Big girls - we are beautiful! Aren't we??

Buffy_the_Vampire_Bat

nuttywoman wrote: »

Also have a look at www.crazyclearance.co.uk thats Simply B`s site as well were they sell a lot of their stuff off really cheap

Plus www.fashionworld.co.uk and www.vivaladiva.co.uk

As I said, you can order stuff from one sister site while logged into another.

A small warning if you like about Fashion World though - whereas Simply Be usually sells an item at a flat rate regarding of size, Fashion World tends to operate a sliding scale, where the bigger sizes etc cost more than the smaller sizes. This can be both an advantage or disadvantage - e.g my favourite bra is £4 cheaper on Fashion World as I take one of the smaller sizes available, but it could work the other way!

Stephb1986_2

spidey wrote: »

I lost over 4 stone with WW and while I'm still about 2 stone over my the goal I originally considered, it's stabilised at that and I can't be arsed to obsess about it. My health, fitness and self esteem have improved loads so I'm not too worried. Plus I'm a lot older than you (43) and at my age, it's only the extra layer of fat that's keeping the wrinkles at bay. I used to be 22 bottom, 24 top, now I'm 16-18.

I used to be terrible with veg, but I'm getting better. What worked for me in increasing my veg was trying new veg (I'd never tried stuff like butternut squash or sweet pots, for instance) or eating veg that was disguised. What about trying veg soups, ratoutille (sp) (I love that!) or vegetable curries or chillies? They're very low calorie and all count towards your five a day. You could have a large portion as a main meal, or a small portion as a side dish alongside meat or fish. Or add a salad to your sarnies at lunch, or chop up celery, carrots, peppers and put inside your lunchbox with some cherry toms alongside your sarnie? Could you consider that?

And with fruit a big dish of fruit salad with a low fat topping like low fat creme frieche is lovely, or add a meringue case as they're low calorie.You could try some more exotic fruits like mango or pineapple as well. Or add some fruit to your cereal in the mornings....blueberries are lush with cereals.

Oh and when I lost my weight I started getting more into clothes....while I'm no fashionista, I do take more pride in my appearance and am now much more likely to wear brighter colours and better fitting clothes than all the black baggy stuff I used to.

I've tried the Lighterlife diet (meal replacement) I've been on SW but ended up getting bored.

The only veg I'll really eat and I don't mind is carrots, potatos and spring onions (if you can class them as veg)

The fruit thing is I just can't get a piece of fruit and eat it something has to be done with it to make it more appealing if you pass me a apple whole I wont eat it give me a apple cut up I'll eat most of it, I like pineapple and strawberries. I do sometimes buy the ready made fruit snack things from sainsburies but I have to be in the mood to eat it.

I really don't like cauliflower or brocoli, I don't mind peppers so much and I like red onions but I can't go round stinking of them lol.

I'm just not a fruit and veg type of person. I don't really like breakfast I know its an important meal of the day and all that but I just don't really fancy anything in the morning. Plus working from home is even worse having different things to tempt me but I get bored with cereal and toast. It's rare I have the time to make something decent because I'm on my feet from 6am till sometimes late in the afternoon so when I do come in for a break I just want to sit and have a brew instead of making breakfast, And then when I finish we have something for tea and then im back out again at 6pm till about 8:30 most nights.

I've never really liked veg even as a kid, I don't mind vegetable soup because thats different than eating a celery stick I feel like I'm a rabbit! I think thats the whole thing with me fruit and veg feels like it should be for rabbits and not humans. It's not even exciting to me, I know I'm not a child but if it was more interesting looking I might be more inclined to give it a try. I've never tried butternut squash in my life what does it taste like?

Steph xx

lostinrates

Stephb1986 wrote: »

I think thats the whole thing with me fruit and veg feels like it should be for rabbits and not humans. It's not even exciting to me, I know I'm not a child but if it was more interesting looking I might be more inclined to give it a try. I've never tried butternut squash in my life what does it taste like?

Steph xx

It tastes lovely: starchy like potato, but softer. You can have it as mash an its lighter than mashed potato and sweeter, a lovely autumn taste. I tend tobake it and eat it out of the skin, just leaving that beind, a bit like baked potato.

