⭐️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?

Today was a fast day which was surprisingly easy. Finished the fast this evening with a bacon and avocado salad. Fruits and a bit of shortbread for pudding. I do try and avoid bacon usually as it’s pretty unhealthy but today I fancied it in a salad and I guess I’m easing myself back into the healthy eating. Tomorrow I’ll be back to 3 small meals but my focus is portion control as this is where I tend to fall down.

-boiled egg and rye toast
-vegetarian scotch broth
-3 chocolate biscuits with a cup of tea, crisps in front of the tv this afternoon, 2 tonics while cooking dinner, 3 truffles (birthday present!)
-harissa chicken orzo (today was make something new day! Never had orzo before).

Short amble round a nature garden with DS2 but miserable here.
Started YWA 30 days of yoga today.

Still not too much movement going on around here. Doing some walking around the living room while watching Law and Order this evening. Hiding from the storms and dealing with DS bouncing around the house all day 🙃

Meal 1: nuggets and potato waffles
Meal 2: meatballs and cauliflower cheese

First WOW of the year tomorrow. Best get it over with 😂 good luck everyone!

After a super stressful day I don't think I've done too badly. I've logged everything in my fitness pal too just to be sure I'm staying on track. I did all my food shopping and didn't but any junk at all!! No bad things! Lots of fruit and veg. I've only managed 4000 steps but I've also been running up and down stairs and running round with the hoover so it all counts right?
Meal 1- whole grain pitta with chicken salad lighter than light mayo
Meal 2-low cal hot tortilla wrap with chicken salad cheese and BBQ sauce, side salad
I have also been snacking on grapes and had a Clementine after dinner 😋

I'd like to join please - mainly for accountability.

I've lost 20 pounds since May last year ( regained 3 over December) so am back on track again now to keep slowly losing the last 10.

I'm sticking broadly to a calorie range of 1700-2100 ish, weight training, and aiming for 8-12,000 steps a day.

Aiming for 7 portions fruit and veg, and 100g minimum of protein a day.

Today has been not too bad! After too much dairy (I have a dairy intolerance and only eat low ladder dairy but over Christmas I've had real milk, cream most days), and falling asleep at 830 with my boys the last few evenings due to the ridiculous fatigue I get, I ate zero dairy today and am still wide awake at 930... So clearly I need to give up the high end dairy for good. It's not good for my body.

Weetabix and banana for breakfast
Duck, lettuce, cucumber wrap and an apple for lunch
Homemade curry for dinner
Snacks were chicken skewers, some dark chocolate, a bowl of Coco pops.
10,000 steps.

I'm on 2000 calories due to breastfeeding. Went slightly over as I was feeling very hungry this evening.

I'd like to join you all. Been looking for a group and this one is accepting of various plans and goal so looks perfect for me.

I take on a diet, lose weight and then put it back on, so I'm going to calorie count with nutracheck but I'm primarily trying to adopt a healthy balance, eat less, drink less and make the food I do eat nutritious.

I'd like to lose 3st 5lb, this still puts me as overweight but it's lower than I've been in a long time, so seems a realistic target

Evening All

@ItsTapasTime Hope you feel better soon!

@Rocksonabeach It sounds like you’ve had a very tough day! Hope your foot isn’t too sore!

@ThreeRingCircus After reading your post I just wanted too hug you! You’ll be in your Sweaty Betty joggers in little to no time 👍

Welcome to the thread @Healthyhappymama and @missfliss . @missfliss congrats on your loss to date! 👏

@ImALittlePea 10 out of 10 for being on it today and planning your food around your social event tomorrow. 👍

Sounds like you’ve had a good day today @secondtimemumma Well done👍

@PatienceOfEngels Your menu reads tasty. I love harrisa chicken 😋

@LemonDrizzle23 Everything is more difficult when the weather is poor; especially with little ones.

