... to my pedometer. Well I suppose there could be worse things to be addicted to

I dug my pedometer out from the deep recesses of my kitchen drawer (where else would you keep one??) last week, and I'm now addicted. I read somewhere that the average person does 5000 steps a day and you should be aiming for around 10000 steps per day. Well I was lucky if I was up to around 1000 at the beginning of wearing my pedometer, and I didn't really think I was a "sitting around" sort of person. I'm always up and down doing something or other, so that was a bit of a shock to my system.

I now seem to be having a race with myself to do better and better each day. I'm still only up to around 5000 per day, but at least its getting better.

I'm also doing 100-150 step ups each day (still wearing the pedometer) plus leg lifts to try and tone my saggy bum and legs

I also try and jog on the spot around 50 times every time I go to the toilet, and I keep finding excuses to walk everywhere I'm determined to get up to 10000 steps a day !!!!

So if you're competitive (like me) and want to get in some extra exercise, invest in one. It really works

...and I've stayed exactly the same weight as last week.

I did add-a-meal, but I think the problem was my sudden addiction to the water flavourings I haven't been drinking cold water at all and just having hot water with flavourings in (several a day), so I'm giving those a miss this week - hope it helps

I'm still having "revelation" moments though. I've been on a train for the first time since I was 15/16. I'd always had a fear that there would be tables and I wouldnt fit in them. This week I went on a train, which had fixed tables and arms on the seats, and I managed to slide in effortlessly, with loads of room to spare. Just the sight of a fixed table would have had me running off the train last year!!! I also sat in a small plastic "garden" chair outside a cafe today, with lots of room spare round the edges and no fat squeezing out the holes in the side . I used to sit in the large ones before, and even then I had to perch on the edge of the seat.

Still aiming to go lower, so here's hoping for a good loss next week.

Hmmmm I'm very confused at the moment. My target was originally 12 stone, which I though nine months ago was an impossible target. When I was 12 stone 7 I thought I was fat. When I was at my heaviest I used to look at my photos then and think I looked ok and wished I was that weight. Now I'm nearly that weight I feel "fat" again. I feel that 12 and a half is still too heavy. The problem is I just don't know what would be "normal" now. I'm sitting writing this wearing a size 14 jeans and a size 12 jumper, which 9 months ago I thought was normal. Now I'm just confused I think I've just lost it so quick my head still hasn't caught up with my body. My counsellor feels that I would still be ok to lose another couple of stone at least and according to the Cambridge charts 10 stone is at the high end of normal for my height and 8 stone is at the low end (I don't want to go that low).
The trouble is I have people telling me to stop now and people telling me I should carry on a bit further. My Aunty looked at me on Tuesday and said in disgust "I can see you've lost more weight. You don't need to lose any more now!!" and also my sister is moaning that I'm going too far.
I don't by any means think I'm going too far and if you look at any chart 12 stone 12 is still obese for my height. Everyone keeps saying I will know when I'm at a weight I'm happy with, but I just don't have that confidence in myself.
ah well we'll see.

Lost another 3lbs this week - making me 12 stone 12 lbs.

That's the first time I've been in the 12 stones since 1987 - 20 years

Not craving exactly. But for the last few days I've really been fancying porridge oats and fruit.

Not together, and any fruit will do.

Hmmmmmmm I think my body knows it will be able to eat food soon and is getting ready

Suppose its better than fancying chocolate and crisps though (although if I thought hard about it I'm sure I could fancy some of those too!!!)

OK, maybe not literally, but it sure feels like it. I don't think I'm ever going to get used to being without my "extra" insulation.
I am constantly freezing. I've gone from someone who hardly ever wore a coat and was constantly sweating (lovely huh??) to a little frozen icicle

Last night (picture if you will) I had on a short nightie, a pair of fluffy pyjamas, socks, a thick towelling dressing gown plus a blanket and still I was frozen.

I can't wait til the summer

Lost another 4 lbs this weekDD

Only a stone and one pound left to go (officially).

Think I might go a bit lower.

Discovered a new trick yesterday. I can get the whole of me into one leg of my old size 30 jeans. Clever huh?

This is what 5lb of fat looks like. Lovely isn't it.

They had these when I went to the Cambridge Conference/Slimmer of the Year.