I can see why, looking at veg like that, you find it ''boring'' but veg is more than raw carrots! It might be worth looking at a veg cook book for some diet friendly, human food recipes We are confirmed carnivores, but we will eat only the most ethical meat going, so we don't eat meat all the time or it would be too expensive. by default a lot of our food is vegetarian. I have to say though, if I think of it as vegetarian, e.g. if I'm trying to think of an intersting vegetarian menu, it becomes harder: it just happens to be vegetarian.

Things I always think about are sugar content in veg. I tend to look for things that grow further from the equator: an apple is less sugary than a pinapple, for example. I eat lots of apples, I love them, they are actually my favourite food, but een I get bored chomping through a whole apple. I almost always segment one to eat. Often I'll stew it, perhaps with a drop of rose or orange blossom water, perhaps some cinnamon.probably serve with a spoon of yoghurt. Now, that changes things too: essentially its not going to be quite as ''diet friendly'' as a pure raw apple, in itself, but its going to be better for me, maybe not for you, than toast

I want to repeat I'm not cristising or judging, just trying to throw a different perspective on things for you.

the things like working from home, and the no breakfast: they are not unique to you,:) but they could well be contributary to the difficulty to lose weight. if, for example, you knew you'd lose a couple of pounds in a month if you ate breakfast you could probably force it down, couldn't you?

If you like ''taste'' curies are often vegetarian, without feeling ''worthy''. I often drastically reduce the fat content. soup as you like it could be worth you investigating. great for working from home: you can batch cook and reheat quickly without disturbing the work too much.


The thing is, for those of us tying to lose weight I really strongly feel its not enough to look at why we aren't doing well and what we don't want to change, because what have done up till the point of both losing and maintaining, is not working. We can't keep doing the same and expect something different!:o

abbecer

I'm 16/18 but only 5'2" so I'm quite curvy. The best advice I can give is to always wear makeup even if it's just bronzer and lipgloss. I always make an effort to wear make up and jewellery when I leave the house. Find a few items of clothing that fit well and accessorise them with scarves, jewellery etc. Chunky wooden jewellery is my favourite because it draws attention away from other areas. Hope this helps.

Rebecca x

Silaqui

Have to agree with Lostinrates about the breakfast thing. I never, ever used to eat breakfast, I just couldn't stomach anything at all till lunchtime (it wasn't a diet thing, just couldn't eat that early). But when I decided once and for all that I had to lose weight, I started trying to eat breakfast and trust me you get used to it really quickly! I wake up now really ready for it!

Also, try not to eat too late at night because I used to do that all the time and then couldn't stomach eating anything - I think it was all last nights half digested food sitting in my belly leaching fat into me!

Abeccer, i definitly think you're right there, its all about looking groomed even if you haven't made that much effort. I never leave the house without wearing make up (even to go to the gym or swimming lol).

The fashionworld site that someone mentioned earlier is quite good because if you click on collections it show you almost like a 'capsule' of a few key pieces you can mix and match. I have a friend who is size 24 and she does this look really well.

x
xx

RabbitintheHeadlights

Hi Pinkylouloubell, I'm a gradually slimming former size 26 (now 20 top, 18 bottom). I started dieting after my four year old dd looked up at me in April this year and said "when I grow up I want to be just like you mummy" and I thought - no, actually, I'd rather you weren't! The week she started school I started Slimming world (23/4/9). She helps to keep me focussed - I don't want her to aspire to be like me the way I am now, and also I want her to see that some things are worth working for. She tends to give up on things easily and I want to be a good example that it's worth working and keeping on working to get what you want.

Clothes wise I found that t-shirts didn't work for me. They tend to cling to lumps and bumps and show your spare tire and love handles. Especially if you check your rear reflection - they can look dreadful! I wear light weight shirts, cotton for preference, that skim the waist and hip area (and cover your bum!). They worked so well for me that people didn't believe that I was a size 26 - not that I went around telling people how big I was, but those few who did know were amazed!

