DIET FAILED AGAIN? Me too. Join me in a friendly, easy going diet thread where we can take our time and see results no matter how long it takes with positive encouragement along the way.

[poorpaws]

My story so far:
I started a thread “Lockdown stones to lose” in early June last year. I had nearly 3 stones to lose and was very determined. At times I did very well and at one point had lost over 1.5 stones.

Loads of people joined and then left and I think only four of us remained at the end. I kept plodding on. Just after Christmas I became ill for seven weeks (Covid related). I couldn’t do much or go out so my weight ballooned. I still kept plodding on. Then one of my dogs suffered an horrendous attack and whilst nursing her I just about lived on chocolate.

So here I am nearly 11 months later, most likely very nearly back to square one. I keep reminding myself that last time I said I would not give up no matter what! Will you join me tomorrow morning? I would love some company.

How are you doing with Slimming World @Bigbus ? I'm thinking of joining for the RL support - just find it hard trying to follow any weight loss programme on my own. Also perhaps they'd have some good family recipes for us all to try - like @applesandpears33 I find cooking for everyone rather challenging!

@GinnieHempstock I'm sorry to hear that your DC are having a hard time of it. It's so tricky when they have issues you can't 'fix'! DTS1 (6) has ASD and finds school hard work, he has some lovely friends but in general he finds social relationships tough. I worry about how he will cope as he gets older

I'm sorry to hear your ME has flared up again @poorpaws , I hope you were able to rest properly this weekend and that you feel better soon! You probably remember me saying before about having the most awful flu when the DC were just over 2, and lack of rest led to it dragging on, and on, and on... it was 10 weeks before I felt better. Like @ClinkeyMonkey I recognised that I needed to look after myself better, but just couldn't manage it at the time.

I think I've caught up now - only 3 black screens of doom from MN whilst I typed, a record! - I'm hoping to get back into a routine now this weekend's out of the way. I've started C25K again but am just behind @Midnightstar76 , I've done W1 R1 & 2, and am planning to go again Thursday. I also have my next meeting (via Zoom) of my diabetes prevention course, and so far haven't had chance to work on any of it, which means I have some catching up to do [confu

Hi everyone- @ClaratheIG what lovely encouraging posts. Weighed this morning and have lost one pound since the start. Feel discouraged but not surprised as I know exactly where I went wrong. I managed to lose weight quite easily in the first lockdown - I realise that was because there were no distractions as we didn't see family or grandchildren during that time (usually we do childcare for them) and also because I had been looking for non medical ways to manage symptoms which I associated with post menopause. DH ate what I cooked too and we both lost weight during that time. However it's proving difficult since we are back to normal life so to speak. I think if you're feeling a bit disheartened it's good to keep on posting anyway - others may be able to offer advice, ideas, support.

@ClaraTheImpossibleGirl thanks for the encouraging posts. I don’t go to Slimming World anymore. It absolutely did work for me (I lost over 6 stone) when I was 100% committed to it and followed it to the last letter but the problem is that unless you’re going to do that for your whole life (which for some people is what they do and that’s great for them) it’s very difficult to keep the weight off once you stop. I missed crisps and hummus and wine! I sometimes think about going back but I don’t think I’m ready to get completely on plan so it would just be a waste of my time, although I could certainly benefit from someone else weighing me every week.

@Eviebeans i agree it’s good to keep posting when you’re feeling disheartened or things haven’t gone well. I started off really well then put on 2lbs this weekend and might have thrown in the towel if I wasn’t posting here.

Morning all, scales so no change again. Better than going up I suppose.

I did say that I wouldn't snack or drink. Well I was half right. Unfortunately I snacked. I just 'forgot', which is not good.

And I wasn't that active, either. Still, today is another day. Still making the hen house, getting a bit worried as the chicks are getting huge and are currently in the box we made for them when they were day old (and very cute). Now they are pretty ugly and very greedy. Basically they just eat and poo.

