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.

@Gemzee have a wonderful birthday! Sod the calories and enjoy the food and time with loved ones. I hope your weekend away is amazing and you get lots of presents! Next week you might want to look at something like clams if you want to tone the inner thighs and congratulations on completing your squat challenge!

@bigdecisionstomake I hope the DOMs are gone this morning and I’m pleased you dropped on the scales yesterday. Thank you for your kind words. I’m just very impatient and want to carry on making progress but struggling with my limitations.

Yesterday I was driving for four hours for a meeting which wasn’t comfortable for me, but I was going to pick up a salad in Greggs near to where I was going but the only vegan option was the sausage roll so I had two of those for lunch. Not great or filling. So I then had two wraps for dinner so finished on 2000 calories which wasn’t great. I did donGFWRs until I hit my step target but I had a gain on the scales 10st 0.8lb so need to be good today and keep the salt and carbs down a bit more than yesterday

Happy hump day everyone

Morning all

@Dashel The DOMs are really bad this morning - I will be avoiding stairs wherever possible 😱I often find it's the second day rather than the day after that's the killer for me. Should be getting better tomorrow though. I'm not a big Greggs fan (although my boys love it!) so tend to avoid it where possible but sometimes when you're travelling there's not many options and you have to make do with what you can find. I should imagine you're right and the vegan rolls will have been both salty and carby which probably led to your small gain today. Keep swimming, the 9s are right around the corner!

I have had a STS on the scale this morning at 10st 7.4lb. I'm pretty happy with that as I expected another plateau at this point but am impatient for some downward movement. I'm still at a weight that's unusually heavy for me, even after 2 months of consistent losses so just want to get back to something that's in a more 'normal' range for me.

I've done a 20 minute KC and Sunshine Band dance workout with UpToTheBeat fitness this morning followed by a 20 minute CG Tricep workout which was torture but in a good way and ended up with a 10 minute GFWR. There's only one more workout in the CG Christmas Series left now so I will need to choose another series to start next week. I'm wondering whether to up the weights workouts to 5 a week but I do feel that whilst I'm trying to lose weight rather than just keep fit, the extra cardio really helps. Hmmmm, not sure, will have to think about it 🤔

Enjoy your day @Gemzee eat, drink and be merry into your 40s 😊

Have great Wednesdays all.

Hello everyone, I’m still here plugging away. Total loss for the year is now 8lbs. I’m really enjoying this journey and feeling so proud of my losses so far. Hope you’re all doing well!

Morning all

@2023caloriecounter well done on your loss so far this year - 8lbs is a really great amount - it's lovely when you can feel proud of your efforts isn't it 😀

I am still plateauing with a STS at 10st 7.4lb again. It was to be expected after the big loss last week but nevertheless still a bit frustrating 😐

I slept dreadfully last night (not like me) and woke up feeling tired and heavy and not at all in the mood for exercise. I started off just walking in front of the TV but 20 minutes in had picked up a bit of energy so put on a 30 minute Olivia Lawson Standing Abs workout which wasn't too demanding so overall my calorie burn wasn't that bad. Will see how I feel about a walk later though....

Have good days all.

Hi all. Well done @2023caloriecounter , great work so far.

I am currently bouncing around in the last 1lb of my current stone bracket. I lose half a pound, then put it on, then repeat. Trying desperately hard to shift the last pound to see the next stone. I was only 6 ounces away from the next stone at the end of last week, but then had a rubbish weekend and lost my way. New month and back on it big time !

@bigdecisionstomake well done on the workout this morning, especially hard when you are not feeling it but push yourself anyway. Well done.

We've got this 💪👊

Evening all, hope you’re all well. Great to see how everyone is plugging away and keeping consistent, as much as life ever allows anyway!

Work has got very busy of late, but I’m keeping on with the food prepping and planning and nutracheck logging. I have decided to fit in an hour’s walk every day that I can manage, i.e. an hour all in one go rather than the couple of 20 or 30 minute ones I usually fit in. I went out for my first one today and really enjoyed it.

