☀️LOSE IT!☀️Marvellous May 2024☀️

[TheRealHousewife]

Following on from Aprils Thread

Spring definitely did not arrive in April. Today it’s lovely sunshine here (I hope it is were you are!) and hopefully more is on the way in May; so it’s time to embrace a fresh new month, a fresh new start & fresh new habits. Jump right in to reset & refresh to 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 a 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 maintaining around 8st 12lb; although I’d like to see another half stone off 😬

Are you in?😊 What food plan will you be following? What do you want to change and why?

Feel free to share your own links, tips & recipes

Well done to everyone who weighed today, regardless of the outcome. The consistency and accountability in itself is worth applauding - I certainly haven't been either for two months now and am feeling the effects of it.

I was looking back at last spring/summer's photos last night and urgh, I feel so miserable with how I look now compared to then. I'm not sure how much heavier I am, at least half a stone, but I'm super frustrated with myself to have let all the hard work and good habits I'd spent two years on slip so much.

(In fairness, the habits have slowly slipped since last autumn; the last couple of months have just had a bit more upheaval and stuff going on, and that is when I stopped weighing and posting temporarily, and it's all gone to absolute shit 😂)

I've started to track calories again as of this morning; proper meal planning and setting of intentions is also much needed but as it's DH's birthday this weekend, it's not the best time to start. I'll do this Sunday, ready for Monday.

Yesterday was as planned, although I had a pitta bread with the chicken and salad too, and some cheese and biscuits at work 😬🤦‍♀️

Today:
Lunch - 50/50 wrap with loads of mixed salad, chicken breast and a drizzle of sweet chilli, and the rest of the feta and cous cous - 540 cals
Dinner - will be a baked potato, beans and cheese, followed by a lemon greek yoghurt - 585 cals

I've been out with DD all morning and just about to jet wash the patios as the sun has decided to come out, plus I have a shift tonight, so steps will be on the ball today.

Hope everyone is well. Drink some extra water this afternoon!

SW - 93kg
GW - 55kg
CW - 65.5kg

Yet another week staying the same. Tried IF this week but I don't think it's for me, it makes me even more likely to overeat. Slimming world clearly doesn't work for me at this stage, as I've been on the 12 week special offer plan and maintained. I don't eat unlimited anything so not sure what's going on. I think it's likely that I've already lost a lot of weight and it just doesn't work that well if you don't have a lot to lose. I think I'll try just going back to basics with nutricheck and be really careful with my calories. After 9 months I've probably got a bit slapdash. I'm determined to get under 10st in the next 4 weeks - a 2.5kg loss. Anyway, I shall keep plodding on, along with everyone else.

Keep going, everyone! It's normal to have a slip up

I was at my sister's today who has working scales; weighed myself at a disappointing 87.15kg but it's a starting point. I usually do stone and pounds so...

SW: 13st 10lb
GW: 11st 10lb

Today’s menu…

B - slice of seeded bread, slice cheese, plain yoghurt, raspberries, flax seeds, chia seeds

L - spring veg soup, two falafels with humous, apple, few grapes

D - grilled fish, baby potatoes, asparagus

exercise - Les Mills Shapes class and managed brisk 20 minute walk at lunchtime.

Now back at my post holiday weight (have gone up and then down a kilo in a week!) - I'm all over the place atm.

@ImALittlePea it's so difficult isn't it? I managed so well over the autumn and through January and felt like a new woman. Now I'm back to feeling podgy and hot just in time for summer! Still down on 2 years ago and can see the difference in my face from then but need to step up and make the changes necessary.

I'm still struggling with stress eating. Managed a whole packet of chocolate biscuits the other day while everyone else was at school/work 😱

Small win - have managed 2 nights in a row of no evening snacking and plenty of water.
Have done my pf exercises more regularly.

Today:
-boiled egg and rye toast, coffee
-fruit plate
-vegetable soup and bread
-greek yoghurt and honey
-dinner will be a surprise as DH is cooking

I actually do worse with exercise and food when it's sunny and hot as I often just want to stay inside and hide from the sun. I think I get reverse SAD actually! It's cooled down a bit here now after a few hot days of 25 degrees+ so hoping to get back in my walking routine tonight.

