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.

It was so nice to feel the warm sun on me today, I am genuinely a much nicer person when the sun is shining! However downside, I ate a caramel billionaire magnum and am drinking wine 🤦‍♀️

Thank you, I do try the ipad tactic but mummy exercising is far too exciting apparently. They are Terribly cute cheering me on and joining in just always wants cuddles a fair bit or horsey rides the moment I try to do any push ups or floor work 🙈 best I can hope for its a billions sets of star jumps or running around the house 😂 it is better than nothing though!

Oh I've been there so many times. It just doesn't work. I've decided to aim to lose 1lb a month so it's more sustainable.

I hate calorie counting. I hate being told I can't eat this and that. It just makes me more hungry.

Is your ab separation diastasis recti? That's what I have, the exercises I find are very very boring at some point I need surgery for mine. I've been having physio since I had my eldest and they are 11 so surgery is the best bet for me.

@thenewaveragebear1983
Unfortunately mine are very early risers 4am/5am and ridiculously light sleepers I dare not fart at the other side of the house let alone exercise. My husband leaves for work at 5am So I can't leave them home alone to for a run and I don't fancy a 3am exercise 😂

I tell myself one day they will be teenagers and nothing I do will get them out their beds. I'll have the whole morning to myself 😂

Hello, I’d like to join please. I have a ball in 5 weeks which I have a dress for. Dress looks ok now but 7lbs lighter I can look amazing.

Ive been trying to lose weight since January and generally do ok Mon-Thurs but then lose it at the weekend. I’ve been quite stressed and I suspect I may have a bit of Binge Eating Disorder. Quite interested in @sociallydistained experience of WLD. Great weight loss! But I’ve never understood it when people say it makes you less hungry. I’ve never eaten because I’m hungry, I eat because I’m tired, stressed, grumpy, happy, angry etc!

So fresh start today. Aiming for a short run with Dogbert this morning. Greek yoghurt & banana for breakfast. Lunch is beef stew with greens and tea will be a butternut squash salad. Sunday evenings are often hard for me as I’m out from 4-7.30pm and often pig out at 8pm rather than a sensible meal.

Can I join too please?

Im recovering from a bug at the moment and haven’t been eating much at all. I currently have zero appetite which has been great for the scales. But I know normality will resume soon.

I have a holiday with the wider family at the end of May and I will look odd if I avoid swimwear so I have been desperately trying to lose weight and get in shape.

Im currently 9st 13lb which is amazing for me as I’m never 9st anything but I will get my appetite back at some point soon so expecting this to go up before long.

Before the bug, I had been weight training at home with a good set of dumbbells and a bench and lots of dog walking. I had also gotten into the habit of two meals a day. DH is fully onboard as well as he also doesn’t want to feel uncomfortable on holiday and we are hoping to use this as a springboard to generally get fitter generally. I am also really focused on improving my sleep so have given up alcohol and I think improving my sleep makes the biggest impact on stress eating and mindless snacking, I would urge anyone who sleeps badly to try and do the same

I definitely feel better when the sun is shining @thenewaveragebear1983 Today is set to be nice too ☀️

@MightyGoldBear Now you say it I do remember my DC trying to grab my legs when I was doing a combat workout 😂 and gosh 4/5 am! That does make things difficult. Yes I have diastasis recti. Have you been told you'll need surgery? My kids are 7 and 4 so it's not recent either but I'm trying various exercises. I've started with some v basic DR exercises and then tomorrow I'm going to add to them and then try to keep building on that. If I'm not noticing a difference I may need to go back to he physio. There are some people on Instagram with advice and exercise (ones who seek to know what they're doing) that I'm following. I think I've made mine slightly worse from doing stuff I shouldn't be doing.

@Owlmoonstar I don't calorie count. I'm just trying to eat less of the unhealthy stuff but that works for me as my meals are generally okay but I snack a lot and I have sweet tooth. If I can limit the snacking and sweet treats that should work... easier said than done because of said sweet tooth!

Hi @WhitegreeNcandle your plan for today sounds food

welcome @CarelessWimper you sound like you're on the right track as well

Think I need to do a meal plan for the day... I seem to have eggs for breakfast / brunch most days

How is everyone doing? I managed to avoid any Sunday night snacks - always a danger area for me. Have woken up feeling much better as a result!

Back to fasting and morning workouts today 💪
I took the weekend off although I do still get my steps in. I did have a few treats but nothing crazy. I find I can't do 100% strict I give up entirely 🙈

@Chocolatecoffeecupyes my gp wants me to go and have surgery although private the nhs dont do it so I'll have to pay which I can't afford right now.
I've been doing the exercises I've been following katrina Oakley and a few on Instagram for what feels like centuries now. I have success I do manage to get my gap smaller but it only takes say a a wrong twist sneeze a vomiting bug and I'm back to square one. I think I have hypermobilty too so all my ligaments/fascia is super stretchy and it's just lost all its staying power. I do see results with the exercises but I would have to do them every day for the rest of my life and will routinely be back at square one. It's rather demoralising. I do know people who have been able to close their gap with the exercises so it's not all doom and gloom. I just don't think I'll be one of them. I also wouldn't mind having any loose skin gone with the surgery 😂 I had my first at 22 so I'd love to feel confident in my body again it's been so very very long.

Do you get lots of back pain with yours?

