⭐️LOSE IT! March 2023⭐️Get Ready for Spring Edition⭐️

[TheRealHousewife]

⭐️Open to previous members as well as new members⭐️

Spring is right around the corner so it’s time to embrace a 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

Good Morning Everyone

@Allthegoodnamestakken Sorry to read you’ve been unwell. Sending positive vibes and warm wishes for you to feel better soon! Don’t sweat the gain, you’ll soon be back on it when you feel better ❤️

@AutisticLegoLover Definitely a maintenance day is in order after yesterday's epic walk coupled with feeling under the weather 🤧 Well done on your walk.

@greenspaces4peace Pleased read your Airedale is fairing better!

@buzzofthebumblebee I agree in that @Bikechic has showed constraint with the mini eggs. They are the Crack of the chocolate world they are! Well done ‘Chic!

@GoldenFarfalle You’re right, Knocking the snacking on the head makes it easier to lose. Well done 👍

Menu
Meal 1 - Red pepper omelette & side salad.
Meal 2 - Cold cuts, bubble and squeak & brown sauce.
Tea, black coffee and water.

Where did March go 😮 I’d better start looking to post Aprils thread in the coming days. Make the last 4 days count ladies. It could equate to a further .5lb - 1lb loss 👍

Morning all, @AutisticLegoLover your walking amazes me! 14 miles! I don't even manage 8 on days I walk to work and walk the dogs.
@TheRealHousewife thankyou, thankfully nothing that's making me feel to terrible just 2 weeks of anxiety waiting on test results but I saw a lovely doctor last week who reassured me it's very very very unlikely to be anything serious, unlike the first doctor who was throwing around cancer like it was given. Waiting on some biopsy results to be 100% sure but feeling much better about it all now.

Trying to get back on track today with intermittent fasting, always very hard the first few days as all the sugar leaves my body. Have settled on fasting until 10.30 for the first couple of days, then push it to 12.30 again.

Breakfast - Fruit and porridge
Lunch - Leftover Pasta
Dinner - Sticky sausages and roasted veggies

@Allthegoodnamestakken What a worry for you! Great to hear everything is sounding more positive 👍🤞

Agreed @Bikechic only 6 mini eggs is unthinkably restrained 😁 love the rest of your menu too

@Allthegoodnamestakken will be thinking of you, waiting for test results is always jarring. And good luck with the IF, it's in my medium/long term goals to get onto that but I'm not ready yet.

@TheRealHousewife red pepper omelette! Thank you for the inspiration takes notes

4am snack - tea, handful of tortilla chips and houmous, couple of choc digestives

Breakfast - coffee, protein ball, chicken wrap

~ unspecified amount of time trying to get through the wasteland of sleep deprivation ~

Lunch - pitta bread, houmous, salad

Dinner - lamb rump, veggies, rice

I'm at home today so going to buy some grapes/healthier finger foods now that I've eaten all the tortilla chips 🙄

Yes, things are certainly much happier than a few weeks back @buzzofthebumblebee 😊

I too have been knocked by the clocks changing 😴

I like the tip of water before tea @Cloudberries123 if nothing else, it will increase our water intake which is always handy!

Well done on the step counts @AutisticLegoLover and I'm sorry to hear you weren't feeling well yesterday, I hope you're feeling better today.

How about this for a bottle emoji... 🍾👀🤭

Sorry to hear about your health worries @Allthegoodnamestakken I really hope you get some answers soon, be kind to yourself in the meantime.

Some lovely meals being had this week so far!

Yesterday I had:
Lunch - cheese, bacon and mushroom omelette at a cafe, which came with a small portion of roasted newies
Dinner - grabbed a co-op halloumi wrap pre-theatre
Snack - half a banana
No idea on calories but I did my dance class and clocked 14,000 steps overall so not unhappy with that!

Today's plan
Lunch - normal cup-a-soup with trimmings if I can get a nicer box at the supermarket this morning
Dinner - sausages, homemade chips and beans

And lots and lots of water!