Well done to everyone for doing the best they can. Even just being here shows you care about your health and are making positive choices towards it.

Hurrah weighed in at 56.0kg today which makes my BMI 24.9kg I'm healthy!

Under 56 for holiday would be nice. Just keep swimming!

Todays plan

B: dry fried mushrooms and two scrambled egg on one slice of whole meal toast.
L: Left over chicken and bacon risotto
D: Stir fry kit from the supermarket
S: Some kind of chocolate left over from Easter. Piece of fruit if I feel actual hunger.

Exercise: Ran 4.5km this morning then did a 10 minute Pilates mastering core exercise routine as my post run stretch. Usual commute of 3km round trip.

Done some cleaning, not much else today. Will get in a small walk at school pick up time.

B: black bean burrito
L: fish pie from the freezer
D: roast vegetables, veggie sausage

3 full days since my "oh my horrible" weigh in and finally the water weight has shifted.
i'm pleased.

CW 150.85
May SW 155.8
my concept of skipping some meals and replacing it with a protein shake (sometimes breakfast sometimes lunch and sometimes my heavy 3pm snack) is working.

dh tried my vanilla shake and asked why i didn't get him a shaker bottle...feeling left out he wanted to try the chocolate and strawberry flavors....fine. i'm now fully stocked in protein powder and the cupboard is full with the addition of his shaker.

Didn’t do any exercise and succumbed to snacks last night, but only went over my calorie goal
by around 50 cals to not too bad. And despite a disappointing weigh in on Wednesday, the scales are creeping downwards which is encouraging! Determined to have no wine tonight and make a concerted effort not to sabotage my efforts over the weekend!

I was steady at 56.0kg again today despite eating literally everything and doubling my calorie goal yesterday. A mix of being tired, kids stress and having a run which made me physically exhausted.

Today wont me much better as out to dinner with boozy friends.

Ah well, it will have to be a very chaste weekend!

Good luck to everyone over the weekend, harder to stick to plan than in the week I feel.

Weighed in slightly up today, but without being TMI, feeling a bit backed up, so not going to log that change and count it as a stayed the same.

Batch cooked refried beans yesterday, used 6 different beans to add to the plant food counts in our diets. I aim for 40+ a week, but now I've added these sort of little tweaks, I'm regularly hitting 60+ plant foods a week.

Just having coffee, then going to batch cook mango korma for quick but substantial dinners for my family before their karate.

B: yogurt and strawberries
L: 4-lentil dal and microwaved poppadom's
D: peanut miso tofu and broccoli (family will have noodles too)

Weighed in again today and I’ve lost the rogue pound I had gained on Wednesday’s weigh-in. Obviously I immediately tried to sabotage it with a pastry from the freezer but I tried to bake it in the air fryer, burnt it, and had to revert to my usual yoghurt and fruit. I’m off out to dinner tonight with DH to celebrate our wedding anniversary so suppose the loss will be short-lived.

Afternoon All

@Hoolahoophop I know it won’t be any consolation but I’m a slow loser too. The key is to keep going like you are doing 👍 (otherwise the scale's aren’t kind) Well done on getting into a lower BMI bracket. Awesome 👏👏👏

@WeirdPookah I’m really impressed with your 60+ varieties of the fresh stuff. Your micro-biome must be having a disco 🪩 in there 😝

Menu
Meal 1 - Salmon mouse on almond flour bap. Topped with cucumber.
Meal 2 - Steak, green beans, new potatoes & shallot cream sauce.
Tea, black coffee and water with acv.

60 plus plant foods is amazing @WeirdPookah !

my menu today…

b - boiled egg and seeded toast
l - spring veg soup, pear, packet of snack size quavers
d - some kind of keema curry dish

having a no-wine Friday! I’ve been motivated by the scales dropping to 10st 4 5/8 this morning. It’s been around a year since I’ve seen that 4! 10st by holidays is starting to feel achievable, I haven’t been 10st since before I had my 16 year old, so feeling really pleased.

snacks - I’ve had two local thin ginger biscuits.

exercise - it’s strength day so will do a class after work.

Lovely meal planning @TheRealHousewife lots of protein!
I could do similar as I like chicken and tuna, how did you make the mouse, yogurt?
B: oatmeal with stewed fruit
L: protein shake
S: Mini burger and green salad.

