New Mums: Pre-diet we had pride, now we want new bodies!

[SolitudeSometimesIs]

Here we go again!

Ok it's the magic thread where we find inspiration, motivation and actually see the results we want and manage to hold on to them once we get them.

No more excuses (unless they are hilarious or necessary).

Welcome all!

Ooooh crisps, nuts and wine - now you're talking.

You're week off with your DH sounds lovely. Rare weeks off need to be enjoyed. Have you any nice plans? You'll do really well when you get back on Exante, I know you will. Look how well you're doing on 5:2. Love the idea of you hanging out with the baby, kicking back on the ipad. Have you snuck a bottle of wine in to your bag to enjoy? With a selection of snacks obviously.

DH has soldiered on with Exante with rather humorous results. He looks great, his stomach has really slimmed down but he gets so narky when he's hungry. He decides if the meals are "meh" or "horrible", there's no other grade as far as he's concerned. He's really tired too.

Reading minimins diaries as motivation, everyone saying first four/five days are hell. I feel better knowing others are suffering too

Your week off...I can't spell any more.

Day 4 of Exante and I think ketosis has occurred. No murderous hunger so far today so that's good. Been fairly busy and took the kids out for a long walk.

Had the sausage mix for breakfast. Added lots and lots of pepper, a pinch of salt, garlic and parsley and cooked it in a pan. I didn't make sausage shapes, I made squashed, flat burger shapes because I wasn't sure how they would cook in the middle.

They were absolutely gorgeous. I could have eaten loads of them and I'll definitely order them again. I wasn't too hungry before I had them but I want to get out of the habit of night time snacking so I am trying to have all my food at "mealtimes".

Had the tomato and basil soup for lunch. It really wasn't great but I love tomato and basil soup with cream so I think it was always going to be a poor comparison. I probably wouldn't order it again and I'll just use up the sachets I have.

I had the Exante pizza for dinner.

You add water to the base mix and bake for 15 or so mins and then heat up tomato sauce and put it on top. And then stuff it in your mouth and enjoy it all in it's gorgeous glory! They are really nice and if I'm honest, I would buy them forever and just add my own toppings.

They don't taste like regular pizzas - because they aren't. But they are a bloody good substitute. They taste a bit like tomato puree with herbs on a thick wrap. Honestly, I am going to order a ton of these bad boys for the future.

10 out of 10!

Off to hide the box of pizza mix from DH.

Oh, I meant to say I added lots of basil and parsley to the base and then a bit of garlic to the sauce. Yum!

On the menu for tomorrow:
Breakfast: Raspberry porridge (going to make them in to biscuits)
Lunch: Chocolate pudding (having that in my Mum's to stop me indulging in Victoria Sponge or Easter eggs)
Dinner: Cottage pie (have a feeling this might be gross, DH's beef stew looked like one of DS1's dodgy nappies - vom!)

Oh yay for ketosis! You've had another great day too.
Excellent idea about 3 meals at 'normal' times too. I'm far too hung up on snacking on an evening. Maybe I should close the kitchen at 6pm?

The sausage and the pizza mix are going on my shopping list. So will the pudding if you think it's nice. I like the raspberry porridge so your biscuits will probably be nice too.
What are you drinking during the day?

I've not had the cottage pie. I've tried the shepards pie, it looked worst than it tasted!

I won't discuss what I've had today . I'm in bed with a glass of wine though.

Have a lovely day tomorrow.

Oh go on. Let me live vicariously through you. I am completely obsessed with food.

Snacking in the evening is my killer too. I love sitting on the sofa with a snack, but they are the invisible calories that make me super fat.

Oh God, maybe it's shepard's pie I'm having tomorrow. I get them mixed up all the time. I don't like meaty pies (even before I was a vegetarian) but I want to have as much variety as possible so I don't get bored.

I'm drinking tea, coffee, water and coke zero when I feel like I need sugar (even though I don't think there's any sugar in it).

Need to get organised to hide the kids Easter eggs...but I'm sooo lazy.

Okay, Bacon sandwich for breakfast followed by a hot cross bun. M&S Sushi for lunch and then chicken fajita for dinner. Plus lots of white wine.

