Frump to Fab 2017 - A Whole New World

lessonlearned

Hello lovely ladies......

Well now I've booked my accommodation. I'm travelling down on Tuesday 10Th oct and staying over until Saturday 14th. So I think Thursday 12th or Friday 13th would be a good day. I am going to try and get matinee tickets for Wednesday afternoon for a west end show.

I am staying here https://www.captainblighhouse.co.uk. It's on the south bank, just near the Imperial War Museum, so nice and central. The room itself is a mini apartment, with. Kitchenette, fridge, cooker etc so just what I wanted. That way I don't have to eat out all the time. I like that kind of flexibility. And yes it really is Captain Blighs house, he of Mutiny on the Bounty fame.

It looks nice, it's a good price and is a great location. It has got rave reviews so fingers crossed.

Now where shall we meet. And what for.......how about Covent Garden for lunch. It's fairly central and easy enough to get to. What do you think.

Had a busy day......bedroom coming along nicely.

savingfortomorrow

Well today was a decidedly frumpy day, I had hair standing on end and it was a case of bad (terrible) hair as I left it really untidy. The only thing that worked out was it fell into a style and was presentable with a bit of fluffing up. I at least matched as was dressed in black, black long sleeves and a dress. I have to cover the mystery bruise. It just appears for no apparent reason.
I have been so tired this last month and sleeping more, I need it but usually in the summer I get to do more. I have a small list of things I want to do like visiting a local gallery and exploring some areas nearby but every time I am off it is bucketing down and I stay inside. So this year has flown by but I have learned so much, I think my body is making my brain reflect and gather stock.

I love to read my kindle and laptop. I struggle to read magazine and just look at the pictures. The glare and sheen make it terrible to read and tires my eyes. I like books but try to avoid clutter. I love history, biography, romance and sometimes thrillers. I like books that are brain numbing and that is fine. I think too much at work to read war and peace. I don’t like to read too much sadness as it can be very heavy.

I weighted myself after a massive improvement in diet, eating all the right stuff I have lost like zero pounds, zero kg. So I can eat salad till it comes out of my ears, I have to lose it through activity. Stopping the gain and improving mood, is important but well I don’t get the weight down I’m looking at developing more consequences. I have cut back on the refined carbohydrates and increased veg and fruit but I don’t practice portion control. I know all the facts but like an idiot (or some version of insanity) repeat the same things over and over, never accepting new habits. Would hypnosis work? I know all the medicines are total bs, but motivation is so needed. I will never be a skinny person but I need to reduce my risk of diabetes and hypertension, and … and .. (the list goes on)

I started looking after myself better, more skincare and taking time to reflect and laugh. It is important to cry with laughter and get that belly ache from good jokes with good people. Baby steps are good, giant leaps are so better.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

I had a good weekend as I went to The Grand with my daughter to watch the film Dreamgirls and enjoy the dance group The Beyonce Effect. After the end of the film the DJ got the party started. I was able to dance for 6 records on the dance floor spaced out across the evening. The rest of the time I was sitting down dancing and people watching.

I saw the film from a fresh perspective and really enjoyed watching Jennifer Hudson's acting and phenomenal singing talent. She eclipsed every other person in the film and that takes a rare talent when you are starring alongside Beyonce.

The lead dancer in the dance group was actually a man in drag with an impressive head of really quality extensions. He also had a really shapely body and had false breasts, but he was a really terrific dancer though. The other 4 dancers were black women and they too had enviable talent and energy. They did not flag or tire once throughout about 9 separate dance routines, neither did the lead dancer and he was also singing as he danced at times.

2 men and 2 women from the audience also entered a dance competition which was so much fun and so entertaining. I really admired their bravery in dancing on a stage with trained dancers and freestyling on their own. :T

On Sunday, my daughter, my son, my grandson and I went for a meal at a local Pizza Express. I used £90 of my Tesco Clubcard Pizza Express Boost vouchers to pay for the food and a £20 Pizza Express Gift Card to pay for the drinks and give our waitress a tip. We were starting the celebrations early for my grandson's 18th birthday which is actually on 30th July. The food was delicious and the drinks really refreshing. We had such a good time talking and laughing together, as we ate and drank our way through our lunch.