I, like you, have a bad back (originally due to a car accident but definately not helped by the weight) and have seen that improve a lot since I lost a couple of stone. I have clicky/crunchy knees and have accepted the fact that I'm going to need knee replacement surgery much later in life - but if you're overweight they won't do it. So I need to lose the weight now whilst I can still exercise or I'll be in a wheelchair at sixty and I'll have no chance of shifting the weight then. That is the position my mum is currently in and I don't want to go there. Arthritas (sp?) is a family trait, unfortunately and we're cornering the market in plastic knees.

I think though that no one else can give you motivation, it's finding out what makes you tick and also finding the right regime for you. You need to take some time to sit down and really think through why you're the weight you are and how powerfully you feel about making a change. Why do you want to do what you want to do? And why do you live your life the way you do now? Do you want to take control and if so what are you going to do about it? I won't pretend it's easy or all plain sailing. I had to sit down with myself last Tuesday as I'd lost nothing that week (for the first time) and ask myself some serious and uncomfortable questions about why I had lost nothing - was it just a glitch, or was there something deeper? Was there a problem with getting to the target I'd set, did it stir up something I'd forgotten about in my past?

Sorry, it's turned into a really long post and I hope I don't sound preachy. But I've been where you are most of my adult life and now I've found a way out I want to sing it from the rooftops! The answer is to know yourself, figure out what makes you tick and use it. No-one can complain about you being manipulative towards yourself.

HTH

Katie-Kat-Kins

Hi OP like you I don't like veg, some of it (peas, parsnips) I hate with a passion, most of it I just don't like much. Especially if presented boiled on a plate meat and two veg style. However there are ways to up your intake without feeling like a rabbitt!!! Increasing the veg you eat will reduce the amount of carb/fat laden stuff you are eating too.

It might help you to get a cook book by someone like Annabell Karmel, her books are aimed at children but recepies designed at disguising veg in appealing food might help you.

I have a few pasta dishes that are veggie that I am happy to eat, Jamie Oliver does a Pasta dish with Aubergines that I love and BBC good food do a roasted veg pasta that I love too. I can probably post some recepies if you can't find these on the BBC website.

I also buy various veg and frozen veg to disguise when I am cooking. For example last night I made a curry, just a basic chicken and potatoe one (leave thepotatoe skins on to get any nutrients if you peel them they are pretty worthless) but into the sauce I chucked the following:
a tin of chopped tomatoes
two handfuls of lentils
four portions of frozen chopped spinach
grated carrot
chopped frozen peppers.
Peas would work too but I really hate them!
They only ones you can really detect as you eat the curry are the peppers, the lentils, tomatoes and the grated carrot just thicken up the sauce and make it more tasty and substantial but hey presto I've got my five a day in one meal! :j

All that veg makes it more filling too so I had enough left over to bring for my lunch today!

You can try the same thing with lots of dishes, chilli and bolognaise taste great with the same things added and I add mushrooms too to the bolognaise.

When you have tried these three dishes with "extra veg" you can experiment with adding things to other dishes, the frozen chopped spinach is great, you can hardly notice it when you add it and it is quick and easy to bung in with anything.

Another option is buying some ready prepared frozen stirfry veg, these are often a bit more interesting than plain veg and may have a bit of garlic butter or something already added. I prefer a portion of one of these to boiled carrot or whatever.

PM me if you want any of the recepies, and enjoy experimenting!!!!

Pinkylouloubell

Well, I was all geared up for the nurse on saturday, but got home last night and she had left a message on the answering machine saying she couldnt do the appointment and could I ring to re arrange!

Typical.

KatP- i do eat most veg, although dont like peas either or aubergines or courgettes.

I used to eat a very limited amount, but started using peppers and now each week I will buy a pack of 3 peppers, mushrooms, 500g carrots, 2 onions, 4 baking potatoes and will usually use them all up, as well as 1 or 2 salalds and frozen corn with meals, so dont think I do to bad.

I really dont do as well with the fruit though.
I have a huge apple tree in the garden and kept finding half eaten, rotten apples and it has really put me off.
Even the smell makes me feel ill now.
I used to love them too.

