Frugal Frump to Fab/Winter Solstice

phoenix_dragon

Hi all, hope you are all well. I haven't done much on the frump to fab side this last week, as I've been preoccupied with preparing to attend Sonisphere metal festival. Only decided to go on Saturday, so cue lots of running around trying to find my camping equipment, wellies and other waterproof thingies. Even now I'm looking forward to a hot bath on Monday, but I am sooo excited about seeing Metallica again I've packed enough food to make sure I'm not bankrupt by the end of the weekend (looking at £4 for chips, etc.) but managed to make sure my pack isn't too much to carry, as the bump does like like heavy loads

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Dawning

hamsterfan1 wrote: »

Hi


Do any of you others have health issues caused by weight - I have high BP and sleep apnoea, do these really improve when you lose weight? both my specialist & GP told me they would. .

Hi, welcome back from hols.
I agree with you about the price of 'duty free' perfumes.

On the weight thing, yes I have high BP and am going back to the doctor tomorrow for some blood test results as its possible I am borderline Type 2 Diabetes also. I'm not (yet) on tablets for the BP, it's just under the limit where they prescribe tablets and I have 3 months to do some lifestyle changes to bring it down. If I don't then it's time for medication. My GP insists that even if I lose a stone it will help lower my BP and reduce it even further with each stone I lose. I know how to eat healthily, I just don't do it. And I find it hard to make time for exercise, like most of us.

MrsWoolfe

Good Morning Ladies and lurkers!

Hamster welcome back! sounds like you ended up getting a fair bit of exercise on your hols!

Dawning Sorry to hear you are feeling down ((hugs)) hope you feel better soon.

LL Sounds like you had a lovely day- hope the weekend goes as well!

Re the weight loss improving health issues- as some of you know I started on this after having a scary episode where my BP soared up to the point that the docs wanted to hospitalise me and then being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes- pretty sucky at my age:mad:.

Whilst as a precaution, they decided I should go straight on the BP meds and we decided it made sense for me to take meds for diabetes ( the meds can slow down the progress of diabetes and whilst I was caught 'just' on the cusp the earlier I'm on the meds and controlling as well as poss the better my chances are of not developing the side effects of the disease), I also made major changes to my lifestyle and eating.

In the process I have so far lost 2 stone since Feb and the difference really is noticeable- I was told that to see a health benefit I would need to lose 10% of my body weight, and you know what? It was true,

I was certain that I'd still be having lots of issues but the difference was really marked, as soon as I passed that 10% all the little 'niggles' started to ease up.

My BP is down from 165/118 to 125/80 most days and whilst some of that is down to meds, before I lost the weight and changed my habits with only the meds it was still around 150/90-100 so it's definitely made a difference for me:D

I don't think it's as simple as 'just' the weight though- it's got a lot to do with what you do to get there- being more active eating things that are going to 'do' something for your body all help to get your system 'working' better at least that's how I see it- if what you eat is making you sluggish and bloated it makes sense to me that the whole of your body is being affected the same way- making it hard to sleep well, more headaches, leatharic etc so eating somethign that keep my blood sugar stable/gives me sustained energy/doing a bit of exercise it all going to help the sytem running smoothly. Also exercise is the only thing that improves the effectiveness of the insulin your body produces...so reason enough for me to get my lazy bum moving:D

MrsWoolfe

bratz81

afternoon all.

Well I've been good and bad today. I did my sit-ups, took care with my makeup, redid my nails etc. Some brown colour I'd never usually try but is actually not bad. Taupe I think it is??

Bad side is I saw the rain, realised I'd have to walk to work in it (takes me 30mins in every day) I just stuck on by fiance's hoody and trainers along with my jeans so I'm looking a tab frumpy. Feel kinda guilty which I suppose is a good thing as it shows I'm no longer happy being a scruffy, frumpy mess.

@Carmen, the hair looks good thanks! I'm back to my natural dark brown and after it's had time to recover I'm putting blue streaks in it. Just have to decide what shade of blue, I quite fancy electric blue this time

Bitsy_Beans

I think I need to write some post it notes to strategically stick around the house......completely forgot any perfume but I did stick on some lippy for the school run.

As for eating.......5 jammy dodgers later feeling I have let myself down. Again Think a little music to lift my mood is in order.......

lessonlearned

Hi Everyone

Welcome to Kaz and Bitsy and any other newbies.

Dawning[/B- sorry to hear that you are feeling a bit low, it's hard sometimes isn't it, especially when you have other issues to deal with too, such as debts, illness. It can seem like a never ending vicious circle. Remember Carmen's wise words - it's a marathon not a sprint.

