06/06/2010 15:41
ten point cellulite reducing plan
Thought I'd share my quick research into cellulite. Having just scanned various sites, the best seemed to be http://www.inch-aweigh.com/cellulite.htm
Main gist: The key to decreasing the appearance of cellulite pockets is to improve the way your body eliminates its excess fat. It’s that simple. The methods you can use are practically infinite, but here are ten great places to start:
Drink two liters of water every day – more if you exercise vigorously and even more if you exercise outdoors in a hot climate. I drink lots of water already. Another site recommended adding fresh lemon juice to the water to improve the drain of toxins which is worth a try I suppose
Give up caffeine. It makes you retain water, promoting cellulite growth. Hmmmmm.... I am truly addicted to caffeine, probably drink far, far too much which can't be helping things. Can't face going cold-trurkey but I will definitely try to reduce my caffeine
Don’t eat anything fried. The less grease you consume, the better. This includes butter. If you tend to put butter on everything, change your ways. After a few months of shunning butter, margarine and fried foods, you won’t even like greasy stuff anymore – honestly! Following WW means that I am doing ok at this currently
Get moving. It’s been found that poor circulation can cause cellulite to stay put. Suggestion: indoor bicycling is an excellent way to get the blood in your legs circulating efficiently. Recently (i.e. for about a week) I have been very good at going to the gym, need to keep this up!
Researchers have found that Vitamin C, which helps the body rid itself of toxins, plays a role in reducing cellulite, so make sure you have plenty of it in your diet. Get at least three servings a day of fresh fruits. I probably do have three portions of fruit most days...
Avoid sodium, which also causes water retention. Be cautious about Chinese food! I eat a lot of processed ("diet") food... and although I rarely add salt to food, I do like it on potatoes and garlic bread. Will avoid adding salt to my meals and will try to cut down on the processed foods (other sites stressed how bad processed food is... although I don't eat true "junk" food anymore, a lot of my diet-y treats will be high in salt, additives etc)
Stay real. Chemical additives in your food may seem like a fact of life, but the more you can stay away from them, the healthier (and less lumpy) you’ll be. Read labels. If a product has more ingredients than you could read in fifteen seconds, it’s far from pure. As above!
Yoga is a terrific way to improve your circulation and increase your strength. An added bonus of getting into Yoga is that you’ll be surrounded by “all-natural” people who will be a good influence on you. Another plus is that it may give you patience, which you will need, as you won’t see results for a while. Errr, not sure I fancy being around "all natural people"?!? 
only joking... but realistically, I am unlikely to take up yoga anytime soon....
Take up weight training. Although it won’t, in itself, remove the cottage cheese look, you’ll speed up your metabolism, which decreases body fat all over your body, proportionately lowering your cellulite level in the process. Now then, currently I only do weights on my arms... but I should perhaps get the gym staff to set me up a routine for my legs too. Couldn't hurt I suppose
Do what you can with your genes. Enough said about that. Not much I can do about this!
Most of this I should be doing anyway.... am going to focus on reducing my caffeine and upping my exercise levels, particularly adding some resistance training for my legs (although... I'm already walking/cycling etc etc... isn't this enough? maybe I need to speak to someone at the gym) and reducing the salt in my diet by eating less processed food. That sounds do-able. Will let you know how I get on......
PS I am a bit of a cosmetics junky, so am of course tempted to spend lots of money on some flash cream.... several of the sites (the more reputable looking ones anyway) basically said that creams don't really work. Boo! They did say they might make it look/feel better though, which can't be a bad thing.
06/06/2010 15:15
eurgh!
I am determined to have a super good day today i.e. eat less than 23 points and do lots of exercise.
I've already done the exercise bit - my usual routine at the gym (20 mins on the cross trainer, resistance machines for my arms and sit-ups; and then 20 mins on the bike and 10 mins brisk walking on the treadmill) AND I went swimming for the first time in a long time. I did 20 lengths (25metres long) without stopping. It only took me ten minutes so I suppose I should have done a bit more, but decided I'd build up gradually. I am hoping that swimming will help me tone up - my tummy and under arms (my 'bingo wings') definitely need a good tone up.
As I was putting my stuff in the changing room locker I caught sight of myself in my swimming costume. Thanks to the lycra my tummy looks half alright but my thighs were awful.... Generally I don't mind my legs/bottom but there was just so much flab.... horrible and cellultie-y.... urgh! How did I let myself get into this mess?! I am an intelligent person, I was brought up to eat healthily..... whatever went wrong?!
I am determined to look better, I really am.... Anyway, I'm off to google cellulite!
06/05/2010 21:30
lowdown on the weekend
Just got back from my Grannie's. Had a lovely time, and was okay-ish with food. I was positively angelic yesterday (no snacks, super healthy tea and only ate 21 of my 23 points, which is quite a record for me lately AND went to the gym). Today has been slightly less good... had a good breakfast, then salad at the restaurant for dinner. I asked for the dressing on the side, which they did, but the "char grilled" vegetables were absolutely dripping in oil. It made me so mad! They were delicious, but it's ridiculous to pick a salad, specify dressing on the side but then for it to be calorific. Just not fair! Aaaaaannnnyway.... probably still a better option than what I would normally go for. I had a sticky toffee pudding for dessert, which is really, really naughty but it's my absolute favourite and I had planned that as my one really naughty treat of the week and I went for an hour's walk in the morning to compensate. Reckon that little lot came to about 30 points... then drove home.... just got in, starving and have had a carb feast of a dinner: WW garlic bread, a (unnecessarily large) portion of pasta with reduced fat pesto and then two meringues. So definitely not great, but at least I went for the walk.