Morning all. I feel crap this morning and am going back to bed after the shops on the way home. I've picked up ds's virus and have a very sore throat. Plus period pain and very tired. Hot water bottle and back to bed. The good news is my jeans are getting looser and looser in the thigh. My thighs have always been substantial even at 8 stone and my calves chunky from all the hill walking. If I had longer legs I'd be thrilled but sadly I'm stuck at 5'3" with a 28" inside leg.

Has anyone used a personal trainer? I want some professional help to tone up effectively. My cardio fitness is good but I'm flabby. I'm wondering if a session with a PT would be worth it.

@Allthegoodnamestakken here for a virtual handhold. Waiting for results is so stressful and a million what ifs go through your head.

Sorry you are feeling rubbish @AutisticLegoLover . Yes to PT. But in my experience you need to stick with them for a bit to really see benefits, for them to really get to know "you", your strength, weaknesses etc.

For (cheaper) toning, I would thoroughly recommend pilates. Done properly (and preferably with a physio-trained / led pilates instructor) the benefits are immense. PT is great for getting sweaty and building strength, but pilates (again, done properly) really targets those muscles you never knew you had - tummy, obliques, shoulders, arms, back etc etc. I would recommend a 1:1 pilates lesson, and then group classes. The 1:1 will help you know exactly what is meant by rib cage closed etc, what to engage at the right time.

I've got enormous thighs too ; )

Much prefer your bottle emoji @ImALittlePea !!!!!!!! It's fab. And actually I bought myself exactly one of those for sunday, for once I've completed my little running event.

Thoughts with you @Allthegoodnamestakken and really hope there is nothing to worry about with your health. Reassuring to know they have taken your concerns seriously. Sending positive wishes your way. And hope you can keep your mind busy on uplifting stuff in the meantime.

Food doing OK here.
B - mushrooms, spinach & an egg
L - leftover roast veggies, & fish, & a scooped-out sweet potato
D - chicken, veg, rice - or something similar.
S - stewed apple & yoghurt if I get nibbly later.

Can't believe it's last WOW of the month tomorrow !! Thanks for the spur @TheRealHousewife - last 4 days could equate to 0.5 - 1 lbs.

KEEP THE WILLPOWER STRONG. SNACKING NOT NEEDED. WATER WATER WATER

I like that emoji too @ImALittlePea and I think we should adopt it as our group symbol for fluid intake.

What a miserable day out there. I'm just about to head out to get ds and really haven't the energy for walking today. Got to be quick home and that means up the big hill not meandering through the woods and along the canal. The big hill is much shorter but much steeper but also much quicker and we need to be home quickly today. Walking in the rain will help wake me up I suppose. I've slept all day. Porridge for dinner I think. It's easy and easy on the throat too.

Hope everyone is having a better day.

It's good to see how real people with lives that have different events and family manage their meals. And good to see similar ideas for food to what I do. It feels more normal than looking at sample diet plans.
Today
Breakfast: mixed berries, Greek yogurt and 3 walnuts
Lunch: 1 seeded toast (no butter) , sliced chicken, salad with balsamic vinegar, guacamole
Dinner: salmon with butter & lemon, mash, brocolli, mango & cream
Snack: 6 mini eggs - thanks for encouragement, I have a portion left for tomorrow.
Drink - trying to drink more water. But also coffee & black tea

@AutisticLegoLover many years ago now i hired a PT. it was a very positive experience, she was both motivating and helpful at teaching me that this weight loss journey is a long game.
i didn't have much money, we met weekly at first. she took measurements, came up with an exercise plan and pushed me on the treadmill or eliptical etc. i would do the exercise plan daily in my case. then the following week she would again push me for the 20 minute cardio at the beginning but then tweak the exercise plan (say a lower body week with lunges and kettle ball work) then the following week was upper body etc.
she didn't discuss nutrition too much as honestly i've got that covered, i just love some stuff a bit too much.
she pushed me out of my comfort zone including doing couch to 2K as part of my program.
with the help of monique in 1 year i went from 192-136 lbs. she then moved away :(
i was also younger. but i've NEVER gone back above 180 and year upon year i drive my weight down. although at this point it's harder on my own. monique however was so good at the right time of my life no one will be able to replace her.