Feeling a bit calmer after getting through a lot of work yesterday and sharing the load with colleagues (even just talking it through). I have a big work project the next 2 weeks and I want it to go well but feeling very responsible. Am terrible at asking others for help but always feel better once I do!

Today
B - boiled egg and rye toast with butter, coffee with milk
S- 2 pears, cheese and unsalted nuts
L - jacket potatoes with butter, grated cheese, spinach with some cream cheese.
D - egg fried rice with chicken and veggies (peppers, mushrooms, carrots, garlic, ginger, soy sauce). Maybe followed by greek yoghurt and blueberries.

Didn't manage a walk today yet as wanted to crack on with to do list (2.5 sets of marking, big project emails and orders, 3 lots of washing away, 1 more on the go, hoovered downstairs and cleaned downstairs bathroom).

Hope to get out for a walk tonight.

3 nights in a row of no evening snacking and no uncontrolled UPF snacking since Tuesday. Feel a bit more in the groove.

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo I stopped drinking last January and haven't missed it so far. If only I could feel the same about crisps, chocolate and cheese! Well done on your loss.

@TheRealHousewife love your plate! All our small lunch plates have broken and I don't like the replacement ones we have. Inspired to find some lovely crockery!

@NothingTraLaLa that did make me laugh about the pastry! The universe is thinking of your health! Enjoy your anniversary meal.

@WeirdPookah all your food sounds lovely.

My weight has dropped down again (-1kg since Tuesday!) so almost back to pre holiday (another 0.2kg) but still a way to go to get to my begin February weight. 3.1kg off target and still 6kg lighter than in October. Getting there!

Hi @CurlsnSunshinetime4tea Thank you. I used cream cheese, lemon juice, salt & pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika all wizzed up with the smoked salmon. Yummy 😋

Thank you @PatienceOfEngels 🥰

Thanks @PatienceOfEngels We have made a conscious effort to cut back on alcohol, we’d slipped into having wine Fri/sat/sun even if we were doing anything, so trying to restrict it to social occasions/just one evening if it’s a quiet weekend etc. Been having the odd non-alcoholic beer on quiet weekends instead. I definitely feel better for it and more energised to get stuff done.

Meal 2 - Change of menu due to getting back late. Quinoa & Kale patty. Lamb lettuce & goats cheese pearls. Homemade dressing. Photo below as forgot to add it 😅

.

Having fun with food today, cooking from my Avatar: The Last Airbender cookbook.

We had Appa's Apple Salad with quorn nuggets for lunch

Making Air Nomad Mung Bean and Tofu curry for dinner!

@TheRealHousewife I feel a cookbook might be in order???
Great idea on the cream cheese blend up!!
And the quinoa kale mix, more detail please 😉
my tiny tiny lettuce just germinated a few days ago, and my arugula is looking adorable, too small to harvest but very flavorful. Chives doing well and some rhubarb already harvested.

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! We had a big walk today, but it’s a bit grey, and being inspired by some glorious sunshine here yesterday, I’ve pulled out the summer clothes and sandals and a midst a good sort out. It’s been really useful as now I know what I actually really need for this year’s summer holidays, and it was heartening that the ‘too big for me no’ pile is a decent size. While I still have some weight to lose, I’ve reached a stage where I can buy things I like/suit me rather than the many years of buying clothes just because they would fit or hide the lumps and bumps. For anyone who hasn’t reached that stage, it’s
taken me a good two or three years (my weight loss has been very slow) so if you’re plateauing a bit, I just wanted to say, don’t give up! It’s worth it in the end. I’ve even got shorts on my list, that would have been unthinkable three years ago for me.

(Should have said we planned a big walk today, but I sorted clothes instead!).

Good weekend here! Visited friends yesterday, and today have had DS's sport, farmers market and some fun in the sunshine. DH and I have taken it in turn this afternoon to head to the gym. I wore some gym tights that have been unwearable for several years and now fit, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Dinner tonight is chicken and veg tacos with all the trimmings. Dinner yesterday was a smash burger 😬 it was amazing, but fairly sure it might have taken me a smidge over my calories.....

Hope everyone else is enjoying the sunshine.