☀️LOSE IT! April 2023 Countdown to Summer☀️

[TheRealHousewife]

⭐️Open to previous members as well as new members⭐️

Summer countdown starts here! The holidays are 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!

Hello and happy Sunday, another weekendy day over here and only just sat down.

In terms of not overeating or thinking constantly about food, it's been great to be so busy 😁

Only thing I'd change is that I've been hoovering up the baby's leftovers and don't really want to get in that habit. And more water.

Breakfast - yoghurt, muesli, jam, tea, water

Snack - 2 coffees out with a friend, water

Lunch - pizza, sourcream to dip. Cup of homemade chicken stock

Snack - baby's leftovers of yoghurt, bit of tomato pasta, something else but can't recall

Dinner - pasta with pesto and cream cheese

Early Easter eggs might be on the cards later 😜

Evening all!

Wow, it's only the 2nd and the thread is already flying by 😂

Hi to all the newbies 👋 and prior posters alike ❤️

It's my birthday this week and we went out last night with friends to start the celebrations 😁 lovely Chinese meal and lots of bubbles 🥂 I'm fully expecting my whoosh of last week to be undone in the coming days, but will try and remain mindful when I can, I know I can get back here and then after the birthday and Easter holidays are done I can work out my maintenance plan 😬

Love the pictures @Puffalicious
@Cloudberries123 I find leftovers very difficult. My friend taught me that it's better to let it go to waste than to waist.

@Puffalicious beautiful photos.

I've been debating going away just for a day or a night but the weather isn't looking great so far for the Easter holidays except maybe Saturday and Sunday when we have got plans. Typical.

I need to go into the big smelly city to collect my ring from the jewellers in the next week. That might be as much excitement as it gets although I've promised ds I'll take him to the Lego shop and we will go for bubble tea. I'm sure they'll talk me into McDonald's while we are there.

I've been feeling better today but have got cabin fever. In theory I can go out and about but morally it doesn't feel right and I need to stay away from my mum for a few more days. Although I was with her for hours the day when I was between days of having symptoms. She's in her 80s though and last time the GP to both of us told me to stay away. The main thing is I feel much better and it's been so much milder this time thank goodness. I'm hating not getting any exercise but I've managed to do 8000 steps just in the house and have got 8 loads of washing done. An old bought it on eBay and it was too small summer jacket fits 😃 as does a pretty top I'd long since given up on. Just need a strapless bra for the top.

Food wise. Not great but nothing tastes that great so I'm eating slightly more trying to get a fix of what I fancy. Greek yogurt and honey is still hitting the spot. Otherwise everything is a bit bland. What I really want is chocolate so roll on Easter! I'm still on target with calories, just no exercise to balance them out.

Monday tomorrow-let's have a great week!

Happy birthday @ImALittlePea It’s my birthday today! Having drinks later, just taking our own to the lake near where we live with a couple of friends. It’s simple and we can bring the dogs easily. Planning a Korean chicken and Asian slaw for dinner at home afterwards. Hopefully not too calorie heavy!
there will be fizz but going to try not to let the day derail me too much.
been pretty good snacking over the weekend and had no alcohol at all so feeing pleased with that. Determined to get under 65 kgs this week! Still easing into the fast 800 and can get to midday with just a black coffee fairly easily now
really like the expression waste not waist @Bikechic

have a good week everyone ! Lots of water, less snacking, healthy meal choices!!!!
thanks again to everyone on here, with little RL support it really is a lifeline

Happy birthday @Ninjachicken and @ImALittlePea and such amazing photos @Puffalicious
My young ladies are home from uni and we had a house full of med students with DD1's friends for the weekend but now just the four of us again. DH and I are working today so the DD's are going for a shopping trip and lunch ahead of our holiday on Thursday - just within the UK but we are so looking forward to the break all together.
Today I am still 131lb so neither up nor down - hopefully a small change tomorrow in the right direction.
Hope everyone's day goes well.

I've had a hard weekend; too much wine and that lowers all my resolve re CC. Hope everyone has a great week. Back on it today. Holiday in 3 weeks 🌞 ☀️

Well I'm down a pound and a half from last week and just seen a number beginning with a 10 for the first time in a while.
Yesterday I skipped lunch which I thought would be impossible but obvs wasn't! I kept thinking of all the people doing Ramadan and how they weren't keeling over.
I've 8 weeks until my holiday and would love to lose a stone.