Going to start the fencing as well, which involves fence posts and a post bumper (aka man killer) . I tried it out the other day and could just about hit the post in, but not very effectively. Good for bingo wings though.
Have a good day, everyone.

Morning, Well absolute self sabotage! I am now 11.4 and a quarter so have put on more or less 3 pound over the bank holiday weekend. Oh well back to work and daily walk again. Must add though it was a lovely bank holiday. @ClaraTheImpossibleGirl well done on starting couch to 5k. I need to motivate myself to get out again for another run after work at some point this week.

Good morning everyone

Welcome @AnotherStart, glad to have you with us (and just in case I have missed another newcomer, the same goes to anyone joining us).

We seem to have a few of you who are floundering atm. I urge you to re-read my original post and remember we all get it wrong from time to time most of the time in my case. This is a thread which embraces any failures because we do fail or we'd all be stick thin and wouldn't need to be here. Ride through the difficult times I've had loads and it feels amazing when we get the "click" and get it right. For the record I admire each and every one of you for giving this very difficult dieting business a go, at least we are trying!

Yesterday this was me 😇. I don't know if it was seeing my fat back, feeling really big again, the weather improving or whatever but I had an amazingly good day. Two dog walks, always slow ones (first 2-2.5 hours, second in the evening 1 hour), quite a bit if kitchen cleaning and AT LAST I did a 25 mins fitness dvd (bows at your applause). Food was really good as I didn't give myself time to snack (or watch The Split) and I went to bed early because I was shattered. I'm hoping I'm back on it for sometime now, I could do with a few good weeks. I'm hoping for a repeat today, although It looks cold out and that's not a good sign for me. (The dogs loved me yesterday and were well up for the second walk 😀).

I think I'm on a bit of a high but I can still empathise with anyone struggling because that is me most of the time.

Have a good Tuesday everyone (shopping night so need to buy healthy food and no rubbish).

@poorpaws Thanks for the welcome! It's a sensible philosophy, to acknowledge the inevitability of ups and downs and failures, it seems very realistic to me.

@Bigbus That's interesting, what you say about slimming world. I have done weight watchers a few times before and lost a lot of weight. I think it's the having someone else weighing you bit that's most useful. Hard to fit in with work/childcare/everything at the moment.

@Midnightstar76 Glad you had a nice long weekend and you're back to your routine now. Bank Holidays and other things that change routines can be v. tricky.

I was 16 stone 10 this morning - not a surprise. Will try to keep off the scales for a week as I find my water-related daily weight fluctuations hard to see past!

Well done to all who have lost weight, dodged the wine or made good decisions. To anyone else don't self sabotage just keep trying.

We had a family bereavement so I've eaten what I've liked for over a week. I've missed a large chunk of this thread but I'm back and starting again today. Really want a biscuit but not giving in this early in the day.

Morning! I've had to write off the last three days as a blip. Bank holiday weekends are hard. I hope by the time of the Queen's Jubilee Bank Holiday (2 whole days + weekend - eek!), I will have found my groove.

This morning I had a banana and a cup of tea, dropped injured DS1 to school (he's getting the bus again from next week!) then went for a run. A run I managed to complete. So I'm buzzing after lots of ups and downs with post Covid fatigue. I have now had breakfast and am bracing myself to herd DS2 out the door as he is at home because his school is having a Staff Development day. There will be tears. Mostly mine😬

Lost 3lb this week. And I felt it... my knees were not so stiff or sore.

I MUST keep it off, the feeling of less pain, even a "smidgen " is good and one heck of a motivator. I'm doing this for me and my old age... would much prefer it to be pain free! A step in the right direction. I'm pleased as punch.

Well done @BeyondMyWits that's a brilliant loss. I hope things improve for you with every pound lost. You've every reason to be pleased

Evening everyone,

I had a relatively good bank holiday weekend temptations-wise - ate sensibly at the restaurant we went to on a day out and my weekly treat was two glasses of wine on Saturday night (which gave me SUCH a bad stomach, I hope I’m not getting so unused to wine that I can’t take it anymore!!)