Some days will be harder to fit them in as my husband travels away for work most weeks and my children aren’t quite old enough to leave for an hour, but if I do it on the days I can and then do a longer walking work out like GFWR on the other days then that is still an improvement on the very little I’d been doing for the last part of 2022!

No real movement on the scales for me yet, but I’m feeling so much better, and a little firmer, so hopefully the scales will catch up eventually.

@bigdecisionstomake im sorry about the DOMs but they do mean your muscles are growing. Are you doing enough stretching and foam rolling? I think the lower our weights get the harder it will be to get a loss and stabilising our weight to a new figure is probably a good thing. Just keep swimming!

@2023caloriecounter that is a fabulous figure for the year so far. You should definitely be proud of that!

@encoreunfoisnumber2 sounds like you are in a similar position to be me and it is a little frustrating but hopefully we will be into the next stone bracket soon

@imustbepatient sounds like increasing the walking is a big positive! The longer the days are the easier it will be to do. Most of my walking has been inside at the moment during the week. Hopefully the scale will move soon.

I still haven’t made it to the 9s yet, just bouncing about so close to it.
My sleep hasn’t been good this week and I think that has a massive impact on everything else.

Still TFI Friday and hopefully it will be a good day for us all and then it’s the weekend 🥳

Hi all. 3lbs gain for me! It's well deserved - lots of food, alcohol and not much exercise.
I will work hard to get back to where I was from Monday.
Have a great weekend all 😊

@Gemzee sorry to hear about your gain, but sounds like you are well on top of it. We all need a few days off now and then.

@Dashel we've got this ! time to dump the last pound/ounces for good and say hello to the next stone bracket.

@imustbepatient good going on the walking. I'm sure you will soon see it on the scales.

Last Friday I was 6 ounces away from the next stone bracket, today I am 8 ounces away. I'm doing the gym every day combined with clean eating. Day off the gym today, back on it tomorrow. I haven't seen the next stone bracket since July 2021 when I was 11.13.04, so only just in the 11's. I think getting past the 12's is a major push for my body. My mini goal is to see 11.9 as that will see me well into the 11's and on the downward journey to 11.

Happy Friday !

Morning all

Happy Friday everyone - so pleased to see it!

That's really frustrating @encoreunfoisnumber2 I spent lots of time last year losing and gaining the same couple of pounds over and over again so I know how you feel. You're so close though and I can tell you're determined so I'm sure you'll drop into the next stone bracket really soon. Keep going, you've got this!

Your plan for the extra walking sounds great @imustbepatient and the scales will catch up soon I'm sure. If you're feeling firmer you've almost certainly swapped some fat for some muscle which will increase your BMR and make keeping the weight off in the longer term easier.

@Dashel I am serially guilty of not stretching enough - I do a quick minute or two at the end of each workout but I know I should incorporate some proper stretching like yoga into my routine far more often than I do. The physio I see for my hip when it's bad recommends it and I know my flexibility is poor overall so it would be good for me. I'm just really impatient with the weight loss so prioritise things that burn more calories rather than what would be good for me 😳Might try to add a Yoga with Adrienne in at the weekend when I've got a little more time.

Keep swimming - the 9s will arrive soon I'm sure and I agree, sleep can have a massive impact on lots of things, including weight loss.

Hope you had a fabulous birthday @Gemzee and that you enjoyed your few days off plan. The 3lbs won't all be fat gain and is likely mostly water which should drop off easily once you get back into clean eating and exercising again next week.

My Friday has begun well with a drop on the scales to 10st 6.6lb. I'm very happy with that and curious to see if it holds or if it's just a blip. I've done a GFWR 10 min speed walk this morning followed by the last in the CG Christmas Series which was a 20 min full body workout. I've still got some DOMs from legs on Monday and triceps on Weds so it was challenging but I got through it once I was warmed up. I finished with a 10 min Tabata Style express workout with GrowWithJo.

