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.

Well I’ve had a really good start today, I had yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, we went for a 5 mile walk in the sunshine around a big
pond and I had a tomato mozzarella and red i onion salad for a late lunch when we got home. and now dinner - homemade burgers and buns and spiced wedges and a big green salad. I’ll probably have half the bun and no wedges but lots of salad. I’m not low carbing because it’s not compatible with our family meals but I’ll probably lean away from sandwiches/toast etc for breakfast and lunch. I’m not usually a breakfast eater but I’m going to eat it for now.

That sounds like a lovely day @TheChosenTwo and some delicious food.

I managed a 30min plod around the local park this afternoon and have made koftes for dinner with some roasted veg and salad. I think there's some open hummus in the fridge so we'll have that too. DH did a 18 mile run today so will probably be super hungry. I may dig out some couscous for him to bulk his out.

Day 1: been a really good day today. I haven’t counted any calories but I have eaten what I believe are smaller portions than usual and everything has been fresh and natural foods.

2 boiled eggs and small piece of cheese
melon slices
salad with sliced boiled eggs and homemade aioli
roast chicken, salad, aioli, and a quinoa salad made with chopped onion, tomato, red pepper and a dressing of lemon juice, herbs and olive oil. Few more slices of melon.
Went for an evening walk with dh, I couldn’t face a run today!
tomorrow I will have chicken and salad for lunch, and then another meat/veg/salad combo for dinner. My friend is back from her holiday so we will go for a run after work together.

Hello, please can I join?
I have put on 1.5 stone over the last 7 years. It is ALL fat, I have gone from a size 10 to a size 14.

So my goals are to lose the 1.5 stone by Christmas, and feel fitter and more energised. I have booked myself a holiday in the sun for January as added motivation!

My intermediate goal is to lose the first stone by September so that I can fit back into my size 12 autumn/winter clothes.

This is my this time this year of attempting a diet but you know what they say - third time lucky!!

Current BMI: 24.7
Current weight: 73Kg

Goal for the next 40 days: lose 7lb.

Today was my day 1 and I went for a walk and did a 15 minute gentle workout video. Dinner has been Jacket potato with tuna, broccoli, avocado and a little parmesan and salad cream to spice it up!

re the weighing, I am torn. I want to not weigh, but also I am curious about the fluctuations and want to be able to look back on progress.

I have a renpho scale that sends readings to an app on my phone, I’m just wondering if I can be disciplined enough to weigh myself daily / weekly but not look at the number or check the app until the end. Lat’s face it I’m probably not..!

@Blancmangemouse hi, welcome. Your goals sound very well considered and achievable.
I get what you mean about the weighing. I used to like weighing daily when I did fast800 because it was really motivating when it would drop quickly. I hate the fluctuations though, I can swing 7lbs overnight from my lowest to highest weight and it’s really starting to affect my motivation. I don’t think I’d have the willpower to weigh but not check it though, especially if I felt like I’d had a loss!

Totally agree, the motivation of seeing the drops is brilliant, but on the flip side I find plateaus do dispiriting. Last tried to diet back in March and kept at it for 7 days while watching with joy as the scales dropped dramatically that first week (probably water weight) but then the progress tailed off and I quickly got fed up and gave up. Totally self sabotaged!

Hi all.

I had a few drinks (and nibbles!) with friends last night so have had a lighter food day today.

Bought some new work trouser's yesterday and the trying on experience was a lot less soul destroying than it was a couple of months ago. So that's definitely a positive!

Day 2 (yesterday) went very well. I ate fruit at around 10am, then my lunch was a salad bowl with roast chicken and aioli and seeds, I ate a bit of chicken and a piece of cheese as a snack, then dinner was duck breast, quinoa salad and lentils, with some cherry tomatoes that were roasted off in the duck fat in the oven. So tasty. Then I had another couple of pieces of fruit in the evening. Walk at lunch and run with my friend after work. I didn’t count calories or weigh myself.

i probably didn’t drink enough water, and I feel very tired this morning after struggling to sleep, my mind was absolutely racing and I couldn’t switch off at all. I’m off to the gym now and it is my office day today so I’m heading out.

Slightly late to the party but I am keen to join you in this challenge!

I have 8 weeks for a Mediterranean holiday and wedding combo - and a dress that doesn’t fit!