Coke zero just has sweeteners doesn't it?

We gave the girls their eggs this morning as I couldn't be bothered to bring then with us! I tried to explain the religious aspect of Easter to DD1 this morning but just got lots of 'but why?' questions.

My computer may be about to explode from me drooling on it, thanks for the run down. I think it's because I'm not eating regular food I am verging on unhinged when I ask (question Gestapo-style) others what they had when they were in restaurants etc.

That sounds like a fairly balanced day though. It's not like you settled in to your stretchy pants and had 14 Easter eggs. And white wine is an essential when staying over with IL's.

We've just laid out the mini egg trail for the kids to follow to find their Easter eggs. I used the individually wrapped ones from Lidl because they were super cheap and it was only when I read the packaging I found out why, they are filled with chocolate fondant, strawberry creme or orange creme - how ming is that? So we're going to have to bin some of them or the kids are going to be sick. We'll let them collect them all and then turf them.

I haven't gone down the road of explaining the religious aspect to DS1, I don't think he'd get it. We had to explain death/heaven due to some recent bereavements and he is full of questions and opinions. Apparently you get to heaven on a rocket...

Happy Easter all!

Another hungry day here. But I fit in to a size 14 top that I have never worn before (because I was too big previously) and it looked good. This led to me having a weigh in, even though I'd already had 2 coffees, water and breakfast.And I was 9 lbs lighter than when I started Exante (so last Weds morning). Woo-hoo! I now weigh 13 stone 1 lb. The 12's are just there...just another few days and I will be in them.

I don't think I will reach them by my Weds morning weigh in, dieting can be a bit unfair, but I can aim for them for next week. Thanks a mill to you both for recommending this diet, I feel like a new (very hungry) woman.

Easter was a challenge, we went to my parent's house and there was cake, crisps, chocolate, sandwiches, alcohol and the offer of a takeaway...I said no to it all. I brought a chocolate dessert with me and they are AMAZING! I got a proper chocolate cake hit off it and nearly licked the bowl I made it in.

I got given wine instead of Easter eggs (my folks know me so well) and the Easter eggs the kids have been given are being hidden so that they don't go completely crazy and scoff the lot.

I hope you had a lovely Easter and ate lots of nice food and drank lots of wine on my behalf.

Let's get motivated to get back on track and start our weight loss journey, we can do it if we focus and support each other!

That's amazing Sol. I'm seriously impressed, you must be so pleased. Especially with your size 14 top. It's great seeing the numbers on the scale go down, but to physically have evidence is even better.
I'll try to catch up tomorrow. I must start properly again next week. You and Beyond can kick my arse.

I've pencilled you in for an arse kicking next week Green.

I will be happy with a 7 lb loss to be honest. I know that my weight goes up and down daily so 7 will be good.

I'm having a day off the diet tomorrow because it's the first of our weddings that we have to go to. It's an afternoon/evening thing, very relaxed in the Brides family home (think nice house, big garden, over looking the sea sort of thing). The bride is a pastry chef and the groom is a chef so the food will be amazing and I can't be the freaky guest who insists on rehydrating my own packets of food. How cringe would that be?! So I will be eating and drinking out in the normal world and I hope that I can get back on track on Wednesday.

I have to admit, part of me (the hungry part) is really looking forward to having real portions of normal food and maybe a glass or two of wine, children permitting. I have found the last week on Exante quite an eye opener in many ways:

1: Are my portions huge? I find myself looking at a cup/bowl of Exante food and thinking "is that it?". Even though I try not to pile my plate I am very aware that my portions are no where near as small.

2: I can be hungry when I need to be, not when I want to be - because I never want to be. Why would I? My world is full of tasty, quick fix foods that fulfil every need I can imagine. And the result of that is a body shape that I am embarrassed by.

3: I have some bloody awful eating habits. Snacking in the evening is my kryptonite. It's crept up on me and it is shocking how much I pack away in the 2 hours or so between the kids going to bed and me going to bed. I also have this bad habit of eating the kids leftovers and picking at their food when I am feeding them. I have to stop this nonsense!

