High Maintenance on a low budget, Anyone going to join me?

[starbear]

I'm fed up of being out of shape, scruffy Mummy. From this week I'm going to watch less Telly get more exercise in and start looking groomed. Any scruffy bugger want to join me. I plan to be a Diva by summer.
I'm sitting here in a Fleece, green 'Tu' Sainsbury's old t-shirt, men's Gap jeans and brown flat trainer type thing, eyebrows need doing and hair needs cutting. Time to change. Anyone want to join a support group?

ghastly night last night, am still in my pyjamas looking and feeling like crap. still, onward and upward!

Oh! Jammy how awful. children do that give you germs!
have a break now from Mummy! Mummy! Mummy do this! Mummy help me with that? Mummy play with me ? Mummy, don't do that, do this!
Roll-on September. I haven't lost any weight at all hoping it's down to PMT!
Nezzi 2nd Boots eye cleasner I use that very good.

hello again

i managed 4 short "jogging" sessions last week! and have starting curling my hair seeing that i cannot afford a hair cut now. looks lots better than stuck up in a ponytail seeing that my roots have grown out and i have no £££ for colouring .

D&V is awful - hope you're better soon, Jammy and that your day gets better, cyteen.

I LOVE THIS THREAD! Thank god you're all here. Can I join? At the moment I look so, so awful that my nickname is deeply sarcastic!

A year after DS2 was born, I've finally got fed-up of being fat and frumpy. I've got two big events in April - a wedding and my 38th birthday - so I'm starting an extreme makeover on myself up till then.

I've just started the Scarsdale diet (my fave diet, lost 40lbs on it in 4 months before getting PG with DS2), am going to book a haircut with my mobile girl, sort out feet, hands, nails and hairy bits, and follow your fab tips on arranging clothes into outfits. Also am going to walk to school every day - that's 2 miles a day even if I just do the morning run.

You're so inspiring! Hooray for the budget beautifying thread!

Welcome Beautiful I'm interested in a good diet that doesn't mean I cook something else for the boys. How did it fit in with feeding the family?
Numberfour How did you fit in the jogs it sounds good.
Have you tried colouring at home maybe with the help of a friend!
I'm going to colour mine when my hair is a little longer, just before easter Hols. I think I'll get my sister around.
See you later must go to the dry cleaners.

hello ladies

aldi moisturiser is ridiculously cheap www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-512340/Forget-Botox-try-award-winning-1-89-anti-ageing-cre am-thats-flying-supermarket-shelves.html

and is working well for me so far.

i did an olive oil deep condition yesterday and my hair looks darker - must have just drank up that up!

Hi starbear, the Scarsdale diet fits in well with family meals. Lots of meat, fruit and veg/salad. He tells you what to eat for 2 weeks no restrictions on portion size, but you have to eat what he says! then you have 2 weeks off, on the maintenance diet, when you can eat whatever you want except fat, sugar and starches.

I'm making it sound far harder than it is. This site has the diet all written out.

I love the Scarsdale diet. Today I've had:
fruit for breakfast; cold meat and tomatoes for lunch; prawn salad for dinner, with fruit for pudding. Tomorrow it's fruit for breakfast (it's always fruit for breakfast, with black coffee and a slice of dry toast!), fruit salad for lunch, hamburger (as much as you want!) and salad for dinner.

I cook the family the same as my meals, but add potatoes or pasta, etc, to bulk them out into "proper" meals.

It forces you to eat shedloads of fruit and veg. It's strict, but I lovelovelove it. You lose weight quickly and last time it all stayed off, till I got up the duff again.

Well I managed a pampering evening which has made me feel 100% more human Hair conditioning treatment, face mask, dry body brushing, long luxurious bath, shaved legs, attacked feet with pumice stone, moisturiser, body lotion, foot cream, plucked eyebrows (), and DIY manicure. And hopefully after my wardrobe blitz last night getting ready in the morning will be a cinch (assuming I go to work).

Welcome beautiful

Jammy you are in serious danger of being a yummy mummy with all that beautifying

I've been a bit hit and miss over the weekend, have managed to do a little exercise every day and I've given myself another manicure having treated myself to a bottle of Chanel nailpolish - yum.
The most exciting news is that I'm finally getting my hair cut a week on Thursday, it's so long it's insane at the moment.

Hi guys, I've been folowing this thread avidly, as I am also guilty of neglecting myself. In honour of the thread, I have started to paint my nails and moisturise myself. At least by working, I have been forced to wear 'proper' clothes. I now need a new moisturiser - I cant get the aldi one, so whats the best cheap, anti aging spf day cream out there? I dont want to look any older than I am....

Hi luxmum, I don't think it has anti-aging SPF stuff but I've used Nivea Soft moisturiser for some years now. I am pretty happy with it, especially for the money, but would be interested to know what else is recommended. I also cannot get to try the aldi one.