I lost 2lbs this week so I’m still on track and feeling more motivated each time I step on the scales although my bloating part of the month is coming up and I know I’m going to have to try and remind myself it’s just the bloat when the scales start going up.

breakfast: coffee, fruit and yoghurt
lunch: chicken with an avocado and red pepper salad
dinner: Dahl and rice with green veg on the side

lots of water

Hi everyone,

Weighed this morning and I've put on 1.5lbs. Not too bad, but considering I had only lost 2lbs so far, I'm practically back where I started. 🤦‍♀️

Lunch - took a ham and coleslaw salad to work

Tea - last of the birthday celebrations - I've just got back from an Italian restaurant. I had baked salmon in a tomato-based sauce, with a little dish of mixed veg. I had lemonade to drink.
I'll be so pissed off if I put on after that.

Epic fail today. Sandwich and a plain yogurt for lunch, but went out for dinner and had a smoked mackerel salad, cod and chips and a cheese course, plus half a bottle of wine. I loooove cheese and couldn’t resist.

Well done poorpaws, an impressive amount of exercise.
I've managed to stick to 16:8 through the week and only have breakfast at the weekend. I think I may have overdone it last week as I was only having fruit for my lunchtime breakfast and small portions for the evening meal. By Friday I was exhausted, probably low blood sugar.
I do find fasting easier than moderation!

Massive well done to you @poorpaws, please send some of your this way!

@Eviebeans I think I posted before (or possibly not - am really lost since the MN format change!) to say that the only time I've managed to lose weight successfully is when the DC were finally back at school, I was between jobs and had time to food prep and shop and exercise properly. Now, however...! So yes, it really does help to have less distractions.

That's a massive amount of weight to lose @Bigbus, I suppose it shows that SW (or any diet) does work... but you have to follow it to the letter! I'm not mad keen on the SW diet - it seems less flexible than WW, for example - but I really do need some RL accountability.

I'm hoping to get out on my next C25K run on Thursday @Midnightstar76; sometimes I can only go two days in a row (for example, Saturday and Sunday) which I know isn't great but I do need to fit the runs in. Running did help me drop some weight last time and I'm desperate to shed a few pounds, I feel like my whole body is groaning under the excess weight! Like @BeyondMyWits, every few pounds that are gone really makes a difference.

@TimeToLose8 your comment about the chickens basically only eating and pooing made me smile, reminded me of the early days with my baby twins

Love the username @DrRamsesEmerson, those books are great!

Morning - woke up with a bit of a headache and feeling like I have a cold coming on. Going to try to stay away from the carbs but that's my weakness whenever I'm feeling poorly, down etc

@timetolose we now have now chickens including one cockrel-they have a very varied diet - they seem to eat almost anything

Nine not now ...

Morning all, 0.2lbs down, not bad. No snacks, but some wine this time, oh well.

Its going to be a difficult few days, I have a friend arriving for 5 days, meals planned, days out planned, lots of wine bought. I can only try to be moderate with food and wine. I'm wondering how I can ask her to help me with the fence posts. Husband thinks it's time for a break from everything for all of us. But those chickens just keep getting fatter!

@Eviebeans we have 7, but don't know yet how many boys and how many girls, one of the downsides of buying day old chicks.

@ClaraTheImpossibleGirl twins! I bet that was hard...at least I can leave the chicks, as long as the food and water feeders are full...

Morning, lost a pound from yesterday. Glad it’s going in the right direction. Feel frustrated at how much it went up over the weekend as really can’t see what the massive effect for Sundays food was. I’m going to put it down to hormones. I am in peri and due my time of but it’s very unpredictable these days and had skipped my last period (Not expecting, did have a panic though but no). So think I am putting the weight down to hormones. Happy hump day folks.

We used to have chickens when I was a child. Eggs were fantastic as practically free , back in the days where you had a garden and a shed, bought chickens and fed them scraps. Don't know, but guess there's more regulation now?