I'm pleased to say I've lost a grand total of 34 of these. Unfortunately there's still a couple of them stuck to my body (mostly my thighs I think)

I have quite a few people e-mail me for tips on losing weight, so I though I would try and write a post about it. Please bear in mind that I'm not medically qualified and not a dietician, these are just things that have worked for me.

Unfortunately I don't have a secret that will help everyone to lose weight easily. The biggest thing I had was motivation. If you are losing weight because someone else tells you to, your heart won't be in it. Believe me I've tried countless times to lose weight, and have just gone along to clubs to accompany someone else. It just won't work. You need complete motivation. I'd finally come to realise that my weight was totally ruining my life. I'm getting older and there are so many things that I wanted to do and kept putting off because of my weight. That was all the motivation I needed, and until that "something" clicks in your own brain, no diet in the world is going to help. OK lecture over

Now if I told you that I had a magic liquid and you drank it every day it would guarantee that you would lose weight, you would try it wouldn't you??? Well there is, it's called good old plain water. I don't care if you don't like it. I can't stand drinking it, but the difference in me losing weight is drinking at least 5 litres of water a day (6 for men). Everyone says to me "Oh I could never drink that amount". But if you HAD to, like I do, then you would just do it wouldn't you. I know this is a bit extreme, but if someone told you that drinking 4 - 5 litres of water a day would save your life, no matter how much you hated it, you would drink it. Try filling up litre bottles and just drinking through the day. I also find it easier to drink if its quite warm. I never drink it out of the fridge it takes my breath away and makes it more difficult to drink. The other good reason for water is, it hydrates your skin, and detoxes your body, so a side benefit is lovely skin
I try to drink a litre every hour and early in the day or I spend all night in the bathroom. You will be running to the loo every few minutes at first, but remember this is the way that fat comes out of your body, so every time you go to the toilet imagine the pounds melting away
Oh, and with all that water in your stomach there's less space for food

Get a weight loss tracker. I enter mine into an excel spreadsheet every week, which keeps me motivated. (again if you want a copy e-mail me)

Try and get the support of your family. It doesn't help if everyone around you is eating pizza and chips and you've got cakes and crisps in the cupboard

Take it one day at a time. One bad day does not ruin a diet!!

As soon as your clothes are too big GET RID OF THEM. You are never going to want them again are you?? When there are elasticated waists in your wardrobe it's too easy to pretend you're not putting on weight.

Weigh and measure yourself at least once a week. Preferably at the same time of day.

Specific Cambridge Tips

Soups and Shakes
Try every flavour of shake, soup and bar when you start the diet. Some you will love and some you will hate. I hate almost all of the shakes. I can just about stand them if they're cold, but hot makes me want to be sick Lots of people love hot shakes though, and it shows that everyones tastes are different. When you first try the shakes you will be able to taste a definite chemical taste. These are all the vitamins and after a while your body will get used to it and you won't be able to taste it at all.
I loooove the soups. I think its because it makes me feel like I'm eating a "proper" meal, so I have at least one soup a day. Don't worry if you don't like some at first, but always go back and try them again. I loved vegetable soup when I first started and now I can't stand it. You will find that your tastes change and something you loved at the beginning you begin to hate and vice versa.
To all of the soups I add either Tabasco sauce (not recommended by Cambridge), black pepper, curry powder or chili flakes. Or maybe a combination of all three if Im feeling daring. I like hot, spicy food and adding either or all of these flavouring gives the soups the bit of "kick" that I like.
I would also say to have the soup in a bowl and eat it with a spoon. If you have it in a cup and drink it, it's gone in no time.

Chocolate Bars
The Peanut and Cranberry bars are lower in carbs than the others and happen to be my favourites, as they're crunchy. The other bars are more chewy and you can make them into biscuits. Although I think this ruins a perfectly good chocolate bar.

Spacing your packs
I have a mug of hot water with either Berry flavouring or Orange with a chocolate bar for breakfast. I don't eat lunch. I have a soup around 6.30 while the family eat their dinner and then I make a mousse or have icecream later in the evening aroun 9-10pm. I'm not saying this is how to do it, but this is what works for me.

