Operation Renovation - aka The Christmas Countdown

[HelgatheHairy]

It's 115 days to Christmas Eve!

You can use this thread exactly like you were using the previous thread to keep track of what you're doing, have lists, ask advice etc. As its about renovation rather than strictly beauty, nothing is off limits so beauty, clothes, exercise, healthy eating.

So here we go!

Day 7 of six week six pack done.
Off out in my second hand tan RL shorts, new bra, brown strappy vest and cream low wedges and bag.
Going to treat myself to brunch from deli that does lovely paleo food: had blackened shrimp with zucchini noodles last time which was immense.

Ok here is my version of the list

1. 8 glasses of filtered water a day - pretty good at this most days
2. Exfoliate - body brush in shower most days and facial scrub at night
3. Use teeth whitener - always use whitening toothpaste
4. Use anti-aging face cream - Origins plantscription
5. Intensive nail care (feet and hands) - not good at this one, need podiatry appt asap!!
6. Use eye cream -use eye cream twice daily
7. The Shred / other intensive exercise -crap with exercise, pilates once a week, going to try to swim twice a week now DS back at school
8. At least 2 extra fruit & veg every day - could do better!
9. Healthy breakfast daily - granola/museli toast and butter at weekends

10. Use hair oil- never heard of it until this thread can somneone enlighten me?? 11. No alcohol during the week & no boozing it up on weekends - no chance will try harder 12. Take vitamins every day -have a pot by the kettle, rarely take them 13. Body brushing - yy as above 14. At least 2 servings of salmon or other fatty fish per week. -just bought some salmon, DH will strggle with this 15. One early night once a week. Suggest 9PM. - Usually go to bed at 10:30 ish will aim for 10pm 16. Regular hair removal - already epilate legs and pits, everything else rainforest. Will try harder 17. Give up one naughty favourite item e.g. chocolate/crisps - crisps gone as of today 18. No more fizzy drinks - dont drink pop 19. DAILY body moisturising - do most days 20. Warm water with lemon first thing in the a.m. - no going to bother it has no proven benefit

Will update tomorrow when i start properly, the birthday cake and Champagne are waiting for DH to come home and dinner is booked

Hello,

I've been shopping, I got, a jumper from h&m, a clarins exfoliating toner, an urban decay and mac eyeshadow, Dior lash plumping stuff and some more muji storage for my makeup.

I wasn't going to buy anymore clothes for awhile oops!

Diet still dreadful although did have salmon and salad for lunch and leftovers prawn crackers from last nights take away for breakfast

Not much good today, had to take Mum for heart appointment. Did wear smart trousers and top for that though. As it involved a 70 mile round trip I am tired now That is probably because I hardly slept last night.
Have resolved to use up coffee in the house and then switch to decaf.
Weekend off, small amount of school work to do but then a bit of pamper time I think.

Well ...after the asda cock up today got worse

Landlord's ass of an agent came round because we asked for an electrician to check out what we suspect is some dodgy wiring ......of course washer/dryer/bathroom light/hall light were all off at 4pm so wasn't about to start arsing about just to prove that they're dodgy...he says it's my fault for using washer and dryer together

Anyway, had a lovely shower on my own, dp was snuggled under a blanket with the girls when I got out so managed to complete my evening routine in peace! Have applied one coat of silvery polish to fingers but not sure I like it so leaving like that until the morning.

Hair dried but not straightened, will do in the morning since I don't have to rush off out. Was maybe going to attempt rag rolling it tomorrow using baby wipes ....Sunday is day off day so doesn't matter if it's not brill.

Just enjoying a with dp before he goes to bed (although he poured it in a half pint pot so taking it steady ).

Off to market in the morning to stock up on fruit and salad (won't need veg for weeks with the size of the stuff MIL keeps fetching up from FILs allottment).

Going to have a look for boots tomorrow but can't afford to buy this week unless I get cheapies for now

109 days to go

Ta da! Bought new bras which inspired me to reorganise all my lingerie and swimwear. Laboriously tried it all on. Kept a few nice sets that are too big, binned greyish whites and bobbly swimwear and grim shapeless nursing bras even though still BF. Put all bras with their matching pants (I don't always wear matching sets but at least if I want to I can).

Weird how I fit all sorts of different sized bras depending on straps and clasp setting. Also amazed at my bra size changes over the years.

Anyway, now everything I wear under my clothes looks nice and with my reorganised wardrobe and post-shred exercise regime I am feeling like a totally new woman!

