Diet for Christmas Challenge 2024

[bigdecisionstomake]

This is a continuation of the previous Diet for Christmas and Diet for Summer Challenges started by me, @OhFatty and @Dashel

It is open to everyone, whether you have a lot to lose, just a small amount to go or you're at target but facing the enormous challenge of maintaining your loss ongoing.

After working towards our summer holidays we're now turning our thoughts to fitting into Christmas party outfits or in my case putting right the damage done on my recent holiday and just making sure I've dropped a few pounds so I can over-indulge with a clear conscience over the festive season.

There are no rules other than being supportive and cheering each other on. Occasional kicks up the bum are available as and when requested.

Hopefully previous members of these threads will join us again and new members are always welcome.

I will update shortly with my start point for this challenge.

Morning all

Apologies for no post yesterday - I have rather annoyingly come down with a horrible cold since flying home at the weekend 🤒

Great to see both old faces and some new ones on the thread!

See you Friday for your weigh-in @Gemzee 👋

@FlyMeToPluto When I joined the Diet for Summer Challenge in Jan 2023 I had gone from being a size 10/12 for much of my adult life to needing size 14 jeans and after Christmas 2022 even those were starting to feel tight. That thread was the kick up the bum I needed to make sure that the gradual creep didn't carry on. I hope this thread works for you too - your target is very reasonable so should be manageable if you can stay consistent - good luck with it all and keep us posted on how you're getting on.

@Scottishskifun glad to see you on the new thread 🙂You have done an amazing job so far so I'm sure you'll smash your new target. Have a fabulous holiday and raise a G&T to us all.

@FjordFancier welcome to the thread! I too blame some of my original weight gain on menopause. It really seemed to slow my metabolism down and it took me a long time to sadly realise that I actually just needed less calories on a day to day basis. Well done on losing the stone over summer, that's an amazing achievement - the challenge now will be keeping it off as lots of us on here know only too well. After your update I can see you've grasped the bull by the horns and weighed in and set your intentions - best of luck with it all!

@Backinthedress so pleased to hear from you again, I know you were having a rough time and didn't want to intrude but thought it would be good to let you know where we were going. Well done on keeping up with the exercise, there are so many benefits to that aside from weight 🤗

@Dashel Great list of intentions - I think it really helps to have a re-set and hope the new thread helps with this.

@Accbabymom1994 welcome to the thread. Hope the intermittent fasting goes well - my DP does this very successfully but I've never got on with it. Let us know how you get on.

@Disasterclass you are very welcome to join, the more the merrier. You sound very like me in a way - I find healthy eating and exercising so much easier when I'm feeling good about myself.

@thenewaveragebear1983 10lbs sounds like a realistic target - there will be 10 weeks to Christmas from next week and a pound a week should be possible. Welcome to the thread and good luck!

@BurntOrange Thanks for joining the thread. Your goal sounds possible - have you got a plan of how you're going to get there?

@NahThen Great to see you on the new thread and maintaining is just as important as losing - and probably actually harder!

I have weighed in this morning at 10st 1.6lbs so I think that is probably all the holiday bloat and water retention gone. This is where the work properly starts with losing the actual fat.

I'm going easy on myself this week as I'm out tonight and tomorrow night and there will be calorific food and lots of wine on both nights. I will try to be measured though. The hard work starts in earnest next week.

First goal is to get back into the 9s.

Have great days all 🙂

Do u find IF hard to do

@Accbabymom1994 I think the reason I don't get on with IF is that I exercise first thing in the morning and usually find that I'm ravenous afterwards and need to eat fairly promptly. My DP's eating window is 1pm to 7pm and if I try to hang on until 1pm to eat I really struggle - I start to find food consumes my every waking thought. The few times I tried it I was really miserable.

Also, I work quite long hours on a fairly regular basis and eating before 8pm at night would be a challenge in itself.

I think it's great if it works for you - DP gets really great results from it, but it just seems to make me hyper focus on food all the time.

@Accbabymom1994 I have been doing IF for nearly a year now and it does work for me. But I have the added incentive that it helps my immune conditions as it boosts macrophages in cells.

