The Diet/Self-Improvement Thread

[Ghost]

oh thanks Icash. It's nice to get encouragement, especially when you think you're not losing.

It won't be a big drop next time cause of a nice pizza treat and a bag of cadbury's giant chocolate buttons - yum. But unfortunately I brought the pizza from a new place and it was really rather greases - urgh

So I'm trying at the mo to work just as hard as last time (but not over doing it). Next weekend me and my sister are shopping in Cheltenham (I love cheltenham) all day so we'll find a nice place to have lunch, and I think I'll have a little treat. A slice of cake or something, I'm thinking chocolate

[egerandi]

Oh gosh, Cadbury, I miss it! I saw chocolate dispenser machines for the first time in my life when I visited London in 1997, loved it!

Sounds like you're on top of it, lady, and you gotta reward yourself from time to time

[Ghost]

Hey all

Another weigh day, yes I've had my yummy, yummy pizza and chocolate buttons - 2lb (just under 1kg) lost I'm happy with that

I go on hols in 4 weeks so I want to loose a little more before I go

[krenee]

Ghost, I just wanted to say that I love your new profile pic. You are so cute! and your face just exudes happiness and fun. I bet you are an extremely fun person to hang around!

[Ghost]

Thank you Karmen

I had just gotten back from the hairdressers so I thought I'd up date my pic. This was the first time I went to these hairdressers and I'm going back - damn fantastic

[Ghost]

Hi everyone

I got weight today.

Looks dramatically off the side lines "I knew this would happen sooner or later. According to the scales I've gain 2.2lbs (1 kg)." Wish I could say it was the muscle or water retention .

Well those scale have another thing coming. I'm going on holiday next sat for a week so I have to be really good until then, then watch what I eat on hols. I know, I know you shouldn't watch cause you on hols, but I didn't last year and I gained loads. As long as in 3 weeks those scales say I haven't gained I'll be happy

[Roberta]

I couldn't read all 10 pages of this thread, but I read through some of it. Just to share a few things I've been doing lately...

Bodyweight exercises, because I got tired of lugging equipment around. It's better than anything I have found before. Push-ups, squats, leg lifts, and other specific exercises. DVRs are a new thing for me that seemed weird at first but really work. Try doing dumbbell exercises without the dumbbell but pretending with tension. Mind over matter. You wouldn't believe "nothing" could actually produce results and build muscle. I am doing this now to prevent osteoporosis later.

Apple cider vinegar. A tablespoon in a glass of water a few times a day to keep the flu and colds away. Strong stuff so be prepared.

Aloe vera juice. Same - a tablespoon in a glass of water maybe twice/day. Has many health benefits.

Along with daily walks/short runs, eating a sensible diet with as few processed foods as possible, home made bread in bread machine (whole wheat - so EASY in bread machine and delicious), plenty of rest. I've cut out sweets and chocolate, and I feel much better.

Beauty - inside and out. Nice to see this thread here. Keep up the good work!

[Ghost]

Nice work Roberta

I mostly do an exercise dvd but there is a bit where you're doing the arm exercise with tension (you can use weigh if you want) and I'll tell ya, moving your arms with tension back and forth really works I also do alot of squats, push ups, leg lift, lunges, back exercise etc and they work beautifully, I have muscle where they're weren't muscle before!!!! I do enjoy the exercises now and I know that doesn't sound much but before a year and half ago I avoided doing exercise like the plague.

It sounds to me that you should be very proud of yourself, keep up the extremely good work

[karen]

It's indeed always a battle for some of us (my brother and I weigh the same and he's 6'5..he gets to eat pretty much anything, and not really gain weight). What I really admire most about you Sarah is your tenacity with this. I always get to a point where I drop a few and then loosen up, and fall back into the same habits- you've really kept it up for a long time, and it's really inspiring. While we were on hols I kept eating ice cream, and yogurt...I managed to stay away from the cheese and too much white bread, but full fat dairy just tasted too good to pass up.

Our new thing is I've cut back the food budget pretty dramatically- $35 a week for 2 people. It's making it so I cook at home, plan ahead, and we watch our portions. It's the first week, but it's going pretty well.

[Ghost]

Oh thank you Karen that very nice of you. Especially since there were some who didn't believe I could do it (or get this far) even though I knew, when I started, that I could. So thank you it's really nice to hear that Karen

Good for you Karen. Sometimes I need to take a step back and look at what I'm eating and realise that I can cut a lot of things out. Once I've done that it's amazing to see the pounds drop. Keep it up.

I'm going on my hols tomorrow for a week (yippeeeeeeeee) so I am going to watch what I eat (no greasy foods), but I am leaving room for sweet things cause you just can't go to the south west of England without having a nice clotted cream tea (if you don't know it's a scone with jam and Cornish clotted cream with a nice cup of tea, should be earl grey but I'm not picky. Only time I drink the stuff). And of course if I have a room my fav ice cream, Kelly's Cornish mint chocolate chip - yum, yum. Oh I'm looking forward to going to chedder caves. They have a skeleton that's 9000 years old (wonder if it looks like my dad???).

I get weighed again on the 14th sept but I am going to the cinemas on the 12th for little sister's big one-eight birthday. So its a bag of cadbury's giant chocolate buttons at the cinemas and pizza afterwards, but I'm making it a small pizza this time.