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.

Quick one as I'm off to Cornwall shortly, I stayed the same this week (miracle really as I ate loads of chocolate...hormonal!) which I'm ecstatic with!
Goal weight for the wedding tomorrow: 9st
Weight today: 8st 8lbs

Thrilled!

Have a great weekend all 🙂

@Gemzee That's a lovely update this morning, I'm so happy for you 😍. It's really inspirational to see that if you put in the work and stay consistent you can reach and even exceed your goals whilst still living and enjoying life at the same time (and eating chocolate occasionally 😆). Hope you have a fabulous time at the wedding and enjoy looking amazing in your wedding outfit 💃

@Dashel OMG you weren't kidding about JWs Day 5 Legs and Abs being a killer. I'm a sweaty mess with jelly legs. Contrary to what I said yesterday I actually didn't find the abs too bad which was a pleasant surprise, I guess even though I've not been doing loads of core focused stuff your core does get worked a bit when you're lifting weights anyway. The leg stuff though....I'm going to be sore tomorrow.

Sorry you've had a bit of a gain this morning, but it really wouldn't surprise me if it's DOMS after that workout. Everything you're doing is completely on point so I think you just have to trust the process and keep swimming. Bodies are funny things and never work quite as expected. I know it's frustrating though particularly when we're both on such a tight timetable 😯.

My whole upper body is still really sore today so I'm not sure how I'm going to manage chest and triceps tomorrow - I'm going to see how I feel in the morning.

I've had another loss this morning which was a bit unexpected so I'm down to 10st 3lb which I'm super happy with. I weighed in on DPs fancy scales this morning too (10st 2.2lb on them) and I'm going to weigh again on them next Friday to see what all my body fat, muscle mass etc... stats are doing. I think you're right though, everything I read says that home scales aren't particularly accurate at measuring body fat but are useful for looking at trends. I'm going to stick with my trusty old Salter scales on a day to day basis for weight though.

So happy to be heading into the weekend, just got to keep the wine cravings at bay later. Have great days all.

@Gemzee that is amazing congratulations! Have you got something stunning to wear to the wedding? Have an amazing time in Cornwall!

@bigdecisionstomake 😂 it was tough and the next one is too chest and triceps. The physio said I could gently start to increase my weights and if I want to dive in Mauritius, then I really need to do this. I do have doms in various places which I am so pleased with.

I did a 5k steps with Rick this morning after I posted, so a good start to the day and I will look to see what the next work out is. I don’t think it is wrong to take a rest day, but I want to keep going with these workouts till the cruise and then I will be using the ship gym daily first thing. So my aim is 5 strength workouts per week.

The holidays are both paid for now another early morning effort, so full steam ahead!

Good morning and TFI the weekend 🥳

Another pretty good day yesterday 16.5k steps including some GFWR as it was so windy first thing and day 7 Back and biceps. Unfortunately I can’t seem to be getting out of the 2s this week. I weighed in at 10st 2.7lb. I do have some DOMs which won’t be helping I know.

My average weight last weight was 10st 3.9lb and average weight this week is 10st 2.8lb so I guess that’s good but I am working so hard I just want to see the scales fall.

My body fat is by far more positive, in the last two weeks when I have really started weight training, it’s gone down by a whole percent from 35.4 to 34.4% where as normally it would be going down between 0.2 to 0.4 in a two week period so I am really hoping that I am gaining muscle and loosing fat at the moment. I believe you get the biggest muscular gains at the start of weight training and then it slows down. So presumably I just need to keep swimming and my total weight will start falling soon.

I forgot that we are going out for a evening with friends for dinner and a band but the meal is only two options - meat lasagne or vegan tomato pasta so not expecting a particular great result tomorrow. I won’t be drinking and will try to minimise the damage as I know a large bowl of pasta is not helpful.

50 days to the cruise 😵‍💫

I hope that everyone has a great weekend

Happy weekend everyone 😀

Gosh now you've paid the balance for the holidays there's no going back @Dashel - fantastic to have two lovely holidays to look forward to though. We paid the balance for Crete last week too so just got to get on with it now!

