🎄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🥳

I’ve put on a 1lb. But that’s actually 3lb from my recorded weight on Saturday. I was so close to making my Xmas goal. Now I won’t and I don’t really know where I’ve gone wrong. I’ve done nothing different.
I’m really feeling up of this after a year. Like really fed up. I lost great and now only 8lbs since June and everytime I bounce down and I bounce right back again. I don’t want to take time off it I just want to lose the last stone so I’m a healthy bmi.
a very sad and defeated socks this morning ☹️

Sending hugs @socks1107 all you can keep doing is keep plodding on.

I'm 0.1kg down from lowest last week, but I'm fighting the urge to eat everything in sight - hungry before bed and hungry when I wake up... guess worth it on the scales though. Walking good couple of miles today as we have some much needed sun after all the rain so maybe I will give in to the toast urge tonight!

One lb off for me this week. I’m 6lbs from my Xmas target, so I won’t hit that, but I’m creeping forward and should get there in the new year. That’s the only way to look at it!

Just found out the 5 Quality Street chocolates I ate are a criminal 225 calories. That’s a 3.5km run!

Does prove that tracking works for me though otherwise I’d have eaten 20.

I am pleased @Marshmellowbunnybut I was so close! My goal was to be under 80kg for half term and I failed, don’t think it will happen for Christmas so just need to get as close as possible. I want to get into overweight rather than obese - I hate it.

Today was my goal day of 65kg but I've only gained since setting it 6 months ago. It was originally set for September. My problem is I think my mental health and weight loss are at conflict with each other. It's a bit of a vicious cycle as I don't feel good about myself the size I am. I did start leveling out then climbed again. Also, my lightest I've been was after my 2nd child when I just didn't do any much activity, or eat lunch when I was at home with the baby. And probably had post natal depression. So on some level, being thin reminds me of that. I hated people saying how good I looked, and what diet did I do, when I wasn't dieting and felt shit.

In the short term, not eating makes me feel emotionally unstable. A Macdonald's at lunch can makes the afternoon feel good. Sweet foods are bad for my mood, but I love them

Fair enough @PersistentRain
It is really so hard!

Try to be kind to yourself and remember it's that horrible time of year!

If you're still on a downward trajectory then that's something, and if not then just regroup and see what you can do between here and new year! 🩷 But don't get disheartened by not hitting goals (I know, I know easier said than done!) I'm trying to not go off numbers, but how I feel in myself!

You can just ignore me though. I'm no expert 🤣🙈 thinking of you though! 🥰

I think it's brilliant that you can recognise this pattern, even if you are disheartened. Some ideas:

a different approach so that you don't feel like you have to restrict yourself? (for example, a time limited eating window, or having set days a week when you can eat whatever you like)

a group approach like SW?

upping movement, with the aim of feeling fitter if not losing weight?

@TheWayTheLightFalls thanks. I haven't fully picked apart my emotional eating. I do like the idea of the nos diet. But havemt stuck to it. I think I'll do that again now. Except I do have a fancy chocolate advent calendar, but that could be my only sweet so special. I also do ok with intermittent fasting for 12-14 hours. Longer than that I can't do as I can't do my job on an empty stomach. Mostly I can't deal with certain colleagues. I cried the time I tried to skip breakfast.

I agree that recognising the pattern is a huge victory in itself @Alwayslearning25 - you can’t make any changes if you haven’t understood the underlying reason (as a fellow emotional eater!).

This has easily been the longest I’ve managed to sustain a weight loss process and the things that have helped me are seeing changing my way of eating as an investment in myself and an act of self care, where the weight loss is a happy side effect - but ultimately the change is something which is worth doing anyway, weight loss or not, as I’m eating in a way which makes me feel better and which will support my health in the long term.

Are there any other things which help perk you up for the afternoon, either food or non food based? McDonald’s is so useful as it’s quick and easy, so having things/ideas to hand to replicate that convenience for me is key.

I'd add - I ate McD's every week while going from 89kg to (as is) 72kg. If what you need is a once a week McDonald's to keep the rest of the show going - you're not going to find it as advice in any diet book but that's OK. McD's calories aren't any more calorific than anywhere else's.

@Alwayslearning25 I was going to say what @TheWayTheLightFalls said and also, I found it useful to just get something smaller if I did go. So I used to get a double cheeseburger, but I realised that I got the same feeling from just having a normal cheeseburger. It was just the actually having something from McDonald's that I wanted. Does that make sense?

Idk if that's something that might work for you, but either way, as @TheWayTheLightFalls said, if what you need is a once a week McDonald's to keep the rest of the show going, then that's okay!

