Diet for Summer Challenge 2024

[bigdecisionstomake]

This is a continuation of the previous Diet for Christmas and Diet for Summer Challenges started by myself, @OhFatty and @Dashel

It is open to everyone, whether you have a lot to lose, just a small amount to go or you're at target but facing the enormous challenge of maintaining your loss ongoing.

Your target doesn't need to be summer - you can set if for as soon or as late as you like. There are no rules other than being supportive and cheering each other on. Occasional kicks up the bum are available as and when requested.

Hopefully previous members of these threads will join us again and new members are always welcome.

I will update shortly with my start point for this challenge.

Morning all

Well done on the STS @Gemzee you'll get the loss when you're ready to go for it. Happy birthday for tomorrow and enjoy the Thai food tonight 🙂

The scales have finally dipped into the 5s for me this morning - hooray! I'm now 10st 5.6lb although to be honest I'm not sure how well deserved that is. It would be lovely to hang onto that over the weekend but we'll see!

I've restarted some proper exercise today so did a 15min GFWR followed by Day 9 (I think) of the HR 4.0 which was core and shoulder mobility and worked well as it felt like exercise but wasn't too energetic.

On Monday it will be 8 weeks until we go off to a holiday cottage in the UK for a week so I would like to be in the 9s (or very near) by then - just need some consistent progress now (and to stay healthy)!

Have good days all.

You can do it @bigdecisionstomake. You're going great guns.

Morning all

Thanks @Hoglet70 I think I may have made a rookie error today though - I got up feeling like I've really turned a corner healthwise so went all guns blazing and have done 20 minutes of cardio followed by Day 10 of HR 4.0 which was quads and hamstrings and was really tough. Now I'm starting to feel a bit yuk again so I think I've probably overdone it a bit - whoops - I never learn 😂

I've had a STS at 10st 5.6lb this morning so am very happy with that but with the weekend looming I doubt I'll hang on to it - will undoubtedly have DOMS tomorrow too which won't help. I'm going to try to make it an active weekend though.

Hope you had a lovely meal last night @Gemzee and Happy Birthday for today 🎂🍾 eat all the cake and drink all the wine!

Have great days all - nearly the weekend 🙂

@bigdecisionstomake that's great you're back exercising again and hopefully that .5lb will hang around despite the weekend!

In general I've been having a good week. Averaging 7,500 steps a day, all week within calories. Except today🙈not sure what happened but I just didn't pay attention very much today and just ate without planning. Ate way over. Planning to write it off and move on. DH is taking our boys for half the day tomorrow so I can have some time to myself (not been great with the sleep the last 3 nights due to teething ds), so I'll likely do a long walk as part of my morning, take the time to de-stress and relax (I've been reading a lot recently on how much stress affects weight loss). So doing my best to prioritise reducing stress levels/relaxing when it's needed.

Good luck for the weekend everyone.

Afternoon all, I fell off the thread (and the wagon!) this week. Lots of changes/stress at work and we’ve all had the cold virus that’s doing the rounds again!
I’ve managed to stick to my exercise routine so that’s something I guess.
We’ve booked a little break away at Easter so I’m back on the wagon from tomorrow (helps having something to look forward to!)

@LBB2020 I'm right there with you ...back on the wagon tomorrow. Hope the stressful week turned into a relaxing weekend.

I've not been making good food decisions this weekend, eaten too much in general and far too much chocolate. I turned to food after a stressful situation on Saturday which I haven't done in a long time and it snowballed into a weekend if chocolate and bigger portions of dinner!

Tomorrow I'm back on it. We're going away for a weekend for dh's 40th in April then we have a 10 day holiday in May. I'd love to fit into my pre pregnancy clothes for then, I reckon I need another 5-7 lbs off to get there and I've got 10 weeks til our holiday, so it's feasible.

Hope everyone's weekends went better than mine.

