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.

Good morning!

@Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday yay to the loss even if it doesn’t feel like it’s justified. HopefullY today brings another loss. Sounds like a pretty good days food to me, wine, chocolate cake and stir fry ummmm yummy!

@bigdecisionstomake sorry you were in pain yesterday, it really is horrible! Congratulations on the loss and you will get there! I know what you mean about weekends. We have had things going on a lot of weekends and this weekend it’s DHs birthday so I won’t be on plan.

I just check out the seniors channel too. It’s been too cold and wet and windy to walk here and I refuse to walk if it’s icy in case of falls. Now I sound really old 🫣 but better safe than sorry at the moment.

Thank you all for your kind words. I can be very hard on myself. It’s just very frustrating. I weighed in at 10st 2.4 so a slight loss and 11.5k steps.

Unfortunately I don’t feel much better from physio. Without me prompting she said she thinks the MRI will show I have a crushed vertebrae which doesn’t sound great and sounds like it will be a slow recovery too. But will probably need to wait a month for the MRI and results to come through to confirm or point to something else. It’s a bit disheartening tbh but all I can do is make sure I am eating well and giving my body the nutrients it needs to help.

Just keep swimming every one x

Morning all

Did you find the music workouts on the seniors channel @Dashel ? They're about half way down the list under 'favourites' I think - if you like well known music they're ok actually and as a bonus she sometimes puts the lyrics on screen so you can sing along - much to DPs annoyance 😅

I'm so very sorry to hear the physio hasn't provided any relief and what her assessment of the problem is. It must seem like an interminable wait until you've got the scan results through and can settle on a suitable recovery programme. Just keep swimming in the meantime, you're still getting losses so you're battling through, in spite of everything - you're amazing.

I've finally had a loss I'm happy with this morning, down to 10st 5.6lb. Obviously I can't have lost a pound overnight so I think there must have still been some water weight from over the weekend hanging around which finally went yesterday. Either that or it's a blip and I'll be back in the 6s tomorrow!

The sciatic pain has pretty much gone overnight but my hip is just very stiff this morning - not sure if that's because I was trying to avoid the sciatic pain yesterday so not moving it as much as I normally would. I've tried to be a bit careful with exercise this morning as I'd like to be able to do the CG workout tomorrow which is quad focussed. I've done a 30 minute UpToTheBeat Hits of 2022 cardio workout but modified some of the moves followed by a 15 minute Walk At Home workout. This is Leslie Sansome's channel and I used to do her workouts a lot on DVD very many years ago. I looked her up this morning and there are a few 1 mile walking workouts on there if you scroll back but she obviously has a paid for app too, a bit like GFWR. Useful for a bit of variety though if you just need a 15/20 minute walk for extra steps.

Keep swimming everyone and have good days all.

Morning everyone!

@Dashel sorry to hear the physio didn’t go as you’d hoped - it sounds incredibly painful, take care of yourself and rest when you can 💐

@bigdecisionstomake glad the pain has subsided and great news on the loss!

another wee loss for me today- down to 12st 4.5 which according to my tracker is where I was on 24th feb - talk about going round in circles 🤣 hopefully another little loss in the next week or so will mean I haven’t wasted the entire month

today should be a good day as all meals at home & planned for. I am choked with the cold and horrible sore throat so don’t actually feel like eating much except ice lollies. Hopefully it passes quickly

Hi all, quick update:

4 workouts done this week so far & 10k steps hit Mon-Thurs. Weigh day tomorrow and unsure what to expect to be honest.
Will check in tomorrow.
Good work with all the loses!

So I lost 1 & ¾ lbs which I'm happy with. It may be a bit of a fluke though as I didn't have dinner last night (my sons not sleeping and me & my DH were so wiped out we just went to sleep early rather than eating!).

I have completed the little target I set for myself this week, 5 workouts done & 10k steps hit (well not today yet but I'm confident I'll hit that today).

Have a great weekend all!

Morning all

Yay for Friday!

Well done on the loss @Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday I feel you completely on the going round in circles, I did it a lot last year but this thread has helped me keep on track a lot better this year - although I have still done plenty of bouncing up and down.

