Louisa's Weight Loss Blog

Netball can be a great social activity as well as a means to lose weight

I was meant to be going to a Netball club this evening but as it’s at a school and it’s half term this week, it was off until next week. Jonny has been trying to get me to do this since I moved up to Nottingham as I haven’t made any of my own friends. Obviously this is hard was hard with no income but also no confidence. I always hated admitting I was unemployed too. Now that I’m working and I’m settling into the job, I’ve found myself yet again in quite a male environment. The few girls who are there are nice enough but I don’t see us sat on my bed wearing pajamas, drinking wine and plaiting each others hair!

I was disappointed about waiting for another week but I persevered and did a fitness DVD instead this evening. Exercise DVDs are great, every celebrity that has ever lost more than half a stone in weight has one.

The fitness DVD that I did this evening was a Ministry of Sound one with Deanne Berry. I found the outfits rather off-putting as Deanne was wearing some leotard with the sides cut out and the people to the side of her were all in shiny boxing shorts, boots and bikinis. Weird…. Other than that, the DVD itself is excellent if you’re quite coordinated. Unfortunately, I am not in the slightest bit coordinated which means that I trip up in normal aerobics classes and today on my own was no exception. I’m very glad that no one was watching me wave my arms and legs about like a loony! You can create your own workout in an interactive mode so you can make it as intense or relatively low impact as you need to. You do need a good level of fitness to complete the DVD but I see this as a good challenge to work towards rather than being sad that I can’t do it straight off.

Hello,  I am Louisa’s twin, Amelia. She has invited me to blog about my thoughts on my own weight loss and exercise in particular.

In the past year, I have lost over a stone and a half, going down from 13 stone to 11 and a half. I’m 5ft 8ins so I can carry a little more weight and I am never going to be eight stone.

I used to look like this

A couple of months ago, I looked like this. Louisa is the one on the right!

Perhaps I should get some more recent photos.

But anyway, I’m happy to be a part of this and share what I have learned along the way and hope to continue learning. This thinner me is for life now and it’s all about how diet and exercise has enhanced my life, plus I am excited about talking about the clothes that I want to wear now I feel more confident!

Personally, I have little patience with the American obsession with Halloween. I have never celebrated it as such, I find trick or treating a glorified form of begging and the spiteful actions that unfurl from those giving a ‘trick’ are never justified and frighten the vulnerable. I have however, gone out to Halloween themed parties but I don’t really need an excuse to find a costume and have fun with friends.

For a predominantly Christian country like America that gets hysterical over Socialism and anything non-Christian, I cannot for the life of me understand why they embrace Halloween which is a pagan tradition. Maybe it’s just big business perpetuating it as a means to squeeze more money out of the consumer, maybe that’s me being cynical. Who knows? I have a deep-running disdain for many aspect of American ‘culture’ (such as giant meals at restaurants, deep-seated racism in the South, protectionism and refusing to get behind the Kyoto agreement) but unfortunately I can’t stop them so I co-exist with it. I do often hope people see the error of the young country’s ways and change, but greed is ugly and too strong amongst its politicians.

Anyway, back to my original point! Too often, pumpkins are only seen as something to carve into with a very big knife and put candles in. They are a seasonal fruit (pumpkins are a fruit not a vegetable because they have seeds) and are associated with Halloween and for Americans, Thanksgiving. I am often horrified that the flesh within pumpkins is not routinely celebrated and frankly, worshipped! Did you know that pumpkins contain beta carotene?

Pumpkins are no just for Halloween lanterns, their flesh is full of goodnes - and you should eat more pumpkin!

Beta carotene is your friend! It is not only a cancer fighting substance (particularly colon cancer it is thought), it is a dieter’s friend too. It is a type of vitamin A and sorry to debunk this common myth but it can’t help you see in the dark! What Vitamin A can do for you is it can help improve your skin, your vision and immune system function. So why is pumpkin so great for dieters?

Pumpkin is high in fibre and low in calories. Fibre aids digestion which means food doesn’t rot in your bowel and we all know what low in calories means! Pumpkins contain about 30 calories per 150g. Result!

