⭐️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?

https://www.thevegspace.co.uk/recipe-slow-cooker-butternut-dhal/

It's this one, can't vouch for if it's any good yet.

Quick monday check-in. Love the idea of intentions for the week. Mine is to be more self-aware of my feelings towards food - or rather feelings now I've cut out certain food groups (sugar, chocolate, cakes, processed carbs, crisps, alcohol).

I've noticed already I feel energised, & general mood stabilising. More head space as I don't have the frequent battles with my conscience - shall I have a bite of x, I've had one I may as well have another etc. Plus I am tasting my food more.

But enough about me ... well done everyone else on getting through the weekend, and for the monday weigh-in's. Next stone bracket is fab @HighlandCowRose ! Hope you find the inner strength @ImALittlePea to get through your tough week. It will be worth it if you can.

That defies all logic @Whatsgoingonwithmyhead . What is your daily calorie intake? Are you actually eating enough? Perhaps you need to up your protein and carbs. Might not mean much - couple oat cakes with peanut butter or hummus mid aft, or an egg on small slice sourdough as extra post workout breakfast - but enough to fuel your body & exercise (I do similar amount exercise btw).

E - weights / strength workout
B - blueberries, yoghurt & spoon museli
L - butternut squash & carrot soup
S - 2 mini oatcakes & cheese
D - cod, kale, spinach + merchant gourmet spanish rice (2/3 of the packet)

I went on a European city break last week, so that was basically 3 days of eating a lot! I did do a decent amount of walking though.

I got back on Friday and didn’t do anything at all over the weekend. Just sat on the couch recovering from my trip and didn’t move, and I made and ate banana bread!

But I’m back on it today - did 20 minutes of a GrowWithJo YouTube moderate intensity video, 15 minutes gentle walking workout video and 10 minutes on my walking pad.

Planning to do a minimum of 1.5 hour exercise on weekdays now. So I’m halfway through today’s as I’ve did 45 minutes so far.

Breakfast was one fried egg and one mini wrap. Lunch will be stir fried pork and rice with sweet onion sauce and dinner will be homemade chips and air fried chicken breast both with plenty of seasonings. If I get peckish later on I’ll make a blueberry smoothie or a bowl of oats.

It’s my period next week so trying to avoid all sugar this week so I can have a little on my period.

No update on my weight, it’s still bouncing about between 70-72KG, where it’s been since last Spring. I really hope I can get down to below 70KG by the end of the month.

Well, we were back SO late from DS's appointment, he ended up eating a cold school dinner in the office 🤢 and I've whizzed home and has some cheese and crackers. With a handful of tomatoes to make it healthier 👀

Can see tonight being an off plan meal again. DS was given an autism diagnosis today, which I know doesn't matter in the scheme of things at all - our view was/is firmly that any potential diagnosis from his assessments doesn't change him, but allows us all to understand him better... I was just totally not expecting it, as he had the same assessment as part of a clinical study he took part in recently (linked to his childhood illness) which emphatically said he would not get an ASD diagnosis (ADHD more likely, and we've just had the date for that assessment too). So I feel a bit blindsided and overwhelmed by today's outcome, and confused by the discrepancy between two sets of highly qualified paediatric psychologists!? And also, my shift at work has been cancelled tonight, and along with other things I just feel like saying f*ck it and having a big burger.

I'm not going to dive into the chocolates today though, nor have any wine. Neither are even crossing my mind as wanted or needed. Just the carbs for me today please 🤦‍♀️😅

@buzzofthebumblebee I know I also feel it defies logic!

so today -

exercise - weights session at gym & a walk (12,000 steps walk)

Food

B - porridge with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries

L - 2 poached eggs on whole meal bread, half an avocado.
Natural yoghurt with fresh berries, flaked almonds & a squirt of pure honey

Snack - banana

Dinner will be Thai vegetable curry, made from scratch

Drinks have been water plus tea and coffee (no sugar in hot drinks, just a splash of milk)

This is representative of what I have been eating the last couple of weeks, so can’t see what’s wrong?!

Oh @ImALittlePea , what news Extra self care needed this evening as you come to terms with it all. A warm comforting bath less calorific than burger & chips ; )

Checking in a for my (late) Monday weigh in.

SW - 15st8
CW - 15st5.8

A loss this week of 0.6lbs. Not great but its all going the right way. Been for a 9 mile walk while the DC were at school today. Now I have sat down I am not sure how I am getting up to cook their tea

I did that sponsored swim last year @LemonDrizzle23 it was really motivating and I found I was swimming lots more to make sure I met the target. Struggled ever since though with the motivation to swim. Doesn't help when its soo cold outside. Am tempted to sign up again.

No expert but your diet looks great - @Whatsgoingonwithmyhead . East any less and you couldn't sustain the exercise. You don't sleep walk and raid the fridge as another possible explanation ?!! Keep drinking the water and I hope your whoosh happens soon.