It’s hanging on the wardrobe door as a visual reminder of my ambition to drop a dress size before we fly out.

Have weighed myself this morning and am thinking I may weigh for the first couple of weeks - just to prove it’s working! - but after that move to weekly dress fittings.

I still need to get an outfit for the pre-wedding party, and some daywear for lounging by the pool, so have a shopping trip planned towards the end of July. If the dress doesn’t fit by then, then I’ll think about a plan B, but hoping it’ll do the business in giving me a much needed kick up the arse.

Oh, and that’s a good looking salad, @thenewaveragebear1983.

Afternoon. That's a lovely looking salad @thenewaveragebear1983. And welcome @shredforthedress, great to have a target like that!

I am definitely having a blah day today. Have a cracking headache although I've been drinking a lot of water and struggling now to do anything much. I wonder if it's partly because I've been WFH today and haven't got outside at all. I do enjoy WFH and get more done but I'm not sure it really leaves me feeling my best. On the plus side, I did manage a good 45 min workout with my weights this morning. Food has been okay although I've been nibbling on a loaf of sourdough bread for most of the day. Must go and put it in the freezer which is what it was intended for!

I'd love to join please.
Started yesterday with low cal. Also not eating until after my morning meeting in work so around 11:30am and stopping after dinner - 7:30ish. I'm not being massively strict on this though, if I wake up hungry then I'm eating.
I've lost a lot of my baby weight doing this (last year) but been hovering around 11st since last summer. Serious plateau!!
I'm 10st 10.2 as of yesterday morning.
Target is to lose at least 7lbs by 15th July - my best friend's wedding.
I'm going to weigh weekly - on a Monday.

Day 3: another successful day. I can definitely feel that boost I get when I cut down on stodgy food, I normally come in after working in the office on Tuesdays and I’m just ravenous bit today I felt quite controlled, I ate a pear and waited for my dinner. I had prepped chicken and veg and so I just dumped it all in the air fryer and it was really tasty, I will definitely do that again! I’ve had very very little UPF these last 3 days, like almost zero except a squeeze of ceaser dressing and a few croutons both days and that’s only because I cannot bear to throw good food away.

I didn’t sleep well last night, again though I think it’s due to the weird buzzy energy I get when I cut out carbs and start feeling a bit brighter. I was up for 5.45 to get to the gym and I have another super early class tomorrow.

actual food today
-banana
-salad with quinoa and grated cheese
-apple
-pear
-chicken thigh fillet, cauliflower, yellow pepper, mushrooms, cherry toms. Caesar salad with tiny drizzle of dressing and croutons
-I’ll probably have some more fruit later if I feel peckish watching tv

Welcome new faces!

@thenewaveragebear1983 I love a colourful salad with protein and seeds. Especially in the warmer weather.

I had dinner at my friend's house tonight so it was much more indulgent then I would have made myself. But I brought some nice fruit for pudding and it was lovely to catch up. I ate lightly today in preparation and had a great weights session at the gym this morning,

Day 4: my food is good and I don’t feel hungry but I feel very tired and bored! I’m struggling to concentrate. I think this is possibly some sort of detox reaction as I’ve had no sugar or processed food for 4 days! I really wanted something after lunch so I had a smoothie made of coconut milk and frozen blueberries and pear, hopefully the fat in the coconut will stave off any sugar cravings and Perk me up a bit.

Pm update: I just couldn’t get my mojo fired up this afternoon! I ate a few snacks of fruit and that kept me going til dinner. Then as soon as I finished working I did a few hours blitzing my housework. (Builder finally finishing our work tomorrow! I can’t wait to be able to decorate and then clean!)

food today:
banana and tin of tuna with mayo (weirdest breakfast ever 😂)
salad, ham, mayo
satsuma, pear, apple
smoothie made of coconut milk, frozen blueberries and pear
my dinner was absolutely delicious. I did a tin each of butter beans, mixed bean salad, and kidney beans, and a couple of handfuls of dry orzo, Mexican seasoning (just spices, no chemicals!) and two tins of tomatoes, balsamic and garlic and stock. Cooked in the oven, and then I served with pork steaks and salad and mayo.

so I’ve had a LOT of fruit today, probably didn’t really need it.

hopefully I will have a better night tonight, the last two nights have been terrible. I’m sure that tiredness, combined with detoxing, combined with being due on is the root cause of my cravings abc my weird mood today.

tomorrow, I have Mexican beans leftover, will serve with salad for lunch. I have some chicken for protein snacks. Not sure about dinner yet. But there’s no fruit left so I at least won’t be grazing on fruit all day!

