Dieting before Xmas binge

[Shortie]

I'm not dieting this side of Christmas but good luck all who join in.

One thing though, those doing Atkins, please be careful. I don't want to sound like a spoil sport but you need to moniter your keytones etc

[Shortie]

Voila! AEROBIX !

If only I'd realised excerise was that easy and tasty!

[Snadger]

I've just started the lager diet!

[JennieAtkinson]

I am on the Gin and Tonic Diet - so far I've lost two days!

(from a kitchen magnet my cousin bought me during her last visit - think she was trying to tell me something )

[Flummery]

For a more balanced diet I would assume that the weetabix is crucial I Nicos - fibre!

Surely one in each hand would be more balanced?

[Winged one]

Jennie, I like your style - both for exercise and diet!!

I also have to empty out the freezer, which means weird dinners involving lots and lots of prawns, bits of spag bols and mash, and using up the strawberries from 3 summers ago (I'm thinking a smoothie is the best option!!).

I can't "diet" for toffee, I tried doing weightwatchers on points a few times before and am useless at it. But WW have another programme now - core - where you have a list of lots of foods you can eat until you are full (but you MUST stop when you are full), eat fruit and veg for your snacks, and you have 21 points for "luxuries" during the week. And that seems to be working for me - but I still have another stone and a half to go to an "ideal" weight for my height.

I don't "exercise", but I swim a couple of times a week in the mornings on the way to work (pootle up and down the pool at a leisurely pace for maybe 20 lengths). It's a great excuse to get a shower and dry my hair properly in peace without the toddler hanging out of me. And thinking time to plan my veg rotation (I kid you not) and menus for the week!!

Newbie, good luck with it all, and they'll probably have plenty of seam allowance for changes in size anyway. I'm not a gym person either, but you'll lose without noticing if you've got a buddy to chat to.

Good luck to all the other losers too.

[Madasafish]

Before Christmas I try to increase my running lengths to 6 miles at least twice a week (I run alternate days). I cut down on biscuits and reduce breakfast toast to 2 slices.

Unfortunately this year we have acquired 3 Christmas cakes..and I LOVE cake.

[veg4681]

Well I'm not dieting but I always give up alcohol for Advent (and Lent)

I always thought you look slim anyway from your previous Avatar .

I have been on the Slim-Fast diet for a couple of weeks already, lost 5 lbs over 3 weeks (with a break of a week while I went to visit Madmax). Still need to lose a good stone but that is an ongoing target.

I believe generally all diet regimes work so long you stick to it faithfully and if you're content with Slim-Fast, that's fine. I'm such a P-I-G, I love savoury foodstuffs (greasy, salty, fried, more so than sweet stuffs but please remember I have very low blood pressure) and Slim-Fast drink just won't satisfy me .

If you continue with your diet regime, you can lose a stone by end of April in time for indulging in exciting summer clothes. I say April because you get to give your body the chance to stay slim over a longer period of time so by June onwards, your body won't be too harsh for food indulging. Also have a break now and then, don't tell your body you're starving.

One thing though, those doing Atkins, please be careful. I don't want to sound like a spoil sport but you need to moniter your keytones etc

I agree with you on this. I personally wouldn't recommend it because you really need to understand what you're doing and also may need to seek medical advice.

I've just started the lager diet!

Give us a burp then!

I tried doing weightwatchers on points a few times before and am useless at it. But WW have another programme now - core - where you have a list of lots of foods you can eat until you are full (but you MUST stop when you are full), eat fruit and veg for your snacks, and you have 21 points for "luxuries" during the week. And that seems to be working for me - but I still have another stone and a half to go to an "ideal" weight for my height.

Sounds a bit like Slimming World diet. A friend recommended it to me and she had lost weight without the exercise but the food choice still wasn't good enough for me e.g. eat as much pasta as you like so long there is no protein or fat.

Before Christmas I try to increase my running lengths to 6 miles
I cut down on biscuits and reduce breakfast toast to 2 slices.

How many slices of toast were you having before? Best way to cut down on biscuits, easy...don't buy em' in the first place .

[shirlthegirl43]

I find Slim-Fast good coz I don't usually eat breakfast and have to if I do the diet. I am not rigid about it and enjoy a glass of wine in the evening and have chips etc when I fancy. If I have a shake for breakfast and lunch and fruit for snacks (not that I find I need to snack) it stops me picking at stuff before dinner. Also, it is good not to have to scrutinise everything to find out how many calories you are having.

[smallblueplanet]

No-one on the sea-food diet then? See food and eat it!

What a lot of strange regimes you peeps have, I'm glad I'm only a couple of stone overweight I don't fancy dieting, I thought checking whether stuff is veggie was pfaffing about!

I'm with Jennie, only I don't like Gin, so it'll have to be a red wine diet!

[HeyWayne]

I'm quite lucky being the size I am means I can pack away what most people would think is a lot of food without really putting on weight.

That said, I do need to get my @rse back into a good exercise regime - I've become quite lazy of late.

Of course, excesses do take their tll on your body in other ways - as I'll probably find out when I get my blood test result tomorrow...

I do think "diets" are a bad idea in general though, much healthier to stick to a healthy eating plan and exercise more. Everything in moderation.

One thing I've noticed is that there are very few "diets" that are freely available, payment is required in most cases. Cynical old bugger in a young mans body, that's me.

Good luck to all those going down the diet route though.

I thought this might raise a smile or two: TheSpoof.com : New Weight Loss Plan: The M&M's Diet funny satire story

[Alison]

Your diet is what you eat day to day, without which obviously you'd keel over pretty quickly. These can be healthy, unhealthy or, more often, somewhere in between. What are marketed at diets are often not something you could (or in some cases should) keep up with over a long period of time and therefore are not your natural diet at all. Should be called something different as the only way be a healthy weight permanently is to have a generally healthy diet most of the time. As HeyWayne says, everything in moderation, just unfortunatly people's ideas of moderation aren't always that moderate!

Good luck to all of you trying but will never understand why you would put yourself through suffering to binge over a week or two. Doesn't make sense to me but, as I've often said, we're all different.

[moggssue]

Hmmm, I definitely need to exercise more, but I'm thinking new lottie in four days time, lots of digging .......... and I should get back to the yoga, I found that helped sooo much, believe it or not. Good luck to all those trying to lose weight, lots of encouraging vibes coming your way .....

[SarzWix]

You're both right, Alison & Wayne - "Diets" are money-making gimmicks in a lot of ways, and the best solution is a 'healthy-lifestyle'. But, some diets can function as re-training, to get you out of bad habits and help to form good habits. I had good success with the WeightWathers 'points' system a few years ago, and I kept on the straight & narrow after I stopped going. Unfortunately, after a hysterectomy & 18 months of being crippled with pain, a lot of the bad habits crept back in.. I badly need to go back (a packet of crisps & a Snickers bar for lunch is happening far too often ), but my local one has stopped, and it costs over �5 a week anyway, so I might just have to drag my old books out & go it alone...
Not until New Year though

[shirlthegirl43]

Agreed on the diet comments. I try to cook healthy food all the time and usually maintain a steady weight, however, I gave up smoking 8 years ago and put on a bit of weight which didn't bother me then but does now. I have also noticed my weight creeping up a bit since I have suffered CFS which makes it hard for me to be as active as I used to be. Hence, using slimfast to encourage me to eat at proper mealtimes rather than waiting till I am hungry then stuffing myself with a bought sandwich and crisps and chocolate (can be over 700 cals). I find the slimfast fills me up nicely and I can then eat whatever I am cooking for the family for dinner with no changes to shopping routine required.