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.

Thanks @CarelessWimper I'm awake now, had a bit of water, but monitoring my water intake. Yes I'll definitely be happier when I've finished 😂

Could you measure yourself and order online from M&S? I like their jeans too.

I have some clothes I haven't worn or hardly ever wear and it would make me life easier to get rid of them but I have to be in the right mood...

@CarelessWimperwe got a lot done, a bit more to do today, but the skip is nearly full which will naturally curtail our efforts I think. I am aching today, I quite like the lingering ache of a days hard graft though. Although I slipped backwards on a step with the wheelbarrow and landed squarely on my backside and I do think I’ve bruised my glute, it’s very painful when i sit down, but there’s no bruise.

I also desperately need underwear. I have a £45 next voucher and I keep trying to spend it but they never have what I want. I may try M&S. I desperately need a bra that holds in my underarm fat, I hate it and I hate when it shows when wearing tops. I think, like so many things In my life now, I have reached the age where I can’t just go and buy cheap bits, I need to throw money at the problem. I am not well endowed in the chest area so I’ve always got away with Primark cheapie bras and knickers but now they just arent delivering 🤣

in good news though, I’ve had a really good weekend on track. I did eat a bit more yesterday but needed it after grafting all day, but I did not drink alcohol and slept really well both nights. I had a couple of trip cans last night which were nice. It makes so much difference to my overall wellbeing, I am seriously contemplating going sober permanently. I’m still doing my Zoe plan, my scores are lower this week and my calories are a bit high but I’m trusting the process and hopefully will see a little loss on Monday. My goal is 1lb- 1.5 a week, for my stone off by holiday target, and I am on track for that.

I have a half marathon next week. It’s a local one, a flat but gruelling 6 lap course of a local park, and it sits nicely in my marathon schedule so I’m just going to rock up and zone 2 it and to hell with the times

I finished my 10K, enjoyed it and finished in 1h10 which is faster than I was expecting!

Oooh that’s brilliant @Chocolatecoffeecupand it’s a warm day for racing too. Well
done 👏

@Chocolatecoffeecup congratulations! The time is great but enjoying it is epic!

I might order an M & S one to see how it goes.

@thenewaveragebear1983 i feel your pain, the weather was better than expected so we cancelled cinema plans to dig and sort rocks. I’m aching already 😂 I did leg day before the change of plan so I’m sure tomorrow will be fun. I hope your glute will be ok from the fall and you get away without bruising

I would definitely try M&S for undies, they are usually pretty good and lots of options. I have found giving up the booze really helps with the diet and sticking to food and training plans.

I had a gain this morning but we have had a couple of salty and carb heavy meals so I’m hoping tomorrow will be better.

I have prepared some overnight oats for our brunch tomorrow which feels like making a start on the working week.

I ended up wandering round town this morning, I took a few bits back to Primark and bought some cute summery clothes for work, then went to Tk and bought some bras and underwear. I needed the underwear but I did not need the clothes, my wardrobe is ridiculous. I needed a proper cull. I love all my summer stuff but we never get chance to wear it do we really? I’m doing a swishing event in 2 weeks and I might just do a ruthless binbag full and donate it. I do keep putting it on vinted but it’s slow.

i have had such a busy and productive weekend, obviously we grafted yesterday and today I put some shelves up, and this evening while cooking I batch prepped some really nice salad extras- I did a tray of sweet potato with some chorizo and sundried tomatoes and harissa paste, tray baked. I also made some houmous and chopped some carrot sticks, and I did a tray of cauliflower and chickpeas roasted with a garam masala and yogurt coating. Oh and some overnight oats pots with chia, flaxseed and blueberries. That’s breakfast and lunch sorted for at least 3 days 😋

I am very determined this week, and feeling quite energetic and lively which is rare!

