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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Diet for Christmas Challenge 2023

516 replies

bigdecisionstomake · 23/09/2023 06:35

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
15
Yocal · 16/10/2023 18:28

I've been derailed by a virus. A lot are going around at the moment.

I have felt really hungry today so had a google and decided the best strategy is to eat at maintenance level.

If you come up against the same hunger with these winter viruses the best course of action is to feed your body what it needs to recover and restart the calorie deficit when you feel better again.

SnuggleBuggleBoo · 16/10/2023 19:52

Yesterday was a disaster. I weighed myself in the morning and saw I hadn't lost anything (Still 12.8) and then comfort ate all day to cheer myself up. NOT a good strategy!! I'm trying again this week.

Today:

Breakfast: Smoothie - 200

Lunch: Tinned soup - 200
2 x seedy folded flatbreads - 200
Butter - 50

Snack 1: Ginger vitamin shot - 50

Snack 2: Plum - 50
Kitkat - 100

Dinner: Sachet of Mexican rice - 300
Sprinkle of grated cheese - 50
Head of lettuce - negligible
Banana = 100
Yoghurt - 150
Cake bar - 100

Total: 1550

Still more than I would like but I am trying. And I did power walk for an hour this morning.

Sammy900 · 16/10/2023 21:12

Hey

I’m going to make my weigh in days - Monday I’m really chuffed with the results this week hard work for pay off woohoo - also I’ve got a calorie counting app on my phone to ensure I’m working to a deficit each day - also exercising in some form everyday - I’ve had some advice on cardio and weights which was really useful on another weight loss thread if anyone might want to check it out 😊

Sw - 14.1 stone - on the 1st October
cw- 13.8

MY typical food diary is this:

breakfast - banana and nuts /coffee and oatmilk

lunch - roast beef slices and mixed salad with lemon juice

snack - satsuma and salt and vinegar rice cakes and a fruit smoothie

Tea- home made beef stew ( FODMAP friendly
) and mash

might have a square or two of dark chocolate if I fancy it / also decaf tea in the day and maybe another cup of coffee but not more than two

Im going to add up how much I’m potentially saving on booze and takeaways

Sammy900 · 16/10/2023 21:21

people who have started out at approx 14 stone - what is your goals weight for Xmas, what is your daily calorie limit? Are you exercising too? I’m just being nosey to see if I’m doing it right

Foodie40lady · 16/10/2023 22:14

Thank you ❤️

Just like a small child and need constant visual reminders to stay on track. I have an album on my phone with lots of before and afters from last time which is helping (plus some awful photos from my last holiday which I'm using as a comparison 😬)

Edited in reply to @Imtootiredtothinkofausername

Have read mumsnet religiously but haven't logged in for 12-14 years 😆. My sons 18 this week and not commented since he was small so not a clue what I'm doing

bigdecisionstomake · 17/10/2023 06:22

Morning all

An early one from me as work got really busy yesterday and I didn't manage to get everything done that I needed to for today so up and at it early to try to catch up before things get busy again.

Your green velvet dress sounds beautiful @CatMattress and amazing inspiration to get another couple of kilos off before Christmas 😍I carry all my weight on my stomach and have found that that has improved immeasurably since I started this in January but I'm not sure it will ever be flat again unless I get down to a stupidly low weight which I don't want to do - just genetics I think as mum is the same. I therefore try and do ab work at least 2-3 times a week and have some Spanx in the drawer for wearing with fitted dresses...

Welcome to the thread @Foodie40lady that's an amazing weight loss in 2017, you must have been really committed 😯Your target of half a stone a month to get back there sounds really realistic - slow but steady wins the race in my book! I love love love your reward chart 😍I haven't seen those anywhere, do you buy them as digital downloads? Would love a link if you have one. You're so close to being in the 14s - best of luck this week to break through into the next stone bracket.

Sorry you're under the weather @Yocal eating at maintenance sounds like a plan, your body will need fuel to recover and I'm sure I read somewhere that you burn a few more calories while ill as your body fights the infection. Take care of yourself until you're feeling better 🤗

@SnuggleBuggleBoo put the Sunday overindulgence behind you and join me in really smashing it this week. We can do it together. I really need to get it together or I'm going to spiral into a binge/diet cycle again which always leaves me heavier eventually. We both got off to a good start yesterday so here's to a good Tuesday too - one day at a time 😀

That's a fabulous start @Sammy900 half a stone in just over a couple of weeks is really awesome - well done. As you said your hard work has paid off 🙂The saving on booze and takeaways is a lovely bonus too - are you going to treat yourself to something nice with some of the savings when you get to your first target? I treated myself to a new dress when I got the first stone off earlier this year.

