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.

WEIGHTWATCHERS ! Most new starters seem to lose 3-4 lbs a week for the first couple of weeks and then 2 to 21/2 lbs a week is very do-able. You could lose a stone in 4 weeks.

I'm up for it !!

I am on Day 4 of the Shred and feel fab! Can already see a huge difference in my toning. However I ached (and I mean ached!) for days 2 and 3! I have been doing it in the mornings and went for a 3 mile walk tonight. When I'm back at work next week I plan to get up 25 mins earlier (which will be 5.30 eeek!) as I feel so virtuous all day when I exercise in the morning.

May I join you ladies please? I too wish to lose weight and tone up by early June (going on 10th wedding anniversary holiday with DH which requires wearing swimwear - normally we holiday in cooler climes with dcs and spend most days in cagoules!). I'm 5'6 and a shade under 10 stone.
I was down to 9.5 stone in early April but the Easter holidays and chocolate binging have left their mark.
Have heard tell of The Shred but it sounded rather scarey. I now think I need scarey if I'm to reach my goal in time! Will also be watching my portions, drinking plenty of water, and restricting alcohol to moderate amounts Thurs-Sat. Gave up sugar in hot drinks for Lent and think I've managed to wean myself off it for good. Will go off to order Shred now.

I have been reading a French self-help book about overeating and the reason why diets fail.

To summarise:

• eat the foods you like
• eat when you are hungry
• don't eat when you think you "should" be hungry
• don't eat the foods you think you "should" eat - you can get fat on lettuce if you exceed your body's calorific requirements
• don't label certain foods as fattening and others as slimming (see lettuce example above)
• stop eating when you have had enough (to be fair this is the hardest bit, he examines all the emotional and psychological reason why we overeat)

It sounds so easy doesn't it? Essentially if you deprive yourself you WILL crave the foods you have banned. It's all about enjoying food and not battling with food, and learning to eat only the quantity your body needs.

Obviously this is a long-term change-of-mindset, not a short-term weight-loss solution, but I wanted to offer this perspective.

Good luck
The book is Maigrir sans Regime by Dr Zermati - I don't think it's been translated into English, alas.

naturelover not read the book but agree with the principles you've set out.

I think exercising more and thinking about what and how much we put in our mouths are the basis of losing weight.

just ordered one myself to give it a go, its not so much about loosing weight for me but toning up too

I've been doing Diet Chef and have lost a lot of weight. It is very easy to do because they supply all your meals, which taste really nice.

I'm up for a Shred challenge! Bought it on Play.com tonight so should arrive later this week. Will report back after first session. For now I will continue to persevere with the running which I really don't enjoy (despite reassurances from DH who is a regular runner that it will get easier, it really isn't).

Go on first beach holiday for 4 years (when not pregnant) in July and would really like to wear a bikini - eek!

Good luck girls! I was in a bikini for the first time last year after my shred/sugar avoidance!

Sorry should have added, 5ft 5.5 and 9 stones 9lbs. Not actually bothered about loosing any weight as quite happy as I am but would really like to tone stomach and bum. Work FT and travel with work quite a lot but manage to fit in exercise as previously mentioned, easier when away with work as can set my own schedule. Don't know what DH and the DD's will make if my 'Shredding' though!

Can I join in too please...I am 5'7' and weigh 11 and a 1/2stone. I have been going to the gym three times a week and cycling 10k but see and feel no difference after three weeks. That's no good for me I need to see results quickly.

I'm not very patient either!! lol
Was very good yesterday but have to go shopping today for "diet" food.

I wish I'd read this thread before I ate that vile pork pie. Can I join too please? I've started the Shred twice but never got beyond day 18 because both times I came got sick, couldn't do it for a few days and then got out of the habit. I'm 5ft3 and 9st13 so could do with shifting a bit!

Hi there

What's the 4-hour body diet?

I'm in a slight slough of despond. Despite hardly ever eating more than 1500 calories a day, my weight never goes down. And a minor indiscretion like a Lindt bunny sees it go up a couple of pounds.

Surely I don't really have to eat nothing but salads and protein, and do that blasted 30-day shred every day, just not to end up on a whale stretcher in a year's time?

Me too, me too! I have been to the gym today for the first time in aaaaaaages, and I feel really glad that I went, but I have just eaten a wispa with a cup of tea I need to tone up everywhere, especially my tummy. I have also noticed that I am generally soft and squishy on places that I used to be, like on my back and thighs and upper arms, so I am determined to tone up!

My plan is gym/shred or pilates at least 4x a week, drink more water and reduce bad carbs. Lucewheel I am aiming to take things like oatcakes, hummus/cheese and chopped raw veg to work, yoghurt, fruit and maybe a small piece of chocolate as something to look forward to. I don't need to lose loads of weight though, just tone. Does anyone know if breastfeeding makes it hard to tone up?? My little girl is one and I seem to be getting more and more flabby :(

Have just ordered the 30 day shred as had to delete many recent holiday photos due to my multiple chins / saggy tummy / enormous arse Is it good for tummies as that really is my worst area post dc?

Paul McKenna "I Can Make You Thin" says...
Eat when you're hungry.
Eat what you want.
Enjoy every mouthful.
Stop when you're full.

So it is more about eating only when you are really hungry and not stuffing yourself! Which is what I do sometimes!

Think I might try the Shred too....would love some definition on my arms/abs.

I fear i'm too unco-ordinated for the shred. do you have to be pretty with it on your feet would you say?

is it the sort of thing where you could hurt yourself doing smthg wrong? (looks for any excuse.)

I have been on the slimming world diet since January and have lost over a stone. Currently struggling with motivation though - must go to my weekly meeting tonight.

I am also too scared for the shred (not even got the DVD though so who knows) but for toning I have got the ten minute target toning for beginners (very much a beginner i've never done any toning before) and I have definitely got more defined muscles over the three months I have been doing it. I try to do one or two ten minute sessions on at least 5 days of the week plus 30 minutes walking or more cardio style DVD. I think it was only £3.99 from amazon and I quite enjoy it so good value IMO.

The 30 day shred has been giving me migranes - I think it is all the jumping about? Anyone else had this side effect??

Might start doing it, but just doing the strength and toning bits - 20mins is not worth losing the rest of the day!