Louise Parker Method

[ElvenDreamer]

Hi, anyone following the Louise Parker Lean for Life method? I'm just starting (using her books) and could do with a group to swap thoughts with!

Yeah I agree I think a calm environment is important. I've got a toddler so it's hard to maintain every day. I might have a tidy-up or a declutter but you can guarantee it'll be back to where it was before, 3 months later. I guess what I need to get better at is keeping on top of things every few days or once a week.

Oh yeah @ElvenDreamer that traybake is really really good. Might have to cook that tomorrow for Sunday lunch.

Today I stepped out of the circle at lunch but I have been very active today, up on my feet gardening and walking around for most of the morning, so I'm getting lots of steps in!

Hi ladies, i felt a bit sick yesterday but i'm better today and did my exercises already. steps are low this week because of the weather but i really try to let go of stinking thinking and making baby steps instead. I might have gained a little weight but now i'm back into the circle.
I will shop and prep for meals this evening and plan a nice, makeable (!!) week.

@MrsToadlike i think she just wants us to feel good and satisfied in all parts of life. your kid wont be a toddler forever so maybe thats a nice phase and should be enjoyed - i think thats totally different from being cluttered up to the ceiling. maybe there is some place just for you that you can make yourself as nice as possible.

Hello 🙂 sorry to hear you've been poorly @GloryLory but glad you're feeling better today. Gardening is great exercise @MrsToadlike, I love getting on in the garden. Saturdays can be tricky for me eating wise as I work all morning and husband cooks but I'm working out ways round it. This morning he made waffles with fruit so I had mine like that and not with honey drizzled over, lunch time he made a chicken and cashew curry so I just passed on the rice. I've got out for a decent walk today between the showers so steps looking good. But of a win this afternoon, MIL is always round on a Saturday and after family walk cake is always dished up. Normally I'm feeling so fatigued by this point in the week I just give in, have some, and then more later in a vain attempt to keep myself going, feeling worse as the day goes on. Today I politely excused myself, went upstairs and plugged in my headphones for a 10 min meditation session, dozed off for a further 10 or so mins and then came down feeling a bit more human!

@ElvenDreamer wow, great what you've accomplished today! That was a really nice trick and you can be so proud of yourself!

we had waffles with fruit, too, portion wasnt that decent but i just keep going. I planned my week with steps (will try 7 k/day), exercise and learning (i really need to improve this).
I will have chickpea, chorizo and chicken stew; tuna tossed salad and favourite tabbouleh - all firm favs of mine. i always prep 2 portions because i dont mind eating the same 2 days in a row.

Feeling positive as the weather is so nice. I will learn now and go for a walk later.

Yay for nice weather! Well today has been an active sort of day. We went for a big long family bike ride first thing this morning on the trails in Thetford forest, lovely time. Had a mixed grill type lunch, mine was sausage, bacon, tomato, beans and asparagus. Smacked on fruit and oatcakes. Then went for a short run this afternoon, about half of what I'd normally run on a Sunday with my daughter but obviously we'd already had the bike ride and my 7 yr old decided he wanted to run too!
Just spent some time prepping salads for the week ahead. Crunchy detox salad (chickpeas, raw red cabbage, blanched broccoli, ginger, red onion, sunflower seeds, strips of dried apricot, dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and juice of an orange.) It's one of my favourites . Also made a chicken and avocado salad so I'm feeling all organised lol.
Next week I have a bit less work so have decided to 'bootcamp' my house cleaning- there's a blogger called The Organised Mum with the TOMM method (don't know if you've heard of her) but anyway, I used to keep on top of things reasonable well using her method, everything fell apart during the first lock down in March 2020 courtesy of the joys of home educating while working etc etc and I've never really got it back. So the plan is bootcamp next week and then settle back into method, I will find my calm space somehow!

@ElvenDreamer you are rocking it! great! And i can imagine how nice it felt to be that organised.

I weighed myself this morning and gained 2 kg :( So really time to step back in. Had my yoga classes this morning and did some studying.

This TOMM method sounds interesting - could you explain it a little? i read her website but i dont get it completely - 15 mins per day and exercise + 30 mins once a week deep clean?

