Frugal Frump to Fab/Winter Solstice

fedupandskint

morning!

Can I join in please? I stumbled across this thread and it sums up exactly how I have been feeling.

Let me introduce myself. I have lost 10lbs over the summer by changing my diet to include loads of fruit and salad and running 3 times a week, trying to walk more and not eating crisps. Life's too short not too have any treats and have got around this by trying to find lower fat content treats - did it!

The weight took quite a long time to come off - May - Aug and with the last loss last week I started to think hey I've got there, I can finish now. Except I can't my weight target is 10 st 7lb and I am currently at 11st.

At one time I didn't think I could get anywhere close to my target weight and now I think I can. But its my motivation thats waning a little now

I joined Sainsbugs Diets in May which has really helped me keep track of what I'm eating and I've signed up until mid Dec to keep me on track. Its helped me see what kcal content is in the foods I eat. Not exactly frugal but at £3 or less I week it worked for me and the scales showed me losing weight for the first time in a long time instead of putting it on.

I started running last year using the couch 2 5K programme and this worked a dream. I had got to the point where I was so unfit I couldn't run across the road. Not any more as I can run 10k 3 times a week now and am looking to increase my miles to half marathon stage by next year. I started circuits last week to help my fritness and strength and boy did that hurt!

So what's left?

Lose the additional 7lb and get back down to 10 st 7lb for the first time in years.
Carry on running and increase mileage from 6mile upwards to 10 miles by New Year depending upon the weather
Look into the council gym classes for spinning and circuits to increase physical activity and see if can get price down some more

I feel like I can do it but I need a prod every now and then to keep me on track. The positive comments about how I look haven't been enough at times, although are very welcome! It's when I come home I need to keep it going and not cave in to extra calories.

Well that's enough from me I think. If I lose that extra 7lb by Dec I will be over the moon to have made it!

ETA - forgot to mention, the thing that swungit for me this week was this. At work we were talking about out Christmas do and I thought about a dress I have worn once that I would like to wear again and thought I should fit into it ok. Tried it on and yes it fitted but it clung in the wrong places. Looking at myself I thought 'c'mon - keep going, lose the last 7lb and it should fit' and if it doesn't it's going!

cloud_cuckoo_land

Willow92 wrote: »

Well done on the nails Cuckoo You're welcome to join in, I only joined a couple of weeks ago really.

Out of curiosity though, what colour did you paint your nails?

Just clear nail varnish and pink on my toes!!

Cuckoo. xx

lessonlearned

Good morning ladies

Wet & windy here today so no gardening.

Have just got back from a 35 mile round trip to Nottingham Queens Medical picking up OH's prescription - highly specialised meds not available through the normal channels so have to go and pick it up from the hospital pharmacy.

As usual only half the prescription available so will have to pick up the rest another day.

Anyway plans for today - tackle the remaining paperwork, none SS thank goodness - thats all up to date, and then hopefully make a start on prepping the dining chairs I bought. Not sure whether to "shabby chic" them or just try and restore them back to their normal wood - it will depend on how good a restoration job I can do.

Then some exercise, nails and eyebrow tidy today.

Welcome to Fedupandskint

You are doing extremely well with both the weight loss and the fitness, especially the running.

Is it time to introduce a bit more "fun" into your exercise programme - how about a dance class. Also your exercise is very much based on cardio and stamina, how about something for flexibility - yoga or pilates perhaps.

With regard to motivation - well only 7lbs to go - can't see a problem there - you should do that easily by Christmas - you'll be in that dress for sure.

In the meantime - try a bit of pampering some nice diy beauty treatments to help keep you motivated. A bit of TLC is a big help and if you use kitchen cupboard ingredients will cost pennies.

Consider yourself well and truly prodded - just keep going.:rotfl:

Have a lovely day ladies.

Remember the Tortoise and the Hare. Just keep at it.

fedupandskint

Hi lesson,

I have a cupboard full of beauty products I am working my way through - a little out of the routine over the summer but will get back into the face mask and exfoilation routine again now - thanks for the reminder!

I am now comitting to not buying any of the following
Kit Kat chunky bars
Dairy Milk Little Bars
No full fat crisps allowed

I have just made a batch of apple and walnut muffins (19) - that come in lower kcals than everything than the Little Bars as they are about the same

I will try and make what snacks I need instead of buying them and use up what I have in, plus use the calorie calculator on the diet plan to work out the cals and fat content

Thanks for the prod - it worked!

maman

:wave: Welcome sparkles (I'm definitely not calling you fed up!!). This is a great thread, you'll enjoy it here.

