⭐️LOSE IT! January 2024 Reset & Renew⭐️

[TheRealHousewife]

⭐️Open to All⭐️

January 2024! Fresh start & develop new habits. Join-in to reset & refresh and become a healthier version of yourself. These threads are for those who’d like to lose and those who wish to maintain whilst eating a healthy varied diet.

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 9st. I had a blip a couple of years ago when my thyroid went wonky but now back on track.

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

Tried a breakfast of warm All Bran, raisins and a banana. Not great but I have so much fibre now I can run broadband off myself all day.

14g fibre! Woot. 339 calories.

Takeaway tonight - I'll just have chips and gravy, about 700 calories.

May I join please?

Started 1st Jan, New year, new you and all that.

SW:225 lb
GW: 141 lb according to the ideal weight calculators

Calorie goal is 1670 per day, I have insulin resistant PCOS so need to limit carbs.

Signed up for a weekly Aqua Aerobics session and also doing the Couch to Fitness programme through Our Parks which is all online videos.

@abbs1 I have a 9yo, typically we have the same meal but different sides so if doing spaghetti bolognese, I have green beans instead of spaghetti, if doing chicken and chips I'll have chicken and broccoli or corn on the cob and so on.

Omg, the thread has moved on by two pages since I last came on! Wow you lot! Unfortunately there's too much to reply to properly 😬 especially with the 3yo clambering all over me.

Anyway - finally braved the scales. I'm (happily) shocked - I'm just under 2lb up from my pre Christmas weight! I thought it would be loads more than that. I'm back up in the 10s now but confident that'll soon come back off now.

I was so hungover yesterday 😬 I don't tend to get hangovers so it's not been a nice feeling at all. However, I'm going to try and roll some semblance of a silver lining onto it - I've realised I really need to re-evaluate my relationship with alcohol. I enjoy wine, and I don't want to stop drinking altogether, but it's hit me that I have to grow up a bit and learn when to stop (which has never been my strong point), rather than always go for 'one more' (or taking advantage of a free bar as I did on Wednesday). I'm not doing dry January, but I'm taking a proper break until my next social plan (which, as things stand, isn't for a fortnight).

Today's plan:
Lunch - out with a friend, so cafe dependent
Dinner - spaghetti bolognese

I’m a big fan of the British Heart Foundation website. There’s loads of information in regards to a healthy lifestyle, exercise and heaps of free resources including recipes.

Delicious Recipes

So I put on 6lbs over Christmas 😳 but weighed in today and I've lost 5lbs since Monday, so hopefully I can start losing again next week!

I'm half a lb down today which I'm pleased with. I'm using my walking pad at home to do a conqueror challenge at the moment so managed just shy of 13,000 steps yesterday but hit 5 miles so I'm pleased. I'm doing damp January too so no alcohol since new year's eve which is probably the largest break I've had in quite a while. I'm not saying it will be an alcohol free month but I definitely wanted to reduce and could easily have carried on with the festivities this week with the kids being off school. Next week will be better with the children being at school and us having more structure and routine. Still currently winging dinner times with what we have in and what everyone fancies although I have a busy mum meal planner journal on route which should help with that :)

Op went according to plan. Of course I had to fast so in the end it was 24hrs before i got to eat a chicken, bacon & mozzarella panini - which was delightful.
Breakfast was the smallest cheese & mushroom omelette but enough. All the water.
Being discharged at lunchtime hopefully and DH will be in charge of tea if I feel like something

Afternoon All

@shearwater2 🤣🤣🤣Full of fibre! You'll have no connection problems today!

Welcome to thread @FlabMonsterIsDietingAgain Your plan sounds sensible 👍

@ImALittlePea Great post! Fab news finding out your weight is only up a bit!

@rainbow616 Quick gains are usually not fat but water & waste. You’ll soon see the other lb gone!

A loss is a loss @Ivy09 👍Whats a walking pad?

@MuthaHubbard Pleased to read you’ll soon be back home and surrounded by your home comforts. I find hospital stays exhausting. Here’s to a seamless recovery ❤️‍🩹

Like a treadmill but just the base part, no rail or surround

@Ivy09 That would be no good for me … I’d fall over without anything to hold 🤣

@MuthaHubbard glad everything went well!

