I need to lose 23lbs in 2023 and overhaul my life

[thenewaveragebear1983]

sorry for a long post!

I have gained a fair bit of weight in 2022, probably a stone ish. BMI wise, I’m just on the cusp of overweight, slightly over 25. I have been running now for 5 years and am cardio fit, but this year I have had a plethora of minor injuries and as a result, have reduced my miles. I do gym classes, circuits etc and dumbbells/core maybe 2-3 times a week and run 3/4 times a week.

my life has spiralled a bit in the latter part of the year. I should never have returned to my stressful school admin job after the summer but they promised me an assistant and some support which did not materialise. From March to October I did two people’s full time roles in a school of 1000 kids by myself, I was regularly exhausted to the point of tears and lived on my nerves. Towards the end, I genuinely felt broken. I left. They’ve messed me around further (long story) but I have finally made peace with it. However, I am now unemployed for the first time in my life. I feel a bit of low level depression.

Reading the salary thread today I am well aware that I have wasted many years of my life due to taking time to raise my kids. I have a first class degree and a post grad, and yet I was working on minimal pay in shit conditions. I want to feel confident and brave enough to fight for something better for myself and my family. I feel desperately frustrated but mostly because I feel this is a corner I have backed myself into and I don’t know how to get out of it.

I have a lovely family, a happy marriage, a lovely home. Things are happy there. But I feel sad inside because I feel unfulfilled in my life and feel like I’m at a major crossroads. I turn 40 next year too. My dh wants to go self employed, and I desperately want to be able to support him to do this, so as a family we can get through the initial difficult year or so to enjoy the benefits of him going self employed.

so anyway, back to my original post. I need to overhaul my life in 2023, I’m posting this for accountability and to start planning. things that have worked for me previously: strict whole30 for a month (not for everyone but I have always felt amazing on it), picking up my exercise regime, and incorporating some yoga to help my injuries. I have a bad habit of eating my feelings away and this is what has contributed to my weight gain this year plus also makes me feel horrible and bloated. I have, I think, a very dysfunctional relationship with food and I know that when I do w30 I get real clarity and peace from this so it’s very beneficial to me both physically and emotionally. I also really want a break from alcohol and will definitely do dry January if not longer.

If anyone would like to join me then please post, I would love some company!

I started studying an area to potentially move my career, poked around on some potential employer websites and looked at experience required and how I could gain that at current job. Threw out the rest of the mince pies/biscuits/bad chocolate. We'll start W30 with Sunday evening's dinner (cottage pie) but until then its moving to more fruit and veg and fewer simple carbs and candy. Ive been feeling more aches and pains lately, so I am very interested if eliminating white carbs and dairy and sugar help clear that up, which means Ill definitely be more committed this time!

One thing I want to do this week yet is go through medicines and gather everything out of date to hand in to the pharmacy for disposal. Small purge jobs can feel so therapeutic and help keep the positive actions going through these dark days!

I’ve had another really good day today. Ran this morning, went to a cardio core class at lunchtime. My food has been excellent, and dare I say it, I think the hypno has done some magic because today I just did not feel like eating except my lunch. I had a baked potato with mackerel and mayo and salad, 2 pieces of fruit… and that’s it! No cravings or snacking. My dinner tonight is a chicken thighs traybake with roasted new potatoes and lots of veg.

on the job/life overhaul front, I spoke to a school today and have sons admin temping lined up once my dbs comes through. I applied for 3 jobs, and did a comparability test for one of them (really odd little questionnaire with pick the statement that applies most to you type questions. But stupid things that weren’t direct comparisons such as : I remember how my colleagues take their tea / I think it’s important to not show anger at work . It must be some sort of psychological profiling 🤷‍♀️

anyway, a positive day. Plus my builder started which is marvellous, we have been waiting so long. Exciting times!

tomorrow I have a 6am gym class again, and then I am going to head to a different town to return an unwanted Christmas gift.

