⭐️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 👍

Had a slight change to dinner as was feeling a bit faint this afternoon. Swapped the big side salad for a chicken steak, and had a penguin bar. Coming in at just over 1200 cals for the day, and kitchen cleaned and closed for the night.

@TheRealHousewife love how the veggies are cut!!
lovely presentation.
@ImALittlePea nutrition is key, it’s not about a number on the scale it’s about long term health. Well done on chicken choice.

@SingaporeSlinky About 10ml cream 10ml milk dried tarragon salt pepper. Really yummy. Only need a bit to add something to the salmon.

Hi @greenspaces4peace How are you my friend? And thank you ❤️

@ImALittlePea I look forward to cleaning and closing my kitchen each day. Draws a line under the chomp chomp action 😬👍

@TheRealHousewife it's winter here what can i say, blowing snow. thankfully i love leslie and today my annual subscription auto renewed :).
grandkids and france international school turned into a huge flop, she is currently home schooling. i feel horrible for both the not so little ones. but there is hope on the horizon: move back to the uk, but not to london.
dh occasionally makes snide remarks regarding the situation (be it dd or the littlest one who clearly has challenges)....which as you know leads me to easy food choices.
thank you for asking ;) and how are you? are your mom's affairs all settled?

@TheRealHousewife thanks for the February thread and hope you're doing ok.

As expected, no weight loss in January for me (I had a big birthday and lots of social things going on) but, I only put on one pound, so I'll take that as a win.

I'm 10st 13, and my GW is is 10st. Would love to get to that by the summer. I was 11st 8 this time last year, do it's been a bit slow and steady (I'm menopausal which doesn't help I think).

Anyway, my focus is calories, exercise and drinking water.

Today's menu

B - scrambled egg with toast
L - home made soup, falafels, small portion of humous, apple
D - pinch of Nom beef ragu with pasta.

@AutisticLegoLover I also get a sick feeling when I haven't eaten enough, It was a real problem for me when I first started dieting on days I do a lot of exercise. Now I know that on exercise days I need carbs and protein for lunch or I will get really nauseous and dizzy in the evening.
@TheRealHousewife I like the idea of closing the kitchen as its so easy to pick up a late night snack. May try that one myself.
@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo your menu for the day sounds lovely!

Todays menu
B- busy morning so no fasting today but a small snack of date, cocoa and oat balls
L- some sort of grain and roasted veggie salad
D- Roast chicken and steamed veggies

Good Morning Everyone 😊

@greenspaces4peace Snow 😯 Even now I still feel a sense of wonderment about snowfall. Magical. Mums been put to rest now, thank you for asking. Still sorting affairs out. When you say a move back to UK is that you or your daughter and family or both? Sorry to hear about the education bit not working out.

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo Youre very welcome. When you compare where you were this time last year to now you’re doing great👍

@Allthegoodnamestakken Cleaning and closing the kitchen really does help! Who wants to undo all their hard work only to regret it come morning 😬

Menu
Meal 1 - Pepperoni Omelette in tortilla wrap with sriracha sauce.
Meal 2 - Roast chicken thighs, carrots, green beans, cabbage & gravy.
Tea, black coffee and water.

Exercise
Session 1 - Walking vid
Session 2 - Yoga

66.05kgs this morning so a small loss. Hoping to see 65 on the scale soon!
@TheRealHousewife and @ImALittlePea I do love the idea of closing the kitchen!
@greenspaces4peace i live in France. Sorry to hear it is difficult for your family. It can be tough!
working today so will be a bit tied to the computer but will walk the dogs as always
B: oats, yoghurt, raspberries
L: squash and red lentil soup
D: maybe chicken curry with leftover tandoori chicken and daal .maybe prawns. Not sure yet!
@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo your menu sounds delicious 😋
have a good day everyone!

Good morning.

Very busy day today, dog training, meeting mum for a childcare pow wow, and then off to meet a new vet, who I am hoping Ddog will like more than our current one! Opticians and then brownies. Hopefully all that will keep me too busy to snack!

Plan for the day is
Salad of some kind for lunch
Baked sweet potato with philly cheese and ham for dinner

Have definitely decided to start 5:2 again, fast days will be Monday and Wednesday as they are busy days at work, and the ones I very rarely take off. Have calculated my TDEE and will give myself 1700 on my non fast days. Feeling more like I have a plan now.

Oh my goodness @ginsparkles you are busy today! Hope the ‘pow wow’ with mum goes ok.

@Ninjachicken Hows your climate in France at the moment? I’m in the uk and it’s dull and damp 8 degrees which is very cool.