My weight is definitely still not on the downward trend but it's stable so that's something. It's quite hard remaining in the circle until it becomes habit I guess so I'm trying to focus on those little decisions which can become habit and look for ways to do things easily, I think otherwise it quickly becomes unsustainable and all or nothing which is exactly what we're trying to avoid. I'm struggling a bit today, very tired after yesterday and fighting the impulse to eat too much to get me through. Also when prepping chicken salad last night I popped the chicken in the aga to cook....then remembered it this morning 🤦‍♀️ so not as organised as I tried to be!
@GloryLory The TOMM method is another thing that is supposed to create good organised habits, and to be fair, it did for me for at least a year, hence why I'm trying to get back on board. I agree the website is quite confusing, she takes on a lot of thoughts but it's her house work stuff I follow. Basic premise is 15 mins a day for daily tasks like laundry, mop or Hoover floors, bathrooms, then 30 mins a day on 1 particular room and there's a schedule (which obviously can be tweaked) that puts a different room each day. Monday is living room, Tuesday bedrooms, Wednesday entrance hall and stairs, Thursday kitchen. Friday is called focus day and has a rolling 8 week shedule of rooms. Best bet is to look at the free downloads bit as it explains quite well there. I'll try and link it in a minute. This week I'm attempting her bootcamp shedule which is a bit more full on and to be used for a week if your house has got out of control 🤣

www.theorganisedmum.blog/free-printables/
This is the page with the free printable, level 1 jobs, Monday to Thursday and the 2 Friday focus ones are the basic method.

I've seen TOMM mentioned on here before @ElvenDreamer but I've never tried it before so will be interested to hear how you get on with it.

In lockdown chores did slide a bit as we weren't having any guests round

Seems nice, i did something like this when i lived with my ex boyfriend and we were overwhelmed by househould, cooking etc.
We spent 30 mins per day in one room, 1 room per day, which worked brilliantly.

Now im living in one room apartment so thats not the problem, but i can incorporate a bit of this, too. Doing a little something every day so that i dont have to clean 2 hours on a weekend!
Thanks for inspiring. I'm off for a walk now :) Hope you are doing good!

Well I just had a meal that definitely wasn't on method, it was healthy though so I'm not going to worry too much, Indian spiced sweet potato chapattis, didn't think about the bread content until too late, whoops! I've been so tired today, really hoping this is something the method helps with in the end. I mean, she says it does, it's one of the main reasons I wanted this in the first place! I'm getting good sleep so it shouldn't be that. Did create some nice spaces in the house today where things actually look tidy for a change so that was a win. 14k steps.

Good morning, i really had the feeling it gave me so much energy both times i did it consitently so keep going :)
Dont worry about some bread, you made 14 k steps which is amazing and you burned it already i guess.

My day was nice, first day since two weeks competely in the circle and i am glad to step back in:

• 1 hour of yoga
• yoghurt, oats, berries
• tuna tossed salad
• 1 pear + cheese
• 1 peach + nuts
• asian vegetables with chicken
• small chocolate protein bar
• 9,8 k steps

Today i have 11 hours classes so this will be a tough day but i prepped some meals and will do a walk in the evening if possible.

Well, the 2 pieces of cake today were a rather giant stride outside the circle 🤣🤣 but other than that I've done ok. Egg on wholegrain with tomato slices for breakfast, salad (and the cake) for lunch, there's a chicken pie with lots of tasty veg ready for tea. Tonight I have my exercise class so I know I'll have been nicely active. Spent the day scrubbing windows, dusting and feeling generally angry about house work, the room I've completed looks good though so I know it's worth it in the log run, that was also quite good exercise for my arms if nothing else!

I haven't had an on method day today, I had pasta for supper which was delicious but definitelt not in the circle! However I did have an on method breakfast and lunch so not too bad.

Ooh I'm in tidy up mode as well @ElvenDreamer. It feels very productive and I am starting to see a difference.

How's everyone doing today? Personally I've done really well for most of the day and then kind of ruined it this evening. Perfectly on method, active, generally motivated and at peace with the world. Not quite sure what happened after my evening meal but I went into some kind of self destruct mode I think, several pieces of unplanned snacking have now happened. Sigh. Need to pick my self up, go to bed (as I think tiredness was the trigger) and jump right back in the circle tomorrow.

Well @ElvenDreamer I had a similar experience to you. On method until this evening. I'm going to go to bed soon to stop myself eating more!
But otherwise I have had an active day today, gardening and running around after my toddler. I do feel like I am getting more activity into my day as a result of this, even if my food habits aren't quite there yet.
Still tidying my house here and there in the various hotspots where clutter gathers. Just 20 mins or so at a time but I'm doing quite well in doing a little bit every day. I think I can start to see the difference now but still a long way to go.

Hi guys,

sorry to hear your days didnt went how you planned... I am okay so far, cravings like crazy and also had quite a feq steps outside the circle. I skipped meals then, i know she doesnt recommend it, but i wasnt hungry and i need to come back to a normal feeling of being full/satisfied.
Acitivity is okay, 7k steps/day and sometimes more, workouts are okay too.
Weight is still 60 kg, but after all of my binging it could be worse.

I sometimes wonders how others do it. After weeks of enjoying her food i am still hungry after some lunches, i have more cravings than ever and find myself thinking way too much about food.
For the next few days i've planned to eat a bit bigger portions of her meals (which i love).
But today i'm invited for a lovely dinner and i will enjoy this great steps outside the circle.