@abbs1 my eldest is almost 6, she eats mostly what we eat. She doesn't like red meat, so when I cook a chicken I freeze leftovers in small portions and reheat that for her to go with her meal.
In terms of adjusting for health/calories, I do myself extra veg separately and have less of the carbs. So for example pasta, I would do a separate pan with extra mushrooms, peppers, onion, courgette etc. Then when serving I put that on my plate first and less of the pasta which gets split between everyone else

I weighed myself this morning and I'm back to pre Christmas weight which is good. Also started my period today, which will affect bloating etc.

SW 13 stone 1.8 (2nd Jan)
CW 12 stone 11.8
GW 10 stone 7

Thanks @TheRealHousewife having 11lbs off in 4 days is testament to the steps I walked up and down the stairs to the bathroom as well I think!!

Today's meals have gone well, haven't been out for dull long winded reasons.

B: kidney bean burrito
L: mackerel on toast, cucumber, tomato
D: sticky peanut miso tofu, broccoli

Now I’m wanting a burrito @WeirdPookah 😬

It’s always a good feeling when the numbers drop @Stripyunicorn. Especially by 4lbs within days 👍👏

Everyone doing so well - very motivating. All positive with me too. Away with work the last few days so I couldn't check in (or eat as I would have liked) but feeling so energised on Day 5 without sugar or alcohol, or heavy carbs. Saying that I did have a slice toast for lunch, but having just done a 6k run, I think it was justified.

B - blueberries and kefir greek yoghurt
L - 1 slice seeded toast, 2 scrambled eggs
D - roast cod, cauliflower, lentils & broccoli - I think.

No movement on scales yet, but then again no movement in my body ; ) Usually takes me a few days for my digestion to adjust to a new regime.

Big food shop planned for this weekend. Inspired by lots of great ideas on here. Someone mentioned squash and carrot soup - think I will make that for next week. Yum!

I've been doing lots of thinking about when / why I snack. No answers apart from the usual - stressed, comfort, boredom, sad - but what is always the case for me is that once I start, I can't stop. I don't think that is ever going to change. So what I need to do is not start on crisps, sugar, cake, chocolate, wine etc in the 1st place.

Hats off to anyone who can self-regulate and ration chocolate to 1 or 2 squares per evening, or one biscuit with a cuppa.

So rather than alleviating / rewarding the stress, boredom, sadness, frustration etc with bad food, I need to hold firm, break the cycle, and replace comfort with a non-edible reward. Lots of positive thoughts, self-affirmation, self love etc. And drink more water.

Sorry for the ramble .... good to share out loud!

Hey, how has everyone got on today?

It's my first Friday after starting this diet and we usually have a treat dinner like pizza or curry on a Friday, so just trying to work out how to navigate a Friday whilst trying to restrict calories a bit. I've decided to stick with the treat dinner and stay healthy during the day, I can't not eat pizza ever again so need to moderate at other mealtimes.

Busy first week back at work and totally ready for the weekend now! Hope you've all had a good week.

Lunch: turkey, ham, blue cheese and walnut salad, half a grapefruit.
Dinner: Burger with bacon and blue cheese. Will probably not have any chips.
Snack: Friday night crisps, get in!

SW:11st 12lbs
CW: 11st 8lbs
GW: 10st
Total loss 4lbs

When I've done it in the past I've tried to balance it by having less slices of pizza and bulking out my plate with stuff like coleslaw, corn on the cob etc from the fridge. I still got to enjoy the takeaway but without suffering the numbers on the scales for days and days.

I'm not a huge fan of Indian food but would guess that a tomato based curry with chicken or veg would be lower calorie than a creamy one and could be paired with a steamed rice rather than Naan or bread based side.

Well. I weighed myself today and have actually put 2lb on. I last weighed myself before Christmas. I've worked really hard this week with eating healthily and.gettimg my steps in. Is it more likely that I just put so much weight on over Christmas. My weight on the 13/12 was 18st 12 and my weight today was 19stb1. What a nightmare.

