🎄LOSE IT! December 2022🎄Festive Edition🎄🥳🥳🥳

[TheRealHousewife]

Hello & Welcome

Carrying on from LOSE IT! November 2022 this is where people who wish to lose or maintain with accountability check in daily. People can access support and general advice around a healthy lifestyle (food/health/wellbeing) We generally have WOW - Weigh on Wednesday to track progress.

December is a tough month to navigate food wise especially if you’re wanting to lose. By making sensible choices without total deprivation you can hopefully mitigate any Christmas excess.

We all deserve to feel the best we can, be the best we can and strive to be as fit and healthy as possible. Not only will you look great in your finery, you’ll be strengthening your immune system and maintain a sense of well-being. In addition, if we eat right, get outside, move more your mental health will heap the rewards. Better mental health = better choices. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

You just need to find what works for you! Me personally? I calorie count, log via MFP app, Intermittent fast, eat-low carb Mediterranean style and try to stay well hydrated.

There are so many enjoyable lifestyle options out there without the need to resort to extreme measures. Whatever way you choose, it needs to be enjoyable & sustainable for the long term. This is a long term commitment rather than a quick fix. I also rarely drink alcohol and keep sugar to a minimum. I exercise by doing walking vids & strength sessions with lite weighs.

As no one size fits all members need to follow their own way of eating. Nonetheless this thread aims to offer guidance, support and a bit of hand holding.

There is no shaming, competition or harsh words to be found on this thread. We are in this together.

Are you in? What’s your plan? Whatever you do, Good Luck!

@TheRealHousewife I agree with what has been said, you are an incredible person - will be thinking of you xx

Good Morning Everyone 😊

Last formal WOW of 2022 and my weigh in is 132.7lbs. Overall on the month I’m down 1.6lbs and nearly stone down for the year. I know that’s not a massive amount but I don’t have a lot to lose and with my health issues I’m quite pleased. I stalled mostly for the whole of 2021 due in part to an under-active thyroid (I’d actually thought I’d reach my set body weight and was in maintenance) but now that’s medicated it’s not so much an issue.

I always say, just don’t give up. Ever. When it gets tough and your not getting the results you deserve (when it’s easiest to give in to the ‘f* it’ thoughts and eat with abandon), just keep your resolve! You will get there eventually. There are no quick fixes, no magic bullet. Just patience and sustainable & enjoyable foods in moderation and exercise if able. I will do a weigh in on the last day of the year too.

@milkfromthesleepycow Youve posted a fabulous update and I especially like your realistic goal setting for 2023. Congratulations on all the progress you’ve made in increasing exercise, fitness, diet etc👏👏👏

@ImALittlePea @milkfromthesleepycow @Nishky32 Thank you for your kind words ❤️

Menu
Meal 1 - ‘Shroom omelette & side salad. 2chocolates and mini GF mince pie😬
Meal 2 - Home made curry and sautéed cabbage (rather than rice) 2 Satsuma
Tea, black coffee and water.

Exercise
Session 1 - 10 mins hand weights

Session 2 - Floor exercises.

Hello everyone Thank you for the lovely messages. I also managed to squeeze into this on Christmas Day. Still belly in it but on the way down 😂😂😂

What a joyous photo @Jenasaurus Simply lovely ❤️You both look great!

Hello All
Sending all the love @TheRealHousewife that sounds really difficult and you are a wonderful woman for handling it all.

I have been well and truly off the wagon for the last week trying to get a few good days in before a new years feast followed by a weeks holiday with all food included Hoping the damage by mid January isn't to bad!
I am already back up to 66.5kg but reminding myself this is still a healthy weight and it will likely drop off pretty quickly when I get off the wine, cheese and chocolates and back on the veg.
I have the added advantage that January is the hottest month of the year here usually so its much easier to stick with salads and veg than in the cold when carbs are oh so tempting
@Jenasaurus you look absolutely amazing in the picture! well done such an achievement.
@milkfromthesleepycow Those are some great achievement and i'm sure you will meet your 2023 ones, there is a half marathon in June that I would absolutely love to run I had a place in it for 2019 but an ankle injury meant I couldn't do it and then I just never got back to running properly so one of my goals for 2023 is to run more, yet to decide if my goal is a 10k or a half marathon.

