🍁 LOSE IT! November 2022 🍁 🎄8 WEEK COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS 🎄

[TheRealHousewife]

Hello and Welcome

Following on from the LOSE IT! October’s Thread here’s Novembers Thread.

🎄8 Week Count Down to Christmas 🎄😬 There is still time (for those who want to) for a body/mind/fitness overhaul before the festivities and family get together commence 🥳 Plus, who doesn’t want to start 2023 feeling more energised, fitter and svelte!

Jump right in! Reset & refresh to become a healthier version of yourself! Being mindful, planning ahead with a few tweaks here and there and it’s not impossible!

As no one size fits all, members need to follow their own way of eating to LOSE or MAINTAIN. This thread aims to offer guidance, support and a bit of hand holding. We generally have a 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). It’s a journey, not a destination.

I calorie count based on a lower carb Mediterranean diet. I intermittent fast and generally eat twice a day. I try not to drink calories and have very little processed food or sugar. I meal plan, set my intentions daily and exercise most days.

Are you in?😊 What food plan will you be following? What do you want to change and why? You can do it, if you really want too!

Evening All

WOW - I’m down a 1lb since 1st November and yo-yo’d in between. I’ll be happy to finish the month a 1lb or 2 by the month end.

@fallfallfall Eell done on getting your exercise in. I wouldn’t worry to much about cals as your body is still healing ❤️

@milkfromthesleepycow @Cloudberries123 @Was126orbustandmaybebust Well done on your losses!

@Allthegoodnamestakken Your menu sounds delicious 😋. I share your frustration about gains. The losses are so tough to achieve that when it creeps back on its very disheartening. I don’t have any answers or magic bullet suggestions. Nonetheless I know you can lose it again. Always, always believe in yourself!

@TofuonToast Your making steady progress. Well done 👏

@ImALittlePea Sorry to read about the poorly kitty. I’d hoped beyond hope he’d be somewhat improved. 😢

@GonnaGetGoingReturns Sorry to read your contract was terminated! You’ve had a tough time of it recently. Sending an unmumsnetty hug ❤️

Final week ladies before the official Festive month of December is upon us. I’m hoping for another 1lb loss 😬

i did weight in :( disappointed 148.5 definitely a dangerous zone.
but today is a new day, this week (mon and tues) i've met my goals with water and exercise minutes.

and yes @TheRealHousewife logging on here helps :)
b; my fave oatmeal :), i could eat that stuff 3x a day
l: will include a boiled egg, avocado and as little bread as hopeful (dh made biscuits)
s: uncertain but i enjoyed a really nice salad yesterday so may repeat that with some chicken.
i need to research some tofu recipes as i have some to use up.

Hi @fallfallfall oatmeal is very tasty AND easy on the palate. Just perfect for you whilst healing. Each time I try tofu I just don’t like it. Perhaps I’m preparing it wrong or adding the wrong flavours. Now, give me Halloumi and I’ll eat it till the cows come home 😬

@TheRealHousewife i'm with you on halloumi but after all that's cheese and i love cheese.
yesterday's soup was french onion soup with loads of emmental.
rather than checking out tofu recipes i've been reviewing skin care products and placing some orders for christmas presents.
water and exercise on track for the day!!! budget not at all ;)

@fallfallfall @TheRealHousewife I am with you on the halloumi front, i'd eat chilli halloumi for lunch everyday if I could!
I have never used tofu but I have a vegan friend who eats it quite a bit, I know she often marinates it in some sort of spicy marinade and then uses it in a stir fry.
Menu today
Lunch - Probably all the random bits of salad and veg that needs using up from the fridge. Perhaps with some grains and fresh mozzarella DH brought home yesterday
Dinner - Roasted butternut with something, haven't decided yet but I have a glut of butternuts from our veggie box so any butternut based suggestions welcome

@Cloudberries123 Thank you so much for your message! That's nice of you to say that.

It's always really good to have a positive food and exercise day and a celebratory doughnut is a worthy treat!

Your food for yesterday and snacks sound absolutely on point for yesterday!

@TheRealHousewife - thanks for your unMusmnetty hug - it has been a tough time recently! But things will and do get better.

Dinner yday - Waitrose luxurious macaroni cheese with peas, slice of Tesco lattice pie with Greek fat free yogurt and 2 tangerines. Half a Gin & Tonic can and some Kettle Chips (sea salt).

Breakfast this morning - crumpet with olive oil spread but did have snack last night of small slice Cornish cheese and Kettle Chips. Am thinking of having nectarine and yogurt.

Yesterday - not sure why or if I've got a cold/slight virus or not, but after my lunch, I had horrendous and really bad diarrhoea - which is worse during peri/menopause anyway. I wasn't sure why as apart from the lunch I hadn't had loads of fruit. I had some peppermint tablets though.

