Drop half a stone for January Challenge!

tara747

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Portion control has been quite a 'thing' for me. Like many people I was brought up to eat everything on my plate, and I still can't bear waste. So I got some smaller dinner plates from the charity shop with rims on, so the food area is quite a bit smaller. I also now use a small cereal bowl for pasta instead of the HUGE pasta dishes I was using.

Often I will have something I fancy but only have half a portion - eg I'll cut a cake or chocolate bar in half. That works for me because I don't feel deprived by not being able to eat it at all, but I also feel in control because I am using a lot fewer calories out of my daily allowance.

My worst downfall, though is social drinking - I rarely drink on my own, but if I have friends over and have some wine, I can never seem to stop at one glass - I always mean to, but once I've had the one glass, my motivation and willpower go out of the window.

Ah well, I guess it's a good job I don't have many friends :D

I can totally relate to this!! I was brought up the same way and it is hard to change, isn't it? I know Paul McKenna advocates always leaving a morsel of food on your plate but it is not always easy, especially if the food is very tasty. You are right to try smaller plates, I used one last night (OH found it all very amusing) and I felt satisfied - and cleared my plate.

Cutting a bar of choc in half is a good idea too. I have really reduced my food intake with the hoodia as well, hate to sound like an ad for the stuff but it is really working for me. Portion control and snacking are my two biggest downfalls and I have totally turned around. Now I am not snacking at all and am happy with way smaller portions.

Today I had porridge for breakfast and HM carrot soup for lunch, I also went to the gym at lunchtime. And no snacks (if you knew me you would understand how unusual this is!!!!). Feeling very virtuous!

Horace

Well done on not snacking Tara:T

As I had a hot lunch, I decided to have another slice of homemade quiche, a few leaves, 3 small tomatoes (I wish I had saved one), 2 thin slices of ham and some beetroot followed a lot later by another slice of apple pie (it is healthy apple pie - honest). I also discovered that my suggestive biscuits that I got whilst mystery shopping yesterday are 50% lower in fat than they used to be:D

Now then I must think of something healthy to eat tomorrow lunchtime as I am doing a lunch mystery shop.

tara747

Thanks for the encouragement Horace.

OH cooked dinner - he'd gone to a lot of trouble and made a 3 course spread to celebrate some good news we had the other day. Anyway, I had to have a little of each course and was totally stuffed and uncomfortable afterwards. I still feel very full and dinner was at 7:30!!

I hope that my days of big portions are behind me, I don't like feeling like this. I would rather stop eating when satisfied, I just didn't want to hurt his feelings. Ho hum.

What are suggestive biscuits btw???

stingylolo

2lbs off this week... just another 2 to complete the challenge !

tara747

stingylolo, that is brilliant!!! Well done you. :T :T :T

tara747

I saw digital scales with body fat etc on Argos for £14ish, is that reasonable? The dial ones are only £3.89 and I am trying to be moneysaving...

lostinrates

I typed a reply last night that hasn't appeared! Oh well!

Tara, you are the second person who I've come across who felt hoodia really helped them. Where do you buy yours?

I've ben mainly good though I had a chocolate slip up at the weekend. I have a pair of jeans that for me mark the differnce between fat and freakish, and while they nowhere do up they do pull over my bottom now, so I'm getting there. I'm packing for my trip next week and feeling a bit more confident. Not sure what I'll do about food while I'm away, ther is one sit down multi course dinner I will have to attend and that worries me a little, as dos avoiding pasta. Pasta is the halthiest option in many cases, but I bloat REALLY badly on it and I'd lik to avoid that.

tara747

Just back from a lunchtime walk, did about 2.6 miles and am up to 10,477 steps so far today. Walking home will bring me up to about 14,000 for the day so happy with that. I'll do some weights tonight at home and then give the gym another go tomorrow.

Breakfast was muesli, I've just had 2 oatcakes after coming in from my walk and will have HM carrot soup for lunch. Dinner will be goodness knows what as OH is cooking, but hopefully smaller than last night!

lostinrates, where is your trip to? I find a good coping option for big meals/several courses is to have just a little of each course, and don't be afraid to pass up anything that isn't tasty. That way you get to enjoy the tastiest bits of the meal and don't 'waste' calories on the stuff you don't like so much. HTH

The hoodia I got was from purehoodia.co.uk (am I allowed to post the web address?), anyway apparently they have been selling it for 10 years in the UK and most of the others are just imitations. They do a 5-day free trial, which I would strongly recommend!! They also offer a refund on any unused hoodia you buy if you are not happy. But definitely get the trial first. It is really working for me, I love it.

tara747

I had the HM soup for lunch, but it as it is really pureed carrots, onions, garlic and bouillon with the tiniest drop of oil my body was probably a bit fed up... I started feeling peckish a while ago, then actually hungry - so I had 3 oatcakes and that sorted me out. It does count as snacking, but I guess my lunch was so low in cals that maybe I needed it. People say it's better to eat 4-5 really small meals per day than 3 big ones, anyone tried doing that and did it work?

Anyway, off to walk home now, that'll bring me up to about 4.5 miles/14,000 steps for the day (I am sad), wonder what OH is making for dinner...

lostinrates, who is the other person who liked the hoodia and what did they say about it? I just want more opinions before I commit to buying...

Horace

Tara - suggestive biscuits are digestive biscuits:D

I had to do a mystery shop in a restaurant today and I pigged out I am afraid (I spent more than required as I only get £10 for my trouble:rolleyes: )

2 x lattes (large but I added two small cubes of brown sugar - which floated on the top:eek: )
braised herefordshire beef with juices on top of colcannon mash, with a side order of mixed veg
Then sin of sins - a small steamed treacle pudding with vanilla custard.

Then as I was wandering around the bullring, I was offered some blueberries (6 of them which I troffed straightaway), now I feel full and cannot eat anything else today (if I get peckish later I will have some special K).

Just wondering how I can make myself look thin and beautiful by Saturday? My chum is taking a picture of me as it needs to be emailed with an application form for something I am trying to do on the telly.