⭐️LOSE IT! February 2023 Edition⭐️

[TheRealHousewife]

⭐️Open to previous members as well as new members⭐️

Fresh new month, fresh new start, fresh new habits. Jump right in to reset & refresh to become a healthier version of yourself. These threads are for those who’d like to lose and those who wish to maintain whilst eating a healthy varied diet.

As no one size fits all, members need to follow their own way of eating. This thread aims to offer guidance, support and a bit of hand holding.

We generally have WOW (weigh on Wednesday) day each week. However post and share your progress as often or as little as you prefer. Do what works for you.

The important thing is not to think of it as a diet (based on deprivation and unsustainable) but more a way of life (sustainable & enjoyable).

I calorie count based on a lower carb Mediterranean diet. I intermittent fast and eat twice a day. Im a long time healthy eater and overall I’ve lost over 3 stone. After having been on the wrong side of 12st Im now hovering around 9st. I had a blip a couple of years ago when my thyroid went wonky but now back on track.

Are you in😊 What food plan will you be following? What do you want to change and why?

Feel free to share your own links, tips & recipes 👍

Ahh, can I join in?

I see these threads, and the ex Catholic in me feels immediately guilty.

I've been off the health wagon for some time. Surgery in my abdominal area that took a long time to recover from.

I'm better now and trying to crawl back to the level of fitness I had before it, and me went pear-shaped. 🤣

I'm very resistant to weighing myself (it doesn't work, I eat more to celebrate when I've lost weight -madness!), but I will measure myself on Wednesdays.

I now coastal row once a week for a couple of hours. I use Down Dog yoga app and managed a 15 min routine half of the mornings in Jan. I'm going for 20 mins every morning in Feb

Drinking more water.
Less snacking (also an evening crisp fiend)
Going to try to eat earlier than I usually do.
Walking a 3 mile route every day, it's not blowing an actual gale.

Also: getting married in the spring. Would be nice to lose a few pounds before then.

Morning all, how is it February? I decided not to weigh this morning, a combination of knowing I won't have lost/not wanting to derail myself by seeing no progress and giving up or seeing progress and treating myself! I'm having a good week so might weigh on Friday for a change.

3 lbs lost in January but it pretty much all came off in the first week after cutting back from Christmas indulgence. I don't doubt too that sitting at a desk eight hours a day, four days a week doesn't help my efforts. Last week I ran on Thursday and Sunday, yesterday a longish walk, and today a Jillian Michaels workout at lunchtime I think. I am determined not to give up even though I feel I will never hit my goals!

SW: 151 lbs
CW: 148 lbs
GW: 133 lbs

@daisymade could you cut out the alcohol all together? It's just empty calories and the slimline is sweeteners that cause insulin spikes and make you want more sweet stuff. It's over 100 calories and you could eat or drink similar calories but something with nutrients. Much better for your overall health too. Of course if this is a rare treat then ignore 😊

Whoops I forgot it was February already
Thankyou for your kind words on Januarys thread @TheRealHousewife not planning to give up just frustrated at myself. But a maintain is always better than gain which is my motivation to stay on the wagon.
Menu today
Lunch- Last of my giant fruit salad, perhaps with a couple of crackers and some cheese for the protein
Dinner- Spicy sticky sausages and a mountain of steamed veggies

Exercise will just be walking the dogs but might do a quick arm dumbbells workout if I have time.

@Rewis are you having white rice or brown? And do you weigh it out? Maybe it’s a bigger portion than you think?

For the ladies struggling with snacks while cooking / waiting for DHs to get home, could you make a coffee or green tea? It will fill you up for minimal calories (even better, a massive glass of water) rather than crisps or whatever. It sounds so simple, but sometimes a hot drink takes my mind off mindless snacking, especially if dinner isn’t far away.

Thanks @TheRealHousewife for moving us all seamlessly into February.
well done to everyone who has lost and maintained
1.8kgs total loss for January for me
CW: 66.2kgs so no loss for me today 😢 definately put it down to my blip on Sunday. Think I am going to have a light day today and weigh again tomorrow. It worked last week!
goals for feb: walk every day. Joe wicks or equivalent every other day/three times a week
try for more weights etc. Still struggling to find a good video on you tube for strength training so if anyone has a good recommendation I would appreciate it
really want to be under 10 stone as my mini goal. Pretty frustrated by how slowly it comes off!
got house guests for a long weekend and a week in uk visiting family this month so it is going to be difficult to stay on track
good luck everyone!

I woke in the night feeling very sick. Yogurt for dinner two nights in a row is not enough even if the calories are pretty much average for the whole day. I'm having a poppy seed bagel with Mexicans cheese and vegan Mayo for lunch with done snack a jacks because I feel sick again. I had the usual porridge and seeds for breakfast but haven't had elevenses today. Pasta for dinner I think. I've had 2 days of mainly yogurt and it's not good. Not with the miles I'm walking.

@SingaporeSlinky Great loss!

@Aftertheharvest That is a fabulous loss! Well done 👏

Hi @buzzofthebumblebee ive got everything crossed for you … you can do it!

@ndo4000 I agree about skipping. Sadly it’s an activity I can no longer partake in. Well done on upping your exercise!

@Cloudberries123 Enjoy your walk and I hope the sun shines through for you.

