New Mums still seeking new bodies - this time we'll do it.

[SolitudeSometimesIs]

So a new thread, a new more motivated state of mind.

We will be skinny. No more excuses.

Hi Gruffalo - that's brill that you've lost 4 lbs in one week. Twice! I'm so jealous. . STS is stayed the same. The support on this thread is great, especially when you're having a bad week. Have you been using weight watchers or are you just eating healthily?

weesazz - I know how crap it can be trying on nice desses when you're not feeling at your best, it can really dent self-esteem, don't be too upset about how you look. Have you had a look at hold-you-in underwear? I always wear them when I'm looking for a dress for a special occasion so I can tell how the dress looks when I have them on - they are my social occasion essentials!

Snacking is my downfall too Winter, it bloody adds up doesn't it! I have to be really conscious about what I eat (don't want to sound too Gwyneth Paltrow about it), otherwise I eat so much more than I should. Maybe I should go to classes on how to consciously uncouple myself from the biscuit tin?

Worship why don't you try 1 carb free day per week? It doesn't sound like much but it might just get you in to the habit. Then when you get in to the swing of it you could up to 2 days per week. I could never have cut out carbs totally in one swoop. You kind of need to re-train yourself with new eating habits and it can't happen overnight, it's like The Shred, now you've got in to the swing of it it has gotten easier.

My new food tip: Dark chocolate rice cakes with mint by Kelkin. They taste like After Eights but are much more filling. 2 pp/ 81 cals per rice cake. They are delicious. I have had quite a few this morning!

I was helping my friend set up a birthday party for her little girl and had bacon fries and onion rings, major fail on the dieting front. I could make lots of excuses but it would be embarresing (sp?). As punishment I've hoovered the house and changed all the beds - a punishment clean if you will.

It turns out giving up carbs isn't just a case of not eating bread and spuds.
I just put what I've eaten into MyFitnessPal and it turns out yoghurt and mango both have carbs in - who knew!!

So I failed at the first attempt lol

Think I might need to get a guide plan or something

Winter – Wow, getting into your wedding dress, I can only live in hope! Pleased you got the STS you were hoping for.

So this shred ... I found 30 day shred level 1 on youtube. Do I do this same routine everyday for 30 days or do I need to find a different each day?

So I am addicted to weighing myself despite knowing I shouldn’t due to the constant variations. Backfired today as yesterday the scales showed I had lost 4lb already this week and today they were back to 1-2lb Will try to stay away from the scales. I think it is much like the POAS addiction I had when TTC!

Sol – Not using weightwatchers as cannot face the public weigh in so just going with the healthy eating option. May reassess when weight loss slows/stops/reverses.

Yoghurt and mango have carbs in! Ridiculous. Certainly not a carb free day for me then.

Might have to look at MFP seeing as so many of you are mentioning it.

Thanks for the warm welcome ladies x

PS Is it ok to add my data to the spreadsheet?

worship it's worth having a look on the low carb section of the diet boards. The bootcamp threads have a lot of info on if I recall. I think most people low carbing stick to plain Greek yogurt. I think berries are also low in sugar.
gruffalo hi, well done on your weight loss so far. Feel free to add your details to the spreadsheet. Here is the link: 1drv.ms/OG7neD.
I like to weigh myself everyday too, but it does send you into a panic if you gain unexpectedly. If I don't I go off track. So hard to get the right balance.

Solitude DH came back yesterday. He did well with the shopping list I gave him. The shop assistant also gave him discount and loads of samples. If I'd known I would have added some of the Marc Jacobs makeup to the list, have you seen it? He also scored loads of posh hotel toiletries so he's in the good books now. Glad to have him back.

Beyond a lb next week sounds like a good plan. Baby is still really twisty and clingy poor thing. She's had red cheeks for ages too. Hope you've had a good week so far.

Worship - pretty much everything has carbs in it. One of the only sources of pure protein is meat I think. Definitely try the low carb threads here for tips.

Gruffalo - I know what you mean about weighing yourself, I weigh myself every morning. It's totally addictive. And I get so arsey when the scales start going up.

Green - I'm so jealous of your haul from the states. I haven't seen the Marc Jacobs make up, but I'll solve that with a quick google. I LOVE hotel toiletries, I'm one of those weirdo's that pinches bits and pieces from the cart when I see one in the hall.

