WWW's six week ten years younger plan, WEEK FOUR

[WideWebWitch]

Good morning all, welcome to week 4! A reminder of the rules:

Be as happy as possible. The odd night of booze and chocolate is fine
It's not a diet, it's trying to eat healthily and well, eat fruit and veg
Lots of water, aim for 2 litres a day
Some exercise, walking is fine
Use sunscreen at ALL TIMES
Take your make up off before bed
Get enough sleep, aim to be in bed by 10, 10.30 every night
Use handcream and join the horned hoof club on their thread if you have vile feet

Suzywong is Harvey from Fit Club and will pop in every now and again to say Good Luck to You but in her absence: Good Luck To You.

I am feeling very positive about this week. I have lost weight despite the wine lapses! Had a busy weekend but apart from a single scoop of HD ice cream last night I have eaten very well. Even donned a swimsuit to take the children swimming yesterday.

I have already walked to and from school, am about to hoover the house, will walk DS to Pre-school and walk to collect all of them later.

Lunch will be pea and ham soup and supper is a beef and lentil casserole (all prepared so no excuses).

Best of all DH has been pricing the IPods with Mother's Day in mind!

Have a great week everyone. (WWW are you going to lead by example this week?)

it's a barbie and (light) beer tonight and I've been sunbathing (with sunscreen)
am very happy though

must try harder

Good Luck To You

I am on the Path of Virtue, as it's only Monday morning, I ate a Breakfast of Virtue (organic porridge, skimmed organic milk, berries, fat free organic yogurt, organic banana) and crashed out at 9.30 last night. Whether I remain here is of course up for debate. Am planning home made lentil and spinach soup with wholemeal organic toast (with small amount of butter, though) and a swim tonight. DP's cooking, no idea what, but I shall eat off my neurotic Plate of Scarcity.

My one consolation is I don't have a lithe fit youth to recall. In fact being much the same size now as many years ago means I'm now quite small, if you see what I mean, by comparison with former goddesses [evil grin]

Have had a few semi-serious lapses over the last 7 days, and feel the need to re-focus this week. Also, didn't get in my normal walking amounts due to bitterly cold weather - took the bus/tube much more than usual.

The challenge for this next week is I'm due to eat 3 meals out in restaurants (lucky me!), but I seem to lose all will power when it comes to ordering. I know this isn't a "starvation" program, but restaurant meals = treat in my mind, and then I get in trouble.... Any tips so that the week doesn't turn into a lost cause?

Right my challenge is not to touch booze til Friday at the earlest....(bet I don't last...no willpower - if dp buys it, I drink it..)

Blackduck, that's my goal too. So far, i've given in on one week day (at least each week. My dh tries to persuade me because he wants wine. and he knows i have reaaly low willpower when it comes to wine!

GB sounds like my dp....he knows I'll crumble - but lets try!!

Have you seen this \link{http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7-2091117,00.html\article} in today's Times? There was an interview with her in yesterday's Sunday Times too. I have read numerous articles on food/weight obsessiveness (hard to avoid them really) but this struck me as especially sad.

OK ... shock tactics for me (just to cheer you all up) I picked up a leaflet in the cancer research shop and it states in no uncertain terms the affects of being overweight on your health.

"It can increase the risk of several types of cancer. These include cancer of the bowel, kidney, oesophagus, and womb as well as breast cancer in women who have been through the menopause. It can also increase the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, osteoarthritis and stroke"

It does go on to say that losing 10% of your body weight can have a positive effect on ones health.

I know this is not new... but seeing it all in black and white might motivate me.

The looking after myself with potions and lotions and drinking enough water are all part of my daily routine now so this week I am concentrating on more exercise and eating well.
I am going to keep a food diary in the hope that it will help and Sat/Sun I will givemyself a 'treat' but not so much that the entire week is ruined.

I am indeed going to lead by example this week! I am also going to do No Booze all week and may keep it up at the weekend too, we'll see. But I also need to lay off so much bread and butter. Dh has agreed to help me on all fronts. So far
boiled egg
2 pieces toast,
strawberry smoothie
and we're having organic Tuscan bean soup for lunch and maybe a small walk this afternoon. Winnie, eek, thank you. I need this stuff, I only want to drop 2 dress sizes and I'll be really happy actually.

