Nothing tastes as GOOD as SLIM feels part 2

[thedogwalker]

Well here we go, New Year and NEW US. Wishing everyone good luck and sending lots of happy vibes so that we can all reach our goals

Morning all and welcome Karma.

Thinbride - tablet favours sound lovely!

Justaminute - good on you for going hardcore. Remember, drink lots and lots of water!

Knotty - that prawn chorizo rice dish looks lovely. Must give it a go.

Good morning all. Thanks for the welcome.

Just to tell you a bit about myself. I have only been on my diet for a couple of weeks. Have been calorie counting and sticking to 1200 per day, but have not been losing very much weight. I am 5 ft 2 and weigh just under 12 stone.

I have asked the collective wisdom of MN why they think I am struggling to lose the weight and have been advised to cut down on the carbs, eat more protein and lose the diet cola and caffeine, so this is now what I am trying to do.

Have a headache this morning and am wondering if it is AF related or due to lack of caffeine.

Hope everyone's day is going well.

Karma, I can only tell you what I've been doing, and the key for me is using an on-line tracker to log all your food & exercise. I found that I didn't really have any idea how much I was eating, although I thought I did . Personally, I can't do the "cutting carbs, cutting caffeine/sugar" etc., although other people on here do and have found that it works for them. I still eat everything I used to, just less of it, and I weigh stuff a lot more. I've lost nearly a stone since mid-Jan, by keeping within my calorie allowance according to my tracking website and I exercise nearly every day (which gives me a few more calories to play with!).

Thanks knottyhair. I think I will be unable to cut out all carbs/caffeine/sugar, but I am trying as hard as I can to seriously cut down, as I have been eating far too much sugar especially.

I can easily eat 4 choc bars, plus biscuits etc and not feel remotely ill, so obviously my body has become far too accustomed to lots of sugar. Trying to wean myself off can only be a good thing.

Posters on MN have said that some people don't lose weight while they are still drinking diet drinks or having too much caffeine, so am cutting down to see if I am one of those people.

IMHO, I don't know of any proven scientific link between too much caffeine and not losing weight! Diet drinks are not great for lots of reasons (sweeteners etc) but again, I don't see how that would link into not losing weight. I drink water, and about 4 cups of coffee with skimmed milk (which I count in) per day. As for chocolate & biscuits, you clearly love them, so I wouldn't cut them out completely or you'll feel deprived and more likely to binge (I'm like this with cheese & crisps!). How much are you hoping to lose per week? You say you've been trying to cut down for 2 weeks, that's not very long yet, and I've found if you look your loss over a month or so, it's a clearer picture. Also, going for a slower rate of loss, it's more sustainable and you're more likely to stick to any plan. The tracker I use is Livestrong/myplate - there are others that are similar. You put in your height, weight, age, activity level and how much you want to lose per week. I'm pretty sure you would end up with more than 1200 calories if you went for 1lb per week. I put in this rate of loss, and I've had weeks where I've lost half a lb , and others where it's been 2.5lbs. It's a slower loss and I do get impatient sometimes, but I don't feel hungry, I haven't binged once, and I've lost weight every week except one (when I was ill and unable to exercise). Gordon bennett, what a ramble. Sorry, don't mean to lecture you, but hope it helps.

It does help, thanks.

I didn't really have any set idea of how much I wanted to lose per week. I want to get to 9 stone, which I think I will be able to maintain. At my skinniest I was 8 & 1/2 stone, which was a bit too thin for me (face looked gaunt and boobs disappeared). I need to lose nearly 3 stone in total. So far I am not hungry, but I really miss just nibbling biscuits while I watch telly or read a book. Haven't binged yet, but am allowing myself some chocolate as part of this diet.

Just started logging again in food focus, dose anyone no why the amout of calories you have used shows as a minus? eg i just plotted what i was to have today and it says you have -789 calories left but tha what i just put in? I dont get it!

Forget that last comment, think it was because i did not log my weight! Oops! x

Hi Karma!

Thinbride I have no idea what Tablet is but I'm imagining a huge, sgary slab of yumminess I'll google it in a minute but I thin home made favours is a brill idea.

JAM I'm trying Rosemary Conley too. I bought a mag and thought I'd base my plan on that. 5lbs in 7 days! Will be a miracle lol.

Any of you who want to start loggin all your food can I recommend myfitnesspal? If you've got a fancy phone, you can get the app. Its brill. You can add friends on there so it feels like you have to prove yourself iyswim. It seems to be working for me. If you do go on there you can add me as a friend

Had a good day today and kept to 1200 cals and limited my carbs and sugars. I had no crap. Hooray.

Hi Shaxx. Well done on sticking to your 1200.

Have been good today in that I have eaten more protein and veg, but did have a little dark choc and a teaspoon of ice cream. Have been drinking water all day and decaff coffee though.

Think I am within my 1200 (just).

evening all, thanks for the lovely welcomes.
I started the day well by shredding but have just realised it's coming up to TOTM which explains a constant urge to pick at food. My willpower totally goes out of the window for a good few days about now. It's been a killer today!

Had a gorgeous lunch though - got one of those Tesco's deli bowls of fresh olives, feta, marinated peppers and some mixed leaves, and then munched some of that with a toasted wholemeal pitta and a spoonful of low fat houmous. Not sure it was that low cal, but it was definitely nutritious and tasted yummy.

Just had an M&S key lime pie for dessert - they're tiny and only 150 cals each. Damn that dine in for £10 deal..

