🎄LOSE IT🎄8 Week Christmas Countdown🎄

[TheRealHousewife]

Following on from ⭐️LOSE IT! Optimistic October & 12 Week Countdown to Christmas⭐️

⭐️OPEN TO ALL⭐️

Clocks have now gone back and the nights are drawing in, Halloween is done and dusted and Bonfire Night is in a few days 😮. Meaning one thing! Christmas and all its festivities are arriving next month 😮🎄🥳

It’s never too late to make a change, to make a difference and feel confident in your body. To reach optimum health and vitality we need to focus not only on our food intake; but movement, mental health and sleep quality too!

Who doesn’t want to feel good and energetic as well looking great! Get on board to reset & refresh and become a healthier version of yourself.

These threads are for those who’d like to lose weight 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 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 generally eat twice a day. Im a long time healthy eater and overall I’ve lost around 45lbs.

I’m mainly maintaining but I would like to get back into the 8’s 🤞(I briefly dipped into the 8’s last month but the scale showed 9st 4lb yesterday)

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

New members … Give it a go; it’s never too late! You'll be pleased you did 😊

PS - This thread will take us up to the New Year 2026 & the thread will be January 2026🥳

On reading back there are some great losses being shared! You’re doing fabulously 👍👏🥳

Good to see you @TheRealHousewife hope decorating goes well this weekend.

Some amazing progress everyone, well done for showing up and trying every day. I saw a funny reel today of a girl saying “I just want to eat shite and be sexy” me too!

I’m 1lb up so far this week, but I’ve decided to refocus a bit. I’ve been very hung up on calories rather than nutrition. My protein is consistently too low so I’m looking at getting more calories from high protein and trimming out the excess carbs and saturated fat. I don’t feel I eat much saturated fat, but Nutracheck strongly disagrees.

I am doing a decent amount of exercise so I need to the protein for muscle repair and growth.

@TheRealHousewife
Enjoy your Sunday it sounds lovely .
🎅
And maintaining is so good this time of the year when so much more temptation is out there .
Have a great day xx😊

Hit the protein hard today and managed 105g. Nutracheck is still not satisfied, it added another 40g onto my target because of my run. That seems a lot. Is anyone else using it?

It did however fill me up all day and I didn’t eat like a starving hyena at 4:30pm, so I suppose it’s good advice. Not sure how sustainable it is constantly snacking on chicken breast.

I am now 0.2kg off my next Happy Scale target, it thinks I won’t hit it until Christmas Day. I’m worried how little faith it has in me!
wearing some tracksuit bottoms which were far too tight when I got them today.

Good to see everyone’s momentum! I’ve had a manic week of pre-Christmas meet ups and Christmas shopping, but things quieten down a bit (in terms of going out to eat) after the weekend.

The weather here has been atrocious, however it’s looking like we might actually get a break from it for our trip into London tomorrow (to eat more food) 🙌🏻

Yesterday and today ended up stressful and tiring. I ran out of steam completely this afternoon and we had MDs. Despite that, it did not tip into a binge.

I’m trying to take more of an interest in my health. Went to my annual check-up this morning for bloods and bp. Not surprised that bp was higher than normal. Going back on Monday for a repeat.

Googled what to eat to lower blood pressure, and aiming to follow that advice. Loads of fruit and veg, lean meat, a lot that I already enjoy, minus the drive-through of course.

Morning guys

Have a good trip today @LemonDrizzle23 and I hope you're right about the weather because poor DH is fed up of being stuck at work during the week and it being dry and then come the weekend it's wet.

I find protein target impossible to hit too @Fellsbells MPF puts me at a target of 81g but I rarely hit that. It does curb hunger a lot though the more you do eat it... but it gets expensive like you say constantly eating chicken breasts.

Well done @PersistentRain even if Happy scales have no faith, we do.

It's easily done @GallstoneGertieInTheGarden but well done for not continuing to binge after.

I had that urge on Thursday night and had smarties and 2 toast and butter in the evening - yikes, then woke up hungry yesterday morning and wanted to snack last night too but didn't, so hurrah. Out for dinner tonight, but will enjoy it fully.