We shared a McD this afternoon after a hospital appt. It hit the slot in a way that would not happen if we had to come home and make the tea. It was within my eating window. I had about a quarter of it and the coffee, and I don’t want more.

I added a handful of shredded lettuce to the McD for balance

Whoops, forgot to check in yesterday. Lost another 1.1 kg this week - now under 70 kg for the first time since I started chemo 3 years ago. Woohoo!! BMI still 25.5 but I'm more than pleased with that.

SW 73
CW 68.9
GW 67

Might even get there before Christmas!

Have been following this thread for a while which has motivated me to keep going with my very slow and steady weight loss. After 6 weeks have finally seen the numbers drop a little on rhe scales. I'm coming to the realisation that I have to up the exercise - I have started doing zumba once a week and weight seems to drop a bit more when I do it than the weeks I've missed!

I had hoped to lose 4kg in the 8 weeks to Christmas but currently at 1.6kg after 6 weeks so probably won't hit it, but still better to be a bit lighter than I was! And I feel my approach is sustainable long term - i tend to get lethargic and cranky if i cut my food too much! Hoping to get out for a walk at lunchtime.

What lovely supportive messages to come to this morning. You are a great bunch of women

Holding steady at 24lbs lost having decided to pause around 20lbs as it's just too much this time of year, so I'm pleased I have a bit of a buffer going into the 3 weeks ahead.

What has everyone got planned? We are seeing family for an early Christmas the weekend before and then just a quiet day at home and we never really do anything for NYE either... but there will be lots of temptations none the less!

I hit my Happy Scale target of 81.4kg, but I don’t own it yet. So the wait for the next target continues…..

Hi everyone

Good to read all the updates and great everyone still here for the support.
I go for my weekly weigh in tomorrow morning I enjoy it though do get a bit stressed just before I get weighed.
I don't mind if stayed the same but really don't want to gain at this time of the year .
I will report here tomorrow and hopefully good news
Have a lovely weekend everyone and take good care xx

Yesterday was not one of my best. I was already stressed, I had to have my car checked out, and I flung a 100g bar of chocolate in the trolley at asda. Had it as soon as I got home along with the last of the latte sachets. That left me grumpy and unmotivated for the rest of the day and fairly annoyed with myself. Had a bagel at tea-time just because they were sitting there on the worktop, even though most bread-type products disagree with me. And now I can add bagels to the list to avoid.

But I’m back on track today, with a few hours to myself to get sorted.

Hi everyone
Hope everyone is well
@GallstoneGertieInTheGarden
Sounds like you are resetting today so that's good . Yesterday gone now so a new start is always good. 😍
I have been to my group meeting this morning was lots missing so probably out shopping for Christmas as only 1 weekend left 😱
Where's the year gone ?
Anyway I have lost half a pound so was pleased with that today .
One pound to lose to meet my new target so don't think I will reach it next Saturday and there is the festivities to enjoy so hopefully reach it by the end of January as not putting any pressure on myself .
Altogether I have lost 2 stones and 2 pounds
I think slimming world as been such a good weight loss programme for me and will continue to go for management once I have reached my new target.
Take care and have a great week everyone xx

Struggling to stay on track food wise. 1st run in a while today -n restarting C25K (6 years since my last race!).

Meals last week:

-Chinese takeaway tonight (well deserved after a week of home made meals and a run today)
-spaghetti bolognese
-chicken stir fry (veg and udon noodles)
-chicken provencal (peppers, courgettes, tomatoes) with rice and broccoli
-chicken casserole with mash and carrots
-beef rendang with rice and black beans
-pea soup with smoked sausage

Tomorrow will be chicken salad wraps (leftover Chinese for lunch!) with a nice walk in the morning.

One more week of work. Trying to get as much done as possible so I can enjoy the break.

Have been bad at checking in on the thread. Hope everyone's doing okay.

Thank you all for the support earlier this week. I'm going to throw out the towel for the rest of the year and start again in January. I am getting back onto 14 hours overnight fasting the past couple of days. So nothing from 6pm until 8am.

I do need a concrete plan in place. Maybe I'll use myfitnesspall. Or even chatgbt to get a plan. I love my notebooks and journals so maybe I'll go down that route....

Hi all, I’ve had a good read and catch up.

I’ve decided to go for maintenance this month. I’m 3lbs off a three stone loss and would have liked to achieve it but it’s December and birthdays and festivities so I’m being realistic.

still working out, still counting calories but changes my settings in Nutracheck and having some time off! Will continue to post here and get ready for the last stone in the new year 🥳

I now ‘own’ my Happy Scale target of 81.4kg, so my new one is 79.5kg. It predicts mid January but Christmas is looming!
am very excited to see a 7