Anyone want to join me in a very easy peasy diet?

[Wolfgirl]

Im on hols in June so that is my incentive. Beginning of December I went of a cut down diet. All I did, was after my main meal at night, I ate.... NOTHING. No picking... chocolate, biscuits, popcorn (dont we love our popcorn on MN? , crisps....nothing. Oh and no pudding!

I lost nearly 1/2 stone just by not picking.

I ate what I liked during the day, biscuit, chocolate... what ever I liked, but just stopped at night.

I have to say, I did go to bed a little bit hungry, but felt so gooooooood the next day, especially as by the end of the first week my stomach had gone down considerably, and by the second week my clothes felt looser.

Who wants to join me? anyone?

JJ - you naughty naughty girl. On the naughty step for.... oooh how old are you LOL - ok your age = minutes.... off you go.
(does sound gloriously scrummy though )

re the hoola hoop, yes but thats just it, isnt it. the exercise comes not only from hooping, but from bending over and picking the wretched thing up. Up down, up down, up down.... just think of your jowlers on your back!!!! great exercise for them - wibble wobble, wibble wobble, wibble wobble (thats if you have flabby jowlers on your back, that is)

I knew getting you guys to hoola hoop was a bit far fetched, but thought it might be fun.

Yes, i hope I lose a bit more weight before hols. I seem to have come to a stand still, alhough I do keep trying / going. I think Im being very good. The temptation is still there to pick.... but I try

OMG - age=minutes on the naughty step...I'll be there all day!:0

I'll do something a bit easier for my punishment, like age = number of sit ups - much easier than having to sit still for 35 mins!

No no no

I have cut out puddings from the start!! I have had the odd one ona lunch time so I will cut out those too.

Oh no, DD1 has folded the hula hoop in half...beyond all repair...gutted!

JJ - LOL at DD. right then, both of you on Sit-up duty!

Nabs - ah, thats why you have been doing so well, then eh!

Finally!!

I don't have lots of puddings too uness it is someones birthday at work and those cakes come out. I do try to haveother things.
One thing for me to be a real challeng would be cordial in my drink I know it's not much but I have heard it all adds up.

Would you allow low fat yogurts wolfgirl like muller light / vitality. I try to have one most days if I can.
I realised today I could borrow a hoop from work, after watching two kids fighting over one in the playground.
I walked up a very big hill pushing the buggy with DD today to post NCT mags.

do nutrigrain bars count as biscuits????? they sorta stop me from having the munchies.

I lost a whole half pound and that was with an upset tummy to 'help' with weight loss. I can't eat much less than I am at the moment, I don't know what on earth else I can do without, I have to eat something. And I'm losing it from the wrong place. It's coming off my butt when I really, really want to lose it from my tum.

I'm feeling quite obsessive about it atm, constantly dwelling on my weight, what I can cut out, whether I'm fatter/thinner than I was yesterday or bigger/smaller than other women. I've only had a weight problem in the past few years, I was stick-thin before that.

It really is about eating the right food, not about the amount. Only taken me 36 years to realise that. Good luck everyone.

Suedonim - are you eating proper meals? Why don't you list a typical day's meals here and we can all let you know our hints and tips to see if that helps. For example, don't starve yourself because your body will go into starvation mode and actually hold on to all your energy stores. You have to keep you metabolism. Try eating a meal as you would normally and instead of potaotes or chips or bread have extra portions of vegetables or salad to fill you up. HTH

Mullerlight - much better way of getting calcium than a chunk of cheese!

Peachygirl / Christie - OK here is the deal. How about yoghurts / muller lights every other day? not everyday?

duomonstermum - yep! and crackers! Its been a struggle so far for me this week, I just love my biscuits with tea! I dont gorge on them, but still.

suedonim - are you definately NOT picking in the evening? Maybe you could try eating your main meal a bit earlier - so your stomach has a longer FAST in the evening and overnight. Also, dont forget you have the heat out there which I guess will add to slowing your metabolic weight down. Can you substitute drinks with water? drink loads and loads and loads of water. Keep a jug of it on your table, or in the fridge (I expect you do anyway, in what.... 40 degs of heat). It is hard for me to suggest exercise becaue it is so hot for you out there.... what about swimming? I will keep thinking for you, but do keep going - you are doing really well! You have not put weight on, have you! Just keep going and we will all have a think what else you can do.

how about we all try pedometers?? i thought i was being good by walking . i thought i was walking loads but hubby bought me a pedometer and it turns out i'm only doing about 8000 steps so i'm trying to bring it up to 10,000. funny how you feel like you've done plenty....... right, must go to the dentist now

Thanks for everyone's concern, I appreciate it. I'm feeling a bit more upbeat today, I think I was a misery bags yesterday because I've had a bad migraine. So..onwards and upwards - or downwards, in this case, lol!

My daily diet usually goes like this:
Breakfast: half a can of fruit in juice (not heavy syrup) and a cup of coffee with milk but no sugar or glass of juice.

Lunch: three or four rice crackers (am I the only person who actually likes them?? ) and diet coke or water.

Dinner: Veggie dhal & rice or spag bol or beans on toast or soup and sandwiches. Cup of tea, no milk or sugar.

I truly don't snack in the evenings, Wolfgirl, as there is very little available to snack on! I've just thought that I do have an alcoholic drink probably every other evening, eg small can beer or G&T.

We eat out three times a week, as cooking is so difficult here. I try to have the healthiest choice available. I almost never have a pudding, either at home or out. I have a cafe latte once a week after the trials of shopping on a Friday.