I still have another £140 of Tesco Clubcard Pizza Express vouchers to redeem and another £60 of Pizza Express Gift cards to spend, so we will be having another family meal next week.

SFT, I too am another woman that has a body that refuses to shift the pounds when I am eating healthily unless I combine it with daily exercise. I am not doing well with weight loss at the moment because of my current health issues, but I am improving day by day, so eventually I will be back doing my Rosemary Conley exercise DVD's and dancing to my heart's content.

LL, that apartment looks as if it will be right up your street. I have passed that house many a time on a bus and failed to notice it, so thank you for bringing it to my attention. I am really looking forward to the meet up in October. Covent Garden sounds ideal, as there are some lovely eateries for us to choose from. There are usually street performers as well to entertain us.

lessonlearned

SFT. Good to hear from you......you sound so much more positive now. Although sorry to hear you felt frumpy.

Re the tiredness......have you spoken to your GP about this. If there is no real medical reason for your tiredness then perhaps you need a few self help measures. More sleep, resting when necessary, maybe some vitamin supplements.

Re. Not losing weight, as long as you are eating well and avoiding unnecessary sugars and refined carbs then perhaps you need not worry too much about diabetes and other health issues such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Do you get them checked. Maybe a mini MOT might be of help. Most surgeries are happy to provide regular health checks. I think they get extra payments and brownie points.

Although of course carrying too much weight can lead to health problems there are, however plenty of thin people who have diabetes and high cholesterol just as plenty of quite chubby people don't have these health problems.

I think a lot of it is the type fat we carry. It's the visceral fat that's the real danger, the sort that accumulates around the internal organs. A good litmus test is your waist measurement. It's the "apples" among us that really need to worry the most, those that carry too much weight around their tummies.

I understand that we women should aim for a waist no more than 34 inches and men less than 37"

You do sound as though you are on the right track though, eating well, self care, and I agree with you about laughter.....it is so good for us.

I am going to add two more to your list.

The first is Self love. Not a narcissistic me, me, me, kind of self love but a healthy sense of self worth, an appreciation of who and what we are, an acceptance of all our perceived faults, failings and little quirks.

I think part of Fabbing is accepting ourselves, our limitations.. If our natural inclination is to be an oak, then no amount of dieting or exercise will turn us into a willow. So we should accept what we are and work with what Mother Nature has given us.

There is often a belief that we can't be fabulous until we have "fixed ourselves" first. Why are we broken.:rotfl:

We don't have to "fix" anything, we can still be elegant, chic and attractive, even if we are overweight. Obviously being obese is not good but We can take care of our appearance, dress nicely and enjoy the good things in life right now, we don't have to wait until we reach the perfect weight or have a certain amount in the bank. We shouldn't put our lives "on hold" - life is short enough.

Which brings me to the second thing. Pleasure. We should make the pursuit of pleasure part of our daily routine.......what are we waiting for. Don't we deserve pleasure, is it wicked or sinful. :rotfl:

We should indulge ourselves to the full in the pursuit of that which makes us happy and brings us pleasure. This doesn't mean being selfish and ignoring the needs of others. Of course not, but neither should we ignore our own needs because we are too busy serving others. We deserve to be happy and o have joy in our lives. We all do, it is an essential part of the human condition.

Pleasure doesn't rely on having money either. We are surrounded by so much joy and beauty we can live a life Of pleasure and abundance without spending a cent.....

I came across this today........

How to Have a Lovely Day.

1. Smile at strangers.
2. SLow down
3. Say thank you
4. give someone a compliment (and mean it)
5. Dress nicely
6. wear perfume
7. observe and listen
8. Be charming
9. LAugh
10. wish other people a lovely day

Good night ladies. Sleep well.

maman

Thanks for pushing ahead with the planning for October LL. That hotel/apartment seems quite a find. Like sugarbaby I know the area but have never noticed the house. I went to the Imperial War Museum again a few months back. We visited in the morning before going to watch our team at Wembley. It's an easy walk from Waterloo which is where our trains come in.