I would say if starting then go for 12 hours to start with. So aim to stop calories by 8pmish this also helps cut down on evening snacking. Build up from there to 14 hours after a week or so and then again to 16 hours see how tou do there and only if you want to increase to 18 hours.
Find what works for you in the mornings. For me it was finding zero calorie flavoured coffee syrups so I could manage black coffee and plenty of water.

Early days I was very strict after about 3 months I would lax hours a bit if going out with friends etc.
I do between 14/16 to maintain.

Good morning

@Accbabymom1994 I try and keep to an eating window of 10am to 7pm. I don’t know if it works but I think it’s good for my body to have a rest from eating/ digesting food.

I weighed in at 10.12.1lb and have DOMs in my legs so am quite stiff today. Only got to 12.5k steps yesterday but glad we are getting towards the end of the week. Preparing so many evening meals on Sunday has been a real help. I need to think of some good ideas for lunches as that’s where I sometimes struggle when work is busy and also different healthy snacks. I have been making small healthy flapjacks or quinoa protein balls for when I need something sweet but they are getting a bit samey.

Hopefully with the support of each other we can all hit our targets and succeed. Winter can be a tough time of year to diet and exercise as it’s cold and dark and I’m sure most of us just want to eat comforting foods and stay inside snug and warm.

I was wondering if anybody fancied doing a step challenge together? There are a couple of apps that allow you to 'compete' against each other, but we could use it as a way of being held accountable...

I am planning to weigh myself for the first time in a while today. It's not first thing in the morning and I've had a coffee and a bottle of water, but I need to grit my teeth and see what I've got to so I can start again. I really liked .y figure when I got down to 63kg, so I'm aiming for that again. Will check back in later when I have my current weight. I started at about 73kg this time last year and I know I've not regained all of that, so time to be brave and see what's what. I've also built a lot of muscle doing weights, pilates, running and other cardio at the gym, so I need to consider that, too.

So nice to see you all again and hear how you're doing. I appreciate being thought of and welcomed back in.

@bigdecisionstomakethank you for the lovely welcome.

@Dashel oh DOMS is so annoying! I used to get it so much in my quads and dreaded the stairs! I hope it eases off a bit soon. Have you shared your evening meal prep in here before please? I’d love to get some ideas :)
I’m very disorganised which leads to getting over whelmed and making terrible food choices. Your healthy snacks sound really good too.

@Backinthedress step challenge would be fun please. Great idea. I don’t like letting people down if I’ve committed to something so it would be really good. Shame I don’t mind letting myself down while attacking chocolate bars and cake :(
it’s interesting how body composition affects weight- I have just begun going to the gym again for the first time in years but as yet don’t know how this will impact weight.
My PT says we’ll go on how I feel and the shape I am rather than a number on the scale but I still need to lose a lot of flab that’s for sure!
im so glad to feel motivated again- it’s so depressing losing weight and then just putting it back on again. I am an emotional eater and also eat secretly :(
good luck with your weigh in - like you say- it gives you a starting point and you’ve done so well reducing 10kg over the year. Very consistent.

66.6kg. Not too bad for, like, three days pre period.
Will have a look at some ways we can do a step challenge without revealing personal data and post it here when I do.

although this large bag of Revels is probably not helping.... tired+hormones+friendship issues = sugar

Oops forget to check in earlier! I lost a pound so I've hit my first goal.
I've got a busy couple weeks now (food/drinks wise) so my next goal is to maintain until Nov - then I'll re-evaluate 😊

Hope you all have a great weekend!

How is everyone doing?
I hope you all have a great weekend.
I was 10 stone this morning so really pleased I’ve lost 1lb.

Not finding it so hard remembering to log food with the app and it’s keeping me on track.
anyone using My fitness pal…do you use the calorie adjustment over the day with exercise?
My base level is 1,800 but it gave me 1,950 calories yesterday with the 18,000 steps taken.

I could definitely do better drinking more water however!

I have been on track but I was a pound heavier today I'm thinking of probably reducing a bit more of my calories but I only have breakfast and lunch and don't want constipation.

Morning everyone

Apologies for my absence from the thread - the cold I had suddenly got a lot worse and I have been really under the weather. Just starting to feel better now so will have a catch up today.

