🥳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 🎄🥳

@GonnaGetGoingReturns I’d definitely be interested to hear your veggie lasagne recipe please! 😊

I’ll post it tomorrow. It really hits the spot, but is suitably healthy!

@GonnaGetGoingReturns thank you, that would be lovely!

Good Morning!

Heavens above, threads moving fast.

Welcome to the Christmas thread:- @Newname2308 @alloutofcareunits @secondtimemumma (you’ve made a great start so far!)@GonnaGetGoingReturns (you’ve made fantastic progress so far. Well done)! @icingonthecake7 (Congratulations on your new baby!)

@NothingTraLaLa Sometimes enjoying the special times away and experiencing all the culinary delights are more important than watching intake. You’ve enjoyed your time in Italy and rightly so; you’ll soon be back to where you were 👍

@MarzipanKnees Thats fantastic! You’ll have improved your health markers so much. Getting rid of visceral fat is one of the best things you can do to improve your health as well as your silhouette 👏

@Tryingtosuceed @ThriceInALifetime We are in the same club … I’ve also gained a 1lb for my wow yesterday. Not sweating it, fluctuations are normal. 🤞 It soon disappears 😬

@JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots Great post! Thank you for sharing ❤️

@2Early4Breakfast Sensible plan 👍

Menu
Meal 1 - Baked cod, potatoes, peas & carrots. Apple
Meal 2 - Chicken stir fry. Walnuts.
Tea, black coffee and water.

Some great posts being shared which are full of inspiration, goals, good intentions. Now all we need to do is follow through 😬

I'm up another pound! Blimey! I'm literally just snacking willy nilly. My head is all over the shop.

I made a delicious curry this evening with heaps of veggies in it. A step in the right direction.

It's just these crazy busy months! Makes my head spin!

Oh, thank you @TheRealHousewife! I can get fixated on the scales so it’s nice to see that I’m actually getting healthier :)

Thanks for the new thread as always @TheRealHousewife - countdown to Christmas?? How?!

Another one feeling like a fraudster over here 👋 I've really struggled with any resolve in the last couple of months. After a good spell sitting just under my TW, it's crept consistently back on and I'm now 4lb over 😩 not helped by the week of all inclusive in October. I keep trying to get my head back in the game but it feels like there's always something - this week my DD's birthday. So meals out, birthday cake and the like.

I'm still in the 9s though (after starting at over 11.5st in January 2022) so now is the time to find my mojo again. I'll be so cross with myself if I see the 10s again after the hard work to lose it, but at the same time I have such a mental block. Definitely need to stop letting the midweek glasses of wine sneak back in (they're not even sneaking anymore, they're a current fixture), and up the water. I'm also knackered from fitting shifts in around the kids routines and just sometimes can't face cooking the planned healthy meals, so we end up opting for something quick and easy. What I'm frustrated with us, I clearly know what I need to do. I'm just not doing it!

Argh.

Plan for today:
L - southern fried chicken wrap with lots of salad
D - nothing planned which might be bad news. Hopefully I'll pick up some inspo from the thread today 🤞

@secondtimemumma and @DomesticElf and whoever else would like it:-

https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/recipe/veggie-lasagne/5ba8c2657042d30010f57720

That’s what I sometimes like about WW, they can have good recipes. I tried their mushrooms and scrambled egg on toast though with fry light which wasn’t nice.

There’s a book one member had with air fryer recipes which looked good.

I sort of like the eggs and chicken and veg as free foods but think maybe I ate too much fruit sometimes?

breakfast blueberries skimmed milk and porridge
mid morning snack rich tea biscuit and small bit of cathedral city lighter cheddar

Lunch, half pack of Knorr packet soup or big bowl Florida spring vegetable plus Ryvita Quorn mini eggs and cucumber batons

My period arrived today and scales did not move. Hopefully will see some nice drop next week. Having first take out in two weeks, morrocan salad with falafel for dinner. Had my two shakes for bfast and lunch. No snacks so far.
Not sure it helps me reading what everyone else eats 😀.

thank you @GonnaGetGoingReturns thats lasagne looks great

Hi Everyone! Love this thread, just caught up on everyones goals, inspiration etc. so lovely of you @TheRealHousewife to organise and cheer everyone on!!

