Losing the stones one guinea pig at a time...

[HenriettaPye]

Hello quiche avoiders

Lovely shiny new thread- we are a talkative bunch!

First Thread

Second Thread

To be a quiche avoider you must
-have a considerable amount of weight to lose
-be serious about wanting to lose it
-give other members a virtual kick up the arse when needed
-weigh in with us on a Wednesday (or if you weigh in on another day, post your results on a wednesday)

So roll up, jump in and lets lose lbs! and if you are having a moment of weakness just remember... what would clarinet do

I have to say I don't think 'you've lost weight you look great' does imply I looked awful before. i take it that someone thinks I look well and is impressed/noticing the effort and determination it's taken me to stay on track to lose weight. Now I'm thinking maybe it is a bit of a back handed compliment...

Went shopping in charity shops for an outfit for work christmas do as I have NOTHING to wear for it (other than regular work stuff or ill fitting trousers and tops). Got a lovely dress (size 12 - woohoo) but when I tried it on at home the zip broke so it's useless now :( Got a sequin top (very glitzy and not the usual 'me') but not sure it suits me or I feel confident in it. Got a lovely Whistles blazer and looks great with jeggings and a vest top under which I love but it's a bit tight and I'm not sure I can get away with it until I lose a bit more round my tummy . So, all in all, not very successful.

Hello lunar . You do sound healthy! I don't want this to come out wrong, but have you looked at your portion size? I only say that as I was you a couple of years ago. I really didn't eat much naughty food but what I did eat I ate far too much of.

lottie my aim is 5 lbs off for christmas. I really don't know if I'm going to do it. I feel a bit like I'm at a real plateau. Once in my adult life I hit this weight and only managed it for a few months before it crept back to around 12 stone (which seems to be where I naturally fall when healthy) so feel like I'm on a total fight against nature and my body to even maintain 11 stone let alone lose more

alternative that's weird as I've noticed the opposite (people actually talk to me now but they ignored me before). I thought of it as a 'no one bothers with the fat woman' so it's funny you're having the opposite. I wonder if mine is due to my confidence though. I've really gained in confidence and I had such bad self image before (still do....but not so bad).

Gtg, off to work this evening. Parents evening. Oh the joy!

I know what you are on about - I am approaching the three stone loss stage (well, just over two and half lost at the minute) and that was when people started commenting last time I lost weight.

I am waiting for people to comment, but am also terrified of them commenting. I think I feel if they comment they are acknowledging that my weight isn't a secret, it is something everyone notices.

I'm also more nervous as I got this far (and a bit further) before and then it all went tits up and I put it all back on and more, and I sort of associate that with when people started commenting on it. I also expect people will think I will just put it all on again though. I don't blame them for thinking that.

I really don't want to stall and then gain again, so this is a tough time mentally. I have to keep reminding myself that things are different this time. Last time I was on a faddy diet (low-carb) so was restricting my diet, but this time I am still eating everything, it is just portion-controlled, so I shouldn't "fall off the wagon" as soon as I get a set-back. It is so hard to believe I can really do it this time, though.

I find people commenting just so embarrasing. I try to downplay it and I know most of them that they are doing it in a kind way. I don't think it helps they all see me heading off running with ds2 in the buggy from school every morning, so they comment on that and it comes back to my weight. For me people started commenting quite quickly but they do see me in Lycra a lot .

I had to buy a load of new vest tops and things for layering as all mine were size 14 and way top baggy now. I can now just luck up a size small in h+m I wonder when I'll stop feeling like they must have got the labelling wrong and will just believe I'm now smaller

Diet wise I'm doing really crappy as DH is away. I'm making up for it with exercise though so in hoping I'm not doing too much damage. The key for me keeping it off will be balance, if I eat more I must exercise more. That's my trade off with myself. Now if only ds2 would sleep a bit more I may be a nicer human being!

Can I join? I need to keep motivated! I'm 33, 5'7", was 20st, now 17st, another 6 to go (although I have goals before that obviously!). I think this thread will keep me going! So hellooo!

Well done on your loss so far MarysDress1!