Variety
Now you might think that a liquid diet is boring, but you would be amazed at the things you can do with them I'm not going to post all of the recipes, just e-mail me if you want a copy. But my favourites are to make a chocolate pack into a muffin. Take around 3 quarters of a pack and mix into a very thick paste. Transfer to a muffin dish and zap in the microwave for around a minute (depending on your microwave). With the rest of the pack mix it with a little water to make a chocolate paste and spread on top of the muffin (my favourite) or mix with more water and put in the microwave to make a chocolate custard.
Use a soup pack to make crisps. Mix with water into a thick paste. I make one big crisp because I'm too lazy to make lots of little ones
Spread onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with chili flakes (if you want) make sure you spread it thinly and put in the microwave for around 5 minutes. If it's still bubbling in the middle its not ready. Let cool and then break into pieces.
Vanilla with a tiny bit of berry flavouring makes a lovely cheescake flavour ice-cream. Put in a blender with lots of ice and a bit of water (too much and you'll make a smoothie) and blend together. Eat with a spoon. Lovely

Tetras
Can't stand the banana ones, but love the chocolate ones.
Put a chocolate one in the freezer overnight. Cut out of the wrapper and then transfer to a bowl. Leave for around an hour to soften and you have lovely chocolate ice-cream which will take you ages to eat. The chocolate tetra also makes a much creamier mousse than a chocolate shake. Keep the tetra in the fridge until you are ready to make a mousse. Put in a blender and add one scoop of mix-a-mousse. Blend for at least a minute. Transfer to a LARGE mug (there will be lots of it). I like to put mine in the freezer for half an hour because it never seems "set" enough when I put it in the fridge.

Ketostix
Buy a pack of Ketostix. They're around £5 from the chemist. Your body needs to be in Ketosis to burn the fat off your body. Test first thing in the morning. Your stick should be a nice rosy pink. Too light and you're not in ketosis, too dark and you're dehydrated. I found these useful over Christmas. When I ate on Christmas day I was out of ketosis the next day and it took me 3 days to get back. That kept me on track!!

Nibbling
Don't even think about nibbling. Once you start and get away with it, it will be difficult to stop. You will learn when you do add-a-meal that by eating protein and no carbs your body stays in ketosis. This does not mean that you can pick at meat and fish etc. It's just easier not to start nibbling.

Drinks
If you are really craving something other than black coffee or water choose a drink without citric acid in. Citric acid knocks you out of ketosis. Dr Pepper Zero and Coke Zero are ok. Try to only drink occasionally.
Marigold Bouillon is a nice hot drink to have (not recommended by Cambridge). If I'm feeling really hungry a spoonful of this in hot water with a sprinkling of chili flakes does the trick
Hope that helps. If I think of anymore I shall update.

Sarah

Now as you know I can't exercise properly at the moment on the amount of calories I'm on (tried it and made myself ill). But I've decided that now I'm nearing the end I should make an effort at toning up my body before going down the plastic surgery route.

Therefore my resolutions are(I know its a bit late)

1. Follow my 10 minute day by day toning routine (this concentrates on different parts of the body on different days.)

2. Use body firming gel all over in the morning

3. Use Bio-oil in the evening

4. Use slendertone every day.

Well I started on Monday and this is my third day of actually doing all 4 together. I thought yesterdays stomach exercises were easy, until I got up this morning and feel like I've been kicked

I shall be keeping a close eye on my fat, water and muscle measurements and also my body measurements to see if it makes a difference.

Had to look didn't you.

Well for all the moaning I do about still having a big bum and thighs, looking at these photos I realise it's not half as big as it used to be

1. I am ... just a little bit mental
2. I will ... train to become a Cambridge Counsellor
3. I want ... a puppy
4. I see ... tinsel and bits of decorations all over the bloody floor
5. I need ... a job!!

You guys need to fill this in for yourselves and then tag 5 more people

I tag

Adamantixx
Jools61
Punkass
Mari66
Teri R

Very very happy to tell you that I've managed to lose 5lbs over Christmas.

That's the first time I've ever lost weight at Christmas, I usually manage to put at least half a stone on!!!

Only another 8.5lbs and I've lost HALF my body weight.

Yes I'm 36 and I've been shopping in the sales for the first time

I mean, lets face it, when you can only shop in one shop and you've bought most of the stuff you like there's no point.