I'm a mum of 2 little ones, and just getting back to work after having my second DC. I only work 3 days a week but then mumming the rest of the days. I feel like mum days are danger zones of coffee and cake but I really want to make a point of spending more time outside with my kids despite the bad weather. I want them to experience the change of the seasons until we really cannot. We live in suburbs of Glasgow in Scotland (but I'm English) so December - February is pretty brutal tbh.

Anyways. I'm quite short so I'm currently classified as just under overweight. Awful feeling...it's never been this way for me as I was VERY slim growing up and in my 20s. I almost feel like these days it's embarrassing to care about weight?

HW (post partum) - 75 ish (about 12st)
CW: 65.5kg (10st 3)
TW1 (next wed 8th) 10 st 2
TW2 (wed 15th) 10st 1
TW3 (wed 22nd) 10st
TW4 (wed 29th nov) 9 st 13
TW5 (6th December) 9 st 8

Ultimate GW: 61 kg (9st 8) - I don't know if I'll manage that for Christmas but if I could be in the 9 st bracket for Xmas that would be amazing. I so badly want to feel better about myself, hate how grotty I feel.

General plan:

Work days: intermittent fast until lunch (black coffee). Lunch: peanut butter sandwich on wholemeal bread, fruit and a treat (chocolate or something) with my coffee. Post workout: smoothie and protein. Dinner: I usually eat family dinner which is important to me, but my plan is to have half my plate be salad (no dressing) and the rest can be water my family is having. A little treat again after dinner is usual for me, but I'll be trying to only have a nice milky tea with honey or something and to watch a good episode of a series with hubby.

Mumming days: I want to enjoy breakfast with my kids on these days, again it's important for me that we eat as a family. Usually I make healthy porridge, and a milky coffee to enjoy whilst we play. I'd like to try to get a bit of stretching and movement or mindful play in first thing (instead of sticking the telly on) I think key here is to avoid snacking on sweets throughout the day (I don't let my kids do it) but to enjoy something like a pudding after tea. And also I want to get us out and about despite the weather, even if we try to get that all done and dusted by the afternoon and then cosy up. Food is tougher on these days so movement could be key. I won't go to the gym on these days except on the weekends.

I'm working out regularly enough (4 times a week) including cardio and weight training. I'll probably start doing the cardio at the gym (was going for lovely runs through the fields near our estate until now) but the mud is unreal haha!

Trying my hardest not to get too radical with my plans as I'll either fail/become obsessed and then fail. I'm recovering from years of disordered eating (which kind of pestered out about 7 years ago when I had my first DC), and I hated every minute of it and never want to go back there again.

Sorry for the absolute mammoth post, writing it out has made me feel excited :) Good luck everyone.

@coffeecupslinedup that sounds like a good plan! I do think even little changes like having more salad on the plate really add up and can have a big impact!
I know what you mean about not being too radical/obsessive. It can be such a tricky balance can’t it. I tend to be a bit all or nothing which isn’t a great mindset and really trying to work on the balance.

Feel as though I’m on the verge of a binge. It’s probably a response to the stormy weather coinciding with the clocks going and doing the school pick-up after dark, and not being able to spend time tidying in the garden.

I was playing around with my tesco online order this afternoon, but I resisted the pull of the sugar and fat stuff, and nibbled a couple of rice cakes instead.

They do have another recipe with potato gnocchi, tender stem broccoli and a Philadelphia sauce which is a bake, that helps with the pasta/carb cravings too, if you’d like it.

dinner: veggie Stir fry with small portion basmati rice
apple and cheese
2 rich tea lights
2 tangerines
2 mini maltesers

@2Early4Breakfast I’m similar to you with the binge and weather. I got 2 packs of fun sized maltesters for Halloween trick or trick and kept one…

I’m also bored re work so that doesn’t help with snacking!

