🥳LOSE IT! 🥳Christmas 2023 Countdown Thread 🥳

[TheRealHousewife]

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN EDITION.

8 week countdown to Christmas. November brings a fresh new month to become a healthier version of yourself. If you’re up for being your best self in time for the festivities you’ve come to the right place.

These threads are for those who’d like to stay healthy, lose weight as well as those who wish to maintain; to encourage a healthy & varied diet and to exercise.

As no one size fits all, members need to follow their own way of eating. This thread aims to offer guidance, support and a bit of hand holding.

We generally have WOW (weigh on Wednesday) day each week. However post and share your progress as often or as little as you prefer. Do what works for you.

The important thing is not to think of it as a diet (based on deprivation and unsustainable) but more a way of life (sustainable & enjoyable).

I calorie count based on a lower carb Mediterranean diet. I intermittent fast and eat twice a day. Im a long time healthy eater and overall I’ve lost over 3 stone. After having been on the wrong side of 12st Im now hovering around 8st 12lbs. I had a blip a couple of years ago when my thyroid went wonky but now back (mainly) on track. I Would love to wave bye to another few lbs 😬 The main thing is to never give up! Keep going!

Are you in😊 What food plan will you be following? What do you want to change and why?

PS - Positive thought:- If you were to lose on average of a 1lb - 2lbs per week you could be a half a stone to a stone lighter by Christmas 🎄🥳

SW 70kg
WOW 15/12 64.8kg (up 0.5 from last WOW)
TW 60kg

Made it down to 64kg a few days ago, so mildly cross with myself that I didn’t maintain that. It was momentous because that brought my BMI out of Overweight 🎉 But it’s all good - slow and steady is my best approach. Hope to get back to 64 for next week!

@ImALittlePea Your lunch looks very appetising 😋 Pleased to read your situation is more settled ❤️

@DomesticElf Well done! 👏

@Newname2308 Keep at it … you’ll get there soon!

Lovely to see everyone's WOW. Even if you don't have a loss, we can see how far you've come!

Glad things are feeling a little brighter @ImALittlePea

Feeling a little bit better every day but still have a ways to go. Hope I'm mostly healed for our trip to the UK at the end of next week (only worried about the travelling). I usually use the Christmas break to restart yoga/meditation and journalling but may have to wait a bit this year. I try to do Yoga with Adriene's 30 days of yoga which starts January 2nd.

Just sent DH off to the supermarket. Lots of fruit on the list. Planning out our meals so we leave the fridge empty while we're away and trying to make sure we can eat properly while we're away as well.

Today:
boiled egg and rye toast (out of butter!)
soup out the freezer
fish fingers, broccoli and potatoes
banana and blueberry smoothie, satsumas

I've weighed in at about where I was last week (slightly over) so trying to get back on track. Not feeling too good about myself atm but trying to be positive and focus on the good stuff! My skin is really not great (amongst other things) from previous significant weight loss following a lot of medication that didn't agree with me when I was younger and it gets me down quite a lot but, like I said, trying to focus on the positive and focus on what I can control/change, so best foot forward 👍

@Cherryblossom81 to be honest I've been eating whatever I fancy (not a great diet but I've been trying to pack in fruit and veggies alongside the chocolate!) and calorie counting it. I don't really recommend my approach in the slightest. I'm not actually very good at calorie counting either - being so short, the calorie recommendations on those apps are always so low I can't stick to them! I can't eat only 1,200 calories a day - I have in the past and it was a really bad road for me to go down personally. I know some ppl can do it but I just get really restrictive with it and end up binging. I think the only reason I'm managing it now is because I'm exclusively breastfeeding so I get a bigger calorie allowance and my baby won't nap unless he's on me so I'm walking around with him in the baby carrier soooo much and even then I go over the suggested allowance most days a bit. Really sorry that's not very helpful advice. In the past I've ditched the diets and gone with the intuitive eating approach and that's worked for me really well. I end up binging if I restrict myself too much unfortunately. After I gave birth though I was so freaked out by the seemingly sudden change I started calorie counting again. Hoping to try and transition back into an intuitive eating and gentle nutrition approach soon ish (don't know how realistic that is for me but that's what I'm hoping) Sorry again it's not very helpful advice x

Decided to weigh this morning, just under 1/2lb up but still in the 9s - JUST. Frustrated with myself that I worked so hard to get close to 9.5 early summer and it's just crept up and up since. I'm not unhappy with my shape though, generally, but I do want to shift at between 4-6lb in the new year and figure out a way to stay there.

Also feeling very much like 'it is what it is', life is more than the numbers on the scale, and we have to react and adjust to that. I know I can exercise more consistent willpower - I've proven it to myself. I just need to be in the right headspace.

