🥳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 🎄🥳

Morning. I’m down 2lb at Weightwatchers last night. Interesting talk on scales, when you weigh and how it affects you.

dinner last night:- lentil pie with rice, mango chutney and Greek yoghurt
2 x tangerines
Greggs vegan sausage roll

Breakfast porridge with water and skimmed milk and blueberries

Happy birthday to @DomesticElf for yesterday!

Good Morning All

@coffeecupslinedup Yes there is gluten free soup pasta in my minestrone as well as red & green lentils and brown rice; along with red pepper, leek, celery, onion, carrot, sweet corn, sliced mange tout, cabbage, sweet potatoes, thyme, garlic, s&p. So not technically minestrone but I prefer a heartier soup. BTW great nsv’s 👍👏

@PatienceOfEngels Another great nsv 👍. My boobs don’t seem to get much smaller. Cup size went down one a while back and my back size has reduced. They still look disproportionately large to the rest of me that is much smaller than it was. ( . ) ( . ) 😬

@PatienceOfEngels What have you chosen to eat? One of my favorite meals is stir fried halloumi with butter beans, red pepper, chilli, cavolo nero, red onion, carrot. Love it!

@ILikeItHere What kind of meals are you having. I eat twice a day but each meal comes in between 450-650 calories. I choose nutrient dense foods that include plenty of healthy fats, fibre and protein. Great loss to end the week on 👏

@ImALittlePea Great update! Congratulations on your 2lb loss 🥳Well done on fitting in a dance class 👍

Welcome to the thread @Novembershine , great to have you join us all 😊

@GonnaGetGoingReturns Well done on your loss 👍👏

Menu
Meal 1 - Minestrone soup.
Meal 2 - Chicken biriani and curry sauce.

Tea, black coffee and water.

Friday weigh day for me, 4.5lb this week. So that's been a good motivator for me!

SW 13st 3lb
CW 12st 12.5lb
GW 11st 7lb

Start first of 3 nights tonight and DH is working away until Sunday/Monday so I've no excuse not to stick to it! Planned my meals for the weekend with things I like but to keep within in the 1200 calories or I'll end up going to Maccies at 2am and buying 20 nuggets 😂

@PieonaBarm Thats a fantastic start! Well done 👍👏👏👏Being tired can derail our best intentions so planning what you’re having is an excellent idea.

@TheRealHousewife thanks re my loss.

We had a stand in coach last night who has lost 5 and a half stone (and kept it off) over the whole of Covid and lockdowns and became a WW coach on the back of that.

@TheRealHousewife I can see how you’ve lost and maintained with your diet! That’s a real achievement! 👏

A friend of mine this week is having eggs, avocado, mushrooms, tomatoes but cut out bread and has lost 4lb so far. She’s also switched in morning from normal tea to green tea and lemon and turmeric tea. She does need to lose a lot more than me but I think it’s different strokes.

Then last night a fellow WW says she has full fat milk as she’s a childminder and that’s what they have for children. I said to get long life semi or skimmed milk. She also didn’t realise there was a decaff green tea as she prefers decaff tea.

Will try to tag others next time.

@PatienceOfEngels thanks re rye bread info. My grandad was half German and grew up there so whenever I saw him he often had pumpernickel. It’s an acquired taste though. I’m not keen on sauerkraut or rollmop herrings which were his other favourites too! 🤮

@TheRealHousewife garlic prawn salad sandwich - delicious!

@GonnaGetGoingReturns my husband eats herring with raw onion - not my favourite!

well done on all the incredible losses and ongoing motivation everyone!

6 weeks to Christmas from Monday!!! 😳
I went to a legs bums and tums class today and did a fat burn programme on treadmill.. after years of no exercise I’m now struggling to walk 😂 so I hope that means I can’t walk to the kitchen for any of my go to sweet snacks 😋

I think I need to up my game! I don’t do a huge amount of exercise bar walking (used to do more before and over lockdown but have sort of given up since…) put on a skirt I bought this time last year, it looks nice but is definitely tighter! Waaah 😭!