Hello everyone I hope you are all ok
Some good updates and we'll done to everyone who post here
I went to my Slimming world meeting this morning
I had decided to change my goal weight to 8 stone 9 pounds as I felt I was going to weigh in lighter again
So now I am officially one and half pounds over my goal weight
If I can get this off by the last weigh in for the year I will be really pleased.
When I go 3 pounds over which I know I will over Christmas I will soon get it off
Hit goal weight and then have the 3 pounds Lee way again
That's how I have worked it out and it does suit me this way
Also had a free weigh in as my 10 per cent off body weight award was still on the computer for me to use 😋
Have a great week everyone and take care xx

Good seeing how everyone has been doing! I ended up having a lovely evening the other day spending 5 hours in paeds A&E with littlest DS who has RSV (like every other baby in there! It was mobbed), so my lovely healthy planned dinner was replaced by what I could cobble together from the hospital shop. Poor little bugger is dosed up on calpol but hopefully on the mend.

interesting chat about protein- my nutracheck goal is 81g or so and looking back I hit it a bit more than half the time. I do notice that I snack less when I eat plenty of it so I probably should make more of an effort - but I don’t really want to do it via protein powder, my bank balance doesn’t want me to do it via chicken breast and steak, and my waistline doesn’t want me to do it via cheese and nuts!

@biscuitcat sorry to hear about your little DS. And also your brush with hospital cafeteria food! Hope he’s on the mend now.

Well we were spectacularly lucky yesterday. It poured down while we were in the train, but stopped by the time we got to London. Then poured down all the while we were in the restaurant, then stopped by the time we’d finished eating. Although the tube coming home was a bit of a horror show! It was otherwise a successful day.

@TheWayTheLightFallsthinking of you and hoping you get good news.

A drop to 8st 4lb today somehow. BMI of 20.7 and I’m happy with that although still flabby. I really need to one up but lack the motivation and energy with the stress going on. I’ve been fuelled by fried mashed potato sandwiches most of the week. The ultimate comfort food. I’ve not weighed this since 2001!

Oh my goodness @LegoTherapy, a fried mashed potato sandwich sounds like food of the gods!

I had a very delicious roast chicken loaded flatbread and glass of mulled wine for lunch as we went to the Christmas tree farm (in the pouring rain…) to choose our tree and they have very excellent food and drinks. Planning on french onion soup for dinner as we won’t need something heavy after that!

thanks @LemonDrizzle23 - he seems much better and just needs some extra sleep (though sadly not at night…).

@biscuitcatits a family Christmas breakfast tradition. The mash has to be leftovers or at least made and chilled until properly solid in the fridge overnight. Put butter in a frying pan and cut a big slab from the dish of mash. As it heats it softens and you can form a patty. Cook until it’s safe to flip it. You want it golden and crispy on both sides. White sliced bread and butter is best and you want lots of salt. Bliss. Usually I only eat homemade bread and never eat mashed potatoes but this is such a family tradition and comfort food that I don’t care about the quality of the bread or the carbs. I don’t care about carbs anyway but these are the best carb fest ever.

Hi Everyone ❤️

Thank you for the lovely sentiments. Christmas has arrived… I eventually got the tree up on Friday with loads of help from my beloved other half and I started trimming it yesterday and finished today. I’m pleased we have done it now that it’s done 🎄I think come January it would be easier to chuck a sheet over it (when are invisibility cloaks going to be for general sale) ready for unveiling next December 😅

In regards to my health issues I’ve been referred again to rehab physio which fingers crossed will bring a degree of relief 🥲

Menu
Meal 1 - Scrambbled egg with grated cheese. Pecans
Meal 2 - Rib eye, home made low fat chips (air fryer), peas and pepper sauce. Greek yoghurt.

Drinks - Tea, black coffee and water.

Morning all

I hope that rehab physio helps @TheRealHousewife - wanted to type rehab only, but that sounded very sus

I'm up a pound after a weekend of indulgence, but I'm sure that will come down as the salt and water gets out of my system as long as I reign it back in today

Plan:
B: hot choc and cake with my terminally ill friend
L: chicken breast and salad in a wrap
D: pesto pasta with bacon and carrot & courgette strips mixed in - like the craze with courgetti but I just use a vegetable peeler and I still have pasta too - just to help give me my 5 a day
S: apple

Should absolutely be within my calorie count

Morning all,

I'm up a kg after a bit of an indulgent weekend @FridayNighFeeling but like you back on it today and hoping it will come back off!