Another good day today. Went to the gym at 6.20. Walked around town as I took a Christmas present back, parked at the opposite end of town so walked all there and back. This afternoon I intended to do yoga but instead I put my hypno on and fell into a hypno trance, missed the whole thing and woke up at the end. I feel really tired today, I think just because of 4 straight days of whole 30, I’m probably detoxing a whole lot of crap out of my body and this is the effect of it. I weighed this morning and, wait for it… 7lbs down since my post Christmas weigh in! 162lbs. That’s incredible- shows how much water/bloat I am capable of carrying. but very motivating to carry on to my official weigh in on Sunday.

food today:
B: leftover chicken thigh, half avocado, boiled egg and new potato
L: nkd bar, raspberries, 3 slices of Parma ham and a mini juice shot (not my finest meal, granted- I was out and suddenly absolutely ravenous) - all W30 compliant though.
D- Tin of mackerel, baked potato, salad, mayo, banana and apple.
S: chicken thigh, apple.

tomorrow: rest day. Will walk with my mother in law in the morning, we like to stroll round the park and discuss the family 😂 then apply for 3 jobs that have come online that I like the sound of.

on the job front, my dbs check has gone through so I have some temping lined up for next week and potentially until Feb half term.

Went a bit scrappy with food yesterday, I think just my 6th day of whole 30 just sent me a bit crazy! I was really unsatisfied, craving sugar, ate quite a lot of fruit… and nuts….and boiled eggs….. but all nutrients and good quality food. I think this week I need to eat more fat to curb the hunger and drink a lot more water. I will have some work lined up next week so I will not be rattling round at home, which will really help as I will prep my lunches and that will be it for the day.

anyway, decided to make my official weigh day Saturday as going forward that is a better option that Sunday I think. So my starting weight was 169lbs, weight today is 162.8lb- that’s a 6lb loss! I’m really pleased with that.

I have worked out hard this week and I can feel it in my muscles which is a bit of water retention. I slept amazingly well last night and slept in til 8.45 which is unheard of. I’m going to do a short run today and try for a longer one with my friend tomorrow. I need to write a shopping list and plan my meals.

So this is the end of day 7, week one complete! Feeling good today. I didn’t sleep especially well, felt wide awake and restless at bedtime and couldn’t sleep, however I didn’t feel too tired today. I went for a 12km run this morning, felt hard work but I got it done. I weighed in yesterday for my official weigh in, and I lost 6.2lbs in
week one which is amazing. Food has been good today, bacon and veg brunch and chicken roast dinner with a chia pudding

the Week ahead looks good, I hopefully have some temping so that will get me out of the house and away from the fridge which is great. I have planned my meals, I’ve got a few leftover roast dinners for lunches and I will make some chicken broth with bones as well. My classes are booked and I will try to fit a few runs in mid week as well, with a longer one at the weekend.

on the job front, I have applied for so many jobs last week! Did 2 more today. I have an interview lined up but it’s not something I’m really feeling excited about, it’s through pertemps for just a generic receptionist post- however I am going to do the interview and get some experience even if I decide I don’t want to accept if they offer it to me.

anyway, good results for week 1, looking forward to week 2!

Well done @thenewaveragebear1983 🤩

You're on a roll and what great news on the job hunting front 👏

Thanks for starting this thread and how's everyone else getting on?

I'm new here but was really encouraged seeing everyone's intentions for 2023. I'm currently on day 9 of a 14 day juice cleanse/fast/detox/reset to help kick off my year with a good clear out. I'm solo parenting an 11 month old and moved back into my mum's home last year as I'd really like to save to buy a home.

The pandemic and a mental health spiral really knocked me for six and I am/was the heaviest I've ever been. I've dedicated 2023 to healing physically after doing a lot of work with my therapist to heal my mind, financial, and emotional well-being.

Like a lot of us here I work in an industry that is overworked and underpaid for women and I handed in my notice before Christmas because I was doing two jobs onto of my 9-5 just to earn enough money to meet my savings goals. I am going back to do a Master's (starting next week) so I'm really hopeful that the focus on me will make getting healthier easier.

