From a Christmas Pudding to a Christmas Cracker - Weight Loss Motivation

Jude13 · 26-01-2026 05:18AM

Glutenous Thursday - Saturday. Had an industry event Thursday night, turned into a big night. We were entertaining with the firm at a golf competition, Saturday was a boozy brunch. To quote lethal weapon, I'm getting too old for this. Back to square one.

CheerLouth · 26-01-2026 10:22AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124180281#Comment_124180281

Putting the chocolate in the freezer is also a good shout! I'm loving a twirl these days - they are so chocolatey, a great fix for around 114cals. I'm not much of a crisp person but I like popcorn; I get the sweet & salty multipack of Tesco's own brand - think they are about 70cals per bag. They are delicious & my kids hate them - win win 😁

SarahLil · 26-01-2026 12:54PM

Morning everyone

Continuing this week with my goal for more water I find if I start early in the morning it starts the day on the right track

Really didn’t feel like moving today but short spurt of home work out done it’s really short but it’s something

Jude13 · 27-01-2026 05:46AM

Too afraid to weigh myself until next Monday as I know I am up. I had an MRI on my knee yesterday, the report will go to the doc to see what's occurring. Really not found of those tiny old MRI machines.

Did some weights this morning, nothing mad, rehab mainly on the shoulder. Then 8 minute cold plunge and 20 minute steam.

SarahLil · 28-01-2026 10:37PM

Still tipping away at little goals I have in place… over 12K steps most days, lots of water, early nights, short home workouts, managing my food and snacks

Reading daily

On a little hair journey too it will make sense to the ladies here but the Blonde has my hair in brutal condition need to rethink that situation but in the meantime no heat on hair 3 weeks, hair masks weekly, good shampoo conditioner, silk scrunchie, silk pillowcases anything to help really 🤣 friend recommended some herbal oils too

Jude13 · 02-02-2026 11:31AM

Light gym work today, building up. I got my result from my knee MRI and the usual osteoarthritis all over the place but the aggravator is a baker cyst, 3 x 4.3cm inside my knee making everything inflamed. Basically a golf ball in the back of my knee.

I am getting injections this Thursday though my 10km days may be over for good.

Loughc · 02-02-2026 12:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124199602#Comment_124199602

Oh Jude that’s not good!! Thats my fear the way I am running my knees won’t hold up for long.

Jude13 · 06-02-2026 08:05AM

I my injections yesterday and will have them weekly for the next few weeks. I have been pretty strict with diet and training, and have been dropping weight. I weigh in each day.

I had a rice crispy square last night, made by my youngest and I seemed to have gained 0.6kg in one day…I know it will likely be a fluctuation but still not a good morning.

DvB · 06-02-2026 08:28AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124210770#Comment_124210770

Diet is key, get your head in the right space for that & you'll fly it.

I've been on my diet since my blood results came back & have lost just under 4kg (8lbs) in the 4 weeks, and thats with no exercise other than walking, which given the weather hasn't been as extensive as I'd like, but I've managed to get my head into the diet zone and am happy I can maintain it so another 9kg is the plan by mid/end of June and then I'll hopefully be at my optimum weight & my next set of bloods will show an improved cholesterol level & liver function.

I'm 54 in a few weeks so my love of cake will need to be controlled going forward as the metabolism cant keep up anymore, all my usual Christmas treats (Stollen, mince pies etc) will need to be just that, i.e. a treat, and not something I indulge in practically daily for 6-8 odd weeks!! (no wonder my cholesterol in January was high!!!)

Loughc · 06-02-2026 11:26AM

That's great work DVB you are flying it mate! I'm back at my pre-Christmas weight but just hovering at the moment, need to get the finger out.

DvB · 06-02-2026 02:29PM

I'm actually enjoying fitting back into my slimmer fit clothes… really didn't fancy having to buy new clothes in size large having pretty much been a medium for most of my life. That alone is a great incentive as I really don't like clothes shopping anymore.

CheerLouth · 09-02-2026 11:04AM

Great results in here! I did a maintenance week last week as we were away - still managed to drop 0.5kg so have 4.5kg gone now since Jan 5th! Delighted…starting to see some definition too…for the first time in my life, I have the start of something resembling abs 😂🎉

Aisling(",) · 09-02-2026 12:09PM

I did a body composition scan in September and it said my goal weight loss was 18kg.

I did another on Saturday and my goal weight loss is now 10kg despite only actually losing 5.4kg.The change is due to an increase in muscle and reduction in body fat.

