NO diets allowed!

[LoveMyGirls]

im going for the healthier lifestyle approach as i have quite a bit to lose and its hard to stick to faddy diets. im having 3 meals a day without snacking and also doing swimming and walking as my exercise, no gym or dvd's etc.

Anyone care to join me?

so far, at the beginning of Jan i weighed 13st 8lb now i weigh 13st 2lb so its coming off steadily im hoping to be 10st by summer.

i walk my dd (6) to school it takes 1/2 hour to get there and then to come back and then there and then back again so two hours in total- couldnt do it all in one go tho. dd loves walking and complains if we get a lift. sometimes she sits on the front of the pushchair (with 6mth old in) but not very often.

keep me posted on progress and ill do the same i always weigh myself on a tuesday. this week has not been a good week so im not expecting to lose much if anything as long as im not gaining thats what matters most. ill get there eventually i have to because im not staying at this weight forever.

oops

Hi just came across this thread,can I join in.I've got a lot more to lose than you ladies.I weigh 14st 13lbs.
I've been going to the gym which I'm really enjoying but haven't lost weight despite sweating like a pig 3/4 mornings a week.I must be putting muscle on because my jeans do feel better.I'm wearing a size 18 jeans ,but tops a size 20.I'd like to get down to a 16 for summer,quite realistic I think.Anyway gotta go now as need to take ds to preschool.

Can I play, please? I started watching what I'm eating and doing more exercise at the beginning of this week (for the umpteenth time this year).

I'm coming up 40 and want to be a skinnier, healthier Mum. No more kids here, either. I've been carrying an extra (for me) one and a half stone round for two years now and know I'll feel so much better without it.

I'm just back from jogging the beach (proud face!). A glass of wine and dark chocolate covered orange are among my favourite treats. I know how I put the weight on - sleep deprivation, too much food and wine, and not enough exercise. But with the big 40 approaching, I really want to sort it out, once and for all, and be able to go to the beach without feeling huge.

the more the merrier welcome. ill def be here til the bitter end (or in this case the very happy treat myself to a bar of chocolate end!!!)

whats your weight and target

On Monday, I was 9 stone 10. I am aiming for 9 stone, come June, when I'm off for a girls only weekend. Ideally, I'd like to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 8 and a half, a comfortable size ten and minus the big ring around my middle. I have my birthday in mind for that. And yes, I'm up for the duration and I have some new clothes picked out as a long-term reward .

Well done LMG, I have just seen how much you have lost - good for you. I also am sick of the faddy diet way. My major struggle is kids leftovers. I find it nigh on impossible to stop stuffing those gorgeous leftovers down! I have started to call it pre-tea as I have my "main" meal when DH gets in! I know this is adding to my inability to lose weight but at around 5pm I am just starving and can't seem to stop....!

looneymum - try having a glass of water and an apple before you serve the kids tea see if it helps? also put pictures up of how you look now and how you would like to look if you need motivation. i am doing mine on a day to day basis because it hurts my head to think of things long term for too long so im just saying no chocolate today (but i say it everyday) and if i do have choc one day then i start gaain the next day - cant do this tto often though else ill end up not losing weight.

i weighed myself today and it said im 12.6 (i dont know if it will still say that on weigh in day -tuesday, we'll see)

looney mum that sounds so much like me with the kids' leftovers! The only solution I've found to that is to make them things you don't like !I've also started buying them the only choc bars i don't like (milky bars!) as I know I won't snack them!
I find very low cal yogurst like weightwatchers are good for when the kids are having their tea.

thirtysomething - I buy white chocolate for the boys as it's the only chocolate I don't eat .
LmG - that's over a stone so far - fantastic! How much difference does it make to you day-to-day?

TBH, I couldn't bear a photo up, in fact, there are times I catch my own reflection and go into total denial. In my head, I am still a size 10.

Managed another jog this morning, needed to counterbalance some wine and crisps last night. Still it was less wine and crisps than until recently. I'm back on the scales on Monday and will reassess then.

Oh, i went and joined weight watchers again didnt i but, i never stick to it, it makes me think more about food.

I CANNOT stick to diets no matter how hard i try, it just doesnt work for me.

I,d like to join you all in this, ive started eating really healthy and go swimming 2/3 times a week, i dont drink but i have eaten crisps a lot so need to cut them out.

Oh no, have i killed this thread?

hi jenk1, i know what you mean about Weightwatchers, plus I think it encourages unhealthy eating as a bowl of coco pops can be fewer points than porridge etc so you often end up going for something less good for yoour overall health!