I plan to go vegan again and have started cooking healthy vegan meals for my little one which has encouraged me to stick to the remainder of the 14 days. My goal is to do a main meal prep/batch cook on Sunday and then a midweek too up. I'm drinking 2lt of water and trying to be more mindful about my phone use too. Hoping to eat at least 90% wholefoods during the year and as much organic fruits, veggies, legumes and wholegrains as I can. I'm trying to keep active each day with a minimum of 30mins walking but have been going yoga, reggae salsa, and spin classes which is fun - I really love the social aspect of group exercise.

My goal is to lose 3.5 stones this year and I've signed up for a 5k in mid- Feb as a check-in for myself. I'll probably runwalk it but it will be a big confidence booster for me.

I'm down 3.6kg since starting the juice cleanse and this will be my first health goal of 2023. I've got lots of other little goals to keep pushing me through like getting an eye test finally and little odd jobs that will have a big impact on my health.

I've poured so much into other people over my lifetime (especially the last 4 years) and I'm so excited to finally be focusing on my physical health. I'm 35 so need to get my body in check before 40 as a close family friend recently died and it hit home how much my health needs to be a priority.

I created a vision board for 2023 and had key words of intention for the year and health was right up there at the top. Hoping that this becomes a true lifestyle change that leaves a long-lasting legacy in my family.

Will keep checking in and encouraging where I can.

We've got this ladies! If we fall let's just say ourselves off and try again. 365 days is a lot of time but one day at a time, one hour at a time, one decision at a time will get us through ❤️🌻🙌.

@HealingMe how are you feeling on your juice cleanse? I’m on day 9 of whole30 today and I feel really wrung out, I think that’s quite normal for this stage but it’s not nice. I felt so tired today, I had a nap at 12.00!

job front: had a phone interview today but I don’t think I have the desired skills/experience and the job doesn’t really fit with my goals, my kids would have to go to childcare every day and it would eat into any additional money I earned, never mind the school holidays! I am still applying for 1 or 2 jobs every day, I want remote/home/hybrid type roles and there are quite a lot out there but it’s a slow process finding and applying for them all to hear nothing back. I start my temping on Wednesday, which I am really looking forward to.

today I ate well, I skived the gym and went for a walk instead as I felt so tired. Listened to my hypnosis which I think is really working. Tomorrow I have a 6am gym class, and I might try to run as well sometime in the day as it is my last chance for a while

@thenewaveragebear1983 You are doing so well, keep up the momentum! Dont compromise on what you really want if you don't have to!

Diet started for us today and its almost a relief to eat veggies and meat. Im sure tomorrow I will be jonesing for white carbs, but I have strong motivators for the next 30/60/90 days I think will keep me on the level. Had a surprising email about a phone screen for a job I sort of applied for last week (uploaded an older resume to see if their careers chat bot actually worked), so that was a nice lift. Progressed in learning goals and found a short course for early Feb I think I can get work to pay for.

@HealingMe putting too much of yourself out there for other people really is so detrimental to one's health. Its a good thing you are recognising that now. I didn't in time and paid for it dearly.

@TelevisionIcon great news, what is your course? I am contemplating applying for very entry level admin work and looking to do an evening course or online qualification in something to boost my employability. I could manage it if my job was less demanding. Maybe something like legal secretary or paraplanning. 🤔

but funding would be an issue- that’s the problem when you’re £44k in the hole for student finance and yet cannot face doing the job you’re qualified for (but that’s a whole other thread!)

So my 2023 is going well. I’m feeling the benefits now of no drinking and eating absolutely no rubbish for 12 days. Came home from work full of energy, cleaned, put washing on, did dinner… feel really good to be honest. It was so nice to be back at work this week (temping) although the work itself is a little dry. However… it’s a school in a trust and a few months ago I was offered a post in a different school in that trust, and because I was so broken I turned it down. I have heard on the grapevine today that they never recruited for it, the post is still vacant. So I am wondering how whether to go back to then and ask if the post is still vacant and if they would consider interviewing me again if they were to resist it. I Can’t decide but I am going to think about it over the weekend and maybe ask HR at the school I am temping at if that’s the case.

