Need to lose 1 stone? Gather around....

[froidIci]

Not sure if this will get any clicks, but I wondered if there are folks who need to lose about a stone or a bit this way or that who might want some accountability?

BTW When I say "need to lose a stone" this means basically a stone to get to your own, individual target (which could be a random number, a random BMI point, just anything).

For me - 1 stone off takes me to weight before conceiving Baby 1, and 1.2 stone off takes me to my lightest adult weight and a very comfy size 10-12 as opposed to a size 12-14. I have added motivation that a 40th birthday tails off 2024 for me, so I've got a deadline.

My downfall? Carbs. Salty carbs. My body absolutely magically loses if I cut out rice, pasta and potatoes. And yet, alas - it specifically is those that I crave.

Anyone want a loose accountability thread?

Hang on in there. Mine came off but I’m annoyed at myself slightly because more would have if I didn’t throw the towel in somewhat when my weight shot up and therefore I made some less than ideal choices. Nothing too bad but definitely a fair bit over my calories. This is why I shouldn’t weight before a Monday as I then had my usual “Ah, I’ll start over on Monday” mentality!

Just to note to myself and hold myself to account: I’m 9lb down since 19th Jan. I’d love to get to 10lb down by 19th Feb.

It’s so hard. I feel your pain. I’d be tempted to get a really nice breaded chicken breast (like the ones in M&S), brioche bun, big leafy salad, a few sweet potato wedges etc. and take it from my calories. Then go light for breakfast and lunch.

@shearwater2 that's absolutely brilliant well done!!

@froidIci I'm approaching this TOTM too and just can't wait for the inevitable bloating to start 🫠 weight was a pound up on yesterday too for no obvious reason! Trying to remember to trust the process...

@bendmeoverbackwards I'm not a big breakfast person anyway so yes I tend to skip that and just have tea or coffee in the morning. I don't really snack either but I do keep enough calories aside for a couple of biscuits and cuppas a day!

Right ladies (and gents?). Lent begins tomorrow. I’m not a practising Christian despite my upbringing but I’m still going to give up chocolate and biscuits (sweet treats generally) until Easter like I do most years. I’ve also given up cheese and bread (my two other great loves) in the past but these years were miserable and cheese has calcium! It’s usually a healthyish period for me as I tend to eat better if I know I can’t have a chocolate bar - which will always be my favourite treat. Easter is extra lovely when it arrives as chocolate tastes even better than usual.

Anyone else observing Lent?

And I’ll be damned if I’m not having a pancake tonight to celebrate Shrove Tuesday with my DC as life is about balance right? I just won’t go overboard.

Trying to remember to trust the process...

Yes, it all comes off - and even more if we’ve not let it knock us off track like it did me. 🙄

No, I don't bother with Lent. I have been on a diet at this time of year for the last 15 years at least probably and usually feel like I'm giving up enough!

Plus I'm so boringly healthy in my diet just now, and have got a good balance going at the moment, so there is nothing so bad that I think I need to give it up! I'd be scared to upset the equilibrium and start craving and bingeing the thing I've given up.

Pancakes are not that bad anyway, 150 calories for a medium pancake made with semi-skimmed milk. I'm not that fussed about having something sweet, and find them a bit insubstantial, so tend to make myself a fat three egg cheese, mushroom and spinach omelette instead with baked beans on the side. Just over 500 calories and I'm going to the gym anyway this evening.

We always have Lotus biscuits and Nutella in, if I do get a sweet craving then I sometimes make myself a "sandwich" - two Lotus biscuits sandwiched together with a teaspoon of Nutella - about 150 calories in total.

The trick is to only have one...I'm actually ok with Nutella as it's very oily and sweet and a spoonful gives me such a sugar rush that it sorts me out!

I’m not religious but chocolate, my main sweet treat that I can’t resist, is something I may try and put aside for Lent, like a lot of people!

I’ve been in general okay lately but I’ve been discouraged by the scales and weight not shifting. I need to be stricter with my calories evidently but finding it pretty tough. I’ve stuck with less tea/coffee and my snacking is definitely less, I’ve also stuck with minimal drinking, once a week, and only a couple of small glasses of wine, so that’s still some calories saved! But I think to really lose I need to be much stricter with my other meals - less carbs is probably something to work in more now 👍🏻👍🏻 not get rid of completely but maybe aim to just reduce my portion size and have a bigger portion of veg etc instead!

I'm going off chocolate too, as it's something I eat quite mindlessness. Even the posh stuff. Feeling quite positive today, maybe because the baby actually slept well last night! And I didn't eat a pudding last night, just a bite of DH.

