Diet For Summer Challenge

[Dashel]

This is a continuation of the diet for Christmas challenge that was undertaken in 2022. Thank you to @OhFatty for starting that.

It is a group of us wanting a supportive environment to loose weight in the long term. Hopefully the posters from the Christmas challenge will sign up again and new members are welcome.

We each have our own way of doing this and there are no rules other than being encouraging to everyone and cheering on successes.

@imustbepatient sorry to hear that you're a bit stuck like me. It really sounds as if you've got the right mindset though and you know your body and what works for it. Keep going, we'll both see the results we deserve eventually I'm sure, even if it takes us a bit longer 🙂

Thanks @bigdecisionstomake - exactly, we’ll get there in the end! And stay there this time 😁

Morning all

On the downhill track to the weekend and couldn't be more pleased that we're getting there.

I second the 'And stay there this time' @imustbepatient - I really don't want to have to do this again this time next year 😁

So, I have been singing on the scales this morning again. But for a change it wasn't 'Just Keep Swimming' it was 'Hallelujah, Hallelujah'! I have had a whoosh overnight and am now down to 10st 7.8lb - about time too! There is a feeling of deja vu as I have completely missed out the 8s and when that happened last time and I missed out the 10s I ended up with a 15 day plateau. Anyway, for the moment I'm celebrating the win and doing a happy dance and for the moment I'm not going to worry about the plateau or bouncing around that may ensue in the coming days.

I have DOMS pretty much all over at the moment so no weights today, just full on cardio. I did a 30 minute Olivia Lawson all standing cardio followed by a FitbyMik 20 minute high impact cardio. My fitness is definitely improving.

Have good days all.

huge well done @bigdecisionstomake that's great news.

I put on half a pound, so back up to 12.2. I was desperately hoping to see 11 stone on the scales by the end of Feb which is now only next Tuesday. I've got 4 days to go hammer and nail at it. Gym every day, protein, no carbs, no alcohol. Will report back in on feb 28th .... 😬

Awesome news @bigdecisionstomake ! It’s great to see some movement isn’t it? You’re doing so well

sorry I’ve been a bit MIA, we’ve got a lot going on at the moment. Had some time away, lots of walking but lots of food too. Weighed this morning for first time in 2 weeks (I’m usually and every day weigher which I know isn’t ideal). I’m at 12st 5.5 which my fitness pal tells me is 46.5lbs total lost in a year- I really am the tortoise but the finish line feels like it’s in sight

Congratulations on your whoosh @bigdecisionstomake 👏👏👏

Well done @bigdecisionstomake that’s fantastic, and very cool with the fitness levels improving too. I really want that feeling as well!

Good luck @encoreunfoisnumber2 for the next four days. Even if you don’t make your full target, it sounds like you’ll be a good step closer to it and feeling good from all that effort I’m sure.

@Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday that’s a phenomenal loss well done! It must feel amazing to look back on what you’ve achieved over the year. I am so inspired and determined that I’ll be able to say similar by the end of this year.

I hope everyone else is doing well too. The (sort of!) lighter days are starting to appear, which always gives me a lift and makes me feel Spring can’t be that far away. I live in hope anyway 😂

Hi all! I lost half a pound which I'm really happy with as last weekend was quite high in calories!
Now, this weekend is completely off plan for me! Next Weds is my 40th and we are celebrating from today with a childfree weekend away - I will not be counting calories!
The scale will show my first gain next week but thats ok as long as I get back on track asap after my birthday celebrations! 😊
Happy Friday all

Thank you @imustbepatient! patience really has been key for me, before when I’ve tried to lose weight small losses/gains would have me so disheartened I gave up easily whereas this time I’ve just kept plodding on as long as it’s heading in the right direction. I think I’ve averaged about 4lb a month which as someone who is motivated by progress and results has been challenging. keep going! You won’t regret it.

12st 4.5 here today, I think it’s some water retention going from salt heavy diet over last couple of weeks & flying because the scales never move that fast for me. 3.5lbs to healthy BMI and 11.5lbs to my original target - I can’t quite believe it

I am reconsidering the target weight- it was based on my pre baby 1 weight which is the last time I felt really good. However, I’m realising that over a decade and another baby on my body carries it differently and the saggy tum I’ve acquired may mean I need to aim for a bit lower… I know it doesn’t really matter and I can keep adjusting but I like a goal and want to be able to celebrate when I get there if that makes sense?

Congrats @Gemzee on the half pound loss and have a fantastic child-free weekend away for your 40th - enjoy every moment. DH and I did similar for our 10 year wedding anniversary a few years back and we still talk about it and have such fond memories of it.