Ah well done. I made it to day 10 (yesterday) but started getting a migraine and realised my body was telling me it was time to transition out.

So I've been having lots of nourishing vegetable broths and juices. Had a Greek yoghurt with blueberries which was delightful.

I feel great and really encouraged to really keep healthy in 2023 and beyond. Usually when I cleanse I binge right after it so I'm so surprised and happy that yesterday and today I ate so well.

All in all lost 5kg during while juicing and hopefully can keep 3kg of that off by gym classes and meal planning.

Great news on the job front! Every call back and assessment is a step in the right direction so don't forget to celebrate the small wins too 🙂

I ate a gazillion calories today, or at least I would have done if I’d been counting! However, all are w30 compliant, if not technically ‘advised’ and I listened to my body and gave it what I needed. I had nothing fir breakfast and my lunch was just a light soup, that’s probably where I went wrong. Popped to Asda and ended up with some dates, some bananas, some NKD bars and a steak. My dinner was huge, ate the dates while cooking (they were so sweet like toffees after no sugar yet this year!) and had steak with loads of chunky chips and mushrooms. I really needed a BIG feed. I’m due on tomorrow as well and that has probably contributed to my food cravings.
I ran today after work and I was too tired, dehydrated and it wasn’t fun at all.

job wise, a very exciting job has come up. It’s my skill set, it’s my area, and it’s really good money. School based and term time only but not based in just one school. I am going to put some serious time into applying for that over the weekend. I have enjoyed temping this week and earning some money but it’s very boring and I don’t like not having my own ongoing work to do. I think I’ll find it hard doing 5 days next week to be honest.

the weekend looks ok, need to plan my menu and do a food shop. I am running tomorrow morning with my friend and hopefully will feel a bit lighter on my feet than I did today. I want to listen to my hypnosis and get some decent sleep! I was planning to weigh myself tomorrow but after eating so much today i probably won’t. I weighed last night after dinner (do worst possible time) and I’d lost a further half pound so I had sorta hoped for a 2lb loss this week but I think I need to wait a day or 2 now,

Ran 12k this morning, felt ok but not my fastest! Weighed in afterwards, and was 160lbs, making a total loss since Christmas of 9lbs- very happy with that!

sat and applied for that job today, took hours and still not completed as there was no person spec online, but I have emailed them to ask them to send it to me.

@thenewaveragebear1983 you are totally doing this! I fully believe that when you make positive changes in one area others come your way as well (not into woo, and not into manifesting, but positive energy is always good to see new opportunities and seek them out). Sure its a slog at times at the start, but eventually it starts to snowball. Best of luck for that potential new role!

Fell off the W30 wagon yesterday as I was fed up taking care of everyone else but myself, the weather was crap, I was exhausted, etc. But the binge wasn't that big and I honestly wasn't feeling it. I ate a few leftover stale Christmas cookies, a bit of chocolate, and a small bit of pasta, then went on to eat a proper dinner.

I sat down and thought about what happened and realised my anxiety/lack of challenge over work is manifesting in overdoing planning and 'project management' of food, which then comes out as stress and frustration. This happened at Christmas too. To that end I will still prep today for the week, but back off menu planning and instead go with the flow and let food prep and W30 free up time for me to refocus on more important things that are actually bothering me. Besides, my skin looks amazing and Im less bloated, so I dont want to throw away those gains!

