Diet for Christmas Challenge 2023

[bigdecisionstomake]

This is a continuation of the Diet for Christmas Challenge thread started by @OhFatty in 2022 and the Diet for Summer Challenge thread started by @Dashel earlier this year. Thank you to them both.

It is open to everyone, whether you have a lot to lose, just a small amount to go or you're at target but facing the enormous challenge of maintaining your loss ongoing.

It is a thread for positivity, support, cheering each other on and the very occasional kick up the bum if and when requested.

Hopefully previous members of both threads will join us again and new members are always welcome.

Happy birthday @bigdecisionstomake ! I hope you have a lovely day! 🎁

Today:

Breakfast: Green smoothie - 100

Lunch: Beetroot dip - 250
Pitta bread - 150
Cheese - 100
Cucumber and lettuce - neg

Snack: Ginger immunity shot - 50

Dinner: Autumn stew - 450

Dessert: Pear - 100
Activia - 50
Cake bar - 100

Total: 1350

Very happy with that! I had 2 walks amounting to about an hour and 10 minutes, and have been decluttering the house so generally being active today.

Yesterday was a weird one. I felt off colour in the evening and didn't want any dinner (SO not like me!) so I ended up just having 500 cals over the day, with 2 hours of walking! While it wasn't very pleasant it hopefully made up a bit for my general inability to stick to my diet!

I'm really, really going to try not to go over 1400 from now on. Christmas is really only 6 weeks away now! I would love to lose a stone in that time. I highly doubt I will but can only try!

What're everyone else's goals now? How's it going for you all? Any quick and easy vegetarian recipes to share?

@SnuggleBuggleBoo 6 weeks is not long at all! Will definitely need this thread to keep my motivation up! For me my main goal is to feel good at some xmas events I have in the diary in December! I want to go to the shops and try on outfits for them and not feel rubbish about myself not fitting previous size!
veggie recipes- I like black bean enchiladas- I fry onion, garlic and peppers with spices- lots of paprika, add Passata and tinned black beans. Let’s this simmer for a while and then make up some enchiladas to pop in the oven. Put a bit more Passata in the top and then cheese. Not sure how that is calorie wise though! Do you have any go to veggie recipes? I’m not vegetarian myself but like to have lots of veggie meals 😊

Happy belated birthday @bigdecisionstomake

The last weigh in of October for me:

SW 154
cw 150
gw 140 by christmas

I’m 1lb up on last week, but that’s ok - I’m still 4lbs down since joining this group.

Meal planning and logging my food (and wine) has definitely helped. I thought I would try different things each month to shake up the weight loss journey. November will be alcohol and sugar free - I don’t have any social dos or events in November at the moment, so should be possible…

I’m vegetarian too @SnuggleBuggleBoo so I love seeing your meal plans. I’m making veggie moussaka today with aubergines, lentils, peppers, onions, tomatoes etc and a ricotta topping. Loosely based on a Delia Smith recipe. Also putting in a tray of veggies (butternut squash, beetroot, red onions, fennel etc) to roast at the same time, which I’ll crumble feta onto after for another meal.

Enjoy the extra hour in bed this morning, everyone. I know with young children, that’s not always possible!

Morning, it’s weigh day for me but I think I might leave it until Tuesday as that’s the end of the month (plus yesterday was not a good food day!).
Arghhhh 6 weeks until Christmas, I didn’t realise it was so close! Need to make a real effort from tomorrow (am out for lunch today).
Hope you all have a great Sunday

@Bloodylovetelly Oooo I LOVE roasted veggies, especially butternut squash! The trouble is I tend to slice a whole bloody goat's cheese all over the top which kind of gets in the way of the whole 'weight loss' thing! I also never feel full after and end up eating bread and butter too!

Hi @SnuggleBuggleBoo hope you are feeling better today? Well done on all that activity! And double well done on coming in under calories.👌I know it's hard. Very good luck to you on your stone lost goal.
My goal is to really try with these next two weeks. Looked in my diary and on September 14th was writing about how I'm worried I'm at a set weight point and want to get under 11st. Still haven't done it! So, I seem to go wrong when I know a weigh in day is coming up so I'm not going to weigh myself for another two weeks and see where I end up. Hopefully under 11st (At last! lol)!

Happy birthday @bigdecisionstomake hope you had a nice day.

@Openmouthinsertfood fingers crossed the next weigh in will get you below the 11.
I tried a few times this year and got to 11st 7 and then took my mind off it and bounced alright back up. It was like I was a bit more comfortable in my skin when I got to 11st 7 and self sabotaged. Not this time I hope.

@SnuggleBuggleBoo good work on the decluttering. I must get some of that going. We just have too much stuff.

So yesterday was a mixed day.went for dinner but made OK choices I think. No dessert. And went for an 8k run so I hope that will somehow balance out.
Breakfast this morning was a bit indulgent too so I'm planning to go for a bit of a walk soon.

@Bloodylovetelly that roasted veg mix sounds good. I'll be adding it to the shopping list for next week.

Does anyone have a nice homemade vegetable soup recipe? Mine always taste a bit meh. And it would be an easy healthy one to help this weight move on.

Don't panic @LBB2020 , it's actually 8 weeks.

@Extragravy , thank you. I understand about self sabotage! lol Well done on skipping dessert! And for the run too. Did you manage to go for a walk? Hope it didn't rain?

I think self sabotage got me where my weight is today. just for the record.

