DIET FAILED AGAIN - it’s thread 8 (the one where we all lose weight) - all welcome

[thenewaveragebear1983]

New thread for the new year 2026! Everyone welcome to join us for motivation and encouragement, without judgement.

Link to our previous thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5275634-diet-failed-again-maybe-this-time-were-7th-time-lucky-all-are-welcome?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

I'll join. I lost 6 stone two years ago on the Cambridge diet, felt really great. Stopped doing that and gained 4 stone. Tried WLI which suppressed my appetite, but I became really ill on them and was advised to stop, so now 3 stone overweight! I just feel a real failure that I cannot keep the weight off.

I am going to give Slimming world a go next week. At least it's cheaper than WLI and Cambridge diet. Something has to work 🙄

@thenewaveragebear1983 thank you for a new thread for 2026.

im going to be very positive from tomorrow.

Well that’s a good start, only half of my message decided to post.

I can’t even remember what I typed, but it was a very positive note to all. I said something along the lines of it it’s going to be a good year for all of us, I’m going to be very supportive and very positive about myself.

@Londonnight welcome, you’ll get a great deal of support here.

Can I join please?

Started today at 162.4 aiming for 119 as I’m short so a long way to go. First goal is 159 which I want to do by the end of January. I’m aiming to up the walking, do couch to fit and stop any evening eating.

i feel I’ve been here many times before but feeling positive for 2026 being the year that I crack this.

Welcome @Midlifeshenanigansand @Londonnight,

hi @poorpaws!

I realised I started the thread and then didn’t even put an introduction post on!

just looked back through my diary, on 6th Jan last year I was 11.9.5 and today (after lunch and Christmas cake 🙄) I was 11.5.5, so that’s not a spectacular weight loss for a whole year is it? Although the lowest I got to was 10.12.5, which is a bit more impressive. Unfortunately my propensity to gain is always far greater than my capacity to lose But I reckon if I knuckle down after tonight I can shed a bit of water weight. Tonight will be a total write off unfortunately, too much party food and wine. But tomorrow I am determined to get back on track.

I worked today, went for a run in the freezing sunshine, and now I’m about to take Maggie out for her walk before getting ready to go out. Food has been delicious but terrible for the diet!

however, I am totally planned for tomorrow.
breakfast/brunch - smoked salmon, eggs, avocado and tomatoes
dinner- chicken thighs in a peanut butter and lemongrass sauce with chilli 🌶️

wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2026 - and I echo poorpaws, we can totally smash the diet this year!

Good morning all, happy new year! Late night for us last night, I didn’t eat loads of food because it wasn’t really gluten free friendly, and had a couple of glasses of wine. To be honest it was too busy and noisy and it wasn’t the best few hours, I had worked all day and just wanted to chill with my family.

anyway, I have woken up today feeling hungover and headachey, not had enough sleep and generally feeling rubbish. I cannot wait to not feel like this anymore! I’ve not had a coffee so that I can try to get back to sleep after walking Maggie.

not sure I will do anything constructive today but after today until Monday I plan to clean my house, put the decs away and do some meal prep and generally get life back in order after the festive season.

I did really well during mid 2025, but have ended the year heavier.

Good morning and happy New Year to you all x

at my very, very heaviest, I was 12 st 2.75 and that was about four years ago when I was going through a difficult time. As soon as I realised how bad it was (I am short) I slimmed right down to 10 stones.

Now for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This morning I weighed 12 sts 5.5.

my first goal this year is to get the 5 1/2 pounds off. With the gluttony of the festive season my weight soared very quickly so I’m hoping the first few pounds will come off just as quickly.

i’ve taken a photograph (it’s not a pleasant sight), I’m just about to write the truth down in my new slimming journal, I’ve made a pile of biscuits, cakes, crackers, pate, cheese etc to give to DP when he goes home. I’ve put a couple of chocolate bars that I didn’t eat in my spare room so I won’t see them. I’ve delayed breakfast so that for the rest of the day I can have my meals a little bit later.

my lunch will be soup and my dinner the usual jacket potato, salad, protein. No snacking, I’ve got a jug of water in the fridge and I’ve even measured out a glass of water so that I know when I’ve drunk a litre.

Big plans for big weight loss. At this very moment, I couldn’t be more determined.

I’m wishing you all fantastic healthy weight loss in this New Year. Let’s do it!

Good evening all, I feel a bit more human now after a few short naps and generally a lazy day. I am going to properly start tomorrow, tonight I’m going to have gluten free spaghetti, pesto and salmon - and a pudding I bought that I forgot about that I don’t want lurking around to catch me mid month when my resolve is weak 😜

you’ll never believe my bad luck, I have been successful in another bloody marathon ballot, every time I enter one i unfortunately get a place 🤣 🤦‍♀️ last time was London and I deferred it multiple years and eventually planned to do it last year, then was struck down at Christmas and pulled out. This one is the snowdon marathon - it’s not til October so I have no excuse really. So I think I’m going to commit to training for it and seeing how I get on. Maybe raise a little money for charity too.