Thanks very much @Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday for the lovely encouragement and well done on the latest loss. How fantastic to be in touching distance of two such momentous goals. I know what you mean about just seeing how you feel when you get to each one. It’s been so long now since I was at my ideal, very happy weight and it seems impossible to get back down that low. But I know I will feel better with each pound permanently lost and so whatever I can get down to - and stay at while living in a reasonable, sustainable way - will be my new very happy weight.

Have a great Friday everyone.

Have a fabulous birthday @Gemzee 💐

Morning all and happy Friday!

Thanks everyone for your congratulations on the loss - it has been a long time coming but it's so nice to know we're all here cheering each other on.

Good luck with the plan @encoreunfoisnumber2 I'll cross everything you get the results you want.

That's an epic result @Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday almost a pound a week consistently for a whole year is a fantastic achievement - huge congratulations.

@imustbepatient I'm really happy with the improved fitness, both strength and cardio. Although weight was really my priority I had forgotten how motivating it is to increase your fitness. When I'm at goal weight I'd like to drop down the pace a little to maybe 4-5 days a week but make it a consistent habit rather than something I pick up and drop depending on my weight.

Well done on the loss @Gemzee and I hope you have a really lovely weekend away, you deserve it!

I have had a STS on the scale this morning at 10st 7.8lb - I was curious to see if yesterday was a blip and I would bounce back up today or whether I was able to hold at the lower weight - just wondering now how long I'll be here, especially with the weekend coming up. We don't have any particular plans but there are always a few more carbs at a weekend plus I may have a glass of wine if I have enough calories in my allowance.

I've done a 10 minute GFWR followed by 2 x CG Christmas Series workouts - the first was cardio and some of it was too explosive so I subbed with some leg work as I seem to have missed a few of the leg days. The second was an upper body workout which was hard but I managed to complete it, albeit with lower weights than she used.

Have good days all.

@Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday wow, a great loss. Huge well done to you. What an achievement.

Happy birthday @Gemzee have a lovely time celebrating

Today I weighed in at 12.0.6. So that's 6 ounces to go until the next stone bracket, which I wanted to achieve by the end of Feb. Tomorrow night we are going to a family birthday celebration which will include a takeaway of some sort and 2-3 glasses of alcohol. In my mind, I still look and feel like I did when I was 13 stone, this is because my clothes don't feel any different and my size 16 jeans are still tight. I don't understand that, because I'm 5.10 and reasonably tall

I've been doing the gym twice a day for the last few days, as my DH has wanted to go to the gym in the eves and won't go alone as he's a bit unsure (gym newbie). So, I go either early morning or lunchtime for my proper workout then again in the eve for a mini workout while I coach DH.

Happy Friday everyone !

@Gemzee have a fantastic weekend and congratulations on the loss. Enjoy your child free weekend and calories definitely don’t count!

@bigdecisionstomake that is a fantastic woosh 🥳it sounds like you are working as hard as ever!

@encoreunfoisnumber2 so close to the 11s! Im sure it won’t be long till you get there but I hope you enjoy tomorrow night. You are more patient with your DH than I would be! Have you thought about doing a class with him so you can both benefit? My clothes took a while to feel looser, but when they did feel looser it was a lot looser overnight.

@imustbepatient you will get there, you just have to keep faith and keep going.

@Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday I definitely feel like this is a plod too. I’m about half a stone off my target and thought I would look different to how I do so I have reset it by half a stone and will see what happens. I think muscle weight vs fat weight makes such a difference as well. But I agree I like a firm target and not knowing is annoying. Nothing wrong with being a tortoise at least you get there in the end. I hope you had a good time away.

Sorry my work trip was very tiring and no chance to post. I have come off the wagon a bit this week and need to get back on it. My back is pretty painful so that doesn’t help and work has been manic which combined is an excuse to eat and have crap steps.

The physio taped up my back which is annoying but for the best I guess.

Considering how bad I have been, I was shocked to get on the scales and see them flash 9st/10st for a second before settling on 10st 0.3lb . Last weigh was Monday and that was 10st 1.9lb so can’t complain at all. I haven’t been great today so doubt it will stay that low tomorrow. But to be so close to the 9s should make me kick my own arse!

Hopefully the lighter days will make walking outside more appealing as exercise apart from walking is not really feasible at the moment.

I hope everyone has a great weekend

Morning all

Thank goodness for the weekend, it feels like it's been a mammoth week again.

Well done on getting so close to your next mini target @encoreunfoisnumber2 you must have worked really hard for the last few days. Enjoy your meal out tonight.

Good to see you back on the thread @Dashel but sorry to hear your back is still very painful. I wondered if a week away might give it a bit of a break/rest but it sounds like that wasn't the case if your work has been very demanding. Fantastic to be soooooo close to the 9s though - keep plodding away, you'll be there very very soon.

