☀️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!

Your mini egg cheesecake looks delicious btw @AutisticLegoLover and great advice about enjoying the day. You are right, one day will not derail your goals!!!

Glad to see I’m not the only one with a weakness for chocolate, I came by to confess my eating yesterday, and hopefully put an end to it by eating better today (and back on it properly tomorrow).

Yesterday I ate 2 x hot cross buns, the innards from 2 Easter eggs (Maltesers and Enchanted eggs), plus half an Easter egg shell, half a huge bag of tortilla chips, a huge roast dinner and a glass of wine. It felt v indulgent and I went to bed feeling the bloat.

Today I’m going to Abba Voyage so will drink lots of wine and eat some kind of fast food/burger thing while out. Breakfast will be Bran cereal, lunch a homemade soup. Thanks for listening!

@Bumblebeehum that sounds like a great Easter Sunday!

Sending love @Ninjachicken

@AutisticLegoLover that mini cheesecake looks amazing! I need to do a diary free, gluten free version for the family!

I'm a chocolate fiend too. Started my egg yesterday and will finish it off today, start properly again when I head back to work tomorrow.

@AutisticLegoLover that cheesecake looks so good!

I’m afraid I’ve been rather bold these last couple of days eating chocolate and takeaways. Stood on my scales this morning to check the damage and they need a new battery 😅 so no idea what my current weight is after indulging all weekend - not sure if that’s for the best or not lol.

I can confirm it was delicious and the perfect size portion.
I've started the day with my usual porridge and tea to offset the McDonalds later. A veggie deluxe and fries isnt too bad actually but ill probably have a mcflurry too. ill have yogurt for dinner to balance out. Decent amount of walking involved today.
Have a great day everyone and don't forget this 🍾

Leapt off the wagon spectacularly yesterday, chocolate, crisps, steak pie, chips and wine. Delicious and enjoyed it, not weighing today 🫣 Back on it today. I plan to ration the rest of my chocolate to a small bit a day.

Hi all! Sorry to have been AWOL for the last week, I've barely stopped with the kids and DH off, too many birthday celebrations, picking up some extra shifts at work and the like. I've eaten and drunk FAR too many excess calories, but I've also clocked some excellent step counts, and more importantly had a really, really wonderful week.

Today I'm really feeling it though, I'm tired, bloated and sluggish. So, back on it as of tonight!

I genuinely forgot to weigh on Friday (nothing to do with having been out for dinner/drinks and to a comedy show the night before, and having to get ready for a surprise day out with the family Friday morning 😉) so I'm going to weigh this week. Hopefully I won't see too big a net gain from my pre-Easter weigh in 😬🤞

Today's meals:
Lunch - southern fried chicken goujons in a wrap with salad, sweet chilli sauce and plastic cheese. Bag of McCoy's, digestive bar and tea.
Dinner - chicken, bacon, asparagus and broccoli salad with a small side of new potatoes.

Setting intentions for the week:
> Stick to meal plan!
> No midweek wine!
> No more crisps!
> Water, water, water!

I've had a read through of the thread, I don't have the headspace (hello, brain slug) to reply properly to everyone as I'd normally try to, but as ever I'm willing you all on to achieve what you want to.

@Ninjachicken I'm sorry to hear your birthday was marred by a big row, and I hope things are getting better with your DH now
@TheRealHousewife I quite like spiders 🤣 (someone else said the same - can't recall who though)

Right, off to battle the return of the manky spring weather to get to Aldi. Joys.

I've been awol too and indulged this Easter. Seems like I was in good company !! My plan is that Easter is now done, so back to healthy mindful eating tomorrow. But I go away Weds for few days so hope I can stick to it. Will do my best.

Glad you had lovely hols in Italy Gin. Sounded idyllic.

Winner winner, big chicken salad for dinner 😋

Thanks everyone. Things are slowly getting better but the underlying problems are still there. Need to see how the next few weeks go.
your hols look amazing @ginsparkles
and your salad looks delicious @ImALittlePea

did my first proper fast 800 day today. I have not actually felt that hungry which is encouraging. Weighed 65.5kgs this morning and I think I will weigh every day this week to keep track of how I am doing
had a smoked salmon omelette with chives for lunch and bolognese sauce with salad for dinner. No snacks at all so feel pleased with that
have a good week everyone

Good Morning

I can honestly say not one piece of chocolate has passed my lips. Zippo. Zilch. Nada. Thanks spider 😬

@ginsparkles Welcome back. Great photos!!

@AutisticLegoLover That mini cheesecake looks delish 😋

@tappitytaptap Welcome to the thread. I’ve heard anti-depressants can contribute to weight gain due to increased appetite. You seem to be straight on it before any gains become overwhelming. Wishing you well!

Hi @ImALittlePea You seem run ragged! Hope everything calms down for you and you can get some well deserved ‘me time’ 👍 Pleased to see you’ve reset your intentions too. That chicken salad is right up my street!

