⭐️LOSE IT! January Jumpstart 2026⭐️

[TheRealHousewife]

⭐️ Open to All ⭐️

January 2026! Following on from LOSE IT! 8 Week Christmas Countdown

Fresh Start, New Habits! To reach optimum health and vitality (as well as a trim body) we need to focus not only on our food intake; but movement, our 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 have a 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) that’s based on several sensible principles including:-

1. Eat a variety of real whole foods such as fresh vegetables, salad, berries, beans, nuts, eggs, lean meat, good fats etc.

2. Reduce sugars, simple carbs, alcohol and UPFs.

3. Plan your meals & log your intake. Also be mindful of portion control.

4. Intermittent fasting - research suggests (Zoe study) that adhering to an eating window of 10 hours can have a positive effect on health, wellbeing and weight loss. I personally have a eating window of approximately 7hrs - 12:00 - 19:00.

5. Stay hydrated! 💧

6. Move as much as able. Particularly strength based exercise. Muscle keeps you strong as well as revs up your metabolism.

7. Get the fibre in! Great for your gut biome as well as 💩

8. SLEEP! Good sleep hygiene and a regularly sleep routine can be beneficial to weight loss. I’m always more hungry following poor sleep.

9. Be mindful about your own mental wellbeing and try not to eat your feelings. We’ve all been there!

10. Be kind to yourself. One or two slip ups won’t undo all your previous efforts. Just check-in with yourself, reinforce your good intentions and carry on.

I calorie count based on a lower carb Mediterranean diet. I intermittent fast and eat twice a day. Im a long time healthy eater and overall I’ve lost over 3 stone. After having been on the wrong side of 12st Im now hovering around 9st 2lbs.

Are you in?😊 What food plan will you be following? What do you want to change and why? Any recipes/workouts that have worked for you, you’d like to share?

Very inspired by everyone's efforts! First day back at work today, which was great for my step count (have been a total slug over Christmas) but potentially risky for food as so many options (I work at a university) and indeed my stomach was rumbling so loudly in my morning meetings I was for once very glad that they were on Teams! Got through the day without snacking on anything other than an apple though so am counting the whole thing as a win, even if I probably should have made different choices - definitely in a calorie deficit though and that'll do for me today. Working from home tomorrow which presents different challenges with all the Christmas stuff still lying around - will hide away in my home office room and ignore it all I hope!

B overnight oats, greek yogurt, berries
L chicken burrito bowl (rice, beans, salad, chicken)
D salmon parcels, potatoes, veg

Dr Clare Bailey Weight Loss Tips

Summary:-

1. Use the power of protein and fibre
2. Apply calorie control
3. Shut the kitchen early
4. Drink water, not booze
5. Boost GLP production

PS Do you think Clare has been reading our threads 😅

I've not had my 5 a day every day but other than the aforementioned meal out, have stayed under 1400 calories:

Day 1:

Stir fry consisting of tofu dusted with corn flour for crunch and Chinese 5 spice, rice noodles, an egg, a drizzle of honey, mange toute, baby corn, tender stem broccoli and carrot, cooked in half a tbsp sesame oil.

Coconut greek yoghurt with pineapple and mixed nuts.

Day 2: a banana and an apple for lunch
The rest of the stir fry for dinner and an apple rice pudding for dessert

day 4:
Smoothie made with a banana, oats, milk and cinnamon

Small jacket potato with beans and cheese and some nuts

Today:
Snack of olives, cheese and nuts

Dinner was an egg yolk on avocado on halloumi on toast. Then I did have a raspberry rice pudding and some apple juice.

Definitely not the healthiest but it's healthier for me who tends to just carb load and can go days without fruit or veg 😳 I'm also being mindful of milk added to tea and coffee as this is often where I go over calories previously I think

Hi @Ehlace Well done on keeping accountable and tracking your intake! Your tofu dish sounds delicious as does the avocado one 😋 In regards to milk in hot drinks - you’re right they soon add up. Especially if partaking in the latte/cappachino type frothy ones 😮. One day I literally stopped having milk in my coffee and find I actually prefer it. As long as it isn’t too bitter that is. Converted my other half to take it like that too. Tea I need a splash of organic non sweetened soya. I much prefer it to dairy milk in tea.

Milk in tea/coffee absolutely adds up. I drink far too much tea, if I could give it up I could swap the calories for something much tastier!

Oh @Pollyparanoia your post did make me chuckle. Like @therealhousewife said, don't apologise. I loved reading it! And it helps you feel less alone on this frustrating journey 😢🙈

@therealhousewife what does boost glp production mean? I think I'll Google after this.

