The stone starts shifting, today!

[Chubbybetty]

I am 45 and 5ft 2". I have been a size 6/8 for most of my adult life. I put on about a stone in lockdown. Managed to lose it (largely through stress) for my wedding a couple of years ago, and have since piled it back on, mainly through too much cheese and wine and a love of cooking/feeding other people. I eat mostly low carb and Mediterranean style but have become a bit more lax, I don't really snack and do a fair amount of exercise (including strength training) I'm now more a size 10 with a small spare tyre and a large chest. I detest my body like this. On a short, small frame, 1 stone is a lot and really shows. Yesterday I didn't even want to leave the house with my husband to go for a drink in the sun as I thought I looked hideous. Today it all changes. I have started working with an online wellness/fitness coach recently and she said something this morning that made me stop and think - how sad it is that people literally don't want to be in photo's with their families because of their weight. This is me. I hate that I am so hard on myself because of my size and speak to myself in a way I'd never speak to anyone else. I hate that for the last few years every nice thing we've done, has always had the niggling thought that I'd enjoy it more if I were a stone lighter. I know I have lots of 'mind work' to do aorund my relationship with my weight (hence the coach) but on the physical front today is re-set. Binning the alcohol, more strict with the carbs and cheese. I aim to lose 7lbs in the next 4/5 weeks. Posting here for accountability really. Anyone else having a 're-set' today? Good luck!

@MarmiteWinehow was your walk and picnic today? Did you have some healthy yet delicious food? Hope you had some good weather, it’s been lovely and sunny ☀️

@DurhamDurham the walk was lovely, although there was a fair bit of sitting chatting too as we ate. We had great weather and it was good to be outdoors enjoying another local visitor attraction that I don't visit enough these days.

Food not so great. My mistake was going for the "easy" meal deal option instead of going to the effort of going into the main food aisles to get a plain salad and something to go with it. It's silly, but I'm trying not to mention my diet to my friend. Partly because, as my oldest friend, she's seen me lose a significant amount of weight in the past, and then yo-yo for years.

But it's fine. It's just one day, and I have to learn to deal with days like this. I'll be back to the lower carbs again tomorrow, and know that any blips on the scales in the next few days are temporary.

@MarmiteWinethat’s the best attitude to have, you spent a day walking and sitting in the lovely weather with a good friend. Food wasn’t ideal, but you just get back on it today. All in all a successful day I would say.

We had fish and salad for dinner last night but we also treated ourselves to a slice of sourdough and it was blooming lovely, no regrets 😁

@MarmiteWine your day with picnic and friend sounds lovely, and today is a new day 😊. @GrazeConcern sorry to hear that the scales not shifting but you sound positive, keep going! The results are in from my 36 hour water fast. It was OK until around teatime yesterday when I developed a headache and slight loss of concentration. I drank shedloads of water throughout the day, and did cave in and had a very weak small mug of Bovril at aorund 8pm last night. I went to bed at around 9.30 by which time my head was pounding.I didn't really 'feel' hungry although my body was telling me I was lacking food if that makes sense. It did occur to me last night that I had actually eaten very little on Monday too due to various factors so might explain the headache etc. I couldn't sleep properly and until around 1am was drifting in and out of very weird dreams. Eventually drifted off aorund 1ish and slept until 5.30. Hopped on the scales just now to see I am 2lbs heavier than on Monday. How?! Rationally I know it is probably water retention and might see a delayed result in a day or two but so dishearening. At least my stomach is temporarily flatter. Will probably have a protein shake mid-morning and maybe a couple of eggs. Not sure about the rest of the day yet. Now to attempt a workout....

Morning all. It’s interesting hearing some of your thoughts and experiences on fasting.

I did a number of 36 hour fasts between Dec and March (often 1, sometimes 2 a week). To be honest, it didn’t result in any overall weight loss. This didn’t make any sense to me as I didn’t overeat on other days.