It sounds to me like you're doing everything right but for reference I started at around 11 and half stone and have tried to eat at a 500 calorie deficit daily. I tend to eat a bit more (and drink wine) at a weekend so in reality I average around a 3500 calorie deficit every 10 days which actually suits me fine and makes it all a bit more sustainable. I try to exercise daily as this a) motivates me to eat well so as not to 'waste' the effort and b) I love my food and it means I can eat a few more calories too. I use a calorie tracker app and at my current weight it gives me a maintenance of 1762 calories so with a deficit I can only eat 1262 which is just too low for me to be enjoyable/sustainable. I therefore aim for around 300-350 exercise calories daily which takes me to an allowance of 1500-1600 daily which I find much more manageable.

A STS at 10st 3lb for me this morning, secretly slightly disappointed as I was hoping some of the weekend gain would turn out to be water and start to drop off today but hey ho - maybe tomorrow. Not going to let it derail me, I'm determined to have a good week this week 😃

Have good days all.

OP posts:
Sammy900 · 17/10/2023 08:01

@bigdecisionstomake thankyou for that - looks like learning maths at school paid off after all - losing weight is a simple mathematical equation (haha I wish) …yeah I’ve just started really so I’m seeing an initial impact which I know will taper off and need to be realistic about having a treat day later on. Oooh not thought about buying myself something what a good idea 😊

Foodie40lady · 17/10/2023 11:27

@bigdecisionstomake thank you 😊 Need to keep focused this week. It's my son's 18th on Thursday so we'll be having a big Chinese takeaway and a few treats. May then do shakes for the rest of the week. I weighed 2 days early to give me maximum chance of maintaining or hopefully losing 1lb this week. Next weigh in is 24th Oct.

I just made it on Canva. I'll attach a blank one for you ❤️

Diet for Christmas Challenge 2023
CatMattress · 17/10/2023 12:07

@bigdecisionstomake after two kids (1 10lbs, one C-section) I'm always going to have a bit of a tummy. I don't mind that so much, I just want to avoid anyone pondering how far along I am (when I'm not)!

Anyone else finding themselves raging hungry now the weather's turned chillier? I'm on two strong coffees already as opposed to my usual one, just to stave me off until lunch time! Esp since it's spag bol tonight, and no matter how many veg I've added (clue: a LOT) it's still fairly calorific.

Yocal · 17/10/2023 12:40

@CatMattress maybe my hunger is actually the wintering physiological urge to put a few lbs on. Not sure how to beat this, perhaps switch the meals to comforting stews 🤔 maybe this is the next dieting hurdle we will find ourselves overcoming in the next month/s.

Foodie40lady · 17/10/2023 12:44

@CatMattress definitely. I've just had left over Lasagna & salad for lunch as I couldn't face a sandwich. Just wanted something warm. I WFH and refuse to put the heating on when I'm the only one here

LostNoMore · 17/10/2023 12:48

Hi everyone,

I’m sorry I not been on this thread for about a week, but I’m back to weigh in.

Start Weight 14.4st
Current Weight 14.2st
First Goal 13.4st
UltimateGoal 10st-9.7st

Another 1lb down. Thanks @bigdecisionstomake and @Openmouthinsertfood, slow and steady wins the race 🐢

@Foodie40lady I love your Christmas weight loss chart! 😊 Can I use it too??

Hi @Sammy900 , I am currently 14.2st (I started at 14.4st). My first goal for the end of December is 13.4st and that is on a calorie count of 1400 per day. I don’t really get time to do a lot of exercise, I just do what I can when I can.

Foodie40lady · 17/10/2023 12:58

@LostNoMore yes of course. Anyone who wants it just screenshot it 😀 Well done on the 1lb off too 👏

LostNoMore · 17/10/2023 13:04

Thanks @Foodie40lady .

You have done amazingly well so far too! 😊

we’ve got this 👏 🙌

SnuggleBuggleBoo · 17/10/2023 19:33

Today:

Breakfast: Smoothie - 200

Snack: Popcorn - 50

Lunch: Soup - 150
Flat bread - 100

Snack 2: Ginger immunity shot - 50

Dinner: Pasta - 350
Pesto - 350
Green salad - negligible

Dessert: Plum - 50
Yoghurt - 150
Cake bar - 100

Total: 1550

No exercise today

CatMattress · 18/10/2023 08:01

Finally starting to see a noticeable loss. The scales flirted with the number 71.9 briefly, before settling on a frustrating 72.1.
Still, getting there. 70kg by Christmas looks achievable at this rate!

