Anyone else looking to get in better shape for the summer?

[Chocolatecoffeecup]

I'm in my 40s and have a big family wedding in July I'd like to get in better shape for. I'm trying to cut down on the sugary snacks and exercise more. Anyone else interested in a support and motivation thread.

@Chocolatecoffeecup i weigh in every morning. If your way works then that’s great, I just needed to do this quickly and I’m hoping the weight training will help with the metabolism.

@ApricotRow i did a bit of clothes sorting too. Like you I’m trying to be ruthless but part of keeps thinking I will either grow into it again or wear a dress I haven’t worn in 15 years 😂 My underwear draw also needs some serious tlc.

@Theotterside as a fellow 5ft 3er is 9st a guess as a end point or do you think it might need to be revised? I thought at this point I would be super happy with my weight and body but so many lumps and bumps but I’m 45 so I should have expected this.

@thenewaveragebear1983 28k steps 🤯 I hope the conference goes ok with decent food.

I had a 0.2lb gain this morning. I managed 17k steps and did a lot of moving stuff but I do need to do a proper workout. I also went to visit friends and again avoided biscuits again. I took my first bin bag of clothes for rags and I have maybe another two for charity. I also bought a new bikini in a 10 top and really wanted a 10 bottom but they didn’t have that so had to get a 12. This was in the sale as there wasn’t many about and the non sale set showed too much boob for me to wear in front of family. I also tried on some shorts and needed a 10 so I’m loving this and will look on Vinted as I need so many clothes it will cost a fort to buy everything new.

@CarelessWimper I don't know if it works but here we are 😂 There are advantages to losing weight slowly but I think actually I'm too easy on myself and at this point I'm wondering if I'll have lost anything this time next month!

I have realised, though, that I have about ten weeks until the wedding so I still have time to figure things out.

I meant record that on Saturday night we were very close to getting a Chinese takeaway but I decided to make a chicken chow mein at home instead which had got to be better for us.

It's Monday now and I'm working from home so I'm hoping to have a good day food-wise and hopefully that will set me up for the week.

Great job everyone! It has now been exactly 2 months since I started my renewed weight loss effort.

Another .5lb loss which as of today brings me to 14.5lbs so far. I definitely feel better….

Though i am now in the position where none of my clothes fit! I haven’t bought new clothes in many years and have been living in a few pairs of baggy trackie bottoms and old tee’s… So I have a choice of my old size 8’s (which I still can’t fit in to) or my current attire …. Which are now falling off me. Not the worse problem to have I suppose. (The lack of a comfortable bra though!)

I refuse to buy any clothes whilst I am actively trying to slim down, so I will continue to wear my frumpy, holey ol’ reliables and look forward to the day where they can finally be put to rest after many years of tireless service.

@Chocolatecoffeecup you sound very chilled. Something I am terrible at. Congratulations on avoiding the takeaway!

@Fidgetbottom Vinted is brilliant if you need a few interim bits. I still want to loose more my jeans were falling down and I’m going on holiday soon so want to look good for my photos

14.5lb in two months is a huge achievement, congratulations you must have worked hard

Morning, it seems like Winter is definitely back 😢

I had another gain this morning of 0.4lb but was under calories and did nearly 16k steps too. Oh well onwards and downwards hopefully today.

If the weather stays like it is then dog walks are going to be horrible and wet as well. I want to get under my heated blanket and go back to sleep.

Morning all, conference was good with really nice food, and a couple of really good speakers.

today I am at the office, I have made my lunch (egg salad) and I do try to go for a walk at lunchtime, I am listening to audio books at the moment so I do a couple of laps while listening. I’m in that weird limbo zone where I go away on Saturday, there’s zero chance of any weight loss now, but I really don’t want to just say ‘fuck it’ because if I do that I’ll gain 3lb before I even leave!

my weight is really static, I think it’s HRT related, I feel like everything has just ground to a halt and it’s very depressing considering I am always “on a diet”. I think I am going to have to either do something drastic or accept that this is it. I bob around a half stone up or down but this is my weight really. My friend has had really good results with the Zoe app and I am tempted to try that for a month or two after I get back from this holiday before we go away in August. I feel like I just need to do something different for a bit of a kick start. I do think I have built some muscle recently though, but I still carry a fair bit of body fat and I would love to shift a stone but it just does not budge.

Ugh I agree it does feel like winter is back! I can’t believe how cold it’s been 😆

I ordered a pepperoni and red pepper pizza with chicken wings last night. It was a very small pizza, but with the 5 chicken wings it was probably about 1000 calories in total. I’m grateful that they display the calories in that pizza place as I wouldn’t have known the chicken alone had around 500 calories!

Thankfully I’d only had 700 calories earlier so I finished higher than my target which is 1300 calories but not too bad .

Tbh I don’t regret it. It was just what I needed. I was feeling rather drained from travelling back from my friends on the trains with multiple connections.