Just quickly popping on - will post much better later but for your glut of butternut squash, I can heartily recommend Pumpkin Pie and you substitute pumpkin for the roasted squash. It is soooo delicious although possibly not the lighted calorie wise.. but we all deserve a treat every now and again (and roasted squash does freeze really well!)

Good Afternoon Peeps

Lunch today was an unusual mix of sliced Brussels sprouts, Halloumi and sprouted lentils stir fried in hot sesame oil. Yummy 😋

Hi @fallfallfall ill admit French Onion soup is one soup I’ve never made but intend too! Sounds very moreish especially with the cheese topping!

@Allthegoodnamestakken Chilli Halloumi….stop it 😋 I don’t need any more temptation 😬

Oh my goodness @GonnaGetGoingReturns your menu sounds very tasty! And you’re welcome ❤️ Hope you soon feel better. How you was yesterday was me last week. I think mine was a bug.

Hi @SanFranBear hope you’re not too busy and frazzled!

That's a good tip - I've got a large butternut squash but I don't like butternut squash soup that much and if you roast it it's great but then you have to add it to non-sweet dishes so I'll try the Pumpkin Pie instead!

@TheRealHousewife - this is only because I'm staying with my SIL - it's not my usual food!

Canadians and Americans love pumpkin pie which yes is made from all sorts of squash. Very sweet, made with cream BUT it’s a smooth texture I adore. A fave around here.
veggi lasagna handles squash well and I use it in quiche with blue Stilton
no wonder I put weight ON, I really love certain foods…not fish ;).
@TheRealHousewife French onion soup also has bread…so although my cook book claims it’s 171 calories I know better, lucky if it’s under 500.

@fallfallfall The stuff that floats on the top? Yes I agree everything totted up cica 500 cals. My healthy veg heavy lunch today was 423 … no bread in sight.

@TheRealHousewife yes, you lightly toast bread, float on top, smother with cheese and broil till golden and soft. There’s a lot of cheese.

@fallfallfall Even though I’ve eaten a very late lunch your description of French Onion soup and all it’s trappings is making me hungry. I’m sure the cold damp dark weather makes us more hungry 😋

@GonnaGetGoingReturns so sorry to hear about your contract! Hugs from over here.

Yes I posted on the Litter Tray under a different name (my sis is a big MN user so I often post elsewhere under different names). The scan showed no improvement at all. He was vomiting a lot last week, and then he stopped trying to eat or drink at all over the weekend. His pupils became different sizes as well. He has a huge mass in his chest, which they can't definitely diagnose without scans which we simply can't afford (nearly £2k for a CT!), although the suspicion is a rare and aggressive cancer, and the vets don't think they'd be able to successfully operate (more thousands ££) or treat with drugs, without it negatively impacting on his little life. So not a good prognosis, which is made all the harder but not knowing what it actually is he has. It's baffling, and heartbreaking. He's now been discharged from the vets with some meds, basically on palliative care at home, so we're just trying to give him as much love and affection as we can until we feel he is too unwell to carry on. The good side is, the vets don't think he's in any pain, and he has actually responded positively to treatment so far - he's eating, not being sick, and is more alert and bright. And giving some wonderful purry cuddles. So it's just a ticking clock now, hard for the 8yo (and the rest of us too, of course).

Unsurprisingly, my mood is a bit all over the place as I'm stressed and upset, which is hitting my food choices - and sadly not in a positive way like @Cloudberries123 I've also not been sleeping well; every noise I hear is a cat alarm bell.

@TheRealHousewife (and others) I agree - halloumi over tofu any day of the week! I also love a French onion soup!

@fallfallfall I hope your recovery continues apace.

Today's meals:
Lunch - cup-a-soup, veg, and a little bit of bread and butter
Dinner - homemade chips, southern fried chicken goujons and beans. Comfort, but hopefully not too calorific!

Hoping to avoid the celebrations later, they've taken a hammering the last few days. Resigned myself to a gain tomorrow (not helping my bad mood) but if it is as expected, I'll just have to refocus next week! Have decided I'd like to get try and get a further 3lb off before Christmas... Would take me down to the 2 stone loss mark. But let's see how tomorrow goes before I fix that as a target 😬🤦‍♀️

@ImALittlePea - OMG - I am so sorry to hear that about your poor little cat. Is he a kitten or a cat? How old is he?

It does sound like he does have a particular aggressive tumour/cancer which as you've rightly said probably wouldn't make much difference with diagnosis or treatment and even if you had all the money in the world it'd be hard to treat him. I'm so sorry though. Poor little cat and poor you and your family. I suppose what you could do, is for now, see how he responds to palliative care and if there is a chance he could get better with chemotherapy/radiotherapy then maybe see if that could be afforded? There are certain vet clinics/vet surgeons/teaching vet practices/charities/vet hospitals which do give that treatment for free or a certain reduced price but depends where you live and The Litter Tray could tell you more.

Need to get on with some work so will reply more later.

@GonnaGetGoingReturns we think he is six months old, he and (we assume) his brother were abandoned about six weeks ago and we've had them for five weeks now.