If I was looking on the bright side, I could congratulate myself on resisting the following over the course of the weekend (all offered my lovely, but absolute feeder of a grandmother):
- sweets and/or crisps on the journey up
- cake/biscuit on arrival
- a naughtier dinner
- glass of wine with dinner
- tarte aux citrons (this was a super good resist of me.... I insisted my grannie eat hers whilst I tucked into strawberries and meringue)
- chocolate with coffee
- late night snack
- butter on toast
- mid morning biscuit
- gingercake
- starter at the restuarnt
- naughtier choice of main eg scampi and chips
- the rest of the gingerbread that came with my coffee (I shared it with my grannie and cousin so only had the tiniest taste)
- pic n mix sweets on the journey home (I was craving these!)
- MacDonalds on the way home (I past loads, and in the past would have popped in for dinner)
So, although I know I could have been better, I think the above list demonstrates I could have been a whole lot worse. In fact the list above scares me a bit.... its no wonder I'm fat! :)
06/04/2010 10:12
survival plan
I am off to visit my Grannie later today. This can be a potential mine field for weightloss. She likes food as much as me, and is forever offering me tasty treats... I will need IRON will power, but I am so determined to lose 2lbs this week I feel fairly confident that I will be ok. I'm cooking us both dinner tonight so have control over what we are having (so will do a healthy but tasty meal), and I've researched the restaurant where we are hoping to go for lunch tomorrow - some of the salads look really nice and I will ask for dressing on the side etc....
I CAN do this and I will do this.... and I will chant "nothing tastes as good as being slim feels" on the three hour journey up there. :)
06/03/2010 10:27
bribery and blackmail
I am still largely 'on track'. I had a funeral to go to on Tuesday which meant that I couldn't attend my usual weigh-in. Normally I'd use this as an excuse not to go, but I found out when the other WW meetings were locally and attended one early Tuesday morning instead. Happy to see I'd lost 1.5lbs (although I was aiming for 2, so not ecstatic).
I have been to the gym yesterday and today and done my full routine which is still quite hard work. Feel good for doing it though!
Right then.... went shopping in Leicester yesterday and fell in love with Benefit's '10' - it's a bronzer/highlighter. As I am supposed to be economising (as always) I was very good and didn't buy it, but I have decided this morning that I can achieve a 2lb weight loss this Tuesday then I will reward myself with it. Sounds good to me.
My plan to achieve a 2lb weight loss this week:
- Stick to points - i.e. 23 a day (rather than the sneaky 28 or so I have slipped into)
- Lots of exercise - gym on the days when I am here
- Track everything
- Plan in advance
- Eat lots of fruit and veg
The main barrier I have to overcome is visiting my Grannie. I absolutely adore her, but visiting is a nightmare dietwise. I will do my best to plan and keep the thought of my bronzer in my head!
05/30/2010 19:45
doing well
I got up early and went straight to the gym. Did my proper routine (50 mins cardio plus weights) and felt GOOD. Have also been good with my points - have had 24.5 I'm supposed to be on 23, but have worked out that I can get away with about 25 a day and still have a good loss. However, the last few days I've had 30-odd points so do need to be very careful until weigh-in on Tuesday. Wish me luck! x
05/26/2010 21:40
back in the zone
Today had the potential to be bad. I was on a course - and the change in routine combined with a tasty buffet can be a recipe for disaster for the likes of me. However, I was angelic. I shunned the morning muffins, I had fruit with my morning coffee rather than cookies and made (very) healthy choices at lunch. I was really proud of myself - and that smug, in control feeling beats anything else.
After calling in for a cup of tea at a friend's house I hit the gym. I wimped out of doing my full programme, but did manage 20 mins on the crosstrainer and 20 mins cycling, which is fairly good for my slug-ish levels of fitness!
So, all in all, I feel very happy and proud of myself today. Feel really 'in the zone' at the moment. I am actively enjoying being on track. It's easy right now. I'm sure this won't last, but am enjoying it for as long as it does!
05/25/2010 20:35
get in!
Official weigh in tonight. I knew I;d been good so was quite excited about the result.... and was thrilled to see I'd lost 3lbs. Woo hoo! Just need to keep it up (or down) now.
05/23/2010 15:37
good day
Well, the sun is shining and I am having a jolly good day indeed. I have been to the gym for the first time in aaaaaages and doing well with my food too.
I did my proper routine at the gym, again for the first time in a long time. This consists of 50 mins cardio and some weights. Fairly gentle, but in my current state of fitness it's enough to make me sweat. Left feeling on top of the world.
Food wise I had wholemeal toast and reduced sugar jam for breakfast and then lunch of a grilled mackerel fillet, boiled new potatoes and salad in my fat free homemade dressing. Sounds a bit diet-y and boring but it was soooooooo good. I am definitely going to have more meals like that, especially now it's summer.
I'm going to Pizza Express tonight, one of my favourite restaurants which does a 'lighter' menu which makes sticking to points so much easier. Looking forward to it.
05/22/2010 21:03
back (again)
Deary me.... didn't do so well last time did I?!
I have been attending WW meetings since January (a good thing), to varying degrees of success. Overall I've lost about 4lbs since January. Being honest, if I WASN'T going to meetings I probably could have piled on another stone or so, but I'm very annoyed that I've been playing at it rather than taking it seriously.
I've actually been back on track over the last couple of weeks - and lost weight for two consequetive weeks...
I'm hoping to go on holiday to Bali in August - the thought of wearing a bikini is keeping me on the straight and narrow for now! Long may it continue! :)
