Want to look GOOD by June 4th - that's just over a month. Please share your weight loss and toning tips

[Cristiane]

Back story is that I have just tried a week of pig to twig (Atkins type diet)

I feel horrific and haven't lost any weight. Kind of feel faint and my head feels very odd and I cannot face it any more. Just ate some boiled potatoes with olive oil and feel a bit stronger. I just don't think that diet is for me. I also slept very badly on it.

But... I want to look better in a month than I do now!

Despite moving house and working full time and having two DDs, I will try to find the time to do the 30 day shred plus I do walk 15 mins each way before getting on bus to the office. I wear MBTs even though they look horrible.

But it's the diet side of things that I get stuck on... If I deny myself something I then fantasise about it. I actually eat very healthily, and cook everything from scratch, don't have diet coke cravings or eat many sweet things. I get low blood sugar moments and have low blood pressure so anything too extreme and I faint or get ill (sounds very dramatic, maybe I'm just a wuss)...

Please share your successful dieting tips. I am 69 kilos and 5'6". I would like to be 59-60 kilos. I was 56 kilos before having DD1. Bloody hell.

have you managed to do the 30 day shred every day? Did you tone up well?

Shred - you will look amazing but you must make yourself do it - just trying to find the time to do it wont cut the mustard nor will walking for 15mins.

you also need to have a low fat diet or whatever it is you're doing for a couple of days and then blow out on the 3rd or 4th in a high fat way - otherwise your body will just go into starvation mode.

If you're doing the shred everyday you would be able to keep to your normal eating habits anyway - its incredibly effective.

If I was to do the 30 day shred, would I need to buy any equipment, e.g. weights?

You can start with cans of beans but you will need some weights eventually.

OK, Shred starts tomorrow...

Omnishambles - you say low fat for two days and high fat for two days? Don't understand...

Does this look like a good diet? I am trying to think of foods I enjoy eating that fill me up...

I drink lots of tea, one coffee a day, and lots of water and herb tea

Breakfast:
Whole fat natural yogurt with nuts and fruit
OR
Porridge made with water, served with dried apricots and a splash of milk
OR
Wholemeal toast with peanut butter and sliced banana

Lunch
Enormous salad with lots of vegetables, tomatoes, avocados, pulses, some feta or something, or a bit of chicken breast on the side and an olive oil and lemon dressing
OR
Big vegetable soup with brown bread

Snack
Seeds and dried fruit

Dinner
Chicken/ fish/ lean meat with brown rice and veg
OR
Courgette and tomato pasta
OR
Pilav with chick peas and spinach
OR
Roasted veg with yogurt sauce

Fruit to finish

I know that there have been loads of threads on here about the Shred but I've never read them properly. Now interested as 2 months until holiday, can someone give me a summary of what it is please?

Shred is an exercise dvd. It lasts for 20 mins and you are supposed to do it every day for a month. It is a combination of cv, abs, and weights. It is quite hard core but very good. The first time I did it I could barely walk downstairs the next day!

I've lost 3 lbs in 5 days by just cutting out crap I was previously eating. that means no biscuits, cakes, sugar in coffee, puddings etc. Oh and hardly ANY bread (cos I cant eat it unless its inch thick with butter)

Can you have an Activia yog or something (fat free) when you get a dip in your energy? or a banana

I dont really hold with NO carbs (altho I knwo it works oike a treat for loads) as for me its unsustainable. But I am being mindful of empty calories, and actually thiking 'on a scale of 1-10 how hungry am I? before I mindlessly stuf my face with more pig food

Oh yes and cut your portion size a lot

cyb I don't really eat crap, but my portion sizes have definitely crept up... and I used to just eat less and always leave food on my plate if I had eaten enough... now I just hoover it up...

I have never tried Activia yogurt... will do

Cristiane - no stick with your diet as above for 3 days and then on the 4th have a relatively high calorie day - if your body thinks that you're not eating enough calories then you will hold onto them and not lose any weight by having a high calorie day you wont go into starvation mode.

I have found though that by sticking to the shred and not stopping or cheating you will tone up and lose inches while not on any diet plan though.

