DIET FAILED AGAIN thread 6- everyone welcome

[thenewaveragebear1983]

We made it to 1000 posts on thread 5, here is thread 6

How is everyone getting on?

I've actually had a really good week- I've stuck to my plan every single day since Monday, except yesterday when I had 2 biscuits in the evening which took me over. I very carefully planned my menu this week, including all snacks and I prepped loads in advance so it's pretty much all organised. Breakfasts I have been having baked oats which I made into individual portions in a muffin tin, pot of Greek yoghurt and fruit. Lunches I made this really tasty sweet potato curry and I also made a brown rice dish with stir fry veg, prawns, sweet chilli which I have been having on alternate days. My snacks have been things like carrot sticks and humous, rice cakes and cream cheese etc. it's been helpful actually to have larger snacks rather than the constant grazing.

Hope everyone is ok, it's very quiet in here these days.

Yeah it is quiet isn’t it. Considering it’s January we are a bit flat! I am fine, funny week here as DH is away so my routine is a bit off. I sleep really badly when he is away and that affects everything the next day. I hope you are feeling better @thenewaveragebear1983 you sound like you are coping well.

@Sedgwick I am feeling much better thank you, I returned to work on Wednesday on a phased return so I've done half days this week and next week will be doing 9-3. My face is still not fully recovered, my smile is still crooked and I can't close my eye fully but I'm recovered enough to not feel too self conscious and hopefully it will fully recover over the next few weeks

Thats good, @thenewaveragebear1983 you are making steady progress. I have no doubt you will recover fully. I always admire your attitude. Your work colleagues clearly value you and are in your corner.

Hi all. Been on scales today. Seems a couple of lbs lower than last weigh-in, so quite pleased. Hope to get to 14 stone at the end of next month, so a couple of lbs to go to do it.

Well done @TalkToTheHand123

I weighed in also today, a bit of a pre-weigh in check in, and I'm up two pounds which takes me higher then when i started in January !! FFS 🤦‍♀️ my official weigh in is Monday morning at the moment because I'm on a WhatsApp weigh in with my friends, so I hope it's just water retention and I'll be back down by Monday.

I waited as long as I could before having breakfast, and had a piece of chicken and a banana, then for lunch I have just had leftover casserole with loads of veg. I gave a piece of salmon tonight which I'm just going to have with very lightly steamed mange tout and some crushed peas. 🫛 I've made sugar free jelly so after my lunch when I really wanted something sweet, I ate a few spoons of that.

I feel super productive today, dh is out all day so I got ds's little mate round to entertain him and I've just smashed through a few jobs. It's so nice to be feeling better, I've changed the beds and cleared a few boxes from the loft, stuck a load of stuff on vinted, and I'm about to parcel up a pile a books to send off to trade in. Crisp winter sunshine outside, it's lovely to be feeling productive!

Thanks @thenewaveragebear1983 . Sounds a productive day.

I'm currently trying to fight the urge of ordering a takeaway pizza whilst eating a tub of carrots and mushrooms.

Powered through. Hopefully can keep going and it gets easier. Have been telling myself the following to help refrain:

Save yourself money.
No feeling of shame.
Feel good after refraining.
No bloating.
Drink water. It's thirst not hunger.
Will just want more.
No feeling tired after.
Won't satisfy hunger.
Scales won't show good reading.
It's worth the torture.
It get's easier.
More energy if refraining.

That's a long list @TalkToTheHand123
My go-to is "I don't actually want it" which usually applies to most junk food really. You did well to resist the pizza. I could absolutely resist any form of takeaway, it's just not my danger zone (ok, maybe a chip or 2 off ds's portion) but my weakness is sugar. Especially at the moment. I'm unstoppable.,
I looked through my nutracheck and some days my 'snacks' section is over half my calories for the day!! So I've modified the headings now into 'planned snacks' and 'unplanned' and will try to keep the unplanned stuff low. I was looking at that thinking I could have much bigger meals and feel fuller and then not need/want so many snacks.

My goals for this week ahead are to (as always)

1. stick to my plan - I did well this week in that every scheduled meal was eaten and i had the same breakfast every day and lunches were pre- cooked and counted. My meals were excellent.
2. eat my planned snacks but not the additional 300 calories of extras
3. do a couple of very short runs to get myself back outside

I'm still on phased return this week going slightly reduced hours which is helpful as it buys me a little bit of extra time.
My face is still slightly crooked when i smile or bare my teeth, and my eye still only half closed. I don't think there's actually any improvement since last week really. But I'm feeling a lot better and less wrung out which is good.