Just over a pound in a week lost is a great result, you should be really pleased with that and you certainly put the effort in to get it. Really positive about your body fat percentage too. I'm curious to see what mine does over the next week.

Enjoy your dinner out tonight. We eat pasta once or twice a week as it's my son's favourite and my top tip is portion control and eating slowly. I know obviously it's more difficult in a restaurant but at home I make sure to serve myself quite a small portion then eat it slowly. Pasta fills me up provided I allow the time when eating it for my brain to register I'm full so I actually only need quite a small portion and never feel hungry later or in the morning.

As I've got older I've become far more comfortable with leaving food rather than eating it to be polite if there's too much so I don't have a problem these days just eating a smaller amount and leaving the rest when I'm out. Helps if I'm eating out with my DSs as they are like dustbins though and will finish off any leftovers!

I'm still creeping slowly in the right direction, down to 10st 2.8lb this morning. Very happy to be back in the 2s - just hoping I can stay there now. Managed no wine last night with no problem at all so that's a positive - maybe some of the habit from January has stuck around. Just got to do the same tonight and tomorrow....

Good morning and I hope you are all enjoying your weekends.

I ate 1600 calories yesterday, did 17k steps including an hours lawn mowing which was very hard work due to hills and fighting to control the mower and leg day with Joe.

However my weight has gone up again🤦‍♀️by 0.2lb. I know I just have to keep going and I know all the reasons why weight fluctuates daily but the last few days it has been slowly creeping upwards and I really don’t like it. That number should not have such an impact on me but it does.

I don’t have much choice at the moment but to keep going, but I tried on one of my fairly new dresses and my stomach was sticking out so I got changed and that was quite depressing.

Sorry I am a bit fed up this morning but I know I need to get my arse out of bed and get going. I might leave the weights today and see if my body would benefit from a rest from then. I’ll see how I feel later.

Morning all

Sorry you're a bit down in the dumps @Dashel perfectly understandable given how hard you are working and the bounce upwards on the scales. As you say, you just need to keep at it - if you are in a calorie deficit, once all the muscle soreness settles down then the loss will come. If your stomach is bloated it may be the pasta last night? I eat pasta fairly regularly but if you tend not to it's likely to have bloated you I should think. There are lots of other reasons that it might be too like hormones, food in transit, a particular food that causes bloat etc...

I think a rest day or days from the weights workouts is a good idea to let your body rest a bit and re-build.

Whatever you decide to do - you've got this. You are strong and determined and have achieved so much already in the face of so many obstacles with injury etc... This too shall pass 🤗Sending un-mumsnetty hugs.

On the subject of rest days, I woke up this morning with DOMS pretty much from head to toe so decided I was just going to walk this morning and not do any weights. It doesn't give me the same calorie burn so I'll need to be on it food wise but I think my body will appreciate it.

The half formed plan is to do the remaining JWs 21 days of strength Monday to Friday for the next three weeks. That would see me working out right up until Friday 28th July which is probably a couple of days later than I am usually able to but I'm hoping if I have a target to stick to it might encourage me to go a little bit longer. It will depend on workload though as I'm often up and at work around 5am at the end of July to give myself a fighting chance to fit everything in so we'll just have to see.

I've had a STS on the scale this morning at 10st 2.8lb. This puts me just 0.6lb heavier than I was before I went on holiday so I'm happy with that. It would be lovely to be in the 1s by this time next week but will settle for equalling my lowest weight before going to France which was 10st 2.2lb.

Enjoy Sunday everyone.

Thank you for your very kind and supportive words and hugs @bigdecisionstomake I am definitely in need of them today.

I think the main part of it is that i was hoping to be under 10st by Christmas last year so I am so far behind my self imposed schedule. So these blips are just getting to me more than they would normally and I am getting closer each day. I think most of the cruise will be spent in the gym at this rate!

I should be in a place where I am dragging DH clothes shopping and to the Next sales or Metro Centre or whatever but instead I am wanting to hide under the duvet.

I am not though I had my Huel for breakfast and did 40mins GFWR and am giving the house a spring clean as DH is doing DIY in a small space and my head is not in the right place to do anything that requires concentration.