Thank you! It's the first time I've ever "dieted".. my weight has crept up slowly and I suddenly decided to do something about it. Fingers crossed I can keep going and reevaluate the way I eat permanently.

Thank you for the lovely welcome, there is some brilliant positive stories on here. I think you are right about portion sizes (Plus the not so infrequent chocolate binges). Looking forward to Wednesday.

Just weighed in and I've lost 4lbs! I'm so pleased and I just couldn't wait until Wednesday to post it! That makes 41lbs lost (an average human leg plus a guinea pig!), and only 1lb off 3 stones lost.

I still have an awfully long way to go, I am not even anywhere near half way yet, but I had a lovely NSV too, when a pair of jeans I couldn't get even over my thighs before I started, actually did up today. I need to lose more before I could actually wear them outside the house, but it made me feel like I was finally getting somewhere.

lunar - portion sizes are definitely the key. I have about half of what I was having before, plus no snacking.

Marys that is brilliant progress so far! I find this thread very motivating, especially reading about people who were the same size as I was and how much they have lost so far. Also the Model My Diet page that was linked to on here ages ago very motivating.

Hello and welcome, MarysDressSways and lunar1. lunar, that's a great goal to have - something you can actually see and benefit from sooner rather than later. Marys, congratulations on your weight loss so far. Here's to the next 6 stone! It's great having new people - but I do worry from time to time about our absent friends, and I hope they're OK. I'm missing LayMizz, cq and Isaac and others who were prolific posters in the early days of the quiche. It would be great to see any of them again if they're still lurking.

I've been thinking about something I read on another thread a few days ago. Someone was giving some (well-meaning, I'm sure) advice - that you have to really, really want to lose weight for it to work, and that if you want it enough you'll be able to summon up the willpower to see it through. I don't think that's true, at least not for me. If it were, I'd have been thin for the last 40 years. If wanting it badly enough was the key, I think all my previous attempts would have succeeded and lasted. That got me asking myself what's different this time around, and I think it's that I finally feel good enough about myself to (mostly) avoid the self-sabotaging binges, and to get back on the wagon when I've succumbed. Which in turn got me thinking about what a truly vicious circle I've been in for most of my life, every failed diet attempt since I was a child making me feel progressively worse and worse and making it harder the next time around. I would have felt even worse if someone had given me that advice about wanting to be thin, I think. What do others think?

I think for me it wasn't just wanting to lose weight, it was accepting that for that to happen I had to make massive changes in myself and my mindset. I had to accept that the only person who could change me was me.

As I have lost more weight I have certainly found my confidence rising, and that is helping me keep going but if it wasn't for my sheer determination in the early days I wouldn't have reached the stage I am at now. I have complelty changed my mindset with regards to eating and probably more importantly for me exercise - I have gone from an exercise avoider to someone who really does love to exercise.

I think the problem is that when you are overweight it is often accompanied by a lack of self confidence and more importantly self belief (massive generalisations I know) which makes it hard to break the 'self-destruct' cycle in the first place.

(what a lot of waffle but I hope it makes sense!)

another wow, that's fab :)

clarinet I don't agree with that advice you mentioned from another thread. If that were the case everyone out there who is miserable with their weight would just be able to lose it. It's a very black and white picture. It's putting the blame on the person for failing like they don't want it enough. I think alot of problems are about not just bad habits but psychological issues with food (comfort eating etc). I know alot of mine was warpped up in some complex psychological issues I still am trying to get over. I bet the person that said that has never had a weight problem! On the other hand in defence of the comment, I had tried to start up losing weight post DD a few times but it never worked. It took something inside me to click for it to work. I don't know what that thing was but certainly I was really down and depressed about my weight for a good while before I could/was able to start working on it.

My tummy is so full and bloated . I made rice pudding for pud tonight and had a big bowl full with a spoon of jam and wish I hadn't now! Trying to look for positives - it was just rice a bit of sugar and ss milk - no butter or cream, and I did an hours insanity earlier so hopefully I worked off the calories in advance . You've got to have a treat every now and again haven't you? And rice pud is one of my ultimate comfort foods on this cold day.

reastie I think having treats every now and again is what we're aiming for tbh. If we want to sustain this weight loss we can't only eat healthy food forever, we just need to keep the portions in proportion and balance it out so overall through a week/month it works out. No treats forever would be rubbish!