Thanks for your reply. Some really good ideas. We do wholemeal pasta. My daughter is a good eater of everything is allergic to egg, soya, oats, rice, ginger and carrots so it's a nightmare cooking for her. She mainly has pasta, meat and veg, yogurt etc. My son nearly 4 has massive sensory issues around food due to illness and surgery so now he can finally taste properly so foods and tastes are all new/different than pre surgery so it's a lot of adjustment for him. He eats sausage, Yorkshire puddings gravy pasta cucumber yogurt bread and fruit.

So we like fajitas, curry, stew, chili and rice etc.
My daughter is allergic to egg, soya, oats, rice, ginger, carrots which makes meal times a challenge but she will happily eat meat and veg. Its my son who struggles. I'd love for us all to eat the same but having to adapt meals constantly for her we end up sticking to the same meals to make it easier for us all to eat the same thing.

Sorry I've not caught up with all the other replies but read them and all great ideas about adding more veg for me rather than carbs etc.

I will keep trying new foods with my kids and we are making progress slowly.

Weighed in for the first time since before the new year today and I am 5lb down! Shocked it has come off so quickly.
SW: 204lbs
CW: 199lbs
TW: 140lbs
Have been on 1200cal a day but volume eating has kept me full and feeling energised. I have also exercised (jogging mostly) every 2-3 days since Christmas and started drinking more water. I have bought a 2l water bottle and it's encouraging me to drink so much more than if i keep having to refill a smaller glass or bottle. It's also got a straw so it's easy to keep my mouth busy which on reflection was part of the problem - when I was feeling anxious or bored it settled me to have something to eat or drink to keep my mouth busy, bit like a baby's dummy I suppose!

Sorry @abbs1 I hadn't quite tuned into the allergies when I posted. Can appreciate that it's a challenge.

Have you tried orzo pasta as an alternative to rice? We like that with chicken and veg, but it works well as a rice substitute for some other dishes.

We also do a lot of baked roast veg dishes - baby potatoes, halloumi, broccoli, with a bit of seasoning and some lemon juice - but can mix up according to preference/what's in the fridge.

Green lentils are a good option with fish.

The pinch of nom books are good for highlighting allergens I think, might be worth a look for healthy alternatives that are suitable for all in the family.

Looks like the Christmas excess is starting to come off for everyone. Always a good start to January!

12,000 steps for me today. Mix of errands and a treadmill walk at the gym.

Have been having a go at intermittent fasting over the last few days, which hasn't been as hard as I thought. So I think I will keep up with that for now. See what the weigh in says on Wednesday.

What's everyone up to this weekend? We have various hair cuts and sports clubs, and I might even sneak in a trip to the dump. Oh the glamour

@Lazysundayafternoon2024 I still eat pizza but make my own (not at the moment as oven is on the blink). I know exactly what's in the dough, no UPF rubbish and can put on it exactly what I want (usually peppers, mushrooms, olives and mozzarella!). I enjoy it so much more than the morning after bloated feeling of supermarket/frzoen pizza.

`The Hairy Dieter's have loads of good takeaways (fakeaways!) in their books. We especially like their chicken bhuna and sweet and sou chicken.

We get a takeaway about once every 2 months (had one tonight to celebrate my birthday this week) but that's enough for us (food wise and cost wise!).

@LemonDrizzle23 I am doing nothing this weekend except tidying my house, trying to catch up with schoolwork and watching TV. Weather is supposed to be shite, otherwise we'd head to the zoo or out for a walk. Not looking forward to going back to school Monday morning.

@abbs1 hats off to you dealing with sensory issues and allergies. All you can do is keep doing what you're doing by offering different things to help your son's palate adapt. There's absolutely nothing wrong with recycling the same meals week in week out to keep your sanity and everyone fed (we have soup every Wednesday and bolognese/lasagne/meatballs every Monday!). Monday to Friday we often have our tried and tested favourites and easy stuff from our freezer stash and then weekends are where we do something new or something that takes more time to prep.

Today:
-boiled egg, rye toast with butter, coffee
-orzo pasta with harissa sauce
-Chinese takeaway (more like Indonesian actually). For in soy sauce with veg, fried rice, prawn balls with sweet and sour sauce, prawn crackers, spring roll.

-2 birthday truffles, apple juice

Just did YWA Day 4 of 30 days of yoga. Can feel my abs from the planks!
Been chucking it down all day so hardly got any steps in. Found my mindfulness by finding lego with the 9 year old 🌈