@HighlandCowRose I use this Parsnip soup recipe but I'm not vegan so I use cream instead of the dairy free alternative. It's very easy!

Oh @ImALittlePea that is a shock it will take some time to sink in so he kind to yourself.

Thanks for the Dahl recipe it looks great and I've been and bought an extra squash and onions to make it tomorrow.

I've got soup on the stove for tonight. Broccoli and cheddar for ds and me, lentil for Dd.

ThreeRingCircus thank you, I don't eat dairy so will be perfect for me.

LegoTherapy sending the snow your way you're very welcome to it 😊
Also the dahl was lovely, I had it with steamed veg, lots of leftovers for me, dh is low carbing so can't have any 😁

Hi Everyone

I'm on my mobile due to a flat tablet and it's difficult for my clumsy fingers to scroll and type 😬 Hence a short post x

Menu
Meal 1 - 3 egg cheese and spring onion omelette on bed of spinach.
Meal 2 - Roast chicken dinner. < Just shy of 400 calories. Only had 50g mash. No roasties, stuffing or Yorkshire pudding. I did not miss the carbs tbh.
Tea, black coffee, water.

I've been feeling bloated today after eating a LOT of crisps yesterday. I weighed myself and appear to have gained several lbs overnight! I blame hormones as AF arrived yesterday. I've been super healthy today, despite quite a stressful afternoon, although still need to go on my treadmill. My plan for the week is to keep planning each day in advance and keep up the protein as it stops me getting hungry in the evening. I find it also helps if I 'budget' for a frothy coffee or Highlights in the evening.

@ImALittlePea That's big news. My DD13 was given an ASD diagnosis last year after years of MH difficulties, but in particular over the past couple of years. It did take a while for us all to process it, in particular her. She still has her difficulties but overall things have started to gradually change for the better. Having a diagnosis has opened the door for a lot of extra help. For example she now has a key worker assigned to her at school who is wonderful, and the school are very good at accomodating her wishes with regards to seating plans etc. I hope the diagnosis helps you and your son.

@ImALittlePea big hugs. My eldest has ADHD and ASD. It was a shock but also a relief. And having his diagnoses have really helped us better support him.

Back at school today feeling energised from a relaxing weekend with lots of fun with DC2. Intention for the week - have a little more joy (games with the kids and get outside a bit more).

B - boiled egg, rye toast, butter, coffee
L - leftover chicken casserole, mashed potato
D - beef rendang with rice
S - apple, banana, melon, greek yoghurt with honey.

Managing to keep up with daily yoga. Really didn't want to tonight but saw she was starting lying down which sounded like a good idea!

Evening all.

B - Protein yoghurt, banana
L - Lentil and bacon soup, two clementines
D - Leftover roast beef and green veg, protein yoghurt.

Snack: 3 babybel lights

Exercise: 2 x dog walks, yoga, gym cardio session.

Contemplating a mini chocolate bar!

Bleurgh, feeling pants.

Headachy all afternoon, then my eyeballs started feeling hot and sore, now have a temperature and shivering.

But hey, at least I don't feel hungry! Have 500 calories left for the day and might splurge some of them on chocolate.

ImALittlePea hope having a diagnosis help you to access the support needed. I don't have any experience but wish you and your family well.

Had a good day, apart from the Murray result.

B seeded toast with hummus
L beans on toast, fake salmon on toast with poached eggs
D butternut dahl with steamed veg
S tiffin, crisps, glass of wine

buzzofthebumblebee thank you 😊

FlabMonsterIsDietingAgain

Oh bless you, hope its fleeting and you feel better quickly

@ImALittlePea sending hugs xx
@FlabMonsterIsDietingAgain hope you feel better soon. Lots doing the rounds.
@TheRealHousewife hope you’re doing okay

Hope everyone is doing ok. This weather is so, so cold- at least not raining here at least though.

I had my weigh in this morning, happy to report I lost 4lb, so that takes me to 10lb off in two weeks, and 3.5lb below the lowest weight I got to last year pre Christmas. Absolutely delighted with that. Still on minimal UPF, and my rule of if I want a cake or something sweet I have to make it- means I’m not mindlessly grabbing a chocolate bar or whatever. And 15 days with no Diet Coke. Literally the longest I’ve not drunk it since I was a teenager, and I’m now pushing 40!

I haven’t been posting my meals on here but I will, here’s mine for today.

No breakfast

Lunch: homemade vegetable and lentil soup and 2 slices Jason’s brand grains and seed toast. Small homemade muffin.

Snack: Frozen pineapple

Dinner: chicken curry with plenty of vegetables in it (onion, peppers, courgette, spinach etc) and yogurt.
Small piece homemade brownie.

Two coffees with skimmed milk and a little coconut sugar.

@ImALittlePea I'm sorry you got unexpected news from the assessment, it must be a lot to take in.

Well done on your weight in @maybein2022 , that's great news.