The bloated stomach was pre pasta 😫 and thankfully it was a lasagne with only two sheets of pasta with Mediterranean veg with salad so not too calorific at all and quite nice for a meatless and cheese less lasagne - I don’t do cheese even if it’s vegan 🤮 unlike DH who loves it.

It sounds like a good plan to get rest days on the weekends. You could always save the shortest ones till the end? I seem to remember a bicep pyramid workout that’s pretty short. 5am starts are brutal and I really don’t envy you those. I wake at 6am every day but 5 😳

Hopefully we will both be in the 1s next week- sending positive vibes out to you!

Good morning,

Thanks again @bigdecisionstomake for your kind words yesterday.

I felt very down and whilst tempted severely to throw the towel in, I kept going. I did have a day off from weights but a rest day is ok. But I did 20k with some GFWR and finished on 1850 calories which is a bit more than I wanted too but I was tired and hungry, Fitbit says I burnt 2352 calories so not too bad and I did some recharge and digestive yoga videos.

Both Of us bloated at the same time last night which was odd and I’m still pretty bloated, but I did have a loss at 10st 2.3lb and my fat went down by 0.2% this morning down from 10st 2.9lb.

I am hoping to be out of the twos this week 🙏

I hope eve has a great week

Afternoon all

Sorry to be posting so late, I had an early meeting this morning and ran out of time before I left and have only just got back in front of the computer.

Glad to hear that the numbers are looking better today @Dashel and a huge pat on the back for not throwing the towel in and giving up. Hope the bloat has settled down today. Being out of the 2s by the end of this week sounds eminently doable from your current weight so I'll cross everything for you.

My day yesterday started well but went downhill later on. I ended up having to pick DS2 up from the station quite late and a combination of being physically tired after an afternoon in the garden and mentally fed up as I'd had to work quite a bit over the weekend led to picking up fish and chips on the way home and drinking a large glass of wine to wash them down with 😳

The only saving grace was we didn't use our local fish and chip shop, we used one near the station that we haven't used before and actually they weren't very nice so I didn't eat too much. Still the extra carbs, salt and alcohol led to a weight of 10st 4lb this morning 😯

My sensible head says that should be bloat that will wash away in the next couple of days but it's a bit disheartening as I was hoping to be low 2s or possibly even 1s by Sunday but that's looking less likely now. Like you though @Dashel I'm not giving up, I've done 20 minutes of Cardio followed by the back and bicep JW workout this morning and my food is all counted and within calories. Hopefully a couple of days of clean eating will see me back on track!

@Dashel If you did it this morning please reassure me that the JW leg day workout tomorrow is not going to be as bad as the last leg day...😬

@bigdecisionstomake the next leg day is no where near as bad as the first one. I found it ok.

Oh no real fish and chips 😳 you shocked me! 😂 I am sure you will burn it off it no time and the water will help. I am sorry you didn’t enjoy it though.

I did the Upper body day 9 today and it started off ok and
I was thinking this is easy, by the end of the workout my arms were rinsed as Joe puts it. I swapped the push ups for high planks and did some push ups off the kitchen counter later. Physio says no to push ups on the ground and low planks. Day 10 is abs and I looked at the video and I don’t think I would be encouraged to do any of it so I will have a surf for alternatives or just skip to the next one.

I have worked too hard to give up and even after my holidays I will be continuing on this journey to increase my fitness and loose the weight. I will probably need to book something to keep the motivation going. But having a better old age is definitely the main non shallow aim.

Morning,

I hope the scales spark Joy for everyone today 😊

So many trips to the loo overnight so I was hoping for a huge whoosh today but will settle for 10st 2.0lb so a small drop of 0.3lb

18k steps 1500 calories and my strength workout along with some GFWR and a lunchtime walk so I worked hard for that and am sore generally so 🥺

No drop in body fat today which is unusual but never mind - fingers crossed the scales have start with a 10st 1 tomorrow

Have a great day x

Morning

No spark of joy from the scales for me today - a STS at 10st 4lb. Was a bit demoralised this morning as I thought a bit of the weekend bloat would have shifted. Fingers crossed for tomorrow...