Sorry this isn't diet related. I might be fat but at least I'll smell and look nice.

Ooooh. That looks like a great stash. Are you planning on having a bit of time to yourself so you can try them all out? Your DH is a great shopper, always a fine quality in a man.

He wouldn't have dared come home without them!
I'm hoping to fit a bath in this weekend. But I've got loads of housework to do though. We stupidly decided to have the Christening do at home so we wouldn't have to invite loads of people. Normally I do things on a night but the children are still being crazy. DD1 wanted me to cut her nails at 9:30pm. I'll just have to rub some of the fancy body lotion onto my hand and keep sniffing it. I do have a hair appointment next Saturday.
Dieting has gone well today though.

Had my weigh in today. I've lost the 2 lbs I had gained so I'm happy enough with that. So my weight is 195 lb again. I'll add it to the spreadsheet when I get a chance. One week off dairy and I don't really miss it and feel much more energetic. Hoping to get out for a walk with the kids in a little while.

Well done solitude! That's brill.

I had a bit of a slip up last night. .had saved enough calories for a Padana pizza at Pizza Express (830) as a treat but threw caution to the wind and had a Rustichella which, when I added it later to MFP was 1022 calories. At least I went to bootcamp yesterday!

Effing pizza.

Was it a nice pizza Winter? Sometimes it's very hard to stay on the diet all the time. How many cals do you allow yourself per day? I was thinking of counting calories on days when I can't figure out points, but I'm not sure how many I should have . The advice seems a bit confusing.

Making lentil and veg curry for dinner, my house smells amazing. Hopefully I don't scoff it all before DH comes home. It takes an age to cook so I'm going to have to wait hours until it's ready.

Well done Solitude. Glad you're feeling better. Are your hives etc, gone now? We are having chicken curry for dinner. How do you make the veg one? I keep wanting to cut down on meat.
Winter. Doesn't sound like you went too overboard with your pizza. If you went to bootcamp it probably cancels it out? (Diet maths).
As long as you enjoyed it anyway. You are doing really well by the sounds of it. Once DD's Christening is out the way I'm going to find all my exercise stuff out and get serious about it all.

Can I join? I have been doing 5:2 and running every day but haven't lost any weight !! Gah !!

Hi bish - how long have you been running and doing 5:2?

I have feck all advice because I would only run if I was being chased by hell hounds but I sympathise with trying so hard and seeing no results. It's very demoralising isn't it?

Yeah Green, most of my rash has gone, my wrists are scratched to bits (I get very bad rashes on the inside of my wrists).

Dahl recipe:
300g red lentils (you can reduce this amount if you have a lot of veg)
Lots of fresh veg of your choosing, mushroom and aubergine are my fave.
One chopped onion (essential)
Just under 1 litre of water (don't forget to reduce this amount if you are using fewer lentils)
Tumeric, garam masala, cumin, chilli - for a mild version use 2 teasp of each, then adjust to your own personal taste.
3 cloves of crushed garlic.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Chuck lentils in a sieve and give them a really good wash under cold water - they can be dusty and the water will look a bit cloudy as it's running off, so rinse 'til clear. Also get rid of any stony bits that always seem to be with lentils.

Chop veg in to big chunks otherwise they can go a bit mushy.

Heat pan. Fire in lentils, water, spices. You can either keep the water boiling and the dish will be ready in 30 mins or so, or you can leave it on really low and it will cook in 2 hours or so. I like to do it slowly because the spices get a bit more intense (and the house smells amazing).

If you're cooking it in 30 mins - add the veg as soon as the water starts to boil.

If you're doing it slowly - add the veg after about an hour. Though I add aubergine and carrot earlier as I like them to have all the spiceiness absorbed.

Serve with naan / pitte bread or rice or eat it out of the pan with a spoon like I did.

I hope you like it. It can be a bit mushy so I like to serve it with warm pitta or naan. It's high protein and high fibre and good for you however it can give you wind that a trucker would be proud of so maybe don't eat it if you're expecting company.

Thanks for typing that out Sol, I will give it a try next week. I'm sure we'll cope with the wind. I made our curry healthier tonight by not getting any nann and making some sagg to go with it. There were no complaints. I just get sick of eating meat every night, but can never think of many alternatives. It's good that you rash has gone.