I buy a couple of bananas a week, a pear and grapes, but if there is a bad grape in there it puts me off.

I am fine with tinned fruit though and never have it in syrup.
Will eat pears, madarins and apricots.
Do you think they are OK too??

I saw a photo of myself yesterday sitting on a train and Id kind of slouched down into a half sitting, half laying pose and all i noticed was my gut!!
It was awful.
Might print it out and put it on the fridge.

I also went into Evans and tried on a size 26 pair of jeans and a checked shirt, but the jeans were uncomfortable and too tight and the shirt just balloned all around me, it wasnt a pretty site.
I really wanted to go in and find something nice to wear and treat myself!

Im laying here now an dIm really hungy, havent had much at all today and feel empty,
am supposed to be going on a boat trip tomorow woth mum, and cousin and have to be up early, but have such trouble sleeping!

Hope every1 is well.
P x

Katie-Kat-Kins

Hey if you are eating some veg don't worry too much about the fruit, it is good to get a mix of foods but eating veg not fruit is better than the other way round as fruit has quite a lot of sugars in.

If you don't like the apples off your tree could you try cooking with them? If you made apple sauce to go with a roast or crumbles or pies or tarts you could use them up, though I don't suppose that would be great for the diet. If not stick a sign on your front offering passers by a bag full of apples free, there are lots of people who would welcome the opportunity. In fact on the O/S board the other day there was someone moaning about a house they pass that doesn't use their apples and wondering whether it would be rude to ask if they could pick them! You could post on there and see if anyone local would like to pick them and use them..... they might swap for something you do use.......

Try some of the other tips I mentioned though just because it helps bulk out your meals with more veg. Don't beat yourself up over it either, you'll only feel worse.

Have you tried a food diary? It can help you keep track of where you are taking in excess calories and could cut down, but also helps you to question whether you really need extra food and why you eat when you do.

After keeping the diary you could post some details on here and we could suggest some alternative meals and things.....

vik6525

Stephb1986 wrote: »

I've tried the Lighterlife diet (meal replacement) I've been on SW but ended up getting bored.

The only veg I'll really eat and I don't mind is carrots, potatos and spring onions (if you can class them as veg)

The fruit thing is I just can't get a piece of fruit and eat it something has to be done with it to make it more appealing if you pass me a apple whole I wont eat it give me a apple cut up I'll eat most of it, I like pineapple and strawberries. I do sometimes buy the ready made fruit snack things from sainsburies but I have to be in the mood to eat it.

I really don't like cauliflower or brocoli, I don't mind peppers so much and I like red onions but I can't go round stinking of them lol.

I'm just not a fruit and veg type of person. I don't really like breakfast I know its an important meal of the day and all that but I just don't really fancy anything in the morning. Plus working from home is even worse having different things to tempt me but I get bored with cereal and toast. It's rare I have the time to make something decent because I'm on my feet from 6am till sometimes late in the afternoon so when I do come in for a break I just want to sit and have a brew instead of making breakfast, And then when I finish we have something for tea and then im back out again at 6pm till about 8:30 most nights.

I've never really liked veg even as a kid, I don't mind vegetable soup because thats different than eating a celery stick I feel like I'm a rabbit! I think thats the whole thing with me fruit and veg feels like it should be for rabbits and not humans. It's not even exciting to me, I know I'm not a child but if it was more interesting looking I might be more inclined to give it a try. I've never tried butternut squash in my life what does it taste like?

Steph xx

The thing is though, you can MAKE yourself like fruit and veg. Trust me, Ive done it. We'd ALL like to sit round eating pasties, pies and chocolate all day, but dont (not that Im saying thats what you do!!)
I used to be massively 'big'.... Oh alright then, for 'big' read 'fat'.... But its just a case of mind over matter.
Im no expert on 'visualisation' techniques, but I taught myself to look at a chocolate bar, and actually 'see' it adding to the rolls of fat around my tummy. At the same time, I taught myself to look at an apple, and see the rolls coming off....
It IS hard work, but you CAN do it.

Vik 'used to be 20 stone, is now 9stone13 and proud' 6525

xx