@FootballFanGirl Great menu! Planning menus and only buying what you need removes the temptation of snacking on sugary treats when the munchies strike👍

I have had an on point day and hoping for a maintain tomorrow (or even a small loss but unlikely whilst on pain meds)

Good Luck for WOW tomorrow! Loss or gains, we need to keep going 😬

Thanks @TheRealHousewife I definitely know what I’m doing and actually have a really keen interest in nutrition and food- it’s just all the extras and bingeing that have seen my weight yo yo so badly over the years- main meals are always from scratch and healthy (well, almost always). But I’m glad I ended 2023 nearly 3 at lighter which is a positive. Onwards and downwards for 2024.

Second day went well, I really do have the worst headache though- does anyone else get this when they start being ‘good’? I think it must be the lack of sugar and caffeine.

Made a lovely dinner tonight, a salmon orzo dish- was delicious. It definitely helps having nice food to look forward to rather than trying to exist salad!

Welcome to the thread @HighlandCowRose Yes that’s right; there are no ‘rules’ as such on these threads. No two people are the same and we all have different variants that affect the rate of loss:- age, illness, health conditions, hormones, muscle mass, gender, physiology etc. Weight loss most definitely is not a one size fits all concept.

@maybein2022 Coming off sugar can cause headaches. You’ll be good in another day or 2 👍

Evening all, lots of activity on this thread! Will catch up and read properly after.

@maybein2022 I get the headaches too. I don’t give up caffeine but I do stop sugar.

@TheRealHousewife useful info on dry January which I’m doing so thanks!

I will weigh in tomorrow but have got back on plan today.
B: Hard boiled eggs and asparagus
L: Tuna salad
S: Cottage cheese
D: Pulled port and black bean burrito, broccoli, corn on the cob.

@Spudlover thanks- I’ve not given up caffeine entirely, I still have a couple of teas/coffees but as well as stopping sugar for January at least, I’ve also stopped my TERRIBLE Diet Coke habit and I think that’s also having an effect!

Evening all, lovely reading through everyone’s posts and finding it very inspirational. I’m posting really for accountability. I weighed first thing this morning but starting officially tomorrow, so hopefully will update on Wednesdays. I’m working a 12 hour shift tomorrow so won’t get a chance to post then.
my current weight is 13 stone 5, definitely put on over Christmas but not sure how much I was before. First goal is 12 stone which means I’ll be very overweight rather than obese.

Steeling myself for tomorrow's WOW. I couldn't comfortably get into my jeans today, so dreading it a little. But feeling motivated and hopeful I can get back on track!

I get the sugar/salt withdrawal headaches too. They're horrible but will be gone in a couple of days.

I am needing to wee all. the. time. this evening. My water intake has been the same so hopefully it's just my body getting rid of some of the extra water weight 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm hanging in averaging about 1200-1300cals a day but trying to up my protein within that whilst still shopping on a budget.
Got a bit over eager this morning deciding to do some burpees and squats and have now made myself too sore to run today and haven't got time tomorrow so I've burnt less than I would've done!
Aiming to lose 2lb a week every week so need a 1000cal deficit a day to achieve this, and my BMR is pretty low!
Hope all is going well for everyone else?

Yikes, Wednesday tomorrow! I've no idea what day it is lately! As it will be the first Wednesday of the new year I'm just taking whatever the scales throw at me and entering the numbers into happy scale. I've drunk loads of water today and yesterday and done lots of weeing too and I'm hoping that it's washing out the salt. I'm over calories today but those 2 Fortnum and Mason biscuits were definitely worth the 300 calories 😱
I had to go to the dentist today because that tooth I had the inlay on earlier this year has been causing me trouble. I'm so anxious about the dentist now after the extremely painful and quite traumatic experience. I saw a different dentist who was lovely when I explained how anxious I was. I've arranged for the reception team to alter my reminders as thanks to being ND I forget most of the dental appointments and turn up too early or too late. Luckily I've known my dentist 30+ years and he's great and he's understanding. Thankfully pesky tooth is ok and it's just bruised from where I bit my tongue on Christmas day.
Porridge is prepping in the fridge ready for breakfast and then it's McDonalds later for DD's treat. I know it's a load of shite but he loves it and it's only a handful of times a year. We are at the panto before then and it's our last hurrah of the holidays .

