Petite support for losing a few pounds/getting to our 'happy' size

[ACuppaAlwaysHelps]

Hi all. Following on from the thread that @SprayPaint started yesterday, a few of us (@Waiting9 @Horriblehistoree @FaceofSpades) seemed keen to have a thread to support each other in reaching our weight loss/body shape/fitness/health goals.

All petites are welcome on this thread, but it seemed like it would be particularly helpful to have a corner of Mumsnet for those of us who are petite/small framed and officially a 'healthy weight' but know we feel/look better a few pounds lighter (which would still be within a healthy weight/not underweight).

Maybe we can share goals, progress, struggles, things that are working, etc.? It would also be lovely to hear from any petites who are at a 'happy weight' and what you are doing to be successful.

Someone (maybe @FaceofSpades?) posted some helpful thoughts on the thread yesterday.

Please share how you all think this thread could be helpful.

Feel free to share as much or little as you like. Height, current weight, goal weight or other body measurements, nutrition, calories, exercise, NSV, etc.

@BogRollBOGOF I have logged everything since the first day of February. It is tedious in the extreme. BUT i find that the only way I can really keep track of everything and stay focused. If I loose my focus then I gain. I think logging might be my life from now on!

I am in school holiday disruption now. Its really tough to keep focused when the routine is shot and the kids are snacking every quarter hour.

Easter holidays and it's sent me off track. No I can't lie since my youngest birthday celebrations at the end of march and I have gained about 4lb.

I am struggling to get back on it but know I need too.
It is so hard with the kids eating me out of house and home and I now feel hungry because I've been so rubbish last couple of weeks.

I think I need to accept that when they go back to school I need to get a grip again and really push myself ready for may half term where I want to have got off this I've gained.

I feel guilty for it too so it is making me feel even worse about myself that I've let go for a bit. X

It's just reality that some blocks of time are more routine and easier for good habit building and then there's disrupted phases that get in the way of progress.

Rapidly growing teenagers in the house here...

Oh I remember the ever hungry teenagers! Although I actually find/found it easier to eat more sensibly in the school holidays ( retired teacher here) as I didn’t have to have my breakfast at 7 am and be starving by morning playtime! Even now, days when I’m not doing anything that requires an early start are easier to eat moderately as I have breakfast about 11 and my tea/dinner about 6 pm
Its still the evenings that can make me fall off the wagon though!

So in total over about 3 months I’ve lost 8lbs. It’s been slow as I don’t have a lot to lose but was happy that I celebrated my 51st birthday with the lowest weight on the scales for over a year. 9st4. I did gain a lb with birthday celebrations but happy with that. It’s my sons birthday so more celebrations and then a weeks holiday soon so need to just keep going. Would love to get to 8st13

I've had a timehop today of when I was in the high 8s 10 years ago. I looked so lean, but still with muscle. It was post-baby before the DCs got picky and so carb-hungry. Weaning was good for eating very nutritiously.

I don't need to go back there. My limbs are heavier from weight training. At that time I did a mixed-sex circuits class at the local leisure centre and they just had the one 4kg kettlebell and if I had to use the 8kgs (nothing in between) it was a struggle. I can lift a lot more now.

It's reminded me that my waist was a good bit firmer and not burried though! I haven't regularly held the low 9s since 2020 and the boredom eating and relentless fatigue about feeding the family for every single fucking meal for month after month which quenched my interest in cooking. I did get back in gear for cooking fresh food about 2 years ago but have consistently struggled to shed the spare.

Anyway, MFP filled in again today. Nice deficit. Not totally accurate but still a comfortable margin to be in deficit for the day.

Do you think MFP is accurate for what your target total calories (daily) should be? Or do you use it more to keep track just for yourself?

I just use it to gauge roughly if I'm in the right league.

I use Garmin stats to help work out what that league is, and while they're not perfect either, at least they do consider feedback about how my body behaves rather than generic formula.

It's not perfect and every body/ diet has its own quirks, but it is a helpful guide.

Fucking gaffa tape needed for my mouth!!!

12 and nearly 14 year old boys!!! Ravenous
God let me be good tomorrow x

I look at what my DS17 can eat in a day and am utterly amazed (and sometimes sickened!!) he is so slim he defintely must have hollow legs. As well as the temptation of all that extra food being around, I'm bloody broke from top-up shopping!

I would say that my 14 yo has hollow legs but they're so twiggy. I suppose bamboo canes are hollow... 😂

A good morning on the scales with a random whoosh, and today is going sensibly. It's a new low on this campaign. 😁 It's going to fluctuate and rebound but there is a downward trend going on.

When I last posted on the 23rd March I had 14.5lb to lose and 2.5 weeks later I’m down 4.5lbs! Ten to go! Very pleased.

I’m focusing mostly on OMAD with the occasional 18:6 thrown in depending on life.

I’ve travelled the 200 miles today to attend my school reunion tomorrow - reached my target of 8 st 12!
however once at our hotel, my husband wanted to go into town for something to eat …… including an ice cream parlour! I was quite restrained but prob am no longer under 9 st!