Sorry you're still feeling unwell - take it easy today and at least the weekend is almost here.

Congratulations on the loss @Gemzee that's great work, especially after the loss last week too. Well done on sticking to your exercise targets too, you're smashing it.

I've had a STS on the scale this morning at 10st 5.6lb and am happy with that. I've become a bit addicted to the 'seniors' exercise channel and have done 20 minutes of the 'Mamma Mia' workout this morning as a warm up then done CG's 30 mins Iron Day 6 which was legs with a focus on the quads. Unfortunately during the first set of lunges the sciatic pain came roaring back so I ended up having to miss those out but I did manage everything else although there was some discomfort throughout. Tomorrow will tell whether this was a mistake or not.

Have great days all.

congratulations @Gemzee! hope little one is sleeping better soon, it’s so hard to eat well when you’re exhausted.

I'm 0.25lbs down today, I normally only found count 0.5 increments but I need all the motivation I can get right now so I’m taking it 🤩

No idea how I got a random ‘found’ in there

12st 3.5 today so 2lb loss this week. Having a bit of focus again seems to have made a real difference.

2.5lbs to get to healthy bmi for first time in a decade- really hoping to hit that by Easter

Morning all and happy weekend!

That's amazing progress @Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday you've done a great job and so close to being a healthy BMI, that must feel amazing - well done! Keep the focus up and you'll be there in no time.

I had an awful day at work yesterday - the stress, pressure and demands were unrelenting. I'm going to guess you can work out what happened at the end of the day.....yes, I drank wine, quite a lot of it. The only upside was the day was so busy I didn't have time to eat much so my calories weren't too bad, even allowing for the wine. It meant I didn't sleep desperately well though so am likely to be tired later which often means I snack more than I should. Need to keep an eye on that.

I have had a STS on the scales again at 10st 5.6lb which given everything I'm very happy with. Pasta for tea tonight though so not sure if I'll manage to hang onto that for tomorrow's weigh in.

I've done a longer workout than I usually would this morning in expectation of the pasta so I've done a 20 minute 50s and 60s hits workout on the seniors channel, followed by a 30 minute Olivia Lawson Walk and Tone workout and then another 30 minutes walking. If time allows I might try and get a walk in later too but I often find I struggle to squeeze it in at weekends.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

Morning all

A brief one from me as I'm off out shortly and have a few bits to do before leaving. I'm definitely feeling some diet fatigue now and struggled yesterday in my head with keeping on plan. In the end I didn't deviate too much but I do really need to start getting more of a grip at weekends otherwise I'm going to undo my hard work during the week.

I've had a STS on the scale again this morning at 10st 5.6lb and whilst I was really hoping for it to be a little more I think it was a pretty accurate representation of my calorie intake for the week so in effect I got what I deserved!

My scores on the doors this week therefore are:

Week 11
Initial start weight 11st 5lb
Final target weight 9st 11lb
Last week's weight 10st 6.0lb
This week's weight 10st 5.6lb
Loss this week 0.4lb
Total loss so far 13.4lb

I've got a hectic week next week with a couple of very early starts and nights out which are going to disrupt both exercise and eating plans but I'm just going to try to focus on my holiday which is now 13 weeks away.

Keep swimming everyone.

Good everyone and hope that you all had a great weekend.

Not that I have needed an excuse to let my hair down on the dieting recently , but it was DHs birthday yesterday so the whole weekend accidentally ended up as an excuse to eat and drink.

My weight has continued in the upward trajectory this morning weighing in at 10st 4.5lb 😵‍💫 and I can’t say that I will be under my calories today with lunch out and a friend round for dinner, no alcohol today (unlike yesterday) and I actually managed to sleep through the night last night for the first time in along time. So to celebrate we went for a long walk so finished off at 26k steps. Hopefully this will offset some of the calories today.

I have also told DH that I’m giving up the booze until we go on holiday and asked him to kick my arse if I eat junk.

I also decided that as I’m in need of new clothes I’m just going to start getting size 10s and that will force me back into the diet. So I ordered 3 dresses off Vinted BNWT for about £50 in total, two phase eight and one Hobbs so super pleased with that. Now just to loose a bit before they get here. I haven’t tried this before so hopefully it will be motivating. I need to do something and I’m running out of ideas to keep me on track.