Thank you @thenewaveragebear1983 @CarelessWimper

Sounds like you had a productive weekend @thenewaveragebear1983 I'm also feeling motivated this week. It's my DC's birthday and we're having a bbq party with family and friends next weekend so I want to look and feel good for that. Annoyingly, I'm in the last part of my orthodontist treatment (hopefully) so I have a thicker wire on them and they look more obvious than ever which isn't ideal for when I'll want to look nice but I'm hoping they'll be done by the wedding next month.

Morning,

I STS on the scale this morning, it is always nice to start the week with a loss but never mind, it’s Monday morning regardless 😢

@thenewaveragebear1983 I have more summer clothes for holidays than I do anything else. My wardrobe is very much a work in progress but I spent decades hiding in boring clothes and not spending money on anything that wasn’t for work that my wardrobe needs some serious tlc.

It really does sound like you have lots of energy and motivation!

@Chocolatecoffeecup I hope that you finish the treatment before the wedding. I am sure that you will look fantastic and no one will notice the thicker wire.

I need to do an arms workout today and obviously get the doggy steps in. I do have a small amount of DOMs but am expecting it to get worse.

We need some 12.5kg dumbbells next and they are starting to get expensive. DH is thinking of getting some adjustable ones for the heavier range. But they are so expensive and need to read the reviews. I do have a set of 15kgs but that’s my heaviest set and it’s a big jump from 10 to 15. This isn’t a problem I ever thought I would worry about. It used to be, do we have wine for the weekend.

Like my wardrobe, I also need to have a sort through the freezer as there are things in there now that we just aren’t eating, like a packet of hot cross buns. At one point they would have only made it to the freezer if there was a multi by offer on and now the packet had been in there for months. I hate throwing food out but I need the space and it seems a bit odd trying to rehome them. DH has already taken a lot of crisps and snacks to work but there is probably more he could take in the cupboards too.

@CarelessWimper That's not ideal but at least it's not a gain and remember slow and steady wins the race! You're doing really well.

I couldn't weigh myself this morning as the battery has run out in my scales. No warning and didn't have any more so need to buy some today so I can weigh tomorrow

I have an old hamstring injury that I've awoken slightly with my run yesterday so I'm might do an arm workout today and avoid too much in the legs.

I also need some heavier dumbbells. Mine are a proper women's set and the heaviest is 1.5 or 2kg 😂

@Chocolatecoffeecup scales having a Monday morning strike? 😂 Yes to the dumbbells get yourself on marketplace you should hopefully find some bargains on there. I hope your hamstring is better today.

My lower body definitely has doms. Embarrassingly I thought I was using 7.5kg weights for some leg exercises but it was actually 10kgs, so good for my body but bad for my dappyness levels. I did upper body yesterday with 14k steps and had a horrendous nights sleep so will be surviving on caffeine today.

I did loose my gain and am back down to 9st 1.6lb and 25.6% body fat.

I made a plan for my wardrobe declutter last night. I’m going to get everything, and I mean everything out and I’m going to put it in groups of type, then I’m going to choose 3 of each, max. I may be allowed exceptions of 4 or 5 for things like vest tops or t shirts. But no one needs more than 3 of anything do they?

@Chocolatecoffeecup I bought never the adjustable dumbbell sets and it’s really useful, you can stack the plates so you get up to 2x 10 kg or you can make one big up to 20kg. It is the cheapest way to get a variety of weights for different exercises/ strengths.

feeling good today, there’s finally some sunshine in the forecast, although it’s now saying 26 on Sunday for my half marathon 🤦‍♀️ so that will be a hideous grueller. I had a good day diet wise yesterday, I made a delicious salad for lunch and for dinner had a rather disappointing salmon and pesto gnocchi (but I was so hungry I just wolfed it down). I’ve been on my Zoe plan for 4 weeks now, and I am feeling the benefit of it I think- I am sleeping really well, I am feeling fuller after meals and not snacking, I still have a a sweet tooth but I can distract myself better. I love the concept of the plan, but the only problem is I hate the app itself. It’s clunky, you can’t add recipes or meals in advance, and the scanner is really inaccurate and constantly has to be overridden. It will literally scan 7 cherry tomatoes and count 3! After years of nutracheck this feels really poor quality. Plus I don’t think it counts the plants accurately (it was my understanding that different varieties or colours counted as a separate plant , so red green yellow pepper for example- but this only counts one, plus “seeds” and “herbs” only count as one! So in reality I probably getting 35-40 plants a week not 30. Once my trial is over I will not be continuing with the app, but will go back to faithful old nutracheck.