I didn't go out either Thursday or Friday night so in theory that should have been good for the diet but unfortunately I have been feeling really sorry for myself and have massively overindulged with chocolate, crisps, cake etc...

Now I'm on the mend I'm going to have a re-set and start again tomorrow. I haven't weighed for several days and am in denial about the damage 😫

Not sure if I'll be brave enough to weigh tomorrow but I'm definitely going to start exercising again so hopefully that will follow through to being more disciplined with food.

Have good days all.

I lost a puny half a pound! But it's been difficult this week with 2 social events so I'm glad I at least lost something! But I'll need to up my game if I want to be 11st at Christmas!

@bigdecisionstomake It's always hard when you have a cold!

Afternoon all! Currently on holiday bur find checking in is a good reminder to not go insane with the AI!
They have a amazing salad bar so had that for lunch and a cheeky g and t!

I'm 1lb less then I was when I went away in June but my body shape has clearly changed without me noticing from June til now as my bikini bottoms which fitted nicely in June now look like Norra Batty saggyness I go for a high waisted cover usually but I look ridiculous so looks like I might be buying a better fitting bikini out here! Just goes to show scales aren't everything when it comes to weight loss and clearly I should have paid more attention to how things fitted before I just packed them based on size and my weight!

Morning all

After a final day of over indulgence yesterday (but feeling loads better so no excuse really) I am back on the wagon today.

Work has gone completely mad so I'm hoping that I'm going to be able to stay consistent now but it's going to be a challenge juggling everything.

Those who have been on previous threads will know that I usually work out first thing in the morning and that tends to set the rhythm of the day in terms of eating for me. If I exercise I am much more likely to eat well so I don't 'waste the effort'. If I miss my workout all bets are off for food as it feels like I'm 'having a day off'.

I enjoy working out so it generally isn't a chore (although more difficult in the winter months) but the two most common disrupters are work and illness.

I've restarted the Heather Robertson 4.0 program at the halfway point today as I like the way her strength workouts make my body look. Today was legs - groan - but I got through it and feel better for starting again.

I have weighed this morning at 10st 1.9lbs. I suspect there may be a bit more damage from the last few days to come but hopefully it won't be too much more. First target is to get back into the 9s.

@Scottishskifun hope you're having a great holiday and that's a fab reason to treat yourself to a new bikini 😎

@BurntOrange well done on the half a pound loss - if you've had two social things I think that's a definite win - keep it up, you'll get there if you stay consistent.

@Accbabymom1994 sorry that you've found a pound but weight does fluctuate naturally sometimes so it may not actually be fat gain. If you're worried about constipation perhaps look at how you're making up the calories you are eating and add lots of fresh fruit and veg. I find lots of salad like tomatoes, cucumber and celery both keep me full and help with, ahem, natural transit 😳

Well done on the loss @FjordFancier that's great work. I tend to work out my calories then add any exercise on. My fitbit records exercise sessions and has a heart rate monitor so hopefully they're reasonably accurate.

A walking challenge sounds like a great idea @Backinthedress I don't always do as many steps as I'd like (particularly since I've been focusing more on strength workouts).

How are you doing @Dashel hope the re-set is helping. You certainly seem to be smashing the workouts and steps again - we can do this!

Have good days all.

Been lurking so far and following for motivation but would like to join 🙂 I have started tracking my food on Fitbit again and weighing my food and lost 2 pounds so far and am at 10st5. Thank you all for motivating me so far.

I think the goal of being 9st something sounds s great one for me too. Would also be up for a step challenge!

Can I join please? Have 2+ stone to lose but would love to go 10lb by Christmas. I’m definitely an emotional eater, menopausal and naturally lazy so not a great combination for weight loss 😞 I’d be up for a step challenge- I have an apple watch

Hope everyone is doing okay! Welcome to the new members :)

weighed in this morning and I’m 9 stone 11 so scales creeping down again. Been stressing about how wet it is for the horses and our new chickens so not been eating a great deal. At work I’m also now mucking out their horses and turning them out etc so perhaps more activity. Not been tracking which I need to get back to doing otherwise I feel I’m not changing the bad habits which led to gaining so much weight. Also not had time for the gym though so probably just lost muscle!

