Healthy eating 2021

[Pippedydeadeye]

I’d just been steadily trying to make better choices and reduce portion sizes again, and it’s finally paid off. I’ve lost 7lb so far, and have got back to what was my upper acceptable limit before lockdown II. I’m aiming for where I was & hopefully a bit under.

[nineseven]

I've been trying calorie counting but again, it doesn't seem to work, I've used all my calories up by lunch.

I think I'm going to try itrackbites (or healthii as it's now called) and use their version of the green plan. In the new year I might upgrade to the pro version as that allows you to roll over points/bites to the following day. I'm just going to try and maintain between now and then.

Forgive me as I’m probably just being thick or missing something, but are you eating very differently when you’re calorie counting to when you’re on the green plan? The green plan must leave you in a calorie deficit or you wouldn’t lose on it.

Well done, Pip!

[Skips]

You don't count most fruit or vegetables, whereas I do when calories counting, that may well make the difference? But I don't know, I don't change anything when calorie counting, I'm eating the same kind of stuff, and I don't have it in me to work out the calories myself and adjust them.

[nineseven]

Ah, got it. I think WW makes up the “free” fruit and veg by making some processed food disproportionately high in points (compared to their calorie values) to steer you towards whole foods.

If I wanted to calorie count but couldn’t face counting F&V, I think I’d just knock a couple of hundred off my daily calorie budget and it would probably more or less balance out (unless you’re eating 20 bananas a day or something).

[Skips]

All the calorie counting places put me at 1200 calories a day, I can't bring myself to go lower.

[nineseven]

Then maybe try 1200 plus free fruit and veg. Unless you’re eating bucketloads of produce I doubt that will cause you to gain weight. Is 1200 for -0.5lb a week?

[Roma]

Est, that is really noticeable difference!

I wouldn’t be able to do 1,200 calories. I’ve found 1,500 ideal for me to lose weight slowly but steadily and without feeling hungry all the time.

[nineseven]

Me neither (and I eat a lot more than 1500 on average!). But the fact that Skips is eating nearly 1200 calories by lunch when eating the same as the WW green plan suggests that in practice she can lose weight on more than 1200 calories, which has to be good news. (Sorry to talk about you like you’re not here, Skips - this was in reply to both you and Roma and my sentences were threatening to get very tangled up!)

[Estrella]

It’s been a year of this thread. It’s been so good to have this to chat. Same again for 2022?

2021 has been a revelation for me. I’ve completely changed my way of thinking about food to be about fuelling my body and making conscious choices about what will make me feel my best.

[Roma]

Yes, I would love a 2022 thread! It has been such a supportive chat and it would be great to keep it going next year.

I too have learned so much about the way I like to eat and exercise and I’ve never felt more comfortable and happy with my eating patterns and weight fluctuations.

I have more or less maintained (with a slight expected gain over Christmas) since October. My aim is to lose at around 5kg/11lbs over the next year.

[nineseven]

Yes, thanks to everyone for this thread and congrats on your revelation and progress, Est!

I know not everyone needs support, but a bit of accountability really helps me. I started my weight loss a year ago tomorrow and have lost (I think) 50lb/3st 8lb, although I have been away from my scale for a few days. -50lb is a nice round number to finish off the year.

I never thought I could manage it, but this year has been totally different, gentle and feels sustainable. In case any of these help anyone, the gamechangers for me have been:

365 consecutive days of tracking on MFP (occasionally wildly guessing or fudging it, but always putting something in there - it takes five mins max per day)
Understanding/making peace with how my menstrual cycle affects my scale weight, enabling me to predict when I'll gain/stall/lose
Not banning any foods
Finding a comfortable and quite modest average calorie deficit (just 200-500; around 250 more often than not now) plus maintenance breaks eating at/near my TDEE

Good luck to everyone continuing in 2022. I am currently straddling maintenance and verrrry slow losing while I work out where to put the brakes on and properly join Estrella in maintenance land.

[Montana]

Congratulations, nine! That is an amazing achievement - really inspirational.

[Marth]

Great achievements all around.

I really think I need to join the 2022 dieting thread. I'm the heaviest. I've ever been.

[Margo]

Yes, massive (completely the wrong word!) congrats!

I will join in 2022, for sure. I feel old and potatoey, and very slothful. It’s a combination of working from home and not getting my usual lunch hour of walking, plus not cooking decent meals as I’ve got into the mind set that cooking for 1 isn’t really worth the bother.

I’m doing a ‘race’ starting January 1st for the month; teams from work are logging how much walking / running they do every day and the team who does the most miles wins. It’s all in aid of a colleague who’s had cancer and has decided to retire, so we’re raising money for a cancer charity. That will at least get me going in January, and if I keep it up it will help.

I also have a wedding to plan and I don’t want to be a fat bride. So - here goes - I’m 90kgs. 5 ft 7. If I can get to 60 kgs I’ll be happy.

Game on!

[Skips]

There have been some excellent achievements this year.

I'm still hovering around two stone lighter than my heaviest but I could do with losing another 20lbs next year.

[Beena]

I'd be glad of a new thread for 2022. I've found this one has helped me keep a check on myself whenever feelings of self-loathing have started to spiral. Gentle and sustainable needs to be my mantra.

I'm frustrated with myself today, though not due to my weight really. I got caught out by the incoming tide this morning and J snapped the most unflattering, but funny photo of me standing fully-clothed, hip-deep in the sea. I want to be able to share it, but I look huge and I'm just not in a place where I can.