@icingonthecake7 one of the WW last night said she’d started going to the gym recently and it was hard work, another has started swimming something like 8K. The coach said it definitely takes time to settle into a new exercise regime. Another WW said she’d started Joe Wicks a while ago and after finding it harder at first was now on the advanced part.

@icingonthecake7 6 weeks 😮 I’m still waiting to enjoy the summer that never arrived 😬

@PatienceOfEngels Sounds tasty! 😋

Husband is making burgers this evening so it’s not going to be very healthy dinner and then we have plans over the weekend which will involve probably unhealthy food again. I’m going to do an intermittent fast tomorrow just to save some calories and also it will be nice to work up a big appetite and then enjoy the food without so much guilt!
Does anyone else really struggle to stay on track with the diet over the weekend? I find it almost impossible 🙈😬
Have a lovely Friday evening everyone!

@secondtimemumma im with you in the wobbly weekends! I feel like if I’m making food for the kids or treating them to something that obviously the temptation is there!

@icingonthecake7 im with you with the muscle soreness - it’s just so inconvenient, hobbling around!

I’ve had a rough day- my eldest stayed home school today with a really high fever and aches in her muscles poor mite. I was at her beck and all cleaning up and making her various snacks she half ate as she was soo well. Seems to be cooling down this evening but I broke my fast at 10 accidentally licking the peanut butter spoon from her toast So I just had whatever I wanted until 8pm and fasting now until 13 tomorrow. Ended up having 4 slices of toast total, with peanut butter and honey, a slice of beef lasagna and a large salad for lunch And a kind of lentil pie thing for dinner l (these were weird mini frozen leftovers we had in the freezer). I mean the toast is outrageous but the rest not too bad, didn’t have any sweets or choc or anything and feel ok just exhausted (she’d been up all night too).

most important for me is to accept that I will have days that don’t go to plan and except thinking ‘I’m awful, all is ruined, might as well gorge myself numb’ I think ok, tough luck, you’re still a good person and you’ll just keep going tomorrow. And no sacking if off for the weekend either!

off to bed with me!

Good Morning All

@secondtimemumma Weekends/holidays are tougher as we are generally around more people and food. It can be tough to navigate. Personally I’d eat less Friday & Monday if I knew I was going off piste at the weekend. That said I also do OMAD most Sundays when a big roast is usually served and we eat late afternoon. That way I find my weekly calories are balanced out.

@coffeecupslinedup Hope your daughter soon recovers! Don’t sweat the rest, (your body/mind needed it) compensate today if you can 👍

Menu
Meal 1 - Minestrone.
Meal 2 - Salmon with stir fried veg. A bit of hot sauce.
Tea, black coffee and water.

@secondtimemumma I used to go mad on the weekends, and worked part-time so my weekends started Thursday night - after 4 nights of snacking and 3 days of eating whatever I wanted, it's no wonder I was putting on weight!

Now I might have one nicer or bigger meal at the weekend (last weekend we went out on Saturday, this weekend my husband is making ribs which are so delicious I won't be holding back but will make sure we have some good veggies to go with them) but I make sure it's one main meal. I don't snack in the evenings either just like during the week, don't drink, and try and keep the same patterns for snacking (fruit, veg, greek yoghurt, usually only once a day) as I do during the week.

My biggest problem is always my days off when the DCs are at school and no one can see me snack! Having everyone around at the weekend seems to make me feel more accountable. But that's why I try to make myself a nice lunch every few weeks on my day off. Something delicious and but still in the main healthy (i.e. good protein, minimally processed, veg) so it feels like a treat but doesn't have the crazy UPFness that sucks you in and messes with your brain. I have been addicted to crisps since I was a teenager, especially Doritos and know that eating them makes me feel like shit and makes me want them more so it takes all my willpower not to buy them (if they're in the house, I have no chance!).

We had burgers last night as well which I don't see as hugely unhealthy. We only have one eat in a roll with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, gherkins, ketchup, and then homemade potato wedges with some mayo, plus cucumber and peppers on the side. It's not a meal with have often (maybe once a month). I don't make my own burgers but we get chilled not frozen (fewer preservatives/additives/etc) and on a week by week basis I'd say we average only one UPF meal per week so everything balances out fine in the end.

Morning all!