Earlybird, there's always the 'eat two starters' option...I am so hopeless in restaurants, too, I feel 'I'm out!' and it all goes, once again, belly-up.

Off to eat my Soup of Virtue. It has no oil and has kale in it, ffs, how much more virtuous can you get?

MI - thanks for suggestion of two starters. I get to a restaurant so seldom, that any sense of restraint or moderation evaporates. Thanks for reminding me how to control myself!

Kale?? Extremely virtuous or are you punishing yourself?

MI - kale? Bleugh!

WWW - you'll find it much easier with DH on board. Mine is fine with food but leads me astray with the alcohol. I am aiming for an alcohol-free week too and really fancy an early night to read my book. I will have to tape ER and The Green Room and save them for the w/e.

Winnie - I think the food diary is a great idea and have decided to keep one too. Read somewhere that it helps to note the time you eat and how you are feeling so that you can identify patterns. I think they work best if you keep them going for a month to take into account fluctuations with PMT, etc.

The kale was in our organic delivery. I did the same lentil, garlic and cumin soup that I do with spinach and it was actually rather lovely.

Cannot claim credit to the two starters, think I read it in one of my many magazines; possibly Good Housekeeping. I have to say the last time I went out for a meal the portions were so enormous that I felt like a bloated python for about two days.

Hmm. It is a bad plan to have werthers originals and M and S mini bites (3 for 2) in the house, I'm finding. Am feeling really positive today though.

I have Given Up on alcohol free week plan as Being Happy also important . Aiming for no booze Tues, wed, Thurs which seems good for me. Also half bottle still open from weekend and Im not wasting it! Weekend not too bad but lots of wine and a couple of chocs after dinner on Sat were Real Sins. Also huge amount of cappucino consumed as usual. Plus point is I walked for miles on Camber Sands today so have already made my 10k steps today. WWW, please don't be too virtuous, I need you in the naughty corner with me

Callmemadam, dh is telling me I should drink wine tonight as I am stressed (possible hiccup re new job to be, won't be resolved for a couple of days :() so I may join you in the naughty corner. Fuckit. I was having a lovely day until then, all morning in bed with dh (kids at school/nursery), then messing about here and drooling over hotel sites this pm...we're
having pork and roasted veg tonight, it smells lovely and I am starving. Used sunscreen when I went out today and drank water so a medium day I think.

Batters, sorry for delay, here is recipe.
Yakitori Chicken

4 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp Japanese Mirin (from Waitrose, or use rice wine or vinegar or even dry sherry instead and up the honey a fraction)
1 tbsp clear/runny honey
piece root ginger, grated (I use Waitrose Lazy Ginger)
clove garlic crushed (ditto Lazy Garlic)
400g chicken breast in chunks
1 red onion quartered and separated
1 or 2 peppers cut into 8 pieces

Make up marinade and put chicken in for several hours or overnight. I did from lunchtime to evening

Thread veg and chicken onto 4 kebab skewers and brush with marinade. grill for 12-15 mins until cooked and veg lightly charred. Serve with noodles and/or salad.

192 calories 3.2g fat 0.9g sat fat per serving. Yummy! DH and I had 2 kebabs each though.

WWW, I have shuffled over and made room for you on the bench

Oh Dear. Am on bench in disgrace. Have had the wine I may have mentioned, = 2 bendincks bittermints I found lying around after my supper. Am hopeless.

Have realised am now talking to myself as well....................have now fallen off bench and sent myself to bed with a stiff talking-to..

Yesterday was a good day :)
I am feeling positive about the week ahead.
Being dogmatic about routine seems to be my way of keeping to everything.

Hows everyone doing?

Callmemadam, you are too hard on yourself
Although expecting someone to talk to you on this thread at 11.08 pm was probably a bit optimistic (or not)

I'm going to tell myself today is Monday...callmemadam, you're not alone! Well done Winnie.

What a good idea! My 18 month old DS is going through his fussy eater stage though and so I'm making loads of different options for him and eating what he doesn't. I did loose 3 lbs last week but still can't fit into my summer jeans. I love/hate my love handles. .Sorry, am I being too negative? I'll try to be good!