It's 5 weeks to Christmas... Is it possible...

[Karbea]

To lose weight, look better, feel better, be fitter?

Anyone fancy joining me in a 5 week super drive to amazingness????

[winkle2]

I'd love to join too if I can?

5 weeks till Xmas day tomorrow so will start in the morning.

Will report my weight once I've weighed in.

[Imflabulous]

Morning all!

How is everyone doing? I managed all on my list yesterday apart from only had 1 pint of water but still had pleanty of fluid.

New thing to add today is full body exfoliate and first application of holiday sun. Will possibly re start week 1 if c25k after work......but no promises!

As diet has been bad for weeks i was pleasantly surprised to find out I only gained 2 lb since end if Oct ( have a weigh in app on phone).

Hope you all have a good day, will be hoping for more tips and ideas for beauty regime if anyone cares to share...

[plaingirly]

How much change can you make in 5 weeks? I would love to start the new year feeling fitter!

[Rockchick1984]

Well, rubbish day diet wise yesterday but I managed to remember to properly cleanse my face and remove make up before bed (normally end up using a baby wipe in the mornings to remove last nights mascara - yuck)! So healthy eating starts today...

Monday - cleansing skin properly
Tuesday - no chocolate
Wednesday - 2 litres of water per day
Thursday - no sugar
Friday - no alcohol (don't drink through the week anyway)

So one week of small changes to change my life :-) am trying to do things anyway like painting my nails, body brushing before a shower etc so have already made some changes. I feel exactly like the previous posters who were saying about feeling mumsy since having kids - I used to be low-maintenance glam so hardly any make up but well groomed and always in heels, coped without my glasses etc. Since having DS I wear my specs all the time (I don't suit glasses), always in flat shoes as I can't chase DS in heels, and carrying a good 7-14lbs extra weight still I love being a mum but miss being me as well - hopefully this thread will give me the kick up the arse that I need

[Spoiltexpatbrat]

Plaingirly, I have done 5 weeks of personal training and already dropped two waist size in jeans!
Regardless of any weight loss and just feel better in myself and more positive.
Hopefully I can continue to go forward and keep it up!

As for beauty,
Add babyoil to your bath (or any other kind of oil) rehydrates your skin without having to stand around in a cold bathroom waiting for sticky body lotions to dry

Mix exfoliater with your regular cleansing milk/ cream etc. you can use it ever day to really brighten the skin

Shape (not file) nails every 3 to 4 days to stop any tears or snagging.

Small tube of hand cream in hand bag, apply every time you take out wallet/ keys or phone

Mix self tan in with your moisturiser to give your skin a little pick me up.

Almond oil for the nails and surrounding skin, apply before bed.

Swop your night moisturiser for a face mask once a week. Gel ones work the best and don't stain the bedding!

Hair mask on while sat in the bath, the steam will make it penetrate better.

[Spoiltexpatbrat]

Sorry for typos, two young children hanging off me and trying to post from phone!

[winkle2]

Morning all.

I'm not a mum but I've been ttc for a while and therefore been putting off dieting cause I thought I'd get fat anyway! Not a good attitude but I find it very hard to diet unless I have a goal in mind and seeing as the thing I want most on the world is to be fat and round with a baby, it's very hard to motivate myself.

However I have finally brought myself some new clothes (another thing I was putting off cause I thought I'd but maternity clothes) and got myself a new job (yep, another thing I was putting off!!) so I want to look and feel nice when I go to work, not feel like I have to wear clothes to cover me up.

So I weighed myself this morning and I'm 11st 3. Lets see how much I can lose for Xmas.

Some great tips there Spoilt. One tip I find handy is to plan your meals the night before.

[BiddyPop]

I'm working on a long term (ish) goal of looking stunning for my DBro's wedding in May. So I need to shed almost 2 stone apart from anything else (and deal with the muffin top too).

I also need to get into a dress TONIGHT for a black tie dinner (which I had thought fitted me, but the skinny slip, skinny knicks and skinny tights will ALL be needed to zip it up.....).