I've had another small downward movement on the scales this morning to take me to 10st 7.2lb. Very happy about that especially as I went a bit over calories yesterday (although still under maintenance) and had a glass of wine with dinner.

My hip was feeling the best it's been for a while this morning so I'm wondering if the consistent weights workouts are starting to help the muscles around it to support it better - a massive win if that is the case but I think I need to see the improvement over a longer period before I can be sure it's not just a blip. I've done a 40 minute Olivia Lawson cardio aerobic workout this morning followed by a 10 minute FitbyMik abs workout.

Will have to work this morning but off to the hairdressers this afternoon for a nice non food related treat.

Have great days all.

Thanks very much @Dashel for the encouragement. Sorry to hear about your back continuing to give you grief, but well done on the latest weigh in, you’re definitively chipping away at those next target pounds.

I hope you’re having a terrific weekend @Gemzee

@encoreunfoisnumber2 how exciting to be so close to seeing that next stone bracket and I’m sure it will start showing in your clothes soon.

@bigdecisionstomake that’s fantastic news on both the scales going down and also the hip feeling better. Enjoy the hairdressers!

Thank you so much to whoever mentioned the Get Fit with Rick and Caroline Girvan YouTube Channels (I think it was @Dashel and @bigdecisionstomake ). I’ve done two work outs from each of them yesterday and today and enjoyed them both so much, way more than I was expecting to!

The combination of the two is exactly the sort of exercise routine I’ve been looking for, so thank you for bringing them both onto my radar.

Right, off to start watching the build up to the England v Wales Six Nations game!

Good morning and I hope everyone is having a good weekend.

@bigdecisionstomake thank you I need to get back into my daily posting first thing as it sets me up for the day. I haven’t been focusing on this as much as I should. I think moving my dream holiday back till September as well as having the issues with my back has kind of taken my foot off the gas.

@imustbepatient thank you and it’s always great to see anyone getting any benefit out of this thread. I like to get a GFWR workout in first thing.

Since I left for my work trip I haven’t managed to get my 15k steps in, I have eaten way too much junk and my body fat is slowly increasing. Probably because my muscles are shrinking. I weighed in today at 10st 0.4lb after doing 10k steps and having crisps, a vegan greggs sausage roll and a donut along with ice cream as well as normal food 🤦‍♀️

I have two months until I fly to Cyprus and 7 months till Mauritius which isn’t that long in dieting terms. So I need to refocus and kick my arse. When I went shopping it was so good to see clothes fitting better and I tried on some Hobbs dresses in a 10. One fitted perfectly and the other was a tiny bit tight on m belly but if it was in the sale I would have bought it. I need to get back to that and not carry on comfort eating or I will be back to the 11s before I know it.

Heaviest weight 11st 8.8lb
weight 26 Feb 2022 11st 0.1lb
SW dieting for Christmas 25th August 10st 11
SW dieting for Summer 2nd Jan 10st 9 includes Christmas bloating more like 10st 6 really
SW Feb 10st 3.5
26 Feb 10st 0.4

March goals:
Finally get under 10st
Daily posting to keep focused
15k steps
Cutting down on the junk food
Chase my MRI
Stop feeling sorry for myself and start doing more yoga and try the cross trainer DH has- as suggested by physio
Get back on MFP
Declutter my wardrobe of the clothes that are too big

Morning all

Glad you're enjoying Caroline Girvan and GFWR @imustbepatient I definitely feel better when I do some exercise each day and I think it helps with weight loss too.

Great news about the clothes shopping @Dashel It's lovely to be able to get into a smaller size. I'm still in my larger sized jeans but yesterday when I went to the hairdresser I had to keep hoicking them up so they are finally starting to feel a bit looser. Having the Cyprus holiday to focus on should help to keep you motivated - you've shown immense dedication to get this far so I'm sure you can do it if you put your mind to it. When you look at your stats between your current weight and your heaviest you've done an amazing job so you've just got to keep going a little longer - you've got this!

I overindulged last night and my small glass of wine with dinner turned into half a bottle - whoops! I kept my food choices good though and all in all ended up coming in just under maintenance calories so hopefully it won't have done too much damage. Back on the wagon for me today though.

The scales haven't been impacted so far - I think if they're going to be it will be tomorrow - so today is a STS for me at 10st 7.2lb which I'm more than happy with. After a gain last week it's a big drop this week but overall it's levelling out to around a pound a week so I'm pleased with that.