@buzzofthebumblebee Enjoy your holiday!

@Ninjachicken Smoked salmon omelette is one of my favs! Your yesterdays menu sounds very tasty!

Menu
Meal 1 - Vegetable soup (made a batch to last the week) Orange. Walnuts.
Meal 2 - Lamb cold cuts, bubble & squeak & brown sauce. Apple
Tea, black coffee and water.

Exercise
Session 1 - Hand weights
Session 2 - Yoga

Thank you for the warm welcome back.

@ImALittlePea sounds like you had a hectic week, sending you positive vibes for the week ahead!

@buzzofthebumblebee have a great holiday!

@TheRealHousewife ... I can absolutely not say the same re chocolate!! I am pretending Easter weekend was part of my holiday! 😂😂 and things get serious from today!

So todays plan is :
Breakfast- the usual cereal
Lunch - prawn salad
Dinner - spaghetti bolognese (trying to pretend we are still in Italy 🇮🇹)

Have a fun Tuesday all

Had a weigh in today as can't do tomorrow. Well, seems as though my Easter splurging and post-half-marathon "I deserve this" snacking has undone all my hard work. Not surprisingly. But good to have realised now before it got too bad. Started off 1st April at 10 12. Am now up to 11 1 1/2. So that's 3.5 lbs on!! Oops. Well, I'll just have to see it back off then, won't I? That was a good reality check before going away too.

I know I keep saying it, but it never ceases to amaze me how little I need to eat to loose weight. Just basic B, L & D rations. No chocs, cake, or wine. I don't regret having them as treats over the Easter weekend (plus hot cross buns, & peanuts too). But just paying for it now.

Oh certainly not run ragged in a negative way @TheRealHousewife - just very busy with lots of lovely plans! The feeling of exhaustion yesterday was down to overindulgence more than anything; nothing that an early night didn't fix 😊

Life is about to go up a gear in the hectic sense - DH is back to work today, DS is off school for another week, and DD's childcare setting has now closed its doors. And I still don't have a place for her anywhere else.. so my much-needed two days a week to keep on top of life/house/admin/volunteering/downtime is (temporarily) no more. My 'break' is going to be when I go to work 😵‍💫 I'm trying to remain positive in my mindset, and I'm lucky in that my DH is a very hands on husband and dad so will be giving me the time I need to unwind whenever possible. Just hope I don't turn to comfort calories on the harder days in the meantime.

I missed your pics @ginsparkles - beautiful! I love Italy! Am I correct that you went to Sorrento?

@Ninjachicken well done on your first proper F800 day being a success!

Today's plan:
Lunch - at home today so it'll be cup-a-soup special, with some greek yoghurt and pomegranate after (trying to up protein this week)
Dinner - pepper, bacon, pea and pesto risotto. DH and kids will have garlic bread with theirs but I will try and refrain!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

@ginsparkles 😅😅😅

@buzzofthebumblebee Im the same calorie wise. Anything over 1100 cals a day and I gain. It takes tenacity, determination and total commitment to lose but it isn’t impossible. That said I’ve gained too over the weekend as had over my calorie allowance. None were chocolate calories but I did have a dessert, g&t and red wine 😬. To be honest my weight is the highest it’s been for some time, partly due to meds too (messes with water retention/sodium levels) Stopped the pain relief and I’m back on it now! I’m hoping for the mother of all whooshes 😅

@ImALittlePea Pleased to read its fun induced knackeredness 👍😬🥳

How are you @greenspaces4peace ❤️ Hope you’re ok 👍

@ImALittlePea I hope it's not too difficult for you now your little one doesn't have a spot. I think our kids are about the same age. I have one in school and a younger one in nursery (3 days a week when I'm working, I have her the rest of the time) and life is just busy all the time. I definitely turn to comfort calories. Pretty much anytime I'm in the kitchen without someone attached to me I grab some chocolate, but I am going to try really hard to stop that this week. I've put all the chocolate out of reach so I won't have time to get a stool to get it off the top of the cupboard.

@Ninjachicken Sorry to hear things are still a bit difficult for you. I hope they get better really soon. It's really hard when things aren't on an even keel.

@TheRealHousewife Hope you get your whoosh. You seem to be really consistent with your calories.

So I'm hoping to be back on it this week. I've got my 🍾with me in a huge 2ltr bottle. I have 3 pieces of fruit, a small pack of nuts (that I will try not to have but they are a back up) an egg and my lunch (sweet potato with chilli). I also need to make sure I run today. I'm trying to do this without going too far away from my everyday eating. I think I try to cut out too many things in one go and then I throw the towel in too soon. Let's hope this is it.