Yes that's basically what the vet said, obviously the ideal situation is to find out what he actually has, but the likelihood is that even if we knew, we probably couldn't make him better even if we had unlimited funds. I think the idea is to take him back next week for a check over, weigh him etc, see how he is getting on. Perhaps rescan in a few weeks if he makes it that far. It's just so unfair.

I may post again in the Litter Tray tonight as my previous post was to do with his vomiting specifically.

Oh, LittlePea, I am so sorry to read your update on your darling little boy. You've got some good advice from GonnaGetGoing and you also sound clued up so I won't labour the point. But just sending lots of hugs to you and your family - sounds like he's lucky to have landed on his feet with you and is surrounded by love. Keeping everything crossed for you all! Feel free to share a pic - gorgeous little furball!

I am also a big halloumi fan, especially with sweet chilli but I remember having tofu at Wagamama's on my first (and only) visit, probably 18 years ago and it was absolutely mouthwatering! I'm guessing knowing how to cook it is key but if I cracked that code, I would definitely eat it.. a lot! French onion soup though - not for me... never been that into onion and whilst I'm sure its more delicious than it looks, it's never appealed.

Your lunch, as always, looks delicious RealHousewife - you have a knack for plating up your food to make it look as tasty as possible... mine always leaves a lot to be desired although normally tastes pretty nice!

Finally got out for a WoW yesterday and got 16k in by walking to where I work and then back the long way. Dark and a bit chilly but felt sooo good to be trudging the streets again. I've also had a fairly light day today so keeping things crossed for a STS in the morning.

@SanFranBear , i'm not a fan of the texture of onions. and i sieve those out.
so far so good over here partially because the nut mix has all been eaten and there will be no shopping today and ideally tomorrow.
@ImALittlePea the kitty situation although heart wrenching is really a healthy lesson and an opportunity to discuss end of life care, loving those little creatures to the very end and being humane about the situation. have they ruled out heart worms? positive thoughts the little kitty is warm and pain free.

@ImALittlePea your post is heartbreaking. Our furry friends give so much unconditional love it’s tough when they are ill or leave us 💕 Sending a hug.

Thank you @SanFranBear thats kind of you to say. I agree re:- tofu. It’s all in the prep and cooking and I clearly haven’t mastered it yet.

www.eatingwell.com/recipe/270554/caesar-salad-with-cashew-dressing-tofu-croutons/
including the dressing i think i will give this recipe a try.
dh loves caesar salad

Weigh day today and genuinely surprised to be down half a kilo:

SW: 104.7kg
CW: 68kg
November GW: 67kg

I think my monthly GW might be out of reach but I was aiming to STS so if I cljng on to 68, I'll be happy.

Got a fairly busy day ahead today, dropping off lots of stuff to the specialist book charity shop in town as that's where I'm doing my biggest clearout... should give lots of room to start filling with stuff we're taking with us! Just over one week to go - I'm pooing myself a little but I'm sure it'll be fine!

Might try and get our for another decent walk later - not the best use of my time perhaps, given everything I need to do, but the boost it gives me mentally makes it totally worth it! I'd fallen out of the habit and whilst I know weight loss is 90% food, I just feel better with some exercise under my belt.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Friday!

@ImALittlePea sympathy and hugs for you and kitty and your family. From the cats point of view he's warm and loved and happy I bet. Sounds like you're giving him the best time and sometimes that's better than tests and treatments 💐

Got another cold and not feeling it today. Will drag myself out to the gym later and need to concentrate on organising Xmas!

Like Sanfranbear I don't think I'll make my November goal (65kg) but that's ok.
Channelling my inner bear- winters about survival and hibernation 😂

Good Morning Everyone 😊 Happy Friday ❤️

Had a sneak peek WOF and .5lb down from Wednesday. Being on it with portion control and mindful eating. I really want to bank some Christmas Wiggle Room 😬

@fallfallfall Im going to try your recipe for tofu croutons! Last week I accidentally made Halloumi croutons as I put it cubed into the air fryer … for a little too long. They were crunchy and tasty. Tofu might be the same. TY for sharing.

@SanFranBear Exciting times! I love a good clear out! My OH is a bit of a hoarder so this is one area we can somewhat clash on! I’m not minimalist by any stretch but hate clutter and overfilled storage places. For example when we moved here he put loads of boxes in a loft space; In the 7 years we’ve been here we have not once fetched anything from there to use. I don’t even know what up there! I keep saying if we chip at it now it will make it easier if we move. Can you have a word 😬 Well done on your loss! 👍

@milkfromthesleepycow Sorry to read you’re not well. So many bugs about at the moment. Here’s hoping you soon feel better!

Menu
Meal 1 - Soup & GF bread.
Meal 2 - Chicken tray bake.
Tea, black coffee & water.

@ImALittlePea so sorry to hear about your kitten.
We have a rescue who is the centre of our world so I really feel for you.