🥳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 🎄🥳

Welcome @RedRosesPinkLilies - very friendly bunch here!

We have gone crashing straight into end of term illness, so DS is at home now basically til school breaks up. There goes my relaxed last minute Christmas prep days 😂

@LemonDrizzle23 Thank you for the welcome!
I remember those days - December is such a busy time of year and then kids suddenly become unwell to cap it all! Joy!
Hope he is better soon x

Thanks for the good wishes @JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots . I felt well enough to go back to work for a few hours today (glad to rest this afternoon though!)

Welcome @RedRosesPinkLilies !

@LemonDrizzle23 oh, your poor DS! When I used to teach full time I would always end up ill as soon as term ended. Part-time is the only things that saves me from that now.

Today:
Boiled egg and rye toast
leftover chicken and lentil curry with rice
pea soup
fruit - melon, apple, pear

Spending tomorrow packing and sorting out Christmas presents.

Thanks for the recipe @PatienceOfEngels looks lovely.

Welcome @RedRosesPinkLilies. Very brave time of year to start being accountable 😁

DD is home from uni and has started requesting certain things for dinner so this week is probably just damage limitation. Paella and sausages so far!

Todays food: Porridge with blueberries, mixed seafood and pea shoots, cottage cheese, bolognese sauce with skinny noodles and Eatlean.

Morning all. I'm 0.4kg down today. It's amazing what cutting down salt and bulky food can do in just a day.

@RedRosesPinkLilies welcome to the thread!

@LemonDrizzle23 that was us last year with ds ill the last week.

I've got today off to do wrapping and start clearing out the spare room for my mum to stay over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Once the presents are out of their boxes I should have more room but it doesn't seem to work that way.

Yesterday I had:
Chia porridge with a ton of golden syrup as usual
Tunnocks caramel wafer
Greek yogurt with raspberries and honey
Festive Bakewell
Homemade lentil, carrot and celery soup with crusty rolls
2 marshmallows.
Two cups of tea
Water

I'm quite pleased with myself. My mileage was only 8 miles yesterday though.

Have a great day and don't forget the 🍾

I'm hungry! It's been a busy day wrapping presents today. All bloody day apart from meals and the school run.
Breakfast of chia porridge with loads of golden syrup
Tunnocks caramel wafer
2 cups of tea
Water
Greek yogurt with raspberries and honey fur lunch
Butternut squash and carrot soup with crusty rolls
1 chocolate coin

10 miles walked.

No wonder I'm hungry! Really hoping to see a drop on the scales tomorrow for the last Wow of 2023! No way am I weighing next Wednesday😱 I shall be full of fried potato butties, chocolate, roasted vegetables, Yule log, lemon posset, cheesecake and stuffing. I'm feeling very festive now that the presents are mainly all wrapped and I've been watching Christmas films and listening to Christmas music so it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas🎄

How are you all doing? Anyone joining for a last weigh tomorrow? I'm not going to be at target but I don't care. This time last year I was 62kg and thought I'd never reach 60kg and here I am under 57kg so I'm absolutely fine with that. I'm down over 12kg since I started losing weight last year and for the most part have remained within a few kilos of my target. That feels pretty good 😃

Morning all and happy WOW! I have a happy weigh in of 55.7kg so I've made it into the 55s for Christmas and am feeling so much happier for it. I've dropped 1.1kg since Monday so that just shows how much salt and snacking and bigger meals affects things for me. BMI is 21.8 and this time last year it was 24. I owe so much to these threads and the posters on them, thank you 😊

Good luck to those weighing and I hope your hard worked has paid off. Don't forget your 🍾 today and may it be a great one🎄

WOW: -1kg this week! Slightly annoyed as have been weighing in below 70 for the last few days (but was definitely stress related so still happy to be where I am now)

SW 77kg (beginning October 2023)
CW 70kg
GW 68kg

-7kg in 11 weeks. Only 2kg to target (healthy BMI)and then will make a new target.