It probably took most of us a long time to become frumps so it follows that it's going to take a while to reach fabdom. Rememer the old fable about the tortoise and the hare. Well I'm definitely a tortoise.

Re the money situation sometimes it is worth building in a few small treats otherwise it can be a very long haul and a very depressing one too.

I've made a determined effort to reduce my food bill and I try and save £5 a week for treats. I can manage a few charity shop bargains out of my normal money and the £5 a week "me" budget will go for major purchases - some fab new boots hopefully. I've stopped having my hair coloured so I save about £20 there.

Are there any dirt cheap treats, nice things you can do. I've rediscovered the joys of the library. I've stopped buying all newspapers and magazines - get my magazine fix by borrowing from the library. If there's any articles I really want to keep I just photo copy them. I reckon I save my £5 a week on that alone.

Anyway just wanted you to know that the bad days do come. Just keep reading and posting and hopefully all the lovely peeps on here will lift your spirits.

PD - Enjoy your festival, hope the weather is good. Well done on the food prep. I'm sure your food will probably taste much better than what's likely to be on offer anyway, as well as being healthier and cheaper.

HF - Glad to hear you had a good holiday - your comments about harem pants made me smile. They are a classic example of when not to follow fashion. Bad enough in soft drapey fabrics but denim.:rotfl:

Back in a mo ....................

lessonlearned

Health Benefits of Frump to Fab

Thank you Mrs W for such a lovely post telling us all about the health benefits you've noticed since losing weight.

I can definitely second that. My genetic history predisposes me to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. A recent check up, following my 12lb weight loss has shown that my cholesterol level is coming down nicely, insulin levels are good, BP is always good anyway. The other big plus is that already I can feel a big difference in my knees and feet. Joint pain has been a real problem for me and is the main reason I decided to lose some weight.

You see so many people with mobility problems, some of them shockingly young and so often it is down to lifestyle choices, carrying too much weight and too little activity. I made up my mind I just didn't want to go in that direction.

I know I've said this before and I really don't want to bore anyone - but I really do feel that the whole frump to fab ethos of taking better physical care of ourselves will spill over into other areas of our lives.

It makes us feel better about ourselves, mentally fitter and emotionally stronger. Also I think it makes us feel more in control of our lives, it builds confidence and self belief. All this makes it easier to deal with the stresses and strains we face. Obviously our problems don't just magically disappear but we become better able to deal with them.

Anyway, had a very busy day today, WW weigh in - lost just 0.5lbs (better than nothing). Picked up a couple of pairs of Cotton Trader chino's from the CS shop - just £1 a pair. Size 16, my 18's trousers are all hanging off me now.:D Hoping to eventually get down to a 12/14 so don't want to spend much on size 16 clothes.

No exercise today, have booked a hair appt for Saturday.

Sorry not posted any skincare chat today - hopefully tomorrow.

G'night all x

gratefulforhelp_2

Well done on the weightloss LL.

Off to book a haircut, it is falling out so fast Following birth of baby, that I need it cut, less mess!

maman

lessonlearned wrote: »

following my 12lb weight loss .....:j

It makes us feel better about ourselves, mentally fitter and emotionally stronger. Also I think it makes us feel more in control of our lives, it builds confidence and self belief. All this makes it easier to deal with the stresses and strains we face. Obviously our problems don't just magically disappear but we become better able to deal with them.

Well done LL, I hadn't realised that much weight had slipped away!

Totally agree about being in a better place to cope.

No time to post much now, got a busyish day/evening and must get on. I'm supposed to be 'checcking my emails':o

Have a good day everyone.

lessonlearned

Good morning everyone

Supposed to be doing my paperwork today - just having a little break:o

It's time for the elephant again:rotfl:

With apologies to those who've heard this one before.

The elephant is a concept taught me many years ago by a boss who was exasperated at my poor time planning and fed up with watching me run around like a headless chicken. :eek:

Anyway it goes like this

Q. Could you eat an elephant?
A. No, not all in one go.
Q. If you cut up the elephant into single portions and froze it all, then got out one portion per day, could you eat an elephant.
A. Yes, but I'd probably get very fed up with eating elephant.

No problem, just small portions each day and allow yourself the occasional day off.

Sometimes, when things get a bit much, I just have to remember the elephant.

I am currently inundated with paperwork, banking, Social Services Returns, Wages etc.

When this happens I do what I call the 1hr a day rule, just 1 hr per day and then forget it. Obviously I've done the carer's wages as a matter of priority. The rest I will tackle bit by bit, until I've caught up.

Dawning - Hope you feel a bit better today.

Off to do some shredding, and filing, then the pile looks a bit less daunting, then phone the bank. The rest can wait until Monday.

Have a good day.

See you later ................