I think I've stayed pretty much on track today. Lunch was as planned - wrap with SF chicken goujons, loads of salad, a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce and some cheese. I finished DD's crisps - under 1/2 a bag of skips so about 40 cals if that!
Dinner - we had a spinach and leek lattice, some roasted new potatoes and peas. Oh, and I did have a couple of pieces of birthday cake 😬 but not big slices, and it's all gone now.

I've just done a gruelling dance fit class and am sticking to my resolve of a cuppa and maybe a biscuit instead of any wine. I know I'll feel a million times better for it tomorrow. Still dreading weigh in though!

Uuuh how cool. Im in too - starting tomorrow Friday 3 Nov.
My new rules:

1. No sweet junk
2. Eat twice a day and up until latest 7pm
3. Breakfast = 2 eggs, dinner = soup, lunch = anything goes
4. 40min walk everyday

I need to lose 5kg by Xmas/new year.
Is that plan good enough?

Day 1 is tomorrow, wish me luck🤞😊

I've heard drinking hot tea after meals does wonders - helps digestion.

Anyone heard the same or similar?

Urgh. 1lb up today. Again. Dangerously close to the 10 marker so a MAJOR reset needed. Something I've said countless times in recent weeks mind you (hence feeling a fraudster), but I need to turn this around NOW. I was 1/2 stone lighter in July!! Waaah.

So. MFP is being activated again. Going to do some meal planning this weekend for lunches and dinners all week. No more wine. This weekend will probably not be the best start as there are various plans in place, DD's party, and it's just the weekend, but I'm going to try and improve my choices as best I can and be ready to go all in on Monday.

As for today....
Lunch today - off to a cafe for lunch - a proper greasy spoon one. Everything is either fried or in bread, so I'm not sure what to have. I can't not go either, I'm meeting friends I haven't seen for over six months.
Dinner - baked potato, I think

OVERHAUL INCOMING!!

@ImALittlePea No chance to redirect your lunchtime meeting to somewhere more helpful for you? If not I guess mitigate what you eat at lunch and having something light for dinner might make you feel on track. Or even just not doing the whole 'today is ruined' thing - that's what I do all the time and every day gets' ruined' by something as I'm a ridiculous perfectionist haha😅

@cinnamonda Peppermint tea has been seen to improve digestion, I think it's actually been proving scientifically - however I think it basically stops your tummy hurting I don't think it necessarily makes you digest better (I work in clinical practice and I've seen some studies on this!)

That being said, anything warm is going to increase blood flow to your digestive system and that will always help with digestion as blood flow is necessary to take nutrient away..

"Animal studies indicate that peppermint relaxes your digestive system and may ease pain. It also prevents smooth muscles from contracting, which could relieve spasms in your gut"

Today is a fast day for me. Having black coffee and will break the fast in the pm. Hopefully I will be able to stick with it.

@cinnamonda I do love a mint tea in the evening it helps me avoid the snacks!

@coffeecupslinedup unfortunately not, it's the only place in the area we meet and it's a lunch break from the office for my friends so no time to go further. They probably do omelettes, so I'll have that if so. It'll still be greasier than a homemade one, but probably the best option. I tend to be less worried about choices at weekends anyway as I'm so 'on it' during the week - apart from I haven't been on it at all lately. I know what I need to do, and now I'm determined to get back to the sweet spot.

@ImALittlePea you're on it! Bring on that sweet spot!

I've just been reading some of the posts on here to distract myself away from the high calorie honey peanuts with sesame that I've just bought. It is helpful to read of others in similar boat. @ImALittlePea definitely I know what I need to do, I now just need to do it.
@coffeecupslinedup I know what you mean about it being embarrassing to care about weight. That's why this group is good. We can talk about the details without boring the wider world. Also totally agree that it's important to eat with the family. I think it's good to not let any obsessive tendencies spill out into family life.