Fab at 50 - can I do it in a month? Help!

[Frexit]

It’s my big birthday next month and I’m having a party to celebrate. I want to look really fab on my special night (this is my first and only birthday party as an adult - I’m not great at being centre of attention) and am hoping the experts on here can help me .

Main issues I’d like help with are:

Skin
My diet is rubbish. Waaay too much sugar and my skin is greyish, dull and starting to sag. I’ve got a great set of jowls developing

I have really bad puffiness under my eyes with shadows and redness. I look permanently very tired (I sleep very badly too).

I will be dieting for the next month, reducing my carbs and sugar intake significantly and drinking loads of water but is there anything else I can do in terms of supplements or creams/treatments to help my skin and my eye bags? I’ve had facials before and beyond the initial softness, never really feel I’ve benefitted.

Teeth
Any whitening treatments that are ok for sensitive teeth? I’ve been using a charcoal toothpaste and think it’s helped slightly.

Cellulite
I’ve got a body brush I’ve never used. Am tempted to buy this but no idea if it’s just a gimmick. Has anyone used with good results?

Arm flab
I’m a size 14/16 weighing around 11st 11. I’m genetically blessed with horrific bingo wings. Anyone done anything that’s really made a difference to this area?

I know I’m not going to transform myself in a month but turning 50 and trying to choose an outfit for my party is giving me an incentive to tackle these problem areas in the hope of seeing some improvements in that time frame that I can then continue with.

Thanks so much if you have any suggestions

Hi OP, I’m the same age as you and noticed my teeth looking quite brown in photos recently, they’re not stained though so I put the colour down to thinning enamel due to use of whitening toothpastes. I got a whitening treatment from the dentist using the tray and bleach method, it took 2 days for the trays to be made and I could see results after just one use. My dentist uses Novon and that bleach is suitable for sensitive teeth as you can use it for just an hour at a time if you want, she also recommended Sensodyne Rapid Relief to minimise sensitivity. If you wanted to go down that route there’s plenty of time before your party.

Oh I do love a thread update!

Can definitely sympathise with thinking one looks okay until seeing photographs.

Which dress is it that you're thinking of?

DP and I are thinking of giving 5:2 a go when term starts again. Hoping it'll kick start us into being a bit more careful about what we eat.

Not sure how helpful this is for you but I’m in my 40’s and did a vegan month. Everyone commented on my skin and even I could notice that I had more of a glow. I lost weight too.
I’d definitely recommend it if you can do it.
I ate mostly whole grain, lentils and pulses and lots of veg and fruit and drank lots of water.
I felt so good and am doing it again in September.

Thanks for the update OP.

I'm sure the skincare will bring dividends make up goes on better when your skin is smooth. Have you got a salon that could do a Hydro facial lots of our local dentists do them for some reason !

Shame about the Phase eight jumpsuit sounds gorgeous. Perhaps a different bra ?

I think if you find the right dress outfit it will help get you excited and stick to the diet/exercise.

Aw thanks for the recent posts. I’ve started Boom Bod today in the hope that it will help me for the next couple of weeks. I’ve got some family stuff going on at the moment so I just can’t seem to get myself in the right mindset to tackle my diet and exercise. I’ve never done anything like this before and am feeling a bit silly that I’m having to use a supplement because I don’t have any discipline or self control, even with a big event ahead but I’ll do it for a fortnight and then that’ll be it.

The dress is a full length evening dress with long sleeves. It’s very fitted and structured and the weight of it makes it hang well. It’s the only thing that made me look like I had a waist. I’ve ordeted another 2 in a very similar style but in different colours and they’re arriving today. If no good then I’ll stick with the one I have. I had high hopes for my month but real life just gets in the way!

I also need to find another hairdresser because mine isn’t now available on the day and id really like my hair done. I’ll report back again

Arm work out from the daily Om. (In-line yoga tutorials) I've been doing this for two weeks and have noticed a bit of an improvement-you could double it and really go for it!