Good luck this week everyone

@TheRealHousewife thanks! That's the idea, though have gained a few pounds already. So lovely to be on the thread. Like most of you I have very much enjoyed big roast dinners, Easter eggs and cake over the Easter weekend! I'm off work for a couple more days and today is not going to be a healthy day as I made buttermilk pancakes for me and the eldest for breakfast and we are going for afternoon tea later, his choice of treat whilst DS2 is in nursery! Anyone else enjoy the 'treat' food more when you are watching your weight and savour every morsel?! I ate some chocolate covered popcorn like it was precious nectar yesterday 😂

Morning all. It's restart day. Just waiting for my porridge while I drink my te and wake up. I'm still waking up with a banging head feeling rubbish and I'm so bored of it. It's been over 2 weeks now.
The big smelly city lived up to its reputation of being rainy with a torrential downpour and thunder. We bought lots of Lego, well ds bought most of it, and we enjoyed our bubble tea and McDonald's. I didn't have a McFlurry. I didn't get any sweets from M&S either.

Greek yogurt and cherry compote for lunch, plenty of walking and no idea about dinner. If I have any energy later I'll bounce on my ball. Unlikely but I'll see. Might be too busy making Lego.

Much solidarity with the gains. I'll weigh properly tomorrow for wow but it's not going to be good. I put extra salt on my fries 😱 lots of water today to flush it out.

It's sunny and windy here and I hope it stays that way. Hope everyone has a lovely day. Let's kick that Easter indulgence together and focus on summer slimness now.

Good morning all
Back from hols yesterday and as expected 2.2lbs up (well I was expecting to be up - not exactly sure how much in advance obviously!)
Could be worse I suppose - will carefully eat today - hard to do as both DD's back from Uni and DD1 is eagle eyed 🦅👀
We had a lovely Easter so big wave to all who have gained - it will come off again in the next few days with some focus - and we will still have our Easter memeories so all worth it.

👋, all’s well enough. weight is stable high 148-149.
healthy food but it’s all about portion size.
out hiking more which is good. too early for yard work.
I see the thread is busy busy busy.

You’re very welcome @tappitytaptap . I don’t ban any food groups or types other than gluten due to being celiac. Everything in moderation. If you’re increased appetite gets too distracting try and make sure you have plenty of fibre, protein, healthy fats and water as these groups will keep you saitiated for longer 👍

I have to be @Lionnose . At my heaviest I was in excess of 12 stones at just shy of 5ft tall 😮 😧😱. I’m not as active as I was previously due to spinal cord injury but do what I can. On top of that I’ve a medicated thyroid gland as it doesn’t work properly. You could say I’m up against it but I prefer how I feel and look when weighing less 😬

Two of my favourite things @AutisticLegoLover … porridge and Lego 😬 Enjoy!

@Was126orbustandmaybebust Welcome back and well done on just having a tiny gain. You’ll soon see that off!

Menu Change.

Ive jiggled my portions and menu about a bit. Ive added in a portion of my home made protein mix = red salmon, low fat cottage cheese, boiled eggs, chopped spring onion & S&P. Chopped up and all mixed together. A 175g portion = 160 calories 20grams protein and 11g fat. Filling and nutritious. I was fancy and had it as a starter with a few salad leaves before my veg soup.

@TheRealHousewife did you try the Walk at Home app?

Ah it's a juggle isn't it @Lionnose?! Things felt non stop even when DD was at childcare 2 days a week, I've got no idea how we're going to keep on top of things now we've lost it. We will though. When my eldest is at school the days are more structured, and once I have the new nursery place confirmed I will feel a bit better about it. I have so much mum guilt over having mixed feelings about having no child free days for the foreseeable! 🤣😭

Menu change for me today too @TheRealHousewife as when I started to cook the risotto I realised I didn't have the key ingredient - the arborrio rice! So I've swapped from a meal later in the week - tortilla pizza and homemade wedges. I'm topping mine with leftover chicken from yesterday, peppers, onion and sweetcorn. Just realised I don't have any mozzarella (as was going to go food shopping again before having it 🤦‍♀️) so we'll have to make do with cheddar. Clearly my brain isn't fully firing at the moment! Hah.

Hello,

New to the thread and have started today.
SW 14 stone 5.5lbs. Heaviest I’ve ever been 😮‍💨. Combination of no time to myself or self care but it’s beyond a joke now and needs sorting. Have worked out my weights for every 7lbs lost and 10% and 20%. Heading for initial target weight of 11 stone 7lbs.

Following a sort of Slimming world inspired plan.

mango and coffee for breakfast.
peppered mackerel salad for lunch with boiled egg and some new pots - biggest meal as was hungry!
Chicken stir fry for dinner as suggested by the kids!

No choc or wine or biscuits until the 1st stone is off.

So todays the day! I've started the diet-going hard core with VLCD meal replacement diet incl one low carb meal a day. I've done it before and even so the weight came off only slowly. I've also signed up for council run exercise course stating mid May which culminated in fun 5k in July so should be a good motivator.
Hope to be more involved with this thread from now on, going to try to lose 30lbs by end July.