⭐️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?

Busy morning doing diy jobs and cleaning here, just sat down for a cuppa and I’ve only generated 2 mins of exercise on my Apple Watch. Raging. I living in a town house and I have been up and down the stairs like a yo you! 😂

Hi all, stressy time here which has seen me turn to food on Thursday, but not yesterday or today, so hopefully it'll even out.

We've managed to avoid most of the bad weather, but it has been icy/freezing too, so limited on the walks.

Have a good weekend x

Afternoon all!

Yesterday went a bit off piste - would have been on track but I wasn't banking on sitting next to the buffet at a kids party 🫣 couldn't resist some of the beige, and still went home and had dinner! Although gave DH 3/4 of the homemade sweet potato chips instead of splitting more evenly.

Today has been ok, given it's the weekend...

L - bagel thin with half avocado and 2 poached eggs. I realised after I'd eaten it I'd left my rocket on the side, sniff...
D - kids are having a sleepover tonight 😬 so there will be snacks a-plenty for the masked singer, but for dinner we're having baked pots with various sides, including salad. We were asked for takeaway so think we've swerved a big overeat!!

Planning to cook too many potatoes so we can saute them tomorrow with something for brunch or dinner ☺️

Wishing everyone a warm and cosy weekend!

Oh and I also wanted to ask for your method of scrambling eggs in water, @TheRealHousewife, if you wouldn't mind sharing? Thanks!

I’ve been out for the first time in a week and although my voice is struggling I do feel better.
had a long walk, popped to Sainsbury and bought some new jeans which fit in a size 12 😊. Calories are good today! Just enjoyed some strawberries and 3 chocolate squares

Happy Saturday everyone!

We took advantage of the nice weather and went for a nice dog walk with duck feeding and a playground, though very much at child pace so doesn’t count as exercise I don’t think!

Today’s menu:

B - banana and a cappuccino
L - chicken breast with mash
D - garlic and spinach gnocchi

If anyone is ever after a really quick and delicious way to do chicken breast, I used this recipe and it really was excellent - I think any spices work as I didn’t have all of the ones she uses in stock so improvised, and it was still good: https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-breast-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-181807

Happy Saturday 💗

I just jumped on to sing the praises of focusing on more protein in my diet for giving me a MUCH-needed energy boost. I’ve realised that I’ve probably been under-eating protein for years since becoming a vegetarian. (I started eating fish again while pregnant, and of course there’s many good non-meat protein sources - I just wasn’t being careful enough with my diet or at all mindful of protein.) I am really loving this!

I’ve been finding the planning and cooking fun, too. I think it’s because I’ve only ever approached dieting from the perspective of what I’m cutting out, whereas at the moment I’m focusing on increasing something (protein), so it feels less like I’m restricting myself.

I haven’t felt this optimistic about weight loss in YEARS!

Did I mention… protein? 🤣

Morning all, I braved the scales this morning and as expected I’m 11st5lbs. Not a surprise but still disappointing, this is the heaviest I’ve been (I weighed 11st2lb a few days before giving birth to DS2!). My week was ok, lots of room for improvement but I’ve done 3 exercise videos and on average I’ve hit 8,000 steps per day over the week. Food has been better and not so much snacking but think I will start logging calories for the next few weeks and see if that helps keep me on track. Hope everyone is having a good weekend

Morning all, I just about managed to stay on track with calories yesterday, despite DH getting us some very calorific Saturday night snacks for movie night by accident. But my resolve was strong and I drank less wine to compensate! Given that weekend sabotage is my biggest problem, this was a big win for me.

I do however have big celebration meals out for the next three weekends which will be very difficult, so I really need to improve my exercise efforts this week no matter the weather. It’s absolutely wild here today, I won’t be leaving the house, but more diy jobs are on the agenda.

Hi all, some good stuff including yes @moondip adding things in to boost health rather than focus on depriving ourselves.

At least you're addressing it now @LBB2020 - can only get better now.

I'm at -23 1/4lbs now (was at -25 pre Christmas chaos) ... feel like I'm getting back on track.

I’m doing calorie control have lost 3lb!

Down from 15 stone 4 to 15 stone 1 - I’m a 5 ft 1 female

It sounds like a really good way of eating for you, @moondip - I also find focusing on protein is helpful, especially for reducing snacking!

Littlest DS is under the weather so I’m on fumes as he’s not been sleeping well, so I’m feeling fairly proud of not just eating chocolate all day today! The menu is:

B - Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds
L - croque monsieur
D - spinach and ricotta cannelloni with courgettes (all yummy and slow cooked with lemon, chilli and mint 😋)

I’ve stuck to calories all weekend and managed a long walk today. Saw a drop in the scales and am hoping with a return to work and my walking now I’m better the trend will continue down.
really hope so anyway, would like to do 5lbs in seven weeks for my spring holiday to the Canaries

I was 144 cal over my 1400 allowance yesterday and will prob be about 400 today but it's been a tough weekend!
Back on it tomorrow 💪🏻

Make that 900 over 😳

I have overeaten by quite a bit this weekend 😬 meals have been fine but I've snacked a LOT. I knew I would with the sleepover though. The flip side is, I've had no wine (and no hankering for wine either!), so a few habitual calories saved there I guess!