Well I didn't get to run today as ds2 had a temperature so there's no way he'd let me leave him. But when he wouldn't nap this afternoon instead of laying in bed while he played around me (I had been laying in bed quietly feeding him in the hope he'd sleep) I got up, put him in the pram and went for a walk. We did about 5 miles altogether, he had a nice sleep and I had some exercise.

I also managed to pick up some trousers in tesco and I can just pick up a size 10 in there now. It is slowly dawning on me that I may actually be a size 10 these days

As for that dieting advice, what a load of bull. I think yes you do have to want it a lot to persevere enough to make it, but that doesn't mean if it fails you merely didn't 'want' it enough. Gosh, if that was all it was there would be a lot fewer fat people around! I have a majorly screwed up relationship with food, but I'm working on it slowly. It's not just a case of wanting to be thin, it's also a case of being at a place in your life where you can fight those demons.

So after the infection from hell I now have a stinky cold I feel so rubbish and cranky. It better be a 1-2 day cold as I have tonnes of college work to do and I can't keep swapping lessons.

On the plus side I am feeling more able to be active so will be walking to college from now on.

We took the kids to Stockeld Park yesterday and got them doing loads of different things. We even tried Nordic skiing! 500 cals per hour!! which paid for my KFC on the way home. DD2 loved Ice skating and now she knows we have an ice rink about 4 miles away she wants to go again. DD3 sulked as she was too young to have a go.

I have wanted to be thin all my life. I remember at school I would try each summer to lose weight so I could go back in September looking thinner. It never worked. Part of that was crap Dr's advice back then. My friend(12) was very chubby and her mum took her to Dr's to ask about a diet. He told her you should never put kids on a diet so my mum would then not help me eat healthier. I didn't want to do the Cambridge diet I just needed to know about nutrition and portion control. I have done loads of diets and my downfall every time has been my self control. I have had loads of diet saboteurs and really they shouldn't of made any difference if only I had had the self control to stick to my diets. The times I have exercised some self control I have done well. My other downfall is I used to think I can't wait to eat properly when I should be thinking this is how I will be eating for ever so make it an easy and fulfilling diet.

Thought I'd best post today as the thread has dropped off my 'threads I'm on list'!

Welcome to MarysDress and good job on your weight loss so far. Wow IsThat size 10 is brilliant - well done you!

debs I hope your cold starts to clear up soon - you're getting the rough end of the illness stick at the moment!

Well done anothergp on your 4lb loss

I agree with others that if all it took to summon up the willpower to lose weight was to really really want it then there would be a lot more slim people around. I have constantly been trying to lose weight probably since my early teens and feel like my life would have been so much better and happier if I had been slim I'm not sure what has kick started me again this time but I was well and truly shocked to see how much weight I had gained in such a short period of time and so I feel that if I don't do something know god knows what I will weigh in a year. I really want to do it this time (as with all the other times) but I know it will take sheer determination, motivation and bloody hard work to do it .

I've actually really gone off track the last few days and have just lost my will power for some reason. I am with myself but know that I just need to accept my blip and move on and away from the chocolate tin. Today has been ok so far so hopefully it will continue and I can get back into the swing of things

I hope everyone else is getting on ok - feels like the thread has been a little quiet. I second what clarinet says - if any of our old friends are lurking it would be lovely if you pop on and say hello!

Agreed lottie, the thread has definitely gone quiet.
I don't tend to post much anymore as I'm just plodding along on my 'journey' and don't really have anything interesting to add (does that makes sense?!) if something significant happens then i'll post about it or if someone needs advice I'll offer some, iykwim?! I do always post on weigh-in day tho

We've definitely lost some of the original quiche but it's great to be welcoming new members

I think those of us who've been on it since the beginning have just got boring and don't have anything interesting to say, we're just plodding on quietly!