@bigdecisionstomake havent looked at the seniors channel as it’s either been outside walks or GFWR but I will! Sorry that work is so tough. I hope it will get easier for you. It is so hard to rise above it and not eat or drink the stress away. Diet fatigue is definitely a thing and tiredness and stress mean it’s so easy to slip up. Maybe try on your swimwear or buy new for motivation? But yes keep on swimming! Congratulations on your loss it’s better than my gain.

@Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday You are smashing it! I really hope you get to your healthy BMI weight soon, it is a huge victory. You are really inspiring and doing so well.

@Gemzee what a fantastic result and congratulations on hitting your targets! I hope the DC get their sleep on track so you and your DH can also sleep. It makes everything so much easier.

Hello!

So the weekend was completely off track but I think if I can get my steps in Mon-Fri and make sure I do at least 5 workouts a week the damage should be minimal. I am pretty much at my 'happy' weight so I can be a little lenient hopefully (without going back to full on self destruct mode I hope!).
I am focusing on toning now as I'm very nearly where I want to be, the hard part for me is definitely sticking with exercise so I need to come here & tell you I've worked out 5 x per week and if I don't then please tag me and tell me off 😃
Have a good Monday all.

Good morning,

@Gemzee I am really pleased that you are at a happy place with your weight! Toning up and having a little less fat and a bit more muscle makes such a difference. So I hope you keep up the exercise and maintain a stable weight.

No change on the scales for me unfortunately but we have been out for a walk early this morning so a good start to the day.

Today will be a good day! The news said this week it is getting lighter by 30 minutes so Summer is Coming!

Morning all

Another brief one from me. Like both @Gemzee and @Dashel my weekend went completely off plan in the end. We were really late home yesterday and ended up getting a take away pizza. I took the tack that if I was going to have a treat I didn't want to hold back so I had the works, pizza, garlic bread, wine and chocolate.

I was expecting a disaster on the scales this morning but in fact it wasn't too bad - a slight gain to 10st 6.2lb - I hope I can get rid of that again in the next few days.

I had an appointment at 8am this morning and had expected to have to miss my workout but in actual fact I made myself get up at 6am and got in a 20 minute 60s workout with the seniors channel followed by Day 7 of CGs Iron series which was upper body, shoulder and triceps focussed.

Going to aim to be fully on plan this week until Friday night when I've got a meal out with friends.

Great news about the the extra daylight we'll gain this week, hopefully it will start to make early evening walks a possibility soon!

Trying on some bikinis was a good shout @Dashel - I'm going to try that next weekend when I've got some time - hopefully that will give me some extra motivation not to slip up!

Have great days all.

I’m hiding from the scales till Wednesday after a crazy indulgent Mother’s Day 🫣

@Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday i don’t blame any hiding 🫣🤣

@bigdecisionstomake sounds like you had fun pizza gate but kept on track with other things so that’s a positive. I can’t believe the scales weren’t worse just on water rentention!

I got to 16.5k steps yesterday, food was much improved and the scales showed a loss of 0.1 lb so 10st 4.4lb so a very small step in the right direction just got to keep going!

@TheBatwoman @WutheringShites86 hope you are both doing ok as haven’t seen you in ages x

Thanks @Dashel - it’s been a very rough few weeks and had a bit of a breakdown if I’m honest. Between everything the anxiety and depression became a bit too much to manage. Starting to feel like I’m winning finally now and managing the symptoms much better thankfully.

The good news is that all the exams and studying paid off and I’ve been offered a new job and that’ll hopefully be a fresh start. So I’m now trying to focus on getting healthy and well again ready to start the dream job! My new gym closer to home opens in about 10 days too, so lots to be positive about now. The Bat twins are a dream as always and starting to walk, so running around after them had reminded me of why I wanted to get a bit healthier and fitter again too!

Managed to get out for a walk over the weekend, it’s not much but it’s a start. Weighed in as well and have managed to maintain my weight. So I guess time to set some new goals to keep the momentum.