Good to hear you managed a few dances sugarbaby, you must be getting some of your stamina back. Good to see you posting too SFT.

I have managed my weightloss with minimal exercise. I do my dancing and a bit of walking but compared with those who go to the gym or run it's minimal. Slimming World (I can hear the collective yawn:D) call it food optimising but it's really a fancy term for eating the healthier foods in proportion to the treat variety. Treats like chocolate or cakes or wine are obvious but there are fats and sugars in all sorts of foods that we'd think of as healthy too. Some pre prepared salads (usually because of dressing and maybe cheese content) can have as many calories as a burger from MacDonald's.

We had a day out yesterday. We knew the weather was going to be awful today (it's tipping it down:() so DH suggested a day out at a stately home. It wasn't NT but privately owned. The Capability Brown grounds and eclectic art collection were magnificent. There's something very relaxing abut looking at art work. We had a light lunch at a caf! on site too. very enjoyable.
http://www.bowood.org/bowood-house-gardens/
Although they have an adventure playground and even a golf course and spa hotel, you'd never know as the estate is so large.

I wore one of my pretty multi-coloured White Stuff skirts with a grey Jack Wills tee shirt and my fit flops as they were comfortable yet supportive.

I wanted to ask about handbags:
Although I have a range I tend to use the same one every day except for special occasions.

This is very similar to my everyday bag. The trouble is I'm worrying that it's the weight that's helping to make my back ache. It's not that the bag's particularly heavy in itself but maybe I carry too much 'stuff'. Does anyone manage with a small bag? Change your bag daily? Anyone use a rucksack? Any views?

greenbee

maman - I've used a rucksack for years, since the physio pointed out to me that my left shoulder, as well as being painful, was up and forward. It's a small suede backpack that has seen better days, but is very comfortable and holds everything I need (purse, 2 phones - one for work, keys, sunglasses in case, pens, painkillers, bits of paper... you get the picture). However, a backpack only works if you use it on both shoulders rather than one... otherwise you still have the same problem of being lopsided...

chanie

Maman My current bag is similar - buy obviously not a Mulberry. What I did notice is that it has quite a long strap, so it hangs below my hip, meaning its not very supportive and when I'm carrying lots of other stuff, I get some numbness in my fingers. I'm currently eyeing up a leather rucksack, but I don't have one yet, so I can't comment.
A cross body bag is good alternative as they help to distribute the weight of your bag.
I don't carry a huge amount in my bag, but its still heavyish - purse, phone, keys, small make up bag, diary and a few other bits. I also carry a shopper which has an umbrella, my lunch and a book. I definitely think its worth reviewing what you carry as you may find you are carrying stuff you don't need e.g do you need a full bag if you are just popping to the supermarket?

Floss

Maman I have bag envy! I have a DKNY grab-bag & a Kate Spade tote that were bought as part of my lump sum from DH's inheritance last year, and my everyday bags are generally Carvela totes which get swapped from hand to hand ...I also have cross body bags which I use if going out anywhere casual

maman

I must confess my bag's a fake.:o
It's a good fake, leather and it was about £200 and it's well worn now. I don't spend all my time in Turkey sunning myself. :rotfl:

LaineyT

Oh bags, now that is a dangerous subject for me :rotfl: have just ordered a really cute little clutch bag from Esprit, it's in the sale so
I love a leather tote bag but do try to keep my contents at a minimum ( phone, purse, diary and lip gloss ) to keep weight off my shoulder, if more needs to be carried I use a cross body satchel type but like Floss do feel that they are more casual option.

The apartment looks lovely LL and well placed to explore the capital, Covent Graden sounds an excellent option for our meet up. Thanks also for the list, have copied down in my little notebook and will try to do at least some every day.

Pleased to hear that you have managed some dancing Sugarbaby know how much you enjoy a good boogie

We popped out for lunch today but it was all very casual so I wore my vintage jeans with a blue & white striped linen shirt and canvas shoes. Whilst out I did pick up a few bits for the house including a new bath mat for the en-suite and a caddy for inside the shower, nothing too exciting but keeps my nest cosy and efficient.

Have a good evening all x