Hope everyone's doing ok and has a good week ahead

@TalkToTheHand123 well done, it definitely is harder when it’s dark and pouring rain all day.

Weighed in this morning, I have gained half a pound this week which means my total loss for January is..... ZERO pounds! FFS! 🤦‍♀️

Anyway. February calls. It's 12 weeks til Easter (late one this year) and just under 25 weeks til my birthday. Both good things to aim for and at a pound a week would see good results by those milestones (in fact 1lb a week til July would be a few pounds under target) - but in the interim, "5 off in Feb" has a nice ring to it don't you think, so that's my current mini goal.

@poorpaws used to always motivate us with 7in 7, and it's very nice to think that in 7 weeks, mid March, spring will be coming, lighter evenings on their way (and maybe some warmth?!) so.... half a stone lighter too? I'm writing January off as a false start, no regrets.

Hi everyone, sorry I've been missing.

I'll skip the obvious, it was bad, I was bad.

I was going to start again this morning but forgot to weigh 🙈. I think I've only gained a little if anything, but I've definitely not lost any weight. I didn't eat anything at all for two days and since then my main comfort has been chocolate, which of course isn't comforting at all long term.

@thenewaveragebear1983. I'm so pleased to read you are getting through this and are on the road to a full recovery. I see you are back to work part time but remember to still take it easy, you have had an awful time and need kindness and support.

I still have the family staying and for the most part it's been good but there are times ...
12 days to go with a weekend free ahead but I am so ready to claim my home back.

It's been daughters birthday whilst she's been here which has involved takeaways, birthday cake and lots of treats.

The next birthday celebrations aren't until April so I have time to prepare.

I'll weigh tomorrow morning (hopefully I'll remember) and I really do need to re re re-start too.

I'm going to re-read your posts now as I rushed through all your news but hopefully I'm back for good now and we can all get on with it.

@thenewaveragebear1983. Daughter leaves on 7 February, I'm up for a 7/7 after that if you are (and hopefully you'll be back to full health by then).

@poorpaws we have missed you! Looking forward to having you back. I'm sorry about your lovely molly and I hope you are ok 🐾

A good day for me , I have stuck to my planned meals 100% and have not eaten my planned snacks. My meals have been bigger and more filling today, so just haven't needed anything else. I've now eaten my dinner and had some jelly and fruit, and I have full on sugar cravings despite being full , so what's that all about?! Anyway, kitchen is firmly shut and I will not give in.

I'm returning to the office tomorrow for the first time since 16th dec! Feels like a lifetime ago! You know my office day does weird things to me so I've planned everything and will take fruit for snacking, plus I have decided the minute I walk into home I will eat some Ryvita and cream cheese rather than raid the biscuits. And I will drink a lot of water during the day.

@thenewaveragebear1983 Thank you, it will be good to get back to some sort of normality.

I hope tomorrow goes well for you, it's going to feel strange going back after all these weeks but I'm sure your colleagues will be kind and caring, just don't do too much on day 1.

I've had a day of no exercise (weather awful here so DP took the dogs on a short walk for me), and also too much cheese and far too much chocolate birthday cake.

I'm so out of sync with normal life that I'm getting my scales out tonight to remind me to weigh tomorrow morning. To be honest I don't really care what they say as I know I'm bigger than I should be no matter what the actual figure is.

I know I'm still going to struggle with the family here, the abundance of snacks and the gluttony of saying yes to everything offered. DD is doing most of the cooking and piles my plate high with lovely food, it's very difficult to refuse. I'm going to try but I don't think I'll succeed with any sort of weight loss until they leave on 7 February.

Have a great evening everyone. I'm planning an early night, I feel so worn out just now.

Hello everyone. Sorry I disappeared. I've been in a bit of a funk. A friend has been struggling with what we now think is depression. Been trying to help but she keeps on complaining that no one is helping her . . . but I and other friends are helping her and some of the things she has asked for has been quite time consuming and tricky. It just never seems enough. I tried explaining that we are helping as best we can and every one has other stuff going on too (sick parents, health conditions, etc) and that even if we don't help how she expects that doesn't mean we don't care. And now I think she's not talking to me.

And I feel really rubbish about it. But catching up on your updates is cheering me up. I am glad for you lot.

My eating and exercise is awful. But February is almost here!