I sang just keep swimming loudly in my head then cracked on with a 30 minute Olivia Lawson HIIT and Abs workout which worked well actually - a good calorie burn and just the right amount of abs work - followed by JWs Day 8 Leg day. Not quite as bad as the last leg day but not too far behind... I struggled a bit with the squats but pushed through and was pleased I didn't give up. I also found his suggestions for stretching and opening up your hips at the end really useful so I'm going to try to incorporate those regularly.

I've just got to trust the process now and keep going and hopefully I'll be back in the 2s really soon.

It sounds like you had a better outcome @Dashel congratulations on the drop to 10st 2lb - the 1s are now in touching distance 😃. Hope you found something suitable to sub in for the abs day.

Have a great day everyone 😊

@bigdecisionstomake I am sorry that you didn’t get a big drop yesterday. Hopefully it will be there this morning.

Joe Wicks does teach you a few things over the series with stretching and tips for the exercises.

I had no spark of joy this morning, just a big sigh of disappointment. My weight has gone up to 10st 2.3lb 😤🤦‍♀️😫

I skipped the abs and did day 11 legs which didn’t feel too bad and 17.5k steps and 1600 calories so theoretically it should be a loss. Weight loss is a frustrating journey.

I think I need to develop my own ab day routine. So will put some thought into that.

Morning

@Dashel sorry you've had a small gain this morning - it's bloody frustrating isn't it 🤐 Clearly you are doing everything right so the loss will come....in its own sweet time. I also think we both have to be mindful that going all in with the weights will inevitably slow the loss down as muscle replaces fat. If I understand correctly it's only a small difference but it does make a difference when you're only trying to lose around 1lb a week. Just remember you are getting leaner even if that doesn't translate to a lower weight on the scales.

I remember reading an interview with Chloe Madeley a few years ago with pictures of her before and after she'd taken up weights and she looked much slimmer and leaner in the after photo but said she weighed 9lbs more than in the before photo.

Also - don't tell me it's another legs day after abs tomorrow....😓not sure my quads and glutes are up to it!

I've had a loss this morning but not as much as I'd hoped. I'm down to 10st 3lb but am a bit annoyed if I'm honest that I'm not back in the 2s. I was super good with my food yesterday and did over an hour of exercise. Fingers crossed I can at least make it back into the 2s by the end of the week.

I'm due to give blood this evening and haven't donated previously whilst I have been daily weighing. I'm therefore curious to see if it will affect the scales. If I understand correctly the actual blood lost doesn't give an immediate effect (probably because they make you drink loads of water and eat biscuits afterwards!) but your body expends around 600-650 calories in the next couple of days replacing the lost blood volume apparently - so hopefully that will give me a little extra push! Got to take the advantages where you find them 😂

Good morning,

@bigdecisionstomake I know you are right and there will be a small amount of muscle growth and doms etc to hamper the scale figures. I am just so impatient.

I am glad the scales went down, even if it wasn’t by the desired amount, hopefully the rest of it will come off today. I hope giving blood went well. They struggle to get any out of me at all so I was told not to go back. DH does it though. I would imagine it’s quite a good way to make your body work harder.

Its a bit like me and housework, you can tell I’m on a diet by how often I hoover 🤣 our house is always cleaner when we are dieting.

I did the arm workout today which was ok. DOMs crept in around by bottom and thighs yesterday afternoon and is still here so I will probably take a rest day from weights today. Maybe focus on some yoga or something different.

I did have a few more calories yesterday at 1800 and only got to 15.5k steps including a brisk walk outside and a couple of GFWR workouts including the abs and boxing one.

Great news on the scales and I weighed in at 10st 1,5lb, no doubt there will be some bouncing about but it’s nice to see a one again. We aren’t indulging at weekends, although we are going to a friends house for dinner on Saturday but I think it will be a healthy curry followed by fruit but no booze.

Morning

@Dashel Whoop whoop for the 1s - congratulations - that must be good to see and shows your hard work is finally paying off.

