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.

Sorry to hear about your frustration @Dashel the 3s and 2s have been my nemesis a bit too - I first hit a 3 in April and a 2 in May and have bounced around an awful lot in the last few months with little tangible downward progress.

I am trying to be really selfish and prioritise losing weight over everything else for a week or two - including home life to a degree and work where I can. I know that's difficult though and you obviously have an awful lot going on with your house renovations and work.

My hip is pretty much on an even keel currently - sore and stiff but not with any particular injury at the moment. I know I will need a replacement at some point, just need to get the timing of that right. Daily exercise helps keep it mobile but I need to start prioritising some specific mobility exercises when I'm at goal weight and don't need the calorie burn so badly. How are your back and neck?

The frazzled feeling is not good, for lots of reasons, and if you're not sleeping well into the bargain it's a bit of a perfect storm for lack of progress. Perhaps the cruise is what you need to have a bit of a re-set and focus on yourself a bit more.

Sending a big hug as you sound as if you need it at the moment x

Morning

Yet another early one from me.

A bit of a whoosh on the scales this morning down to 10st 0.8lb. I had salmon and roast vegetables for dinner last night (I like to get some Omega 3s into my eldest when he is home!) and did new potatoes for my DSs but didn't have any myself so I'm wondering if it was the lack of carbs that has assisted with the whoosh this morning?

Regardless I am obviously very happy with that. Will be interesting to see if it holds and if it does whether it will mean a long plateau now.

Have good days all 😃

Excellent news on the whoosh @bigdecisionstomake !

Just popping by as I've realised I've been doing workouts consistently for 6 months! This is a first, I normally stop as soon as I hit target (6-8 weeks normally).
Hopefully I've realised this is not a diet, it's life now.
Thanks for all the support, this thread has really helped me.

Not sure what scales are going to do Friday as I'm out (drinking) on Thursday night 😬 I'll be back with results.

Morning all

@Gemzee your update really made me smile - that's the best kind of positive outcome that this process can have, that you adopted a new lifestyle slowly but surely without really realising it! Well done you - you're amazing!

Not sure what's happening with me but I got on the scales this morning with my fingers over my eyes as I was very doubtful that yesterday's big drop into the 0s would hold only to find I've had a further drop to 10st exactly!

Again, I had quite a light and very low carb dinner so that may have helped and most of the bloating I had over the weekend has washed away now.

I am realistic to know that I haven't realistically lost 2lbs of fat in the last 2 days but for today I am taking this as a solid win. Who knows what tomorrow will bring - plus I'm out with some friends on Friday night so there will be drinking and food aplenty. At least I feel like I'm going into that from a good place though.

Have good days all.

Amazing news on the further loss @bigdecisionstomake well done!

I've had a bit too much sugar this week (due on 🙄) so not sure the scales will be kind tomorrow 🫣

Morning

Thanks @Gemzee couldn't quite believe it when I saw it. Hope the scales are kind to you this morning.

Have an amazing cruise @Dashel and hopefully you can get a little down time to re-set and look after yourself.

Amazingly the scales have held at 10st 0lb for me this morning. I didn't have high hopes for that at all. I'm out tonight with friends and it's likely alcohol and food will feature heavily. I will try to make sensible choices and not go over the top but equally want to let my hair down a bit too.

Have a good Friday everyone 😃

I lost a pound! Ecstatic with that. It means I've hit my August target and gives me a bit of room because next week I'm off work with my husband. He is a bad influence with the food and drink so I expect a gain next week and I'll sort it out after.

Enjoy the weekend guys! 😎

@Gemzee congratulations on your loss and hitting your target and getting into exercise in such a big way! Enjoy your time off and the Bank Holiday!

@bigdecisionstomake congratulations on getting to 10st! That’s a fantastic achievement and well deserved and I hope you enjoy your night out, we all need a good night out and im slightly jealous as my Friday night was spent in the car

I weighed at 10st 2 again this morning and after work, drove down to the in laws for the weekend until Sunday morning when we go further down south to get the boat. So no more scales for a while but I’m going to try to keep steps up and calories down.

Happy weekend!