I used to post on a Monday about how annoyed I was at my failed weekend diet-wise. Now I've just accepted that I can't diet on a weekend

I'm rambling now.. Hope we're all ok

I can't exercise on a weekend, and alcohol goes up. This is fine, I am trying to do something sustainable anyway that will continue even after I have lost the weight.

I did have quiche last night though - please don't kick me off the thread! May go to the gym tonight (instead of Shred L3) as I get sweatier there, and I read somewhere here that sweat is fat crying.

I'm finding it harder the longer DH is away. I'm not eating loads buth am eating crap which isn't good. Thank god he's back this Friday.

No running for me today as poor ds2 is horribly under the weather but I'll be heading out in the morning for at least a 5k, possibly 10k but depends on the weather.

My sun total of exercise today has been carrying 20 lb ds2 everywhere I went (including doing the housework and cooking dinner, oh and the school run as he sobbed when I tried to put him in the buggy).

I have been lurking very occasionally but have really struggled lately. I am now realising that I don't deal well with stress and I think I might be a little bit depressed.

We moved back to the UK in summer of 2012, after 10 years of living abroad. During those 10 years we moved 3 times to different countries, and every time we moved I gained weight. Once I was settled and unpacked, (which sometimes took up to 4 months in temporary accommodation) I would get active, get back in control and the eating and exercise would be back in control and the weight would slowly come down.

Since we've been back in the UK we rented for 10 months while house hunting - the rental house was freezing cold over last winter, we never bothered unpacking most of the boxes because we knew it was another temporary house, and I was miserable. So the exercise stopped and the weight piled on again.

We finally moved into our lovely house in July this year and I thought I could get my life back on track. But we have had builders in since day 1, and they are STILL not finished. Being a SAHM I cannot escape the noise, dust and invastion of privacy. DH comes home and interrogates me about what the builders have/haven't done that day. Me and the dogs are virtual prisoners in the kitchen as the front door is constantly open.

The last straw came last week when another firm came to build our fitted wardrobes. By now the building work should have been finished, and we should have been able to move into the spare room while they installed the wardrobes. But because the loft conversion isn't finished, DS is still in what will become the spare room, so we have nowhere to go. So everything in my bedroom is COVERED in sawdust, despite us covering up with dustsheets or boxing up.

I had a complete meltdown at the weekend. Cried and ranted at DH. I feel I have no control over my life, everything is on hold until the work is finished, I can't look for a job because DH works such long hours that I have to be the main carer, even though the DCs are at school all day. And even if I could look for a job, what could I do now, having been out of the market for over 12 years? My self esteem is rock bottom, I look like crap and the thought of dressing up for Christmas parties fills me with dread.

So, having hit rock bottom, the only way is up, eh?

Sorry for such a long ramble but it has helped to get it all off my chest. I really want to get back on the straight and narrow (and back in the quiche!) but I need to get my head straight before I can think about losing weight again. For me, it's definitely about my state of mind. And it's not good right now. I just need to grit my teeth until all these bloody builders have gone.

cq it sounds like you're having a really tough time at the moment. it's good to see you though. :)

I am still here - but v limited time online since starting work. Am also laying low due to being a disgrace to the quiche

I will write properly later from laptop (on phone during short lunch break at the mo) - will not be expected to make conversation at home tonight anyway due to engurland game. Cq, yikes! More later but I don't blame you for being beyond fed up. Sounds bloody ghastly. Really, really good to hear from you though, so glad you are still here

