Losing a couple of kg support thread

[GetYourHandOut]

I'm blaming the shite weather rather than the biscuits but I'm still in my winter phase and am at the top end of my usual weight range.

I'd like to lose a couple of kg to feel more comfortable and confident as summer (hopefully) approaches.

Does anyone want to join me for a support and accountability thread?

Vegetable soup in the pressure cooker. This is a first... doing it in the pressure cooker anyway.

I've also got fresh bread just done in the bread maker. It's a win on veg count and fresh, unprocessed food anyway 😂

Sounds good @BogRollBOGOF ! It definitely seems like the time of year for homemade soup...
My appetite has lessened recently so I started tracking again and aiming for lower calories - not with a specific target, more trying to eat well and avoid 'empty' calories eg snacking on sweets. I didn't expect to see much change in the last ten days because I had a weekend away which involved a takeaway lunch and a fancy evening meal, but my average on the scales seems to be going down.

I have been doing less strength training due to illness so it will be interesting to see if my appetite ramps back up with the intensity! I'm hoping to lose a bit of fat and not too much muscle though.

Hi all. Soup and bread sounds delish. I fit nicely into a new size 12 dress today so that feels nice! Ive lost about 11 pounds at this point, but if I'm honest I could still easily afford to lose another 11. I have slightly lost track of what I'm aiming for I think. How do I know what is the right weight for me? Is it better to allow for age and having had a baby (3 years ago!), or would it be good to be the weight I was at say, 25? I'm 35 now. I suppose it's very personal and subjective? Interested in you guys' thoughts.

I'm not sure exactly either. I'm currently loitering at around the 10st/ 63kg zone, which at 5'2" is the cusp of overweight hence wanting to be a bit less. I chaffe when I run too 😖, bra, armpits and thighs! I have a lot of muscle as well though and started doing more with weights 4 years ago. In my head, I'd like to be 9st 3 again. I don't feel a need to push under 9st for the sake of it, and my upper body has muscled up since I was around there 10 years ago which was after losing baby-weight. I did end up at 8st 10 for a while which was fine, but if I'm higher now because of muscle, that's no bad thing.

I was 9st 3 for a while then went up in the lockdowns and haven't managed to settle back there since.

I'm doing well on food quality this week. I've not been very methodical, but good varation of plants and home cooking, less snacky.

@RamaSita I personally don't tend to aim for particular weight, more a look/feeling. I'm 60kg on a petite frame (not just short, but narrow shoulders and hips) If I creep up from here it tends to go mainly on my stomach which doesn't feel comfortable in clothes and certainly isn't healthy!
I have worked hard to build muscle so I don't want to go too low. Before I did strength training I'd feel good at 52kg-55kg whereas now I think 57-58kg would be my ideal. If I can build a bit more muscle and keep my waist size down, I'd be happy going higher.

Whether you can get into a weight you were when younger is rare I think. For most of us our bodies change in our twenties anyway, and pregnancy can bring about permanent body composition changes that means getting back to that weight is unlikely - or that if you do, you won't necessarily be the same shape.

I was a late bloomer and I wouldn't want to try and get back to the weight/shape I had in my twenties. It wasn't particularly healthy then, and definitely wouldn't be now!

Thanks both that's good food for thought. I think my pre baby clothes fitting comfortably again, and being around the 10 stone mark, would be a good place to be. So that makes me at the halfway point!

I've got to get on the soup making. Got a packet of chestnuts in the cupboard that have been hanging around, they will jazz a soup right up I think.

A fresh new week! Or not so fresh? Mondays can be hard.

Successes: Made an excellent soup yesterday and prepped some breakfasts, reasonably productive Monday and eaten well.
Things to work on: drink more water, go to bed earlier. Two events this weekend so will aim to just have a couple of drinks at one of them, none at the other.

Will weigh in tomorrow but I sense it's crept up just a smidge which will be a little frustrating.

