How can I look better in eight weeks time?

[Nicefrockneeded]

Feel like I need an emergency princessing thread type plan.

old, fat and frumpy. Every thing needs work so all suggestions welcome :-)

Eight weeks = birthday

Dress for your shape and light make up. What are your birthday plans?

Hydrate
Moisturise
Sleep
Floss
Stretch
Add in a fruit or veg to your daily intake
Add in a daily walk or other movement
Brows/lashes/hair/manicure/pedicure
Massage/steam/sauna if you like/can
New bra
Supportive shoes
Posture

What's your current situation? Need to know what the starting point is before we can make suggestions for a plan! ☺️

Weight
Usual diet (inc drinks)
Exercise
Anything you think needs particularly focussed on? Such as hair, skin, eyebrows?

Do you need clothing advice for this birthday? Or is it more that you see it as a general 'turn my life around milestone'?

exercise will make a massive difference to how you look and feel. even if it's just doing an uphill walk every day! Also rest is very important. And another thing that helps me feel better mentally is having a massive clearout in my house. Weird but it connects somehow to my stress levels.

Drinking a couple of glasses of water each day minimum, and having matcha tea or green tea instead of coffee.

Drink 2 litres of water a day - have 2 glasses when you wake up. You’ll defo do much better
Get walking as much as you can
Eat more fruit and veg. More protein, less carbs and no processed food
Check out Petra Genko on sm- she’s got some fab little workouts and routines to follow
Then think about waxing, eyebrows, skin. Get a good haircut and colour if needed

no real birthday plans, just a milestone.

weight - currently 13.5 stone :-(
thyroid, peri so find hard to lose

exercise hardly ever though tbf

work full time and two dc, so need to fit around that

skin so dry, hair very grey at roots, ugly gnarly feet and fingernails not good shape

big double chin and dark circles

Enough to go on? :-)

just a small things will make a difference.
Get moving as much as you can - walk everywhere (I walk to Asda and a fairly big shop and carry back home)
Def check out Petra Genko - she does 5 minute work outs
Dribk loads on of water, eat a good diet. Hair and nails book yourself in now and again before your party

Something like this once a month on fingernails and toenails:
https://www.boots.com/boots-6-way-buffer-10322541?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc--PLAs_HeroCompare---_-PMax:+UK_Smart_Shopping_Beauty&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds Go gently with the buffing side.
Hand cream before bed and occasionally throughout the day.
Filing of nails as and when you need.
Hand and feet masks if you fancy them, not the peeling feet masks!

A cheapish body lotion, e.g. Vaseline or Garnier, after a shower when skin dried. Takes two minutes and makes a difference.

Lots and lots of water.
Good sleep hygiene.
A bit of daily fresh air and daylight (if you went a walk this would be perfect, or sit in a garden or park or nip outside on a work break).

You’ve had some very good advice , it’s just about deciding what can work for you realistically and then committing to it. Consistency and discipline are very important.

I’d also say don’t think of it as an 8 week thing or you may disappointed. Think of it as adopting lifestyle changes that will take however long it takes to show up on you.

Personally for me I think starting off with : a decent amount of sleep, daily moisturising, exercise for at least 30 minutes a day (this can just be walking) reducing sugar, drinking more water and increasing fruit and veg intake are good way to look and feel better in the long term.

Have your eyebrows threaded (and maybe have eyebrows and eyelashes tinted) And have a facial with blackhead removal.
And haircut and dye.
Maybe nice relaxing massage or yoga class.
Lots of fresh air.
manicure/pedicure maybe?
Give thanks for the good things in your life and be kind to yourself.

Buy a beautiful dress. How tall are you?

agree with others, here’s what I would do:

weight- join slimming world , 8 weeks could lose 16lbs if 2lbs a week, 2L water, walk everyday
start skincare routine- can be really simple, cleanse tone moisturise every am and pm
book hair appt for a week before bday
book eyebrows
book mani/pedi
practise mindfulness
for your birthday, treat yourself to some new clothes as 16lbs is usually a dress size and a half
xx

These replies are exactly what I needed! Thank you all

Surprised nobody has mentioned cutting out alcohol yet. This, plus being well hydrated, is the #1 evidence based factor in looking and feeling better in that timeframe..

• Sleep is incredible at making you look bright and well, should improve after 2 weeks or so of abstinence.
• You will likely lose some weight/body fat.
• Your skin will appear brighter and better complexion
• Hair will be healthier

Second to cutting out alcohol, try to get more exercise. If you do next to nothing now then even walking daily will make a difference in 8 weeks.

To be honest those are the only 2 changes I'd make if I were you. The risk of doing too many changes is that you won't stick to them, or sticking to them will stress you out. It really isn't rocket science to look and feel healthy.

(I might also invest in a good vitamin C serum for the mornings)

Forgot to say good luck!

Ha, I’m in this position!

I’m old and short with grey hair and fat. My DDs wedding in 6 weeks time! I’ve probably left it too late but things I’m planning.

I’ve actually started Mounjaro (1 1/2 weeks in).
Improved my diet (daily homemade veg/fruit smoothies and more veggies)
Hairdressers appointment to make.
Dentist for scale and polish and ask about teeth whitening.
Ive booked a lash and brow tint and may ask the certified beautician about any other treatments she’d recommend.
Ill get my nail done (gel/nail wrap?)
Im going with my Dd to buy my MOB wedding outfit.

For me, the main things that make a difference are drinking water, reducing the amount of sugar in my diet (not totally cutting it out), getting outside and some sun, eating a good amount of fibre, fermented foods and using some pre/probiotic supplements. Having a healthy gut makes me feel so much better overall.

Strength training (home dvd and dumbells will do) and healthy diet.

i went from 11 stone 5 to 10 stone 3 in exactly 8 weeks doing that and felt amazing

You’ve inspired me! Feeling fat (3 stone to lose!) and old lately but I’m going to start some of these tips to help me feel better even if I’m not instantly skinny!

Gym or you could do 2/3 YouTube exercise videos an every other day. I do Caroline givern for free weights and Chloe ting for resistance bands. Moves not overly hard for beginners.

sleep and water and no alcohol for a bit. Low sugar too with anything to get skin colour back?

could do low oil and whole foods veggie for a few weeks to get slimmer? It’s not forever, just to make you feel better ?

book aromatherapy facial, nails and hair appointment if you can? Change up te shampoo or frequency of washing. I found that only washing once a week now has helped scalp dryness and grease but that was a few weeks of feeling urgh whilst hair adjusted.

If you do nothing g now then just eating good nutritious meals, walking , upping water will make a big difference. Ask yourself what each mouthful you’re about to put in will do for you? Is it nutritious? If not don’t eat it. Moving more will help sleep to be deeper. Then start spending time in the evenings by winding down away from the tv and soak your feet , use a pumice, paint your nails . Colour your hair or put on a face mask and listen to a podcast or audio book. Prioritise you.

You sound like me.

I've just booked myself in for a haircut and highlights. I'm going to get my eyebrows waxed and tinted. I'm going to drink more, and try and go for a walk every day, and improve my skin care. Book yourself in for a manicure and pedicure.

Does half an hour walking a day really make a muscle difference to anyone who's started doing so?

Brisk walking. .