@Openmouthinsertfood phew! Had a lovely lunch out with DH today (without the children!). Ate too much we couldn’t manage a pudding so stopped off at a little dessert and cake shop and bought some home to have once the kids are in bed! Back on the wagon again tomorrow!

Today:

Brunch: Chocolate porridge (just as unhealthy as it sounds!) - 250
Banana - 100

Snack: Popcorn - 50

Snack 2: Ginger immunity shot - 50

Dinner: Carrots - 100
Broccoli - neg
Butter - 100
Chips - 250
Pretend chicken nuggets - 150

Dessert: Pear - 100
Yoghurt - 50
Cake bar - 100

Total: 1300

2 hours of walking today, and I'm still starving hungry!!

@SnuggleBuggleBoo i'm not a qualified nutritionalist, but two hours walking say is 600 cals so 1300 - 600 = 700 cals. You're going to be starvin marvin. That's too far in the deficit methinks. I think that will be bad for your mental and physical health. Enjoy a bit more food to get in the happy place zone.

So frustrated! Weighed myself today and not lost any weight! I did indulge at the weekend .. but thought my efforts from mid week would pay off. Clearly I need to try more on the weekends too! Trying to use it as motivation but it is so disheartening

Today:

Breakfast: Green smoothie - 100

Lunch: Peanut butter on toast - 350

Snack: Banana - 100

Snack 2: Ginger immunity shot - 50

Dinner: Goats cheese and beetroot pasta - 400
Sauce - 100
Mushrooms- neg
Green salad - neg

Dessert: Cheats trifle - 200
Plum - 50

Total: 1350

2 hours walking again. I forgot to post my weight yesterday (Sunday is my weigh-in day). I'm now 12.4, so a loss of 3lbs this week! Very happy with that! My starting weight was 12.9. I'm finally making progress after a slow start!

Yay, go you @SnuggleBuggleBoo ! 3lb off is fantastic!

I saw a lovely vegetarian dish the other day, which looked delish and thought of you.

One low fat mozerella ball sliced. Squeeze of lemon, drizzle of olive oil, fresh mint and some good salt. Must be circa 300 cals if you limit the olive oil. Nearly 20gms of protein.

@SnuggleBuggleBoo wow that’s brilliant, 3lbs in a week!
@secondtimemumma i feel your frustration, I lost 2lbs the first week of the month and have lost nothing since despite my efforts! It’s so demotivating!

@SnuggleBuggleBoo well done 3 lbs is amazing. All the walking snd tracking is starting to pay off.

@LBB2020 @secondtimemumma don't be disheartened. Keep up the good work it just sometimes comes off in chunks. I feel I won't be down this week and will be trying to take my own advice. Every good choice made will eventually catch up. I hope.

Have a batch of home made soup on for lunch to go with lovely fresh sourdough not home made. And will go for a bit of a run soon. Have been giving the house a blitz this morning so hoping that helps too.

@Yocal that dish sounds lovely. I also love a caprese salad. Olive oil mozzarella tomatoes and fresh basil can't beat it. I'm not a vegetarian either.

Today:

Lunch: Pasta salad: 400
Cake bar: 100

Dinner: Butternut squash soup - 200
Folded flatbreads x 2 - 200
Cheese - 300

Dessert: Pear - 100
Cake bar: 100

Total: 1400

Oh. Well more than I intended considering I've had no exercise at all today. It is what it is though!

That recipe sounds lush Yocal! I didn't even know you could get low fat mozzarella. I'll look out for it when I go shopping on Friday.

Thanks for your lovely words guys! How's everyone's Halloween been? Avoiding the temptation of raiding the kids trick-or-treat goodies?

I ate the kids treats 😏

Can I just say, I'm a veggie too.
We've got loads of sweets in for the trick or treaters but unfortunately it's been chucking it down for hours. Poor kids. Gonna try and palm the sweets off to my brother and nieces.
Found another downside of losing weight. I've always loved winter, it's my favourite season. Always felt better a bit cold rather than a bit warmer. However, I've been so cold this last week! We figured out it might have something to do with the layer of fat I've lost??? I don't like it what ever it is (Getting old? lol).
Hope you're OK @bigdecisionstomake ?

Thanks @Extragravy
Better day today although thinking back food was very carb heavy today! I did a spin class this evening and no snacks after dinner or at all today in fact!

Morning all

Another really quick one from me to say I am still here - just work has been crazy and now on top of that DP has been unwell. We work together (small family business) so that has just added loads of pressure work wise as effectively I'm now a 'man' down (as well as trying to look after him).

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, very much appreciated. I ate lots of cake, had a takeaway and drank wine - problem is I'm still doing those things several days later 😫 The cake is nearly finished thank goodness but at the moment there isn't much time for preparing healthy food - I'm just doing the best I can.

I'll be back and on it again shortly though. You're all doing amazingly well - keep up the good work 😃

Today:

Breakfast: Cereal bar - 100

Lunch: Veggie pizza - 500

Dinner: mac n cheese - 400
Peas - 100
Lettuce and spring onions - neg

Dessert - Plum - 50
Banana - 100
Cake bar - 100

Total: 1350

Just a tiny little jog today. I gave up very quickly as I was finding it so hard, I am so unfit! I don't really understand why I'm as unfit as I am because I do do quite a bit of walking, and I tend to walk pretty fast. I can't jog even 100m without wanting to die though!