The seeds in pumpkins are great for you as well. Seeds in general can help your mental well-being, nutritional experts claim that seeds and nuts can be extremely beneficial for those incorporating a dietary factor into beating depression. I know personally of one man who believes his diet was a large contributory factor to improving his moods and nuts and seeds were a feature in his particular diet. Pumpkin seeds contain a high level of zinc as well, which aids sleep, helps to improve your skin, hair and nail growth. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten alone as a snack, stirred into yoghurt as a dessert or even toasted or sprinkled on fresh whole wheat bread.

Pumpkins are not just for Halloween, they should be embraced for as long as they are in season. If you are making jack-o-lanterns this Halloween, make good use of the flesh! There are many great recipes online so get out to your local market and get creative.

When a relationship ends, you may certainly be heartbroken. It is normal to cry and need a comforting hug from your friends and family, fun drinking sessions with friends and so on to forget about the emotional pain. The thing is that most people cannot get to the fun stage until they have finished the ‘wallowing’ stage and this is where the Heartbreak Diet comes in. We have all been there and most women will support you and try and help you by telling you of their experiences and how they got through it. You will get over it and you will meet someone nice again. I didn’t meet anyone remotely nice until Jonny came along which was three years after my last relationship!

Most women will be familiar with the Heartbreak Diet and it can go one of two ways.

• Some women won’t want to eat at all. They will only eat when forced and each mouthful of food sticks in the throat and you always feel sick afterwards. Normal eating will usually resume after a few weeks but women who have lost weight as a result will typically be thrilled with their new bodies and will work hard to maintain their new weight.
• Other women will turn to food for comfort and can’t stop eating. They will put on weight and may spiral into depression and feelings of low self-esteem.

When your heart is broken, you will either turn to food for comfort... or turn away from it.

There are ways around the unfortunate second option if you believe you may fall into this trap.

• Surround yourself with mates and maybe eat with them too. Cook healthy meals for each other and go to exercise or dance classes together.
• Keep your self esteem up, stay busy and treat yourself regularly with small gifts that aren’t food.
• Join the gym, spend all the time you would have spent with him exercising and working for the body you always wanted.

Who here likes crisps? I do too! They are a nice snack but they are not by any means a healthy option. Crisps are full of oils and fats and although the crisp makers have made an effort to reduce oil and fat content they are still not your best option.

Crisps are a nice snack but should be limited

When dieting, you should not feel as though you are denying yourself everything you like. Multipacks of crisps are smaller than the individual packs you might buy and can save you up to a whopping 100 calories compared to the big ‘grab bags’ you buy at the front of the supermarket or at the garage.

32g multipack of McCoys flame grilled steak crisps is 165 calories. a 50g packet is 258 calories. See the difference? The great thing is that very rarely do I feel cheated eating 18g less of my favourite crisps. I am genuinely satisfied after a smaller packet, we only eat the whole packet of crisps in front of us because it’s there and we trust the manufacturers to give us a satisfactory portion. Multipacks are the way forward people!

Total Chunk Top Tip: We all know that to lose weight successfully and KEEP IT OFF, we can’t deny ourselves a little of what we fancy. Think ahead and keep multi packs of your favourite crisps in the car or at the office. Try not to get sucked into buying individual packs and you can save up to 100 calories and still be satisfied.

I have really been getting into X factor over the last couple of weeks. I’ve found the live shows really exciting and nerve wracking at times. I HATE the twins with every fibre of my being! They are certainly amusing but that isn’t good enough for a talent contest when there are so many talented singers who would give their right arm for such an amazing opportunity. Then they’re wasting it d***ing around in red PVC jackets! What I do know is that Ricky had a few more weeks left in him and he was cruelly sacrificed by the voting public. I’ve just been watching the new Sunday show and it’s been so nerve wracking i’ve been snacking on doritos with hot salsa. Oops.

Miss Frank are brilliant but the pressure will be on to lose weight

I’m not sure who I think will win yet but I do like Louis’ act Miss Frank. They are fresh, sassy and fabulous! However, they are hardly the image of a typical girl band and I believe that if they wish to pursue a career after X factor, they will have to reassess their image. They were incredible last night but the girls are on the chunky side and most record companies would have them agree to go on a diet as a part of their contract. My advice to the girls if they choose to lose weight (and anyone undertaking a job that requires a lot of energy to get through the day) would be to not rely on sugar to keep your energy levels up. Avoid refined sugar like the plague! Caffeine in black coffee has its benefits but should not be relied upon to keep you awake beyond your natural capabilities. Indulge in brown rice and lots of high-fibre  filling vegetables that give you bundles of energy. The GI diet is great for giving dieters plenty of energy although it is a lot of effort to prepare every meal. They will need this wholesome energy to cope with demanding dance routines and a hectic schedule.