I'm thinking of restarting 5:2 again next week, but wondering how to avoid getting too obsessed with the non fast days. One solution I've had is to not order my shopping on a fast day as I kept adding in treats. When it was delivered I didn't even fancy them, but ate some cause it was there (greedy). It worked really well for the first 6 weeks. We have loads of Birthdays / events starting next week and lasting until July. So I think doing 5:2 might limit some of the damage. I do feel in a better mindset since starting weight watchers though, so that may help.
Hi Bish have you took any measurements? Just wondering if you've lost any inches? I only tried 5:2 for 8 weeks and I found the weight loss was every other week (until I went on a mad eating spree and gave up!). Well done on the running too. I am not a natural runner.

Lost another 1.5lb (the point 5 is really important lol). DH informs me he thinks our scales might be broken as he dropped them the other day so that's taken the shine off a bit. I need to check them somehow. I've had a rubbish week of exercising - only did Shred once and only went running once. Baby refused to nap for 3 entire days which made it all difficult.

Now seeing 14x on the (broken) scales though, huzzah!

Hi bish - I was exercising for literally weeks without seeing any numbers change. I put it down to muscle weighing more than fat and my body was building up the muscle so any fat loss was getting balanced out by muscle weight iyswim. Happy to report I'm now seeing the numbers drop but it's taken ages! How long have you been at it?

Hope everyone is well. Am going to try that curry too as I've got all the ingredients Thanks for posting the recipe!

Scales have been checked with a 20kg bag of plaster and confirmed correct

Evening everyone. Welcome Gruffalo wee and bish

Well done on your 2lbs solitude Thanks for the curry recipe. Do you have a vague idea how many weight watchers points it is?

Green Brilliant haul of goodies. We are thinking of having the post christening festivities at home too. Do you mind adding my stats to the sheet, I lost 1lb last week but stayed the same this week. Sorry I can't work out how to do it!

Well done on your weightless Worship That pizza didn't sound too bad winter just a small blip.

I really lost motivation this week so it was no surprise I STS. I am intending to be really good for the next 2 weeks (until Easter). I ordered some trousers from Boden and they are a bit tight, so this is my motivation. I also have a girls night out in 4 weeks time (my first for about 2 years!!). I would really like to lose 1/2 stone for that (beg May) and then another half a stone for June so I can sort out my outfit for a wedding we are going to at the end of June.

Hey Beyond! Sorry I've no idea about WW. STS is good, generally I find that if I don't lose then I gain so I'd be well happy with a STS especially as you've been demotivated.

We have a similar goal date now though - your girly night out coincides with my Grandson's Christening. I want to have lost a further 5lb for that. It's a lb a week which is about the rate I've been going so I figure it is doable.

No idea what to wear. I've not been to a Christening since I was about 10!

Hi Worship Demotivated is another world for 'eating lots of cake" :) So I was very lucky to STS.

I forgot to write DD's christening is in June, definitely want a stone off for that. I wore a french connection dress for DS's. I think I want something summery/tea party isn!

Glad I am not the only one that is addicted to the scales!

Greenrabbit, hope the cleaning for the Christening went well – think of all the calories you burned. Definitely fit in some pampering with all your lovely new smellies x

Fab weight loss solitude and worship, well done. Loving the checking of scales with a 20kg bag of cement.

Hi Bish, I am a newbie too. Agree with Worship that you have probably lost fat and gained muscle. Measuring inches may be a good way to go in addition to weighing.

I like your short term targets beyond, must help to motivate. Maybe I will break my 3st target up into 7lb chunks.Eating lots of cake and ST, I am in awe.

I have been super good today, MIL visiting with a belated birthday cake for DD1 and I resisted having even the tiniest bit. But we have a family celebration tomorrow with wonderful catering and a stunning cake so my restraint is going out the window. Counting it as my treat as didn’t indulge on Friday as my set treat night.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Was at 2 birthday parties this weekend and had a takeaway last night. Hoping that it's not a complete disaster at my weigh in. I tried to go for a walk today but I've hurt my back - right where I had my spinal done for my csec - so I can barely move never mind push a tank of a buggy. having a rest while the baby sleeps and watching Homeland.

Hope everyone's feeling good and doing better than me!

I am very unmotivated still - probably won't bother weighing in until next week!

Fingers crossed for your weigh in Sol. Hope you back improves soon - sounds like you might need a massage, girly afternoon at the spa?

Hope everyone is having a good week!