Frugal Frump to Fab/Winter Solstice

Callisto

Hi to Deedee - sorry for missing you out before!

Maman - I love the sound of your wedding outfit, I would go for black opaque tights with purple. Purple and black together is snazzy!

Bitsy - Sorry to hear about your DH, hope he is creaking less now and DD feels better soon!

Molly - Step away from the chocs, hide if necessary!

Tru - the rebounding sounds great fun! I don't have room for one though, as I already have an exercise bike and some weights (and a lot of junk) in the spare room!

MrsWoolfe - I find shows like 'The Biggest Loser' to be a great motivator as well. I don't mind working out when I've seen a few other people suffering beforehand!

Sparkles - Congratulations on the compliments, how much weight have you lost so far?

Lessonlearned - Thank you for trying to help me, I really appreciate it. However I have spoken to my sister and told her I can't do it. She was disappointed, but said I could change my mind even if it was at the last minute. I don't think I will though. The dress she had chosen was shiny material (looked satiny in the photo), and it was going to be ordered from China. I might have been happier if I had been able to try some dresses on, but the other bridesmaids are all happy with that dress.

The wedding is in January and I am hoping to lose a stone (the one I have put back on!) but have been struggling with it lately. Although I have got back into exercising over the last couple of weeks. I need to start thinking about what I will wear instead.

Today I have kept under my calories and been on a 4.5 mile walk. I wasn't planning on going that far, but the trees looked lovely in their autumnal splendour and spurred me on! My feet are really aching now though. Must try and break my walking boots in and stop wearing my battered trainers!

lessonlearned

Callisto wrote: »

[
Lessonlearned - Thank you for trying to help me, I really appreciate it. However I have spoken to my sister and told her I can't do it. She was disappointed, but said I could change my mind even if it was at the last minute. I don't think I will though. The dress she had chosen was shiny material (looked satiny in the photo), and it was going to be ordered from China. I might have been happier if I had been able to try some dresses on, but the other bridesmaids are all happy with that dress.

The wedding is in January and I am hoping to lose a stone (the one I have put back on!) but have been struggling with it lately. Although I have got back into exercising over the last couple of weeks. I need to start thinking about what I will wear instead.

!

No problem.

I think, that given how you feel, you are doing the right thing.

Congratulations on being able to Just Say No. It's a little word that so many of us struggle with.

We often take on far too much and as with the bridesmaid example we also do things to please others when we know in our hearts that it is wrong for us. And yet, guilt or not wanting to upset someone, or fear of doing or saying the wrong thing, often makes us just cave into pressure.

So well done you on being strong and true to yourself. That takes great courage.

Back later ....

floss2

Callisto wrote: »

...Today I have kept under my calories and been on a 4.5 mile walk. I wasn't planning on going that far, but the trees looked lovely in their autumnal splendour and spurred me on! My feet are really aching now though. Must try and break my walking boots in and stop wearing my battered trainers!

Can I just say PLEASE persevere and wear your walking shoes / boots - trainers do not give the correct support for your feet & knees for walking, especially on tarmac or pavements.

If you have trouble with blisters, I swear by Compeed blister plasters (you can put them on the bits that will get rubbed before you walk or onto a freshly-rubbed blister) and double layer walking socks (I buy mine from Matalan).

Sorry if that was a bit bossy, but I have blistery feet so have learnt about them the hard way, and I also have problems with my knees which are helped by wearing proper ladies-design walking shoes - did you all know that women walk in a different way to blokes and therefore we put different stresses onto our feet?
Floss shuffles off to admire her new walking shoes & polish her blister collection

BTW, I've bought these FAB shoes to wear with my sequin dress - they weren't cheap but they'll go with lots of other outfits so they're sort of MSE and remarkably comfortable too!

Fabness wise - have re-done my toes in bright orange (DH says my feet look like a row of satsumas :rotfl:) booked de-fuzz appointment for my legs & eyebrows & an eyelash tint & nails so I look the part for my girls night / spa trip (girls night first followed by treatments with a hangover...._pale_), have been using my new night cream but not sure if it's working yet as I still look 47, lip balm goes everywhere with me now to save me chewing & chapping my lips, and I bought a bright red lippie in Boots on points too

I have bought a few things in CS's this weekend too.....a French Connection navy sweater dress, a Phase Eight silvery grey strappy dress, a Wallis one-shouldered purple fine-pleat dress, a Whistles cardi with beads on the neckline, a GAP merino wool tunic and an Autograph long grey wool fish-tail skirt for work. Also picked up a pair of brown leather boots for work on Ebay, and sold a few things I'd bought that weren't right. Finally, I've put my beloved big Radley onto Ebay, as I've been having a few problems with my neck, shoulder and hand that my Dr has indicated are probably down to having carried a bag (with WAAAY too much stuff in it!) on my left shoulder for 40 years, so I've been banned from shoulder bags and have gone cross-body. My other Radley is getting lots of fresh air now!!

Bitsy_Beans

Ooooh love the shoes floss

Damn you trick or treaters.......I only had two visits, one of which was friends which means I will have all this lovely choc to tempt me!!!!!

floss2

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

Ooooh love the shoes floss

Damn you trick or treaters.......I only had two visits, one of which was friends which means I will have all this lovely choc to tempt me!!!!!