@TheWayTheLightFalls I just googled Ash Reshteh instead of boost GLP as I intended and it looks so delicious. I really want to try it now 🤤 looks just like my kinda food.

@ehlace I just have one milky tea in the morning which I weigh out at around 20ml and then I've become addicted to flavoured tea instead. Particularly peppermint ones. I've got a whole selection. 🤭

I did OMAD yesterday and fasted until 18:30. Had fajitas for my OMAD. They were so tasty. Jumped on the scales this morning and I'm back at 9,7.6 (60.6kg) so back on track from before Xmas. Who knows if I'll make 9,5 (59.4kg) by the end of Jan. But 🤞🏻

It snowed again last night, so much. Driving was cancelled. So I'm in all day and just need to avoid the chocolate.

I hope you all have a good day!

If you are anywhere near south London I can recommend the cafe I went to. Going again on Saturday as I am dreaming about this soup!

Good Morning All x

@Marshmellowbunny This site details = How to improve GLP Production In summary:-

1. Optimise your diet
2. Prioritise high protein foods
3. Increase fibre intake
4. Engage in regular physical exercise
5. Prioritise sleep
6. Manage stress

@TheWayTheLightFalls Oooo I wonder if you’d be able to wheedle the recipe from the cafe … sounds delicious 😋

I popped on the scale and I’m a smidge down (.5lb) A smidge every week will soon add up 😬

@TheWayTheLightFalls I'm not, I'm very far away in the North...but my partners family is from South London, so we do go that way, so I would LOVE to know the place and maybe I'll convince him to go for a visit next time we're there...if it's doable!

Morning everyone. Thank you @TheRealHousewife for your encouragement a few days ago. I’m feeling positive about this healthy new journey, and having found this thread is a big part of that positivity!

Things have been going well (I think) so far here. I’ll be weighing myself tomorrow and will only be weighing myself once a week for WOW. Previously I’ve gotten bogged down with weighing myself too frequently and getting upset with all the fluctuations.

I’ve made my main focus at the moment to up my protein A LOT, and it’s helped me feel more full while also enjoy my meals. I am a pescatarian (only started eating fish again during my pregnancy), and I really didn’t realise how little protein I’ve been getting until I started making it a focus. I use NutraCheck. I have even noticed a slight increase in my breast milk supply since upping my protein and drinking more water. I have always loved drinking lots of water but since giving birth haven’t found it easy to keep up with, so what I’m doing now is filling a jug and taking that and a glass with me around the house while I deal with baby stuff. I am trying to drink at least 4 jugs per day (about 4 litres), which lines up with what I need while breastfeeding at my weight. I am just sad that the breastfeeding “support” - if you can call it that - I got after giving birth was so poor. It’s been hard to come to terms with the fact that I’m not exclusively breastfeeding as I had dreamed of doing. (I’m a FTM.) I am still latching baby for some feeds, mainly overnight (as that’s when she wants to), and pumping a bit. But I feel like some of my low self-esteem right now is stemming from this part of my mothering journey not going how I’d envisioned. I will try to reframe things and think about how being a healthier (and happier) mum will be good for my baby.

Hope everyone’s week was off to a strong start 💪

Back down to 81.1kg today. I was 81kg before Christmas. Of course Happy Scale doesn’t believe it yet, it’s so mean!
Very busy yesterday and gym today. Really need to start getting my 10k steps everyday. Need to get under 80kg asap I want that number gone.

Sending a motherly hug @moondip , it sounds like it’s been difficult for you. Just keep telling yourself that you, your body and your baby are doing everything right and some aspects are out of your control. You’re doing great! Well done on upping protein & water 👍❤️

Great update @BlackCatFanClub 👍

Menu
Meal 1 - Sweet potato, pea & onion frittata. Side salad. Walnuts & hazelnuts.
Meal 2 - Home made lasagna (small piece) Spinach salad. Greek yoghurt, kiwi and raspberries.
Drinks - Tea, black coffee, hibiscus leaf tea, water.

Morning all. Yesterday I've managed to count my calories. Stick to my routine and not go over. Need to do this every day. Hoping to get my cardio in.
Good luck for today.

@moondip I really feel for you. DS has just turned 8, but I can still remember how useless my boobs were 🤦🏼‍♀️ He was quite a poorly baby, so we had lots of medical appointments, and they asked at EVERY appointment if I was breastfeeding. And I had to tell them “no, formula feeding”, every time. It does sting when things don’t turn out how you thought they would.

