The Temptation Tin

Take a tin (or box) if the tin contained sweets or biscuits etc - give those away, really you don't need them!

This tin will become your temptation box.

Every time you feel the urge to stray from your weight loss plan - go online, or look through magazines or catalogues and find something which will inspire and encourage you to stay on your plan! e.g. if you're going on holiday and you want to shed some extra weight - cut out pictures of swimming costumes or if you're slimming for your wedding - cut out the wedding outfit of your dreams! Put the pictures in the box! Look at it every so often to remind yourself why you are wanting to lose those pounds!

Put in there whatever works for you! 

All the best for your quest for a healthier and slimmer future 

xxxx

Days of the week diet

Someday - have some treats but don't go berserk

Mundane (day) - don't stick to boring salads, pep them up with low fat dressings, add fruit too!

Chooseday - choose healthy low fat options from the menu when out

Spendsday - spend time planning your menus and allow for those times when you have to stop your diet for a day e.g. a day out with friends!

Thirstday - make sure you drink plenty of water

Fryday - keep off those high fat oils and dry fry things!

Statureday - don't forget to exercise!

Have a good week

Xxxx

Bags of Sugar

I was thinking about the number of Kilos I want to lose - it works out at 22 bags of sugar (1 Kg bags)!

loser!

Ok it's only 1lb but I lost again this week - so far I've lost 5lb! Onward to losing more! (Mind, today I've probably eaten more than I should)! 

My calorie allowance this week has gone up from 1,200 to 1,400! Let's see what happens :D

xxxx

9th Feb Diet Update YouTube Vlog!

What a loser

I weighed myself to day and I've lost just under 4lb - happy with that! 12 stone 0 lbs 8oz! Onward and downward!

Have to admit, it has been a struggle - been so tempted to give up and eat the wrong stuff, but I've stuck with it and it's paid off! 

I need to drink more water this week
'step-up' the exercise

Focus focus focus!

xxxx

A word from a Life-Storm survivor

In life there are many storms - trials, difficulties etc - those storms can either drag us down and make us weak or we can rise above them and come out stronger than ever! 



To get pure gold, the furnace has to be hot hot hot - the hotter the fire, the purer the gold. Putting this into context - the harder and more difficult the trials (if we are determined to learn through them), then the stronger we become!



To climb a mountain - we may have to overcome many hurdles, difficult hurdles, annoying hurdles, but if we persevere then we overcome those - we reach the top.



I was thinking about my High School's badge - it was a phoenix rising out of the flames, because out of the ashes can come beautiful and stronger things (in some parts of the world for plants to grow stronger each year, they have to be burned up with fire). 



Let's not let our present situations discourage or hinder us from our ultimate goal - let this help us to become stronger and more determined people!

xxxx

Article from BT.com called 9 ways you're making your skin look older

9 ways you’re making your skin look older

Guilty of heavy-handed exfoliation or forgetting the SPF? You could be ageing your skin…

 

2

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 5

• 
  

  
  

  
  Print this story

  By Carla Challis 

  Last updated: 28 January 2014, 17:10 GMT
  From going to sleep in your make-up to forgetting to moisturise, we all know the little habits that are bad for our skin.

  But were you aware of these nine other skincare crimes? Jill Zander, founder of theJill Zander Skin Rejuvenation Clinic, tells us where we’re going wrong…

  1. Too much moisturiser
  The more the better, right? You could be doing more harm than not applying it all. If a moisturiser is correctly suited to your skin, it should feel comfortable; the wrong one could leave your skin dry or greasy. And never apply your skin moisturiser around your eyes, as the skin is thinner here and can easily become overloaded with products. That’ll be the cause of those little white spots, you know!

  2. Over-exfoliating
  Scrub-happy people must stop now. Over-exfoliation can lead to redness and irritation and constantly stripping your skin can actually make it become greasy as it over compensates for the lack of oil. Try a non-abrasive scrub that uses AHA, BHA and fruit acids to exfoliate, rather than grains which can tear the skin. (We loveMurad’s AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, £17.)Twice a week is all you need.

  3. Rushing serum application
  Skincare products need to be carefully layered, like you would your clothes. When using an anti-ageing serum, like Botanics Triple Age Renewal Super Serum, £10.49, it’s important to let it sink in and dry before applying your moisturiser – otherwise you dilute the concentrated anti-ageing formula with your moisturiser in one fell swoop.

  4. Squeezing spots
  Step away from the blackhead! Not only can you cause the spot to become infected but you could make it leave a scar if you’re not careful. Use a spot gel (likeNo7 Beautiful Skin Rapid Spot Rescue, £9.95) to help it fade on its own or leave it to the professionals.