Re exercise, I do need more exercise, I know. It will have to be swimming as there's nothing else to do here, we can't go out walking or anything. I did dream about being on a treadmill last night - maybe that's a hint!

Hi suedonim, personally I dont think you are eating enough.

You should eat a GOOD size breakfast, like two weetabix, slice of toast, tea; then a snack at 11 maybe, then lunch at about 1ish - sandwich, crisps, fruit; snack in the afternoon (more fruit?); Dinner - anything you like.

four rice crackers for lunch is no good imo.

what does anyone else think? Im also wondering if this is the amount your stomach is used to, there is little room to cut down as I dont think you are eating enough.

I cant imagine what its like out there, not being able to get a diversity of foods.

If you don't eat enough it is harder to lose weight as your body holds on to every last thing thinking it won't be getting more. This is why people on food plans always say they are never hungry as they eat enough, it is all about the right type of food, not the amount.

Oh suedonim , sorry you are finding it a bit disheartening at the moment. I agree with wolfgirl ... that really doesn't sound like a lot of food a day. I have cereal , one slice of brown toast and fruit for breakfast. Probably crackers and houmous and veg. sticks / or soup and bread for lunch and then a proper tea but no pudding. I wll have a small snack of a few nuts and cheese mid afternoon as well, and a glass of wine 3 or four times a week .On saturdays i always have a indian either restaurant or takeaway and eat what ever i feel like, and a sunday roast on sundays.

The thing is, I don't usually feel hungry so it's not as if I'm going round saying 'I'm starving.' because I'm not. Your suggestion sounds like quite a lot of food to me, Wolfgirl, and I'm not sure I could manage all that!

Cereal is off the menu. Last time I bought Weetabix it had 'added protein' in. Also can only get UHT milk, which isn't very pleasant even when I tell myself it is. Toast and sandwiches I can do, so long as the ants haven't got to the bread first lol. Even fruit is a PITA as it has to be sterilised before it can be eaten and then it tastes like Milton anyway. I've sort of lost the will to live wrt to food, I think! But I will think on and try to make some changes, so thank you for advice.

On the exercise front, I've just done 10 lengths of the pool and walked down 8 of the 16 flights of stairs to our 8th floor apartment. I feel kind of guilty at swimmming during the day without dh and dd, it seems self-indulgent which is silly, I know. No one uses the pool during the day so it was a bit embarrassing when a life guard appeared at the poolside, just for me!

Where do you live at the moment suedonim? I find i am alot less hungry when its hot and sunny.
Feeling guilty about having the pool and lifeguard all to yourself!!! some people would pay good money for that!!

"I feel kind of guilty at swimmming during the day without dh and dd, it seems self-indulgent which is silly, I know"

Do you know what suedo, I am just coming to a stage in my life since having babies, where Im starting to look after ME !!! I hadn't bought clothes in I dont know how long, in the hope I would get back to my wonderful size 12 (which is what I was prior to meeting dh, marrying dh and before DS1) - of course nearly 5 years later it hasnt happened. I buy from eBay or charity shops - occasionally from normal shops. I didnt want to spend loads knowing I would be slim again one day.

Just lately I must have woken up and smelt the coffee LOL Im thinking it is something to do with my health issues, always feeling weak, pain in my legs (and now on top of it... the perimenopause dont ask) but I have been totally devoted to the children, seriously! when they say jump I ask how high. But now I tell them to wait till Ive done what Im doing.... I ignore their whining which is constant, that sort of thing. I have put the kids first in all things, they wear the most wonderful clothes, they have toys that would put Hamleys to shame and just a wonderful childhood. But Im exhausted, I rarely go out either. But since the summer last year, Ive started to get my hair done regularly, we are off on hols in June, and I've been on the spend - in shops LOL and shoes, and accessories.... and having a coffee out with a friend, no kids.

We give so much of our time to our LO's - I really dont think it a sin if we say no to them occassionaly, or go off on our own, or leave them to play by themselves for an hour or so (not advocating you go to the shops at that point, but doing the dinner - that sort of thing, or taking a shower )

Im rambling, but I just wanted you to NOT feel guilty about going swimming. Hope I make sense!

Lol! I'm in Nigeria, Kingprawntikka. You get lovely prawns here, one of the few pluses.

You're so lovely, Wolfgirl. I know what you're saying, in fact dh says it to me all the time. I think it's my genes coming to the fore; my mum was brought up Welsh chapel and so my genes tell me it is fact illegal to enjoy anything, lol!

Christie, if they are fat free almost you are exempt LOL. Also I was eating one of the Activia yoghurts, not only are they good for your tum, but equally almost fat free.

Go on, enjoy yourself!

Suedonim, my parents are welsh, and my mother bought up in Baptist chapel. I totally understand what you say about not quite being allowed to enjoy yourself. My mother quizes me at every turn, like this holiday we are going on. "how can you afford that, where did you get the money from for that"! Then just recently we have had an electric awning put over our patio doors - which leads onto extensive decking. The sun rises up in the morning and beats into our diner/kitchen and stays there till about 3pm. There is not an ounce of shade, and it can get stifling. So we saved for this awning. Mother says.... " thats far too expensive, why didnt you get a parasol like everyone would" and it goes on and on and on. Or if we are out when she phones, it like.... "where've you been!! you didnt tell me you going out"

I swear! You think you have it bad! LOL

OK gotta go. Tesco beckons