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.

Morning all

Inexplicably and annoyingly I have bounced back up to 10st 6lb overnight. I ate over deficit yesterday but under maintenance so not sure what I did to deserve it. The only thing I can think is that lunch was the leftover beige party food from Monday night's tea which was quite carby so maybe that?

Anyhow, today is a new day. It hasn't got off to a good start diet wise as I needed to trial a new dish for boxing day. I intended to do this last night but my online shopping delivery was delayed and by the time it had arrived it was too late. This means I have forgone my exercise this morning to get it done first thing. I suspect this will mean a slide into unhealthy eating and also it's my last day at work (officially, although I still have to do a little bit over the holidays) and DS is out tonight so DP and I have a Christmas movie night planned which will probably involve wine and snacks 😳

I will try to get a walk in later though which may help a little....

Have good days all.

Morning all
It’s my last day at work until the new year and I can’t wait to switch off!
Diet hasn’t been great but I went to the gym last night and have my final PT session of the year tomorrow, have also book a gym class for Friday.
Well done @bigdecisionstomake you’re doing so well keeping on track!

I reckon it's the beige food buffet. I sometimes wonder if the results from either a binge or a deficit actually take a few days to transpire. We tend to operate on a 24 hour basis with dieting, but I think the body might work to a different timeframe. 🤔 just my observations from this thread. Plus throwing in the monthly hormonal cycles and salt intakes it sometimes makes no sense to calorie intake at all.

I think you’re right @Yocal!
My diet has been pretty bad today, I feel a bit like I’ve given up on it now with Christmas being a few days away. I did go to my PT session and am planning to get to the gym tomorrow at some point too. Hope you are all doing better than me and are enjoying the run up to the big day!

@LBB2020 thanks for affirming my thoughts.

I've had a few quality street and been on the crisps in bowls, but other than that managed to keep my meals on point! I think that's ok. I think this level of Christmas eating is probably how it should be, not just complete and utter gluttony that the marketeers have done a great job of selling us.

I'm definitely passed the plateau and really feel a difference in the way my body and clothes feels. So I'm calling it - I did it, I lost weight for Christmas!thry might not be as low as my intial goal, but I'm still happy with the result.

I don't want to tell anyone how to suck eggs, but I've really found cooking with the steamer helpful. I boil the potatoes in the bottom, fill the steamer with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower etc and then make a gravy with the potato water. Then serve this will some lean protein. It's just such a sustainable, cheap and cheerful way to feel full whilst eating loads of veg. It's an old fashioned meal, but it has worked for me recently, especially in autumn/winter. I'm always dropping onto it when wondering what to cook at 4.30pm for tea!

Last weigh in till probably January now...I lost a pound. I was hoping to lose the 2lbs I put on last week but oh well. I need to think positively...Jan 2023s Gemzee would be ecstatic to be told I'm heading into Christmas at 8st 10lbs! (My first target was 9st 4lbs).
Have a great Christmas and New year all! I'll be back with some pounds to lose in January 😁🫣

Morning all

@LBB2020 I think, like you, I've pretty much given up on the diet now, although I'm not going mad - I'm trying to find a balance between feeling festive but not stuffing myself!

@Yocal I think you're spot on, our bodies don't work quite to the same timescale we would expect them too sometimes and as you say, there are so many other factors at play that it's really difficult to predict/explain what is happening. Fabulous that you can now feel the difference in your clothes and the way you feel - you can't ask for much better than that so it does sound like your plateau is definitely over - awesome, well done!! 😀

@Gemzee well done on losing a pound of the gain - given how close to Christmas we are I definitely think that's a result. Like you, I am sure I will be here (a new summer challenge maybe?) in the new year with some additional poundage to lose. Has been great having you here on the thread and hope you have a fantastic Christmas and New Year.

I seem to be resolutely stuck at 10st 6lb now. I didn't exercise yesterday or today (too much to do plus coping with DP who was very unwell yesterday). My food hasn't been perfect but also not disastrous - just a few more treats than usual creeping in.

I'm hoping I might get some exercise tomorrow again though and am going to try to be measured with food right up until Christmas Eve if I can.

Have good days all.

