Weight loss and healthy eating for a debt free life

CRANKY40

P.S. @redofromstart I'd have eaten the cookies too 🤣

jwil

Hello everyone!  I can't believe I hadn't spotted that this thread was here 🤦‍♀️

There have been some brilliant losses already well done everyone.

I've got loads to lose and I don't lose very well, and get disheartened easily, so I'm trying to look at the overall trajectory rather than week by week.  I'm in the bloaty part of the month so probably shan't bother weighing again for a week or two.

I made a good start, then I had a tough couple of weeks and made a concerted effort to declutter all the easter chocolate in the meantime.  It's all pretty much gone now, and I want to try and reduce my chocolate eating.

My plan is to roughly follow SW principles, with half a plate of fruit/veg at each meal. I try and eat between 9am and 7pm, and not snack between meals so have 3 x 1hr 'eating windows'.  It seems to be helping me create new habits and has definitely improved my blood pressure and blood sugar readings even if it hasn't done much for my weight so far.

I want to eat well with everything in moderation, but eating less processed foods.  I am the family chef, but I'm not a great cook, and don't particularly enjoy it.  Quick and easy always works for me.  The rest of the household are fussy so I need to adapt what is acceptable to them or cook completely separately for me.

Less_Talk_and_More_Action

I think that sounds like a great plan @jwil. We all have to adapt things to what works in our own lives and make the small changes that work for us. Slow and steady wins the race.  I have a three figure amount to lose as well and for the first time in my life I am prepared to take it slowly and make sustainable changes.  This contrasts with all the previous attempts where I tried to do everything at once as perfectly as possible only to crash and burn roughly 3-6 weeks later!!

L x 

Less_Talk_and_More_Action

@CRANKY40. Wise words indeed about the diet foods.  One of the things I am focusing on is using more calories at mealtimes.  As you might expect, I have quite a large calorie allowance (loads to lose).  Mr L is a good cook and we are veggie.  This means some of his meals are really healthy- leaving me lots of calories to use on rubbish.  Eventually the rubbish crowds out anything healthy.  This time we are focusing on meals with more calories, minimal snacking (but like your eating window @jwil). It worked well last week so we’re planning that way this week and will just take it week by week.  I’m away for 2 nights for work so that will be a challenge.  However it’s one that I have to work out as it’s a regular thing for me.  

I’m interested in the salad discussion and definitely agree with the salad bar in the fridge approach.  Just after lockdown when everything opened, we (myself and Mr L) went on a salad making course at a local organic cafe. To say it changed my salad making is an understatement.  Great dressings and different use of ingredients.  The dressings aren’t especially low calorie but you don’t need loads and they make such a difference. And they fit in with my thoughts of mostly putting calories into the meals (not all of them - I’m not a saint😂).  

In relation to the car journeys, I’m a fervent podcast listener.  I do have a lot of music playlists and I sing along.  I have a terrible voice so the car is the only option for that 😱🤣.  I think the crisps/chocolate is a “poor me” type of thing - wishing I was home already and how can I treat myself.   Ultimately I have to work through all these things or I won’t achieve good health and a full life. 

L x 

jwil

Less_Talk_and_More_Action said:

@CRANKY40. Wise words indeed about the diet foods.  One of the things I am focusing on is using more calories at mealtimes.  As you might expect, I have quite a large calorie allowance (loads to lose).  Mr L is a good cook and we are veggie.  This means some of his meals are really healthy- leaving me lots of calories to use on rubbish.  Eventually the rubbish crowds out anything healthy.  This time we are focusing on meals with more calories, minimal snacking (but like your eating window @jwil). It worked well last week so we’re planning that way this week and will just take it week by week.  I’m away for 2 nights for work so that will be a challenge.  However it’s one that I have to work out as it’s a regular thing for me.  

I’m interested in the salad discussion and definitely agree with the salad bar in the fridge approach.  Just after lockdown when everything opened, we (myself and Mr L) went on a salad making course at a local organic cafe. To say it changed my salad making is an understatement.  Great dressings and different use of ingredients.  The dressings aren’t especially low calorie but you don’t need loads and they make such a difference. And they fit in with my thoughts of mostly putting calories into the meals (not all of them - I’m not a saint😂).  

In relation to the car journeys, I’m a fervent podcast listener.  I do have a lot of music playlists and I sing along.  I have a terrible voice so the car is the only option for that 😱🤣.  I think the crisps/chocolate is a “poor me” type of thing - wishing I was home already and how can I treat myself.   Ultimately I have to work through all these things or I won’t achieve good health and a full life. 

L x 

Good luck with it   It sounds like a good plan.  I also crowd out meals with endless snacking, so my eating windows are an attempt to break that habit.

beanielou

I am a big snacker. Sigh. 

elly68

my scales in work last week showed 135 down to 132 after the weekend ive had i think they will be back up but will still jump on tomorrow loving this thread x

CRANKY40

Good afternoon peeps, 

@jwil I'm glad that you've found us 😊

@Less_Talk_and_More_Action sadly I am a "car only" singer too 😄

@elly68 did you have a good sociable weekend or was it emotional eating?

So did any of you know that in autistic people chewing is a form of stimming? Quote from Psych Central 

"Stimming is described as calming and comfortable as it creates a feedback loop to regulate emotion. It allows for one focal point, easing overwhelming input".

Autistic people often chew inappropriate things (clothing, pens, toys etc.) but you can see why emotional eating is a thing. Like overspending, eating something yummy can also give you a dopamine rush so there's the temptation to go back for more. Then you feel guilty and need something to make you feel that high again so you go and repeat the eating or the spending (or both) and so on. It's all a bit more complicated than just "willpower".

I cleared out our food cupboard yesterday and took the stuff that we're never going to use to a young lady who was asking for help with food. I did go to S'burys on the way to drop it off and spend £5 on bread, spread and a few other bits so she wasn't left just with the results of my overshopping. The things that are left are what we will use and I can see how much of each item we have. 

Take care all of you 😊

redofromstart

What a lovely thing to do Cranky. Pica also fairly common (eating card and paper seems to be a regular thing) apparently. 
Hello and welcome Jwil

Chicken, new potatoes and salad here.  I tend to snack and not eat meals, hate eating in front of others generally. 

scandimore

Hallo, I'd like to join in the thread if possible.

I have a lot to lose, but am feeling rather introspective about weight loss at the moment, rather than my usual feeling ashamed and wanting to punish self.

I'm going to give considered thought to what I put in my body and try to treat it well. Lots of colours, variety, whole foods if possible. If I fancy something sweet it needn't be a massive blow out and lead to a whole spiral.

I've done intermittent fasting before which just made my periods stop completely, also have tried 1200 calories a day, and found my weight loss slowed right down.

So first of all going to see what happens if I'm just nice to myself and eat somewhat healthily. I've just been diagnosed with an auto immune condition so I need to find out more about what's best to eat to keep me ticking on! I'm lucky in that I like fruit and veg, salad etc, I love cooking and have fewer time constraints to prevent me doing a good job. I've run out of excuses to not sort myself out!

I'll be enjoying reading the thread and seeing how everyone I'd going on their journeys.