Thanks @TelevisionIcon , I agree, I think when we are feeling positive we attract more positive energy (or some other kooky explanation!)
how many days into your w30 are you? Remember day 10/11/12 are notoriously difficult, so don’t beat yourself up. I also find it’s around that time that I hit a total slump, and I feel like I need a big feed. I totally agree with what you said about it freeing up time as well, when I do w30 I feel like I just get an extra few hours in the day because I’m so supercharged and on it . It’s definitely a slog but it’s worth it and the best feeling is just around the corner..

today I went food shopping. I have prepped double the veg I need for dinner tonight so I can prep some lunch boxes for myself, and have bought a joint of pork and a chicken so I will cook it all in one big bumper session and package up lots of lunches, with cold meat left and bones for soup as well, plus Extra mash to top a fish pie. Basically saving myself hours this week!

It’s day 14 for me and i know that the tiger blood is simmering away because I can feel it! Usually it’s around day 16 when it really hits so I am looking forward to that. I’ve planned my workouts and runs and meals for the week.

have a good one everyone

Feeling quite tired today. Yesterday I was really energised, almost a bit OTT, got loads of jobs done. Today I felt weary at work and struggled to concentrate. I’ve sneezed a few times so maybe I’m coming down with a bit of a cold. My house is absolutely freezing tonight because the builders have been in today and I am sitting in bed to keep warm but I could quite happily have a little nap!

my food has been good. No breakfast, then chicken salad and fruit for lunch, a nkd bar and cold meat as a snack. Dinner will be cottage pie I think with the mash saved from yesterday and lots of veg.

I am having a very weird period. Usually I am so heavy on day 1/2/3 that I struggle especially at work. Yesterday and today have been very light (for me) and that’s unusual. It could be because of my drastic diet change (ovulated at new year)- will have to monitor.

It’s been an interesting few days. My period has been really odd, quite light (by my standards) and I haven’t had that immediate ‘relief’ that I normally get, but maybe because I wasn’t any where near as hormonal as normal beforehand either. I have felt quite bloated and uncomfortable this week and my stomach quite poochy.
I don’t think I’ve lost weight, I did a mid week weigh in yesterday and I was 163 again, but I imagine that’s due to the bloat. But I don’t think I’ll be lower than last Saturday when i weigh at the weekend.

i have a bit of a cough today, have had all week actually, and generally feel quite tired which is annoying as I’m now day 18 of w30 and apart from an odd day where I’ve felt really energetic, I am yet to feel the tiger blood. Mostly I feel quite exhausted. I’ve slept well but could do with an extra hour. My Garmin stats like training readiness and HRV scores are really good though, so things must be working somewhere.

2 workouts today, a class and a run. Not ideal, but i did want a total rest day yesterday and I can’t do that unless I double up somewhere. Legs hurt tonight though. I really must do yoga this weekend, I keep meaning to and then I just don’t.

job news- I have an interview tomorrow, it’s a good role for me, ticks a lot of my boxes, I have prepared really well, spent a lot of time thinking of questions they might ask and prepping some notes as it’s a virtual interview so I can have a few bits of notes around the desk. I ‘d really like this role, I feel a bit nervous but I hope my prep will pay off. I have a lot of recent relevant experience for it, but no direct experience in a similar role so who knows?

can’t believe another weekend is here. I need to try very hard not to graze in place of drinking, I wasn’t really very good last weekend. This week I have eaten a lot of fruit and nuts and that’s what’s affected my weight loss this week. Next week it must be veg and protein if I need to graze, no easy sweet things. However, that’s nearly 3 weeks 100% natural whole food, no sugar bread or dairy, no alcohol.

I feel really grouchy and grumpy today, and I could quite happily have had a total binge on rubbish and wine today! I haven’t, but I could have!

weird day, had a very positive job interview and even more positive follow up call which I do believe I will be offered the post based on what she said on the phone. I did a truly horrific data task as an add on to my interview, it was genuinely difficult, I had to google every function but I did successfully apply every task, and I do feel very proud of myself now but at the time I could have cried. I am now stressing that even though I shared the google sheet, that I won’t have done that correctly - it has to be in by 12.00 tomorrow and I don’t want to look a newbie by needing to check it arrived 🤦‍♀️

my foods been good: had a fruit pot and a pack of dried mango on my way to work, a soy latte (not compliant, is this why i feel so crap tonight??) a huge salad and mackerel after work, and chicken and oven chips for dinner, and will have some fruit. I will resist the wine because I know I will feel better if I do. But I was very tempted.