Wednesday weigh in
SW 88.8kg
CW 76.5kg
TW (new) 72kg
50th birthday in 3 weeks so I'd like to be 75kg by then.
Everyone is doing so well!
Every time I @ anyone my posts disappear into several paragraphs with massive gaps or repeat the name I've tagged 20 times.
So frustrating as I'd like to comment on so many people's posts:( I do come on every couple of days and read everything.
It's the same on the app and on the site and has been for weeks.
I'll just content myself by saying I hope those of you who are under the weather feel better soon. And thankyou for some meal inspiration:)

Morning all. Sticking at 57.05kg with AF in all its glory today. If I could poop I'd probably lose a good kilo! I now know why I've been feeling rubbish-covid. Thank you very much for the early Easter gift there 🙄 Its my ds's show at school today and now I can't go to that. I had the cinema booked with my mum on Sunday and will need to cancel that and I now can't see her for 10 days because the risk to her is huge. I'm also clinically extremely vulnerable and felt like death when I had covid back in October. I don't feel as bad this time thank goodness but will be asking the GP for stand by steroids and antibiotics for my chest just in case because it hit me hard on my chest last time. I now feel like I have a good reason to lie down all day instead of feeling guilty! I'm so annoyed. We were thinking of going away on Monday too to the coast. Ah bollocks.

I'll read that about the PT again whoever posted it-thank you. I've been struggling to read stuff because it's just not going in. I was wanting a PT to show me how to safely and effectively use my little weights. YouTube just isn't that great for technique, posture and whatnot.

Right all, have a great WOW and congratulations to whoever it was who has wowed up thread today! That's if I've read it correctly 🥴 If you don't get your wow just keep going, it will appear sooner or later. This is the long game and don't forget your fluids 🍾😁

Morning All,
Got back on the scales this morning and looked through squinted eyes, not as bad as I expected at 66.1kg. I had gotten out of the habit of tracking my weight each week so going to try and get back to doing that. Looking back at my graph I have just been going up and down between 65-66.8kg every couple of weeks since January.
The plan today is to try and make it to 11 with fasting
then have an early lunch - fruit, cheese, pitta bread, tomatoes
Dinner will be a bit of a using up of things that need eating situation, perhaps omlettes

Sorry about the covid @AutisticLegoLover - no wonder you are feeling rubbish.

A new low for me - I'm down to 11 0 . Oh so near the 10s. Total loss for March is 3lbs, which I'll take.

Good luck everyone else for WOW today.

B - keffir yoghurt & blueberries (I didn't have it as my snack yesterday)
L - leftover roast vegetables & fish
D - cottage pie + greens on the side

Morning everyone, delighted with a 2lb loss this week (it was my birthday and I feasted on steak with a handful of fat-chips, but mostly salad), it was amazing and I’m surprised it’s not still sitting in me 🤷‍♀️. I’m 1lb away from a mini goal so really trying to get there before the weekend.

Todays food will be:
Cereal
tuna sandwich
thai chicken with rice

Good Morning All

Ive had a surprising WOW as I’ve bounced up 1/2lb.
15.03.23 = 9st 7.6lbs
29.03.23 = 9st 8.2lbs

Fingers crossed its off by the month end 🤞

Hope you’re soon feeling better @AutisticLegoLover ❤️ Take it easy!

@ImALittlePea I think we will adopt your emoji for water/fluids = 🍾 😬

@Bikechic That sure is a tasty menu you posted 😋

@greenspaces4peace Thank you for sharing your PT experience. It sounds as if it was extremely positive.

@Weatherwax13 Ive had the glitches too! Very frustrating to lose a post before it’s posted.

@Allthegoodnamestakken Plateauing is very frustrating.I myself can get stuck between weights and bounce up and down the same couple of lbs. At those times I try to be right on with portion control and any add ons like sauces and dressings. Good luck!

