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.

@Frazzledbuthopeful yes, think not starting too strict is a great way to start and not eating after dinner is such a big one for me! It’s where I boredom/comfort eat definitely!

@bigdecisionstomake @Openmouthinsertfood yep I’m worried about Christmas weight gain. This was me last year. I got down to 10.7 so not too far from my target weight but just gained it all back. Totally agree that the problem was I kept bad habits after Christmas. I will let myself enjoy the treats but then plan to get right back on it soon afterwards! I want to keep the weight off this time and stay healthier.

Ive done quite well today
breakfast - special k with blueberries
lunch - ham sandwich and an apple
dinner - salmon, potato and veg.
I have had two sugary coffees though which probably wasn’t a great idea!

Hoping for another pound lost by the end of the week 🤞

good luck everyone

Morning all

@Farfarfarfarfaraway keep at it - a STS is better than a gain. Your food sounds lovely again and the 6.5km run should really have helped offset the pasta and apple pie and cream! If you want to kickstart things a little have you thought about reducing the portion size of your evening meal slightly? This really helped me and I find if I don't put it on my plate I don't miss it at all whereas if it's on my plate I'll eat it. Thanks for the tip about the labels and ingredients you wouldn't find in the kitchen, I'm going to start making a real effort to move away from UPF as much as I can.

@changer2010 welcome to the thread. We have just under 13 weeks to go now so 11lbs is a really good interim target to aim for before Christmas - good luck with it and keep us posted on your progress 🙂

@Createausernameargh Well done on your loss so far, that's really good. You're so close to moving in to the 10s now that's great motivation to carry on. I spent a year and a half trying to lose weight unsuccessfully (cycle of bingeing and starving) but found the Diet for Summer Challenge really helpful in keeping me accountable and sensible so hopefully this thread will help you in the same way. Looking forward to hearing how you get on🙂

@Tiredbarbie Hopefully there will be a new Diet for Summer Challenge in the New Year to help us all get back on the wagon promptly to undo the Christmas damage 😂Your food yesterday sounds great, fingers crossed you get the pound loss you're hoping for 😀

I've had the anticipated whoosh this morning to take me from 10st 4.6lb to 10st 2.8lb. I'm under no illusion however - it's not fat loss, it will be some glycogen loss as I've started exercising again after a break and also some water loss as I swapped out some of the carbs I'd been bingeing on to get more protein in to keep me full yesterday. If I can stick with it hopefully I should see some fat loss starting to happen by the end of the week.

I've done another light cardio workout this morning and again have my calories counted for the day so as long as I can avoid any snackcidents all should be ok.

Have good days all.

Hi All.

I'd love to join. Trying to shift some weight before my wedding next year.

CW: 95.6kg
GW: 70kg

I've started PT once a week, which probably needs to be more often but life gets in the way. I really need to knuckle down now (and stop eating buiscuits)

Thanks. Good luck to everyone!

Please say someone can relate.... I've had a cold the last few days, feel rubbish- which has resulted in me eating anything and everything to feel better!
Scales will not be kind on Friday but I need to suck it up. Hopefully I'll feel better next week! 😒

Morning all

@Irishstout welcome to the thread and congratulations on your upcoming wedding - that's certainly a very motivational target to lose a few pounds. Have you bought your dress yet? Good luck with it all and keep us posted on your progress. Would love to hear how the PT goes - I've always wanted to have some sessions but never got round to booking anything.

@Gemzee so sorry to hear about your cold. I can really relate, I seem to crave all the bad stuff when I'm under the weather so crisps, chocolate, ice cream etc... the only exception for me is bananas - I really crave a banana when I'm full of cold for some reason! If I were you I would concentrate on getting better and not worry too much about the calories for a few days. You'll be able to get back on track next week and a few days off plan shouldn't do too much damage. Hope you're feeling better soon 🤗

Another small loss for me this morning to 10st 2lb - probably the last of the water weight coming off now I'm back on track again. Mustn't let myself get lulled into a false sense of security as once the water has gone it will be much harder to lose the fat 😖

Have a great day everyone.

