Flaming Healthy June!

[Healthstartshere]

June arrives tomorrow. I’m planning a super healthy (but realistic) month and would welcome anyone who would like to join me on 30 days of self improvement.

My aims are weight loss and cultivating a healthier body and mind. I plan to do this by adopting a healthier diet, reducing calories, increasing exercise, reducing alcohol intake, being kinder to myself and enjoying more fresh air and sleep.

I am jotting down a plan of how to do this right now (whilst finishing off the crisps). Come and join me for mutual encouragement of the likeminded, whatever your personal goals for June! 😊

@thenewaveragebear1983 I get that completely. I was halfway getting my hair dyed platinum when the first lockdown hit…the hairdresser had stripped my hair of all colour so I looked like a day old chick (I’m dark brown usually!) and we ran out of time so I was supposed to go back in the following morning to finish!! It didn’t open back up for months! Haven’t dyed my hair since lol.

Hello all! Had a bit of a relaxed weekend food wise but did manage to get my steps in thanks to the dog! So Monday's weigh in ended up at just 0.25 kgs down from last Monday... but I'll take that given the excessive weekend intake. Interesting also to see how quickly you can undo progress. I've shifted my mindset to "disaster, I've slipped up and now I'm going to eat ALL the chocolate hobnobs" (and fight DH for them in the process!) to just crack on and make the next choice a healthy one. I've also given up trying not to eat after I get home from work at 3.30/4 ish because I'm starving. I just stick to frozen fruit and kefir or my new found love (don't laugh) celery sticks. There is something SO satisfying about their crunchy-ness. I do have to remind myself that they are NOT a vehicle for excessive cream cheese / peanut butter consumption though!!!

That’s so positive you have a ‘yes’ pile @thenewaveragebear1983 have a great time abroad.
And congratulations @Monvelo what a stellar result! That’s such an achievement when you’ve been battling pain and restrictions on what you can do exercise wise.
@Poisonwood going abroad is lovely but the travelling is a a PITA. I bet you know exactly what kind of holiday you enjoy here. Uk hols are fab (if it’s not pi@hing down!) .
V busy day at work today but went well. Little exercise though as visited my DPs on way home. Porridge & berries; ham salad sandwich & tea; pasta bolognese for dinner, made by my DD which was lovely (hopefully this is her starting to cook dinners 🤞) No treats, 😇.
Onward we go. Definitely hitting the gym tomorrow.

Woke up this morning with a really sore throat and it has disturbed my sleep all night as well. I was planning to go out for a run before the heat today, not sure if I’m really feeling that now. I went over on my calories yesterday for the first time in quite a few days and felt really annoyed with myself, which is a mindset I need to work on. I follow a PT on socials and her motto is to make sure you “never f* up twice in a row” so rather than dwell on it I’m just going to make today an excellent day.

I will drag my carcas out for a run, then walk doggo.
protein /fibre shake with berries - mid morning
take all my vitamins
lots of water
big salad lunch
recipe for dinner - Spanish style chicken thighs cooked in tomato sauce and paprika 😋
make time to listen to my hypnosis recording for anxiety (helping me a lot right now) and to do a short, bodyweight strength routine - for some reason I’m having such a mental block around this one, I just cannot make myself. But today is the day,and I can think about that swimwear “maybe” pile 👙 !
have a great day

@thenewaveragebear1983 it's starting that's the hardest..... once you are a few steps into your run / done one rep of your body weight routine .... you'll be so pleased you've done it. 🎉

Sorry @Captainladder i totally missed seeing your post yesterday 🤦‍♀️ I do like ‘’just crack on and make the next choice a healthy one’’!
I’ve had a busy day ‘Off’ here - laundry, housework, cooking, yoga, shopping. All good but v busy. Finally purchased walking boots with my DC. First hike will take place once we have worn the boots around house a few evenings and have time (this is a problem!!).

@thenewaveragebear1983 I am seriously thinking of ditching the calorie counting and focusing on all the other healthy things (including those learned from you guys on here). I think the thread is a positive influence as I can read someone else’s update and think ‘’they are going great, putting real effort in, why are they beating themselves up over a biscuit (or whatever) ‘’ when that’s exactly what I do myself!!
Do all post your updates folks- good or bad. Certainly no judgement here 😊 x

I had a fantastic experience this evening, I met some friends I don't see often in a stunning location for lakeside pilates followed by 1hr swimmercise in the lake! There were swallows and house martins whizzing about and hares watching us. At the end of the evening the pink "buck moon" appeared over the hills!

