Help, I need to get into my jeans - anyone want to join me for a September challenge?

[thatsnotmyfruitshoot]

Just put all my loose linen summer numbers in the loft and realised I'm bulging out of all the lovely jeans I planned to wear this autumn. Going away for half term so it would be great to be a size smaller by then.

I'm 5ft 7 and need to lose about 20lbs to be at my most comfortable, so not drastic, but enough that I'm feeling really lardy, and need to do something before I gain any more.

My plan is to eat healthily (using food focus website to keep me on straight and narrow..) - boiled egg and slice of toast with grilled mushrooms for breakfast (totally fills me up), then soup for lunch and something with veg for dinner. One treat meal at the weekend. 30 mins exercise a day (either running or exercise dvd)

Please come and join me, I'm hopeless when left to my own devices..!!

Italian stew, 2 slices of wholemeal bread, another scone, some raspberry yoghurt at 5.00pm, quite pleased with myself really..And exercise too.

CVMS I would just go for it Timba esp if he is musical. A friend says it is perfectly caring, her child is loving it etc, but above all school is v. v. devout. Music Director teaches a Sat school round here. He is great! The local friends whose kids go there are very devout too. I keep feeling they might catch me out not just ds which is not really how I should be feeling so...hey ho QED too far from me to worry about thank goodness.

breakfast - chocolate brioche roll thing - small
lunch - bread, anchovies, broccoli, artichokes in oil, plum
supper will be spinach quiche, tomatoes, leave most of pastry...beetroot salad
snack - piece of bread at 5.00

swany - could you private message me with details of that music teachers saturday class please?

I would travel to make my DS get there.

Mucho mucho grazia's

On a foody note:

lunch:
2 x ryvita
2 tbsp houmous
feta cheese (not enough for me really so must be normal sized piece)
chopped red pepper

dinner:
homemade lamb curry tonight with steamed veggies and rice

oh, forgot...small piece of apple loaf ... mmmmmm

How's everyone doing?

I've been doing well sticking to my plan but haven't done any exercise this week!

Those innocent pots are half price in Tesco's atm. I love them and are so convenient. I bought a stash for those times when I can't get my food sorted (no need from slimfast )

hi everyone, another pound off today, woo hoo, one more to hit the magic half stone!!

Losing the wheat is really working for me, am having to get a bit more creative about what I cook too. Having Moroccan tagine with chick peas and rice (cous cous for everyone else!) tonight.

Does anyone do spinning classes? Thinking of starting that, plus pilates next week so I really vary my workouts. That with 1 Davina workout and two runs a week should blitz this fat. Target date is end of November according to Food Focus!!!

No need for private cat (I don't have the facility) Timba he's musical director of EJMS. Look up EJMSorg or summat. They do choir, instrumental lessons, theory, ensembles orchestras Sat morning at 8.3O (never been there that early) till 1.00. We just do violin for dd and choir for both ds1 and dd so far, but I lke the fact that it's all the music in one place. And that place is next door to us

Scales are broken..so will need to wait till swimming for weigh-in. Ate what I set out to last night, but had a flapjack too. Why have I started baking in such earnest?
well done Fruit I think slow and steady works very well on morale.

Fruity I do spinning and I love it. Its hard going but I don't always 'increase the resistance!' when I get told to.

Advice for spinning - big bottle of water, a towel and NEVER sit next to a bloke (you'll get sprayed with sweat. Eurgh!)

shaxx - lol re sweaty blokes . Why do they think it is ok for them to spray sweat everywhere? I don't go to a gym at the mo but have done in the past and have found pools of rancid sweat on weights machines etc...but that's another thread????

Well, weighed myself this morning. Was fearful as had a moment of weakness yesterday evening when I attacked a pavlova. In my defence it was asking for it

Lost another kg this week ... yippee.

I have done spinning and actually enjoyed it but didn't always increase the resistance as much as I should have done

Homemade turkey burgers tonight, with rice and veggies. It has to be rice as I cooked a mega pile of it last night and need to use it

Thanks swany - will google that and see what it comes up with.

fruity - I rarely eat wheat as it makes me feel very ill. I am not allergic but am intolerant of it. I also find it much better to avoid it altogether. It does pose problems around lunches though - it's not so easy to just grab a sandwich.

I will have a think about options. What about everyone else ... wheat free lunches/snacks/dinners???????? Ideas???

