Frugal Frump to Fab - 2015

lessonlearned

Rummer - :T well done on the weight loss - that's fantastic......

Indie - problem with sugar is that it is so addictive.....I have the same problem with carbs. If I eat them then I crave more. It's a slippery slope for me.........

Perhaps you could take mainly savouries to work with just one piece of fruit to satisfy your sweet cravings. It might help break the cycle.

I find if I avoid all starchy carbs, ie bread, pasta, rice, white potatoes then after a couple of days I am ok again.

I don't know why but if I eat eat starchy carbs I just don't feel satisfied, just a constant growling hunger, whereas a diet with just moderate amounts of protein and masses of veg/salads seems to suit. I have just one or two pieces of fruit - mainly because I am determined to cheat my genetic I heritance of type 2 diabetes.

For snacking I eat salt free nuts and seeds.

I'm delighted to say that despite all my socialising and feasting I have now lost that extra lb that I put back on so I'm now back on track.

Ive lost about 2 weeks off the programme but ive still got 7 weeks till my holiday so hopefully I can lose a bit more. i am aiming for between 10 to 14 lb so I can get down to comfortable sized 16.

Miserable day here.... Am off out lunching and mooching with my friend today.

I will not be indulging in a Derbyshire cream tea today......;)

chanie

Hi everyone,

I am trying to reinvigorate my MSE ways as whilst it hasn't been horrendous, I have let things slide and I want to get back on track. The problem (in my mind) is that there is always something that needs paying for, whether its a new kettle or something for the children, or the constant family birthdays....

indiepanda

I think you are right LL - I definitely find the more sweet stuff I eat, the more sweet stuff I want - there really is no satisfying that craving.

A few nuts and an apple, hummus and veg sticks, some seeds with a savoury coating etc, all much more inclined to fill me up and not make me go mad with cravings.

I think protein is definitely the way to go - my diet last week was too carb heavy - rolls for lunch everyday - and it is much less satisfying than a good bit of healthy protein with a large salad.

Good luck with getting down to a 16 for your holiday and well done for getting back on track with the diet.

I am planning to book myself on the next hiking trip overseas the small company I went to Austria with is planning. That will be in mid March, so a decent amount of time to target myself with shifting some more of the flab and getting fitter.

I am down to a 16 from an 18 in the spring, would ultimately love to get down to a 12, but my main goal is to feel fantastically fit - be able to run faster, go up steeper hills without getting breathless, that sort of thing.

All seems quite odd for the girl who grew up hating PE and preferring to keep her nose in a book, but though that's a very enjoyable way to pass time, when you do a sedentary job, hobbies that are also sedentary are something of a disaster from a health perspective.

indiepanda

Had a successful shopping trip this afternoon. Main purpose of going into town was to collect the evening dress I was having altered and buy some new tights for work (It's been bliss not having to wear over the summer!) but I spotted a perfect trench coat in M&S.

It's single breasted and designed to be worn open necked which is much more flattering on someone with a generous bust than the more common double breasted styles. It's tan rather than the more traditional light beige. which will work better with my skin tone (beige makes me look washed out) as well as hiding the dirt better which is important when commuting in London!

It's also a bit longer than my old one so should cover most of my skirts where my old one used to leave some poking out. It came from the Autograph range, and feels much better quality than some of the cheaper ones I'd previously seen and rejected in M&S. It's also got some waterproofing, though that wouldn't actually make me go out without an umbrella. Best of all, they didn't have a 16 so I tried on the 14 instead and found that it fit :j

Judging by the weather forecast, I should get the chance to wear it later this week. My old tan one from Debenhams can go in the wash and be put in the charity shop pile now - very pleased.

Rummer

:T Success all round Indiepanda :T

Today I was really peckish and surrounded by cakes and biscuits however I resisted and waited until I got home and had my dinner. I will need to make sure that I have something else to nibble on when I am out so that I am not in that situation again.

What I have started doing is having a couple of squares of dark chocolate after my dinner as my dessert and that is something I now look forward to.

shandyclover

Had a lovely Sunday. My mum used to move in musician circles in her youth, so some old friends who used to be part of the band Traffic told her they were performing for charity down in the Cotwolds, and invited her to come. My mum is recovering from a mini stroke and also is a fulltime carer of my step fathers teen aged daughter who has downs. She very rarely gets away so was lovely to go with her to one of my favorite parts of the country, listen to some great music and see her have great fun meeting up with old friends, some of whom she hasn't seen for decades!

I am job hunting but my former place of work asked me if I can fill in for a workmate this week. Not thrilled as the job has is very physical so leaves you shattered at the end of the day - but thankful for the opportunity to have some money going in the bank. Catering and the service industry can be very trying as some people are quite rude, but I always try to take a few minutes to put on a bit of make up and make sure I look as good as I can as it makes me feel better about myself and I feel that that projects and people tend to treat you with a bit more respect!