I lost 2.5lbs at my weigh in this morning, that’s a lot for me and I must admit definitely gives me a boost. This week I have a race on Sunday so I am going to be getting all my leg workouts in early (bootcamp today and a run) and the rest of the week will be doing a lighter training, core and arms and yoga. Food today: protein shake with chia and flax added for some fibre, and frozen fruit.
lunch- I am eating my freezer this week so my meals are a bit difficult to calorie count (they are all in my nutracheck but it’s just remembering what they were!) - today is a Thai rice with prawns and lots of veg.
dinner I’m making a chilli and will bulk it out with lots of lentils and veg for dh and I but keep a “no bits” version for my fussy children 🤣- served with veg, grated cheese and a weighed out serving of nachos

Well done @WhitegreeNcandle Me too! More by accident than design as it was a busy afternoon. I'd usually have something sweet after dinner but instead got up to do the washing up first then came upstairs to do some abs exercises and by then I didn't want anything any more! I did have two mini M&S cupcakes and one spoon (yes one spoon) of Ben and Jerrys in the afternoon however...

@MightyGoldBear Ah I see. I do get back pain but ironically I don't know if the exercises that have upped the back pain... the loose skin is the other bummer which I know exercise won't get rid of

That's fab @thenewaveragebear1983 I'd be happy with 2.5lb off! I love hiding veg in meals like chilli. Last night we had cottage pie and I put the carrots, onion and celery in the chopper so there were obvious carrot chunks.

My plan today is to make some hash browns and have with egg and avocado around lunchtime for "brunch". Not sure about dinner yet. I've got into a habit of having Berocca and banana for breakfast when I'm home and then I'll have a combined breakfast and lunch at 11:30/12 and then dinner so it's not quite intermittent but I'm cutting out a meal in a way not that m advocating that. I just don't need a proper breakfast.

After writing that, of course, I've realised I'm actually very hungry!

@Chocolatecoffeecup i think you deserve the medal of the day for having ONE SPOON of Ben and Jerry’s!

Thanks 😂 The trick was I loaded my spoon and then put the tub back in the freezer before eating it 🤣

I had a spoon after lunch as well. Weirdly it was enough!

I'm very hormonal so the urge to eat everything is real.

How is everyone doing? I had a good day yesterday. Today plan is:

At home strength workout
B - Greek yoghurt and granola
L - green quinoa salad
T - Spanish omlette and salad

@WhitegreeNcandle Sounds good. I have a busy day in the office so I had two bananas for breakfast, some nuts as a snack and I'm weighing up what to buy for lunch. I should buy a salad...

DH is making dinner so hopefully something good!

Me! Done lots of walking past 3 days. Changed HRT from patch to spray and tablet which apparently could lead to me losing a stone. Diet needs an overhaul but was good yesterday.

Started today and feeling keen but conscious of not being too strict as then I tend to binge so just eating sensibly, doing my steps and some yoga. I’m interested in your change in HRT @Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain - I’m on patches are they associated with weight gain?

Thank you @Chocolatecoffeecup , I couldn’t do one spoon or big scoop of B&Js so you have better willpower than I do! I hope you get a good lunch option, there are some ready meals that are ok if you are bored of salads.

@Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain Wow I hope the HRT change helps and you loose that stone!

I have had a few bad days as feeling bad and off work and off my routine but trying to correct that. I can’t do as many steps as normal and my normal exercise is beyond me, but I did do a 20 minute yoga class and made a Huel from my brunch. Tonight I’m having home made baked beans with something which is better than the veggie burger and chips I had last night. I also did my night routine of moisturising and bio oil on scars which is the first time in a while so need to get fully back to working on that with no screens and relaxing to help sleep. I have very bad sleep so am working on that.

I have gained a pound which isn’t idea but not unexpected but seeing as I want to shop for new clothes online, it’s killing the mood.

Hopefully we all have a great day x

They can be yes. So I read here.

That’s interesting re HRT patches. I definitely think my weight loss has slowed since being on mine, but I tried to come off them and within a few days I really noticed the difference in my anxiety so I went back on.

Can I join too? I’ve got a big holiday with friends in the summer to Spain, kids are staying with the grandparents so a lot of lounging around the beach and pool in swimming costumes with cocktails 😬, and then a relative’s wedding at the end of August that I’m working towards. I just want to feel confident in summer clothes and not dread seeing photos of myself where I look unhealthy. Aim is to get back into my size 12 clothes, I’m a 14 at the moment. I’ve been doing weight training with some dumbbells and kettlebells since September for exercise in the spare room, but I joined the gym at the beginning of March so have been going at least 3x a week. Have been doing steep incline walks on the treadmill for 30-45 minutes a couple of times a week plus a couple of strength training sessions too . I’m starting to see a difference in my face and cheekbones and my waist is getting more defined, so I’m starting to see progress which is really helpful. My main issue is food - I’m trying to eat more sensibly and have more fruit and veg on my plate, but I’m at home during the day and it’s so hard to resist snacking on crisps and biscuits! But things are going the right way!

3 days of walking is a good start @Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain !

@CarelessWimper I had a salad for lunch and I made a salad for dinner and had two bananas for breakfast so feel like I've had lots of nutritious food. I have also eaten peanuts as a snack, a four finger Kit Kat and three quarters of a small mr Kipling birthday cake tart. So I still need to work on the sweet snacks...

Welcome @laddersandsnakes16 Snacking is my downfall too but sounds like you're doing great!