Hi all. I posted once I think on this thread, and then I've just been lurking and taking motivation from you all. If another thread is started I will definitely join. I have lost 18lbs since I started in the last week of September. Need to lose another 2 and a half stones still but I am so happy that I am where I am compared to how I felt in myself on day 1. Hope everyone has a very merry Christmas 🎅.

Today is the last day of my diet. I'm about to start baking! So:

Start weight: 12.9
Current weight: 10.11

It would have been nice to have got down to 10.9 and officially lost 2 stone, but there we go, life isn't perfect!

Well done to everyone who managed to stick at it! If anyone's up for joining me in another thread I hope to be back on track by late winter.

I meant to say, Great Big HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you all!! 🎅

Well done @SnuggleBuggleBoo 👏 a really good result. 👍

Morning all

And just like that, here we are at Christmas Eve...🎄

@ChickenChipsandBeans that's an amazing result - huge congratulations you've done an amazing job, well done! Glad the thread helped give you a little motivation but you've done all that work yourself so credit to you for that 😀

@SnuggleBuggleBoo Awesome result for you too - whoop whoop! I know there are times when you were down about being over calories but it is your consistent effort to eat right and get some exercise in that's given you these results plus the fortitude to get straight back on it when you've had an off day - you deserve every pound lost - well done 😀

I have been off plan but not completely for the last few days. I had my kit out ready to exercise again yesterday then Sainsburys turned up at 7.30am with my Christmas delivery which had 10 substitutions, all bar one being the gluten free food/ingredients for a coeliac family member who we are hosting. The subs were all useless so had to go back. The air was blue and I had to forgo my workout to jump in the shower and get ready to do a last minute dash to another supermarket to pick up some suitable bits.

On the plus side, I didn't stop all day with shopping, wrapping, cleaning/tidying, cooking etc... so easily managed my 10k steps.

I weighed in with trepidation this morning but have actually dropped a pound to take me to 10st 5lb so I'm really happy with that.

I started this thread at 10st 4.6lb so overall have managed to put on 0.4lb 😖However, I have had a really challenging couple of months on both a personal and work front and had it not been for this thread I know with absolute clarity that I would be going into Christmas significantly heavier than I am.

I started 2023 (and the Diet for Summer Challenge) at a weight of 11st 5lb so for the year overall my loss is just over a stone - that's a result I am really proud of. Shout out to @Dashel and @Gemzee for their support and encouragement on that thread.

I'm going to sign off for Christmas now as eldest DS came home last night for the holiday and it feels like Christmas has properly started.

Enormous thanks to each and every one of you who has joined me on the thread, whether you were a regular poster, occasional contributor or a lurker who was silently cheering us all on - THANK YOU! Talking to you all each day has kept my spirits up when things were bad and most importantly helped me appreciate the importance of focusing on my own health and wellbeing, even when life was a lot to cope with and I just wanted to eat chocolate and crisps and drink wine.

If anyone wants to start a new Diet for Summer Challenge then please post the link on this thread so we all know where to find you. I will definitely need to get back on it in the new year....I may yet start one myself and if I do will post the link on here if anyone wants to join me.

It just remains to say, thanks again for joining and supporting me and MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all ☃🎄 🎅

Happy New Year!

I'm ready to get back on track after Xmas, NY and recent birthdays. I've had a look around the weightloss threads but can't find the same posters and I got quite used to you all as my weightloss support group.

I'm up for an Easter target as that's when I go to France and I'm very mindful that I will look like a right british bloater next to the French if I don't get myself in check.

Anyone interested in an Easter weightloss target thread? Anyone interested in being OP?

If not, then do you know of a good thread to join?

Morning @Yocal

What a co-incidence - I'm back in the office for the first time today and have started back on healthy lifestyle properly from this morning and was just on the weight loss board looking for a thread to join.

I'm happy to start a new thread. Will do it now and post the link shortly.

Here is link to a new Diet for Summer challenge if anyone is up for joining:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/4980200-diet-for-summer-challenge-2024

Hope to see some familiar faces there soon. @Yocal I went with summer for familiarity and that's what I'm working towards but no problem with having an Easter target on that thread - see you there!

Ignore me, will see you on the new thread 😁