Disclaimer - my opinions might change on this (and I’m very happy for any of you to challenge me!), but …. There’s been a few things I’ve read/heard recently that are making me think that those of us who don’t have too much weight to lose maybe need to find the ‘perfect’ spot of not under-eating or over-eating. There seems a risk that if we’re not getting enough calories (especially protein) and if we don’t have lots of extra fat (which quite a few of us don’t) we might be losing as much muscle as fat. We then all have those odd one-off occasions (Christmas, birthday, etc) where we eat just a normal amount of food, but this goes on as fat. So we might then be back to the weight we were a few weeks earlier, but we’ve actually got more body fat. The whole cycle starts again. This feels like it makes sense of my experience. I guess it’s why there’s so much talk about strength training. Anyway, I might be talking nonsense…

But I’ve been reflecting on the fact that I have gradually gained weight over the last 18 months, which coincided with the first time I’d really started calorie counting, etc. as I wanted to lose a few pounds.

It feels a bit scary but I’m trying to really focus on eating slightly more (still only around 1500 calories, but a lot for me!), prioritising protein and strength workouts. I was 8st10 this morning, after being stuck as around 8st12 since Easter. Who knows, maybe I’ll be back here in a few days, telling you I’ve gained weight and need to re-think again. But I just thought I’d share my current thoughts with you as I know we’re all trying to work out why it seems so, so difficult to just lose a few pounds.

@Autumnleaves82 thank you, this makes a huge amount of sense and I completely relate! I do think we are in probably the trickiest size bracket to drop fat. I follow some 'larger' people on social media who are on fat loss joureys and actually sometimes feel envious as at least they eat decent amounts of food and still see results consistently. Crazy thinking maybe. Like you, I am scared of actively eating more calories daily, yet eating little doesn't seem to work either. I do strength workouts but maybe just not enough per week. My coach is starting a 6 week Summer Shred next week; hoping I get a kick up the backside one way or another (she would definitely not advocate prolonged fasting btw).

Not sure if I will try another water-fast next week, it did feel quite tough with the headache etc.Will give it some thought. I don't feel hungry yet though and may carry on to the 40 hour mark, even managed a dancey workout.

Morning all. After yesterday's carb overload I could see the puffiness in my face when I got up this morning. So I wasn't too surprised to see a gain of 2.2lb on the scales today. I have a couple of days now with no "distractions" before the weekend, which might be a little more challenging.

@Autumnleaves82 from my position on the outside, as it were, I think you're right about the risk that the weight lost could be muscle mass rather than fat, and its important to mitigate this by incorporating strength training of some description.

@Chubbybetty I don't want to be "that person" but can I persuade you that it's time to stop fasting if you haven't already today?

@MarmiteWine thanks, appreciate that. I'm not feeling hungry (which is very odd!) and busy in and out of work meetings this morning, but have had a cappucino with milk earlier, and will have some lunch when I get a break in a little while.😊. Good luck for the weekend and seeing those couple of lbs disappearing!

Very interesting posts, everyone. There is so much conflicting advice and what should be a very simple concept (eat less, move more = weight loss) is, in fact, quite complicated and confusing. I will do my weekly weigh-in tomorrow but I’m a bit scared of stepping on the scales as I had a few ‘sod it’ moments this week and have not managed 10K steps every day by any means, although I did today. I’m finding that everything takes so much time; fitting in a morning walk before work helps me get to 10K but I don’t always have the time. I really must start some YouTube workouts instead of just thinking about starting them. 😬.

Well, no change on the scales this morning. At least I haven’t gained, but I can’t help feeling frustrated that all that abstaining and salad eating and walking has made absolutely no difference. This is hard. It used to be so easy.

Another pound on the scales this morning, but I snacked last night, including salty food and a biscuit, so didn't manage to reset my focus. It's interesting to discover how carbs drive my inclination to eat when I know I'm not hungry.

Same plan again today, I've got a large salad with avocado and seeds, and a tub of cottage cheese, for lunch. Long day at work today so tea will probably be the soup with king prawns. I'm going to take my gym gear to work, to hopefully go straight to the gym afterwards too.

@Valkyrie3 sorry you're struggling at the moment. I think the 10k steps a day is a bit of a red herring. Good for cardiovascular fitness (assuming you're walking at a pace to get slightly out of breath) but not necessarily helpful for weight loss or toning. There's some evidence though that a 10 minute walk after a meal can help with stabilising blood sugars. Can you switch things up a bit and use some of the walking time to do some strength training instead? This could be own bodyweight or with resistance bands etc. And what are you eating, are you weighing/measuring your food? Are you getting enough protein? Are you measuring yourself too, and not just going by what the scales say? I'm not sure how old you are, is menopause (peri- or post-) an issue?