I feel like I'm making progress in a body recomposition way rather than losing weight. Healthy, but doesn't appease my Garmin who is ruthlessly holding my fitness age ransom against my BMI and doesn't care about my glorious hamstrings and glutes 😂

The tape measure agrees that my waist is less bloaty than a few months ago.

I'm definitely sustaining being less snacky which was a habit that crept up on me and bedded in during 2020.

@BogRollBOGOF I would rather have glorious hamstrings and glutes than a lower BMI. If you’re getting some recomp then that's awesome!!

I've lost my 3kg.

I went down with Covid last Thursday, and descended into a sweaty achey haze. Completely lost my appetite, slept most of Friday -Monday and am just back on my feet now.

I've cooked ds' supper but I'm still not hungry, just a bit thirsty. I've had an apricot and a satsuma, and don't want anything else.

I bet I regain the weight by the end of October 🙄

How's everyone doing?

Hope you're feeling better @Meadowfinch It's unlikely the weight loss during illness is much fat loss, so please don't feel bad about 'regaining' when you eat normally again.

I've not weighed myself as I'm hormonal and bloated. My calories have crept up but still averaging around 1750 which won't be enough to lose but it's better than it could be given I've been craving all the wrong things. Slow and steady and all that.

Hope everyone is doing ok. I have successfully managed to maintain for a month now, I generally aim just under maintenance and then have some untracked meals/nights out.

I am loosely tracking and weighing maybe 2 or 3 times a week, so I feel like I've loosened enough but am still keeping tabs.

Am also generally eating the same food as I did in a deficit, and enjoying it. Actually today I am fairly hungover but, otherwise, my food quality is pretty good!!

Nothing majorly exciting to report other than my waist being an inch smaller than a few months ago.

I'm not necessarily feeling particularly focused, but trying to keep better habits up (other than carbing my way through PMT 😂 That's just better to accept my body's demands for energy) I've been doing long runs for HM training which also helps. The legacy from the summer is that I am having and indulging fewer snack urges.

I'm still optomistically buying salad but it's getting less appetising as temperatures cool.

The cooling weather is definitely quenching my mojo and not my appetite. I have started on the homemade soups, but I definitely find autumn/ winter food more faffy than summer foods and crave it to be heartier!

@BogRollBOGOF it's hard when the weather changes, isn't it? My usual massive side salad with my lunch isn't so appealing when it's cold.

I am ticking along at the same weight, trying not to get too relaxed with it because I don't want to creep up by accident. But maintenance is going OK so far!

Well done!

The scales aren't my friend at the moment but I feel like I'm going through a body recomposition.

About 6m ago I started accompanying DH to his gym once a week which gives me an additional strength session, plus it's heavier weights than my usual circuits class. I am feeling a bit smoother in places like my hips than I had for a long time. Also if I interlink my fingers, they feel slimmer and fit better into each other. Annoyingly this doesn't look great on a BMI chart, but the reality is that it is a healthier build of better muscle density and lower body fat.

I'm turning into a fabled MN athlete who's slim but "overweight" 😂
Better than being miserable and thinner on a punitive diet. I'd rather have the muscle for long term health.

Sorry for dropping off here. Hope this won't be an overshare but I got pregnant, which was wanted, but then sadly lost it early on. I'm doing ok.
Losing weight has dropped down the priorities, comfort food has sneaked its way back in, in quite a big way. But I do know that being in the healthy bmi bracket would be especially good if I do have another pregnancy, so I must get back on track really.
Will have to get on the scales and see what the damage is. And I need some accountability from you lot please?!

@RamaSita I am sorry to hear that, I hope you are doing ok. Be kind to yourself! You need to give yourself time to heal physically and mentally.

Take it gently, focus on the basic healthy habits (water, sleep, steps, nourishing food etc) and then just ease the food down slowly as you feel ready.

@everycowandagain that's really kind and sage advice, thank you. I think you're absolutely right about the basics, I do still need to work on those.