Well, despite the biscuits and the scales, I was astounded to discover this evening that I could easily do the button up on a pair of trousers I thought I'd not be wearing again. They've been in disgrace in the bottom of the wardrobe for about a year. don't know what made me try them on before they ended up in the charity bag, but it just goes to show that scales don't tell the whole story.

Second half of the week continues to go well. I had that whoosh the other day and while it's bouncing a little, that's totally normal and its still a lower trend.

As dull as MFP is, it's helping with focus.
Yesterday was a break-even which was pretty good as we went out in the evening and I had a 0% cider with my meal. The meal is a very rough guess as it was a small pub that doesn't have to declare calories on the menu, but portions were sensible. I hadn't had an exercise boost either, just general moving around- alas the benefits of cleaning are terribly overrated.

The next two weekends have family birthdays... I have submitted menu in advance choices for one of them.and have gone down the fish route so.at least that's a decent amount of protein. I hate having to decide weeks in advance; how do I know how hungry I'll be/ the weather/ what I fancy ahead of time 😂
At least this time it's not at the restaurant that serves slabs of cake with more calories than my BMR 😬 (Nice cake, but I'd be more likely to order it if there was a human-sized portion)

I'm down 4lbs so very happy with that! I know initial loss is mostly water but still it's nice to see. Weekends are going to be torture I would usually begin with an early morning danish & coffee and continue in that vein. DH was shocked when I declined this morning!! I got a walk in too which I wouldn't normally. Just need to hold my resolve now...

I’m 57.7kg, which is about 1.5 kilos down over the last month. I’m down nearly ten kilos total since the start of December and I feel a lot slimmer and stronger. That 67kg weight was very heavy for me, I was 55kg at the start of the pandemic. Think I added on a couple of kilos every year for various reasons. Anyway, good to be heading in the right direction still. I was about 51kg for a long time so that’s my goal. It’ll take a while to get there at this rate but that’s okay.

Weighed in this morning and pleased to have finally broken into the eight stone something band at 56.8kg! It’s been a while. BMI now a more respectable 23.5 down from an initial 27. I think not skipping any meals and focussing on fibre above everything else really works for me. It helps that if I ate anything bad I’d be in pain the next day so it really keeps me on track. Although I don’t recommend severe haemorrhoids as a dietary aid to the general population, but it’s certainly an effective one!

Another 1.5lb off. 9.5lb in total off and 8.5 to go!

Morning all, I'll be happy to maintain for the next couple of weeks. We have Easter, several family and friend birthday parties and are moving house and doing a LOT of DIY for that as well as all the packing. So the temptation to have celebration treats, and energy boots treats will be huge.

But come May and I will get back on the wagon. I am in the healthy BMI range now. But still have another 7kg to loose to my idea weight.

Hoping the Easter Rabbit doesn't play havoc with all your efforts.

I'm designating this as "relaxation week"

It's a euphimism for Easter/ multiple family birthdays/ luteal phase/ long weekend away/ really can't find any momentum until back to school time

Lots of amazing progress in here. Just thought I'd share for anyone else struggling in case it helps encourage anyone else - I've finally started to noticeably shift some weight, after a long time of losing the same 2lbs over and over.

Nothing revolutionary but maybe not the most fashionable - started eating a lot of fruit. Enough that it seems to have finally switched my taste buds, and the reality is I'm saving a couple of hundred calories in chocolate every day. I usually have such a sweet tooth but I have a family size bag of maltesers in the cupboard for a month and I'm just not interested. My meals were always healthy (and high protein) but snacking was my downfall.

The other was realising quite how sedentary I was when working; I do a lot of exercise classes but after being off work for a week and generally being on my feet a lot more I was surprised how much difference it made. I've started really trying to increase my activity levels where I can, outside of 'workouts'.

I'm 4kg down so far which isn't a huge amount but i can see the difference round my waist, and more importantly this feels sustainable.

Perks of "relaxation week"... being well fuelled and well-rested, I've had my fastest parkrun in just over a year.

Nice confidence boost!

Having brought my weight down slightly will have helped too. My legs have felt much better than they did over that peak in the winter when I kept feeling sluggish on most runs.

I'm not doing so well with the diet at the minute but people keep asking me if I've lost weight, apparently I'm very skinny and wasting away. Really not what I'm seeing at all and the scales definitely don't show that either.

I've just been for a run which has gone terribly, everything felt wrong, fitness wasn't there, legs tired, clothes annoying me. I've ended up mostly walking with some running thrown in. How I ran a half marathon without stopping 2 weeks ago I don't know! Fancy going to buy myself an Easter egg now.

Bad runs can happen for any reason. You might be having a longer than usual recovery stage while your nutrition is focused on weight-loss.

I found the running in my early weeks on plan to be a slog; tiring and heavy limbed. I decided that that was worth sucking up longer term. Yesterday's parkrun was my fastest in 14m, so not just from before my shift of focus.

At least from Tuesday, I can pick back up into focus mode.
I don't think I've been too daft about what I've eaten and my appetite has generally been calmer than before so I think portion sizes have been a tad smaller.