I also find being surrounded by food constantly makes staying with my eating plan hard work! I have taken to carrying a bag of almonds, a handful when I feel peckish and I can go on for hours. My mum was a biochemist in her student days and she explains its cause the almonds are low GI, high protein and fat. While we have all been told for years to avoid fat it is actually the thing that makes you feel satisfied. When you consider 8 almonds and a slice of bread have basically the same amount of calories, but the satiety feeling you get from each is completely different. I'm learning all the time.

lessonlearned

Hi there everyone

I have had a good day too. I bought a very nice full length camel coat in a wool and cashmere mix from a chazzzer for a bargainous £10.

The menu choices at the cafe where we had lunch weren't particularly helpful so I chose sausage and bubble and squeak so not too bad, no pudding. My friend is overweight too but she simply cannot pass on cakes and puddings. I am so glad I'm don't have a sweet tooth, because I don't feel remotely deprived and can refuse puddings quite easily.

I do like cheese and most dairy so I am being careful to cut back on cheese and milk whilst still making sure I get enough dairy to satisfy my calcium needs, so I have plain full fat yoghurt every day and just a bit of cheese.

For snacks on the go I carry a couple of baby bells or some nuts to keep me going. I agree with Shandy I find a small portion of nuts far more satisfying than a sandwich and I feel fuller for longer.

It's interesting to read all your comments about food and how we are all finally working out what works best for us.

I think one of the bIg problems is that we were all taught that low fat high carb was the way to go and it's only now that the medical profession are starting to realise that low fat diets are wrong on so many levels. We now know that the dietry advice for diabetics was completely wrong and starchy carbs lead to insulin spikes, making the situation worse.

Yes we need carbs for energy, especially you runners - but for most of us we can get the carbs we need from vegetables and fruit.

I am now able to think of sugary foods such as cakes, biscuits, puddings etc as "empty calories" because they have no nutritional value. I am finding that by thinking more in terms of health and nutrition, by concentrating on giving my body what it needs, making sure I'm getting all the right vitamins etc, I am finding it much easier to make better food choices.

And because I need to restrict calories to lose weight then I try to make sure they are "good" calories.

The old mantra was high fat bad, low fat good but it's only now we are learning that it's not that simple. It's the type of fat that matters.

There's good fat and bad fats, and even some of the bad fats, such as butter and cream, aren't necessarily as bad as Weve been led to believe if you eat them in moderation.

Like you Shandy I am learning all the time.

I watched the Jamie Oliver programme again tonight. He visited Okinawa, which has some of the worlds healthiest and long lived people.

I learned a fascinating fact. We are always led to believe that across most of Asia rice used to form the staple diet. well apparently in Okinawa only the rich people ate a lot of rice, poorer people ate sweet potatoes.

I have also read somewhere that instead of our measly 5 portions of fruit and veg, they eat around 17.

Some of the recipes he did tonight looked really good, I think I will buy the book.

lessonlearned

How nice that your mum had such a good time. I remember Traffic very well, especially when Stevie Windwood was with them. Great voice, fab songs.

chanie

Shandy I hope your Mum enjoys her concert.


LL well done on lunch with your friend. I do like puddings, but when I go out for lunch, I can easily do without them.

I think I will be joining you all on the weightloss front as I'm fed up of being overweight. As I'm in my mid 30's I think my metabolism is starting to slow down, so I need to work harder at it now.

Yesterday, I had a salad for lunch and still felt peckish to I bought a miso soup to fill me up and I really enjoyed it. I used to have lots of it years ago, but I forgot about it, so I'm going to buy some to keep at work, its calories too.

Following on from my desire to become more frugal, I made some homemade jam over the weekend, using blackberries that I picked with DD. Its the first time I've ever made jam so I'm pleased it turned out as jam. The only problem was that the recipe I used required lots of sugar, so I need to find a lower sugar version. The children really enjoyed eating the blackberries, so I think I'll definitely have to pick some more as they do get through them really quickly.

maman

Lots of news to catch up on:).


I'm thinking of buying a trenchcoat too indie so will take a look in M&S. I've got a lovely parka that's fine for shopping and walking but a smarter mac is needed. Very envious of your CS coat bargain LL, I really need a new long coat but I love my existing one (with massive collar that turns into a hood a la Scottish Widows/French Lieutenant's Woman) so much that it's going to be very difficult to replace.


Been very busy here the last couple of days mainly because of DH's birthday yesterday. We went out to lunch in New Forest pub and then back home for cake and champagne so not a good day for healthy eating:o. For those of you planning to lose weight I can't recommend it enough. It really is worth putting in the effort as 4 years down the line I still feel good about it every day. That's just the vanity side but the health benefit and general feeling of being lighter on my feet is brilliant. Well done on resisting the cakes rummer. I used to carry a banana or a couple of satsumas in my bag in case I got hungry when I was out.


I caught part of the Jamie Oliver programme too LL. He's lost a lot of weight himself so seems to be more conscious of adding masses of oil to things. I liked the look of the Chicken Cacciatore with sweet potatoes. It wouldn't be too expensive either as he was leaving the potatoes large to give a meaty texture alongside minimal chicken. I'll give it a try soon.


Having a quiet catch up day today. I've got to pop out to shops briefly but otherwise can please myself. Weather's brightened at last but not good so better off indoors:).