What would you do/what is possible to achieve in six months. Help me plan please

[NoMoreLimbo]

Hi all and help. I am getting married in just under six months and have woken up to realise that oops I have let myself go.

Now with just under six months to go I want to get a realistic plan together to loose a bit of this fat suit and improve my general facial look.

What would you do if you had six months????

I don't need to loose a great deal of actual weight but I am all flubbery. My arms are bothering me esepecially and my dress is halterneck so arms will be full on show.

I cannot afford to go to a gym so anything I do have to be at home and have some hand weights and resistance bands.

I will go to a hairdresser a few times between now and then and have some money I could spend on the face side of things.

Would welcome any tips and thoughts

Couch to 5 Km. You'll need a pair of running shoes and a high impact sports bra.
I'd invest in a couple of PT sessions with free weights to get the technique.
Do planks.

Do the exercises every other day, and increase the weights as you get stronger. You'll see results very quickly and won't bulk up.

I've been using Paula's Choice BHA exfoliate everyday night and I can really see it in my skin, and have started a retinol programme. I just got L'Oréal Regenerist from my local supermarket. I've been doing it for about 4 weeks and can see the difference.

Up your water and anti-inflammatory foods. If you can face it, cut way down on sugar if not eliminate it from your diet altogether. The results of being low sugar take hold pretty quickly. When I over eat sugar my face puffs up and you can tell when I've cut down. I try to get as much puff out of my face as possible.

I'm not on weight watchers but have used it in the past and have a mental note of their zero point food. It will be on Google if you search. I try to make sure that the bulk of my diet including snacks are on that list. It really helps with overall health, fibre etc.

Well you haven’t given your size, age or general looks but with six months to go and no/little money you can lose a stone or more by doing the Atkinson diet for four-six weeks, then switch to a less aggressive low carb diet.
Carbs generally gives you puffy “pasta face” so you might see some changes there.
Focus on healthy foods and good fats like oily fish, avocados, etc
For the flubbery and toning, loads of free online yoga and weight training exercises. if you do weight training your arms and back will see considerable improvement.
You don’t sounds stressed but if you are look at cortisol reducing - maybe closer to the date.

Hope you can plan this carefully around your outfit for the day.

Walk daily
do 30 mins of light weights (Plenty of you tube videos out there to guide you)
Drink lots of water
Ditch the processed food
Cut back on alcohol

A lot of this will help with the face. For the face just cleanse, tone and moisturise, exfoliate a couple of times a week.

Knock out white carbs, alcohol and UPFs as much as possible. Drink lots of water and eat lots of fruit and veg.

Do a daily brisk walk and some light weighted exercises with some dumbbells.

Exfoliate/ buff skin and moisturise well.

Thanks all! Some great ideas already.

@NosyJosie yes I forgot to mention age! I am about to be 51. So gravity has and is more and more taking its toll on everything it seems. Sagging and dragging. Boobs, face, jowls. I don't need to loose a lot, maybe half a stone, but it is the flubbery thing. Like zero muscle tone. I will invest in another pair of hand weights. Running has never been a great love of mine but I will give it a go.

@Darkdiamond thanks for the tip of Paula's Choice BHA exfoliate. I will check that out.

Sugar I will definitely avoid as much as possible.

strength based exercise using your hand weights and body weight - lots of you tube options. 2 or 3 times a week.

bridk walking each day, even if just for 20 minutes.

drink enough water, get enough fibre and protein, and if you over do the carbs, cut back on that. Depending on how much alcohol you have, look at cutting that back.

Get into a skin care routine that suits your skin - but don’t introduce lots at the same time. For me, in the morning I cleanse, use medik8 press and glow for some gentle exfoliation, vitamin c, moisturiser, seperate facial spf. In the evening, double cleanse, retinol (I use skin & me, but lots of other options and medik 8 do a good range to build up strength. Facial mist about 15 mins later followed by good moisturiser and eye cream. But depending on your skin type peptides or hyaluronic acid could be good. Skin care is such a personal choice though, I just know that when I was looking sluggish and tired, upping my skin care game made a noticeable difference.