How much do you want to lose? I think the idea is to weigh in every Tuesday - not sure about everyone else but I tend to weigh myself every day and this is depressing as a 1lb I've lost one day goes back on the next! I should be disciplined and just do it once a week!

i weigh myself pretty much daily too it helps me to be good if ive put any on and gives me a boost if i've lost any, yesterday i weighed 12.6 all day and now im back to 12.8 but i havent put any on so thats good ill keep trying, apparently your body gets used to the new regime and then you have to work even harder to kick start it again - not sure what i can do to kick start it as im already bei with food and walking 2 hours a day is all i can fit in with work and the kids ill just keep at it and hope it starts moving again. i had this last time i lost weight nothing happened for 3 months even though i tried really hard (but i couldnt give in because i was losing weight for an operation) and eventually i stopped weighing myself until one day and i'd lost half a stone! so ill just keep plodding on
im waffling now good luck everyone !

How about trying a different form of exercise or an angle on your food, to see if that kickstarts everything again? Lots of people swear by porridge. Could you get to an exercise class once a week.

Hi Jenk1. Know what you mean about starting a diet and then obsessing about food all the time. Usually, I end up eating more .

Still jogging here and going back swimming next week until the next cold strikes. Is there going to be a day for weighing-in?

i always do mine on a tuesday

Does anyone have a "day off"? I am going to try to do my very best during the week, then have a day off on Saturday. This normally means on Saturday night, wine, any tea I fancy, snacks and perhaps a bit of choc.... I did manage to buy only "normal" bags of crisps, so me and DH had only a bag each with a glass of wine on Sat night, rather than the usual family bag, obviously followed by scrummy tea! Am still fighting the kids leftovers battle. Have just made mash with carrot and cheese and couldn't help just trying it but managed to stop and have a handful of sunflower seeds. Have made sweet potato and chick pea curry for tea which is fab and healthy so let's see how the rest of the week goes...

ooh Looneymum that curry sounds nice.. have you the recipe please?

Aye up Unicorn! Cannot take credit for the scrummy curry recipe... it was served up a Harvey Nicks so I just thought I would give it a shot and couldn't believe it tasted the same.

Fry an onion and a couple of garlic cloves in Fry Light or a teaspoon of oil until softened.

Add a couple of teaspoons (to taste really) of mild/medium or hot curry powder.

Add about 3/4 tin of tinned tomatoes (a whole tin just seemed too much)

Add a drained and rinsed tin of chick peas.

Add about a quarter of a pint of veggie stock (I just used half a stock cube). Add a bit more stock if it seems too thick.

Then add a cooked sweet potato. I microwaved mine then just chopped it and added it in which was nice and quick.

Add a big bunch of chopped corriander, give it a stir and that was it.

Harvey Nicks served it with some jauntily cut flat bread which I pressume is how they justify charging bizarre prices!

I think it tastes a bit nicer if you let it stand for an hour or two, then just add a bit of water before heating if it's gone too thick. Enjoy!

looneymum i'm going to try that tomorrow it sounds lovely!

Looneymum, we have a body-builder friend, whose body is truly gorgeous , and he swears by one-day-a-week off. I just don't have the self-discipline. I move the day, duplicate the day until it becomes the whole week . Anyhow, he says that it keeps him sane and helps his metabolism. Like the recipe - love chickpeas - will be trying it here, too.

Im going to weigh myself every Tuesday as well.

Hello LoveMyGirls et al - mind if I join in?! I've been on a health kick (not 'diet'!) for a few weeks now. It's going well but could do with some friends to help keep me going. I always cope well during the first few weeks and then have a blip that I can't recover from. My blip is due soon, so moral support is what I need!

Kiss - was interested to read about your body builder mate. If I had one day off a week, one day would turn into two, two would turn into three and so on. Have to take it a day at a time, like you.

Can I confirm that Tuesday is weigh-in day? Not exactly sure what I weigh - home scales say just over 13st, gym scales say 12st 9!

yes tuesday can be weigh in day i really do think i have put weight on this week i havent been that good lately i've been feeling a bit run down (mouth ulcers, eye infection and general tiredness) but i will be putting more effort in i promise. i have been walking more its just ive been finding it hard to stay away from unhealthy stuff mind you i did have a good for you curry and rice tonight.

MagicGenie, go with the gym scales . Yes, I am exactly the same, in need of support, just an extra boost to keep going. TBH, it is working. I look at things - an extra portion, another beer and think "Tuesday".

Today's the day and I have lost 2 pounds. I sat over breakfast and stared at the sugar bag - I am carrying one less of them round and I am really pleased. Now what usually happens is I celebrate and the weight goes back on.

LoveMyGirls - what about a different pick-me-up - a visit to the beautician, some different fresh fruit or an hour at the sauna?