Thanks honey - do you want to swap some your choc for some of my Mars treat size bag that I struggled to open and then didn't need beacuse nobody came?! :rotfl: Will have to take it into work tomorrow so DH doesn't eat it all!!

Bitsy_Beans

floss2 wrote: »

Thanks honey - do you want to swap some your choc for some of my Mars treat size bag that I struggled to open and then didn't need beacuse nobody came?! :rotfl: Will have to take it into work tomorrow so DH doesn't eat it all!!

Yeah I'll swap as I hate mars bars lol

deedee11_2

Hi all fabbers,

Callisto, I also think you are a strong person to say no to being a bridesmaid. I must have taken a lot of courage. I don't think you are letting your sister down, she sounds understanding. Being in the limelight when you don't want to be is just embarrasing i think.

I need to start fabbing instead of just reading about everyone else's.
In the last 18 month i have lost about a stone and a half by healthy eating (most of the time). I have been using my exersice bike about 4 or 5 times a week. I don't think i would have lost any without exercising. I would be happier if i could lose a minimum of 2 stones tho'.
I having hardly been exercising in the last month or so as i have had a painful shoulder, the doctor said it could be a frozen shoulder. So not really felt like doing much.

I am feeling more motivated when i read about other people's weight losses, maman and sparkles and others.
My problem time for eating is when i get home from work and am really hungry before tea. I head for the biscuits with a cup of tea. i know i should have fruit but 'dunking' a couple of biscuits is so much easier, i don't even bother about them any other time of day.

Enough of my rambling.

dd

lessonlearned

Anyhoo back again.

Not much happening here today, mainly organising stuff for OH, ordered new keyboard for his computer, ordered medicines etc, and a big supermarket shop (:eek: spent a small fortune - still we have to eat). The housekeeping budget was blown out of the water this month. Let's face it - from now till Christmas it's not going to get any cheaper!

I have booked my flu jab I suppose that's a sort of fab thing to do. One of the main reasons is to try and protect OH. Mine is free but will pay for his PA and DS2 to try and keep some of the bugs away from the house. Anyone else will be refused entry:rotfl:

Floss - fab shoes, your CS haul sounds great.:j

Pink Poppy Yes you could just target the one comedone. When doing the aspirin mask I tend to just do my nose and chin. Try it without heat and see how you go.

Have you seen your GP re the redness, it sounds as if it's really bothering you. If it's quite severe it might it be worth being referred to a skin specialist. Are you very "outdoorsy" - sometimes harsh winds can cause thread veins especially in people who work or spend a lot of time outdoors. Although they can also be attributed to age and rough handling.

As we get older our skin becomes thinner and more delicate and sometimes thread veins, which were probably always there but were unnoticed, do seem to become more obvious.

I was never bothered with thread veins in the past but I now have a couple. However, one thing that is now quite marked is that my skin now bruises very easily, so much so that a rough flannel can be enough to leave a bruise if I'm not careful.

Some lovely threads and I'm so pleased that everyone is so focussed and positive. Well done everyone on all the weight losses - I know that most of us feel we've still got some way to go but I really do think we are making good progress.

Those of us who have a couple of stones to lose are clearly not going to reach our targets by the Solstice but I don't think that matters. We are all going to look and feel a lot better that we did a few months ago.;)

Remember folks the journey is just as important as the destination - we should have a bit of fun with it as we go along. I'm rediscovering my inner femme fatale:rotfl:

I am now loving being able to scour charity shops and actually find things that are pretty, affordable and which actually fit. When I was an 18 - 20 there was very little that I liked - most of it was frumpy old lady stuff but now ............as Del Boy would say "the world's my lobster".

I've not had a siesta today and am just about done for.

G'night all x

lessonlearned

Callisto wrote: »

Molly - Step away from the chocs, hide if necessary!

All together ladies, in our best "American Cop" voices.

Ma-am step away from the chocs please. Put down the chocs and step away now please Ma-am.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

maman

Some great CS buys on here in the past few days. You did sooo well floss, some great things. You've also reminded me I must book an eyebrow shape and a manicure in the next couple of weeks.I like the look of the suede shoes and the reviews say they're comfortable too. I can manage with the black patent ones I've got but I might nip into Dotty P's and try those on. Mine are like this
but sadly not Louboutins (I wish;)) so plain black heels!:rotfl:

Thanks for the heads-up on the opaques callisto. I'm going to buy a fine pair so they don't look too heavy or woolly. I'm a bit tickled that I'm going to a posh wedding in a Tesco dress and a Primark coat but the outfit really does look far more expensive than that and I'll feel comfortable and confident. Well done on saying no to being a bridesmaid. You'd probably spend all day feeling self conscious and it would ruin it for you. I'm sure your sister knows you're delighted to have been asked even if you needed to refuse. Keep up the good work with your calorie counting and walking. It's worked for sparkles so it can work for you too.

I should be in bed so no time to chat to everyone. 'See' you all tomorrow!