I'm definitely not weighing in next week @JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots ! We're heading back to the UK for Christmas so I won't weigh in until we get back at the end of the year. Hoping the damage won't be too much. I can really feel a change in my tastebuds with all the dietary changes I've made since October - don't fancy junk or alcohol.

Yesterday:
-boiled egg and rye toast
-leek and potato soup, cheese
-schnitzel with fried potatoes, carrots and broccoli
-pears, satsumas

Today:
-boiled egg and rye toast
-not sure what's for lunch
-pasta bake (ham, mushrooms, red pepper, cheese)
-fruit

Have a good day everyone!

WOW - 62.4 Thats an increase of 0.7kg
Busy and stressful week resulting in alcohol, crisps and chocolate last night. Eating healthily is easy when your life is calm, organised and happy.
Hope you all can stay positive - be kind to yourselves.
I aim to record my weight next week - whatever it is - then hopefully get back in track in the new year.
Have a Happy Christmas everyone.

Good Morning Everyone

WOW - Well I’ve proper fallen out with my scales this morning 😬 Seriously I know I’ve been eating over my allowance and also I know the consequence of that would be a gain. I just didn’t think it would be 3lbs.

Im going to try to be on point up to Christmas Eve then I’m just going with the flow. Realistically I’m not going to end the month on a loss and actively trying to mitigate any gains.

Menu
Meal 1 - Minestrone Soup.
Meal 2 - Halloumi, butter bean, red pepper, kale stir fry.
Tea, black coffee and water … lots of water.

Welcome to the thread @RedRosesPinkLilies 👍

Apologies for the quick post … Im on my way out the door.

What rude scales some people have!

Thank you for the welcome - someone said bad time of year to start - I know! But didn’t want things to get even worse over Christmas. I’m quite slim - but it all shows in my tummy when I put on weight

I was 65kg when started - now showing 63.3kg
i know that’s ’water weight’ - but still encouraging for me
Would like to get to 58kg - it’s been years!!

Started having Bircher muesli for breakfast- didn’t think I would like it, but I do. Otherwise the usual - more veg, lean protein. Fewer treats - so much fun!

Also want to get fitter/ build some muscle- so maybe won’t lose as much weight as I would like - but hopefully will be healthier. Trying to do some exercises every day.

Impressed by some of the weight loss on this thread - very encouraging

SW 70kg
19/12 63.9kg
TW 60kg

Ate breakfast by mistake today, so I’m using yesterday’s weight - pleased to have dropped a bit since last week despite a weekend of wine and takeaways 🤦‍♀️

Well done everyone on your perseverance and what sound like delicious balanced meals! I'm doing terribly, a week of catch-ups with friends makes it hard to avoid indulgent meals, plus the house is full of Christmas wine, hot choc and Baileys, and a lot of chocolate.
I'm trying to keep my breakfasts and lunches small and still fit in exercise but it feels very much like damage limitation rather than positive progress! I think that's OK, as long as I have treats when I genuinely enjoy them and not just for the sake of it.
Classpass are doing a 1-month free trial in my city so I've signed up and hope to do some classes over the holiday. I definitely push myself more exercising in a group so that should offset a few of the extra calories.

@TheRealHousewife do you have a recipe for your stir fry? I'm not an intuitive cook at all and intrigued by the idea of butter beans in stir fry

I am thinking ahead now about trying new meals in the new year. @TheRealHousewife posted a ?tofu stir-fry recipe ages ago and I've never made it. It sounded amazing. I need to be more adventurous instead of sticking to tried and trusted meals. Easier said than done in this household.

I think Saturday will be my final weigh in before Christmas and then I'll keep an eye on things over the holidays so that come January I'm not shocked or annoyed with myself. Well, hopefully! I need to make sure I still get plenty of walking in or ball bouncing.

Going to sign off for the holidays. Will be weighing in just before New Year when I'm back from the UK.