4: I never would have thought I would be so excited to see a bowl of fake ham and pasta soup, fat me is disgusted .

I hope you're all having great Easters!

Yay Sol. Just fabulous weight loss

Well done, so so pleased for you.
Will catch up properly tomorrow. Starting exante tomorrow. I am as they say, as fat as butter following a lot of Easter feasting. Any excuse.

Hope you both had a good Easter. Hope you enjoyed the wedding Sol.
Starting next week Green?

Thanks Beyond. Had my weigh in for my first week and I lost 8.7 lbs. I'm delighted!

Took yesterday off for the wedding and had a great day. Had 4 glasses of wine and so much delicious food. It was a bit of a novelty eating real food and carbs - lots and lots of carbs. But I'm back on track and I had Exante for lunch today but not breakfast as I forgot I was supposed to be eating it again and had toast. Not going to weigh myself until Saturday to give me time to undo the damage .

I went for a big walk with the kids today and had them running around the back garden so hoping a little exercise will speed up weight loss. Going to try and stop taking the car on small journeys and make the effort to walk places with the kids.

How was your first day back on Exante Beyond? Did you have a great time over Easter? Have you dared weigh yourself?

Yay Sol - that's just fantastic. Also glad you had a fantastic time at the wedding. I think you'll lose again, I always have better losses when I have a couple of days off.

So I am starving. But I plan to do exante for a week to get back to 11.2 and then I am going to low carb/5:2
I haven't weighed myself, bloated as tom soon. I think a week of exante should get me back to 11.2 though fingers crossed.
I want to eat though..

Had such a fab Easter. Shopping on Friday and treated myself to a new bag. Out on Friday night for dinner and drinks (babysitter from nursery worked out well, was so nice to finally go out). Easter egg hunt on Saturday followed by friend with her DC round. Sunday we had lunch out and went to a park/fete with peter rabbit in attendance. We were all exhausted by Monday. Unfortunately Little Choos not sleeping well. Not sure if developmental thing or not, up several times in night, wanting drinks/cuddles/night light on/night light off/ door open/door closed (you get the picture!).

I am the same with some of my eating habits. I think my portions are huge. I am also a night time snacker. I am going to somehow have to break the cycle. I think I need to have more healthy food I really like around, i.e. prawns/melon so I am less likely to reach for chocolate.

Hows things Green?

You sound like you had a great Easter Beyond, it all sounds so lovely. You were right to not worry about dieting and enjoy yourself. What handbag did you get?

Is the heat a factor in Little Choos (Little Beyond now?) not sleeping? My two have been restless in the last few days as the temperature has risen. Could he have growing pains? My friends little girl suffers terribly from them and she is very out of sorts until they realised what it was. She gets calpol and a leg rub until it passes. Or maybe hunger? I have two human dustbins for children who have added supper to their schedule because they wake in the night or very early looking for food otherwise. Or maybe it's none of the above.

I'm hoping for a loss of between 2-4 lbs this week. To be honest I just want to get in to the 12's. It's such a huge barrier for me. My next Exante order is due tomorrow, it's full of shakes, bars and different meals so I'm looking forward to it. I think having lots of choice is the key to stop me being bored and starting to look at other foods.

It's the week before my TOTM and normally I am stuffing my face with chocolate and crisps and I have had none of those cravings. I think the meals are balancing my blood sugar quite well. I've been sleeping really well since I started it and that's really unusual for me, I think it might be from a lack of late night sugar.

That would be amazing for you to be in the 12's - you can do it :)

Your posts have made me consider the meals, may order some to try.

I think you have a really good point re blood sugars. Need to read more about it. Glad you are sleeping. When are you going to reintroduce meals?

Not sure re Little Beyone (Choos must be a sign my tiredness!). He says he doesn't like his bed and wants to sleep with us/ or one of us to sleep with him!
Will try and link bag.

I'm thinking I might just have 4 Exante sachets per day for a while, it's still only 800 cals. I'm liking not having to figure out points, carb amounts or remember if it's a fast day or not. I am enjoying my break from cooking too.