Good morning, it’s Friday, it’s very odd doing all this in and out of working, we are both working today, then I have a 3 day weekend and back on Tuesday!

it snowed here last night, just a sprinkling ❄️ today is my official DAY ONE!
my food will be : avocado, fruit and coffee
baked potato, tuna, mayo, salad
chicken thigh in a peanut lemongrass chilli sauce (Jamie Oliver recipe) and leftovers saved for another day. I will have a lot of green veg with this.

I’m walking doggo and will do a 6km run 👍

have a great day all

Second day of the new year. How did it go on day 1?

@thenewaveragebear1983 bad luck on the marathon front, I wouldn’t think of applying so hats off to you and I hope your training goes well, youve got tons of time.

yesterday went ok. My food was good but I didn’t do as much exercise as I’d hoped. DP hates it when I want to clean the house or exercise, after the dog walk he just wants to sit and chat and I’m already frustrated that I can’t get things done.

i did do a very easy 15 mins no talk video on YouTube (when DP left) which made me move a little but I must do better.

im taking the Christmas decorations down today. Its very cold here so im taking the decs down this morning and walking the dogs after lunch when hopefully it gets a bit warmer.

i hope you all did ok yesterday and hopefully we’ll all see a loss this week.

good evening, an ok day for me foodwise but the Christmas cake got me again. I have told dh I need it eaten, anything left on Sunday night is getting cut up and frozen because it is just wrecking my resolve.

I ran today but it was icy and very slippy in places, and walked Maggie. My food was fruit, soup, and then a chicken in peanut butter and coconut milk with lemongrass and ginger. It needed a bit of spice though.

I cannot wait til tomorrow to get some music on, and clean this house! Windows open, blow the cobwebs out!

Woops forgot there was a new thread 😂. New hours as more new staff to do the unsociable hours now. It could change again though. Headphones help to a degree but listening to even my own stuff is distracting. I need virtually total silence to concentrate.
I caught myself in the mirror earlier and it was quite a shock. I'm a lot bigger than I thought. I've done a 30min slow walk on the treadmill, I'm going to try make this a daily routine.

Good morning! I feel like today is my day 1, I am going to properly track my food and calories today and actually stick to the plan. It was nice to get a good nights sleep with no alcohol in my system and I now have a 3 day weekend to get into my groove. Some batch cooking and prepping is on the cards as well as a lot of cleaning and sorting out.

I’m going to bootcamp this morning although I am half expecting it to be cancelled because there is a lot of ice and a bit of snow on the ground.
I’m going to have a brunch of eggs and avocado
Dinner tonight will be either a mince/chilli type dish or something with chicken - I need to check the dates. I have a simply cook box which I haven’t even opened yet so there might be something in there that takes my fancy.

have a great weekend everyone!

@TalkToTheHand123 you are not alone in facing the horror that is called a mirror. I took a picture of myself on New Year’s Eve and I was shocked and horrified. The photo is now hidden on my phone. It is a good thing though because it will motivate us to do better.

@thenewaveragebear1983 that Christmas cake! I am the same so DP took a huge slice home. It was easier for me this year because I didn’t make my own and the Aldi one was nothing more than average, not that it stopped me eating it.

yesterday I spent the whole day taking the decorations down, apart from a dog walk. There’s still a few more to sort out this morning and then they are all going in the attic later today.

again my food was good, I’m concentrating on the time I eat, trying to make my meals just a little later, my exercising is non-existent and it’s really bothering me. When DP leaves I feed the dogs, then me and by the time I’ve washed up and my tummy is full, I just don’t want to do it. I’m not one of those people who can exercise before bed, I wouldn’t sleep. The best time for me is about 3pm but DP is here then and I’m not prancing around like a bull elephant in front of him.

i hope everyone is doing well but sometimes life and Christmas cake just gets in the way.

I bought some overnight oats yesterday which I had a craving for for a few days and made a couple of pots. I have some soup to get through today. I think I'll just take fruit for my time at the office and drink water. There is a small room where I could go to if the noise gets too much, although the radio is put in the hall and is usually on loud. I'll just have to walk past and turn it down a bit 😉.

I took something back in town today and thought I would have a browse. I picked up some nice jeans in a 12 and a 10. Well, the 10 fit but before we celebrate too much, I cannot believe the size of the 10! I look huge in the mirror, my hips/bum/thighs are so big! There is nothing so humbling as the changing room mirrors but they did have that nice side angle mirror so I got a perfect view. This isn’t me just saying it, this is pure vanity sizing and a real wake up call - I do not want to get any bigger this year, I can’t. So I didn’t buy the jeans, and I’m now even more determined to get on plan and stop messing around.

i’m feeling tired tonight. We put the decs away and moved furniture and cleaned, and then I walked into town and back. Just sitting with a hot water bottle watching trashy tv and contemplating dinner…

@thenewaveragebear1983 vanity sizing is so wrong but if it has given you a kick up the backside to be more determined about the future you, then yes it was worth trying them on.

we finished the decs today and DD arrived to help put them in the attic and it took ages. I love DD unconditionally but oh my, her family wear me out. Dgs can’t speak without shouting, bickers with his sister endlessly and DD shouts louder than both of them to try to gain control, which never seems to work. By the time they all left my nerves were frazzled and yet again I didn’t have chance to exercise. They are moving in here on Tuesday night for a while and my peace will be disrupted and I have to stay calm.

again my food has been good today but everything else went wrong. I did do a late dog walk but that’s been my only exercise and I need to do more steps. I’m planning a quiet Sunday where I can reclaim my sanity. I need to start cleaning now the decorations are down, the house is looking sparse and grubby.

