Who is up for 40 good days on plan before the summer hols

[thenewaveragebear1983]

My goal this year was to lose 23lbs in 2023, and prior to coming away on whitsun holiday I had lost around 14 of those… I dread to think how many I have regained while I’ve been away but 🤦‍♀️

Anyway- I turn 40 about 6 weeks after I get back, and this is my final strong push. I’m challenging myself to have 40 good days on plan before I turn 40, which conveniently ties in with the dc breaking up from school and our summer holiday.
the plan:

• I am going to try to cut UPF out of my diet completely
• try to reduce alcohol down to a very occasional drink.
• I already exercise a fair bit but I’m going to do a specific 30 days programme alongside my running and classes.
• i need to control my portion sizes, my snacking, and my overall calorie intake.
• I like IF and especially on weekdays it really works for me to skip breakfast
• I’m going to eat real food, (no protein shakes or things like that)
• I need to eat more veg
• I’m going to cut out dairy and bread, both of which I really shouldn’t eat and do, so I always feel better when I cut them out.
• I’m going to track on nutracheck with a goal of 1500 cals

I have more than 40 days to play with so that does buy me a couple of ‘nights off’ for significant events if needed.

and this is the biggie…… I’m not going to weigh myself. I’ll weigh at the start and hide the scales. Maybe do measurements as well.

anyone who would like to join me for a chat thread and accountability please do!
for reference, I’m 5’7, and prior to this week I was 154lbs. I’ll update my starting weight on Monday 5th June.

I'm in!

I'm going to a festival in 5 weeks and want to feel confident about how I look 😎

I weighed this morning and I'm 65.2kg at 5 ft 4 inches.

I'm also not going to weigh myself as I go as it's much more about how I feel in my clothes than the number on the scale.

My plan is:
3 good meals a day.
Reducing snacks.
Keeping up with my exercise (10k steps a day and 2 x a week weights in the gym).
Finally getting my hair cut and coloured!!

@MakeYourself hi! Your plan sounds good.

I definitely agree it’s about how I feel in my clothes, and in myself generally- but I am a total slave to my scales. I think turning 40 is making me assess a lot of things and honestly, 25years of stepping in those scales and the way they make me feel- what a waste of my life! I’m hoping a 6 week break from weighing myself with help me break that habit.

I will join if that's ok.

I actually started yesterday and my weight was 12st 1.

I am 5'4 and do not carry the extra lard very well. Fed up with looking such a state.

Oh yes! I'm in! I was doing pretty well with weight loss and have just come back from a week at an all-inclusive resort and am not doing so well now. I've got a hospital appointment in 6 weeks and I'd really like to be at a normal BMI for that (c.8lbs). Longer term, I'm also coming up to 40 later this year and would love to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by then (note that DS is nearly 4...)

I love IF but have to eat breakfast these days because of the medications that I take which is annoying but I definitely need to cut back on snacks, portion sizes and sugar. And load up on veggies! I have to be careful with exercise but normally manage 3 x weights based workouts and 2 x cardio workouts a week although, like so many things, it's slipped while I've been away and I need to get back into it.

I’m in! I started a while ago and have lost a stone but have several more to go. I have 42 days until an event so I’d like to lose a bit more for that and the focus will do me good.

I plan to carry on with IF and have upped my exercise these last couple of weeks so will increase that a little more.

Will track calories and eat more fruit and veg as the focus of meals.

I will be weighing weekly though because it does keep me on track.

Welcome everyone.

@thenewaveragebear1983 I know what you mean about the preoccupation with the number on the scale. It can totally change how I feel about myself......positively or negatively. As you say, what a waste of time!

hi everyone, welcome! I bought this book today and I have only read a couple of chapters but it is fascinating.
Dh and I are going to start properly on Sunday as it’s ds’s birthday on Saturday and we are travelling home from Devon. Between now and then I need to write a shopping list and menu. I have an air fryer and I don’t use it to its advantage at all, so I’d like to incorporate a lot of AF recipes if I can. Feel free to share any- I see them on video reels all the time and never think to write them down so I forget them all

I need to

I just bought that book too! I'm a bit sceptical of a total ban on UPFs because it's not practical always and can be so expensive but I'm definitely keen to find out more. I'm very keen to avoid any total restrictions on anything though because I know I'll just end up falling face first into a tower of Mars bars if I'm not careful.