@IchGlaubMeinSchweinPfeift as relaxing as it can be with two young children! We’ve just been out for a walk which felt good (we had McDonald’s for lunch!). Going to spend some time this evening thinking about little changes I can make that I will actually stick to!
It helps having some to look forward to and a goal to work towards doesn’t it?!
Hope everyone has had a good day

@LBB2020 I also have two young children 😂 so I completely understand. (Mine are 3.5 years and 13 months) We had a nice few hours at the park this afternoon as we had spring weather today, was gorgeous. It helps so much to just get out the house! (Even if getting over the threshold takes ages).
Hope you enjoyed the McDonald's at least :)

Yours are still really little! Mine are 6 and 3, the youngest is going through a very testing phase at the moment 😂he’s a force to be reckoned with!
Sounds lovely, was so nice having a bit of sunshine today after all of the rain we’ve had recently.
I regretted the McDonald’s as soon as I’d eaten, as I always do! 😂

Morning all

The relationship between stress/cortisol and weight, particularly around the tummy is interesting @IchGlaubMeinSchweinPfeift it's definitely worth trying to keep your stress levels low for weight loss purposes. Sorry about the teething DS but glad you managed to get a bit of me time!

Sorry you've fallen off the wagon foodwise @LBB2020 same for me over the weekend. An Easter break is good motivation though, use it to help you re-focus. I've just been discussing booking a cottage in Dorset for a week away just me and my two DSs in June/July so hopefully if we can get that booked in that will be something to focus on once DP and I get back from our break in late April.

I had a great Saturday day, did an hour long cardio workout and then was busy with lots of bits and pieces around the house. Unfortunately then the wine came out and I ended up having a couple of large glasses which led to second helpings of pasta tea and chocolate afterwards 😳Yesterday wasn't much better, I was a bit lethargic and didn't do much active stuff and then ended up with crisps and a G&T early evening followed by wine with my meal again.

In actual fact, the damage isn't too bad (thus far anyway!) I weighed in at 10st 6.2lb this morning and I suspect there's some water retention due to the crisps and I still have some residual DOMS following Friday's workout. Hopefully therefore some of that gain will drop off again fairly easily in the next few days.

I need to get a grip of weekends though - I've fallen completely into the cycle of being good all week then over-indulging at the weekend and losing all the ground I've gained. Going to have a think about the best way to do that and I definitely need to focus on the break DP and I have booked at the end of April as several weeks have slipped by with no progress.

Have good days all.

Have also fallen off wagon (hormones, work stress) and haven't weighed myself all week as I had a bit of a relapse with some ED issues and I'm trying to focus on exercise and making healthier choices until I've got that under control again. My running is coming along well, though, so am pleased my fitness is improving.
Nice to check in with you all. It helps x

Hello everyone
So glad I found this group
thank you for creating it!
I lost a lot of weight and since Christmas gained half back 🙊😳. was looking through the internet to join any group, have minded people around…. Hopefully it will make me focus
I have very bad knees, I do very gentle stretches and few simple exercise. My weight loss results based purely on what I eat. Just cutting down on carbs and sugar. God…, I just love cheese and ice-cream 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈-
Age 48, soon 49 ( hopefully can shred some inches around my waistline to look fab on my Bday😂👑)
SW-15.7 st.
CW- 11.9 st.
TW- 9.1 st
My height is 5.7 inch
Good luck to everyone 🦋🩷

I’m the same @bigdecisionstomake, I undo all of my hard work over the weekend as I feel like I deserve a treat for being good during the week!
@Backinthedress I’m planning to start C25K when the evenings are a bit lighter. I did it a few years ago but not really got back into running since having DS2 who’s now 3!
Hope everyone has a good week

Hello all! Didn't post for a couple of weeks as I stalled again. I think it's a combo of not enough movement (due to back issues) and not eating enough fruit and veg (as I claimed I would be eating 😄). I have a 30 minute walk each day with the doge, but my daily steps have only been 5-6k and I am eating calories that although low are probably too high for an inactive 55 year old.