@Gemzee great work, well done on the loss, your new lifestyle with the consistent exercise is really paying dividends. Enjoy your week off 😎

Thanks @Dashel this thread has really kept me accountable and I am eternally grateful to you for starting it. Without it I suspect this year would have been just like last year and I would have been in a constant cycle of dieting for a few days then falling off the wagon and bingeing and so on and so on until I would have eventually ended up even bigger and looking at buying new jeans in an even bigger size.

I think I'm going to carry on after the holiday too though as I won't have got to goal before going and will obviously put on while I'm away so will need a push to get to Christmas at goal weight.

I had a great night out last night and made good food choices but my angelic intentions alcohol wise went out of the window unfortunately when the cocktails came out. I am therefore nursing a hangover this morning and slept really badly into the bargain. I've eaten 4 squares of chocolate already today as my blood sugar was low when I got up. I did however do an hour of cardio (no weights though - couldn't quite stomach it!)

I'm going to try to keep my food on point for the rest of the day and avoid alcohol this evening. Despite last night's excesses the scales have stuck at 10st 0lb this morning so I'm happy with that as I was expecting a gain although that might still come over the next day or two if I don't reign things back in straightaway and I'm also obviously dehydrated this morning.

Have a great weekend all and hope your cruise is amazing @Dashel 😎

Morning

Spent the whole of yesterday feeling quite rough - completely self inflicted, my tolerance for alcohol seems to have really reduced!

I ate pretty well - over deficit calories but within maintenance - there was more chocolate than there should have been 😳I did stay off the wine though and slept a lot better for it.

I've had a small gain this morning to 10st 0.4lb and overall I'm happy with that and think it's fair. My goal for this week was to lose a pound and I've lost 1.8lb so I'm more than pleased. Just got to not let bank holiday weekend vibes hit me later and celebrate with crisps etc...

Goal for next week is to lose a pound again and hopefully drop into the 9s but I'm also remembering my history of plateauing after a bigger than expected loss so we shall just have to see how that goes.

Have good days all 😀

Morning all, just heading down to Southampton

@bigdecisionstomake although I have not been posting as much as I should having a space to post and people to share the journey with has helped keep me on track to and I’m grateful to you and the others for your kind words and support and for @ohfatty for starting the last thread.

I am also aware that that without actively trying to keep my weight down I would be back up to 11.5 stone quite quickly and being aware of my exercise and food is something I will need to maintain so maybe another Christmas thread?

I hope you manage to get into the 9s!

Oh I took the opportunity to go shopping yesterday as there is a huge M&S near to the in laws and managed to get smaller bras and have gone for a bit nicer than my usual exceedingly plain stuff. So I’m going to plough on with updating my wardrobe and enjoying being slimmer than I was enough if it isn’t exactly where I wanted to be and I’ll still be chasing the six pack and washboard abs in another year or ten 😂

Morning all

Hope you've set sail safely @Dashel - how exciting! Lovely that you've had a wardrobe refresh and in smaller sizes 😍I think I will probably never see a six pack but I am already feeling much more like my 'old self' now I'm down around 10 stone.

A Christmas thread sounds like an excellent idea 😃I intend to fully enjoy my upcoming holiday and eat and drink freely so there will be some damage limitation to do when I get back 😂

I've dropped back to 10st 0lb this morning - totally undeserved as bank holiday madness struck yesterday and I had two glasses of wine, crisps and some chocolate. I think I'll probably pay the price in the next couple of days. I'm doing spag bol tonight as it's my eldest's last night before he goes back down south and it's his favourite. Not great for my diet though 😱hopefully I can make good any damage later this week.

Have good days all.

I'll be needing a Christmas thread to keep myself on track.

Expecting a big gain this week as to be honest I'm having a week off track, however I will 100% be back on it next week.

Have a great week guys 😊

Morning

@Gemzee If you've got a week off I should enjoy it - there's plenty of time to sort it out when you're back at work 😃Hope you have a lovely week.

More bank holiday madness for me yesterday, mostly wine and chocolate related, I did manage to stay off the crisps apart from a very small number with lunch.

Back on it properly today although I have an 8 hour round driving trip to take DS home so will have to be strong and avoid service station crap.

Slight gain this morning to 10st 0.2lb - not bad going considering the slips over the weekend. I would really like to see the 9s this week so need to focus now.