  5. Skipping the SPF
  It’s grey out there so need for the sun cream, right? Wrong! The sun is the biggest cause of wrinkles and you should wear SPF come rain or shine. Many moisturisers and even make-up contain SPFs like IMAGE Skincare’s Prevention + Daily Hydrating Moisturiser SPF 30, £39.95, which moisturises while protecting. Genius.

  6. Slapping on creams
  Somewhat slap-dash when it comes to applying your creams? Stop. Vigorous rubbing can age the skin; instead, apply from the neck up using semi-firm upward movements, so you’re working against gravity. Drag downwards and you’re literally ageing yourself every morning.

  7. Skimping on sleep
  It’s called ‘beauty sleep’ for a reason. Skin repairs itself at night so if you’re regularly sleep-deprived, your complexion will give the game away.

  8. Anti-ageing before you need to
  Until you show signs of ageing, step away from the anti-ageing products. If you use potent anti-ageing products before you need them, your skin can become fragile and thin or immune to their powers.

  9. Using face wipes
  When using a face wipe, we tend to rub our skin quite vigorously, especially around the eye area. This is a big no-no as it can cause irritation, redness and even strip the skin of its essential oils.

Dieting and music?

I posted this on the forum of Rosemaryconleyonline.com!

I weighed myself this morning and I'm 12 stone 4lb [I think that is about, or just under 80kg!! about 172lb] (the heaviest I have ever been as an adult)! I am 5' 2" (1m58). 

I was thinking about confidence and how many of us seem to feel as if we have failed totally if we gain for the umpteenth time BUT this is self-destructive and totally not true! So what, we've had one or two (in my case more) gains and it would only be a failure if we didn't think anything of it, if we threw in the towel completely and stopped climbing that hill (I go on about quite often lol)!

Am I a failure for gaining nearly 4 stone over the past 20 years? Not really because here I am wanting to change and today is a new day! I'm not a total failure in my life anyway! Dieting is only ONE part of my life! 

Why not take up a hobby or do a course because this is an area where I was thinking about just now - am I a total failure in my life? Nope because, after years of being scared to sit my Grade 5 flute exam in 2010 (I'd never done any grades in music at all, so Grade 5 [out of 8] was a major step), I passed, but to do Grade 6 flute I needed Grade 5 music theory, but again, I was too scared. With a lot of coaxing and cajoling my singing and piano teachers helped me through those fears and in 3 months, after never doing a lot of theory before I came out with 88% and now I'm doing Grade 6 [which I haven't got a clue about lol] THEN in November last year I took Grade 5 singing and thought I'd failed but I was 5 marks off a Merit - I got 115/150. Did I have blips? Ummm yes - in my Grade 5 flute I lost my place in my B piece and had to pick up the piece again later on in the music, in my Grade 5 music theory - I made a few silly mistakes, but I still succeeded, in my Grade 5 singing I forgot the words of my first song for a while, but pulled it together and got a much better mark than I was expecting! I have to admit that these successes have given me the confidence to sit Grade 1 piano in March-April time - I'm not good at reading the Bass Clef, but I'm giving it a go! 

Why did I tell you this? Well because I have thought "I've failed!" where dieting [and music] is concerned - BUT I haven't! Playing the piano is difficult [for me anyway, as all the instruments I've ever learned have only used one clef - the Treble] but I'm determined to succeed and I WILL learn those pieces of music! Come on don't look at your dieting 'failures' Look at your successes and if you've only just started - think success - yes you might have hurdles, but as we overcome them we gain much more confidence! Back to music, again, I'm thinking of taking Grade 5 Descant Recorder (as I've been playing since I was about 5) and Grade 5 Treble Recorder - why? Because I KNOW I can do it! 

I've also signed up to do a writer's course - but I won't bore you with that as well lol! 

Wishing you all every success in your weight loss adventure - you CAN succeed! 



xxxx

The Whole Body Experience

I think I really need to get myself into a total package healthy living routine! Not just eating less and exercising more but I mean the WHOLE body experience package! What do I mean by this? Well...

