Healthy eating 2021

[Margo]

Wowser! That’s really inspiring; I know I need to lose some weight and you’ve just given me a virtual arse-kick to actually do it!

[Roma]

You look fantastic Nine! Most importantly though you feel healthy and happy.

I’m at a similar stage to you and have lost a similar amount although I’ve looked much bigger in my before photos!

I’m a comfortable size 10/12 now. Like you I’m still wondering if I should still pursue the last few kg or maintain at my current weight and just be happy that I’ve lost so much weight and feel so much healthier and fitter now.

I went for a massage yesterday with my usual masseuse and she actually said she could feel how much stronger my body is now and how she can feel my improved muscle tone. That was really nice to hear!

[nineseven]

You guys

I’m at a similar stage to you and have lost a similar amount although I’ve looked much bigger in my before photos!

That is a particularly bad angle. I think generally I looked sort of solid/robust back then - the same shape as I am now but wider

Like you I’m still wondering if I should still pursue the last few kg or maintain at my current weight and just be happy that I’ve lost so much weight and feel so much healthier and fitter now.

It's hard. I'm wondering if I should slowly build up to maintenance cals over the next two months, reassess and then decide if I want to lose another 5-10lb in the new year. It's getting harder to hit a comfortable deficit but I think that may be the result of doing this for the best part of a year.

Well done on your weight loss too!

[Livilla]

Well done to both Roma and nineseven - all your hard work has been great!

From my own personal perspective losing the last few pounds to get you to the goal weight often turns into a bit of a stick to beat yourself with - I got down once to my mental goal, which took quite a bit of work, and then off course it didn’t prove to be an easily maintainable weight. So I’ve been happier staying at a weight that’s a few pounds higher that doesn’t take as much effort to sustain.

[Roma]

Thank you Nine!

I think that is what I’m realising, it’s harder to lose more weight now that im no longer overweight and I don’t want to restrict myself too much either just for the sake of a few kg. I’m really enjoying how I eat now and never feel deprived.

I think I’ve finally made a real lifestyle change this year instead of going on and off diets as I did before. Maybe I should just enjoy my new weight and fitness now

[nineseven]

Indeed. When I was 17/18, slim and doing sport five times a week I was 3lb below where I am now. I'm not sure aiming to be below that as a soon-to-be 42 year old with a sedentary job is particularly realistic

[Roma]

I agree with both of you. I don’t want to punish myself to get to a goal weight that I then need to struggle to maintain.

[ParisGal]

Indeed. When I was 17/18, slim and doing sport five times a week I was 3lb below where I am now. I'm not sure aiming to be below that as a soon-to-be 42 year old with a sedentary job is particularly realistic

Absolutely, without even taking lifestyle into account, I don't think our bodies are even 100% finished growing at that age.

[Little My]

That's fabulous, nine, wow! Well done!

I have a goal. It looks like I will have an event coming up in the summer that I would very much like to feel good about myself when I attend. Instead of putting off because of x,y,z, I need to start the work now realistically. I can totally do this.

[nineseven]

You can do this, LM!

I just hit my goal Looks like I’d been retaining a bit of water after working out which all dropped off overnight.

[Dutchie]

I just hit my goal Looks like I’d been retaining a bit of water after working out which all dropped off overnight.

Yay! You look amazing nine, you really do. It's great to find a weight/eating pattern that you an see yourself remaining at forever and I think that's probably the hardest balance to find.

Go, go, go LM! Do you know yet how you are going to do this?

I would ideally like to lose a few more kg, 2 or 3 but would love to lose 5. About 4 years ago, I lost a huge amount of weight and did that pretty easily. Now perimenopause has been thrown in the mix and it is so much harder! The last few weeks I keep losing and gaining the same 2 kg, very frustrating!

[nineseven]

Thank you!

Now perimenopause has been thrown in the mix and it is so much harder! The last few weeks I keep losing and gaining the same 2 kg, very frustrating!

Have you tried using Happy Scale (iOS) or Libra (Android)? Water retention is a dick but these apps calculate a moving average weight loss so you can see a downward trend, however slow, if there is one. (The graph I posted on the other page was from MFP so you can see the real weight fluctuations - I can post a smoooove Happy Scale one to compare it with if that will help!)

[Dutchie]

Have you tried using Happy Scale (iOS) or Libra (Android)? Water retention is a dick but these apps calculate a moving average weight loss so you can see a downward trend, however slow, if there is one. (The graph I posted on the other page was from MFP so you can see the real weight fluctuations - I can post a smoooove Happy Scale one to compare it with if that will help!)

Oh yes please! I've never heard of HappyScale/Libra

[nineseven]

Here you go. The green marks the amount lost in the previous 30 days. The blue lines with blobs on the end show the high and low weights that month. The line of the graph shows the moving average weight.

[Dutchie]

Oooh that looks like exactly what I need! Off to download it now...

[nineseven]

As you can see, the last few months have been painfully slow at around -2lb a month, but I still got there in the end.

[Little My]

Yay, nine!

I am using HappyScale for daily tracking. I sat down and worked out a plan in terms of weekly goals. I have given myself 40 weeks, and want to lose 40 lbs. ( ) But that should, in theory, be very realistic.

I am using my Apple Watch to keep track of daily exercise. Walking features heavily, as I have a puppy who definitely appreciates that. I will add in some elliptical time and weights. But it's my eating that really will make the difference. Meal planning (times and plans!), cutting down on sugar, cheese and booze, and a calorie curfew. I will see how that goes.

I have already knocked sugary coffee on the head, which was making me feel crappy. I was drinking it out of convenience, because tea takes too long. But what a difference, going back to (non-sugary) tea.

[nineseven]

That’s doable, LM! I lost 43.75lb in 44 weeks. It wasn’t remotely linear, mind you: -10lb in month one versus -0.5lb in month 10 so don’t get too fixated on the timescale. It can be a bit counterproductive.

[Little My]

Thanks, that's sensible. I mostly need the timescale to kick myself into action, because I have procrastinated on this all year. It makes so much sense to get stuck in now.

[Estrella]

Weighing myself daily made such a big difference. It seemed quite counterintuitive to start with, but seeing the fluctuations really helped with my mindset vs only weighing once a week (which might have been a random higher weight day)

This is my chart with similar highs and lows to Nine. I have ended up being down 21.7kg/just under 48lbs since Sept 2020.