I had a really rubbish day yesterday for lots of reasons, work and personal - it just seemed to be one thing after another. It culminated in arriving at my blood donor appointment only to find out I was a day early and it's actually tonight 😩 Normally I would have laughed that off but on the back of a day when so many other things had gone wrong I actually sat in my car and cried for a bit. This is not like me but I'm a bit hormonal at the moment too so I think that contributed 🙄

After a really good day food and exercise wise I came home and had a glass of wine with my tea and chocolate afterwards. Although calorie wise I still ended up just under maintenance I am annoyed this morning that it would have been a good deficit had it not been for that.

Anyway, today's a new day and the scales haven't reacted too badly so far as I've dropped a smidge down to 10st 2.8lb. Glad to be back in the 2s and still interested to see what the donation tonight does for my numbers tomorrow.

I've done a 30 minute Olivia Lawson walking workout this morning plus JWs Abs day which wasn't too bad. I subbed a couple of side planks for deadbugs and russian twists as my back struggles with side planks but apart from that I managed to do the whole thing so that's all good. Not looking forward to legs tomorrow though...

Hoping today is a better day than yesterday!

Morning!

@bigdecisionstomake thank you, that one was a very welcome sight!

I wish I could give you a huge in person hug, but please take a virtual one instead. Sometimes we just have a shit day and aren’t in the right place to shrug it off. Things will improve and at least it’s Friday today. Hopefully the wine and chocolate are forgotten about!

It sounds like a good start to yesterday, a loss, abs and a workout so hopefully the rest of the day went well and the blood donation goes well.

I was so hungry yesterday I finished on 2000 calories so there must be something in the air with one tiny chocolate, the excess calories weren’t even anything really good either.

I wasn’t expecting anything on the scales but I had a small dip from 10st 1.5 to 10st 1.2lb so I was very pleased. I did do 17k steps including a brisk outside walk and abs with Rick. I can’t really do anything where my crack isn’t flat. I can twist gently and do a very tiny dip with my shoulders with knees up, so this workout is ok. It’s frustrating having to think like that but then neither of us want injuries.

I need to travel for work tomorrow so did my strength workout on chest and back. I don’t recall doing any narrow pushes before but they were harder than expected but I did them with 5kg weights but they were hard and I struggled.

We have a busy weekend with DIY but hoping to get the room finished this weekend and then can really concentrate on getting in tip top shape.

I hope everyone has a good Friday x

Thanks for the virtual hug @Dashel was very much needed 😊

Glad to hear the scales are still on a downward trajectory for you. You're doing amazingly well with your exercise so try not to let the things you can't do frustrate you - you're clearly quite creative at finding work arounds and it's too close to your holiday to risk further injury. Great that you're working with 5kg weights, I'm largely using 4kgs currently apart from a very few bits when I can up it to 6s or 8s.

I am taking today's weigh in with a very large pinch of salt - but it does answer my question about blood donation and weight. I have gone down overnight from 10st 2.8lb to 10st 0.8lb. Whilst I am obviously ecstatic to be in the 0s I know this won't last as my body makes up the lost blood volume. I will be interested to see where I go back to though now. I also did my body fat % on DPs fancy scales but again I'm not sure it will be accurate due to the blood donation. I was 28.9 last Friday and am 28.4 now. I'll do it again next Friday to see what the change is again.

Our cat got in a fight last night, around 4am, very loudly right under our bedroom window so I had to go down and shoo the other (enormous) cat away. We've had this a couple of times in the last few months and it's always the same cat who I think is trying to encroach on her territory. The last time cost me £250 to get an infected bite wound on her chest treated so I'm keen not to let it happen again if possible, hence intervening. As a result of that and the blood donation too I suspect, I was really tired and slept in this morning until 7.30am which is very late for me on a weekday. I've therefore only done 30 minutes of gentle cardio this morning and will have to put the JWs leg day off until tomorrow - such a shame 😂

Really glad it's Friday, hope everyone has a great day x

@bigdecisionstomake that is a huge loss! Blood donation should clearly be encouraged for all dieters! It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few days!