I've dropped a little bit (about 0.5kg) but this is a recurring theme for me. I drop during the working week and put on on the weekend.

I have persuaded dp to do MyFitnessPal with me as he is on Monjara and struggling a bit so now we are both watching what we eat, it is becoming a bit easier. My ds (an adult) still lives with us and eats like a horse which also doesn't help and he plays loads of sport so needs all the food he eats!

I'm still not well enough to exercise sadly so relying on what I eat but did manage to do some slow walks today (not that it helps losing weight but at least helps mentally!)

Hello thread, may I join? I try to post on a few threads for the companionship but they tend to go quiet after a bit.

@Midlifeshenanigans I'm similar to you, more than 2st to lose but would love to lose 12lb by Christmas as that will get me down to the next stone bracket. That might be a bit ambitious though, and I'd be on track and happy to get down to 12st 7lb.

I'm a stone and a dress size down already and feeling very motivated at the moment. I try to eat more plant-based food; less UPF; walk at least 11k steps a day and fast (I've just started a 36-hour fast).

Oh, and I love the look of the Heather Robertson 4.0 programme. Looking for a change from heavy lifting and want to improve my flexibility as I'm feeling as stiff as a board recently.

Morning all

Great to have you join us @Trillian2020 and fantastic news on the 2lbs lost - well done! Keep it up, getting into the 9s by Christmas should be a really manageable target if you stay consistent 🙂

Welcome to the thread @Midlifeshenanigans I think what you wrote applies to a lot of us so you're in good company. Menopause certainly seemed to slow my metabolism and it took a long time to realise I just didn't need as many calories - however realising it and eating less are too very different things! I usually aim for around a pound a week so your goal should be doable if you stick at it - hope it all goes well and keep us posted.

Whoop whoop for a downward trend on the scales @FjordFancier that's awesome. I've never done it but I should imagine mucking out horses is a bit like a gym session in itself 💪Hope the weather dries up for you soon!

@FlyMeToPluto well done for the drop. I know exactly what you're saying about losing during the week and putting on at the weekend. I spent a whole month (I think around April) where I seemed to lose and find the same pound or two over and over and it was just a case of being too relaxed at the weekend. In the end I found a bit of balance where I did allow myself one or two more 'treat' things over the weekend - like a glass of wine with my evening meal - but I was careful to measure and limit them, so just one glass rather than two. I also tried to add a bit more activity in to balance but it sounds as if that isn't an option for you. Even slow walking will burn a few calories though.

You are welcome to join @Peae Awesome progress so far with the stone and dress size lost (I think sometimes the dress size is more of a win than the number on the scale). Fasting for 36 hours sounds like a challenge - we have some intermittent fasters on the thread with defined eating windows but I don't think any of us are doing 36 hour fasts. Do you drink juice to keep you going or is it nothing but water for the whole time?

I had a really dreadful day yesterday and am a bit frustrated with myself. I got called into work really early to deal with a problem so didn't have time for a workout and then work was really stressful and I ended up buying crisps and chocolate at the filling station on the way home and munching endlessly at my desk while trying to catch up with work that I should have done that morning. I ended up working until late and instead of having the healthy salmon and green veg that was planned DP suggested ordering a pizza - so you can guess what happened next.....

I haven't weighed this morning as I really couldn't face it but I'm posting for accountability. I think sometimes if I can hide away bad eating it's easier to carry on but if I'm owning up to it then it helps me to put it behind me and re-set again. I really don't want to come out of Christmas with over a stone to lose again like I did last year (and more than two the year before!) so I need to get hold of it before it runs out of control and I give up - this thread and the accountability it brings really helps me deal with that - so thank you all 🙂

Here's to having a better day today!

Thank you for the warm welcome @bigdecisionstomake . What are your, more helpful, plans for today?

(When I fast, I drink water, but I clean fast - no calories or sweeteners at all. You can drink black coffee and black tea, but I personally don't drink those. If it doesn't feel great, then I break my fast early. If I'm just feeling a bit tempted, but want to continue with the fast I'll eat some avocado or salmon - low carbs and high healthy fats).