Thanks for reaching out - gave me the courage to check back in. Hope you are all doing well? Well done on the awesome progress x

Morning all

Glad things are moving in the right direction again for you @Dashel the sunshine/lighter days is such a motivator isn't it!

Hiding sounds like a plan @Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday - give it a couple of days and I'm sure everything will be back on track again.

Great to see you posting again @TheBatwoman but sorry to hear you've been having a rough time. To be honest it sounds like an amazing achievement that you've managed to maintain your weight through everything, so kudos to you for that. Congratulations on the new job - lovely to have that to look forward to and setting some new goals sounds like a fantastic idea as long as they're realistic ones so you don't put too much pressure on yourself - it sounds like you're juggling a million balls at the minute 😀

I've had a STS on the scales this morning at 10st 6.2lb. Yesterday was a bit of an odd day and although I ate within calories and got a walk in I was hyped up and stressed for quite a long period in the afternoon and I think that whole cortisol reaction thing makes my body hang onto weight. I definitely need to think about de-stressing my life a bit. Can't really control the work thing at the minute but I'm sure there are some techniques I could use to stop myself getting so overwhelmed.

Exercise helps and actually, the seniors channel has been a real saviour. Today I've done a 30 minute metabolic walking workout with Olivia Lawson first but then really danced and sung it out with a 50s then a 70s music workout on the seniors channel. I danced around like a loon (much eye-rolling from DP) and can feel my mood is really uplifted so hopefully that will help today.

Have good days all.

@TheBatwoman so pleased to see you back! But I am sorry that it sounds like you have been through such a tough time. You have had such a lot going on that it’s not surprising it got too much for s bit.

Huge congratulations on passing your exams and your new job. It sounds like things should be a bit calmer now. A walk outside sounds perfect and good for the soul as well. I really hope you continue to post as you are very inspiring and I can’t believe you managed to keep your weight stable with everything else going on!

@bigdecisionstomake stress is so bad for you in so many ways. I find yoga with Adrienne really good for de stress and being outside in nice weather. I also get too stressed too easily even though I’m careful not to show it.

Just back from a lunch time walk and had a morning walk so lots of steps today 😇

Hi @Dashel and everyone.

Sorry I've been missing for a while. My partner's mental health has been bad then my physical health and I just haven't had the time, energy or focus. I'm not quite ready to get back on the wagon, I'm getting over the flu now whilst trying to potty train DD! But hopefully I'll rejoin properly soon.

Sorry to hear you've been struggling too@TheBatwoman but it sounds like things are on the up!

Well done on your progress @Dashel and the other long timers 😁

Morning all

@WutheringShites86 sorry to hear you've been having a really tough time - everything seems ten times harder when you're ill yourself and it sounds as if you've got a million other things on your plate at the moment too. We'll be here when you're in the right headspace to focus again and in the meantime try and carve out some time for yourself to recover

@Dashel I'm not good at hiding when I'm stressed so need to find some techniques to stop it getting out of hand. Someone bought me a jigsaw for Christmas which I thought was a bit odd at the time but actually I've found that sitting for a minute and doing a couple of bits really calms me down. Obviously only works when working from home though!

I've had a little downward movement on the scale this morning which was welcome although not quite as much as I'd hoped. I'm down to 10st 5.8lb and while I'm glad to be back in the 5s it's still 0.2lb higher than the weight I was all weekend. Hopefully it will drop a little more this week.

I've done a 50s and 60s music workout this morning as a warm up followed by Day 8 of CGs Iron Series which was glutes and hamstrings so all good things for me - just crossing my fingers it doesn't leave me too sore tomorrow.

Have good days all.

Morning all

Pleased to be heading in the right direction for the weekend at last. I had a good day at work yesterday - the project that has been causing all the stress finally got signed off and although there's still a lot of work to be done the stress levels should be much reduced moving forwards hopefully.

The final sign off happened around lunchtime and I suddenly found I was really tired in the afternoon (relief I expect) so I had a light meal and went to bed early. Not sure if all this is related but I've suddenly had a whoosh on the scales this morning and am now down to 10st 4.6lb 😀

I'm obviously prepared for the fact there might be a bounce back tomorrow but for today it's a win and I'm taking it. It also takes me past my mini target of my first stone lost so very happy about that too.