• Eating less (I have a month's supply of RC Solo Slim foods for Feb)
• Drinking more - this has always been an issue for me as I hardly drink anything
• Exercise more - definitely a MUST when wanting to lose weight BUT carrying on when at goal weight
• Facial exercises - I have a Facial Flex (can be purchased here)[watch the video about it here] which I should use EVERY DAY, I also have an Eva Francis DVD which I haven't started seriously yet.
• Body moisturising/brushing - this improves circulation. Use a natural hair body brush and start from your feet, brushing towards your heart. Moisturise your body - we tend to remember our hands and face, but the skin is our biggest organ and really needs to be looked after.
• Plenty of sleep - I go to bed late, get up early and wonder why I have dark rings around my eyes! If I'm tired I don't have a lot of willpower where food is concerned or energy where exercise is concerned!
• Skincare - I have used skincare for a fair few years (I used to be a Beauty Advisor for Avon - will do another post about the importance of skincare). I have used Mary Kay, Avon, Clinique and M&S (not all at the same time). The one which suits my skin best is Mary Kay, but it's only available through a consultant! 

• Mary Kay [UK] site here,
• Avon [UK] site here, 
• Clinique [UK] site here,
• M&S Beauty here

WEIGH-IN

Weight: - 12 stone 4lb
Height - 5' 2" (1m 58) 
BMI - Obese
Mood - 'fed-up' (literally and figuratively)
Action - bought a 28 day Rosemary Conley Solo Slim Premium Food Box

Food purchased for the month:

Cheese

3 x Block Reduced Fat (5.8%) Mature Cheese (200g) - 189 calories per 100g

Breakfasts

3 x Breakfast - Oaty Breakfast Original -146 calories

3 x Breakfast - Oaty Breakfast with Toffee & Date -160 calories

4 x Breakfast - Oaty Breakfast with Vanilla - 142 calories

4 x Breakfast - Oaty Breakfast with Raisin & Cinnamon -154 calories

Lunches

1 x Soups - Pea & Mint Soup - 150 calories

1 x Soups - Mulligatawny Soup - 210 calories

1 x Soups - Mushroom Soup - 126 calories

1 x Soups - Carrot & Coriander Soup - 96 calories

4 x Soups - Minestrone Soup - 147 calories

4 x Soups - Tomato Soup - 168 calories

4 x Soups - Spicy Beef & Tomato Soup - 183 calories

4 x Soups - Butternut Squash, Chilli & Cumin Soup - 135 calories

4 x Soups - Chunky Vegetable Soup - 144 calories

4 x Soups - Spicy Mixed Bean Soup - 165 calories

Dinners

1 x Ready Meals - Pork Meatballs with Smokey Beans - 275 calories

1 x Ready Meals - Malay Beef Curry - 249 calories

1 x Ready Meals - Chicken Jalfrezi - 188 calories

1 x Ready Meals - Fruity Chicken Curry - 218 calories

4 x Ready Meals - Beef Meatballs & Potato - 294 calories

4 x Ready Meals - Chilli & Rice - 336 calories

4 x Ready Meals - Thai Chicken Curry - 291 calories

4 x Ready Meals - Chicken Korma - 336 calories

4 x Ready Meals - Sausage Casserole - 294 calories

4 x Ready Meals - Beef Goulash - 189 calories

Power Snacks

7 x - Rosemary Conley's Solo Slim Cereal Bars - Chocolate & Raisin - 98 calories per bar

Sauces

2 x - Thai Red Sauce - 50 calories per serving

2 x - Tomato & Chilli Sauce - 43 calories per serving

2 x - Tikka Masala Sauce - 73 calories per serving

First 2 weeks - Fast Track Diet - 1,200 calories

After that whatever my calorie allowance is. 

The 1st 2 weeks are strict but last time I did this I lost 12lb in 2 weeks! 

xxxx

Quote from Rosemary Conley.tv

Have you ever wondered what the magic ingredient is to staying slim? I think one of the most important things that sets apart successful slimmers is what's important to them. What are your values? Is a pizza or a bar of chocolate really more important than your health? Or is watching your TV programme more urgent than going to an exercise class? It's up to you to prioritise.

Rosemary Conley

Emotional Eating

Been thinking lately about emotional eating - yep I am a culprit! Something goes wrong and before I know it I've munched my way through loads of grub! NOT a good thing to do! 

I think it's time to self-discipline myself into doing something else! Something goes wrong - maybe I should write a poem about it - express my feelings in rhyme and post it on my poetry blog! Or maybe I should practise the piano/flute/singing pieces I have! ANYTHING but eating!

Food is powerful and has control over many people (including me) but why should something like grub, have control? Are you strong enough to resist? Do you want something like food to rule your life? Are you in control? Let's take back control - food is inanimate, only necessary to keep our bodies functioning - eat too much and it becomes spillage (in the form of fat cells). When you fill your fuel tank in your car, or a bucket of water etc you would only fill it as far as you need - no further or it will overflow and cause a mess. Let us try and do that with our eating (I'm talking to myself as well). STOP stuffing when full or else the overflow is laid down as fat cells! 