Hi @poorpaws and very sorry for your loss. It’s so good to hear from you. Hi to @Storyland too. Can I join in the general it’s not going terribly well group. With DH away my routine is terrible, when he goes away I usually either have a really strict week (36 hour water fast etc) and feel fantastic as a result or I go the other way and it’s pizza and a bottle of wine at night. I feel really rough now. I am 7 or 8 lbs over goal weight. I wouldn’t mind if I felt well but I feel awful. I will try to motivate myself back into good habits.

@thenewaveragebear1983 Good luck going back into your office tomorrow. Don’t overdo it.

@Storyland I am so sorry your help and concern for your friend is not being fully recognised. It's really awful when you do what you can to help someone but they don't really appreciate it. I would just take a backseat atm but when she either reaches rock bottom or realises what an amazing friend she has in you, I'd be there for her. In the meantime, take care of yourself and be strong in the knowledge that you are a good, supportive friend.

@Sedgwick you sound just like me in that life is not quite "normal" atm and that is tricky. Be safe in the knowledge that we will get there in time and life (and dieting) is one hell of a rollercoaster.

@thenewaveragebear1983 How did you cope at work today? I've been thinking about you a lot today and hoping your first day back was easier than you thought it might be and your colleagues were kind and supportive.

I weighed this morning but we'll skip that one. I still don't think I'm going to do too well on any kind of weight reduction until my life gets back to what is normal for me.

I had forgotten that we have promised my grandson a Chinese takeaway tomorrow night so that will be a calorific feast. I'm just going to plod along for the next 10 days and then sort out some sort of longer term plan. I really need to be kind to myself just now but not by consuming quite so much chocolate which really doesn't help at all. It's a good thing I'm not really keen on alcohol because I would have been permanently drowning my sorrows over the last couple of weeks and at least my chocolate addiction doesn't give me a hangover.

Tomorrow my daughter is out all morning, the kids are at school and I don't see DP on Wednesdays so I'm going to have a leisurely day on my own which I'm so looking forward to. I hope you all have a good Wednesday too.

@poorpaws thank you, it went well. My team are really lovely and have been very supportive. Only people who really know me would be able to tell now that my face isn't completely 'normal' but I did feel very tired by the end of the day and was glad yo be leaving at 3 not 5!

As you know, Tuesday is my big danger zone day, but today I planned my meals, planned exactly what I was going to have after work (Ryvita, cream cheese and ham slices) so I did not do my usual Tuesday frazzled binge before football. Ended the day only 5 calories over my allowance which is unheard of! Tomorrow I'm all planned again and I am going to try to do a very slow, gentle run after work tomorrow. I'm actually looking forward to it a lot, I've really missed it.

@thenewaveragebear1983 That's such good news that not only did you do well today but your colleagues were amazing. You're nearly there, nearly over this awful time thank goodness. Take care on your run but enjoy it.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! I am back on it, mixed day yesterday but a step in the right direction. Weight is 9 st 7.5 lbs. I haven’t been at goal weight (9 st) in December or January. Today I have been for a long walk in the countryside. Dinner will be 2 smoked haddock fillets, roast cauliflower, brussel sprouts and a boiled potato.

@Sedgwick well done for getting back on it. I wish I could report that I have done the same but sadly not. DD went to a meeting and on her way home called for an ice cream for me, it was lovely. I've also been drinking copious amounts of coffee and eating, well everything really.

I hope everyone else is doing well. As I keep repeating, I don't think I'll even start until the 7th of February when I've got to get my act together.

@poorpaws be kind to yourself. 7th feb isn't actually that far away and it gives you chance to a) get all prepped, cupboards clear of junk (send it Aaaaallll home with your dd when she goes?), do a shopping order and meal plan etc, and also 2) to get so absolutely sick of junk food that you cannot wait for a few carrot sticks. Then you can really hit the ground running on 7th. And we will all be here cheerleading <waves pom-poms> for you!

@Sedgwick well done for getting back on it, it takes a few days to fully get in the groove doesn't it? One day at a time.

@Storyland I'm sorry about your friend, I can empathise as I had a similar situation with a friend of mine, and unfortunately I just couldn't be everything to her that she needed/wanted - the toll on my own mental health was so huge. I am always there for her but I think she has chosen a different audience now and that's ok (ish, I was really gutted at the time but 🤷‍♀️)

Hi all. My skin has suffered due to a few too many chocolate bars and other junk food recently, so trying to be as strict as possible. Had to make two batches of soup today as somehow the first batch ended up all over the kitchen floor (soup maker may not have been on a flat surface).

Cravings haven't been too bad today.