today, office day. I have bought some beautiful little glass food storage dishes from tk and made overnight oats, chia, and flax pots. Lunch will be a big salad with sweet potato and feta, and I have a really nice balsamic and pomegranate dressing 😋
walk after work with my friends, then dinner will be a spicy rice dish with lots of veg.

@CarelessWimper Found some batteries! It's actually AAA batteries which I do have! 9 stone 4 again for me today so STS which is fine. The hamstring feels okay when I'm walking and everything. I'll just have to hold off a run for a week or so and then make sure I'm cautious with it.

You are doing amazingly!

@thenewaveragebear1983 I was looking at adjustable ones on Amazon. I'm going to Costco soon so might look there too as I bought my current weights there.

Where are you doing your marathon? The weather is looking ok this weekend which I'm pleased about as we're having a bbq for my dc birthday on Saturday but Sunday looks warmer. Will a cap help to keep the sun off your face or just make you hotter?

I've got my busy office day today when I'm tied up from 9-3.30 with only short breaks. I got an arla protein shake in my run goodie bag which I might take to try and then I usually pop out in one of my breaks id I can for a salad.

@Chocolatecoffeecup it’s only my local town one and it’s 6 laps of our big lake in the park. It’s already a grueller even though it’s flat because it’s sooooo boring and after lap 4 you’re ready to scream. I only signed up because it’s our wedding anniversary and dh and I were going to run it for charity but he has wimped out on me ffs 🤦‍♀️ my plan is to just zone 2 it and chalk it up as training for my marathon. It starts at 9 so hopefully not too hot and I’ll be done by 11 (10:55 😜)

@thenewaveragebear1983 I know what you mean. The thing I don't like about our park run is the laps and going round the same route more than once. Hopefully it's pretty though!

That's annoying of your DH! I hope he'll be cheering you on!

@thenewaveragebear1983 i agree with @Chocolatecoffeecup it’s very annoying of your DH! I get what you both mean about repeating laps plus it means the course is always busier

I hope the wardrobe declutterring went well and you haven’t just ended up in a big mess like me.

@Chocolatecoffeecup im glad you found batteries and thank you. I think all of us are doing brilliantly and the support and space to air my thoughts really helps.

I only managed 10k steps yesterday as it was a busy day at work. I’m off to a friends for dinner tonight so will need to be mindful of food as she always puts nibbles out before food. DH went to a work thing with buffet yesterday and is annoyed at himself for grazing on crisps too much. He will probably do the same tonight though as he is terrible for eating food if it’s left in front of him.

A tiny loss on the scales this morning but it’s still downhill

I had a sausage and scrambled egg sandwich for brunch and it's my DC birthday today so we will be having pizza and cake later... but it's supermarket pizza with salad rather than a takeaway pizza which is probably better 🤞🏼

How is everyone doing?

I usually weigh on a Friday but I weighed myself this morning, reluctantly as I've been eating birthday cake, and I STS, which I'm happy about. I haven't eaten amazingly well this week and haven't done much exercise as I wanted to rest my hamstring. It's felt fine since the day after the race but I thought better to rest it than aggravate it more.

I'll try to stay on it today and tomorrow so I feel my best for the party on Saturday although I still have some birthday cake in the fridge! I gave most of it away yesterday so we don't have loads to eat as we'll be having another cake ok Saturday...

Morning,

I hope your dc had a wonderful birthday @Chocolatecoffeecup , I think you can be excused for eating a bit of birthday cake. Although giving a lot of it away was probably sensible but I love cake so would have eaten a lot of it previously.