I would thoroughly recommend the CG Christmas Series for those who are able to do weighted workouts. I've found it a good starting point for incorporating strength workouts in short bursts. I'm going to move on to her IRON Series from Monday which are slightly longer at around 30 minutes each.

Have good days all.

Morning all and happy weekend!

Hope everyone is doing well.

I've had a further unexpected loss on the scale this morning, so down to 10st 6lb exactly. Very pleased about that but also a little cynical as it is a bit out of the blue. Not sure why I'm so suspicious and I can't just enjoy it for what it is!

I had planned to have a glass of wine with my meal last night but my youngest (21) had a last minute invitation to go out with some old school friends and asked if I would pick him up from a nearby town after their meal so he could have a drink. I therefore ended up having a much lighter evening meal than I would have had if I'd been cooking for both of us and didn't have the wine as I had to drive - perhaps that all helped!

I've done a 30 minute Eleni Fit standing cardio workout this morning followed by one of her 10 minute arms and shoulder workouts and am hoping to get in a walk later. It's pasta for tea and I would like the postponed glass of wine too so trying to get my calorie burn up so I have enough calories for it all.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Hi everyone, hope your weekends are all going well.

That’s great @bigdecisionstomake about the scale drop, definitely let yourself enjoy it!

The scales have started dropping for me properly too now, at last at last! I’m down 2.1kg since the highest weight I’d seen this year, so I’m feeling chuffed and also relieved. It gives me confidence to just keep on with what I’m doing calorie / nutrition wise plus the types exercise that I’ve now got into doing.

We are out for dinner tonight, to a Lebanese place. Nutracheck is a bit lacking in Lebanese restaurant items but I’ve tracked ahead by looking at the menu, working out what I’ll have and then finding the best / closest equivalents on the app.

By planning and tracking it in advance (and including some wine and a g&t) and working out my lunch for the remaining calories, I’m going to be bang on my calorie limit for the day, which is great. Even if my estimates are a bit out, I won’t be too far over.

It is such a different feeling to know I can still do things like meals out, the occasional glass of wine etc and still be doing what I want to in terms of nutrition / diet. Quite a change to how I used to be when I was being super strict and keto, v low carb etc. Then, I would either overthink things massively, not go out, or just eat all sorts on the basis of ‘well if I’m not eating as I should for the diet then I might as well have all these foods’. I was never a binge eater, but I would get into that mentality of ‘let’s have a bit of this and this and this because tomorrow I won’t be eating it ever again / for ages, so make the most of it’.

Now, I can just eat a normal sort of meal, make a few decent choices, enjoy myself and still be eating the way I need to. And the way I want to, frankly. I enjoy how I feel eating the way I am now. I feel much better.

Anyway, yet another long waffle from me 😆

Have a great Saturday everyone.

PS thanks @Dashel @bigdecisionstomake and @encoreunfoisnumber2 for the good wishes re the walking. I think it’s helping already.

And @Gemzee 3 pounds isn’t bad at all for a special weekend well enjoyed. You’ll have those pounds off again in short order I’m sure.

Wow @2023caloriecounter what a fantastic loss for the year so far. Imagine where you’ll be by the end of it!

Morning all

Hope everyone's weekends are going well.

Soooo happy for you that the scales are starting to move and you're getting the results you deserve @imustbepatient Hope you enjoyed your meal out last night - I've never eaten Lebanese so can't quite work out what sort of things it would be but I hope it was delicious.

Lovely to hear that you've found a plan and a balance that are right for you and that are working - there's nothing better than feeling like you've finally 'worked it out'.

I have had a bit of a re-bound on the scales this morning back up to 10st 7lb. I ate well within maintenance calories yesterday but slightly over my target deficit. My food choices were, as usual for a weekend, a bit carb heavy plus there was a large glass of wine so I think that's it, plus I've got quite bad DOMs in my legs again from the full body workout on Friday. Hoping they are feeling better tomorrow as Day 1 of CGs Iron Series is a leg day!