My next mini target is a small one - to get to 10st 3lb. Pre 2022 my weight used to be reliably in the half stone bracket between 9st 10lb and 10st 3lb. That half a stone range was where I felt comfortable but as soon as I got to around 10st 3lb (usually after Christmas or holidays etc....) it would be the sign that I needed to count calories for a while and get back towards the lower end of that range. It is also the weight range where I should be able to fit back into my old size jeans. To get back to the top end of my happy range would be really amazing 😍

On the fitness front the news isn't quite so positive as I seem to have pulled a muscle in my upper left arm. It started after I did the walk and tone workout with Olivia Lawson which was a standard walking workout but carrying weights and I did wonder at the time if it was a good idea. It's been niggling for a few days but something I did yesterday has obviously really aggravated it and it is currently really sore if I try to lift that arm up. I've therefore taken it very easy this morning. I've done a walking workout but kept that arm down at my side and just used my other arm. I've found a new channel called 'Yana Official' which has some standard walking workouts in case anyone fancies some new ones to try. They're not the most exciting but at least it's a bit of variety from the ones I usually do.

Have good days all.

Good morning!

I wrote a post yesterday morning but must have gotten distracted and not hit post 🤦‍♀️

@WutheringShites86 sorry to hear about your partner and things being tough. We are here whenever you are ready and even if it’s just to offload about potty training. I hope both you and your partner are feeling better soon x

@bigdecisionstomake congrats on getting your work thing signed off. As you say, hopefully that will really help your stress levels.

What a great woosh! Hopefully it will stay down. Maybe you should take a couple of rest days and do something that will help relax you? Sounds like you need to heal and chill. Maybe an outside walk somewhere nice if thr weather is ok or some yoga?

I weighed in on Wednesday at 10st 5.3 which was very frustrating as that was up a pound, but I suspect it was inflammation as my back had been very bad. I dropped to 10st 3.8lb yesterday and 10st 2.9lb this morning so thankfully heading in the right direction.

I should be collecting my dresses today so that should be a reason to be good. I have been getting my steps in as well. It’s just over a month till we fly so I’m just aiming for gentle progress and hopefully into the mythical 9 stone somethings.

I can see why people go up in weight when they stop dieting. You diet for a while, then miss all your favourite treats so start eating them, stop exercising and bam you are putting weight back on. This really has to be a lifestyle change for me.

TFI Friday and I hope everyone has a good day and is looking forward to the weekend x

Morning all

Another early one for me today.

I'm a bit nervous to take some time off and chill @Dashel as I have a meal out with friends tonight and brunch with an old work colleague tomorrow so am trying to bank as many calories as possible. I know you're right though - the arm is a bit better today but could definitely do with resting up.

I have taken a leaf out of your book and rather than book the facial my MIL had bought me for Christmas as my reward for losing a stone I've ordered two size 10 spring wardrobe dresses as my treat. I should be able to comfortably fit into them by the time I'm down to 10st 3lb so they're doing double duty both as a treat for losing the first stone plus a motivation to get the next couple of pounds off. I'm going to save the facial until I'm into the 9s I think. I will need it as I've noticed that as I've lost weight the sagging skin around my jowls has become slightly more pronounced - I've obviously lost a little bit of fat off my face - not sure if that's good or bad 😂

Really sorry to hear your back has been bad again, but at least your scan is moving closer. Fantastic that your weight is coming down again though - well done, your fortitude is amazing!

I've had a STS on the scale this morning at 10st 4.6lb and am obviously very happy with that. The next couple of days will tell if I'm able to hang onto that for weigh-in on Sunday, especially as I know I'll be a little off plan tonight and tomorrow but whatever happens I've got to work out how to fit this into real life so I'm going to try to find the balance between enjoying the socialising but not going too mad with the calories.

I've done a shorter Yana Official walking workout this morning (one armed again) as a warm up followed by Day 9 of CG's Iron Series which was full body.

Have good Fridays all and looking forward to the incoming weekend.