11st 1 today (1lb loss) - chuffed with that (I know it’s probably just water weight but I’ll take it).

relatively ok day food wise today.

1 boiled egg & sourdough for breakfast. Sauerkraut
very small piece of banana cake
sweet potato and pepper soup, sourdough
very small handful of nuts
turkey chilli, rice, cheese, avocado and yoghurt.
strawberries

i also went for a 5.5km run, I think I have shin splints though - so I’m going to have to take the running easy. I think I’ll focus on Pilates with just a very easy run a couple of days a week.

Please can I join? I’m 5.9, 63 years old and weigh 13 4.2 as of this morning ( down from 13.10 at end of August). I’m counting calories via the Fitbit app and eating lowish carb ( ie Michael Moseley with more chocolate 🙈). My goal weight is 11.10 as that gets me within normal BMI range. I’d like to be 12 7 by Christmas if at all possible. I love cooking and food, and festive periods / holidays are my downfall!

Morning all

Woo hoo, great news on the 1lb loss @Farfarfarfarfaraway you're so close to the next stone bracket now which is great motivation - keep up the good work!

Your menu for the day sounds amazing and really healthy - how do you do the turkey chilli - do you literally just replace the beef with turkey mince? We love chilli so that would be a good lower calorie option for me too I think.

@LaBelleSauvage123 welcome to the thread! Well done on your loss so far and your interim target to get to 12st 7lb sounds really realistic by Christmas. I tend to aim for a pound a week and find that in reality I lose about 3 pounds every 4 weeks if I'm careful and stick to calories. I'm sure Michael Moseley wouldn't begrudge you a bit of chocolate, especially at Christmas!

I've had a STS on the scale this morning at 10st 2lb. That means the water weight has now gone and the hard work of losing the fat starts. I have to admit to being lacking in motivation this morning so my workout was a bit half hearted and I need to make sure my food is on point as I won't have as many exercise calories to add to my daily quota today. Might need some careful planning to avoid the munchies hitting!

Have great days all.

Morning 🖐
Do you mind if i join?
I've been trying (unsuccessfully) since lock-down to lose weight and I've lost and gained the same few pounds - its really annoying

I don't have scales at home anymore (get too obsessed) but trying to eat better and I take pictures to see if there is a difference - been working really hard on cutting out the'bad' foods but not starving myself so hoping we can swap ideas for healthy snacks

I exercise daily for minimum of 30 mins then walk as much as possible - I've struggled with alcohol but think that's finally under control so not drinking those calories anymore - pretty boring actually aren't i? 😄

I'm hoping by Christmas to feel more happier and content with what i see in the mirror!

Happy Thursday All

Morning @BackToBasics1808 I can really relate to the part about losing and gaining the same few pounds over and over again. I did this for around 2 years prior to starting the Diet for Summer challenge in January this year. The problem was that each time I gained 1 or 2 more pounds than I had lost so that by the end of last year I was nearly 2 stone over my usual weight.

Swapping ideas for healthy snacks is a great idea. I love tzatziki with cucumber sticks or very low cal crackers (Good Guys do some 5 cal each cheese ones which are tasteless on their own but fine with a scoop of houmous or tzatziki). Even though there is some fat in the tzatziki you don't need too much as it's tasty and helps to keep you full. I also always have low fat babybels in the fridge - they are around 40 calories each and satisfy my 'savoury' cravings when I would normally reach for a bag of crisps. I keep some dark chocolate in the fridge and find a square or two of that good for sweet cravings - Green and Blacks' squares are really small so not too bad calorie wise. Always open to new suggestions though if anyone has any?

Well done on getting the alcohol under control, that's a big achievement. Hopefully we can all cheer each other along to feeling more content with our reflections by Christmas!

I'm in. You're having lot's of takers on this thread. It's nice to feel a part of a weightloss group.