Have good days all.

Morning

A STS at 10st 0.2lb for me on the scale this morning. Not really a surprise given I spent nearly 9 hours in total in the car yesterday - traffic was awful coming home.

Keeping everything crossed the next few days will see a bit of downward movement again and possibly even my first 9 😍

Happy hump day.

Just one thing to say this morning.....

9st 13.8lb

😍😍😍

YAY !!!!! 👏👏👏 Congratulations! Thrilled for you!

I'm scared of the scales tomorrow...had McDonald's yesterday 🤦‍♀️

Morning

Thanks @Gemzee can't quite believe it, I thought I'd be plateauing at 10st until we went away!

Hope the scales are kind to you this morning - but if not, you've got this and you'll soon get back to where you want to be.

Amazingly I've had another small drop this morning to 9st 13.6lb but to be fair I was really careful yesterday as I didn't want to bounce straight back into the 10s and DS cooked so it was pasta for tea and I deliberately only had quite a small portion.

I'm starting to be tempted not to drink this weekend to give it one last push before we go away as I know the combination of increased carbs for the weekend plus alcohol will almost certainly equal a gain of a pound or two, even if temporary. Hmmmm, will have to see how stressful today is 😂

Happy Friday!

I only gained a pound and I'm actually happy with that, there's been McDonald's, wine, galaxy caramel and Pringles! Also not hitting step goals or exercising so I have get back to it next week to limit further damage.

Have a great weekend!

Morning all and happy weekend

Sorry about your gain @Gemzee but it sounds like you got your money's worth as it were! I think if you're going to have a week off you may as well enjoy it 😀I intend to do this while I'm away!

Another small loss for me this morning to take me down to 9st 13.2lb. I did a last minute booking for a facial using a voucher which my MIL bought me for Christmas as a reward for being in the 9s so I'm off to have that later - yay!

A slight fly in the ointment is I've just checked the meal we're having tonight and it's 1012 calories per portion - whoops. It's a Hello Fresh and we had an offer to try a couple of their premium meals free of charge and it looked lovely but stupidly I didn't check the calories before ordering. The one for tomorrow is fine but I think I'm literally only going to be able to have half a portion tonight as I generally only 'budget' around 500 - 600 calories for my evening meal. Going to try my best not to have my facial reward for being in the 9s today then bounce back up to the 10s tomorrow due to a massive evening meal!

Have a good weekend all.

Morning

Had a lovely facial yesterday - a radio therapy one for firming - which has definitely helped with the slightly jowly thing that has happened to my face since I've lost weight. I know it is only temporary and the therapist who did it tried to sell me a full course to maintain the results which would be lovely but not sure I can justify the expense...

Other than that I had a fairly active day and was very restrained with my evening meal although I did cave in and have a small glass of wine with it.

The extra activity must have helped as I've had another small loss this morning to take me to 9st 12.8lb. This means I've lost 1.6lb this week which I'm really happy with. I've been consistently weight training a minimum of 3 or 4 times a week for 8 months now and I'm wondering if that is finally paying off and I'm now burning more calories at rest than I was at the beginning of the year. I can certainly see the difference in my body now.

I'm going to try for another pound this week but I've had a couple of bigger than expected weekly losses on the trot so I'm trying to be realistic about the fact that might not happen. Also, it's a week until we go away now which means it will be a really hectic week and I've got a big night out on Friday with some friends so that won't be helpful either.

Have a good Sunday 🙂

Morning all

I've had another loss this morning to take me to 9st 12.2lb. Not quite sure what's happening as I'm losing faster than expected. I'm not currently recording my calories in my app as I'm just too busy and I know I have to be extra cautious when I do that so I wonder if I'm actually being over cautious. I have been hungry a lot to be fair plus very active over the weekend.

It makes me feel that reaching target of 9st 11lb might just be in reach with a week to go until our holiday. Having said that now I'll probably have a massive gain tomorrow!

Have good days all.

Morning all

A STS for me this morning at 9st 12.2lb. So close to target now but just 6 days to go...😎

😴😴😴 still 9st 12.2lb...

I think my scales have got stuck at 9st 12.2lb....