That's very kind of you Alibaba But honestly, no one would think I was a yummy mummy if they could see me at the moment. Mascara smeared from where I got something in my eye earlier and it watered and I rubbed it like crazy; black jogging bottoms and yellow football top on (in my defence it's a cotton top not nasty nylon or whatever and I'm wearing this outfit because I have been doing some pilates); and hair all a mess. And that's not even mentioning the fact that I am about twice or maybe thrice the size of your typical yummy mummy

However, I did turn out quite well to work today (IMO), and I did do an hours pilates tonight, and I did only have ONE pancake!

my eyebrows are getting a bit Kahlo-esque. But its kind of deliberate. I am tired of getting them "bitched" into little tadpoles by beauticians so I am growing them out and going to get an eyebrow guru to do them. I want strong but defined. Like Audrey Hepburn.

I tried strip waxing my bikini line today but was too resistant.

My problem is that I use an epilator on my legs, arms and underarms. But its time consuming so I don't do as much as I did before I had DD. Am contemplating going back to a razor but I am so hairy that its an every other day ordeal, as opposed to once a week.

I purchased a pair of running shoes today, eek!

Did go out with full face of make-up and clean hair but don't think it did much to hide the exhaustion.

Someone kick me up the backside, quick! I had a shower after the gym this morning, so I am technically clean, but ought to have a bath on the grounds that it'll encourage me to pamper and groom myself. (Plus it'll be nice). But I'm tired and the sofa is comfy and I can't be arsed . Is this the start of the slippery slope back into slumminess?

No, Jammy you just need beauty sleep as you've been working so hard. I've been exhausted just reading your posts. Good night sleep and you'll be down the gym & doing your nails before 9am again
You keep me motivated I could get out of bed this morning at 6am to do sit ups as I went to bed at 12am staying up to look after my feet and hands as I said exhausting work.
I did go to the gym a little work out and a swim.
I'm going to have a go at BEAUTlFUL suggestion of the scarsdale diet. This extra tyre is spoiling the line of my clothes and stopping me from shopping for more
Keep it up people

Hi ladies

Cyteen - it's always good buying new equipment, very motivational!

Jammy don't worry, we're all allowed a night off and sleep is your friend.

Good luck with the diet Starbear

I did some Pilates yesterday, and then Pilates and Wiifit this morning. Had a non-pampering shower, but I have done my nails this evening while Mumsnetting. I have discovered that as long as I keep my nails short, which I need to with a 7 month old, then I can type once I've painted them without waiting for drying. This is a very important discovery, as the boredom of not being able to do anything for 10/15 mins is one of the reasons that I don't normally paint my nails!
I have mum and baby yoga in the morning, but hoping to do some stretches before I go and have time to sort my hair out rather than just ponytail.

Thanks ladies I do feel better for a good night's sleep. We are visiting a mum friend and her DS this morning, so have made the required effort to look presentable Fear I might look a bit less smart when we get there though as it's not too far the direct way, but that is across a field and I'm not sure how muddy it'll be. But hey! it'll be an adventure (And I don't believe in being so high maintenance that you become afraid to do anything for fear of ruining your look.)

Am of your new running shoes cyteen. not that I ever want to run, you understand, but I have a decent pair of running shoes for walking. Only mine are a bit big (think my feet were still a little post-preg swollen when I bought them even though it was months after the birth) and I'd love a really well fitting pair. But no ££ for that at the moment. Thankfully I've not built up to long distance walking yet and they are perfectly fine with a good pair of socks for a couple of miles here and there about town.

Hi, Beautifyers! This thread has inspired me to walk to the school and back, twuce a day. That's a daily total of 3.6 miles.

Have lost 5lbs on Scarsdale. Thing is, every time I lose one pound on a diet, even if I need to lose a lot more, I immediately feel really thin and start walking round in shorts, etc, when I really, really shouldn't...

Hi ladies, cant believe it, just read all the chatting. I feel like a 'new me'. So started moisturising, doing my hair different every day, and dare i say it trying to loose weight. Me and my daughter started 3 wks ago she lost 1/2 stone .... me 3 lbs arhh. need to try harder.

Hi ladies!

I've hit a plateau now. Still managing the facemask once a week and the concealer/foundation/mascara when I go to work. But I can't be arsed with anything else. Epilated my legs a week ago and they need doing again and my nails need a file and a buff desperately.

Please give me a kick up the backside!

Maybe I will try and dye my hair while waiting in for a parcel tomorrow.

Well done to those of you keeping up the good work!

Ah, but if you feel you've made progress (and you like it) from where you were then that's all that matters Jumbs. I wouldn't worry about a plateau - wouldn't even call it that tbh. You're doing what matters to you (at the moment, maybe in a week or a month or whatever you will feel that epilating more regularly is important?) and that's what counts.

On the weight loss thing, I've lost 13lb in 4 weeks . And it all stems from taking a little pride in myself and looking after myself, rather than starting with the focus of "I must lose weight".

Arrived with muddy trousers bottoms at friend's, but they were impressed that I'd walked it and didn't seem bothered about a bit of mud (once I'd taken the boots off outside as they were caked in it!)

wow Jammyqueen that is good in 4 weeks.well done. Maybe thats where im going wrong. I look in the mirror with my jeans on and think 'oh dear'. I then think thats it im dieting. Then by lunchtime ive forgotten.. . Does that sound right!

thanks alibug, ans well done on your 3lb. They say that 1-2 lb per week is sensible, so maybe you're being sensible and I'm not?

No I call it fantastic, 3 lb is pathetic. I get annoyed cos i get hungry. I work as a gardener and work up an appetite.