Think I have lost a Ib from scales at pool, but difficult to tell as wrong time of day and clothes on...ifyswim (did not actually swim - just watched kids

rather an erratic intake this eve, lentils, bit of pad thai that dh cooked and wanted me to try, some fried chicken and sweetcorn fritters and some red kidney beans with vinegar - seem to be craving lentils and beans and vinegar at the moment
and about three apples

but no cakes or wine!!!or scones!or bread

Well another week with no weight loss. I am being good food wise and walking for an hour most days (not at weekends). I'm talking Alli as well which doesn't seem to be having any effect.

Think I may cut out bread and see if that helps.

Well done swanriver!

Vivalebeaver that sounds really strange. Do your clothes feel looser?

Timbachick apart from baked potatoes and soup, the only other thing I can think of for quick lunch ideas is using gluten free ranges of bread and wraps. You can get them from most supermarkets but can be a bit pricey.

food for today is

cereal and banana
innocent pot
prawn curry, rice

Sorry Timba, forgot to cogratulate you on a whole kg off!! well done you!

No, clothes don't feel looser at all. Yesterday I had;

2 weetabix
high fibre cereal bar
small ham roll
3 jaffa cakes
400 calorie, low fat ready meal
small flapjack

today is;

2 weetabix
pitta with grilled chicken in in a no fat natural yoghurt dressing
mullerlight yoghurt
weightwatchers pizza

will probably have a cereal bar for s snack at some point.

Viva, it must be really frustrating when you're working hard. Don't give up!

I hope you don't mind me butting in but what strikes me about your diet is although it's clearly low calorie - it's also quite low in fresh fruit, veg and protein, and quite high in carbs. I wonder if your system is just overloaded (that's what I did to mine)

It might be worth shocking your system and cutting carbs down for a week. Possibly have yoghurt and fruit, or eggs and grilled bacon for breakfast, veg soup or jacket potato for lunch and something like chicken or fish with lots of veg for dinner. Replace the cereal bars with rice cakes or fruit if you can, and cut any ready meals or diet options. They are packed with nasties - salt and sweeteners to make them taste ok.

Drink as much water as you can, and cut out caffeine. Try this for a week and see if it helps..

timba - well done on your kilo. Agree about lunches, I usually make a batch of soup and have oatcakes with it, or have a big Greek salad or similar. Difficult when eating out as so much contains wheat and it's hard to resist when you're hungry.

Thatsnotmyfruitshoot - good advice. I hardly ever eat veg but do try to have one or 2 bits of fruti a day. Wil ltry and reduce the carbs. Will have salmon and salad for dinenr tonight instead of the WW pizza.

viva - keep up the good work. It will all catch up with you and you will get the weight moving down. Do try and increase your veggies, fruit and protein. As fruity says all those will fill you up, are low in fat and pass through you nicely. The cereal, cereal bars, bread etc are all carbs and some will contain quite a lot of sugar.

I usually stick to 0% yogurt, some honey and fruit for breakfast which fills me up and contains no carbs.

Hope you don't mind me putting my two'pennuth in.

Let's have a fab evening and Sunday.

Not at all, I appreciate all the advice. Thanks.

Sat - banana for breakfast as didn't feel that hungry (not after all those lentils!)
lunch - pasta with tomato sauce and grated cheese, tiny sliver of choc cake as feeling rather looooowww
supper - at a party which went on from 5-9.30 so ate potato salad, sausage & saukerat, half a homemade large pretzel roll, and half a glass of wine, and another banana

Sunday - plain croissant, apple banana, coffee
lunch - roast lamb, potatoes, green veg, onion, carrots
apple and blackberry compote
supper - ??

quite alot of walking this weekend, but feeling exhausted so early nights all round
just starting to feel a bit more energetic this morning

fOR BREAKFAST i'VE HAD 2 BOILED EGGS, 2 GRILLED BACON RASHERS and some grilled mushrooms. Just had a mullerlight for a snack as I'm so hungry. Will have to have a bananna now as well I think.

P.S. good reminder everyone on the veg, I'm going to eat a v large portion of green veg today and at supper - beans and cabbage seem to be lurking in fridge

Beans and cabbage, it'll be pleasant in your house tonight!

bananas tend to stop me reaching for biscuits,which must be good. I think they are high in carbs though and low in fibre Viva. What about some fruit like plums or apples or even grapes to get you through to lunch? The other trick is to have lunch at 12

I'm definetly going to have to have lunch at 12! Apples don't fill me up at all. Neither do plums and grapes I'd have to eat a whole bunch.

Lunch - managed to avoid a cornetto, and replace it with a small roast potato!
Also have been for a jog after dd on her bicycle.