Would you swim? Three swim sessions a week would see you tone up a fair bit.

30 day shred is great and can be redone a few times

@AgathaX I love swimming outdoors but not on a pool. So it’s a great suggestion but realistically it won’t happen.

@frostydaytoday I have heard of that but don’t know much about it. I will have a look.

I ordered another pair of heavier hand weights yesterday.

Find a weights work out and do that.
Reducing all sugars and drinking lots of water will brighten your skin and I hear cutting sugars makes everyone look younger (yet to try it)
Face yoga? Yet to try this too but it's on my radar!
Regular facials

The 30 day shred is a video by Jillian Micheals. I've done it a few times and it's great as you can do it a few times and it's really hard work. But always feels effective.

When I bought it, I got it in a set with some of her other exercise dvds, which focus on other bits

There’s also the Beginner Shred which I prefer to the 30 day shred

Face - prescription from tretinoin from skin+me or dermatica, a good SPF 50 and a micro current device.

Get some weights, Aldi have a cheap set currently, and start Caroline Girvan. Start with her beginner one and then look at Heat. If you can't do the exercises with weights then drop the weight at first. Also Heather Robertson who started a new programme in the new year, she's not as full on as Caroline. All on YouTube.

Walk, briskly.

Body brushing on arms, exfoliate, use pre shower oils and moisturise.

Cut out sugar, UPFs and alcohol as much as piss. Drink at least 2l water a day.

Small weights, lots of reps for the arms or you will bulk up.
Some yoga and stretches to improve posture.
You have enough time to start on Retinol and see results.
Same for dermarolling face, hands, arms.
I would splurge on Profilho nearer to the day if possible.

Yoga on YouTube is great and will tone you up ☺️

For the fat loss you want (alongside the exercise for toning) food will be so important, keep a log in the My Fitness Pal app, I'd aim for 1,500 calories a day if you want to see a difference in a few months and also try and eat more protein as this will fill you up and avoiding snacking! Also give yourself a step goal, e.g. 10k steps a day.

Amazing tips all. Thank you. @1apenny2apenny I just looked into Heather Robertson and will be starting that tomorrow. Body brushing is also a great tip! I had forgotten I bought a brush ages ago. Will unearth from the back of the bathroom cupboard.

Re the calories @StrawberryCake8 I just had a look at Oatmilk and realise that my two big morning oat milk lattes will have to be reduced. Also seem to be spiking your blood sugar?!

@Apileofballyhoo would you have any reccomendations for a good micro current device??

I have a Foreo Bear. If you do a search there are threads on it with some before and after photos. I have the one that first came out and they are cheaper now that there's a Foreo Bear 2. I got mine with a 20 or 25% discount iirc. I went off the poster botemp of the skin care threads as she knows an awful lot about skin care. I do remember reading a poster who said she sold either her nuface or Bear as she got a cheaper device she actually preferred, possibly in lidl or aldi. I use mine with cosrx snail essence that I buy from stylevana much cheaper, but some people use ultrasound type gel, and no doubt more expensive options like the foreo serum. I was looking at geske gel recently, not expensive and they do devices too.

Small update. No time like the present. I went on You Tube in my lunch break and did session one of the Heather Robertson new 12 week programme. I could barely walk afterwards. @1apenny2apenny

That's great news! Honestly embrace the aching muscles because soon you'll see them and feel fabulous 🙂.

I had another thought re arms. I think it's very difficult to tone the back of arms (plus I bloody hate any triceps exercises). If you're wearing a halter neck look at chest and shoulder, I think they're easier to improve. Things like shoulder tap planking, chest presses. Plus practice standing with shoulders pulled back, it's amazing the difference it gives to how you look.

As I was reading your post @1apenny2apenny I found myself immediately straightening up in my chair! You are so right regarding the posture. Maybe I should add walking around with a book on my head to my weekly excercises?!