I reached my target weight with SW about three weeks ago and guess what...10st 7lbs!;) I'm actually a pound under now but as I'm away for a week from Wednesday I've got some leeway. I found that having cut down the wine (and accompanying calories:o) I was ready for another challenge so it was weightloss. At 5ft 9, it makes me a good size 12 or a 14 in certain styles. I wasn't sure how I'd cope with the happy clapping at a club (still not my favourite bit) but it's worked really well for me. You've done really well to lose that 10lbs and trying that dress on regularly will be good motivation for the last bit!

The next thing was to start to enjoy clothes and make up as previously looking passable and/or anonymous was what I was doing. This thread's been great for that. The best thing is that I've swapped masses of black for colours. Lots of CS finds so I don't have to make that decision about spending lots of money on a colour I might get tired of.

It's DGD's birthday today so we went to Nando's for lunch. It was her choice and really quite pleasant. Fortunately we weren't required later when 10 teenage friends are round for pizza, Dr Who, lots of loud music and general mayhem!!! I expect DD1's taken refuge in the shed!:rotfl:

Good win for Derby County today LL, we play tomorrow.

fedupandskint

Hey maman!

Well done my lovely for getting to your target weight! And yes, I am Sparkles who is sparkling more these days than before! Sparkles is now a size 12 on the bottom half as well as the top half as I was a 14 before on the bottom half. Sparkles is 5ft 6" and is a size 12 all over now - yeah! I too now dress in colour and avoid black these days - hardly wear it anymore as it drains me bigstyle

Great to see you on here on our healthy living thread from the other one I don't need any longer. Here we go to the healthy size and lifestyle! Also have a great holiday which I know you will and I will be aiming to keep to my kcal allowance for the week to see if any more inches and pounds come off alongside some exercising again now this cold and virus has cleared up

Bitsy_Beans

Well in effort to step away from jeans I wore out last night to a meal with H a wrap dress, long cardi and leggings. I can't get away with over the knee skirts bare legged at my age and pregnancy has supplied me with some blossoming varicose veins so what traditionally should be my best feature is less so unless they are covered up.
Today we are out to meet some of H's family from New York so am wearing a knitted dress and leggings. See no jeans in sight. However this is really the sum total of stuff I can wear sans jeans so I NEED to source some more stuff, but on a budget.

Now I wanted to pick your collective brains. Gok et al are all uber keen for people to wear waist defining belts. I am an apple which basically means I don't HAVE a waist. I've worn belts before round my middle, not just to keep my jeans up, and felt it just emphasised my lack of definition. Where do you all stand on having apples wear belts????

podperson

Hi all,

Mrs W - loved your 'Oscar' speech, it's so nice to see that we are progressing and the little steps approach is working. Hope you had a nice date night

Fedupandskint - welcome sounds like you have done brilliantly already, hope we can help with motivatation for the last stretch.

LL - totally agree, you'll be able to concentrate on enjoying the time you spend with OH rather then not being able to fully appreciate it because you're too busy dashing round trying to sort things out.

Bitsy - yay on the dresses tbh while I do quite like Gok in some ways then I think he can generalise a lot, and one of those seems to be that everyone needs to wear 'a belt to emphasise their waist' - some people I just don't suit belts. Maybe just try and see his points as suggestions and see if they work for you or not.

Bit of a lazy weekend so far, been eating fairly healthy (had lovely homemade curry last night!) but bit lax on the exercise. Going to start my shred again today, have cleared some space in the spare room lol. Went to see the new Jane Eyre movie yesterday, quite enjoyed it. Anyway only a quick update today, hope everyone's having a good weekend x

floss2

Bitsy, have you thought about some of the coloured or patterned opaque tights there are around? I was in ASDA the other day and they have some lovely colours & really thick 100 denier black ones, that would look great with a jumper dress, wrap dress or jersey tunic one? They have some gorgeous jersey dresses in, I think they were about £12, in black, grey (?) and a dark grey houndstooth pattern. They are really easy to wear (I bought 2 last year and wore them for work) and can be smartened up with fancy tights & heels or thick tights, a poloneck underneath & boots for casual (and they wash & dry really easy too;))

E.T.A. Asda have some gorgeous clothes in, at very good prices, for anyone who's in the market for a couple of new things for autumn, I guess they'd be on the website too for those who don't have a store nearby.

verynewmoneysaver

Please could I join this thread. I care for my elderly parents, and also my son. My Mum is at present in hospital with heart failure and my Dad has moved into sheltered housing. I feel very fraught at the moment. I also work part time, and I feel I have very little time to myself.