My scores on the doors for this Sunday's weigh in therefore are:

Week 8
Initial start weight 11st 5lb
Final target weight 9st 11lb
Last week's weight 10st 9.6lb
This week's weight 10st 7.2lb
Loss this week 2.4lb
Total loss so far 11.8lb

Now I seem to be at 10 and half stone reliably my next mini target is to get to 10st 5lb - which will be my first stone lost. My targets for March are almost the same as for February:

• Lose 3lbs
• Carry on doing 3 weights workouts a week totalling at least 90 minutes
• Do a minimum of 70K steps a week
• Carry on logging calories every day
• Keep posting on this thread daily

I didn't quite make 8K steps every day during Feb (my previous target) but some days I did a lot more so I averaged just over 10K a day. I think a weekly target will be better for me therefore. Hopefully with the days getting longer there should be more opportunity to get out in the early evenings soon which will help with days when I'm in the office and can't get a lunchtime walk in.

Onwards and downwards into March Diet for Summer Challengers, Spring will be here soon!

Good morning, another Monday 😩

@bigdecisionstomake I had the jeans thing for a while and then thankfully found a pair that I must have bought to slim into in the back of my wardrobe. I was living in joggers as much as I could though until I found those.

You are doing so well and not far off a stone 🥳 and a huge drop this week. Hopefully you will smash your targets. Are you going to reward yourself when you have lost a stone?

I STS this morning which I was a little disappointed about. I am obviously eager to see a nine! I was at 1900 calories and 21k steps yesterday. Including some GFWR and a walk.

Have a great week everyone

Morning all

Off we go into another week.

Thanks @Dashel I hadn't thought about a reward to be honest, although now you mention it I have a voucher for a facial that my MIL got me for Christmas so I might book to have that when I get the first stone done 😃

I struggled with the wine craving last night and although I didn't give in I did eat a bag of crisps which took me over my calorie allowance for the day. I'm a bit cross with myself to be honest as I wasn't really hungry, I was just craving the taste of something I think. I seem to have a bit of diet fatigue at the minute but I've just got to keep on swimming if I want to be in my summer clothes comfortably by June.

The wine and crips have caught up with me on the scales today and I have had a great big gain back up to 10st 8.4lb. I'm crossing everything this is just bloat following a carby weekend plus the alcohol and the salt but we'll see what happens tomorrow.

This morning was a leg day with CG and for the first time I was able to do it all. I also used my 6KG weights for most of it so that all feels like a massive win. May not be able to go up and down stairs tomorrow but I'll worry about that then 😂I also did a 10 minute GFWR and a 15 minute EMKFit dance workout.

Have good days all.

@bigdecisionstomake i think you deserve a reward. I plan on something nice when I get to the 9s. Don’t beat yourself up about any lapses, there isn’t anything you can do afterwards.

I get the diet fatigue too. There are so many desirable foods out there and all calorific. I try and keep on swimming and like you think of the end result.

I have a date for the MRI of 31st of March. So at least that is sorted and off my to do list.

I managed 16.5k steps yesterday and 1700 calories and weighed in at 10st 0.2lb this morning which is my new low and edging closer

I hope that everyone is ok. I know a few people have posted in a while so hoping everything is ok and you are just busy.

I'm around, reading 😊 You're all doing amazing!
I was off plan Fri - Sun - had amazing food, way too many drinks and lots of fun! It was such a great weekend!
I was under calories yesterday but no exercise. Plan to be within calories today and I've already done my home workout which is good.
Tomorrow (my 40th) through to probably Sunday are going to be over calories and probably not much exercise - I'll take any gains on the scale & motivate myself on Monday 😁
Keep on swimming all.

Oh also, I finished my squat challenge at the weekend. I'm trying to still do some every day as it has toned the outside of my thighs. Could do with ideas to tone inner thighs though 😀

Morning all

Great news that you have a date for your MRI @Dashel at least if you've got some answers about what the problem is you'll be able to make a plan to get it resolved. Crossing everything for you that it's not too serious and is straightforward to treat.

You're tantalisingly close to dropping into the 9s now, that must be immense motivation to keep at it - it just seems to take forever when you're so close though doesn't it!

It sounds like an amazing weekend @Gemzee glad you had a great time and enjoyed all the food and drink. I think when there's a special celebration you have to embrace it and go all out 😁If you put 'Inner thigh workout' into You Tube lots of options come up if you're looking for your next challenge!

Just in case you're not on the thread tomorrow - HAPPY BIRTHDAY 😀Hope you have a fabulous day!

I got on the scales a bit apprehensively this morning but thankfully yesterday's gain obviously was just bloat from an over indulgent weekend as I've dropped back to 10st 7.4lb today - phew!

As predicted, I have a bad case of DOMS in my legs so I went with a Jenny Ford March across America 30 minute walking walkout to ease me in this morning then did a 15 minute express HIIT with Olivia Lawson and a 10 minute Ab circuit with CG.

Have good days all.

@bigdecisionstomake Thank you 😊