@Chubbybetty how are you today?

Morning all. Happy Saturday 😀. How is everyone doing? Just popping up to remind you that you don't have to pus the 'sod it' button because it's the weekend (holding my hands up, I am regularly guilty of this so not being preachy, but really trying this weekend so holding myelf accountable).

@Valkyrie3 using Youtube for free workouts is a grea idea. If you're looking to purely up activity, Rick Bhullar is good, quite fun. I have used Meredith Shirk in the past also. if you're looking for strength training, other people have mentioned using Caroline Girvan, although I've not tried her myself. I know it's frustrating to not see a loss (believe me, I am the queen of emotions ruled by scales) but also no gain is a win in my book. Also, measurements and how your clothes feel can also help as things may be happening even if the scale isn't moving. Well done!

For anyone who's interested in the results of my extended fast - It was supposed to be 36 hours (Tuesday 8pm to Thursday 8am). Wednesday evening was quite tough (hungry, headache). Thursday morning when was supposed to eat again, I wasn't a bit hungry and really busy day at work so didn't end up eating during the day but did have tea and coffee with milk in. My husband decided he didn't want any dinner on Thursday as he had eaten a big lunch so as I wasn't hungry and had no adverse symptoms I decided to push on through to Friday morning making it a 60 hour fast. I woke up Friday hungry (but not starving) so had a boiled egg and some cottage cheese so as not to overload my stomach. Then yesterday late afternoon we had a BBQ (meats, salads and Pimms/wine, yum). When I broke the fast on Friday morning I stepped on the scales and they haden't moved an ounce, was still 2lbs up from Monday (9st 1lb). It was very disappointing after not eating for 2 whole days, but told myself there may be a delayed response. I weighed this morning, and have lost 3lbs, so back to 8st 12 (although I am factoring in that it may go up again due to last nights BBQ). So the pro's for me are a loss on the scales, and hopefully some of the supposed health benefits (although of course can't judge that on one fast, I am currently reading 'Fast like a Girl' for anyone who's interested in learning more). The con's were headache and some hunger the on first day, and I had two pretty disturbed nights sleep (which felt different to my normal poor sleep, so am attributing to the fast). Given that this is the only thing that has made the scales move for me recently it does make me want to explore more so will go again next week, but definitely not as long as 60 hours again. Maybe 36 or 40.

@MarmiteWine your lunch yesterday sounds delicious, I love cottage cheese. Have you tried the Longley Farm brand? It is so much nicer than supermarket versions. I know you mentioned the soup and prawns upthread, but can you remind me what soup it is please? Thats sounds lovely. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm back, and basically feel like I'm starting again, even though I'm not! I've got the happy scale app now, and have committed to losing 1/2lb per week. I think slow and sustainable is the only way post 40 :(

Not sure what to do about weight training as it always makes my muscles swell and retain water for the first few weeks and then I feel worse about myself. I am meant to be doing a charity run in October, so I need to start training for that, so I'm considering doing that for now, and then once I've had a few weeks of losing, I might restart the gym with weights then - the swelling does wear off eventually, but it's just so demoralising as it makes my thighs go really large for 4-6 weeks when I start!

@Chubbybetty I only buy Longley Farm cottage cheese! And only full-fat. I've tried others when I can't get that but nothing compares. And don't get me started on the brands that add cream for some unknown reason 🤢

The soup is Tideford Organics Thai Green Vegetable, from the chiller section. I get mine from Sainsbury's and one tub has 2 servings. It's been about half-price on Nectar price the last 2 times I've bought it. I really like it and it's non-UPF according to my phone app.