Ta Da...

Filed & painted toes and fingers yesterday...Will learn that it's not just a holiday thing and do them regularly.
Exfoliated and oiled every inch of my body.
Drank one litre of water but that was just to wash the three mars bars down...which I don't usually eat but they were there and calling my name. Think it was just because I was home alone.
Today...I have had my hot water and lemon...not too bad.
Am starving...will make bercher muesli with fresh blueberries, nuts and raisins...what a start to the day.
Since it's the weekend and there's only me and my partner at home...dd1 and dd2 are both away in different parts of the world..so no having to entertain then or run around after them...and no phone calls from either of them...We'll be getting wrapped up and going for a long walk. Mmm...just the two of us and no interruptions..what will we do ???Definitely no shopping.
xxx

Morning all

How's everyone today? Anyone up to anything interesting?

Morning routine was all done here by 8am...just kids hair to sort to head to market shortly (when I find something not broken or soaking from yesterday to put on my feet).

Pizza dough made for later...just have to decide what fairly healthy toppings to pile on

Must get back on the exercise after the weekend...am going to risk doing Shred when kids are at school/nursery and hope I don't smell too bad picking them up ...cba with daytime showers! Like my shower last off to wash away the day.

Well we are now on Day 7 and I am quite proud of my first week

Ta Da
Showered and moisturised every day
Exfoliated and shaved legs three times
Washed, conditioned and styled hair every day
Hot cloth cleansed and moisturised incl eye cream twice every day
Brushed teeth with whitening toothpaste twice every day
Wore make up every day AND took it off properly every night
Planned and wore nice outfits every day (ironed them too!), and accessorised approriately
Painted fingernails properly on Sunday and didn't use my nails as tools so they lasted all week
Go up and went for a run before breakfast three times
Cycled to work every day
Took a multivitamin every day
Ate at least 5 portions of fruit & veg every day
Drank 2l of water every day
Ate 3 portions of oily fish
Only had one alcoholic drink all week - a G&T last night.

How long does it take for this stuff to become a habit that you don't have to think about anymore?

Off to town this afternoon, need to pop to Boots and get some more body lotion. Am thinking of trying that Nivea in shower one, has anyone tried? I might have a mooch around Dorothy Perkins and Next too and see if hey have anything nice in their new autumn stuff.

Can I join with a very basic list for myself! Baby steps!

1. Wash hair and style every Saturday (truly only needs weekly!)
2. Keep toe nails painted.
3. Keep fingernails short and uniform length.
4. Shave legs x2 per week
5. Daily use of foot file and flexitol cream (feet transformed)
6. Pluck eyebrows weekly.
7. Floss teeth daily.
8. Light make up daily.
9. Moisturise body daily as head into Autumn.

10. Early nights.

We're just in from town. Stocked up on loads of bargainous fruit (apples, bananas, grapes, blueberries, strawbs, raspberries and donut peaches) and salad for just over six quid. Probably won't last the week but is better for snacking than treat cupboard.

I got some lurvely brown boots too from Primark for £25! They've got a plaited bit and what looks like it should be a stirrup round the back in gold. Shocking description but they are smart and will keep my feet from getting soaked like yesterday.

(My dad treated the kids to a onesie each too...dd1 is a leopard and 2 a stripey tiger - only trouble is onesies were on my Xmas list so will probably swap for pj's)

Am just about to make pizzas....salami, mushrooms, peppers, olives (for me), onion, and tomato....yum. Might chuck some jalepenos on my half too yum!

Did a Penny's shop (primark to most of you but it's called Penny's here in Ireland). I just was desperate for clothes that I can breastfeed in. So got 2 basic v-neck jumpers, one grey, one green, one loose fit jumper in a black/white knit, 2 vest tops for layering, one nightshirt, one pair pjs, one grey long cardigan, few vests for DD and one pair dark green jodhpur style leggings (which are too tight but hoping they'll loosen after a few wears and they feel quite warm) all for ?77.

I know it's not great quality but hopefully won't stay this size for long

The only thing I can honestly say I'm on top of is exercise. I go to an outdoor boot camp three times per week and am far too knackered to do anything on the other days. It's 90 minutes on a Saturday and I thought I was going to die by the end this morning!

Helga I love a good rummage in Primark! & the fact that it's cheap enough that if the kids smear something random on me, I don't have to worry about it being pricey to replace if wrecked!

I've just sat down. Healthier pizzas were a hit, even with dd2 who is a bit fussy!