Today's menu

B - boiled egg and toast. Same as most days, but it's easy and fills me up until lunch.

L - home made soup. Again my standard fare, I don't know why I post my menus 😂 lentil & bacon, side portion of cooked chicken for some added protein, apple, handful of grapes.

D - salmon in chilli sauce, rice, cabbage & spring greens.

Well under calories so might have a little snack shortly.

Exercise - Les mills strength class

Nervous about WOW, I've fluctuated a lot, presumably because I've had a few meals out, and not enough water, but I've got everything crossed for Wed.

All the alcohol chat previously was interesting. I have been making a concerted effort to drink less, partly because of calories, and partly because I need to have some blood tests redone in a few weeks and alcohol can mask the results my gp is monitoring - but I have been astounded at my unit count while I have been cutting back 😳 I would say I was fairly typical - don't usually drink during the week, will enjoy some wine at the weekend in front
of the tv with DH, don't go on proper boozy nights all that often, probably over the weekly limit, but not enough to worry me etc. regular health checks always paint a good picture of health (apart from my bmi being a bit higher than I'd like), But I've been a bit shocked this week at my unit count given I was 'being good'. It has been an unusual week with two meals out and a family birthday celebration, but if I hadn't been paying attention, I'd have consumed enough extra 2 or 3 units at each event easily. It stacks up quicker you realise. The good thing is, that the extra booze free weekend nights I have had weren't a problem at all, and no wine reduced my sabotaging weekend snacks considerably! DH and I have agreed we're going to make an effort to get out of the habit we've got into. I've mentioned before I had an unexpected close family bereavement last year, and to be honest, I think my consumption has just crept up while coping with that.

@Whatsgoingonwithmyhead frustrating when you feel you're doing all the right things, but the scales say something different. Are counting calories your thing? Is it worth trying for a couple of weeks to identify any changes to consider (hidden calories or not getting enough for your exercise regime)? Apologies if it's really not your bag, I know not everyone likes to for various reasons. You're doing a lot of strength workouts - do you think you're getting enough protein?

@FlabMonsterIsDietingAgain get well soon!

I'm feeling happy with myself diet and exercise wise today. 10 miles walked/bounced, 1293 calories in, no eating after 6pm, around 1200mls water drunk in addition to tea, soup, milk in porridge. That's a big increase in water for me and more like warmer weather intake. I'm hoping it will help shift the lard. I'm not sure if it was on here or another thread where someone posted that the body needs water to metabolise fat. I know from previous experience that it definitely helps but now I know the science I'm more likely to act on it.

Tomorrow I hope to make sunshine soup for dinner. We are making the butternut Dahl at the weekend and am going to have a go at homemade naan bread. I really want to find a good veggie burger recipe too. One without eggs. I love a burger with melted cheese on top but don't want to be eating quorn burgers too often as much as I love them. I'm trying to cut down on UPFs as much as I can realistically do.

@CumbrianExile The official version starts in late March, so definitely time to have a go if you want to. I'm doing my own unofficial version for now, but it's good to have a plan. Did my first 1km yesterday!

Some lovely sounding dinners on here. Last night I did a chicken and chorizo tray bake and tonight I'm feeding the 5000 (or 8 people), so a big risotto is on the cards I think.

Lots of water today and hoping for a whoosh tomorrow morning.

I seem to be sticking to very simple food at the moment. Things are a bit hectic and it's my time of the month so I'm feeling a bit rotten and just craving comforting food. Plus DDs have swimming lessons on a Tuesday so I'm always dashing and need to get a quick dinner on the table when we get home. Luckily they eat a main meal at school as they get free school dinners so they don't mind something quick on toast in the evening!

Not sure I want to weigh this week or not as I'm sure there's going to be hormonal fluctuations.

Today's plan:

B - coffee and a banana

L - two egg omelette with tomatoes and cottage cheese

D - garlic mushrooms on sourdough

I'll have enough calories to have a bit of chocolate or a couple of biscuits with a cup of tea later so will decide what I want this evening.

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo I’m not really counting calories . I’m not on a drastic diet (would like to lose a stone, maybe a bit more, but I don’t have lots of weight to lose). I am definitely slightly overweight for my frame though.

I used to be stick thin until about my mid 30s then since lockdown my weight has crept up and my diet had become pretty awful .

But I have completely overhauled my diet, I have cut out all the sweets, chocolate, biscuits and other crap. And trust me when I say I used to eat a lot of that, I used to have cake from a coffee shop a couple of times a week, at least one chocolate bar a day, lots of sweets, regular biscuits. I had at least one unhealthy treat a day and normally more than one. I have completely stopped that. Literally don’t have sweets or chocolate in the house anymore so I definitely haven’t accidentally eaten any!!

I’ve also overhauled my meals with healthy, cooking fresh from scratch alternatives. I eat largely vegetarian or fish.

I’m not prepared to starve myself and wouldn’t be able to do my exercise regime if I did!