@Allthegoodnamestakken why not both.....nice early summer 10k then a winter half 😉

@Allthegoodnamestakken thats kind of you to say.

Hi All, Im going to have a bath and another attempt at an early night. Understandably I’ve not slept soundly this week. Last nights attempt was thwarted by our neighbours who decided to throw bottles in their bottle recycling box at 10:20, I nodded off for a second time when they did it again at 11:10. Their box is right on the boundary and my bedroom window is also next to boundary. Fingers crossed for a peaceful night. 🤞

i'm prepping my mind for the january reset (what a perfect theme for the month)
some activewear that i ordered during our cold snap arrived: fleecy texture lined!! which will help get me out of the house eventually when there is less risk of breaking my neck/legs/elbow...

@Jenasaurus you certainly know what colors suit your skin tone!! love love love the festive look and yes you look great. well done.
no mention from my ds or his intended as to wedding dates or plan of action. part of me wants to know so i can be prepared or offer to help. part of me knows i would risk the wrath of mn should i dare be pushy and ask.

Jenasaurus you both look lovely! 💐

Therealhousewife hope you manage to catch up on 💤 tonight x

fallfallfall great idea with the weather proofs to get into the mindset! Thinking of following suit with waterproof trainers to avoid the rain excuse ☔️

does anyone else get the post Xmas blues? It’s making me feel demotivated about restarting, and like I’ve undone all the good habits of the last couple of months - need something to snap me out of it

Thank you @Smugsmaug and @fallfallfall @Allthegoodnamestakken and @TheRealHousewife I have been fat for so long I am just starting to learn about what suits me now, I do love the colour red, but when I was a size 24 wouldnt wear it much as wanted to blend into the background. I have just bought a lovely bright pink jumper dress with a roll neck, it looks OK I think, but need control pants as my belly still likes to make an appearance, its possibly too young for me at 57 but I can wear it around the house, it was only 10 pounds reduced from 40, I also got some camouflage dungarees which may be again a bit strange at my age, but I am experimenting and spent years in leggings and baggy tops :)

How is everyone coping with all the festive food around, I hold my hands up to over indulging in the cheese board selection and mince pies, but today I have a cold so not as interested in food. xx

@Jenasaurus when i have a cold or flu or feel unwell i eat more. somehow searching for that ONE perfect flavored item, which means i try 101 :(.
i've been off the rails since we left for France in October, i am so so so ready for some self imposed self control although i sense my dh is going to be a problem...i told him of a few "meal plans" coming up next week....and he felt it was too extreme. which means he will sabotage all my efforts, and being we've been married 42 years...believe me he knows ALL my weaknesses when it comes to food choices.

Course it’s not too young, love that you’re embracing colour, you wear it well! The red is stunning on you, and the pink sounds sublime! You’re helping to inspire me, I have some old clothes I’d love to get back into, as soon as I do I am throwing away my leggings and baggy jumpers! Think im going to circle Friday as my restart day 👍🏼

Yes I can do this too, its like you feel something is missing and a spicy meal or something warm and comforting will make you feel better, I guess losing energy fighting a bug may increase hunger too. I used to scoff throat sweets too, but then changed to sugar free ones but they have consequences too :)

@Smugsmaug i'm still totally pissed off on the scale having switched to kg vs lbs....totally totally unreasonably pissed off!! that aside
i'm hoping the nuptials and the memory of how horrid i looked at my brothers wedding gives me the wake up i need.
horrid in the sense that the dress fit soooo poorly and the quality of it was horrendous compared to the other guests, the absolute shame of it all :(.

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words, Colour does cheer me up, I work from home and sometimes the only people who see me are my DD and her BF who live with me so dressing up wasnt really important and I am ashamed to say a lot of my working from home is done in my PJS, My DIL bought me the most beautiful PJs from Chelsea Peers though, they are like a velvety soft material in a vibrant blue with cheetahs or leopard on them, I love them so much, I always used to sleep in just whatever fitted, she bought them in a size medium too, getting used to not opting for XXL or a 24 has opened up a world of choices and I am like a child in a candy shop at the moment.

