Weight loss accountability/support 2024 edition

Use two rather than one ~

And again I start. 2023 was a bit of write off due to torn MCL that took up half the year.

101.6kg the other day just back from a bacchanalian ski trip.

Aiming for 0.5kg/week from beginning of Feb (once I'm past my usual 4 week plateau).

Eventual target is 76kg but I'll take 100kg (happy), 95kg (swim weights and back to hilly 10k), 90kg (running intervals), 85kg (general weights), 80kg (permission to enter running things again) along the way.

Grazie Nef

Pleasantly surprised to weigh myself this week for the first time since November. December was a write off due to mental health, Christmas and thesis deadlines.

I was expecting the worst but actually came in at almost exactly where I was in November.

Has given me a nice little boost and impetus to get back into good habits and see if I can hit my goal of getting sub 80kg.

1-Jan-24 88kg
8-Jan-24 86kg

not bad. was very careful last week. This is probably just Christmas bloat disappearing and I do not expect to lose 2kg every week, but hey

1 Jan - 91.2
8 Jan - 90.2

Watching calories has been ok. Got a bit carried away on Friday, went out for 120km single speed ride yesterday to make up for it.

Weight 2nd Dec: 78.9kg
Weight 9th Jan: 83.6kg

That’s a lot of mince pies.

78.9kg is a good weight for me. 83.6kg is not. Ultimately I’d like to get down to 75 and stay around there. I’m supposed to be riding the Tor Divide in May, so that’s something to aim for as I don’t fancy carrying much excess weight around 150 miles of Peak District hills.

I am conscious that roughly 3 years ago I weighed 91kg and did some good work to bring myself down to high 70s. I have been happier for it. I’m also aware that most people who do diet don’t manage to keep that weight off for more than 3 years, so I am keen to buck the trend.

This year will be tougher as work is stressful and I’m not sleeping well as a result, and tiredness and stress are two big factors in me just eating whatever is available, regardless of whether it is nice or not.

02.01: 83.2kg
09.01: 81.1kg

Happy to see the numbers moving downwards but know the harder work will come seeing as I was approx 15% mince pies this time last week.

Finding 16/8 fasting relatively alright, and a good motivator to avoid late evening snacking/beers.

Feel you on the last section!

Sure I'm teaching you nothing new but try and find snacks which are low cals which maybe achieve the same desired outcome as higher cals. Some of those protein mouse/yoghurts from Aldi/Lidl work for me as a treat without blowing loads of sugar/fats.

Started on Monday @ 86.9kg

Just watching what I eat (i.e. less snacks, less booze) and getting back on the bike. Not really concerned about until 2-3 weeks in as the loss is quick right now (85.6kg today for example). Setting good habits now whilst it's easy to lose weight.

Had a bit of a weird one this year. Some big ole life stress and have gone from 88 to 79 kg in about 8 weeks.

Life is getting better, and keeping my weight down has made me feel a lot better (combination of wanting to have one thing I’m in control of, and also feeling the health benefits).

Main things seem to be learning to stop eating once I’m satisfied, which helps with the self control to stop pigging out on crap that I don’t need at all. Eating dinner earlier 5-6pm (routine I’ve picked up while staying with friends), and then not eating again until 12 noon. I’ll have a protein bar or two if I do some training after dinner, and weekends are more relaxed - but consistency through the week seems to be the main winner. My cardio and climbing have massively benefited.

I’ve also been fitting in a bit of cardio post climbing, and I’ve been managing to train more. It definitely all adds up!

I'm not totally sure if this is the right place to be posting this. Apologies if not.
Over the last 2 years my body has changed a lot. I have had long covid for the majority of this time, had some massive changes to my life, a lot of stress and I probably haven't looked after myself as much as I should have as a result. I have lost muscle mass and replaced it with some podge.
I really hope I'm through the worst of all of the above so I'm ready to get back on track.
I don't especially want to lose any weight but I'd like to get my body fat down to ~16% and increase my muscle mass and bone mass if possible. I'm 36 and I am mindful that I'm at the age when my metabolism is slowing and when I should be looking ahead to ageing well/healthily.
I bought some smart scales last night because I find data massively motivating. Weighted myself this morning and we're off. I'll weigh once a week on a Monday from now on
Plan is to eat well, cut out alcohol, and combine cycling/running with resistance/strength training (initially from home and probably in the gym from a few months time)
I did a 20min core workout this morning and walked for an hour on my commute.
Feeling excited to make some positive changes!