@Monvelo how lovely!! 💖

I’ve been building awkward flatpack furniture most of the day, ugh. Did an hour of yoga to ease afterwards, and have eaten well enough though snacks somehow snuck in (porridge with raisins, a wagon wheel, lentil soup & wholemeal toast with a yoghurt and a brunch bar, a penguin, salmon with sweet potato and lots of veg). Came to bed with my dressing gown on and a hot water bottle so don’t know if I’m coming down with something.

@Monvelostunning! I have a real craving to get near water at the moment, I’m desperate to try out door swimming but I don’t know where to go to do it, and I keep talking myself out of it

@Healthstartsherei have tried many times to stop calorie counting but to be honest, I always end up maintaining rather than losing. I’m pretty good at eating to my appetite but to lose I need to eat 3/4 of that and without tracking calories I just eat too much.

it’s a beautiful morning, earlier in the year I decided rather than focus on my big untidy garden I would make a little corner oasis, with beautiful pots and a little table and chairs, it gets the morning sun. Every day I sit out here drinking my coffee while the cat and dog do their morning routine, before the kids get up. It’s genuinely my favourite part of the day.

today will be a hot one here, I’m going to walk doggo before it gets too warm. Kids have transition days at new schools, then I will work. Then finishing work early for a meeting after school. Food will be my protein/fibre shake, a salad lunch, boil some eggs for snacks, and a spicy Spanish chicken thighs things for dinner with broccoli. I have a check in call with my online coach this evening, and I really really want to get a workout in (just something gentle with dumbbells)

@Healthstartshere I try not to calorie count but always have a rough running total each day simply through my brain being annoying lol.

@thenewaveragebear1983 your oasis sounds lovely.

Today is finally nice weather, so we are going for a bike ride and it’ll be two hours of yoga for me too. I had quark with honey, chia, pumpkin seeds for breakfast and a cottage cheese salad at lunch. Dinner is daal. I’m really tired, working 3am-10am over the school holidays and it takes a bit out of me these days which is why I reached for sugary snacks yesterday I think.

It’s been so hot here today! I’ve felt very snacky today and have ended up going over my calories, partly because I couldn’t be bothered to cook my planned dinner and instead I ate Ds’s leftover pizza (which was over 330 calories 🤦‍♀️) - but I’d already had a couple of nibbles from the fridge and some fruit and other bits that I hadn’t planned for. I had a very sour grapefruit for my breakfast and was very surprised that it was 70 calories! What a waste, it was very sour to eat. Aside from that I have listened to my hypno recording for anxiety, I promised myself I would listen every day this week and I definitely feel a lot less anxious. I did a 20 minute simple workout with dumbbells as well.

tomorrow I will run first thing, before it gets too hot, then walk the dog. Food is sorted. I don’t want to drink alcohol this weekend as it’s my birthday next weekend, and I want to see a loss!

@thenewaveragebear1983 I'm glad your hypno recording is helping.

Have eaten really well today - chai and raisin porridge with walnuts, chia and pumpkin seeds for breakfast (kids love this one), lunch was barbecue lentils with cottage cheese and sweet potato, and some grapes. Dinner, if I fancy any, will be gammon with homemade potato salad and other salad.
Yoga in the sunshine. Some gardening. Lots of water.

Morning all. What’s everyone’s plans for the weekend?

this morning I am going wild swimming, really looking forward to that, and this afternoon we are going to watch a local carnival and then onwards to a fete with stalls and rides etc. It is historically a very boozy affair but to be honest I am happy not to drink for hours in the blazing heat so I am going to drive and that will save me a lot of wasted calories. I’m doing well with my food and drink this week, and have lost another half pound or so, my weight this morning was 152.8lbs (10st 12,8) - it’s kg birthday next weekend so I’d like to be firmly into the 10’s by then to buy me a little wiggle room. Something has clicked in me these last few weeks, I’ve allowed myself more calories but then have actually stuck to it, and I’ve not been just mindlessly eating rubbish. My protein is up to 100-120g a day and getting 30g fibre every day by supplementing in addition to veg and fruit. I think the combination of all these things is key really, plus drinking absolutely gallons of water in the heat, I think I drank 8 pints yesterday.

I feel like I've slightly fallen off the wagon this week, although nothing terrible. I've not done as much physio and no calorie counting, drank a bit more and eaten choc. I've put 1lb on but tbh I'm about where I'd like to be weight wise and accepting of some natural fluctuations. Just need to get on it with the physio again.