Sorry to hear about the cat fight and lack of sleep. We have always kept ours in at night. I feel more relaxed when I know she is safe and whilst occasionally she does wake us up, she is pretty quiet And lazy in the mornings- particularly winter.

I hope you enjoyed the legs yesterday. I had a rest day and due to a long work day and painting a ceiling, I only got 10k steps in which was pants. I also ate at maintenance and high carb and salt beige food so was surprised to only have a small gain to 10st 1,6, I thought I would be back in the 2s after two bad days, so I better have a better day today. More decorating today and possibly tomorrow and then I rhubarb it’s a break from DIY 🥳

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hi all. I'm a pound up this week which would be fine but I've had a really off track week and need to get myself motivated again because it will almost certainly be more than a pound on next week. I don't want to slowly creep back to where I was in January!!

Have a good weekend all 😊

Morning all

So pleased for the weekend!

@Dashel sadly the blood donation loss wasn't sustained in it's entirety - I'd be donating every week if that was the case!

Our cat was feral when we got her and we were originally told she may have to live outside permanently and we would just feed her/give her a sheltered place to sleep but in actual fact she has domesticated really well. Not sure how successful keeping her in at night would be though. She has a really high prey drive and likes to hunt at night. I know this because she leaves the gizzards lined up on the path outside the back door near her cat flap 😱which is slightly annoying if you go outside first thing in the morning and step on them by accident

Sorry for the small gain but you'll soon lose it again when you're back on it properly 🙂

@Gemzee the slow creep is what always does for me too - I think broadly speaking I've got the hang of the dieting thing but the maintaining bit I find more difficult. Good luck with getting back on track 🙂

As expected my weight has bounced back up this morning following yesterday's big loss. I'm back in the 2s at 10st 2.2lb. If....and I think it's quite a big if...there's no more weight to go back on post donation then I'm happy with that as progress for the week. Let's see what tomorrow brings though.

Some cardio followed by JWs leg day this morning which wasn't too bad. Have got some work to do this morning followed by a gargantuan pile of post holiday ironing (I know ironing isn't fashionable on mumsnet!) so not a very exciting day here.

Happy weekend everyone x

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

DP and I had the house to ourselves last night and we had a really lovely evening together. My food was on point however I drank two glasses of wine and then succumbed to 4 squares of Lindt Salted Caramel dark chocolate. Those two things together are around 550 calories so wiped out my deficit for the day and some. This has been the way of the week this week unfortunately so it feels like I've just wasted a week.

The scales back this up as I am now back to 10st 2.8lb - the same as last Sunday.

Must try harder next week as it is probably my last week before things start to get chaotic at work.

A rest day for me exercise wise so I've just walked for an hour. I also have a bit of lower back pain again - not quite sure why, can only think it must have been the leg day yesterday as I didn't do much else that was strenuous. Assuming it's feeling better tomorrow I'll be back to some cardio and JWs each day.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Good afternoon

sorry I’m a bit late posting. I had a late (for me) night.

@bigdecisionstomake I’m glad that you had a great evening last night. I was out for dinner at friends so I think for the third day on the trot I was at 2k calories. I also had a gain on the scale# to 10st 2.3 so need to be on it today. It’s just so easy to have that scoop of ice cream.

A cat who likes to hunt isn’t for the faint hearted. Our current cat is catching about 4 mice a week, some get eaten others are bought in for us and are alive. Our last cat used to be a prolific hunter because he wasn’t fed properly. He used to eat a lot but not moles and rats. We came home to find a rat the size of a large rabbit dead in the house. It was moved with a shovel as I didn’t want to risk it being unconscious and waking up.

Well done on your walk!

I missed the abs workout and repeated a biceps and triceps one yesterday and did the next legs one today (day 15 I think) it’s not easy. If you don’t mind some advice, warm up first as I will be surprised if I don’t have DOMs from this even with stretching and some GFWR before I started.

@Gemzee you will be back on it! Have you meal planned for the week? That normally helps me focus. I have a curry in the slow cooker and have prepped two mornings Huel for us.