I am working on remembering to drink a jug (1l) of water a day at work, keeping fruit beside the desk for snacking rather than biccies, do 20 sit ups a day for the tummy (will do them now) and making my salad for lunch at least 3 times per week (that's not a hardship as it's HUGE, just all veg and no dressing - 2 carrots, half a pepper, handful cherry tomatoes, half a handful sugarsnap peas, half an avocado (I know it's fat but it's also very good for you), about 8-10 olives, and a largehandful of lettuce).

I have booked my hair appointment for 10 days before Christmas - cut (I try for reasonably regular but sometimes that slips) and colour (I am putting in bright red highlights in my dark hair that I talked about last year, which the hairdresser thinks is mad in a good way - and there's plenty of silver poking through to give a candy cane effect!!). I have booked a facial for a couple of days before that.

And I am trying to remember to get to the gym at least twice a week and do some gym stuff (not just pootle up and down the pool 5 times as an excuse for a quiet relaxing shower and ability to dry and style my hair in peace from DD).

[Eliza22]

If you've never run before, how can you start?

I'd like to give this a go. Am 50 and recently celebrated my birthday as a big treat, in New York. Was shocked when photos went on the computer to see just how weighty I've become, despite going to the gym 3 or 4 times weekly. Of course, I'm a chocoholic and I do enjoy a glass or two of the red stuff, several times a week.

I'll do the water. I'll continue with the gym and I'll cut down on the sweet stuff. If I cut it out completely, it'll make me want it more, give in, and over indulge! I have to be realistic. But, I can lose a few pounds, yes? Of course yes!!

[Eliza22]

Oh, and anyone? How to get started on the running (slowly) thing?

Thanks

[Rockchick1984]

Eliza google couch to 5K, it basically teaches non runners to run over the course of a few months. I've not tried it yet (keep debating it, but can't really be bothered) and it looks really effective!

[Rockchick1984]

Winkle good luck with the TTC. How much weight do you need to lose? I had put on about half a stone prior to getting pregnant with DS, and desperately wish I'd lost it before getting pregnant as losing weight with a baby is a nightmare - I gained nearly 5 stone while pregnant as I used it as a chance to eat constantly and do no exercise.

As much as I'd like to say it was baby weight it really wasn't - 1 stone came off between going into labour and leaving the hospital with DS, one stone came off without any effort over the next month. That was clearly my baby weight, the rest was actually just fat Trying to lose weight when combined with sleepless nights, constant sugar cravings due to breastfeeding, no time to cook real meals so ending up with take away or junk food - please don't make the same mistakes as I did!!!

If its a larger amount of weight you need to lose, try to motivate yourself that you don't want to be a high risk pregnancy, a friend of mine is not what I would consider fat (roughly size 16, 5'7") and she was unable to use her local birthing centre as she was classed as high risk due to her BMI so a little weight loss can only be beneficial.

Biddy the red streaks sound fab!

Plain when I did slimming world I lost 9.5lbs in 5 weeks despite regularly cheating on the diet plan and doing no exercise, so I'm hoping I can lose at least half a stone by Christmas :)

[Karbea]

Argh! I just ate a 35g bar if lindt chocolate!!! Rubbish!!! Mind you I've had a pretty harrowing morning :( and had been crying before that, so expected really :(

winkle good luck with the ttc, dh and I have been trying for over two years, we've done a round of ivf and this morning we went to an adoption open morning, dh has now finally said he can't do it - which I knew deep down, so... Umm sorry not too cheery!!! Anyway! I need you girls to help me feem healthier, happier, thiner etc etc!!! Which might cheer me up!!!

[Spoiltexpatbrat]

Karbea, chocolate in that situation is acceptable. Sorry about your dh I would of eaten a whole lot more than that!

[Leather]

Sorry to hear that Karbea infertilty is so hard, I hope you can find a way through it together.
I too have given into temptation this afternoon, in the form of chilli heat wave Doritos...mmmmm....