This weekend there's a huge medieval re-enactment in my town. We go every year. Took the kids along today, we saw the awesome drummers and mummers, I got fleeced by the kids for hippy clothes and double edged axes. It was exceptionally hot, seriously felt for the people in full authentic dresses and armour!!

@thenewaveragebear1983 hope you had a lovely time. It sounds like you’re in the zone upping your protein and your fibre.

@Monvelo the reenactment sounds fabulous! I’ve been the same with the wagon, maybe the heat isn’t helping. I think mine may be hormonal too, I had toast and strawberry jam with orange juice and an apple and walnuts for breakfast…that’s much more sugars than I usually go for. Difficult to know as my cycles aren’t regular anymore, but I also feel a tad grumpy at DH (who is basically a good man), so the signs are there 😆.

Did an hour of power yoga early, meditation, had breakfast outside watching the greenfinches and enjoyed a mindful cup of tea.

I ended up having a few drinks last night, felt very hungover this morning! Today I’m back on track. I’ve drunk loads of water, walked, did a 25 mins hiit workout, and my food has been very good. We’re having burgers tonight but nothing too fancy.

my meals are all planned for the week ahead, and I’m about to go in an boil some eggs and cook some chicken thighs for the fridge for lunches/ protein snacks. It’s my birthday next weekend so I need a good week, and I am determined to be in the 10 stone bracket on my birthday!

I’d put half a pound on at my weigh in this morning, a bit annoying because on Friday I was down 3lbs! But the weekend has been pretty much off plan and there’s been too much wine consumed and combined with the heat I think it’s probably a fair gain. I’ve had a good day today with lots of protein so hopefully a couple of days of being back on track and I’ll be back down.

Hi all, glad to hear how you are all doing. I’m afraid I’ve had a too much wine and pudding weekend, as we had guests. My new job is full on and I’m just exhausted and my house is a perma-tip. Haven’t been to gym since Thursday so I’ve pretty much fallen off the cliff edge of health onto the rocks of slobby failure 😞. Anyway have a good week keeping the good work going and I will try to climb back up to reach you!!

1/2lb down this week, I’m okay with that as definitely in the weight gain part of my cycle. I’m off work this week so will try not to go overboard…nothing nice planned sadly, today we’re making up a cabin bed as rain due all day.

@Healthstartshere we've all been at the bottom of the cliff edge - the good news is you don't have to stay there.... just take that one step in the right direction and don't beat yourself up. Our home is also perma-tip, and it's the end of the school year (work in a school!) and everyone is knackered at work and kids are knackered at home.
had A meeting that over ran into lunch time today so .smissed lunch and ate ALL the cakes in the staff room. Not great decision but I can't take it back so instead of beating myself up, I'm gonna move on. I've had a kefir drink (trying to help my gut biome!) and a cup of tea since I've got back, and dinner might be a Costco pizza.... it's a rarity though so that's ok.
tomorrow I'm having scrambled eggs and wholemeal pitta for breakfast and overnight oats for lunch.... and something tofu stir fry ish for dinner. That should balance things out!
im trying to work on micro improvements that add up to big change now.

Discovered a downside this morning. I've not worn my favourite jeans since the weather's been good. Dug them out this morning and they are way too big!

@Monvelogood problem to have!

I have felt weird all day, I forgot to make my shake this morning and so I called into Lidl on my way to the office, I bought protein balls, A sushi bowl and a box of strawberries. And a protein yoghurt. I’ve felt so odd all day, like I’ve had waaaaaay too much sugar, my face has felt all odd and tight. How strange! Tuesdays are normally a challenging day for me at the office, but I’ve come home and made dinner, just waiting for it now and will have a big salad with sweet chilli chicken and potato salad. 😋

@Captainladder micro improvements are the ones that make a huge difference I think.

@Monvelo jeans shopping time 😊

@thenewaveragebear1983 hope you’re feeling back to normal today.

I had a grazing day yesterday, I think I managed to get ok calories in but I wasn’t hungry…tomato soup, wholemeal toast and salad veg, two big bowls of Special K, and a Greek yoghurt.

Today I’m feeling stomach-crampy and grumpy and resisting chocolate (grumpily). And I swear I’m never making a cabin bed again!

Good food choices today: high fibre fruit & nut bar, soup with focaccia and side salad, dinner is whiting, boiled potatoes with skins on and veg. Might have yoghurt and fruit later.