My habits have improved, too @MrsToadlike and its easy to stick to it. sports and steps, daily routines

I will give it a try and do 15 mins of housework on a daily basis, i dotn want to do all that on the weekends, which i need for learning and my boyfriend.
by the way, i learned quite good this week which lifts my mood.

Right, I NEED to pull myself together, virtual handhold required guys! Had a small revelation in that I think part of my general tiredness and fuzzy head might be caused by (or at least exacerbated by) hayfever so trying to make a point of remembering ti take the tablets to see if this makes a difference. Managed to keep doing some small jobs so a couple more cupboards organised etc which has cheered me up. Food and exercise have been very hit and miss this week. Meals good but lots of bingeing (especially when tired or worried and this week has been a tricky week), exercise I've kept up the walking but not done much else. Pulling myself up today, going to focus on getting my head back in the right place, think I've just been too much in a 'what's the point, it's none of it making any difference' place. But I have to be honest with myself, I actually need to stick to it a bit longer, if course it's not going to make a difference in just a few days! Glad to hear you are having a good week @GloryLory especially with feeling good about your studies, when something is going well it does tend to feed into everything else and put your mood on an upward trend doesn't it, such a good feeling. @MrsToadlike that's great you're feeling little differences in your home, I think it really helps with all of this, firstly for a slightly less stressful environment, secondly just organisation, if I can see easily what is in my cupboards and fridge etc it's easier to shop and meal plan. Have a good weekend all!

I feel similar @ElvenDreamer I've got that all or nothing feeling Louise writes about in her books. I need to be patient and give myself more time for the habits to stick and actually reflect in my weight and how I feel.

Hi girls, i feel you both!
Walking was okay this week with 55 k steps, i'm glad i got back to this. I motivated myself with a new and lower goal of 7 k steps per day which worked fine - i did more most days and it felt good to get something done. Maybe you can do something like this too? Reaching for Perfection makes so unhappy.

Eating... well. I could do something here. I get myself pulled toghether most times, but i did have cake, dinner, sweets and so on. I am not nearly disciplined as i was in the 6 weeks... feels like i will never be again :D

Right, so apart from a 5 biscuit style step out of the circle....today I've eaten reasonably well. Cooked breakfast, nuts and fruit for snacks, a visit to the local fishmonger who does a fresh fish stall in our village meant scallops for lunch and crab salad for tea, very tasty! Had a 4.6k run with my daughter first thing and spent the test of the morning gardening, so in my happy place today! Got more of the house a bit under control too so feel like I'm at least starting next week on top of things as opposed to already playing catch up! Hope you've all had a good weekend, let's keep dancing the dance!

I tried some of Louise's exercises today. Nothing too intense, just some planks, tricep bends and lunges whilst cooking food earlier. I didn't get too out of breath either, I'm trying to take it gently as I am very out of shape after 2 years after pregnancy and birth. Also went for a decent 30 minute walk earlier so feeling rather energised.
Hope you're both doing ok

Sounds good @MrsToadlike Doing baby steps goes a long way...

I am not loosing any more weight since two weeks, I dont know what to do... i cant eat even less, but i also cant do more exercise [too sad]
Keeping the weight may be a goal too but of course i would like to be in the best shape i've ever been.

How are you doing @ElvenDreamer?

Hi both, Well the last couple of days have been mixed I'd say, good meals, I particularly enjoyed the fruity mackerel salad I had today, kept active, keeping myself generally less stressed and looking for those pleasure pops. However, I still can't stop eating crap snacks, on top of the good ones I've already made myself, it's so annoying, it's like I have no self control whatsoever, it makes me so cross! However, trying to be positive, today I smashed my steps target with 24760 steps due to lots of errands and then my HIT/clubbercise class this evening so am really pleased with that. Although my scales aren't budging I can definitely feel the difference in myself and I think you are right @GloryLory , maintaining the weight is also a good thing, at the end of the day we had already lost a bit so the fact we are keeping it off is something to be celebrated, some of my clothes are noticeably looser too so although the weight is plateuing, I've definitely got a bit leaner. I'd still like to get a bit more off my tummy though, that's the one place it's still hanging on, not that having 3 kids helped that exactly but I can't use it as an excuse forever! I think I need to follow your example @MrsToadlike and start doing the planks etc again as they concentrate on my core. Off to bed now as absolutely shattered!

Hi there,

"However, I still can't stop eating crap snacks, on top of the good ones I've already made myself, it's so annoying, it's like I have no self control whatsoever, it makes me so cross!"
I can totally feel you, exactly what i am experiencing since weeks... it got a bit better since i dont stick to louises portion sizes any more and i dont restrict myself any food. but i dont eat as healthy as i used to, and i didnt lose any more weight.
Sports are fine, steps are low because of all day long raining. i am feeling quite down the last days. There's nothing to do but to sit in my small apartment, you cant even go out because the weather is so unpleasant. On top of that i have go a cold....