Hi @ImALittlePea thank you. Your are making great progress! Congratulations 👏

@Rewis that sounds frustrating weight wise. Health wise you’ll still be benefitting from reducing takeaways and alcohol 👍 increasing exercise would also be beneficial 🏃‍♀️

@Swordfishtrombone Welcome to the thread. You know what works for you so carry on doing that. No rules on these threads😬 I’m also into doing a bit of yoga 🧘‍♀️ It’s good for the mind as well as the body. A massive congratulations 🥳 for your Spring Wedding ❤️ You will look beautiful and radiant.

@Brieandbeetroot Great January result 👍

You’re very welcome @Allthegoodnamestakken ❤️

For those discussing cc rice. It does weigh heavy so a true portion is smaller than what you’d be given in a takeaway. Personally I have brown basmati as it has extra fibre and doesn’t spike blood sugars/slower to digest. Sometimes I have curry/bolognaise etc with buttered cabbage rather than rice or gf pasta. Each to their own though.

Lunch - Spinach daal and 2 boiled eggs = 496 calories.

@TheRealHousewife Thank you! 💛

I'm with you @SingaporeSlinky on grabbing a cup of tea or a glass of water if I feel like snacking. Tends to work (although I have normal breakfast tea with milk and sugar so a few more calories, but not insane amounts and they do help to see me through so I don't see them as a bad thing)

Cross posted:-

You’re very welcome @Ninjachicken 👍

@AutisticLegoLover Hope you feel better soon! Do you think the sick feeling is diet or health related?

Shared my macros. Not hot them perfectly but good enough.

@Swordfishtrombone Youre welcome.

Aargh lost my lost looking for tags, so I’m just going to say thanks for the good pic @TheRealHousewife i love a daal. More food pics please!

(oh and total of 8lbs for Jan, want more of the same for Feb 😊)

@SingaporeSlinky I don't weigh foods. It's really detrimental for my mental health. My point was really more like a vent on how you make changes and they do the opposite. I know I can do more etc. But I also know even if my meals are bigger than they should. They are still smaller than any take away 😊 but we shall see.

I actually went against my personal beliefs and bought a "kickstart" weighloss package. It is a 9 day meal replacement thing. Not gonna go crazy with it but maybe a bit of a push is what I need. I know my aunt did it years agoand it really helped her to get on track.

@Rewis i see what you mean. Yes if you make a swap that you know must be healthier, it’s disappointing to see the scales go up. Just trying to help you figure out why. At least you’ve saved money on takeaway!

@AutisticLegoLover that does sound odd. When I’ve not eaten enough because I’ve done lots of exercise and tried to stick to 1000 cals, I’ve certainly had less energy the next day, and tummy rumbling at bedtime, but never woken up in the night feeling sick. Perhaps you’re just coming down with something? Hopefully upping your cals today will give you the answer.

@TheRealHousewife I hope you’re ok and thanks for keeping the Feb thread going.

Nice long walk with a friend today. Lunch was usual skyr with granola and seeds. Dinner will be soy and ginger tuna steak on a bed of spinach.

I really like your plate @TheRealHousewife ! I am also eating daal today. It’s yummy.
i may have a friend coming for a drink later and my goal is to not have any alcohol. Spiced ginger cordial with lime and sparkling water is my new non-alcohol drink.
i am a terrible snacker. Love all the crispy, salty things! The only way really for me is to not have it too accessible for me. And having none is easier for me than having one or a few. Sorry, nothing really helpful but I do sympathise!
do something else when you would be tempted to snack? Exercise? Prep dinner earlier in the day if it is possible so you are not prepping food when you are feeling at your most snacky?

It was definitely not enough food. It was that hungry sick, not poorly sick. My intake yesterday was 1350 calories but I walked 10 miles so it's just not enough. I've eaten more so far today and hopefully I won't feel like that again. Miles so far today are 5.4 but by the time I've done the school run it will be nearer 8.

Gosh, and I thought that the new Feb thread might be easier to keep up with...

WOW was a good one today after a "gain" (just a fluctuation) last week.

Original SW (April 2022): 201
January 2023 SW: 168
CW: 164.4

For the snacking problem, chewing gum sometimes works for me. Definitely helps giving my mouth something to do!

@Ninjachicken they are great suggestions. Husband is the chef in our house so we are basically waiting for him. When the nights are lighter it's easier because I tend to take the pooch for a little snuffle, but when the nights are dark we give her a break from it.

I think going back to 5:2 should work. On fast days I don't snack, i know be calorie goal and it won't allow for any snacking. On the non fast days there's enough slack in the tdee to allow for an extra healthy snack in there.

Great loss @Bumblebeehum !

Thanks for kind words and for endless motivation @TheRealHousewife . Your lunch looks DELICIOUS. At my first glance it was a smiley face ; )

I’m just logging it here but no hiding the disappointment in this am’s weigh in
150.3
jan 1 was 150.8
i was honestly expecting 148.2 or lower…
I’m assuming salt/water retention
anyway; it’s down or maintaining
the fitness side is going well
a few treats around the house and I’ll just have to be more accountable.

Meal 2 - Salmon, mixed veg and tarragon cream sauce.

Posted on the January thread by mistake. Tuna steak cooked in sesame oil, ginger and soy sauce. Was delish, but cooked too many chips for the kids so had a few of those too.

@SingaporeSlinky that tuna looks delish! 😋

@TheRealHousewife your salmon and sauce looks yummy too! What’s the sauce made from?