Not this year though. I've had a great time buying tops for £5!!! from Next and New Look. I've bought a lovely green cord jacket from Wallis reduced to £25 and a suede skirt for £10. I have absolutely loooooooooved it. I couldnt even get a pair of knickers for a fiver last year

The only thing I have found though, is that now I'm smaller people think absolutely nothing of elbowing or pushing me out of the way I've accidentally elbowed a lot of them back. Ignorant buggers. I think when I was bigger I was more aware of not getting too close to people or invading their space, but people seem to think nothing of pushing me out of the way now!!

The only silly thing I've done is that I wish I had bought size 14's in the sale. As usual I'm having a hard time dealing with going down a size again. As I'm sure I've said before I always think that the 14 etc that I'm wearing is a freak size and is really a size bigger. I was wearing a pair of size 16 cords yesterday and realised that I took them off without undoing them and the lovely suede skirt is at least 2 inches too big around the waist. Although I can get round that by wearing it lower round my hips.

Wow this losing weight "thing" is certainly opening my eyes. I'm beginning to feel like a realy girly girl

And on the subject of being a girly girl I've been asked to go on a girly night out to a club in town!!! A club???? I haven't been to a club in years and years. What should I wear?? Everyone keeps saying "Oh you'll have all the men chatting you up". Now although this is a nice thought and I'm sure people are trying to boost my confidence. I don't want to be chatted up by men. For a start I will still (in my fat girls head) think they're doing it for a dare! and for another thing it scares me to death!!!!

When I was over 25 stone I thought nothing of flirting. Now though, it's a whole different thing. In my mind, I was safe at that weight. No-one would take me seriously. But now!!! what if someone tooke me seriously??? I don't fancy getting into that situation. My hubbys the only one I need

Hmmmm for all the good things about losing weight there are some things I still don't know how to deal with.

Help

p.s still haven't made up my mind whether I'm going yet

eat that is

I ate on Christmas Day, but was very good. I'd planned to have Christmas Lunch, a glass of Baileys and a Rum Truffle. I pretty much stuck to my plan. I had turkey, pork, stuffing balls, a sausage wrapped in bacon, a tiny spoonful of mashed potatoe and one small roastie, sprouts, cauliflower, a few peas and a bit of carrot plus gravy of course. Apart from the carbs from the potatoe I didn't do too badly. I had my small glass of Baileys (in a sherry glass, not my usual half pint!!) and I did succumb to two rum truffles instead of one. I also had two very small spoonfuls of trifle.
I wasn't pleased with myself on Boxing Day when my in-laws came round. I kidded myself that the cocktail sausages were protein (they are I suppose but not good protein) so I ate a couple of them and for some reason a few peanuts, not a large handful, but a few little pickings of one or two at a time. I don't know why I picked and they're not really something I usually eat, so I can see how easy it would be to slip back into old habits.
New Years Eve was my next trial. I took some cans of Dr Pepper Zero to a party, but ended up having vodka in two of the glasses , which managed to get me really drunk (I'm such a lightweight now, before I could drink any man under the table.) I ate a couple of chicken legs, some prawns, a few vegetable crisps and some blue cheese (only a tiny bit and not on a cracker), oops nearly forgot I also had a couple of spoonfuls of trifle again (can you spot my weakness??)

For a few days I stressed over what I had eaten and drunk, but my husband says the only way I could have been better was to totally sole source over Christmas and I really think that would have made me miserable. If I think about it rationally I know that on Christmas Day I would have eaten lots of sausage wraps, plus a pile of mashed potate and loads of roasts. I would also have eaten more trifle with extra cream plus a slice of gateaux and then to top it off more Baileys and a turkey sandwich with stuffing etc. On New Years Eve I would have drunk way more than a couple of vodkas (probably more Baileys), I would also have eaten salmon rolls (more than two), spring rolls, gateaux, trifle, crisps, dips, chicken goujons (I could go on ). So I didn't really do too badly.

I am disappointed though. I ate a decent sized Christmas Lunch (not as much as normal of course), but I don't think my stomach has shrunk that much. People had convinced me that I would only be able to eat a couple of mouthfuls, but believe me I ate more than a couple

So it's over with now and I'm back on strict sole source (unfortunatley not back in ketosis yet though!!).

Here's to the end in sight.

Hope you all had a good Christmas and a Very Happy 2007 to you all