Welcome karma, I agree with Knotty and shaxx, use a calorie tracker. I was stuck for a quite a while and I was actually under eating, which can also be counter productive to losing weight. I swear by one now and I have had good results. I use food focus, but any which will highlight just exactly what calories you are eating and what type of food, protein, carb, fat etc will be good for you.

As for caffeine and diet drinks, well I have a very strong stance on diet food, I never touch the stuff, lots of hidden sugars to make it taste better. I use full fat butter, olive oil and cinnamon for sweetening foods. I've had my cholesterol levels checked and they are all well within acceptable range. I have gone all out on natural, organic foods and so I don't use pre packaged food and therefore my body has less toxins in there and so can work off the little butter/olive oil that I do eat and therefore it's not kept in my sytem. Sorry, I will get off my soap box.

caffeine, couldn't live without it

Hope everyone is having a good day, ta ta for now xx

Oh well said TDW, I'm with you all the way. Rather have a little bit of butter, and I need my caffeine fix! Just done 6 week 6 pack Level 1 again, but used weights this time, and managed some of the side planks. Have also got Billy Blanks Tae Bo on the way - can't remember who it was on here who does that one? I think I'm getting addicted to workout DVDs . Meals today - toast for breakfast, minestrone again for lunch and sausages & lentils for tea. Have a good one everyone x

Karma - definitely kick the diet cokes to touch: they are really not good for you (aspartame is the devil in disguise) and will lead to blood sugar level peaks and crashes. Eating little and often - and eating the right stuff (so protein plus small amount of carbs, rather than a carb hit like a biscuit) - drinking lots of water and exercising portion control will definitely see you having a slow and steady weight loss. If you add in exercise, but dont eat any additional calories as a result, you lose even faster.

Did bodycombat and zumba yesterday and killer circuits this morning - my legs dont know what's hit them!

Have definitely given up the diet coke. Agree with you dinkystinky re aspartame. I don't let my DC anywhere near the stuff, yet somehow I've been thinking it less important for me to avoid it.

I need to think of nice things to eat for meals now, as I won't be able to just buy a weight watchers dinner anymore. Yesterday I had Quorn chilli and cucumber slices for lunch and a pork chop with stir fry veg for dinner, but am getting a bit bored with stir fry.

Have home made chicken soup for later. It does have sweet potatoes and parsnips in it though, so can only have 1 bowl.

Karma, have you tried the BBC Good Food website? God, I bang on about it so much, I should be on commission. But it's really useful when you need inspiration. All the recipes are calorie counted and they have recipe "collections" e.g. "low fat" etc.

Thanks knottyhair. Will definitely take a look.

Knotty are you sure you're not on commission with BBC good food?

Shax - I bought the RC magazine last night, whilst deftly avoiding the reduced price cookies. 5lb in 7 days has to be taken with a large pinch of salt.

Managed to stick to the plan yesterday. I did add a yoghurt as a treat (I know how to live!) as I'd played netball and done Davina.

Intentions for tonight: Food: grilled chicken, sweet potato & veg. Exercise: 25 min run.

Just seen a nice recipe on there for chicken with dates and spinach, and one for smoked trout with jersey royals.

JAM, think I ought to get in touch with them and negotiate some sort of deal !

Karma I use Bbcgoodfood too. Its brilliant. I've got a bbcgoodfood low fat book too that I use.
I#m more motivate to stick to the diet all day if I know there's some yummy healthy food to look forward to.

Knotty you'll make a small fortune

JAM well done. You're doing well. Stick to it.

I've had a good day today too. Reduced carbs again and had no junk. I wish I could be like this every day. I'd be a size 8 in no time.

I bought some skinny cow choc ice cream lolly things. They look really nice. I've avoided looking at the ingredients as I'm normally against articificial crap but they're only 85 cals dammit!

Wow, sounds like everyone's doing really well . Got my Tae Bo dvd yesterday and have just done the Abs & Glutes workout. Not much cardio in this one, but my god, I think I found some of the moves even harder than Jillian's. It's very fast paced and for me anyway, very tough on the abs (and bum!). Meals today - had porridge with a little brown sugar for breakfast, more minestrone for lunch, and minced soy turkey with noodles & veg for tea. Going to get out in the garden and do some weeding whilst it's so gorgeous out. Have a good one!

Shaxx - I love those Skinny cow icecream lollies - cant have them in the hosue or I'd eat them all in one sitting though! Mini milks are good for a treat when its lovely and sunny out too - as tiny and hardly any calories in them I feel less of a biffer when I havea couple of those.

Knotty - the tae bo abs and glutes work out is hard! Well done you for doing it - bet you'll be aching later today though.

Knotty you are so good with all this exercise! I need some of whatever you've got.

Dinky glad to hear the skinny cow lollies are tasty. Mini milks have less cals than that? Must check them out.

JAM how are you doing with RC?

I've had quorn sausages, mushrooms and tomatoes for breakfast, tuna or salmon (not decided yet) salad for lunch and chicken & veg stir fry with noodles for dinner. Fruit and yoghurt for snacks.

Have a good day everyone!

Shaxx, only having 1 DS (and he's 7 so at school), makes it a lot easier believe me. I just put my workout stuff on when I get up, and as soon as I've taken him to school, I come back in and get on with it. I have to do stuff that's only about half an hour though, or I wouldn't do it as often as I do. And if it's that short, it's got to be a bit tough, hence Jillian featuring heavily! About once a week I might do something longer, like BFBM or 2 of Davina's shorter ones but that's it. If I had to wait until later in the day, or had to go to the gym, I don't think I'd do it! But having it all done & dusted by about 9.45am helps massively .