Good news is I thought I would measure myself as I haven't done that for a few months and I have now lost 2 inches off my waist, 2.75 inches from my hips, 2.5 inches from the widest part of my luverly post menopausal belly, and .75 I inches from my neck. Also 1.5 inches from my leg around the top of my knees too. I haven't lost from individual thighs and arms and I put this down to a lack of weight training, which I find always causes definition as muscle increases and fat decreases. (All these are measurements for the past year).

I am down to 155.8 so barely a lb in two weeks!

I cut back on calories and ate 2 meals for a couple of days and that finally seemed to get the body reluctantly relinquishing some fat!

Yeah @bigdecisionstomake it would be great to be at 154 (11 stone) and finally get back in the 10s but it maybe very slow, but slow and steady wins the race.

But I am still hanging in there! With a 52 day streak on MFP.

Glad to see we are all determined to keep on keeping on.

I hear you Charlie - keeping on keeping on is the challenge, especially at the back end of winter when everything feels very dreary.

I'm back into 70kg again (70.2) and am trying not to get downhearted. I'm back on the wagon and my fitness is still improving, but it's very hard to still be seeing the same numbers, to not feel clothes any looser and to feel like I'm being so careful with my calories and yet not seeing any loss.

My self-esteem is a bit low currently all round as I'm job hunting again and not getting any traction. It's depressing. I need a win somewhere.

Sorry to hear those who have been struggling the last few weeks. Sometimes life really does just get in the way. Good luck to all getting back on track 🤞🏼

My eldest has another ear infection (or a continuation of the one a few weeks ago, who knows!) so we've got a few quiet days at home again. I'm getting used to someone being ill now 😁 a lot of running around yesterday with doctors etc meant I did around 10,000 steps in the end. On 6,300 so far today.

I've had a look through my stats and see the bigger scale movements when I'm averaging roughly 7,500 a day. So I need to make an effort to reach that average

@IchGlaubMeinSchweinPfeift sorry to hear of continued illness in the fam it can seem never ending at this time of year! Well done for keeping your steps up though, I agree that 7.5k + seems to be the sweet spot. Being too sedentary due to the dark and gloom + illness is very likely a big part of the general stall in progress at this time of year. I think a focus on maintaining and not backsliding is the way to go - let's maintain a holding pattern!

@Backinthedress so agree that motivation can really leave the building at this time of year. I think this thread is helping as a good reminder to keep hanging on to any positive changes we have made and remember spring is around the corner!

I am in the USA and the weather has been so changeable, including some bitterly cold days, dark, gloom, rain, snow, sleet, hail - interspersed with the occasional clear and sunny day. It's very hard to get on a roll with any kind of movement. Although the days ARE gradually getting longer with more daylight.

I finally start physical therapy tomorrow so will ask for some homework as I really want to build my strength.

Let's continue to take each day as it comes, April and May are not far off! Maybe let's focus on our steps, as I know mine keep being too low from the (natural) desire to hibernate!

@Charliewasfired agreed! Just getting through these months maintaining knowing the brighter days are coming is a good motivator!

Wednesday weigh in for me.

SW: 15st 10
March 6: 15st 2.8lbs

So I've STS. Not bad considering how much chocolate I ate this weekend 🙈

Morning all

Very pleased to see Wednesday...!

Well done on your fitness improvement @Backinthedress that is an awesome achievement and a great place to focus while you work through your ED issues. Stay strong, we're all here cheering you on 🙂

Welcome to the thread @Mimigreen I can sympathise with your love of ice-cream and cheese, they are both favourites of mine. I don't keep ice-cream in the freezer at all apart from special occasions as otherwise it is my undoing. I do eat a lot of cheese however, just try to ensure it's all in my calories. You've made amazing progress so far - well done. Keep it up and keep posting to let us know how you're getting on.

Glad it's not just me sabotaging myself at the weekend @LBB2020 I think this is something I need to get my head around otherwise it's going to stall me completely this year. I managed to pretty much avoid it last year - I need to work out what the difference was. Good luck with the C25K!