Ahh thank you @Ninjachicken @Was126orbustandmaybebust 🥳 mine is tomorrow, happy birthday for today Ninja, I hope you've had a great day? Remember, calories don't count on your birthday! (Or for several days before/after in my world 😁🍾 <-- not water!)

@AutisticLegoLover 'big smelly city' made me chuckle.. I hope you continue to feel better over the coming days and can get to see your mum soon.

@talkitup try not to let it break your resolve, we all do it and the key is to not turn a bad day into a bad weekend into a bad week into a bad month... Etc. You've got this!

@petuniasandpetals well done! Great achievement. I no longer have breakfast (I/F 16:8) and I thought I'd struggle with it at first, but I'm much happier on two meals a day. I work with someone who observes Ramadan and have spoken to him at great length about it, it certainly does lend some perspective to our choices.

Today has been ok, considering it's the holidays and I normally treat the whole break as a weekend (ie no rules 😉)
Lunch - cup-a-soup, veggies, dairylea triangle and 3 crispbreads
Dinner - likely to be crushed new potatoes, sausages and peas. Maybe s/f chicken instead of sausages.
I've had half a crumpet and tiny handful of crisps today. There is wine in the fridge which I'll likely have some (all) of tonight.

I did an Easter themed trail at a local county park this morning, so steps will be decent as well (didn't have my Garmin on though). All in all, not too shabby a start to the week. It'll all be downhill from tomorrow though 😂 although having said that, we're doing loads with the kids and I have three decent shifts this week, so I'll be nice and active.

Remember to hydrate ladies!!

@Puffalicious That looks absolutely glorious! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday @ImALittlePea 🥳🥳🥳🥳

Happy Birthday Imalittlepea and Ninja 🥳🎉🎈🎁🎂!!! Whoo-hoo!

Brilliant news for the positives and keep on keeping on for those who've not had great days. Talkitup tomorrow's another day.

Still on holiday. Doing fine food wise as we're in the camper, so I can be in control. Here's today's views that have got rid of my last week's funk.

Wow just wow @Puffalicious - idyllic, especially in the sunshine. I thought I was going to stop & maintain, but your turn to inspire me to aim for 10 7. Whilst I am much slimmer now at 10 12 than 11 11 , or even 13 2, I am still heavy for my 5 ft 6 height. Kidding myself that as a comfortable size 12 I'm skinny !!

Happy birthday @Ninjachicken & @ImALittlePea

My little jog in the park (half marathon) went better than expected yesterday. All the training paid off & I finished under 2 hours. Dead chuffed, and fund-raised for a children's hospice. Never ever have believed I could do it.

Please may I join you? I have just booked my summer holiday which is 20 weeks away, so that seems like a good impetus as I would love to lose 9kg which is about 20 pounds. My big issue is my tummy which just makes me feel very gross and unattractive. I want to lose weight but also to do things like get a good haircut and sort out my brows and buy some well cut clothes, that will make me look and feel better about myself.

One good thing I have been doing since about December is walking to and from work, which means I get 18-20k steps most days. I feel a lot better for it. I am also pretty good at having a bedtime routine and have started trying to be better with skin care. I have a gym membership but rarely make it more than once a week to swim and gym. I don't have loads of time but would like to add in one short weights session and one more swim.

I am thinking of skipping breakfast and trying 16:8, mainly because I love bread so much and I know it does me no favours. I have also been drinking too much beer, which is obviously full of calories, but I might wait until after my birthday this week and annual leave next week to tackle the booze! Basically if I cut out bread, cheese, crisps and beer, I could probably lose weight. Sounds so easy, but as we know it's not!

Happy birthday @ImALittlePea and @Ninjachicken hope you both have a lovely day.
@Puffalicious I have such envy!

The big smelly city is Manchester and I'm not a fan at all. Ugly place as Dd keenly observed. It's only 30 minutes away by train but a whole works away really. It has a great bubble tea place and Selfridges although the food hall has gone now. I used to love looking in there. The Lego shop we found will please ds no end, and me! I finally got round to making my Lego friends hot air balloon rescue set today whilst hand watching Midsomer murders. I'm not impressed that they've replaced my favourite sidekick.

My sinuses are bad tonight and my eyes are gritty and achey. Weirdest virus ever this bloody covid.