And I felt a lot better once I’d eaten that. I didn’t have much in the house since I’ve been away for most of the last week, and I am guessing that it contained certain nutrients my body was craving despite it not being the healthiest meal lol

as a fellow 5ft 3er is 9st a guess as a end point or do you think it might need to be revised? I thought at this point I would be super happy with my weight and body but so many lumps and bumps but I’m 45 so I should have expected this.

@CarelessWimper Well I was around 9 stone - 9 stone 7 for most of my mid to late 20s and early 30s. I had a small waist and was size 8-10. I was very happy with my weight and didn’t start looking chubby until about 9 stone 12!

I think when I was 9 stone my waist size was around 25-26 inches.

That said, I’m close to 40 now, so 9 stone on me now may look differently on me than it did when I was a bit younger! Maybe I will need to get a bit lower!

I do know that when I was 8 stone 7 at one point in my early 30s I loved that my stomach was flat but I looked quite scrawny despite walking lots and going to the gym off and on! Didn’t like my size 8 trousers hanging off me!

Well done @Fidgetbottom !

Next does something called "the set" which is packs of things like t shirts, tops, skirts etc. I have some cropped t shirts for work and they're pretty cheap, in case something like that would interest you.

@thenewaveragebear1983 I used to be curious about Zoe when they did the cookie test and stuff. Not sure if it's still the same! It's all very frustrating. It's definitely harder as we get older.

@Theotterside I was 8stone something in my younger days and can't imagine being that now. I actually think even my goal of 9 stone seems quite low.

I weighed myself this morning and I'm down a pound to 9 stone 6! Even better my skeletal muscle has gone up again if that means anything.

Also I'm done with Huel. I tried the black chocolate today and couldn't drink more than a few sips. I've got three more at home but I might just give them away!

Oh lord send help for me it's all gone to pot.

I've had lots of stress and routine change meaning I've not been able to fast and more rubbish on the go food. Illness, rubbish sleep and the weather's gone back to being freezing so I'm in thermals. I can't fast when I'm too cold it shuts my body down (thanks raynauds)

I'm going to try and just be mindful of what I'm eating and hope I can add in fasting and exercise at some point. With a another school holiday coming up it's not looking hopeful.

When I hit menopause I'm going to have to live on air. It is so hard to loose weight. I wouldn't particularly say I overeat. No alcohol not regular treats but my lord my weight does not want to shift. That's when I do go for treats because I think what's the point. I know endless cycle.

Well done to those that have lost and kept consistency , I'm in awe and contemplating just stapling my mouth shut.
I'm sorry I'm a negative Nellie today 🙈

@MightyGoldBear Sorry you've had a stressful time. It sounds like just being more aware of what you are eating is the way forward for now, which is essentially what I'm doing anyway

Hope you have a resting evening planned.

I downloaded the Zoe app, I had a 20% code from my friend so I paid £58 for 3 months. I quite like it so far, not sure how accurate it is on calories and hidden ingredients and it’s calculated my days intake at over 2000 cals 🤷‍♀️ but I guess it’s a different focus for a few weeks and I will see how I get on. I think I’ll still use nutracheck to count calories accurately. Hopefully I will force me to be a bit more accountable about what I eat

I was 8stone something in my younger days and can't imagine being that now. I actually think even my goal of 9 stone seems quite low.
I weighed myself this morning and I'm down a pound to 9 stone 6! Even better my skeletal muscle has gone up again if that means anything. @Chocolatecoffeecup

Are you around 5foot 3 too? Yeah for me 9 stone is low while 8 stone is just too low, but I know weight looks different on people. I feel at 8.5 stone my body looked similar to my friends who was 7.5 stone.

That’s good about your skeletal muscle. Yeah I am fairly sure that is a good thing to have increased! Well done on losing another pound!

Do you have one of those body analysis scale apps? I like seeing things like my body fat reduce and my body water and bone mass increase!

Btw, I don’t blame you for giving up on the huel. I had a few in my house during the pandemic, I think it came free with a deliveroo order and I can’t quite remember what it tasted of but I’m pretty sure it almost made me HURL! I was 13 stone back then and desperate to lose weight but I drew the line at that 😆 I don’t think my body/gut tolerates UPFs like huel very well.

@Theotterside I'm 5'4"
I do know what you mean. Also I'm not so much wanting to be skinny like I was when I was in my 20s. I like being stronger and fitter too but I do prefer being slimmer. I'd be happy to be properly a size 8 whereas now I'm probably an 8-10. What is your goal now then?

TBH I got down to 9 stone 2 last year and I don't know how I put it some back on. I was in a stressful work situation at the time and I think it may be the stress that made the weight come off but then obviously I put it on again!

Ive got the renpho scales that a friend recommended ages ago and they're great. I think you can get other brands that do the same thing but I've heard the renpho ones mentioned a lot. It's nice to be able to look back at the app as well as I can see what I weighed last year, the year before, at any point, plus it weigh the dc on it and have a record

I was actually quite surprised about the Huel. I thought it would taste like milkshake but no!