Fresh week looming! Setting my intentions for the week -

• up my steps - can't get back to classes yet so going to have to make the effort to do more steps
• to log EVERYTHING - including over the weekend
• linked to the above, meal planning tonight and I'll add my planned meals to nutracheck each morning. The idea with this is that I'll know what calories I have left to 'play with' for snacks etc, so.i can make better decisions, and also if I get that can't-be-arsed feeling when it comes to a planned meal, I'll be giving myself extra work to update the app, so hopefully it'll stop me from deviating... If that makes sense
• have a glass of water before anything else when I have a craving

Have a restful Sunday evening everyone!

Well my weekend has been somewhat blighted by painful stomach cramps I’m assuming are some kind of stomach bug. Haven’t dared to try my yoga today 😬 Hoping I will wake up magically cured tomorrow! Definitely within calories today though 😫

So I’ve set myself a target of doing 10k steps a day, which is hard enough but the weather is terrible. Also I went to the gym today and worked really hard and am completely shattered, you also don’t do many steps there!
I have another 900 to do before bed, I’ve already walked up and down the kitchen whilst making dinner! Urgh.
weight holding, was hoping for another loss today. 0.9kg to get me into the 70s

Evening

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo After having a dull early morning we’ve had sunshine until sunset. It’s been a lovely day. I even got a short walk in which I’m pleased about.

@TheWayTheLightFalls Hope you enjoyed your soup! ❤️

I Just came on to do a quick post to find yesterdays (partly written) still sat there 😅 ⬆️

It was lovely, thank you @TheRealHousewife ! And a lovely catch up with a friend, who also had the soup because I kept going on about it. So two lunatics eating soup at 10am OMAD tomorrow but the day is looking bonkers so fingers crossed that keeps me busy rather than reaching for rubbish food.

Anyways for today’s post …

I don’t know where the day has gone. Ate to plan for meal 1 … avo & scrambled on GF sourdough then I allowed myself to be talked into a takeaway. I caved as I’d had a busy day, was shattered and neither of us felt like cooking. Fresh start tomorrow 👍

Hope you feel better tomorrow @LemonDrizzle23 💐

@ImALittlePea (I think another posted asked for this method too, I’ve scrolled and can’t see the post now, so apologies) SCRAMBLED EGG IN WATER. A couple of tablespoons of water in a small omelette pan. Must get it to boiling. Pour in your whisked seasoned 2 eggs (can add about 10-15 gram finely grated cheese into whisked egg before pouring in). Using a wooden or silicon spatula keep stirring the egg on quite a high heat (lower heat creamier eggs) until the eggs have scrambled and ALL the water has evaporated. No oil or butter required. 👍

Hi all, it’s been a good weekend - have managed the gym and Pilates but I did go for a cheeky steak lunch with the works yesterday and prawn cocktail starter plus a few glasses of wine. Aside from that I think I’ve stuck to the regime so I’m hoping one blow out lunch won’t undo all the good work 😔We shall see on Wednesday. 😅

Not too bad for me. Take aways and chocolate have pushed me over calories,
but I have run and walked 17km this weekend so hopefully it’ll balance out.

Okay, January 12th - 2 birthdays, a bereavement anniversary, back to school/work, and a big work deadline out of the way. I am finally ready to start!

Weighing in at 76.6kg, so 2kg+ over Christmas/NY/school holidays the last 3 weeks (and 0.5kg of that is after we got back from visit family). I am pretty much back where I started mid August which is very depressing.

Trying to calm my racing mind (which leads to doomscrolling and eating rubbish on the sofa).

My plan:
Daily (ish...the ish is important! Trying to let go of perfectionism)
-get outside
-move in some way (could be walk, yoga or even just stretching. Cardio/workouts are unlikely! Still having calf/achilles pain from too much hillwalking/running at Christmas so stretching is important)
-close the kitchen after dinner - no crisps, nuts, cheese, toast, biscuits
-drinks water/herbal tea except coffee with breakfast
-if I want a treat like a biscuit then it's max one.
-try to do something else to keep me away from my phone...read, something crafty/writing, music, meditation).

Foodwise I eat 3 meals a day with minimal UPF and lots of homemade dinners, but can look at portion sizes (and evening snacking is my downfall).
Today:
-boiled egg and rye toast/butter, 2x coffee with milk
-fruit/veg plate as snack
-potato and bacon bake (leftover from last night)
-chicken bhuna (out the freezer stash) with rice

I can do this!