CW 95kg
Lost 6kg so far. Started at 101kg 6 weeks ago.
Target by Christmas is 85kg

I then want my BMI 25 by May 2024, which is 71kg

My method

Eating 1400 calories per day and logging food on Myfitnesspal to keep on track

I can't exercise for medical reasons so the weightloss is relying on diet alone

I feel my sucess at losing 1kg per week for 6 weeks is because I've stopped drinking alcohol. I think this is the gamechanger from previous attempts at losing weight as I am so consistent at eating 3 meals a day sub 500 calories each.

Also eating plenty of protein at each meal to keep me full

Also I use peanut butter as my ozempic. A spoon of that crushes hunger and balanced blood sugar. I swear by it. It works like nothing else.

Hello everyone, hello newbies. Well done to all who have lost weight, excellent! 👏Good luck to everyone else, you've got this!
Been doing OK. When I upped my calories I decided to have a 200 cal treat a night. I've also been following the advice in a book called, 'The Kindness Method.' It helps you make a diet plan, as well as many other very helpful psychological knowledge. I started eating a protein bar every night as my treat. Formulating the plan I said I will try having nuts instead on a Monday and Thursday. So, no choc for me tonight, but I am looking forward to my nuts. 😁I really recommend the book. If you want to search for it, (I bought it on Amazon and don't know how to link without sharing my details.) it's called, 'The Kindness Method: The Highly Effective (and extremely enjoyable) Way to Change Your Habits.' It's by Shahroo Izadi. She also does one called, The Last Diet, but I found the habit change one better. I'm honestly not Shahroo Izadi, and I don't get commission. 😅
Thanks for the peanut butter tip, must get some in. 👌

Morning all

Welcome to the thread @Yocal that's a really great weight loss in 6 weeks - well done! It sounds like you've got a really good plan and realistic interim targets which always helps. Interesting about peanut butter - I will give that a go. I really like it but tend only to have it on toast as an occasional treat. I've seen people eat it with apple etc... which would be a healthier way to have it and make it a good nutrient dense snack. Thanks for the tip 😃

@Openmouthinsertfood Thanks for the details about the book, I'll check that out 😊

@Gemzee How are you feeling? Hope you're on the mend now 🙂

I've had another STS on the scale today at 10st 2lb but we did have pasta for tea last night so quite a carby evening. Trying to decide whether to have wine tonight. I think I probably will but going to see how I feel later. I am a bit more energetic this morning so have done a 40 minute Olivia Lawson workout so should have enough calories spare for a glass if need be.

Happy Friday everyone!

@bigdecisionstomake without a doubt Banana. Love it. Banana and peanut butter smoothie. Peanut butter in the middle of a sliced banana. Mashed peanut butter and banana. It is a great healthy option when you have sweet cravings ❤️

Thanks for the welcome. I'd be interested to hear if other people experience the same effects from Peanut Butter. I've googled it and there is evidence to suggest it helps weight loss despite the dense calorie count. I use Pip amd Nut because the fats in it are better for you.

Hiya! Definitely on the mend thanks. Put on a pound which was fine as I definitely deserved more! I'll be back to more mindful eating and getting some proper workouts done next week for definite.

Hoping to lose a couple pounds in the next few weeks.

Another one joining here, hi. Been struggling to lose the baby weight, so hoping the accountability, motivation and a target to lose the weight by might just help me along. Had a DD in Jan by C section and am struggling to shift the resulting overhang, most of the weight is there.

I am not strict dieting as I fall off the wagon, but calorie counting on MFP to keep below 1600 and exercising as much as possible. Healthier choices, good habits and less carbs where I can.

starting weight after baby in feb: 12 stone 8
current weight: 11 stone 3. (Put a few back on last week on hol, oops)
christmas goal: 10 stone 4 (pre baby weight)
ultimate goal: 9 stone 10 and healthy BMI

Evening all. Put on 0.75lb this morning so back to 13.5 but had noodles for lunch and plum crumble for tea on Thursday. I was within my calorie limit on MyFitnessPal, but I always find that carbs make me put on weight even when I'm within calories. Had a bacon roll for lunch today, but then balanced it out with a nectarine and halloumi salad tonight. Hoping to be back somewhere in the 13.4s tomorrow.

Ooh @Yocal
without a doubt Banana. Love it. Banana and peanut butter smoothie. Peanut butter in the middle of a sliced banana. Mashed peanut butter and banana.