Intentions between now and Christmas is just to make the sensible choices as much as possible. I'm not going to over promise anything to myself now. Just do my best 😊

Last day of term here - not sure whether I'm relieved or filled with a slight sense of dread 😂 the countdown is well and truly on though!!

Good Morning All

@ImALittlePea @Newbornmum I find Christmas time the toughest time of year to lose and to be honest it would take a will of iron to not have a treat or 2 during festivities. I’m surrounded by chocolate, bakes & cakes and alcohol. It’s not always easy to keep one’s resolve when someone puts a drink or chocolate in your hand 🥳Im keeping a measure of what I’m having but most days this week I’ve busted my calorie allowance 😬

Menu
Meal 1 - Mushroom Soup.
Meal 2 - Halloumi, butter bean, red pepper and kale stir fry.
Tea, black coffee & water.

Hello! I've been absent for a week or two and the healthy eating slipped a bit. I'm now 1.8kg down on my starting weight BUT with the caveat that I've just got new scales, so that may account for an apparent undeserved loss. @Newbornmum I'm also very short and have a tiny frame which means my doctor/nutritionist put my goal weight around 47kg (I'm technically in the healthy weight range currently hovering at 51/52kg, but they did a body fat % analysis that came out surprisingly high so I'd need to either gain muscle or lose weight/fat to be in the healthy window overall). It's such a challenge to keep calories down!

Sorry to hear it's been a hard time @ImALittlePea and @JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots, hope you're looking after yourselves. Also wishing @PatienceOfEngels a continued good recovery from surgery.

Christmassy sweet treats and hot drinks are proving hard to resist, but I've recently been having festive lunches of 1 slice of seeded wholemeal toast as an open sandwich with cranberry sauce, lettuce and cooked chicken slices which feels like a winning combo of healthy, cheapish, easy and acceptably tasty :) My favourite cafe does an absolutely delicious festive baguette that also has stuffing, brie and gravy which is divine so this is my substitute. If I can find a healthy version of Baileys hot chocolate I'd be on the right track!

Welcome back @Toomanyemails Im the same as I'm also petite and small framed. We need surprisingly few calories 😳 and it’s very easy to go over what we need. Due diligence will see us through the festive period👍

@Toomanyemails Ive never had a Baileys hot chocolate… I have had a kahlua latte though 😈

@Toomanyemails I am desperately searching for a non-alcoholic version of Bailey's! Let me know if you find one. Any home made recipes I've seen don't seem very appealing. Your lunch sounds lovely. I used to treat myself to a McDonalds on my days off but making something delicious with chicken breast/steak/prawns is way healthier and still makes me feel like I'm having a special lunch. have had a tonne of soup the last few weeks so looking forward to having some kind of treat lunch next week (maybe my chicken pesto pasta salad).

I finally feel like I'm healing, though still really painful in the mornings.

Sometimes weight calculations are a bit nuts. My healthy BMI range is 50.4kg to 68kg. I haven't been under 62kg since before I was first pg in 2011. Anything under 60 seems low to me for my height.

@Newbornmum 1200 seems way too low. I know I can't function on less than 1600. I only ever use calorie counting as a way to reset my understanding of how many calories are in things and have more realistic portion sizes.

Today:

-boiled egg and rye toast
-satsumas
-yellow lentil and coconut soup
-beef goulash and rice

Have got into bad habit of evening snacking of apple, unsalted nuts and some cheese the last few days so need to break it!

Afternoon Everyone

Im wanting beef goulash now iv3 seen your menu 😋 Pleased to read you're now recovering 👍

Menu
Meal 1 - 0%Greek yoghurt, mashed avocado and raspberries.
Meal 2 - Selection of cheese, cranberry, chilli, apple and onion chutney, sliced tomato, grapes.
Tea, black coffee and water. Might have a glass of red 😬

Afternoon everyone,

@PatienceOfEngels the yellow lentil
and coconut soup sounds lovely, did you make it? Glad you’re feeling better.

Mighty fine selection of cheese there @TheRealHousewife

Weigh in for me this morning (will make it Wednesday for the next thread) and 2lbs off. Stalled a bit in the last couple of weeks but I’m feeling tons better than I was. 22lbs down, 18 to go.

Food today: Eggs and pea shoots, cottage cheese, rolled up ham with spring onion, pork and cider casserole.

It was this one @Spudlover

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/red-lentil-coconut-soup

If I made it again I wouldn't add the spinach. I'd also chop instead of slicing the leek. Spinach made it messy to eat and didn't freeze well. Otherwise it was delicious.

Well done on your loss!