cq, I'm so pleased to see you - I've been thinking about you. It sounds like you've been having the pits of a time lately, I'm so sorry. I don't think there's anything worse than feeling out of control of your life and it doesn't sound like your DH is as supportive as he might be. Look, one thing at a time, OK? It sounds like you need to get settled and start establishing some workable routines, and it's not your fault you've not been able to do that yet. Is the end of the building work in sight? And I don't know whether this will apply to you, but a few years ago I had massive self-esteem issues. I married and had my kids quite young, and got stuck in an undermining (not abusive, just low-level undermining) relationship without an established 'career' behind me. I also felt like there was nothing I'd be able to do, work-wise, and it became a bit of a vicious circle. My self-esteem was low so I felt like I couldn't do anything competent in the outside world, and not engaging with the outside world kept my self-esteem plummeting. There probably are things you could do if you wanted to, but now's not the time. Just concentrate on the end of the building work, getting properly settled in, and then take stock and see what you want your priorities to be for the next few years. It's really important that you feel some sense of control over where you're heading, rather than being buffeted about and making things possible for everyone else. You matter! You're still in the quiche as far as I'm concerned, and never left it - your seat on the wagon being kept warm for when you're ready to get back on, once the building stuff is done.

And Birding, hooray to see you again too. Looking forward to hearing more in due course.

I'm well and truly off the wagon at the moment. I have never, ever, ever binged on cheese in my 40-years-of-bingeing history. That is, until last night. I'd had a bad day - slipped out at work after a healthy lunch and bought a mini-packet of 3 jaffa cakes and a Kit-Kat chunky. Which would have been OK had it stopped there but it didn't. I slipped out again and bought two more Kit-Kats and a Boost. Ate the lot, of course. And then, when I got home, not even particularly hungry, for some inexplicable reason I ate a whole 350g packet of Cathedral City cheddar. I felt absolutely sick by the time I went to bed. And today I went out again at lunchtime and bought a 4-pack of Twixes. I know I'll get back on the wagon, if not tomorrow then the next day, and interestingly I'm watching myself with a kind of amused exasperation rather than feeling like shit. Is that progress??

cq welcome back. It sounds like you are having your patience truly tested with all that building work going on. I hated having central heating put in and that only took 3 days. Your DH needs to step back and see how it is for you being stuck at home all day, it would make anyone mad. Suggest to him that instead of him asking you what the builders have done he could talk to the foreman each day for a progress report. You are the client in this not the project manager.

You say after your other moves you have settled in and then lost weight. Could you still be struggling because you know this is your forever home and you have as long as you need to get settled and enjoy your home and country?

Can you get out each day even if it is just to walk the dogs. time away from the builders will give you a break at least.

I know how you feel about the big break from the job market. I am hoping to go to Uni next year after 18 years being a SAHM. It is really daunting but doable. You have a lot to offer and when things settle at home and you feel more in control you will see that.

1 lb down again this week. Pleased with that and surprised a bit tbh.

cq sounds like you're in a really difficult place. I'd be exactly the same as you if it's any consolation. I'm a nightmare when my house isn't mine. We had our kitchen and dining room done in July and it took about 5 or 6 weeks and I was a nightmare. I can't imagine what it's like to have it ongoing for such a long time. Hopefully in the long run the house will be amazing. In the meantime can you get out of the house to kick start the exercise? You might find it a good stress reliever. Try not to be so hard on yourself (I know that's easier said than done!), just get through the home works as best as you can and don't stress too much about the weight loss then really go for it once it's finished (not sure if that's good advice, but I know when I had loads going on and was trying to lose weight it was just too many things to cope with and made me really anxious and depressed and feeling like a failure).

I have to ask as have been wondering, where did the term 'quiche' come from for this thread?

Reastie, I think it was in the first thread. Someone said they wanted to join and had never been part of a 'quiche' on MN before! It stuck from there- I think! I may well be wrong tho

Cq, it's great to see you back, though it sounds like you're having a pig of a time at the moment fwiw, I'd be the same in your situation. I hate things being all over the place.
Keep your chin up love

STS this week, am a bit disappointed tbh, I've upped my exercise again and been pretty good food wise. But I have had an unexpected visit from AF and feel really bloated so am sure that explains it.

Good luck to all weighing today

Hi everyone sorry I have been AWOL-I am currently in hospital, and my internet on phone keeps cutting out. Had my lumbar puncture a few days ago so hopefully will be on the mend soon.

Unfortunately I can't weigh in today as I can't stand up or the pain in my head makes me vomit

Good luck to everyone weighing, I will catch up when I get home