Diet for Christmas Challenge 2023
bigdecisionstomake · 18/10/2023 08:42

Morning all

@Sammy900 at its most simplistic weight loss is just maths really. I know there are lots of nuances that make it a bit more complex in reality but ultimately if you consistently eat fewer calories than you burn you'll lose weight. This formula has worked for me my whole life - but only if I'm honest about what I'm eating/burning 😆

Thank you @Foodie40lady that's really great, I've printed one off. Enjoy your son's 18th tomorrow and don't panic if the scales go haywire the day after - Chinese takeaway always makes me retain shed loads of water but it goes again in a day or two.

Hope you enjoyed your spag bol @CatMattress it's one of my favourites. I agree that the cold weather makes salads less appealing and makes me crave hot stodgy food. I'm not a big fan of soup - never really found one that keeps me full long enough to stop me snacking again mid afternoon so I often tend to try to cook a bit extra of my evening meal and have warmed up leftovers for lunch in winter. Well done on the downward progress on your graph - that's impressive - 70kg by Christmas is definitely doable if you keep consistent.

Congratulations on another pound down @LostNoMore that's great steady progress - the best kind!

Thanks for the recipe link @Yocal they look delicious, I'm going to try the salmon and orzo one.

That looks like a good balanced calorie day @SnuggleBuggleBoo well done.

How are things with you @Openmouthinsertfood 🙂

The scales have dropped for me today to 10st 2lb, pretty sure this is just the water from an overindulgent weekend though. I need to keep a bit more consistent as the constant bouncing up and down gets a bit demoralising - but I know it's my own fault for not sticking to plan. We have a visiting rotisserie chicken van that calls at the village monthly and it's here tonight so I'm going to have to be careful not to go too far off plan and derail myself again. The chicken itself isn't too bad at all but the chips and creamy coleslaw are my downfall 😫

Have good days all.

OP posts:
Yocal · 18/10/2023 08:51

@bigdecisionstomake you are such a good egg giving these personalised updates. Thank you for your effort to help keep us on track.

I just went a little crazy this morning and had an oatcake with peanut butter and nutella...basically a snickers version. I didn't weight the spoons but eyeballing it I'm recording it at 250 cals! Not bad for those cold mornings when you're body craves sweeter and heavier foods.

I'm at home poorly today with my poorly oppositional three year old. 🤒😵‍💫. It's going to be one of those days.

Openmouthinsertfood · 18/10/2023 12:09

Hi @bigdecisionstomake , I'm here! 😀Just had a busy few days and sleepless nights...Staying on track so far this week. Is it really only Wednesday?!!! lol Not going to weigh myself this week, keeping it for next week. Hopefully that'll take the pressure off and I won't binge so much. Hoping for a noticeable drop then too...Sorry to hear you went a bit wobbly too but well done for getting back on it! 🌟I hope you manage to swerve the chicken truck, fingers crossed for you. Smile

CatMattress · 18/10/2023 14:15

Yocal · 18/10/2023 08:51

@bigdecisionstomake you are such a good egg giving these personalised updates. Thank you for your effort to help keep us on track.

I just went a little crazy this morning and had an oatcake with peanut butter and nutella...basically a snickers version. I didn't weight the spoons but eyeballing it I'm recording it at 250 cals! Not bad for those cold mornings when you're body craves sweeter and heavier foods.

I'm at home poorly today with my poorly oppositional three year old. 🤒😵‍💫. It's going to be one of those days.

God I remember those days. It was so exhausting and so boring snacking was the only thing that got me through. It's how I got above 80kg. Ouch. Stay strong!

I am focusing so hard on not snacking. I have chomped my way through a whole packet of chewing gum. Think I might have a cuppa soon just to give my body something to do. If I make it really hot it'll last a while!