Morning all.

@mynameiscalypso i’m in two minds really. If it was just me and if I could be very selfish (and could afford it) I would cut it all out. I did whole30 in lockdown and that’s a very similar premise. I never ever felt healthier in my adult life as I did for those 3 months. But real life does get in the way, and convenient (not necessarily convenience) foods do infiltrate back in. We (well, I) don’t eat a lot of typical junky foods, takeaways etc. but I do eat sauces, prepared salads, seasonings etc, pre seasoned meat products and that kind of thing. A change from UPF to home made versions of these things is completely possible but does carry a workload that I’m not entirely sure I would be able to fit in to an already busy lifestyle with young children. However I do think I will start to read labels more closely and really consider the level of processing in the ‘healthy’ things I eat.

I’m currently on Holiday and I feel quite unhealthy now. My food had been ok in a calorie counting sense and I haven’t had things like cakes/ice cream/ sweets etc. but I have had a lot of wine and late nights and feel quite weary. I am genuinely looking forward to Sunday and starting to get back to feeling healthier.

I'm in too. I have an event at the beginning of July. I've been trying and trying unsuccessfully for the past few months, so when I saw this post I thought it might help me have support.

Exercise isn't the issue for me, I enjoying running and using my bike. It's my diet and controlling myself when I am stressed and feeling anxious (which is a lot of the time!!).

I weighed this morning, and I'm 77kg at 5ft 6. I find the scale helps keep me focused. I know that's not the way for everyone.

I am hoping to follow a keto plan of 3 protein and veg based meals a day.

@thenewaveragebear1983 it sounds like we're in a similar situation. We also don't eat a lot of junk at home but I use a lot of shortcuts at times because...well...life. I reckon there's some stuff that I could change quite easily if I got myself organised, spice mixes for example rather than using something out a packet, but there's also stuff that realistically I know I'm never going to make myself other than on a long lazy Sunday (which don't really exist with small children!)

Thursday is my non-working day so I've been at home with DS. Which inevitably means a bit of snacking on his leftovers. I've had to do a couple of work calls with him in the background as well which always stresses me out a bit. Trying to plan something delicious and healthy for dinner. We have some pork in the fridge so maybe that and sweet chilli sauce or something. Out a jar of course.

Sorry, I missed your post @Roundandroundwegogo but I also have a tendency to eat through anxiety. It's definitely self-soothing and I've done it a lot this week. It's hard to break the cycle even when you know you're doing it though!

I had a few spontaneous drinks at a friend's this evening, which wasn't in the plan. But it was really nice and I'm still wanting to do fun, sociable stuff.

Morning all. Just wondering how everyone is doing today? Ready for the weekend? Weighed myself this morning and found I hadn't lost anything! Felt despondent initially, but all we can do is keep on going!

@Roundandroundwegogo I can totally understand why you'd feel that way. It's one of the reasons I'm trying not to weigh myself. It can really impact my mood and motivation.

Keep on keeping on 💪

I rediscovered a pair of jeans in my wardrobe and am wearing them with a t-shirt tucked in 😮. This is a big deal for me and I feel good about it.

@Roundandroundwegogo this is why I really need to ditch my scales!
@MakeYourself great NSV! I have definitely got a few items of clothing that I would like to fit more comfortably, and I really does motivate me to keep going when things that didn’t fit suddenly do again!

@Roundandroundwegogo the weekend looking ahead will be “off plan” for me as it’s ds’s birthday tomorrow and as we are travelling home from our holiday we are doing his party tea of pizzas and cake tonight, then will go out for a curry when we get home. I plan to start properly on Sunday, with a weigh in and measurements to assess the damage from this week, then I’m actually really motivated to get back on the healthy wagon.

I’ve really enjoyed our holiday but I feel tired and quite unhealthy now. We are away with family (separate accommodation but all next door) and it’s really been a lovely social week with bbqs and lots and lots of wine. We really needed it though, dh and i have had a busy year- building work since 4th Jan, I started a completely new job in March so adjusting to that, plus our usual dc commitments/football clubs and everything else. So it’s been a much needed unwind and I think the food and drink helps to be honest.

I am looking forward very much to getting home and getting a good nights sleep though!