[Stillstarving]

Karbea I'm sorry you and dh are having such a rough time. You were remarkably restrained with the chocolate. Do keep up the 5 weeks to Xmas challenge though, sometimes it just gives you a bit of a boost to think about stuff like your nails when everything else is a bit shit.

[Karbea]

starving i'm definitely keeping it up, the choc was just a blip! :)

[frantic51]

Please may I join in? I'm much older and fatter than I expect most of you (just had a sneak peak at your photos Karbea and I am and

I lost 50lbs over the summer (that's right 50lbs) and have piled a lot back on. I don't even know how much as I daren't get on the scales knowing that if it's really bad it will send me straight to the chocolate biscuits.

I can't afford weight watchers or the gym it would do me so much good if I had to "confess" my sins and have someone to give me a kick up the arse and/or encouragement.

BTW what is this "shred" I hear so much about? Is it a downloadable programme?

[plaingirly]

Half a stone off would be fab!

Aiming to lose 4 to 5 stones in total but that seems like such a scary amount. Just read in a magazine a celebrity saying that as she is 5'2 every extra pounds shows .... I am 5'2!!

I need to start all the grooming stuff. I used to paint my nails all the time but seem to have stopped caring about myself. Just seems pointless at my weight.

So Saturday was day to get weighed ...... 13.2. That is so much more than I should be for my height.

Hate that number! Still fit into my size 16s but want to be smaller.

[Chottie]

I would love to join you too. I would love to lose half a stone by Christmas. It would make all my clothes hang well and I know I would feel better too. I don't drink, but stress, work and stuff drives me to sweeties :(

[winkle2]

Eliza - I highly recommend couch to 5k. I did it a few years back and was running for 30 mins non stop after a couple of months. I can still run for half an hour (with a minute break to walk somewhere along the way) now.

Rock - been trying for 15 months :( Was only around 10 stone then though. I've allowed it to creep on. I'd like to be 9st 7 as that's a good weight for me. I'm currently 11st 3.

Sorry to hear that karbea. It's so hard this ttc business.

Frantic - shred is Jillian Michael's 30 day shred DVD. It's £5 from play.com and it really works. Only 20 mins a day so it's over before it really starts. You just reminded me that I have this DVD mmmm I should do it too.

[Jammygal]

Ok I'm joining too.......I have lost nearly a stone and a half since August just;

Eating smaller meals
Not eating butter on bread/ toast and cutting down on oil in cooking
Not drinking in the week.
Not eating chocolate or crisps or high fat junk in the week
Walking the dog and the kids to school and back most days.
upping my cleaning!
doing yoga a few days a week.

I now need to ;

Stick to above in Christmas run up

Up water intake
Increase exercise and yoga
Increase fruit/veg
Do nails/skin/hair/teeth maintenance

[Eliza22]

Thanks Wrinkle and Rockchick. Will Google and get to work. I'm more embarrassed by the possibility of bumping into someone I know, whilst out huffing and puffing, than anything else. But the gym, to be honest, has started to bore me ridged!

[surfandturf]

Hi all, I'd love to join too. Have already made a start with couch to 5k but got run down with a cold so haven't been out for a run this week. Need to try and pick it back up tomorrow. For any of you thinking about it, it does start off really slowly and you can repeat a week as many times as you like before moving up. I'm actually looking forward to starting it again!

I've got a microdermabrasion session booked at the beginning of December and have also bought myself a manicure, pedicure and back massage from Groupon which I'm having mid December - might even treat myself to some nice nails. Need to keep on top of my bushy eyebrows and hair and dig out the tooth whitening kit.

I always feel nice if I take the time to apply body shop body butter after a bath or shower. I also need to moisturise daily and drink more water instead of countless brews as my skin hates winter.

[Eliza22]

Good God, my back teeth are under water, with all the H2O I've consumed today! Is the 2 litres of water every day?