Morning all.
@poorpaws That’s a shame that your grandkids don’t get on, and it’s hard for your dd as well, and incredibly draining for all.

today is day one official for me. Christmas cake is GONE! That was the one that was causing me the biggest trouble so we demolished it yesterday. Counter intuitive I guess as I still ate it, but I couldn’t bear to throw good food away. Anyway, new year, new me, 2026 I am coming for you!

today I am going for a run as long as it’s not too icy. Walking Maggie and also hopefully walking later with my friend. Some jobs and pottering about as normal. We are having a roast tonight, I’m doing a gammon and roast potatoes, with loads of veg. I am also going to make some scotch eggs for lunches in the week and portion up some meals, then I can fully plan my week ahead.

It’s super cold and icy here, and set to be snowy and generally wintery all week ahead - exercise plans might go out the window as I will not risk injury running in the ice. Therefore I may need to find a workout video to keep me going.

I have a super busy working week ahead, coming towards a looming deadline at full speed, and very much dependent on others however this is all on me so I will need to pull magic I think. So I need to very carefully plan my meals and make sure I don’t reach for the wrong things because I am not planned.

@thenewaveragebear1983 you’re sounding positive about day1 and the future you. I love “2026 I’m coming for you” and I’m with you.

after all the gluttony of Christmas and new year, and it really was pure gluttony on my part, I thought I would really struggle in the first few days of cutting down but I haven’t. I think I ate so much I was ready for a break from all the sweet stuff and really ready for healthier eating so it’s been easy. I know this present mood won’t last and I’ll be craving chocolate soon but atm I’m happy eating three meals plus one snack per day.

i also thought I’d be craving lattes which as you know make me crave chocolate to go with them but I’ve put the last box in the spare room and haven’t even thought about them. I’m enjoying my black coffee (without sugar of course) and I’m actually tasting the coffee instead of all the milky sweetness.

so it’s very positive here, apart from the exercise part but I’m not going to be down about that and concentrate on it when the family leave in February. I keep reminding myself that life does get in the way sometimes and I have to negotiate it the best I can and if I at least concentrate on my food intake it’s a very good start and the rest will follow.

id love to lose 1 lb pw for the next three months. I’m going to try but I know from experience sometimes the scales just won’t move despite counting calories and healthy eating. This time I’m going to ride the storm because I am prepared for it so hopefully it won’t derail my best efforts.

have a great Sunday, my favourite day of the week.😁

Morning all, hoping I can join in with you all. I lost 3 stone last year on weight loss injections but on total honesty didn’t change my habits and just relied on total appetite suppression which is where the weight loss came from. I stopped them at the end of September and am now 1 stone up.

So, starting again but in a more measured way. I think I’m going to try two meals a day- one always being Greek yoghurt and fruit late morning and then a normal dinner which has been calorie counted and measured.

I’d like to try couch to 5k again but don’t want to start too much at once and then fail at everything so hoping to get into the food habits first then add in exercise.

1lb per week is an excellent goal @poorpaws. That’s nearly a stone in 3 months- but also it’s achievable and sustainable

@Lostatsea10 welcome! I don’t think you’re alone in that experience and I think as time goes on more and more people will be in the same boat. We do a mixture here of calories (me, badly) and just general good heathy portion controlled meals. I need to eat more veg to bulk out my meals, I really love veg but to be honest I’m just lazy and I don’t add them. But I know it hugely helps me keep my overall calories down and I like feeling full after eating (probably some deep rooted trauma involved there 🤣)

@Lostatsea10 welcome, lovely to have you here. I did a lot of research into weight loss injections and decided they weren’t for me but I know A LOT of people who use them and are losing a tremendous amount of weight. I know one lady who was massively overweight (her words) and I can hardly recognise her now, she looks amazing. She and her husband spend £600 a month on the injections! Blimey, if I did that I wouldn’t be able to afford food anyway.

You will get tremendous support here without any judgement so welcome aboard.

@thenewaveragebear1983 I thought it was the best goal for me. I know I’d never sustain a higher weight loss per week and I realise some weeks I’ll not do quite so well but a stone off by Easter, which is the beginning of April, would be great. After that I can re-think and maybe try for half a pound each week for six months.

whatever I do, I don’t want to be this big for very much longer.