I think this warm weather makes me feel more motivated as the thought of wearing lovely thin summery floaty dresses really spurs me on! X

@73kittycat73 YouTube videos sound a great idea. I used a Fitbit for years and found it motivational, just hasn’t been practical for a while with shielding, sicky pregnancy & recovery but might be useful once I’m out and about again!

@Riddlediddle fantastic! That’s great progress.

Noticing my bloat has gone down to almost gone so definitely moving the right way, yay. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Hi Riddlediddle, congrats on the weight loss! I had a floaty dress on today, it was lovely here. Went for a walk. Sadly it's turning back to cold weather next week. I hope it doesn't last long. Do you know what it's going to be like your way?
Hi spicedsoup. Good going on reducing your bloat! How are you today? Yes, the Fitbit can be quite inspiring can't it? I like seeing how many calories I've burnt.

Happy Monday everyone! How is everyone doing?

Hi Riddlediddle I weighed today. Originally it said I had lost 1lb, but I moved the scales to a flatter piece of floor and it said I lost 2lb, so I'm going with that. lol Sorting out the garden sheds in a while. My mum wants her smaller mobility scooter out and it's right at the back! Oh well, it's all activity!
How are you doing today? What's it like where you are? No sunshine here at the moment, but not raining either thank fully. I don't think it's too cold either but I haven't been out yet.