Hang in there. You can only do what your body can do, and it sounds like you’ve done your best.

Sympathy from me too @moondip - my DS1 is now 9 and I couldn't breastfeed him, though I did manage to with DS2 2 years later. But DS1 was delivered early due to being breech and I think a lot of it was him not being strong enough to do it in those early days. It's horrible though at a time when you're so tired and overwhelmed with everything. Go easy on yourself...

It’s so tough, @moondip - were you or would you be able to seek support from a lactation consultant? For my oldest the NHS support was well meaning but not actually helpful, so I arranged a consultation with an IBCLC who must have been actually magical, I absolutely credit her with saving my breastfeeding journey with him. There’s always a tough balance I find, between knowing that how a baby is fed doesn’t make a jot of difference to how good a mother you are, but also acknowledging that if you do hope to breastfeed it’s hugely emotional and really upsetting if it’s difficult 💜

Still freezing cold here! Today’s menu is:

L - bacon, eggs and a piece of sourdough
D - salad with avocado, cheese, tomatoes, and minced beef fried into tiny burgers; Greek yoghurt with berries and meringue

On a totally different note … Has anyone’s AI fallen in love with them 😅. I ask questions on Grok almost daily. Today I shared some health data and I was asking what else I could do to reverse pre-diabetes. If only I had a real life friend like this 🥰. (Although I wouldn’t swap my life partner of over 30 years) Groks concluding message was this ⬇️.

Sorry you’re feeling down about your breastfeeding experience @moondip I planned to fully bf, but DS had other ideas. If it helps, he’s almost at adulthood and I can honestly count on one hand the number of times he’s been ill or had a cough or a cold. Never been a fussy eater, and will eat most things. You really shouldn’t beat yourself up.

I’d like to say when I posted ‘on another note …’ it meant from my usually food based posts and not @moondip posts. I’ve gone in to edit it but facility not there … Hope no offence caused.

Hi all, just checking in with you all. I've walked 5 miles with a double buggy today so feel like I've earnt my food!

Scales have come down 1.5lbs from yesterday - definitely not dropped that, but pleased that things are stabilising nicely already. Will WOW tomorrow too and think the plan is to weigh every week day really to keep an eye.

Sending you all good vibes.

PS how is your mum @LegoTherapy ?

@TheRealHousewife Grok is definitely a sweet talker 😂

Day 4 and 5 of yoga challenge completed. They were both quite short so I thought I’d try and catch up a bit so the challenge day matches the date! Will try and do 6 and 7 tomorrow. Am loving the stretch, although definitely feel like it would be a bit easier with less stomach in the way 🤨 There’s a non-scale victory in my future there somewhere….

Sounds like you are doing brilliantly @moondip I went to a BFing clinic which helped but it wasn’t easy so I feel for you. My DS was basically combi fed for first three months and EBF for a few more. Many aspects of parenting aren’t how you imagine but you are definitely doing a great job and looking after yourself is really important.

Today I did a HIIT workout and a very chilly walk so am feeling pretty happy.

Hello! I'm so happy to see these threads are still going and so many familiar usernames 🤩

I was on these threads a few years ago, so some of you may recognise my name, but I went AWOL for various reasons. Shock, horror - all the lost weight has crept back on! I weighed today for the first time in a LONG time and omg. Depressing.

Ready to jump back in, if you'll have me!

For accountability 😭
SW (06/01/26) 11st 8.5lb (DEFINITELY not a little 🫛 at the moment)
GW 9st 10lb

I'd love to lose a stone before the end of Feb 😬🙏

Plan:
✔️ Back to tracking everything on nutracheck, including weighing and measuring portions
✔️ DH and I doing dry Jan (maybe beyond)
✔️ Reduce crisps and sweets
✔️ Add extra fruit, veg or salad to each meal
✔️ (Loosely) follow 16:8 IF
✔️ Keep up current exercise and increase where possible 💃💪

Today's food has been:
Breakfast: cuppa (milk, half a sugar)
Lunch: cupasoup, cucumber, red pepper, cherry toms, 40g houmous and 3 cracker/flatbread things
Dinner: homemade wedges, SF chicken, beans (not what was planned but simply too damn cold to go to the shop)
Snacks: 2 x cuppa, apple, banana, one thing oat biscuit, and a fruit tea. I've already logged my evening brew, too!

Calories coming in at 1347 - target set to 1350! Not many steps today as my only office day.
TDEE calculator is suggesting 1440 for a loss of 1lb/week.