I am being careful with money though so the sales are good for me as there are some good bargains to be found. I have got some summer clothes and sandals that were 80% off from ASOS, I wasnt sure as thought I wont know my size by then but I have about a stone to lose and think it will be similar dress size to how I am currently with hopefully less bulges :)

Now I want to tackle my teeth. I have straight nicely shaped teeth but due to smoking (now given up), drinking red wine and coffee they are not very white, I was looking at Crest Whitening Strips but they dont sell them in the UK, my DS DW bought some in America and they made her smile so bright and white. I am very conscious of my teeth and I feel they age me so I tend not to smile too much now. This will be my challenge for 2023 to resolve, and also I want to study to see if I can progress my career - again left it late in life, but I haven't had the confidence to take the steps I should to move up a band (work for the NHS) and I have started on a Business Improvement course which involves siz sigma, lean etc and could help me move up to the next band. I wont be able to retire for at least another 10 years so I can still give something back to my employer, if they let me xx

@Jenasaurus it's never too late to work on any aspect of your health which includes dental health and employment health. and honestly that type of course is good for your mental health.
i was older (older than usual at the time) when i took my university bachelors course. and my dh continues to take masters level courses (having done his first full masters program 20 years ago) his masters certificate in bee keeping was only completed 2-3 years ago now. he's considering picking up a little jobette...i think it would be fun if he did, and his masters certificate in bee keeping would be a huge asset to the job (besides the project management one and business admin one).

Bee Keeping, I didnt know you could do a Masters in that, it sounds really interesting. but I would be scared of being stung. I do love honey though.

I used to enjoy playing bridge with my mum but since she died in 2018 I cant face going back to the club without her, it was our time together and it just feels wrong without her as my partner. I do need to keep my brain active as I am getting a little forgetful which all my DC have commented on and it is in the family which scares me a little, my DM,. Nan and Uncle all had alzeimers in their 70s so I do worry it may be heading my way. The worst thing I did recently was accidentally call my DS his fathers name (they do look alike but he is an estranged father to them so he wasnt happy me calling him by that name) I felt awful for 2 reasons, one I had reminded my DS of his father and also the fact I genuinely forgot my own DS name for a split second, but having said that, the fact I can recall the event now is a good thing. He did suggest I have a dementia test though, but I think that was payback...I hope

as you get older we are held to a higher standard for "remembering" things like names. and yes people will be quick to suggest dementia, or menopause. chances are it's neither.
coloradoprobeekeeping.org/resource/university-of-montana-online-beekeeping-certificate-program/#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20Montana%20offers%20online%20beekeeping%20certifications,provides%20daily%20interaction%20between%20the%20students%20and%20instructors.

@Jenasaurus there is no way I would have said you were 57 from those photos! Amazing
I now want to do a masters 😁

well i woke up at 0430am ready to do this!
rather than wait till the first, i'm jumping in with both feet.
b: 218 cal (toast, butter, egg, radishes, multivit) all out of tomatoes.
water bottle full and started.

L: 297 cal (estimate on the turkey/wild rice soup, cottage cheese, and cantaloupe)
on time with the water but missed the opportunity to include my added fiber. it actually goes well with cottage cheese.
the soup is home made low fat not that much rice but it swelled up significantly.
i can feel myself procrastinating/wanting to avoid the exercise bit....

me again:
kitchen will be closed as soon as i finish drinking my hot lemon water with honey.
D: saag paneer over steamed cauliflower and chicken (265 calories)
30 minute fitness walking done and plan to do another 15 minutes...nothing extreme
tomorrow i need to plan getting my fiber supplement incorporated into my meal planning.

Morning all sounds like a lovely menu @fallfallfall and those are some great goals @Jenasaurus
Did my final weigh in of the year at 66.2kg this morning as I won't have access to my scales now until new year. 700g higher than I was pre Christmas but 10kgs lighter than I was 6 months ago!
I have reassessed my goal and I think I'd like to loose another 5kg and reach around 61.5kgs that would put me bang in the middle of a healthy BMI.
Lunch today is halloumi salad
Dinner homemade bolognaise
Wider goals for next year are
Get better at meal planning both for calories and reduced food waste
Get back to 2x per week long walks
Grand goal is find a new job because my current one is running my mental and in the last few months physical health. This one will be a lot harder to achieve though.

This is my motivation- got a wedding in July and the anxiety this is causing me is daft. I just cannot beat the thought of shopping for a tent to cover me up and then the photos being there for ever. The absolute shame of my three unwanted stone of blubber - it’s gotta go 😡🤩