Openmouthinsertfood · 18/10/2023 22:18

Hi @CatMattress I get really bad cravings at night too. I once chewed so much gum it gave me a sore mouth! I mostly cope with the craving at the moment with, dare I say it, PepsiMax. It gives me that sweet hit without the calories. (I know the caffeine in it is no good for the insomnia but I can't sleep well without it anyway.) I hope you managed to ride through the cravings? Loads of good luck to you.
Hi @Yocal , that oatcake combo sounds delicious! Sorry to hear about your poorly child, I hope they are better soon. x

bigdecisionstomake · 19/10/2023 08:21

Morning all

You're welcome @Yocal it helps keep me focused so benefits me too 😀Your oatcake sounds amazing - they are still out of stock at the supermarket I use - I may have to widen my search. I hope yesterday wasn't too stressful and you're starting to feel better soon - there's nothing worse than an ill child when you're ill yourself. DP has been down with a nasty cold and amazingly I seem to have avoided it so far, which is a small miracle as we live and work together - fingers crossed it stays that way.

Good to hear all's ok @Openmouthinsertfood and that you're staying on track - well done! I really look forward to the chicken truck and I think the chicken itself is really good calorie wise, it's just the sides/dips that are the problem. Last night ended up being disastrous though as when we got there he had run out of the rotisserie chicken and we ended up having southern fried chicken strips instead. He gave us extra chips, dips and coleslaw to make up for it which made it even worse....I would love to say that I was really good but alas it was not so and I ate far too much of everything as it was so tasty 😳

@CatMattress I have been doing the same as you - I went through loads of cups of tea/mint tea yesterday trying to avoid the urge to snack. I have some Sula sugar free butterscotch sweets that are 9 cals each that I suck on sometimes too - they are often enough to stop me reaching for something more calorific if I'm not actually hungry just want to taste something. I limit to 5 a day though as they can cause all sorts of unpleasant digestive side effects if you eat too many...😕

Well, the scales have not been kind to me today - 10st 4lb 😨I'm hoping this is just the salty nature of last night's meal and probably a bit of food in transit too due to the volume of food I ate - whoops. I'm going to try to be back on plan today because in previous weeks, if I've slipped off midweek, I've stayed off until the next Monday which is not ideal and just causes me to slip further away from my target.

Have good days all.

OP posts:
ChickenChipsandBeans · 19/10/2023 08:45

Can I join too? I'm on another thread aswell and I'm enjoying reading everyone's posts and having somewhere to stay accountable. Didn't post on the other thread this Monday as completely self sabotaged myself last weekend. Weighed in at 78.8kg on Saturday morning , felt really happy, and then drank wine, ate more than I should and come Monday morning had gone back up to 80.3kg. Why? So I'm spending this week trying to re-lose that gain. Also, had a bit of a reality check....think that I have started weighing myself in kg because the numbers don't really mean anything to me... in my head I had at most 2 stone to lose but converting it into stones is a harsh reality. I suit being 9st6-9st10 so the reality is over 3 stone to lose. I live overseas, but am coming over to the U.K in the middle of November and my goal is to have lost a stone by then. I'm half a stone down as of this morning so I'm very happy with that, just really hope that I can reach my goal. I tend to weigh in everyday so the fluctuations become normal.
SW 82.2kg / 12st 13lbs
CW 79kg / 12st 6lbs
GW 9st 7lbs

CatMattress · 19/10/2023 11:28

ChickenChipsandBeans · 19/10/2023 08:45

Can I join too? I'm on another thread aswell and I'm enjoying reading everyone's posts and having somewhere to stay accountable. Didn't post on the other thread this Monday as completely self sabotaged myself last weekend. Weighed in at 78.8kg on Saturday morning , felt really happy, and then drank wine, ate more than I should and come Monday morning had gone back up to 80.3kg. Why? So I'm spending this week trying to re-lose that gain. Also, had a bit of a reality check....think that I have started weighing myself in kg because the numbers don't really mean anything to me... in my head I had at most 2 stone to lose but converting it into stones is a harsh reality. I suit being 9st6-9st10 so the reality is over 3 stone to lose. I live overseas, but am coming over to the U.K in the middle of November and my goal is to have lost a stone by then. I'm half a stone down as of this morning so I'm very happy with that, just really hope that I can reach my goal. I tend to weigh in everyday so the fluctuations become normal.
SW 82.2kg / 12st 13lbs
CW 79kg / 12st 6lbs
GW 9st 7lbs

I'm deliberately using kg and trying not to convert too often as I have a history of ED and stones and lbs is a bit triggering, if that makes sense. I'm less likely to beat myself up in kgs, although I have realised that getting below 70kg would also get me below 11stone which is the number I'm avoiding thinking about, so that's my current focus. 60-something.

DP has lost another 2kg. I think they're down the back of the sofa because it's just falling off him currently. He's still a big fella, though.

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