Those Mexican beans sound delicious @thenewaveragebear1983 and such a good vehicle for all kinds of veggies too.

I was doing really well today until it transpired that a new donut shop has opened up next door but one to us. Obviously we had to support a new local business...

I managed to avoid the surprise catered lunch at work yesterday and eat my packed lunch!

Day 5: my period arrived today about 4 days early, which as I thought does explain my weird eating/mood/sleeping yesterday!

Food today has been good but a bit of a hotchpotch of leftovers!
Tiny banana
pork steak
salad, chicken breast, leftover Mexican beans
cold sausage
Satsuma and blueberries
1/2 chicken breast, pork steak, asparagus. With salad
6 strawberries

I haven’t counted calories but because I haven’t snacked really, I don’t think I’ll have exceeded my tdee even though I ate quite a lot of pork 😂

I don’t know if I will have a few drinks tomorrow night, I always intend to have a dry weekend but then by Friday I’m tired and weary and want to switch off. We have a lot of decorating and other jobs to do this weekend, plus it’s going to be sunny so I may find my resolve is weakened….

tomorrow I’m going to head out early for a run before work, food will be salad lunch, and lamb and balsamic cherry tomatoes for dinner.

I'm proud of myself for not eating the rest of the kids ice cream in the park yesterday. I was hot and hungry so it took extra will power!
Bigger dinner than usual but was off yesterday running around after my youngest so must have burned more calories thsn on a work day.
The weekend is looming - this is where all my good work tends to unravel and why I've been the same weight since last summer.
I will be less strict but need to plan rather than graze for 48 hours.
Will try to get out for a run but I hate running in the heat

In the winter, I always think that it's harder to diet as just crave stodge, then summer comes and I think its definitely harder in summer. Picnics,beer Gardens, ice crems, holidays, just generally being out more and having to have more will power.

@Jeds55 its just hard generally isn’t it?! I find the summer more difficult because I tend to switch off and relax when it’s sunny and I stop planning and prepping so much. I don’t like running in the heat but I will drag myself out in the morning when I can. I do love a workout in the heat though, so I might get the dumbbells out in the garden this weekend.

the weekend is definitely looming. I am having a party for my 40th in a few weeks and after unsuccessfully trying to book a mobile cocktail bar I decided instead that I am going to get the ingredients for a few nice summery cocktails and some shakers and nice glasses etc and we can make our own. However, this will involve some practice so I think I’ll be drinking eg least one this weekend to develop my skills. It’s educational 🤷‍♀️

Day 6.
I must confess, the lure of the scale got me and I weighed in. I know, I know, I promised I wouldn’t but then I did. Anyway, I was down 3.5lbs which isn’t bad in 5 days, mostly water weight and detoxing but even so.
weight is 156.5. I ran 5.5km this morning and it felt like hard work. Today I have found it hard as the cupboards were pretty bare. I have now been to Asda and normal service resumed.

half a chicken breast.
2 slices ham
tin tuna, homemade mayo, lettuce, baked asparagus, cucumber and 1 solitary cherry tomato.
satsuma and half a tiny banana as the end was squishy
Protein shake at 3pm because I was hungry and bored and there was literally nothing else to eat
dinner will be lamb Steak, salad and mayo.

can’t decide whether to drink or not. Realistically despite my food being quite odd today, I reckon I’ve eaten a fair few calories so drinking will probably undo any deficit. I could have a gin and slimline I guess, or a wine with soda as a spritz. 🤔 this is where it’s always helpful to have the calorie total to fall back on, the sums can stack up. I know my food has been excellent this week and I have only eaten when hungry and have only eaten good quality good I’d say 90-95% if my calories. But alcohol is a curve ball because it’s calorie heavy, it’s unnecessary, it makes me hungrier overall AND it’s not consumed because I’m hungry, it’s just alcohol.

tomorrow I’d like to do a longer run but would need to get up early to get out before the sunshine really gets going, it’s going to be super hot here tomorrow.

Pm update: ok I’m counting today as one of my “cheat days” as I drank too much and ate a pork pie 🤦‍♀️
Tomorrow is day 6!