We went to dinner with friends, it is really noticeable how things have changed with this group. A friend of our friend lost a lot of weight and she spurred our friend on to loose weight and it kind of caused a ripple and now it seems to be a thing. 6 months ago, there would have been a buffet type meal but as well as what was served last night there would be the bad bits including a tray of bread and also a calorific pudding. This time there was a bite sized treat for pudding if anyone wanted one and between 6 of us, only 2 people had 3 between them.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s summer and holiday season but lots of colleagues are dieting and talking about their digit scales stats and age on their scales.

I really do need to do some weights today as I failed yesterday to do any.

My weight fluctuates so much, it’s really depressing. I did my mid week weigh in this morning and back up to 11.4.5 which is where I was about 2 weeks ago 🤦‍♀️ it’s really hard. I feel like I never get ‘real’ weight loss, I am constantly fluctuating and can bounce back up and over where I started overnight, so it feel constantly like water weight but never true fat loss.

@thenewaveragebear1983 im so sorry that must be very hard. I am sure you will know to look at the graph over months but I do understand how frustrating it is.

I know there are a lot of factors which don’t help. I take the depot injection which more or less stops my periods and minimising the bloating I used to get. I don’t take this for dieting purposes, but because my periods are horrendous. This does help manage fluctuations for that reason.

Do you keep your scales still? I found if I moved my Fitbit scale it would give a different reading in each place but I haven’t moved my RENPHO scales to see if that happens with them.

Thank you @CarelessWimper My dc is my biggest reason to celebrate and so I do not feel bad eating cake but I also appreciate that I only had one slice!

If your friends are all focussed on health (as opposed to just weight loss) I think that's a really good thing. I also need to do some weights tonight as I didn't have time yesterday as I was very focussed on the birthday boy and let him stay up late.

That's frustrating @thenewaveragebear1983 and I agree with @CarelessWimper about looking at the bigger picture and if the number is coming down overall then I don't think the fluctuations in between are such a bad thing. It probably shows a bit of balance as I believe losing weight slowly is generally considered healthier and more likely to be something you maintain.

I am having an ok food day so far. I really need something sweet now I've had a lunch and I'm having an energy dip although I'm trying to get out of that habit!

I think overall I am maintaining not losing, that’s over a period of a couple of years. I have bounced up a fair bit, and dipped down under 11 stone maybe twice in 2 years but generally I have been between 11.3 and 11.7 pretty much consistently. I don’t think my scales are great, I don’t leave thrm
out and the first weigh in is usually 2 pounds heavier than the second. But that’s all taken into account. I think it’s my HRT/ hormones and water retention to be honest. I am due on so there’s a few pounds, then a bit of doms, and that’s more than a whole months weight loss overnight 🤷‍♀️ crap isn’t it?

@thenewaveragebear1983 maybe it’s time to get some new scales and try to find somewhere to leave them be? Two pound difference would really annoy me!

I weigh daily and there can be times where I have eaten well but gained 1.5lb overnight but it goes over the next few days. I know there are good days where I have a woosh and loose a lot and bad days where I gain a load but my digital scales app is fab and can show me the weight difference on a specific date so I can see how much I lost between the 18th of July and today.

It is unfair when you work really hard, deny yourself food you want to eat, force yourself out of bed to exercise and then have a gain the next day and you don’t know why.

Maybe I should invest in some. We are installing a home gym in July so maybe it’s a good opportunity to track muscle mass/ fat as well. Do you have any you recommend @CarelessWimper? The 2lb flux is annoying but it’s representative of an overall maintain really, they aren’t a stone over and I’m going to be miraculously skinny. But it’s terrible for my mood and my motivation (which I’m embarrassed to admit really)

9 stone 4.2 today so a 0.2 lb a gain from my 9 stone 4 last Friday but I'm due on my period today so that might impart the numbers

That's frustrating @thenewaveragebear1983 I have no advice really but sympathise as I think it's hard at our age! I have renpho scales that I like but think @CarelessWimper may have newer ones