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Glad to hear life is getting better mate and great work on the training - definitely found clarity of thought and mind through training in my own tough spots.

Long Covid is tough going - good luck and hopefully this will help too.

Life is still very much chaotic tbh, but things like diet and training are little things that I can try and keep on top of - and tbh maintaining good health is absolutely paramount when life stress is so high.

Yeah for sure, definitely a much healthier approach than giving into vices and wallowing. Goodluck - sounds like you're doing everything you can to look after yourself which will pay dividends down the road.

I feel very lucky that I’ve never been one for self destructive drinking or drug taking - my mind just doesn’t want those things if I’m feeling bad. Eating loads of shit food and becoming debilitatingly lazy is much more my vice - so I’m genuinely proud to be keeping on top of things.

Totally the place for this!

Would also suggest the Strength training and running threads to go for thoughts and advice.

I'm also one for getting a gym membership - I find I train more and better at a gym but find one which is going to work for you eg has the right equipment, fits within your daily routine and my personal belief isn't so cheap that you're able to not feel bad if you don't go!

All good advice. Cheers all!

Big shout out for Yoghurt- fat free natural stuff or my personal favourite. Skyr!

Why I like it: Volume and versatility. So far this week I have used yoghurt to marinade chicken, to replace mayo in a coleslaw, in oats, in a protein shake and as a yoghurt.

I always have a pot of plain and coconut Skyr in the fridge - a quick snack of a few spoonfuls of skyr is basically guilt free and pretty satiating.

Marinade chicken breast - chicken breast its a favourite but can be a bit dull. whack it in some yoghurt with a few different spices - salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chilli etc bit of lemon juice and parsley/coriander. Leave for a few hours and grill.

Coleslaw - finely slice half an onion, half a cucumber (deseeded) and half a small cabbage + a couple of grated carrots. finely slice a green chilli and some parsley/coriander. Mix in salt, pepper, dijon mustard, lemon juice or cider vinegar (gut health!) a little sugar and a few tablespoons of yoghurt and combine.

^ decent meal or combine with brown rice, sweet potato, broccoli or a mixed bag of salad.

Also another meal I made Saturday:
Konjak noodle prawn pad thai - quick and cheaty but who cares. I followed this recipe. I used cooked frozen prawns. Added an extra egg. Used a ready made pad thai paste but added more lime and fish sauce. Then used Konjak noodles rather than ordinary - wash in a sieve plenty before using but taste great and low cal. I added a some peanut butter as I didn't want to buy a bag of nuts and then obviously eat the rest of them at some point. You could forgo the prawns and use tofu. or add more veg.

Both those recipes are quick, easy, healthy, relatively cheap and low cal so hopefully good for this thread too :)

Might as well join in! Last year I went from 71kg-61kg. I was about 63kg after Christmas but almost certainly more fat and less muscle. I'm down to around 62.5kg now but can tell that I've gained a bit of muscle and lost a bit of fat so feeling like a positive start to the year. I've ordered some smart scales to keep better track of that sort of thing rather than trying to eyeball it.
I'm not really sure what my ideal weight is but am keen to lose the last of a bit of a belly. Plan is to knock booze on the head for a bit (at least dry January and taking a bit more care after that) and to make sure that I'm eating the right stuff and avoiding the urge to eat loads of crap whenever I'm outside of my normal routine. Blanket ban on crisps for the time being. The kitchen cupboard full of chocolate from Christmas isn't doing me any favours at the moment.

That last bit of body fat is a total motherfucker.

Weighed myself in my birthday suit after a light early morning gym session. 89.63kg. At least it's <90kg 😔 even if overnight and gym dehydration is doing a lot of heavy lifting there!

Still struggling to get my carbs and snacks down, but regularly gym sessions are making me feel better.

Out of interest is there anyone with a heavy crisp habit who's found a good healthy alternative? My OH is basically addicted to them, and is trying to have a dry Jan. But they are really struggling.

good healthy alternative?

Pickles

2022 - 104kg
2024 - 77kg

Still around 18-20% bodyfat though so work to do. I did it by no carbs for lunch, just 2x chicken breasts and a load of frozen veggies. Microwave at work and soy sauce. I am not hungry in the morning so just have coffee. Eat whatever the kids are having for dinner with them. If iam hungry later skyr/kvärg with berries. Zero booze. Allow myself cheat snacks on Saturday either chocolate or crisps. Not both and no cheating all day long or just undo all your hard work.