Awesome work on the inch loss @Charliewasfired that's great work and will mean you look better in clothes even if the scales haven't shifted too much. Definitely keeping on keeping on here, even if progress is slow 🐢We are the same age and I definitely think it gets harder post menopause 😭Focusing on steps is a great idea, I will do that too now the days are getting longer and brighter.

Sorry to hear about DSs ear infection @IchGlaubMeinSchweinPfeift that's miserable for him (and you!) Chocolate is my nemesis currently too - eating far too much - whoops!

A STS on the scale again for me this morning at 10st 6.2lb. I had a horrendous day at work yesterday and ate too much chocolate and then came home and drank wine too - not my finest hour.

I've slept really badly - again work stress - so haven't worked out this morning which isn't a good thing for me but am trying to be kind to myself to get through this (hopefully) short lived patch of stress. Really wishing I could afford to drop a day now as so many of my friends have done post 50 but a combination of divorce and lack of pension mean this currently isn't an option - hey ho - just got to keep on keeping on on the work front too!

Have good days all - in my case just hoping it's not too awful to be fair 🙄

You’re definitely not alone with the self sabotage @bigdecisionstomake!
My week has actually been ok, so far! I’ve stuck to my exercise routine and not eaten after dinner. Have definitely not been drinking anywhere near enough water and really need to start getting more sleep/going to bed earlier.
Going to make a big effort to stay on track this weekend although we do have plans for a pub lunch on Sunday.
Hope you’re all having a good week

I'm astonished to say I lost a pound this week! Insane.
I was off track (as in, all the food & wine) for 4 days last week because of my birthday, I deserved a gain. I'm extremely happy!
All I can say is I did exercise & get all my steps in and I've also started slightly longer/harder workouts. Unfortunately I've injured my knee yesterday and can hardly walk today let alone exercise 😔 Hopefully it heals quickly because seeing that pound go has motivated me to make it stick!
Have a great weekend all.

Amazing @Gemzee!
Not good about your injury, hope it heals quickly x

Morning all

Well done on sticking with the diet and exercise plan @LBB2020 and try your best not to sabotage yourself this weekend. I'm going to really try this week.

Whoop whoop for the lost pound @Gemzee awesome progress, particularly in the light of having a birthday. It just goes to show that keeping consistent with the exercise pays dividends. Sorry to hear about the knee - keep it rested if you can.

I have finally seen a tiny drop on the scales to 10st 6lb exactly but I feel I've been stuck in the 6s for ever now. I am going to try extra hard this weekend not to sabotage myself so that I can finally see some progress into the 5s next week.

Work is still really stressful but I've been trying to use exercise to help me manage that rather than wine as I did on Tuesday. It is a beautiful (but cold) day here and I'm going to see if I can carve out time for a walk outside later which usually also helps to de-stress me.

Thank goodness it's Friday!

Hi all,

Hope all your weekends have gone well.

The baby's snotty nose got worse and he's on his 3rd day of high temperatures so sleep has been very much lacking as he gets very angry when he's uncomfortable at night. I ended up not buying anymore chocolate from Friday as I was just eating it all , so that's helped me avoid eating loads of it this weekend. I've been staying under the calories regardless and I've gotten my steps in just through doctor visits / back and forth in the house.

I'm really hoping this sea of sickness stops soon! But hoping it hasn't hampered by progress this week regardless.

Morning all

It sounds like you're having a really tough time @IchGlaubMeinSchweinPfeift hope your LO turns a corner soon. I am incredibly impressed that you've managed to stay under calories and keep your steps up with such disturbed sleep - well done!

My attempt at not self sabotaging over the weekend failed spectacularly with not one but two takeaways plus more wine than was sensible and finally a tub of Ben and Jerrys Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

I daren't weigh this morning so am going to have a few days back on track before confronting the damage.

Life is very up and down at the moment....but just got to keep swimming. I've started with a 45 minute walking workout and will aim to stay within calories today.

Have good days all.