My Scores on the doors for this week are therefore as follows:

Week 9
Initial start weight 11st 5lb
Final target weight 9st 11lb
Last week's weight 10st 7.2lb
This week's weight 10st 7.0lb
Loss this week 0.2lb
Total loss so far 12lb

I'm happy with that, after losing nearly 2.5lbs last week it's not surprising there was a much smaller loss this week and I think some it is water anyway so should go again next week fingers crossed.

As usual on a Sunday I've just walked this morning rather than doing anything more active as I think my body needs a 'rest day' once a week. I've got my food planned for the rest of the day and I feel positive moving into next week with only 2lbs to go to get to my first stone lost.

Enjoy your Sundays everyone.

Thanks very much @bigdecisionstomake i’m so pleased to see the scales moving - especially, as you say, from finding a way of doing this that feels right for me and sustainable.

The Lebanese meal was lovely thanks. We all shared some starters of grilled halloumi, falafel and spiced rice in vine leaves, then I had a main of grilled chicken breast pieces with rice and a tomato, chilli and pepper sauce. All delicious and pretty nutritious / healthy, as restaurant meals go.

That first stone is almost there @bigdecisionstomake ! Well done on keeping that big drop from last week and even adding a little more to it. You’ll be at that very satisfying 14 down before much longer I’m sure.

I’ve had a lovely Sunday with a sleep in and then my new habit (can I call it a habit after doing it 4 days in a row?! 😂) of an hour’s walk after breakfast. I can’t believe I haven’t been doing this before, as I really do like it. Funnily enough though I prefer going on my own, for this sort of ‘exercise purposed’ walk. Lunch was a lovely shakshuka type dish of tomato, chorizo, chilli and onion sauce with cannellini beans added then eggs poached in the sauce. I was meant to be making bacon, eggs and mushrooms when I realised the bacon was past its expiry date, hence the shakshuka was a bit of a throw together from what else I had in the fridge!

My littlest DD wanted to make Anzac biscuits (I’m originally from NZ) so we did that after lunch. I entered the recipe into Nutracheck and worked out I could easily fit one into my calories for the day. Just another reminder to myself about why this way just feels so much more workable than keto and the like.

DH, DDs, Ddog and I went out to some local fields where we let Ddog off lead to run around like a loon, while DH and little DD did some football practice and older DD and I walked around the perimeter of the field, accompanied by the loon of a dog racing around at speed.

Dinner has been roast pork, broccoli and asparagus, with a glass of red.

All in all a very pleasant Sunday. I know I am in for a hell month of March with work so I’ve been really trying to focus on having a stress free weekend (well, save for the occasional bickering from the DDs! 😂) and helping to keep my wellbeing in check too. I tend to get stressed more easily that I’d like, so focusing on this is something I really need to do more.

I hope everyone else has been having a really lovely weekend too and feeling geared up for another week.

Morning sorry I have been AWOL for a few days. My back has been pretty bad and there has been some comfort eating and I have had to kick my own arse. We also had dinner at a friends house which was nice but calorific.

I will catch up with everybody later but I hope you are all doing well and had a great weekend.

I weighed in at 10st 2.4 so a bit of a gain but hopefully it will go soon. We did managed 21k steps yesterday which included a litter pick around where we live. That was quite depressing as live very rurally and there was so much.

I keep saying it but I really need to get my head in the right place.

Hi all! I'm back and need to work hard. I went crazy for about 9 days with food & booze - back on track now.
Just did 35min workout (250cals burnt) and will walk to work. Gonna take a couple weeks to get back where I was I think, we'll see.
Lets do this!!

Morning all

The Lebanese food sounds lovely and delicious @imustbepatient as does the rest of your home cooked food - can I come and live with you please? 😂I do enjoy cooking but I rarely prioritise time for it - I'm determined at some point to get a bit better work/life balance going and make more effort to try some new recipes.

Your weekend sounds lovely and relaxing which is definitely a good thing especially if you're going to have full on weekdays at work - I hope they're not too hellish!