My body fat has gone from 41.4% to 33.7%. A little win.

Loughc · 09-02-2026 05:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124220001#Comment_124220001

That's a great win! Well done.

Loughc · 09-02-2026 05:59PM

After a few meh weeks I had a good loss of 2lbs this week. Felt it during the week, cravings at night are at an all time low which is great. As I absolutely over-did it at Christmas time.

Cork Lass · 09-02-2026 10:42PM

I’m actually afraid to get on the scales at this stage. I should be pounding the pavements but had a lesion removed from my foot last week. I thought it would be something of nothing but she had to take a fair bit away so it’s stitched up until next week and it’s very painful, which apparently the foot is inclined to be. I’ve spent most of the last week either in bed or on the couch with my foot up and have barely left the house. My knee surgery is 4 weeks from today so this needs to be fully healed, I guess my imprint will be on the couch by then 😩.

Jude13 · 10-02-2026 10:24AM

I thought I was being good but I am up 0.5kg from the start weight. My knee doctor mentioned getting on the jabs as I can't do cardio with the knee and weights are tough with the shoulder. I'm very confused. I need to put the fork down, easier said than done. Tracking on myfitness everything for a few weeks and we'll see.

Benihunter · 10-02-2026 11:07AM

As someone who has struggled a lot with my weight over the years, I've found that motivation is very much the enemy.

It's the unglamorous discipline and consistency that will get you there and keep you there.

I'm a 6ft man and I'm making my way down from 18st to 13st again for the 3rd and hopefully final time, this time for health rather than vanity reasons. As I've done it twice before, I know what has worked and why I've failed to maintain in the past.

Getting down weight:

That's the 'easy' part (I understand it's not easy for everybody, some people may have physical injuries or other limitations which makes the challenge much more difficult). I work out about 5 times a week, weights and cardio and I eat clean, which isn't difficult as I genuinely love healthy food, always have.

Piling it back on:

I've weighed myself every saturday morning since 4th Jan 2014 and I've found that I'm able to maintain weightloss relatively easily for about 2 years and then the graph rises like a phoenix from hell. The main issues seem to be a combination of stress eating and lapsing on my already unwise 'all or nothing approach'. You see while I love healthy food, I'm also basically addicted to junk food and takeaways and really struggle to lose eight unless I go cold-turkey (but this isn't a great long term strategy either).

To address this I've replaced stress eating with reading (which I've always enjoyed anyway) and the all or nothing approach with a bit of simple cop on. ie I've trained myself to understand that eating a bowl of chicken wings once a month or so doesn't mean that 2 years worth of hard work is suddenly undone and all hope is lost, it just means that I have to balance the additional calories throughout the rest of the week. I know this seems obvious but I struggle badly with the mentality and cravings side of things and I suspect plenty of others do too.

Which leads us back to....discipline and consistency.

I'm down 1 stone since the start of the year and plan to slow the rate of my weight loss as I don't want to rush the process like I did the last 2 times. Slow, steady and sustainable is the approach this time.

Anyway best of luck everybody, hopefully we'll all be in shape for a calendar in 2027! 😃💪

Jude13 · 10-02-2026 11:35AM

Sage words. I am stress eater also, I never had an issue with weight before 33 ish as I was still playing competitive sport. I actually struggled to keep my weight up. Now in my 40's and physically can't do what I used to and I am the dictionary example of metabolism slowing down. I'm not huge, 98kg and 182cm, so I am lucky in a way, but need to be 82-85kg to help my crumbling knees.

DvB · 10-02-2026 11:54AM

Yeah stress eating (& poor timing of meals) can be a real killer. I always note that when I'm at my most stressed with work the first thing to fall is the healthy diet, I go long spells without eating & then binge unhealthy food late when I get home or stop working & then tend to head to bed or sit in front of the TV. For most of my life I exercised my stress away and that worked really well, but with my knees no longer capable of matching my desire to exercise the way I used to I've had to restructure how I manage my stress levels, so far my diet has been as described, structured in a way I can treat myself at the weekend to a few pints or dinner out or suchlike but be conscious of not overdoing it on the other 6 days. That will lead to slower weight loss and the odd small gain but should theoretically be an overall trend towards loss. By allowing myself the things I like the odd time I'm hopeful I can maintain over time and feel healthier again, as described above, I'm not doing this for competitive or vanity reasons, its purely for health purposes so that hopefully is the bets motivation of all.

Benihunter · 10-02-2026 12:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124222712#Comment_124222712

Yes you're not too bad there at your current weight and 15kg weight loss is very achieveable if your health allows.