@Roundandroundwegogo I know people have different approaches to weighing but I tend to be a daily weigher mainly because it shows me how much other 'stuff' impacts my weight. If I do a hard weights session or go for a longer run, I often put on a couple of pounds because of water retention. Likewise, I can see how my weight moves up and down with my cycle. It's helpful (for me) to know that these things go up and down I I don't get too despondent.

@MakeYourself Well done on the tucked in t-shirt! That's brilliant!

I'm a pound lighter than when we went on holiday two weeks ago. I was surprised that I didn't put on loads of weight while away but I did a fair amount of exercise and, conversely, probably mainly eating from an AI buffet means that I didn't stuff myself too much because I always knew that there was more if I wanted and my portion sizes were smaller than if we'd been eating in restaurants every day. Of course, I'm just about to cook bacon sandwiches when DH gets up and then we're out this evening and planning to get dinner at Pizza Express. I will have every intention of ordering one of the light pizzas with salad in the middle and then end up ordering the biggest and most high calorie pizza on the menu.

@mynameiscalypso sounds like you were eating intuitively while you were away. Really impressive as my intuition is often to stuff myself silly at a buffet!

Day 1 has landed! We went to friends last night instead of for a curry and it was lovely but lots of bbq food and lots of wine! Feel a bit rough today to be honest, and not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow 😢

My plans for today- I will do some housework and I need to get out in the garden as well as it’s overgrown like a jungle. I’m going to prep some lunch things, a quinoa salad and some hard boiled eggs, plus make some mayonnaise. And dinner tonight is going to be roast chicken, new potatoes and salad. I plan to get out for a short run as well although on holiday I had a niggling little pain in my hip so I might not push that if it hurts. I have also decided to do a 10 mins core/abs programme (Kari Pearce) so I will do that this afternoon.

happy Sunday everyone!

Oh! And my day 1 weigh in is 161lbs.
that means a gain of 6lbs on holiday which although that’s a lot, I was actually dreading it being more because my pre-holiday weigh in was, I felt, artificially low as I weighed after running when I was a bit dehydrated.

so starting weight = 161 lbs / 11.7

if I could get under 11 before my birthday I’d be very pleased. I’m going to put my scales away now, I actually feel quite weird about it as i weigh very often and use it as a barometer to gauge all areas of my life so it’s a bit like ripping off a plaster/safety net in a weird way and going at it alone.

Ooh I have been lying in bed this morning and come to the conclusion that I need a bit of a reset. I like exercise (I walk a lot and do weights at the gym, spin once a week and generally am quite active) but it’s food that trips me up.
this weekend where it’s been lovely and warm I’ve declined wearing any of my summer clothes as I’m a bit wobbly and instead covered up more. Have got a wedding to go to in a month and a big family summer holiday in august, would like to lose a bit before the wedding and hopefully 2 dress sizes before the holiday. I don’t weigh myself but will probably weigh myself today to really jolt me back to reality.
Sensible meals and no booze/crisps/sweets. I will snack if I want to but just me mindful of what those snacks are rather than mindless shoving crisps down me 😂

I’ll join in please! I don’t have scales, but I tried on a pair of linen trousers yesterday which don’t fit. My goal is to get into them for August! They just do up but I wouldn’t leave the house wearing them by any means!
Going to keep moving more and go a bit more salad heavy for one thing, and there’s a beginners tennis class I’m looking to sign up for.
I like the idea of intermittent fasting, but I need to weigh up what meal and what days to actually IF.

Welcome @DianeNguyen and @TheChosenTwo
I thinking going by how clothes fit, especially a special outfit, is a great indicator of success.

@thenewaveragebear1983 I think your goal is really achievable. The holiday weight will come off quickly. The sunshine helps I think!

Welcome back from your holiday @thenewaveragebear1983! Sounds like you have a nice Sunday planned - I might well steal your idea of roast chicken for dinner as I'm devoid of inspiration today. Also mulling a run later. I have a super busy week at work coming up and I'll be out the house a lot so will struggle to fit much exercise in if I don't take advantage of the opportunity today.

Welcome @DianeNguyen and @TheChosenTwo, you both have great targets. Love the idea of tennis @DianeNguyen, I haven't played much since I left school but had a couple of lessons on holiday a few weeks ago and loved it (plus it felt like a really good workout)