My weight loss diary - 16:8, cutting out crap and drinking more water!

[MickeyMouseShithouse]

I’m using MN as my own personal blog/diary for my weight loss - Feel free to join me, chat, check in, lurk.. Whatever!

So here goes nothing..

Entry 1:

New Year, New Me.. amiright? Not really, more of a ‘New Year, Same me but in a much healthier and banging body’.

After having two children I’m now at my heaviest - which is something like 11st 6lbs (and that was pre-Christmas period!) I’m likely heavier now but my scales have died so I can’t weigh.. which I’m actually quite pleased about.

Ive chosen the 16:8 diet, I’ll eat from 8am - 4pm. I think this will work well for me, and for us as a family - as my partner is very slim and doesn’t need to lose weight, or cut down carbs ect, which had always been a big reason to why my diets have failed - because it’s not maintainable as a family unit (unless I faff with cooking two different meals)
So whereas my partner works full time the only meal we really have together is dinner; so now I’ll cook for him and the children but I’ll be fasting, I’ll just take a glass of water to the table at dinner time!

This diet for me isn’t about watching the numbers tick down on the scales necessarily. Of course it’s nice to see the numbers reduce - but ultimately as I’ll be working out alongside healthy eating I’m expecting some muscle to build. So instead of watching the scales I’m watching the mirror. I’ll take weekly photos to compare and hopefully start seeing a change.

If I like what I see in the mirror then what the digits say doesn’t mean anything to me.

For some personal background if you’re still reading; I’m lazy. I hardly exercise, I’m not someone who goes out for daily walks/jogs ect. - I think I would like to and I would enjoy it but I have social phobia disorder and generalised anxiety so getting out isn’t the easiest for me. - I’ll take the kids to the park or shopping but that’s about it.

That said, I’ve brought a treadmill. My minimum goal is to get 10k steps in every single day, whether that pottering the house while I clean, going out to the shops, running after the kids or using the treadmill, 10k steps is my bare minimum goal. I’ll likely have a gentle jog in the mornings, then check how many steps I’ve done by the evening and top up once the kids are in bed.

I’ve brought a blender which I’ll make smoothies with in the mornings.

I work mostly from home, so snacking is hard to control when the cupboards are right there! I’m going to stock up on carrot sticks, low fat hummus, chicken pieces and nuts to have as snacks through the day.

I really need to whip my arse into shape, I have to have my wedding dress fitted in April so I’m hoping to make a pretty big, yet maintainable change by then.

The Facts:
Current weight: 11st 6lbs
Height: 5ft (on the dot)
Goal: Slim down and firm up, but in numbers I’m hoping to lose 2st minimum by May.

Ah well done to you both!!!! Im off track - no surpise! Im weighing on a Friday and seem to be in a cycle where ive lost 2lbs .... then I dont fast Sat / Sun .... by Monday I've put 2lb back on 😂😂. So I'm just going round in circles 🙈

Oops, posted too soon .... however im also taking measurements and I can see a glimpse of cheekbones returning and have lost some off my waist and a bit off hips. I do feel better in the week and sluggish at the weekend so fasting does make me feel better.

Good morning all,

I weighed myself against my better judgment this morning, and my weight shows as 77.3 kg. This is the lowest it has been this month. Down by a kilo since I started logging here. Not much to show for a month of exercising and restricting, but better than gaining and nothing I suppose :) I have to restrict my diet more. I think I am fooling myself about the number of calories I'm consuming. My next weigh in is going to to be in mid-February. My nerves cannot take it, :)

@SusanPerbCallMeSue Congratulations on the 1 kg loss.

@MickeyMouseShithouse Rollerskating must be great exercise for the legs. I've never tried it. Happy Sunday!

@Ilikewinter That's great about losing on the measurements! Those are encouraging despite what the scale says.

Sounds really positive @EasternEcho - well done. I have been thinking that about the calories too, have downloaded myfitnesspal just to see what my calorie intake looks like this week - as I have no idea!

I have found this week tough and have had to have a few shorter fasts for the first time. Then I noticed my monthly PMS symptoms and wondered if it's a bit harder to fast at this point in the cycle. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this too? I had also put on weight when I weighed, but hoping that is due to oncoming period too.

@AnxieTeapot Thank you! I have My Fitness Pal and in the past it has helped a lot to keep track. It is a reminder of how little food it takes to get up to 1200 calories :) I will start being consistent with that too.

PMS definitely makes everything harder for me. I crave sugar like crazy and usually end up giving in. I find it impossible to fight it. Weight gain due to water retention is normal during PMS. I just got my period 2 days ago and that's why my weight suddenly dropped a kilo after it. It is maddening with all these hormones. At 51, sometimes I get my period twice a month due to perimenopause. It drives me absolutely around the bend.

Morning!

I’m starting to think about getting back into the swing of it now.

To prepare I’m going to set alarms to remind myself when I need to begin fasting - as I’m terrible for just eating and then realising I shouldn’t be!

I’ve also got one of those huge sports bottle that hold 2l water so I’m going to use that religiously.

I need to look into portion control, I think my portions must be too big but I’m not 100% sure how big they need to be!
I might start using a side plate for lunch and dinner instead of a regular dinner plate.

I’m thinking about temporarily carb cutting just to get the ball rolling.. but I think I might regret it!

@MickeyMouseShithouse There are numerous fasting apps that you can use that encourage you through your fast. I don't use a smartphone, so I just use the IF app built into Windows on my laptop to keep track of start and ending times.

I don’t have a gall bladder plus I have PCOS. I have been doing keto for 18 months now, plus 16:8 and calorie counting. I have to be really strict with myself otherwise I can easily fall off the wagon. I am in my 50s and now weigh 51.5 kilos, the lightest I have ever been in my adult life, and it’s because of the strict diet I follow.