Sorry to hear your back is still bad @Dashel I did wonder if that was the case when we didn't hear from you over the weekend. Only 4 weeks to the scan so keep swimming until then and hopefully you can get a treatment plan in place and start to see some improvement once you know what's going on.

How many weeks is it until you go to Cyprus? Can you focus on that in the meantime to try to get into a better headspace? The thought of holidays always cheers me up immensely. I have a diary reminder that flashes up on my computer every Saturday counting down to when we go to France - only 15 weeks away! I'm also nagging DP so we can get our holiday in September booked as that's the one I really look forward to as it's usually our vegging around, sun, sea and sand one.

Great start to the new week @Gemzee I love your positive mindset - you absolutely have got this and I'm sure you'll be back to where you were in no time at all.

I stuck to my food plan yesterday but slightly derailed myself by having a large glass of red with my evening meal. It was the last of the bottle so needed drinking up - that was my excuse anyway! Back on the wagon for the next four days and I'll see how I feel at the weekend.

I have had a STS on the scale at 10st 7lb but am hoping to be back in the 6s tomorrow or Wednesday as the weekend's alcohol washes away. I'm going to drink lots of water today. I did Day 1 of the CG Iron Series this morning which was legs and I'm going to be sore tomorrow. I did manage it all though which was a result. I've decided to stick with only 3 main weights workouts a week while I'm still trying to lose weight although I may add some abs and glutes onto my cardio days. I'll reconsider upping to 5 weights workouts a week once I'm at target.

Have good days all.

@Gemzee if you can’t put on a bit for your 40th when can you? I am sure it will be gone soon as you are so positive and have done it before.

@imustbepatient sounds like a lovely weekend! I love baking but I love eating the results more. You must have a lot of willpower to just eat one! I hope work isn’t as bad as you think it will be. Is it worth trying some midweek yoga or meditation to try and keep the stress level down?

@imustbepatient i am really pleased that the scales are dropping now! It sounds like everything is going well.

@encoreunfoisnumber2 I hope you get to the next stone bracket soon! You are so close and I’m sure it won’t be too long now!

@bigdecisionstomake we definitely need rest days! You are doing so well and we definitely can’t expect big losses every week even if we all wish we could!

My back isn’t improving and it’s been hard sleeping, which means I’m hungry or wanting to comfort eat most of the time. It’s 7 weeks on Saturday till we fly out. I have noticed I’m less toned now I’m not exercising apart from the walking and this is upsetting.

I weighed in at 10st 2.2lb this morning a loss of 0.3lb from yesterday and I managed 15k steps all outside.

This morning I’m doing a quick GFWR but will be spending a lot of time driving so it will be a tough day to get steps in,

Morning all

Bright and sunny here this morning but really cold!

Sorry to hear your back is causing you problems sleeping @Dashel I hate being tired and I know exactly what you mean about it not being very conducive to good eating habits either. Could the physio help at all in the meantime or have you got to wait for the scan now until you know what's going on? Not sure if you're beyond the stage of topical pain relief but I use Ibuleve Gel or Voltarol when my hip is particularly painful and it's stopping me sleeping - it doesn't get rid of the pain altogether but it does dampen it down a bit.

It's rubbish for you that you're losing muscle tone but try to hang onto the fact that things will get better and you will get that muscle tone back once you've dealt with the back problem. I know being tired and in pain aren't good bedfellows for a positive outlook but it will get better at some point. Kudos to you for keeping your steps up and for the small scale loss - your determination is winning through as always 😊

I've had a STS on the scale again this morning so still at 10st 7lb. The plan to drink lots of water yesterday didn't happen as I was at the office and although the heating was on in the room I was in it was off in the rest of the building so every-time the door opened an arctic chill came through and it never really got warm. I can't really face cold water when I'm already cold so just drank tea until I got home. Hopefully there will be some movement tomorrow, although it's pasta for tea so possibly not!

I've done a 30 minute Olivia Lawson Standing Cardio HIIT this morning followed by a 15 minute Core Strength workout by FitbyMik which was quite tough - I still have a way to go get my core strength back to where it was!