Nearly 2l water drunk through the day, evening routine done except straightening hair as we'll not be going anywhere tomorrow so I can do it in the morning. Finger and toe nail polish about to be removed so I can replace with something I like better tomorrow evening (I have many to choose from ).

Tomorrow would usually be eyebrow day but am going to try and get to town on Monday to have them threaded depending on several things that might hold me up

Am feeling a bit meh this evening because of crossed words with dp and the kids being ungrateful after my dad treated them in town.....so I have a bag of mini matchmakers sat next to me! But I will try very hard not to eat them all ...

Hi everyone,

I've been working all day today so haven't done any exercise. I slept in this morning as I was feeling quite poorly last night. Still feeling crappy today- sat with a hot water bottle for my stomach pains

Ooops...

Tomorrow I am going to start Shredding again and I've ordered a weekly shop with a week of healthy meal plans. Also going to get my brows threaded as they are a tad bushy.

Got a bargain on eBay, a Mint Velvet dress for £18. Going to wear it to a wedding later this month- so excited!

Hope everyone is getting on well!

Sorry for lack of check-ins, I'm only just starting to feel myself again after the excesses of Thursday night. On the plus side, have eaten relatively healthily yesterday (the crisps don't count - they didn't stay down long enough!) and have fasted today. Both DP and I found today's fasting pretty easy compared to the other days, so we'll aim for Saturday and Monday from now on, and eat normally the rest of the week. The salters ultra accurate scales arrived today. I am 1.5lb above the 5 permitted lb above my weight watchers goal weight, so have a bit of work to do before I can do my final two weigh-ins of the year. No make-up today - I completely forgot! Dressed smarter than I would normally to go out shopping, and used hair oil again this morning. Nails are painted.

lucysmam I am in complete and utter denial about make-up lifespans after reading that website. You really do not want to know how old some of my makeup is. Thankfully, I have never had an eye infection from it.

helga that sounds like a great shopping spree, Primark is the bees knees for cheap, cheerful and looking good.

Ineedsomehelp I am the complete opposite of you, my promises to start shredding again have all fallen by the wayside.

Control, I can't say anything...I have make up well past its best upstairs. Urban Decay eyeshadows mainly! Can't see me spending £11 on a single eyeshadow for the foreseeable future

I do need to update my eyeshadows a bit though, think I've used more in the past week than ever before

I did some A/W shopping in Matalan.
I really wanted a short sleeved crew jumper but they were either acrylic that bobbles (I've had them before) or very low necked (so not flattering on me)

But I picked some purple, grey, navy and a pink jumper (because I'm not going to invest in a pink coat)

Any ideas where I can buy a short sleeved crew neck jumper? Preferably wool blend (I've got a cashmere one ) in pastel/nude shades
TIA

Paint, I know I should I focus on just one or two things at a time but i am very much an 'all or nothing' kinda gal! I then fail at one ting, give up on the ret and berate myself for screwing up
I really need to focus on exercise I think. Was just getting a routine going and now I am staying with family for a few weeks and it has all gone pear-shaped. Really need to start toning up at the very least.
Keep up the good work everyone!

Must start reading before posting. Multiple typo's in my last post!

108 days to go

Oh Helga, I'm so jealous of your Penny's haul. I miss that place (and Dunnes & Tesco) for cheap clothes. Here in NZ even the cheapest clothes are relatively expensive and the quality is much worse than Penny's for the most part. There's a few exceptions but not many.

I'm really pleased with my progress over the past few days.
Every morning I've managed to moisturise properly after my shower (and remember my face cream with SPF too, which saved me DH's fate of sunburn the other day!), I've had my hot water & lemon too.

And each evening I'm managing a hot cloth cleanser, moisturiser, eye cream and a quick check for any strays in my eye brows.

You guys have no idea how much of an improvement this is for me!

From tomorrow I'm adding in exercise and diet.

I'm also ignoring the dates on makeup and creams etc - as until I finish my course & get a job I can't really justify buying new ones.

A few quick questions though:
Do people use night creams? Should I be using one?
And I find the hot cloth cleanser feels really heavy on my skin. Am I meant to use a toner afterwards? Gosh, I really am clueless about all of this. Can I blame my mother for not teaching me even after all these years?

I have found an amazing toner, I've been using it 2 days and can already see a difference, it's the clarins gentle exfoliating one. vvv don't worry my mum didn't teach me either, and you do it after cleansing :)