So I went to a film screening last night and of course there were canapés and champagne afterwards…

I did have pesto and goats cheese pasta with sautéed mushrooms, spinach beforehand which helped a bit. Plus a plum, 2 tangerines and a Kinder Bueno bar!

breakfast today:- toast with peanut butter and marmite

Am off to friends for dinner tonight will either be chicken fajitas or lasagna.

@TheRealHousewife and @secondtimemumma , my weight watchers coach brings her mother to meetings. She’s lost and kept off weight but follows and tracks food during the week and relaxes at weekends.

@PatienceOfEngels my burgers last night were tiny canapé ones which I had two of. Boyfriend with me complained they were dry!

@GonnaGetGoingReturns That all sounds very nice and intriguing… which film did you see? You’re WW coach’s mother sounds sensible 👍

It’s an Apple film called The Pigeon Tunnel, John le Carre interview/documentary.

I only get the odd invite to these as boyfriend is member of BAFTA (location manager) so he gets lots of invites. Honestly sounds more glam than it is.

The WW coach’s mother, I didn’t know until recently but she struggled with her weight and was a size 20 a lot but her family growing up had little food so she compensated by overeating. She’s now approx 10 and a half stone or slightly over but is 5ft 6/7 so looks good on her.

Just an update.

Lunch:- half bowl knorr Chinese chicken soup with cucumber batons, 2 cherry tomatoes and 3 Ryvita, 2 with marmite and one with spread.

Snacks:- 2 plums and a rich tea light biscuit.

Dinner:- friend told me she is testing out a veggie nut roast with veggies recipe. I said I might or might not have dessert. No alcohol! We’re both watching The Voice too.

Hi @GonnaGetGoingReturns Thank you. Is the film thumbs up 👍 or thumbs down 👎 . I love a nut roast!

@TheRealHousewife I am mainly od 2 SF shakes and low carb dinner but there are days like today where I skipped bfast and had Greek salad for lunch then harissa meatballs with coleslaw for dinner. Or like yesterday where I went OMAD and only had KFC twister meal 😄.
This morning half a pound less, was really pleased. Need to catch up with all the posts!

Hope everyone’s having a good weekend.
If I’m honest today hasn’t been a great day food wise…pizza and crisps. Yesterday was pretty good though so it’s not all bad.
Hoping tomorrow I can get the week off to a good start and refocus myself ahead of weigh in on Wednesday.

@PatienceOfEngels I have also been addicted to crisps too and caved badly today. I do try and pick slightly lower calorie ones if I can or just try to avoid altogether but it’s really hard.

@coffeecupslinedup hope your daughter is okay now.

Hello 😊 please may I join?

I am currently 13 stone 11.5 and would love to be under 13 stone by Christmas or New Year's at the latest.

I am going to aim for three main meals with as much veg as I can manage. Up my water intake and walk at least once a day.

If I can get some lbs off for Christmas I will be over the moon!

Welcome to the thread @LeftyLou 👍

@ILikeItHere Well done on your loss! Nice weekend surprise for you.

@secondtimemumma Sunday night reset and re-affirming your intentions will set you for the coming week and hopefully you’ll see a loss come WOW 😬

@TheRealHousewife no it’s the Voice (talent show) plus Strictly!

The nut roast was nice but I had a g&t.

Today:-

breakfast toast with peanut butter and marmitee
lunch:- half knorr Chinese chicken soup, 3 Ryvita 1 with spread 2 with spread and marmite, cucumber batons and 3 cherry tomatoes
snacks:- 2 x tangerines and large plum
dinner:- left over stir fry and basmati rice plus small piece lentil pie
have limited my tea with milk
But best of all no snacks! I think I’ll try no snack days or just have 2-3 times a week.

oh and yesterday I did Joe Wicks beginners low impact work out for 15 minutes.

@secondtimemumma pizza and crisps has its place, you can pull it back!

@coffeecupslinedup hope your daughter is ok too.

@LeftyLou hi and welcome! 👋🏻

re snacks here’s some tips from WW which I do:-

chicken (no skin) is zero points plus 0 fat yogurt, plus fruit. Also boiled eggs. I also make sugar free jelly. Rich tea light biscuits are at our WW meetings so can’t be that bad!