Have good days all.

@bigdecisionstomake I do go a private physio every other week. It has helped a lot in the past but worryingly not so much at the moment. Heat seems to be the most helpful thing.

I have the same problem at work with the warm room but cold building so keep a bottle of squash and a box of herbal tea there to help with water.

I love pasta but it doesn’t usually work week for me on the scales but I hope you get a good result this morning!

Yesterday was a long day as we left at 7am and got home at 9pm, so only got 8.5k steps in and I had two bagels and strawberry jam for dinner. But I went from 10st 2.2lb yesterday to 10st 1.3lb this morning so can’t complain at all.

Hopefully today will be better with food and steps though.

Have a great day x

Morning all and happy hump day.

@Dashel sorry to hear the physio isn't working - it's a big expense too if it isn't really helping! The days are counting down until your scan so hopefully you'll start to get some answers and a plan in place then.

Herbal tea bags are a good shout for increasing my water intake when in the office. I love a mint tea and I'm in again this afternoon so I'll take some with me.

Sadly the pasta had the expected result last night and I've had a STS again on the scale this morning at 10st 7lb. Unfortunately I don't think tonight will be any better as we have a new Rotisserie Chicken mobile catering van coming to the village for the first time and there was a big shout out on the village facebook page to use it if we want to be added to the round regularly so DP and I both have half a chicken, chips, coleslaw and a dip booked for our tea! I'm looking forward to it as a treat but I have no idea what the calorie damage will be. I might have to split it into two meals I think as it sounds like a lot of food and maybe add some salad to make it a bit healthier. Even so though I expect it won't be helpful as far as the scales are concerned!

I've got an early meeting this morning so had to do a shorter than usual workout so that won't help either. I've done a 10 minute GFWR followed by Day 2 of CG's Iron Series which was upper body, concentrating on shoulders.

Have good days all.

Morning all

Glad we're on the downhill stretch to the weekend.

Well, I fell off the wagon spectacularly yesterday. I won't bore you with the details but something happened in the morning that was quite distressing and I reached for the chocolate and as the day wore on any semblance of calorie counting disappeared in a puff of smoke. I ended up drinking half a bottle of wine to go with my (very delicious) rotisserie chicken take away and instead of sensibly splitting the large portion I just ate everything in sight. This is how I was last year for pretty much the whole year and is the reason I am here now - I am definitely an emotional eater!

Anyway, today is a new day and I'm determined to not let this derail me. Equally I'm not going to punish myself by starving myself today to make up for it I'm just going to put it behind me and keep on swimming.

The absolute irony is I've had a drop on the scales today, down to 10st 6.6lb. May be dehydration to be fair but I'll have to see how it plays out over the next few days.

I hauled myself out of bed this morning despite not really wanting to and have done a 40 minute Olivia Lawson walking workout which was about the most I could manage whilst being slightly hungover. I will drink lots of water/herbal tea today to try to get myself straight again!

Have good days all.

Morning!

I’ve been hiding a bit, the scales just aren’t budging at all, been the same weight for 2 weeks now. I’m trying to move a bit more but work is busy at the moment so I’m at my desk a lot, and it’s blooming snowing!

food wise I’ve not changed anything but I’m wondering if I need to start actually calorie counting (I was trying to avoid so I don’t get too frustrated like I have in the past). It’s definitely getting harder.

typical days food with lots of water to drink:

fruit n fibre with skimmed milk & a coffee

one slice wholemeal toast with 2 eggs & squeeze of ketchup, fruit, maybe a yogurt if extra hungry

Tea, 2 rich teas, grapes & apple mid afternoon

normal dinner with family but keeping an eye on portions/extras. Tonight it’s 2 sausages with roasted tomatoes, onions & peppers with one flatbread which I make about 500cals if I add it up. Tomorrow it’s chicken/veg/noodle stir fry.

do I need to be stricter?

@bigdecisionstomake ive not caught up on all the posts but a rotisserie chicken can sounds epic!!!