@Chubbybetty thanks for the recommendations. I did a Nick Bhullar workout this morning. What a revelation! I worked up a sweat and could feel my heart working harder - which never really happens on my walks; I walk fast but never sweat (on my way into work so wouldn’t be a good look). It only took 30 minutes and then, by the time I’d walked to the shops and back, I’d done 10,000. 5K just by moving around in my bathroom. This is amazing. Bit early to say, but if I stick to this, this could be answer! Thank you so much! I also downloaded the NHS weight loss app this morning, which is not as sophisticated as MFP but possibly more motivating. I feel that weight loss has to be a sort of project and not just a general ‘I’ll eat less and move more’ kind of thing. What I do like about the NHS app is the tick boxes for doing 30 mins of exercise and eating your 5 portions per day. Kind of keeps you focused on your goals. Keep going everyone, we can do this!

@Chubbybetty60 hours fasting, I’ve never managed that long. Hunger does decrease after the first day so I can see how once you settled into it it was easier. I don’t think I’ll try that though as it may put me back on the path of an old E.D.
Pleased that you saw the results of the scales.
I’m doing good, one meal a day all week and then breakfast and main meal at the weekend. Had some lovely meals; lots of fish, veg, chilli orzo, homemade chips, charred corn and salads. The one meal is filling and I don’t feel deprived (since I’m eating chips 😆) and I definitely look and feel slimmer.
Going to the Isle of Wight festival, travelling down on Wednesday morning so I do not know what that’s going to do to my eating pattern. We’re on the go all day and evening though so I’m hoping that will mitigate the cake, loaded fries, pizza and tacos.
Have a good week all ☀️

@Valkyrie3 I'm so pleased that you looked Rick up, and enjoyed it. Have you done any more of his workouts since? I've had a paid subscription with his programme for a couple of years now, and he is a thoroughly nice chap, and does publish a lot for free on Youtube.

@DurhamDurham the festival sounds like good fun, and I guess you'll just have to do your best with the food while still enjoying yourself, and accept that life is for living as well as trying to drop lb's! Have fun! As usual I went against my own advice and did 'sod it' a little bit at the weekend. We ended up having 2 BBQ's (one to celebrate Fathers Day) and a pizza on Saturday night (although did clock it was less than 400 calories per half, so not too awful). The damage on the scales was 2lbs of my fasting loss back on so was 9st yesterday and today, however am just coming towards the end of a 48 hour water fast so hope to see the results of that in a day or two, and yet again vow not to muck it all up at the weekend! We will probably have a BBQ on Friday (yes, we are a little bit obsessed with outdoor cooking/eating) but will just be proteins and salads. Saturday my husband is out for the evening which means I will always make better food and drink choices without him egging me on so it might not be a disastrous one this week!

How is everyone else faring this week?

Hi, I’m pleased to say I’m down 4lbs. It’s slow, but I’m getting there. If I can do another 4lbs in next month, I’ll be pleased. My PT said he can see I have slimmed down over the past few weeks, which was the acknowledgement I needed!

Im managing my food well now that ive got used to my new eating routine, which I’ve been doing for about 3 weeks - 16/8, sticking to healthy food (but i do join in with family eg wine and cake at family dinner on Sunday).

I’m also increasing my workouts (6 a week, usually at 6am- spin, HIIT, weights inc Caroline Girvin) and steps (still) averaging 14k a days (I now use Bala bangles, which I like), and to be honest I feel great and motivated.

i know how easy it is to fall off wagon, so if i put down in writing here it gives me some accountability!

just over a month to go until my holiday. A few temptations over next few weeks (weekend away this weekend, birthdays) but I want to keep going with feeling good, that I think I’ll be able to balance it.

lets keep going, ladies!

Hi everyone! I have actually made progress now I’m daily weighing and logging with the happy scale app. I think I was kidding myself I could do this without a bit of daily accountability - it makes it too easy for me to have sod it moments. I’ve also concluded that 1/2 pound a week is actually a good target for 40+ short women - if id just started with that as a goal and managed it it would still only take me 20 weeks to reach it, and I’ve wasted about 80 weeks feeling shut about myself in weekend derailing cycle 😂
So far, I seem to have lost about 300g this week - so a block of butter 😂.

Well done on the progress @Mummy321 and @DurhamDurham

@Chubbybetty try not to worrry about the 2lb gain - it won’t all be a gain, some of it will just be a boost to your glycogen stores, some of it will be the I digested food going through your system etc. Have you tried the happy scale app? I am really ‘enjoying’ it.