Have a great Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas @PatienceOfEngels hope you have a great time! See you in the New Year🎄

55.5kg this morning. The first week of actually trying hard always has a big drop and I've lost 1.3kg since Monday. 5 is my favourite number so to be all the 5s feels extra great today.

Busy day of Christmas house prep today. The weather is horrendous so I'm not looking forward to the school run. I doubt the wind will be behind me going up the biggest hill. Never is. It will be an extra workout I suppose!

Did anyone see the Christmas Treat Corner thread? It's where there's a corner or area of the living room usually where Christmas chocolates and nuts and such like are displayed but you can't eat them until Christmas. It took me back to my childhood with some of the foods but we didn't have a treat corner, just a table with dates, nuts and some quality street in it in fancy dishes.

What's everyone's approach to Christmas? Throw caution to the wind and eat and drink freely? Carry on with your current eating plan but allow a few festive chocolates? Continue to be strict? My plan is to eat freely yet sensibly on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day then go back to my usual things as I allow chocolate and such now anyway. I am really looking forward to some of the Christmas food this year.

Have a great day everyone 🍾

@JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots enjoy all the fives! I’m planning on not worrying too much over Christmas, but I plan on stopping eating when I’m full rather than trying to shovel more food in on top. If what I’m full with is cheese. mince pies and stollen then so be it.

I had my lowest weigh-in to date yesterday. Although I’ve not been especially Zoe friendly over the past couple of weeks, my UPF intake has been pretty low which I imagine has helped.

SW: 128 lbs
CW: 116 lbs
Aiming to keep below 119 lbs until January.

SW- 11st 6lb
CW- 11st 2lb

Hi forgot to post last week, was 11st 2lb last week, had put on another pound.
Still the same this week despite eating rubbish but had done a few runs/walks.
Too many chocolates in work!

Hi Everyone,

Merry Christmas @PatienceOfEngels and safe travels 🎄

WOW was 49.7 so down 0.7kg (although I stayed the same weight the week before that, so took me two weeks to lose it - happy with that though). I think my plan for Christmas is just to eat intuitively and not eat past satiety and end up feeling all overfull and icky. First christmas with DS so not sure how it'll be trying to look after a baby amid all the festivities but here's to finding out 😊🤞👶🏻

How's everyone getting on in the run up to Christmas? I've got a big clean and tidy left to do before guests descend, but DH finishes for Christmas tomorrow so looking forward to that and having an extra pair of hands around the place. Also looking forward to the yummy Christmas food 🎄

@NothingTraLaLa it's not Christmas unless you're stuffed with cheese and mince pies! I've never tried stollen.
@Newbornmum enjoy your first Christmas with your ds. Dd2 was born 11 days before Christmas so on Christmas Eve was doing a mammoth cluster feed. That might have been the day she fed for 10 hours 😱 I was trying my best to wrap her sister's presents one handed. The tree was up a couple of days before usual in case she arrived early and she was due to be another home birth on the 22nd. Nope. Undiagnosed breech and a c-section 8 days early. Having a baby around st Christmas is extra special. My dc finish school tomorrow and I'm going to get the rest of the things organised for them ready for their Christmas Eve bags (festive pjs and sweets), nothing elaborate). I'll be glad to have those extra hands too although how helpful they will be I'm not sure! There's such a lot to do and we don't even have guests! Well my mum but she's my mum and we don't stand on ceremony. I just set high standards for myself then end up stressed but never learn 🙄

I feel excited for this Christmas though. I hope everyone on the thread has a fantastic time. There's a few regulars who haven't been on this thread but if you are lurking then I hope you are doing ok, especially the ones who had a tough time earlier in the year🎄

Morning all. 55.3kg this morning which puts my BMI at 21.4. I'm
Quite happy with that. I'm thinking that 2024 should be the year I tone up. I'm not sure how to do that but do have some weights and my ball. I'd also like to get out on my bike again.