@buzzofthebumblebee Thats a fabulous loss for March! 3lbs is solid progress 👍👏

@Bumblebeehum Happy Belated Birthday Wishes 🥳🥳🥳 Congratulations on still losing 2lbs too 👍👏

Menu
Meal 1 - Minestrone soup. Pecans.
Meal 2 - Hake, boiled potatoes, carrots. Mixed berries, Greek yoghurt.
Tea, black coffee and water.

Had a menu change yesterday. Did a mixed chopped salad rather than bubble & squeak.

Come on ladies. Let’s make the last couple of days count!

Well done all! A boring but predictable STS for me today. My mealtime eating is good at the moment, but I'm still having too much sugar for instant energy to compensate for broken sleep.

Got to head out but will check back in properly later 👍🏻

I'm really pleased with wow today. I've lost 2 1/2 lbs.
CW: 11 st 7lb
Last week I'd stayed the same so it evens out. I've also reached a mini milestone. I'm back to the weight I was in Sept 2021.
Todays menu
Berakfast: banana & blackcurrant milkshake
Snack: lemon Drizzle cake (a colleague is leaving - had to join in)
Lunch - tin of lentil & veg soup
Dinner: crust less quiche from 'a pinch of nom', salad & small jacket spud

Hey all,

It's been a tough week at work. Can't wait for Friday as it's 2 weeks school holiday. I'm on my knees for a break.

Disappointed again this morning- I lost 1lb, but that's just the 1lb I gained from last week - for no apparent reason. I'm religiously noting everything on MFPal and doing IF, so it must be hormones. I'm a bit stumped.

SW 13st 2
CW 13st
TW 10st 12

Today's menu:

11am snack - babybel light, 50cal rhubarb yogurt.

Lunch: Low fat houmous, cherry tomatoes, cucumber carrot sticks. Lentil chips (75 cals).

Dinner: Home-made Salmon fish-cake, bean/ sweetcorn/ lettuce/ 🥒 salad.

Snacks: tea with milk x2, 3 party rings.

Ooh and grapes too for lunch.

Weight was 10st 10 today - no real change this month, but I've not been focused so that's no surprise.

Determined to make more of an effort in April, unfortunately though this week started with a bit team lunch where healthy options were limited. But will do some exercise this evening to try and mitigate against that!

I'm definitely ready for the holidays but disappointed our plans are out the window for now.
My appetite is weird today. I didn't want breakfast. Had some crisps after going to get the covid tests. Took ds to school, ate yogurt and cherry compote and honey, more crisps after a sleep and more yogurt. Now I'm eating petit pain with butter and damson jam. I'd made butternut squash soup but didn't fancy it and it made my throat sting when I tasted it. I've ordered some things from Waitrose that I wouldn't normally but I don't care. Some shortbread and almond croissants aren't going to undo my hard work to date. I've ordered raspberries and strawberries to up my fibre.

Congratulations on the losses and keep going for the STSs, you can do it.

The holidays are a danger time for me because my mileage decreases. Fingers crossed I'm still active and don't eat too much chocolate and cheesecake🥴 I'm less gung-ho on my goal now as I'm not too far from it. 2kg or so and by June so entirely achievable. Maintenance scares me more than losing though. I feel like it's going to be harder to do.

Morning all. 56.95kg this morning. Once I can go to the toilet there should be a big, erm, drop This constipation is ridiculous. I've never suffered before. I don't get stomach pain I just think it's the reduced amount of food. Porridge, yogurt, soup and two little rolls or some pasta. There's just not much volume going in so very little to go out. I've ordered some laxatives and foods with fibre.
I feel dreadful today and ds is being taken to school by someone else. Being ill as a lone parent is extra rubbish. As soon as he's left for school I'm going back to bed. I'm going to feel very lazy not doing the school run.

Hope you all have a great day. Don't forget this 🍾

@AutisticLegoLover hope you're feeling better soon!
@Puffalicious homemade fish cakes sound delicious, something I really need to learn how to make!

I haven't really made a plan for food yet today, the cupboards and fridge are all pretty empty because I haven't had a chance to make it to the shops so it will be a case of whatever I can find that looks edible.
I am going to potentially go for a run this evening though, will see what the weather is like and how I am feeling this evening. It will be my first run since the pneumonia months ago.