Sorry to hear about your friend, enjoy the time together.

@TheRealHousewife hope the physio helps.

Wishing everyone a good week!

I'm up half a pound today - food weight, I think.

Still trying to sort out my diet. Have confirmed, I think, that I have to stop eating lentil soup. sob

I'm also trying probiotics.

I've still been doing Pilates and Stretch (when I can get booked in) but the gym doesn't re-open properly until next week. I'm told that the gym will be open during the Christmas holidays - apart from Christmas, Boxing day, New Year and the following day. Only the Pilates classes will be on, but I should be able to get into the gym then.

Trying not to muck up my foot again. I have an orthotics appointment tomorrow. Shall see what is said then.

My weight loss pattern has been: lose weight; gain a bit; stabilise; stick for a while; lose weight. I'm clinging to the positives - was 16st 4 lbs. Currently stabilising at 14 stones and my thighs are stronger than they were ignores stretch marks plus I'm definitely much more flexible than I've been in years. Wish I'd taken up Pilates much sooner.

I think my hair loss has stabilised. I can see that it's thinner than it was before I was widowed, but I did have thick hair then. I'm getting back on the collagen - had stopped, fearing that it was contributing to my stomach problems. I've noticed that the hair that's grown in over the past while isn't as wiry and brittle - the first two inches looks shinier and healthier than the older hair and I'm surprised that there's still dark hair growing in.

Anyway, at the moment I'm just trying not to overeat whilst I sort out what agrees with me, I'm keeping going with Pilates, I'm using Kerastase Genesis products and I'm trying to remember to slather myself with Retinol cream and Nivea Q10 cream, in an attempt to stop stretch marks getting worse. The Nivea previously made a big difference to my arms, but I need to get back to using it regularly.

I'd better remember to take my Vitamin D, too!

Big Christmasy love to those with poorly loved ones and well everyone else too.

The weekend weighing gods were looking down on me on Saturday night. The Indian restaurant forgot to put my curry in the takeaway bag so for once Monday morning didn’t involve a few lbs increase.

I’m a pound down from Friday. Two if you count my post run/no breakfast/just had a wee so totally dehydrated weight, which I’m not, but it’s still nice to see.

I’m still eating more protein, I really think it’s helping, but it’s early days.

Thanks @CinnamonSweet73 she's a bit of a mother figure to me, so it's tough, but she's still having treatment and putting up a good fight.

Argh, that's so frustrating for you @WearyAuldWumman hope you can keep going as best you can. At least there are positives!

I'd have cried at missing left overs @Fellsbells

Sending love @TheRealHousewife , @LegoTherapy , @biscuitcat .

So I do have breast cancer. Gah. Early, treatable, but I'm very sad and angry to be in that whole world. Today was/is OMAD and that's broadly going fine though unsurprisingly my appetite has vanished!

If it's ok I'll stick to food/eating updates on here, rather than life updates (or just go quiet for a bit if I can't face updates).

Oh that’s rubbish , @TheWayTheLightFalls, sorry to hear. But absolutely keep here for food and diet, hopefully nice to have a space to just think about that.

Today’s menu for me has been:

L - croque Madame (I added an egg to up the protein!)
D - chicken, pepper and onion flatbread with tzatziki

I think as and when I finish breastfeeding and have to cut down on calories, having a brunch and a dinner will be a sensible way to eat as I can have two good meals and not feel as though I’m stinting myself while still staying at a reasonable calorie deficit.

Sorry to hear that @TheWayTheLightFalls and sending you every good wish. Definitely keep posting your food updates on here if it works for you. Eating as well as you can, can only be a good thing going forward ❤️

Sounds like 2 good meals will work well for you @biscuitcat

Back to sensible eating here today and got out for a quick walk at lunchtime despite a busy wfh day.

Sending hugs and best wishes, @TheWayTheLightFalls . Yes, definitely keep posting food updates.