Some sweets and biscuits today but not particularly hungry. Porridge and soup other than that. Weight stable and I can't ask for more than that at the moment. I don't think it will budge until after the holidays when the school run is back on. I've got 8 weeks or so to shift the last couple of kilos so no rush.

Keep going everyone 🍾

I'm 5 foot 6 too Buzz! 10 12 will do me perfectly well thanks 😊 but you keep going and going to inspire me that I can get there!

Brilliant result on the half marathon- under 2 hours is fantastic. Many moons ago I used to do half marathons (BC as I call it: before children, so some 25 years ago) but my knees are flecked. Keep doing them for me too. The freedom of running is phenomenal.

Welcome Colouring that seems a very doable goal indeed. The gals over in Style and Besuty will sort you right out for your hols too.

AutistucLL sorry you're still feeling rubbishy. Take your time and eat what you feel like, only thing for it.

Another one who is 5"6' over here. 10.12 does look pretty skinny from where I'm standing, but then I've had a skewed view of normal for a few years now 😅

Happy birthday Ninja and LittlePea hope you feel celebrated as the lovely people that you are.

I'll be back at a less ungodly hour 🥱🕔

Happy belated birthday Ninja and pea.

2oz off yesterday which whilst still in the right direction was frustrating given all the big changes I've made. However it makes sense as the big P arrived unexpectedly (weird cycle these days). This morning the scales brought better news, 1lb off. 4lbs in total since start date last week. This is momentous for me. I've been overweight for 25years, anywhere between size 20 and 14. My family are all slim, we eat the same things. Although I suspect bread is my downfall. I love it but it doesn't love me.

IF and clean eating is working, I'm not starving during my 18hr fast. My skin is looking well, my brain is a bit more awake and the sun shining 😎. Good luck everyone 👍

Such wonderful news and positive vibes LaWench. I get the frustration about others eating the sane (or lots more!) and being slim.

I too am avoiding bread as it historically has helped shift things. Thanks for the positivity today.

Pictures look AMAZING @Puffalicious 🥰

not enough movement or fluid yesterday

with kids off school I’ve no reason to leave the house, school run sees me walking for nearly 2 hours in total why aren’t I 10 stone!! But this morning I left for a half hour walk! And have my 2 litre bottle filled and ready for the day.

Thanks Xmasfairy it is divine here. The lack of people is the pull too!

Look, I've thought for years that the sheer amount of running about I do - 3 kids, working almost full-time, people comment that I never stop- I should be a rake. It's soooo frustrating.

Hello all, can I join please? I am committed to starting next Tuesday after long weekend away for Easter. Congrats on all the fabulous losses, you have inspired me to get going. I would like to lose 2 stone before summer holiday beginning of August, do you think it's doable? I will be low carbing plus trying to be more active.

@heinztomatosoup very big welcome and yes, barring any health issues known/unknown, that seems very doable. Would love to read about what your plan of action is.

Puffa and Xmasfairy I get it, I really do. I suspect bread and related things are what slows me down as well. But when I've gone low/lower carb, I haven't had enough energy for my very active life. I'm another who is constantly on the move. I think I must eat an absolute ton more than what I need to be this active (young child + active job + walk for pleasure a lot) and maintaining this much excess weight.

Speaking of which, I had a little lightbulb moment the other day when some of you were talking lightheartedly about 'maintenance days'. A small thing really but sometimes you just register it differently. I've been going up and down in the same kilo for a couple of months now, very frustrating. And I realised I must be eating at maintenance amounts (and not burning it off?) Or eating perhaps the wrong proportions of things - I know RealHousewife you're a proponent of macros and tweaked fat/carb/protein proportions a while back.

I'm reluctant to get more technical with what I eat as I easily become obsessive. But it's something I'm going to think about as I cook etc. Pretty sure I eat enough protein but maybe try more fat and lower carbs.

My mindset is completely different from all the numerous other attempts. I don't really like fads or diets but I'm a lazy eater and naturally drift to easy beige foods.

I'm doing the Full Plan by NHS endocrinologist, Dr Saira Hameed. I think it's like fast800 about keeping the blood sugar level. I love the science behind it and I think that is what has switched my mind into eating nutritious whole foods rather than delicious easy foods.

I have my rewards typed up for each half stone and I've signed a pledge to do this for 12 weeks. 90 days doesn't really seem that long. I'm saving up for my spending spree for a whole new wardrobe of clothes 😇

How do people get their protein in?