Once a month I have a cheat meal though and get back to the diet the next meal after that. IF works best with keto or a low carb diet.

I was 78 kilos when I started keto. I once weighed 99 kilos so I totally understand how frustrating this process can be. I recently changed my keto diet to a high protein keto diet with a little less fat and more protein as my cholesterol was a bit too high. I use carb manager to track my calories. It’s for free and so useful.

I also have an auto immune disease so can’t exercise so I have no choice but to rely on my diet to keep my weight down. I understand the struggle to lose weight all too well but it can be done.

All carbs except for green veg and any sugar in any form, including fruit, spikes my appetite so I avoid eating these.

Each person is different though, what works for one person might not work for another. But lint having a gall bladder didn’t stop me from doing keto successfully.

Hope this helps a bit OP? X

• not! (Not lint - stupid auto correct!)

@DarkChoc33 thank you! That makes me feel a bit better although I do still have my gallbladder for now!

I think I’m going to try Keto, my brother and SIL did a Keto diet and they’re weight literally fell off it was amazing! I’m going to be super super strict I hope, no sugar at all! The cravings are going to be hard but I need to just picture my dress 😂

You are so welcome! The best trick I learnt through this process is if I fall off the wagon to get back straight on it ie not to wait till the next day, next week etc. I have a terrible sweet tooth so I use stevia if I am craving a sweet coffee and I bake my own keto bread and treats. But I eat this in moderation making sure it fits in with my daily macros.

But most of my diet is green veg, protein and fats like butter. I eat breakfast and dinner within my eight hours, no longer need lunch. Have a look at Dr Jason Fung and Diet Doctor re fasting. Lots of keto websites out there too with recipes to get you started. I spend a lot less on groceries now since I don’t eat lunch!

Some people find stevia spikes them, I don’t. As I said diet is very much an individual thing and we need to find our own path in this. Feel free to DM me anytime if you have any questions re keto and IF. I know how daunting it can be. I am glad you still have your gall bladder, weight loss will help manage any issues with it!

I am also short 5.3 and a half (that half inch is very important 😂) so weight gain shows up immediately on me, especially my menopausal tummy!

@DarkChoc33 thats really useful I’ll look them up!

I know what you mean about weight gain showing straight away. I had a memory flash up last week of me at my BIL wedding and oh my gosh I can’t believe how lovely I looked!

I’m doing a big food shop today so going to add all the Keto things I like to it.

to be honest I’m a big meat eater, and I love veg so it should be doable! It’s the sugar cravings im going to find hard. I regularly make courgetti/sprialized veg in salads, it’s one of my favourites!

I bet you still look lovely! Us women can be so hard on ourselves. Further tips which I hope you will find helpful:

portion control is very important on keto. Even green veg has carbs so it’s a half cup or cup of one or two green veg for my dinner with some protein with a teaspoon or two of fat like butter or olive oil. I measure everything out, it feels arduous at first but then you get used to it.

logging macros on carb manager helps me stick to my diet, again this feels arduous at first but am really used to it now. Protein is a goal, fat is used to satiate and carbs are a limit.

get some electrolytes and bone broth (make your own bone broth or just use a stock cube) - both help with keto flu and I take electrolytes every day now. I buy a huge bottle off Amazon, lasts forever.

I ate three meals a day no snacking, for several months and then found as I lost weight I needed only two meals. I mainly do 16:8 but if I pick up a few pounds I do OMAD or a Monk Fast to reset. But 16:8 works best for me.

I never snack between meals. If I feel hungry between my breakfast at 9am and my dinner at 4.45pm I have tea with cashew milk or coffee with a half tablespoon of cream. And lots of sparkling water!

doing keto means you must avoid all grains and below ground veg, as well as all sweetners like sugar and honey. If I do eat something like this my appetite spikes and I can’t stop eating. So I avoid this. Not worth it plus I feel terrible the next day.

IF helps stop insulin resistance and stops insulin from spiking, which makes us both fat and beyond hunger. Combined with keto, doing both properly, we can control insulin. Dr Fung has more on this. I have learnt that being hungry is fine, it comes in waves and I don’t have to eat constantly!

be aware of hidden carbs in this like tomato ketchup and mayonnaise. I buy sugar free ketchup and make my own mayo, it’s a bit more expensive but because I use like half a tablespoon at a time etc it works out pretty economically for me.

i love meat too but now eat more chicken and fish. Iceland has a great deal with fish - three packs for a tenner! And it’s good quality too.

you will find you will save money because you are not buying processed stuff etc.

the goal is to stay in ketosis. That means limiting your net carbs. Even a glass of wine can take you out of ketosis. So drink spirits instead like whiskey or vodka and only small amounts very occasionally.

don’t worry about sugar cravings. Experiment with stevia or have a couple of squares of 90 per cent dark chocolate, Lindt makes a good one. Soon that will be sweet enough. It’s not motivation which keeps us on track but discipline, routine and habit.

I never break my fasting periods, during these I only have water, unsweetened coffee or tea (no stevia etc).

hope this all helps. X

Sorry for typos! In a bit of a rush today!

Good morning all,

Just an update to say that today I weighed in at 76.3 kg. That's another kg down since the 29th of Jan...I think. In terms of lbs, I am now 168 lbs and out of the dratted 170s. I'll take it and be happy!

Have a great weekend!

Well done @EasternEcho definite win! I seem to be maintaining at the moment - even though I'm definitely in calorie deficit. I'm wondering if my body is still adjusting! It is the longest I've stuck to something in a long time though and I'm feeling better for it so taking that as a win. Have a lovely Saturday!