Good luck to all the weights tomorrow, I hope your scales aren't bastards!

Welcome to the newcomers and the returners whose names I remember. I've name changed but had Lego in my name before.

I know we are only on Day 2 of the year but I’m feeling so positive of healthy eating, getting my 10000 steps a day and exercising.

Well WOW is a bit disappointing. I’ve actually put on 0.4 kg in 24 hours! How? Admittedly, I am constipated (tmi!).
SW 74kg
CW 74.2kg

I just wanted to share a tip that has really helped me this year lose 20 pounds ( have lost and regained weight many times but this time it is been different).

I follow Emma Storey-
Gordon (ESG Fitness), The Fitness Chef, and Mullagainz on Instagram. Whilst they do all have programmes / apps that you can pay for, their free content is actually really good.

What's been different for me this time ( and I'm menopausal so even more challenging) has been accepting fat loss should be slow and steady, and having only a moderate calorie deficit which is therefore fat easier to actually stick to over time without feeling deprived or needing to binge / inevitably fail.

My mindset is that this is a marathon and will take time ( which helps massively) and also I accept that this is how I will need to eat to maintain ( with a few tweaks) - ie this is it for life.

I do celebrate special occasions, I do also go over calories quite regularly - but I think about the 80/20 rule and think about weekly calorie deficits not just daily ones.

Adherence is key - if your captors are too low it will be nearly impossible to stick to long enough to get meaningful results.

Also I have fasted etc in the past. I now exercise a lot ( not for the calorie burn but because it feels good) so for me fasting wasn't an option anymore. Also there is some evidence that for ladies entering peri-menopause it can cause a cortisol spike as a stressor which can impact fat burning ability.

I eat carbs which is also great for me ( I need the energy to exercise) but I have really upped my protein to over 100g a day ( often more like 150g but I am weight training so need more )

Hope this helps.

For context I have lost weight before but never kept it off using:

5:2
Ozempic ( a disaster for me - felt awful)
Weight watchers
Second nature / Our Path
Low carbing

This is the first time I have truly made a sustainable lifestyle change that is permanent and I feel 100x better. Fuelled and with energy.

Not intended to be a preach - just sharing in case it resonates with anyone else

Sorry to hear about your tooth @LegoTherapy I'm not a fan of teeth in general 😬 DS is at a stage where peers are starting to get wobbly teeth. Seeing them makes me feel a bit wobbly myself! I hope when my son's start, I get over it.

Annoying WOW. Up just over a 1kg since early December.

SW: 97.5kg
CW: 96.4kg
5% : 92.5kg

Out to lunch with friends for the last day of the holidays. I think it's stopped raining, but everywhere is flooded! So while we're in town, might take DS for a mall walk to get my steps up.

I have also been getting some headaches the past few days. I think it’s sugar withdrawal! I didn’t even realise how much sugar I would have usually until I’ve now stopped.

I’ve weighed first thing this morning and lost 2lbs! I’m a long long way from my goal but it’s a good start.

Hope everyone has a good day!

SW: 17st 10
CW: 17st 8
GW: 10 st 10

Thank you for posting this! I found it very helpful. Ive gone into it this time differently, giving myself 2 years to lose 4 stone. that still doesn't take me to my healthy weight range but I'll be far happier and healthier shifting it. I'm accepting this year it's going to take a long time and I'm ok with that. I have a goal of 2 stone loss for this year and I'm still eating 2000-2200 calories as I'm breastfeeding and don't want to deprive myself of those extra calories.

Good luck to everyone weighing in today! I'll be doing it next Wednesday as I weighed in Monday.

I'm glad to find this thread as I have managed to stack on almost all of the 6kg I worked hard to lose last spring/summer. I'm planning to cut down on alcohol and sugar. 4 weight training sessions (20mins each) a week plus dog walking. Try to increase protein!