Thanks @TheRealHousewife ! It's just the usual organising who has her when during holidays, and weekends while DH and I work. Will be easier in 12 months time or so once she starts secondary school! Back from a 3k stroll with DDog. And settling down with a brew for a few minutes!

@ginsparkles It’s good to be organised and like you say it will all get easier as your dear children get older. Enjoy your well earned brew!

@TheRealHousewife 10 degrees and sunny here today but it was much colder than that last week, down to -5!

@Ninjachicken I think I would seize up in -5! The weather report from the equator today is 28 degrees and actually unpleasantly sunny, I'm having to work inside with my curtains shut it does help with wanting to eat light meals though. Come July when its 'winter' and we don't get above 15 degrees and endless rain and fog I find it impossible to eat a salad.

Spring is in the air where I am - sun is shining and it's a balmy 12 degrees ☺️

In a bit of a weird mood, trying not to let it manifest into a bad one though 😬

Lunch - cup-a-soup, veggies, dairylea triangle and two rosemary crispbreads
Dinner - spaghetti bolognese, parmesan, side salad
Snacks - so far just two cups of tea

According to MFP that comes in at 870cals for the day, although will update once I've weighed my spaghetti out.

Reporting from a haze of lasagna, DP made the most amazing one yesterday and I've had it for dinner, breakfast and lunch. I've decided not to worry about it, I know it's hugely fattening and we've eaten a lot of it. But I've continued with my no food snacks between meals - wasn't even hungry at work as the breakfast lasagna kept me full 😇

Breakfast - lasagna, coffee

Lunch - water, coffee, lasagna, loads of rocket, chocolate twist

Water and tea

Dinner - hopefully something light and fresh as all the lasagna is very stodgy though delicious!

Sounds very pleasant @Ninjachicken ☀️

@Allthegoodnamestakken did you previously say you lived in Australia? Hope you’re keeping cool.

@ImALittlePea Are you in the uk? Very cool and cloudy here. Roll on Spring ☀️

@Cloudberries123 nothing finer than a well made lasagne. Does your dh use a recipe or wing it?

Meal 1:- Pepperoni Omelette in tortilla wrap with sriracha sauce = 475 calories.

These food pictures are making my mouth water, @TheRealHousewife and @SingaporeSlinky. My meals today are not at all inspiring. Rice krispies, tinned soup, chicken and potatoes. Trying to hold off going shopping as food prices are horrific but there is not much in the house.

@TheRealHousewife not Australia, I don't think I've ever said where. It's a really random place to live mumsnet wise so I don't usually say incase its outing but I'm on the equator in Africa which narrows it down. We are at high altitude so the weather is pretty mild for where we are on the globe 🌎

Ooh that looks and sounds delicious @TheRealHousewife how do you make it?

Yes I am UK - SE coast ish. It's gone back to grey and gloomy now but we had a glimpse of glorious hope earlier 😂

Added snacks to above good log - 1/2 bag of crisps (dammit), a satsuma and a banana. And another tea. 1080 calories so far (including planned dinner). Trying not to listen to the voice in me telling me to open a bar of chocolate tonight - weigh in tomorrow and already dreading it so will not sabotage further... Probably 😬

Hi- I would love to join you! I've just gone into the overweight BMI. I know there are lots of reasons why BMI isn't great but it is ONE indicator... and I KNOW I'm piling on the lard and eating too much crap.
I've just read Andrew Jenkinson's Why we eat (too much). He explains about metabolism, hunger, appetite and weight loss and why dieting so often leads eventually to further weight gain. His book doesn't have a diet plan or indeed many suggestions... but it seems to very broadly be about watching your glycaemic load and eating more omega 3. No processed foods and no vegetable/ seed oils (olive oil is recommended) or nuts; few grains esp flour.
I've managed to cut my daily packet of biscuits and my chocolate and Haribo addiction for 2 days now........ but am eating copious amounts of grass fed meat, butter and cheese; vegetables galore, full fat Greek yoghut, omega 3 eggs etc- 3 good meals a day, try not to snack, but eat plenty as calorie restriction just slows your metabolism.
It's a long term thing.

@TheRealHousewife I was trying to work out what the veg on the side was until I realised it’s the plate pattern 😂

30 minute gym class this morning, only managed 5 minutes on a spin bike afterwards as I was too tired, then 20 min walk home.

Had 2 Kit Kats with a coffee, which I was annoyed with myself for, obviously eating back the calories I burned earlier (and then some). So I then didn’t have any lunch, which I know isn’t healthy either, but I didn’t want to go mad on calories for the day. Spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Long walk planned for tomorrow so will eat properly afterwards.