I enjoyed a large knock off baileys with all creatures great and small last night and shed a festive tear over the loveliness of it. My mum will want to watch the Call the Midwiife Christmas special and that will make me cry too. Dd says she'll be mortified if I do 😁 teenagers🙄 I'm hormonal, I'm allowed to shed a tear over sentimental Christmas loveliness.

Christmas food shop arrives tomorrow lunchtime not that there's much in it. I'm seeing what I can get locally and comparing prices more this year. Asda have carrots, parsnips and broccoli for 15p a pack! I've stocked up to make lots of soup. Must get a couple of butternut squashes and plenty of soup rolls. I've had soup every day this week and I think that's what's made the difference in my weight. I've dropped 1.5kg since Monday which is a big drop for me.

Hope you all have a great day! Don't forget your 🍾 although it might be actual 🍾 this next week! Did I tell you that I have some alcohol free wine from M&S? Im looking forward to that.

The dc break up today and boy am I glad of it. Here's to the holidays! 🎄

Hello all. Happy Christmas!

I’m in ‘weigh in’ avoidance mode- I don’t think I’ve been terrible but I also haven’t been trying. I’ve done loads of walking and housework this week though. I’m not even going to try to diet for the next few days but I’m going to walk every day and not stuff myself.

Any way have a good one. I’m back to it after Boxing Day & will be doing dry Jan.

It’s getting closer 🎅🏼🎄🥳

Trigger warning - downer post.

I’ll have to be honest we are struggling this year. Mum died a year ago and now we really don’t have any close living relatives left. I have wrapped and given presents out to people I know to try to keep the magic of Christmas going but it’s been tough to be honest. We honoured a bake we pledged for a community event which went unappreciated. On top of which my back is giving me agony and I’ve seen a local NHS physio this week who just transferred me back to my consultant whom I can’t get hold of. Ho Ho Bloody Ho.

@JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots The scales have been very rude! Well done on your well deserved loss! You’ve had a fantastic year and thinking ahead to next years goals is a good thing. Weights, swimming etc will help you to tone up. More swimming is on my agenda for next year, or rather more time in the pool. I have small hand weights I use periodically which help. I easily tear up at the telly box too! The lovely sentiments and also the sadness.

@RedRosesPinkLilies Sounds like a sensible plan 👍

@Newname2308 Nice to register a loss, even the smaller ones 👍

@Toomanyemails Halloumi Stir fry - I don’t use a recipe. I stir fry about 40 - 50 grams halloumi until charred and crispy. Add chopped half tin drained butter beans, cook until taken on some colour, add chopped red pepper, carrot, kale, onion (whatever chopped veg you fancy really). Season with salt, pepper. I sometimes add a splash of water, especially towards the end of cooking to stop any sticking and the steam helps cooks the bulky kale. See attached photo.

@PatienceOfEngels Merry Christmas and thank you for your contribution and participation on our threads this year ❤️

@NothingTraLaLa Fabulous result, congratulations and well done 👏

@ThriceInALifetime You’re not on your own, I’ve gained too. Then again I knew I would as I’ve been eating more 😬

@Newbornmum Enjoy your baby’s first Christmas 🎄 Well done on your weight management, it isn’t easy especially this time of year and with a new baby to boot 👍

@witnessprotection73 Sounds sensible! Merry Christmas to you too 🎄🥳

Merry Christmas ❤️🥳🎄

@TheRealHousewife and all the good things just for you. It can be a very difficult time of year. Be kind to yourself.
Thank you, but I wouldn't have done it without your threads keeping me focused. I weigh nearly a stone less than last Christmas! . I remember saying last year that I was giving myself the gift of being slimmer and healthier or something like that and I've now had 2 Christmases and one birthday where I've given myself that gift. My mindset has completely changed now although I've struggled at times.
We've baked lots of gingerbread cookies today and I've not made my cheesecake that I wanted to make by tonight. I'll do it first thing. The dds have upset me today but ds is being lovely.
I'm going to weigh tomorrow then relax until the 27th. I've not been eating much the last few days. Too busy and not very hungry either.