Illness really sucks. That all sounds rough Hope things get better for you @MightyGoldBear

Today I've eaten okay. I was planning to have the huel for breakfast but couldn't drink it so had literally a sip or two

Lunch - I had a salad that I'd boufht

Wispa - 153 cals apparently

Dinner - I made ginger chilli beef and rice with sugar snap peas

I a piece of chocolate after dinner. Aldi had this bar Big Slice (I think) a copy do ten M&S big daddy. It's a chocolate bar with brownie and chocolate sauce inside. I just had one piece...

I made sure I'd done my 10K steps before bed

Yeah I really value increasing strength and fitness too!I think I’m more like 10-12
and would be happy to be a size 8-10 - I have a larger chest.

Currently 10stone 3/65kg, body fat 29% and waist size 29.5 inches. My goal by end of this year is :

9 stone

26 inches waist

body fat of 25%.

But I’d be THRILLED to get down to 9 stone 7 by end of the summer.

I had renpho scales but I think they ran out of battery so I ended up just ordering a new set of scales that were on sale instead of bothering to change them lol Not renpho but they do the same job of body analysis. I find the app helpful too for keeping a record!

@Chocolatecoffeecup im sorry about the Huel.

I am also wanting to get stronger and leaner. We are thinking about signing up for something to force us to train. Currently looking at Hyrox or obstacle running but we haven’t run for 8 years. Last time I did that I signed up for a 10km run and ended up running ten miles so signing up for crazy stuff works for me.

Another bad morning on the scales at 9st 9lb 😭 . I did manage to do an upper body weights day and 17.5k steps so I’m hoping this is hormonal.

Duplicate sorry x

Very jealous of some of your weights. I’m aiming for 9.7 as my end target, I’m currently floating a stone above that. However I really want to tone up too. I do a class or two a week but need to find a friend to go into the gym with. I would have no idea what to do in there.

i do struggle to get my 10k steps a day in every day. I sit down all day then by the time I’m home, done dinner and a few bits some days I can’t even think about doing much else. I meet a friend for a walk one night but that’s light evenings only, maybe I need to think about buying a walking pad for evening tv watching!

@ApricotRow get a dog 😂 I have to get a lot of steps now, but before we got her, I did a lot of get fit with Rick on YouTube and would do a video or actual 3 times a day

With the weights, we now have a Magic Mirror for DH but if you are completely new to them, I would get some second hand dumbbells and look at Joe Wicks 21 days of strength. Whilst Caroline Girvan is amazing, she goes much quicker than the Joe Wicks series and so I would do that first.

@Chocolatecoffeecupi’m surprised too. What does huel taste like ? I imagined a sort of oat milk milkshake?

I’ve done 2 days of Zoe and I’m really enjoying it. I know it’s a bit of a gimmick really but it’s definitely made me a bit more disciplined with my food and because it overestimates calories a lot it’s also made me weigh things accurately as well. Overall, I enjoy it. It’s a shame you have to pay 3 months upfront rather than monthly as it’s a big hit but if anyone wants a 20% off code I can share one .

@Theotterside I have a big chest too which can be annoying as I'm looking at dresses for the wedding in July and I know I just wouldn't get away with some of them. I'm a 32G or something but I also need a bra fitting as I think an ill fitting bra can make you look bigger and hide your waist!

We are quite similar then.

I am eating out tonight and on Friday but I have renewed motivation this week.

We can do this 😃

@CarelessWimper I'm actually surprised I didn't like it. I know it's easy to say but try not to worry about the numbers today. I have weighed myself twice an hour apart without eating anything and my weight has gone up 1 or 2 lbs. I don't understand the science but our weight clearly does fluctuate throughout the day and hopefully you'll have gone down again tomorrow 🤞🏼

I might look at the Joe wicks thing too as I'm trying to do more weights to tone up especially my arms. I was doing press ups but realise they were not good for my DR.

@ApricotRow It is hard to get the steps in if you're in the house. If started making an effort to do steps in the garden or in front of the tv. Last night I put some music on and got the dc involved but I'm only really doing that as I'm in competition with colleagues at work and want to win 😂

(Typed all of the above this morning but didn't post apparently!)

@thenewaveragebear1983 I had the banana one first which might actually be the best. It tasted ok while I was drinking it and didn't have an aftertaste but I just couldn't bring myself to drink it. Then the vanilla one was worse. I thought be chocolate one would be best but it had a nasty taste but was also the black / protein version

I'll look into the Zoe app as I'm curious about it

I had takeaway tonight as I had work drinks. I had one glass of Prosecco and then came home hungry so got Chinese takeaway. I don't think I ate much but no idea how many calories will have been in it.

The banana one did taste a bit oaty but they are not pleasant tasting at all IMHO whereas I've heard slim fast tastes like a milkshake