I need to get a few extra hours sleep this weekend either by lie ins or by naps, I feel exhausted!

So last night I cracked and ate lots of banned food: galaxy chocolates, bread, cheese, red wine….. to be honest, I think I needed to. I was feeling very wound up on not having anything and I just wanted to relax and let go. I maybe have some deep psychological reason why I need junk food in order to do that but 🤷‍♀️. And because I am by nature a binge eater, I can’t just have one thing, oh no- I have to absolutely gorge myself until I feel unwell.

anyway, I don’t feel as crap today as I could/should. I have a bit of a headache, I have no desire to eat rubbish or drink wine today so that’s good at least. my plan for the day is:

• listen to hypno
• do yoga (my legs are really hurting)
• get my steps in but probably not with a run as my legs ache)
• plan my meals and do some prepping
• Drink 3l of water
• cooking big roast chicken dinner and pack up some prepped meals for the week
• Get my life sorted for the week ahead, school uniforms, pay for lunches etc…. General life admin!

I weighed yesterday and was 162lb which I think may have contributed to my feeling grumpy as I was basically annoyed that I was feeling very deprived and not even losing weight, in fact had gained 2lbs! So that probably tipped me over the edge.

this week I need to eat breakfast every day. I never actually want it and I manage well without it, but if I don’t eat it I get insatiable hunger at 3/4 pm where I eat too much of the wrong things. Last week I ate way too much fruit, nuts, nut butter, dried fruit etc and it is still sugar isn’t it? I think that’s largely contributed to my crash this weekend. So I need to make some breakfast ideas of protein and fat to keep me going.

Can I join? I need to lose a stone and also need to overhaul drinking and eating crap. Sounds a bit weird but Dsis lost 3 stone using Virtual Gastric Band app, I was a real sceptic but the results were amazing.

@lightinthemirrorstormyoutside hi!
I have a hypnotic gastric band hypno course which I am working my way through. I listened to the first 3 days but then haven’t managed it this week, I need to listen to phase 2 on 3 consecutive days. Reassuring to hear that it works. I genuinely think I just have no off switch- I can eat, eat, eat, eat and never feel full.

@thenewaveragebear1983 - she said it took her a couple of weeks for it to feel like it was working but then it really kicked in and she swears by it (she looks amazing!)

So I got offered a job today! Hurrah! I am really pleased, I promised myself I would find something and all my stress would be worth it and it has worked. Really chuffed!

First stage of my fabulous year of forty!

I’ve not posted for a few weeks. Things ticking along. I’m still at my temp job but I must admit I am looking forward to next Friday when I leave! My food has gone totally to shit, I have really fallen off the diet wagon. This week I am strictly calorie counting to try to claw it back.

i ran a half marathon yesterday, nice to be out doing long distances again and I’m not too achy today either which is good. Classes booked for this week. Menu planned and prepped a few lunch and breakfast things to keep me on track and I MUST NOT eat the chocolates at work. I was 160lb after my run tomorrow, so total loss of 9lbs although no overall loss for a few weeks. So need to try harder!

job starts 4 weeks from today and I’m really excited!

Our renovation work is ticking along nicely, plasterers came last week so we have a quiet week now waiting for that to dry and then we can do skirting, light fittings, decorate and then floor! So exciting!

nothing much new to report… days getting longer and mornings lighter which is great for my mood. Overall feeling good!

Good day Monday, pretty terrible day yesterday, today I’m off work ill and have had an ok day, plus have slept for a few hours and feel a lot less exhausted. I’m due on in a couple of days and I’m really feeling hormonal this month, tired, craving all the sugar and carbs, and really irritable and grouchy.