@TheRealHousewife I didn't realise it was goulash when I got it out of the freezer - I thought it was Chicken Bhuna (luckily both go well with rice)! My dad used to work for a frozen food company and there were always lots of unlabelled containers floating round our freezer. Once my mum had prepared veg and potatoes to go with what she thought was a Beef Wellington. Turned out to be an Apple Strudel 😂

Today:
Boiled egg and rye toast
Italian chicken pasta pesto salad
Chicken casserole and mashed (sweet) potatoes (used a Hairy Dieter's recipe, with carrots/onions/mushrooms/white wine - delish)
snacks - satsumas

Chugging herbal tea to stop myself snacking this evening.
Managed to lose a kilo overnight through stress (incident with DC at schoolThursday following a very unpleasant conversation with the other kids parent yesterday 😥)

Good Morning All

@PatienceOfEngels apple strudel 😅😅😅 That made me proper lol. We batch cook and never label. That said I only have savoury dishes in freezer and we do like surprises 😬

Thanks for sharing the soup recipe. I love a good tasty soup. Currently I’m loving Hungarian Mushroom Soup 😋

@Spudlover Thank you. It was a little too much cheese and I did leave a piece or two.

Menu
OMAD - Roast beef dinner. Pudding of some sort 😬😋
Tea, black coffee, water & 1 Gin & SL tonic.

@TheRealHousewife my kids are now hoping for an accidental dessert for dinner but we also don't have any sweet stuff in the freezer 😂

I love a cheese plate too!

I am miraculously 69.9kg this morning. Definitely stress related so pretty sure it will go back up this week but this is the first time I've been under 70kg for almost 3 years (pandemic/study/work/family stress).

Feeling well enough to head back to work for a few hours tomorrow.

Today:
-boiled egg and rye toast
-have some leftover pasta pesto - not sure if I'll have it hot or cold but needs some veggies adding, maybe tuna
-green chicken curry (not being made by me which means it'll taste extra delicious!)
-fruit plate - apple, pear, satsumas, banana.

I might make a sweet pudding with custard today - it's been a rough week for all of us and just what's needed on a grey Sunday in December.

@PatienceOfEngels I don’t know if you know or not but over pasta/potatoes/bread toasted from frozen are said to be better for us as they turn into ‘resistant’ start which we don’t absorb the same. Resistant Starches

@PatienceOfEngels PS … well done on your loss👍

@TheRealHousewife ooh...I think I listened to a podcast about that recently.

Yes I did! This one! Hot it is. 😉

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001rq3z

Thank you @PatienceOfEngels … I’ll watch it later this afternoon 👍

Went to the local Christmas market today, and walked away with only a sausage roll, and a bite of DS's cookie pie. Feeling like that was quite reasonable!

Now having small child cuddles and watching Bluey.

Need to think about how to manage exercise during the school hols. DH is off, so we will be able to switch between us.

Hi @LemonDrizzle23 Sounds like a perfect day! Enjoy your film 🍿

Morning all. I've been awol and not in the mindset at all. Hope you are all ok. It seems like Christmas prep has taken over and I have little time to think about planning food but this is my final push now. I've braved the scales and am 56.8kg and this seems to be my weight now if I don't make any effort. Breakfast is always porridge but the rest of the day goes downhill after that and I've been really hungry some days. So there a week until Christmas Day and I'm determined to have a good week. I need to get back into homemade soups for dinner. I made some last night and that's probably the first vegetable I've seen in a while 😱 There's no Christmas parties or family visits so no alcohol or lots of chocolate or crisps. Just normal days here until Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day will be a feee for all although I never eat that much on those days anyway. Then back to my usual food bar the odd chocolate and baileys. I plan on bouncing on my ball to make up for the last of school run. Ds has got 12 days off in total which is crap but it means only 12 days of no school run. Last year I did t get back into the swing of things until the 9th January when he went back so this is much better. One thing I need to do this week is consume less salt. I'm very bloated from processed food Greggs vegan sausage rolls and sticking to less processed stuff this week and no eating after 6pm.

Hope everyone has a great week and is feeling not too stressed for Christmas.

I hope the poster who had surgery is recovering well and apologies for not remembering which poster you are. @ImALittlePea hope you're ok too and things have settled down on the marriage front.

Note to self as well as everyone: 🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾 my intake is abysmal so here's to a very water filled week to shift the bloat and improve my poor skin. I've developed contact dermatitis on my face and look like a teenager full of spots.

Have a great week y'all!

I'm up 0.5kg but no surprise after eating pretty much only sugar and pizza yesterday thanks to poor planning and Christmas events. Started today with my first run in ages.
Today's plan - all quick easy meals as it's a busy week:

• Skyr with blueberries, coffee
• Scrambed eggs on toast
• Pesto pasta with green veg, I'm now planning to make extra and reheat thanks to @TheRealHousewife's tip!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

I’d like to join…post chemo and have gained a few kilos on top of the kilos I’d already gained in menopause
So need to get back on it.
Tried Bircher oats for first time today and actually liked it - I think that’s a good step for filling me up.
Also been on spin bike - but I think weights might be better for weight loss - hate them, but that needs to be next step.

Hope this thread keeps me accountable