OK thank you

The SHRED
20 minutes a day
nice toned bod
will have bags more energy
feel healthy, act healthy
cost - free
mood enhancing

What's not to love... I can do this!
Will set it all up for the big start tomorrow morning

I have my shred DVD and will dust it off Tuesday when the kids have gone to school. No need to embarrass myself in front of 3 kids and a dh!!

Ha anyone

I don't know when I am going to do mine - tomorrow not a problem as a bank holiday, but otherwise, I normally leave house at 7.15am so would have to get up at 6am... and hope not to wake kids and try to do it BEFORE going to work... or try to do it when I get home in the evening (6ish, then usually put kids to bed by about 7.30pm...)

When do you fit it in?

So just to check before I buy is this the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred? Is it available in Asda etc or does it need to be an online buy?

Can I recommend Ian Marber's How not to get Fat? It advises avoiding sugar and eating small portions of complex carbs plus protein every 2.5 hours. That and the shred got me to goal weight and looking better than I ever have, according to DH.
Just get the How not to get Fat daily diet book to set you up.

It is Jillian Michael, and you can get it here on amazon. Don't know if Asda/supermarkets stock it.

Thanks blossoming off to order it now.

Re making time to do it. It is 27 minutes including warm up cool down. Jillian Michaels would say, don't you deserve that time for yourself, to make yourself better? To make you strong in every aspect of your life?

If you watch Biggest Loser, where she is the trainer, one week they had work week, and so had to go to work and fit in exercise around it, to see how it would work in real life. So they got up an hour earlier, and did another session after coming home. If I do it in the morning I do it at 5.45 am, otherwise I do it after the kids have gone to bed. It is now part of the house regime, so if the phone rings or something, DH will tell them I'm not available.
It works because it is less than 30 minutes. But you do have to do it.

I was shredding today It does take slightly longer than 20 mins unless you bale before the end. I did it in November and def noticed a difference. But I gave up wine too and I think that helped. Look in TKMaxx for handweights.

I echo what blossoming says, 3 months ago I started going out for a 30 minute run 3/4 times a week (more walking than running at first) and I'm amazed how easily I've fitted it in. 30 mins really isn't long and I either get up early or go out as soon as we all get in from work/childminders, when I get back DH has fed the DD's and they're normally in the bath which is an added bonus.

I've recently lost 11lb in about six weeks. I made myself some rules and they seemed to work. I'm also 5ft6 and now weigh 10stone 1lb not sure what that is in kilo's [cconfused]

Chocolate - I gave this up for lent, it was a mission but whenever I craved it I would let myself have something sweet, raisins, fruit, other cakes that were unhealthy just not chocolate. I think it's good to give one thing bad up until your set date. Whether that is fizzy drinks, chocolate, crisps, alcohol, it is good for your willpower and a real achievement. I'm now eating chocolate again but don't seem to enjoy it as much (previously was eating copious amounts as breastfeeding twins)
My other 'rules'
Alcohol - none at all Mon-Thurs, Fri - Sun 2 glasses of wine maximum per day
Breakfast - I would eat it every day and have a healthly option, porridge, weetabix or yogurt with fresh fruit, nuts and a little honey.
Water - whenever I felt hungry, I would have a glass of water first, making sure I had at least 8 glasses a day
Snacks - tried to choose a healthy option, carrots, celery & hummus, mullerlight yogurt, piece of fruit, a babybel cheese, handful of nuts etc.
Fruit and veg - trying to eat 5 a day
Other meals as normal, including curries, chips, pasta etc. I did try to make sure I didn't keep eating for the sake of it, and being aware of my portion sizes.

Exercise - I also did the shred - it really works. I'm going to start again on Tuesday as I can see the definition coming back in my stomach and my arms look really good (although I'm not sure if this is from lugging round the twins or from the press ups/exercise on the Shred). I also started walking a lot, at least an hour a day whilst the girls nap in their pram.

Anyway I'm here if you want me for some support and will start doing the shred again this week. You can definitely do it [cgrin]

Wow well done la vita

That sounds achievable

Let's keep each other going, you up for it too Belle and Pimms?