"Just a bite of DH" - so funny!!! :D and apt for Valentines Day

@froidIci 😂omg I will laugh every time I remember this today 🤣

Hope everyone had a nice day. We didn’t do a nice meal for Valentine’s but there’ll definitely be a meal out on the weekend so I may delay my big Monday weigh in for later in the week once the water weight has gone.

We just had a nice meal at home (sea bass), life is hectic with a toddler but hopefully we'll get round to planning a date night soon.

DH bought me some Ferrero rocher which have a whopping 78 calories per chocolate I've managed to stop at 2 but I'm 65 cals over my daily limit, close enough 😂

Ooh they’re worth it though, I reckon! I also love seabass. Sounds lovely.

I've not checked in for a while due to work going crazy but I weighed in this morning and I'm down to 10 stone 6 pounds. I've lost 5 lbs since the start of January, my goal is to lose another stone by July. I have really cut back and am keeping to 1200-1400 calories, alcohol only Friday and Saturday. I've been so stressed it hasn't been that hard but keeping it up for another 5 months will not be easy.

The difficult realisation is that if I want to keep the weight I was at for my 20s to mid 40s I just can't eat like that any more, regardless of how much I exercise.

I do find though as I get older that food is much less tasty or satisfying anyway. I don't know if I have dulled tastebuds (lost my sense of taste twice from Covid already) or just more aware of the consequences of indulging!

I haven't checked in for a little while either, I'm not weighing this week as the half term holiday is throwing me off. Less opportunity to exercise and more eating out. It's husband's birthday this weekend too, so we will be eating out again then and drinking too. I'm trying to make reasonable and sensible choices anyway, not go entirely mad because if I've broken it anyway I may as well go all in, instead I want to do as little damage as possible without being a party pooper.

I'll give myself a week and start weighing again. Back to work and school on Monday so will be making a big batch of soup on Sunday night in preparation.

@asquideatingdough 5lb is brilliant well done!! Hopefully our determination over the coming months will pay off.

@Swearwolf that sounds like a sensible and realistic way to look at it I love homemade soup too I may do the same at the weekend!

I've been away for work for the day today so had no time for lunch and my head is banging from not drinking enough water 😵‍💫

I’m back after the demoralising 1.5 kilo gain o er ovulation which has disappeared as miraculously as it appeared.

Note to self: “You gain 1.5 kilos in ovulation week, get constipated, bloated and puffy and it passes”. Repeat repeat repeat.

anyway am back after what is still a half-stone loss since last month and the start of this thread.

really great to hear about losses for the rest of you and steal some ideas about meals too!

BTW does anyone have any suggestions for yoghurt sized boxes to take on packed lunches? I enjoy Greek yoghurt with fruit compotes but struggling to find a set of boxes the right size - either too tiny or lunchbox sized! Ideas? Would like to avoid the spend and the plastic of ready made yoghurt pots..

Good news that the bloating went! Useful note for me too!

Hmm, have you considered looking at baby weaning tubs to be shown something somewhere in between the sizes? There are bigger sizes available for something small like yoghurt and compote but check you can put them in the dishwasher as it can make the food taste like dishwasher capsules when they’re not compatible.

I second the baby weaning pots! We still have a few, and some breast milk storage pots that came with my pump over a decade ago, and they make excellent yogurt pots.

These: www.philips.co.uk/c-p/SCF618_10/avent-breast-milk-storage-cups?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiArLyuBhA7EiwA-qo80FtIIZ8HRp_ugmJX93db0vWXNcD25DzT8XF-RTerD-aufBouSu19NhoCOw4QAvD_BwE

Love this but I think if I had my yoghurt in these it’d bring back my memories of cluster feeding and pumping into the small hours! 😂

These look perfect OP.

Thank you, @popplego! I'm just praying I can keep up the good work and not go back up to 10 stone 10 again!

@froidIci same thing has happened to me! Spiked up 2lb on Tuesday and back down again today. I'm just glad I'm weighing daily otherwise it would be just my luck for weekly weighing day to land on an upward fluctuation.

I'm struggling to hit my protein target so today made a real effort on that and have exceeded it! I did have a protein shake after the gym to manage that though.

Well done to everyone on the weight loss.

Dh and I had a proper start on Wednesday this week after a short trip away. We’re trying to skip breakfast or have brunch so 2 meals a day instead of 3. Cutting down on carbs for our evening meal. However we both had a small portion of ice cream this evening and now feel guilty. Don’t know how you can lose weight if you have no willpower ☹️