Do you really need that dessert? Does your body really need those crisps*/biscuits**/cakes/second helpings? Think of these things as filling a fuel tank on a car  - your usual meals are made up of the food we require to keep us running BUT if we indulge and have just one tinsy winsy biscuit - that will push us into spillage - uh oh, you don't want that slimy gunk on your hips do you? STOP now - release your hand off the nozzle lever (metaphorically speaking), put the cap back/food back and step away - go pay for the fuel (with some exercise, perhaps). The biscuit**/crisps* etc will do you no good! Still feel hungry? Bet your thirsty instead - go fill up the oil tank!

We CAN do this folks! Really we CAN!

Have a fab day/week!

xxxx

* UK = Crisps; US = Potato Chips
** UK = Biscuit; US = Cookies

lost

Well since New Year I have lost 2lb 6ox - doesn't sound like much, but Im taking things easy, cutting down and not really following any menus atm! Have to dust off my Wii fit board and start exercising! 

Have fun folks!

xxxx

A Week into January

Today was weigh-in day and I've gained 10oz - doesn't sound like much, but still! 

I weighed in at 12 stone 3lbs - which, if my maths is correct - 171lbs (not sure about Kg as I'm still living in the dark ages of Imperial measurements). This has shaken me up somewhat - to be 5'2" (158cm - I know the metric for my height) and 12 stone 3lbs is disgusting (quite frankly). So I dusted off my Rosemary Conley Gi Jeans Workout and working at a very low impact, completed the 30 minutes aerobic section - YAY! I also looked at the box I still had of Rosemary Conley foods and I have enough left for about a week so if I eat those I will become focussed!

OK movers and groovers - let's stay focussed and pretend every day is New Year!

Have a fab week

xxxx

!!UPDATE!!

Ok as I've only been posting incentive ideas, I thought I had better update you folks!

Over the past year I've gained the 21lbs I lost (and more) - which is terribly annoying, but best not to dwell on it! I really cna't understand how I could have become so complacent - I think it's being happy/content with my lot (although I'm not saying I should be unhappy/discontented).

Although I've not stuck to a diet plan this week I have tried to be sensible and not eat tons and not to pick in between meals - I don't feel any thinner, but it's a start! 

Next week I really MUST start exercising - not done any this week! Today I have had no sleep so I'm zonked, but hopefully tonight I will manage a full night!

More water and start exercising are on the cards next week! I'm hoping to go abroad with a couple of friends in Feb, so better start then...

Have a fab weekend readers

xxxx

£s for lbs

Why not donate the equivalent £s for the amount of lbs you lose to your favourite charity? (or whatever country's currency - although pounds for pounds just has a ring to it 😉  ) Or you could have a jar to put your £s &/or 50ps into and use them to treat yourself! 💐💐💅🏻🤳🏻

Or how about £s for lbs and 50p per inch 💷💷📏📏

Sorry all you metric folks - I work in Imperial (showing my age now).

xxxx

Charm Bracelet

Another incentive idea for you to ponder!

I was at some friends' house for supper last night and their daughter is losing weight. My friend came up with the idea of buying a charm bracelet for her daughter and for every 7lbs lost she will buy a charm for the bracelet! Any gains and a charm will be removed! It's a good idea to keep focussed :)

Click HERE for Pandora (UK)*

Click HERE for Claire's Accessories (UK)*

Click HERE for H Samuel Jewellers (UK)*

Click HERE for The Charm Works (UK)*


*I am NOT responsible for any broken links, concerns about the websites or issues regarding any purchases you may make on those sites.  

Star Chart for being 'good'

OK this may sound puerile so forgive me if you are thinking - WHAT? I'm not back in infants school! Hear me out though :)

I was messaging a dieting buddy today and thought of this idea while replying (I love star charts etc so may give this a go myself). Here's an idea I found on a site for kiddy charts - click HERE

Make up a chart with squares and for each time you resist a temptation or eat healthily all week or exercise each day - make it what you want it to be - give yourself a star, when you have collected ?? number of stars give yourself a non food treat - a new lipstick perhaps, a bottle of perfume etc! 

You could have levels so that you're not saving forever for that huge treat!

I'm going to give every pound I lose to a charity! (OK my intentions are out in the open so I HAVE to be good and lose weight)!

We CAN do this 

Here's to a brilliant 2014 of weight loss

xxxx

101 Health + Fitness Resolutions That Rock

101 Health + Fitness Resolutions That Rock

Taken from My Fitness Pal - they may help to focus!