My back has been at me since I was 19 so I basically stopped playing football at that age. I'm 38 now and my back isn't getting any better but I can still lift weights, cycle and swim so I personally have no excuse. But I understand everyone is different, so I say that purely about me, nobody else.

I don't know if you have access to a pool but swimming takes the impact out of exercise and also I find cycling is good as well, even hand cycling can be a good alternative if your gym has a hand bike.

Benihunter · 10-02-2026 12:39PM

Yes stress eating or even habitual eating can be one of the biggest killers and as you age it just gets harder to manage the weight.

Like yourself, I love a few pints on the weekend as well and while it adds plenty of empty calories I feel it's something I'm much more in control of than binge-eating which I have been known to do.

I think the long term goal of looking after your health is a very good motivator though, not to sound too cheesey but when your want becomes a must it puts things in a different light. I wanted to lose weight the first 2 times I done it to a significant degree, now with my back I really have no option, I'm facing a grim future if I don't put the effort in and maintain it.

Jude13 · 11-02-2026 05:46AM

@DvB I read your posts like I'm reading my future self (hope that doesn't offend you).

@Benihunter 38! you're a pup. I know you're young so you may not heed this but when I was 40 I went from 95 to 77kg in three months, it was bloody tough (weighing each meal, all the macros', puking with strenuos workouts, zero booze) for three months. I turned 44 and in those four years things have changed massively, body wise and results. Get down in kgs now and maintain!!! I sound like Marely, or the ghost of Christmas future.

I do have a pool in the gym near by which I need to use, running was jut so much handier, walk out of house, run. You mentioned weekend booze, that is also my down fall, I hang out with my youngest kids friends parents and they are far younger than me and party a bit more. That plus for example, I am out tonight at a drinks reception our firms is sponsoring, out tomorrow with a client, then playing golf and pints with another client on Friday, Saturday there is a birthday of one of the parents on boat. It gets boozy.

Benihunter · 11-02-2026 10:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124225389#Comment_124225389

Haha sure listen I could use a visit from Marley's ghost to put me right!

But in fairness your advise is sound, the earlier you can get down the weight and maintain the better. For me it's as much about managing stress and general bad habits as anything else, I can stay on the wagon for 2-3 years no bother but the downfall is spectacular amd rapid when it happens. The all or nothing approach really doesn't work for me.

Regarding pints, sure look you have to enjoy yourself as well, we're here for a good time not for a long time but it's about finding balance and sticking to it, easier said than done but it can be done!

kitten_k · 14-02-2026 03:02PM

Went back to slimming world this morning, I finished up in May last year as no point going knowing I was gonna gain pregnancy weight. I weighed in at 9lb lower than my last visit so was happy with that. I knew I’d be down as I lost my appetite during the pregnancy so now just to work on getting to where I am happy overall.

Loughc · 14-02-2026 05:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124235167#Comment_124235167

Well done Kitten no easy feat after pregnancy!

CheerLouth · 16-02-2026 10:34AM

Down another kg over the last week so nearly 6kg in total since the beginning of Jan 🤩 Delighted to see progress as had such a mental block about it over the last year - felt like I was kicking the can against the wall and nothing was happening. Getting into the right place mentally is key I think.

kitten_k · 16-02-2026 12:55PM

That’s really good @CheerLouth especially given the crap week you had

leahyl · 16-02-2026 01:43PM

Hello all, well done to everyone on all your efforts in getting fit and healthy and losing a few pounds! I think I'm the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't been walking regularly in months, just been doing 2 PT sessions a week and yoga but then I'm not watching what I'm eating at all. I think it's a combination of muscle but also fat (from all the eating) that has me weighing so much! I guess the last few months have been stressful with the house purchase and trying to get everything in so I can move in also. I really have to get back on track then!

Btw can anyone give a brief summary of what ye eat on a day to day basis to keep ye satisfied?! I love food and I know what I need to eat really but I think my portions are too large. I just seem to be extremely hungry a lot of the time!

Loughc · 16-02-2026 01:59PM

Try to up your protein intake that’s been keeping me fuller for longer. Protein yogurts and meals are good for that. The meals are good as they are portion sized as well.

It’s really curbed my night time snacking.

I’m currently at my lowest weight since 2022. Lost another 2lbs this week. So 4lbs in last two weeks.

From a Christmas Pudding to a Christmas Cracker - Weight Loss Motivation

Comments

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" Charles Dickens

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" Charles Dickens

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" Charles Dickens