You had me drooling there! 😅That all sounds delicious!
Had an extra can of full fat coke today, but I did have a reason! I didn't actually want it but I was having a hypo (Blood sugar crash). I've contacted my GP to discuss the medication I think is causing them. Hopefully hear back on Monday but for now am stopping the meds.
Weigh in day tomorrow!

Hi all,

Can I join?
CW 14.11

Really want to lose 2 stone!

Happy weekend everyone

Just when I thought it couldn't get anyone better you've suggested banana and peanut putter together @Yocal I am drooling now, that sounds amazing - two of my favourite things. I'm definitely going to give that a go.

Sorry about the small gain @Gemzee but you'll soon get that off again when you get back on plan. Good luck with smashing the workouts and the mindful eating next week.

Welcome to the thread @FatPony1 you've lost almost a stone and a half already so that's an amazing achievement - congratulations. I think after a while diet fatigue kicks in and you need to have a bit of a break and a re-set. That certainly happened for me when I went on holiday this month. I'd been fairly conscientious since January and lost 21 pounds but was finding myself losing motivation more and more easily. Having a few weeks off for the holiday was the re-set I needed to get back on it to try to get the remaining weight off.

Your plan sounds great, really similar to mine, and your target by Christmas is realistic too. I'm sure you'll smash it 😃

@LaBelleSauvage123 are you a daily weigher like me? Sorry about the small gain - carbs do it to me too. I tend to eat a bit more carb heavy at weekends and hence my Sunday and Monday weights are not usually great. The consolation is if it is carbs affecting your weight it's just water and will go again as easily as it came. It's the fat that's the big problem...😂Don't be disheartened - keep going!

Sorry to hear about the hypo @Openmouthinsertfood that's a bit scary. Hope you manage to get the meds sorted out soon. Fingers crossed for your weigh in this morning - let us know how you get on!

Welcome to the thread @Houseoflove Have you thought about breaking your 2 stone down into smaller chunks? I find it really motivating to have small goals to aim for and then give myself a little (non food) treat each time I reach one. Keep us all posted on your progress and the plan you're using to get there.

I had a really busy day yesterday - my job is sometimes completely desk bound and other times I'm out and about a lot. It meant I got good steps (around 12K) and also reduced the windows for snacking so it was a good day food wise. The result is a small drop on the scales to 10st 1.4lb. I think after the early water loss this should now actually be some fat loss - hooray! I did a little happy dance before my workout this morning 😂

It's crumpets for breakfast this morning (weekend treat) plus pasta for tea tonight so not hopeful for tomorrow but I've done a good workout this morning and have got a fairly active day so hopefully that will help balance it all out a bit.

Have a great Saturday everyone 🙂

BigDecision thank you. Obviously the salad didn't offset the bacon buttie as I'm 13 5.5 this morning. AND Ive just tested positive for Covid. Does the virus make you put on weight? 😉

Morning all, I've been doing really well exercise wise. I've had a few setbacks eating after dinner which I was trying not to do.

I did a weigh in this morning just to see I'm now 9st 3Ibs down 3Ibs I'm very happy with that. I kept checking a few times to make sure it was right. Good luck to everyone!

Hi all - after my 1lb loss I seem to be staying the same weight - but that’s ok, slowly and surely.

i still have shin splints, so instead of my usual 5km I did half an hour or Pilates today which was good. Food wise hasn’t been too bad, I had a prawn curry last night (homemade) which was delicious. Hopefully will try a run again next week.

Can I join?

CW. 11.7 size 14/16. Probably more 16
1st GW 10.3 roughly size 12/14 from what I can remember 😉
Ultimate GW 9.7 size 10/12? 🎉

Name changed for this thread.
I’ve joined many similar threads over the years and have slowly drifted away from them, stopped tracking my weight and then put the weight back on. This time I really need to do it as I’ve had a couple of medical wake up calls in the last few years, so need to sort my life out. I also have a wardrobe full of gorgeous size 12 clothing that I haven’t managed to get into for the last 6 years!