I'm having one night off per week, to have a takeaway or some lovely hummous, pitta and chopped veg. I can't be that person who can only function when following a plan. I'm too old, too tired and like my food too much to not have one night per week off. My desire for a good figure will not be the be all and end all.

I'm really looking forward to being in the 12's though.

Maybe Little Beyond needs some reassurance. He's still very young and they go through phases of needing some extra cuddles.

That sounds a good plan Sol. Only a thought, but instead of having a 4th sachet, could you have some boiled eggs/omlette/soup/quorn?
Although we have all had good results on exante, I can't shake the feeling that exante is unhealthy and we should only do it exclusively for a short time.
Just my opinion of course... and of course people do stick to it for weeks.

Also think the 1 night off a week is a good idea, I think I might have a whole day off

I'm not sure what is going on with Little. Both DH and I aren't good at setting boundaries, but equally he could just need lots more cuddles at the mo (he is a cuddly boy in general). We are just trying to encourage him to sleep in his bed but we have had many a night sleeping on the floor beside him!

You are right Beyond, I need to keep real food in my diet. I can't depend on it all of the time and I have to have normal, tasty food too.

I think it was yesterday I was saying that I have no PMT cravings for crisps etc., well they hit today. So I've demolished some bacon fries. It's so overwhelming, but these are the things that I have to put up with as a hormonal mess.

Back on track for tomorrow though. I embrace the times I struggle, then I get over it and get back on track.

Would it be possible to put a double bed in your DS's room? If there's a chance that co-sleeping is going to be a way for the future you should be comfortable and have a good nights sleep.

Good attitude Sol

We could, but he is such a wriggles and a kicker. Also tiny still cosleeps (which could be part of the issue..)

PMT here too, sent an enraged email at work when normally I would have let if pass. Needed to be said though.

I am taking exante a day at a time, if I need to, will have some protein at the weekend.

You seem to have a good plan with Exante Beyond, to use it long-term I think it needs to be broken up every now and again. Do you eat a lot of eggs when you are on it.

I had a chocolate shake for breakfast, but I made it up as hot chocolate as I was freezing, it was an...unusual experience. The mix was really thick and a touch slimey. I'll try it with ice tomorrow.

Trying to be a bit more active so we went to the shops and bought the kids food for the week and I intend on going for a walk once DS2 wakes up. My stomach has flattened quite a bit except for the bump where my stomach was ruined by my c-section. I'm afraid that I will have this huge lump on my stomach forever, it looks awful.

Really, really thirsty today so I've been drinking loads of water. I think that might be due to the bacon fries last night. I don't think the slimey shake helped much either.

Going to have a friend over for dinner on Saturday so that will be my night off. I think we're just going to get a takeaway or something as I can't be arsed cooking.

Hi, hope you're both having a good day. I'll catch up properly tomorrow or Sunday. I'm definitely restarting ASAP. I feel like I'm going to burst!

hello Green, look forward to hearing about your week soon. I ma sure you are not going to burst :) (hope you enjoyed being off the diet!)

Sol- I thinking drinking loads helps. I had one of the chocolate bars for breakfast (not that keen but forgot to take anything else to work), then tomato soup (again not keen) and just about to 'indulge' in a strawberry shake.
May need protein tomorrow, I tend to have ham/chicken more than eggs. But may have a boiled egg tomorrow!
Hows your day been? Takeaway sounds yum. DH has been to get chips. I feel murderous.

Hi Green, hope you're having a good week.

How was your shake Beyond? I had one of those bars, they were a bit unusual but I read online that if you warm them in the microwave they are like a cake and are gorgeous. I haven't tried it myself as I'm trying to keep the bars for a little later in the process.

I have been alright today, I did just have some crisps now though. I wish there wasn't bags of crisps in the house. DH is away and I'm so tired and PMS'ey that I just don't care. I'm like a big grumpy toddler if I'm honest. I want chips now too.

The tomato soup is grim isn't it? Have you tried making the crisps with it? They are on my menu for the weekend. I don't want a ton of Exante packets that I don't like left over.