Total Chunk Top Tip: If like X Factor act Miss Frank you may be embarking upon a hectic lifestyle and you want to lose weight, do not rely on sugar and caffeine to keep your energy levels up. Try the GI diet as a way of getting lots of energy released slowly over the day.

2009 has been a massive year for weddings amongst people I know and 2010 doesn’t seem to be letting up either. Weddings are an extremely stressful event in a person’s life because they inevitably require a huge amount of thought and organisation if you’re aiming to wed anywhere else other than Vegas. It’s not just the bride who contemplates losing weight, the bridesmaids, the mothers of the happy couple and even fathers and grooms go on a weight loss journey to look their best in the photographs. After all, most people enter into marriage not expecting to get another wedding day so they work really hard to make their wedding day something never to be forgotten.

Weddings are an excellent reason to lose weight

Everyone wants to look amazing in their wedding photos

Your wedding photos will potentially  haunt you for the rest of your life. My parents married 26 years ago, my mother in a navy suit and my father had permed hair! They can’t change fashions of the past which is partly why they only have a very small photo of their wedding tucked away in a glass cabinet.

Years later, everyone looks back and asks ‘what was I thinking?!’ regarding their clothes but there is nothing more heartbreaking than looking back and thinking ‘I could have looked so much better if I had made the effort’.

Only you can make that decision to change your diet so you can look your best when you get to live out the girlhood dream of marrying the man of your dreams. Seize the opportunity to change your lifestyle to one that will keep you slim and healthy for life.

And for here is a picture of me for  your amusement…

Slimmer days - I modeled my sister's wedding dress for her to put it on ebay last year.

I have been too busy with my new job and my philosophy exam to update Total Chunk this week but do not fear, I am back for good. All my good intentions went to hell and losing weight has been the last thing on my mind… so much so, that I ate a huge amount of cake this evening because I really didn’t know what else to do!

Anyway, just because I have been cramming knowledge in for my exam (it was on Wednesday) it doesn’t mean I haven’t been bursting with ideas for my beloved weight loss blog.

Today’s topic is detox diets. Celebrities such as Carol Vorderman will have you believe that they are the best thing since sliced bread. I can reveal here and now that there is actually no medical basis for such rave reviews.

Water is a natural detox on its own merit but too much is harmful

Don’t get me wrong, a detox diet will not harm you if you only follow it for a couple of days. Unfortunately, people are drawn in to undertaking potentially dangerous diets with false promises of weight loss. If you restrict your diet to 500 calories a day or less, you will of course lose weight on a detox diet. You will however, not be getting the nutrients you need to keep your immune system up and if you participate in a low calorie, high plant intake diet your body could go into starvation mode. When your body goes into starvation mode, you will hold on to fat as your body will try to conserve it for as long as possible for energy. Detox diets also have a high water intake and last year, a woman died as a result of drinking too much water. Water poisoning can happen to anyone of any age, health status etc. The water dilutes the salt your body needs to function and as a result your brain will swell and you could suffer potentially devastating consequences such as brain damage.

The truth is that you do not need to detox your body. Your liver and kidneys do the bulk of the filtering out of toxins with no outside assistance and rarely do they actually NEED it. You might feel ‘cleaner’ after three days of ‘detoxing’ but the likelihood is that you will be tired and lacking energy from a lack of protein and carbohydrate.  You will also probably gain more weight than you lost over the few days as your body is trying to regulate itself. When you are dieting, consistency is the key!

I also strongly believe that there is no need to detox using enemas regularly as this encourages your excretory system to become lazy. So when you stop using them, you could certainly find it hard to have a natural bowel movement. If you ask your doctor, I expect you will be given the same advice.

Total Chunk Top Tip: Detox diets will not help you lose weight as a part of a long-term solution as your body will find it hard to regulate itself and you may gain weight. If you feel compelled to detox, do not participate for longer than three days and be careful about your water intake as too much can be very harmful.

Yes, tomorrow is certainly a new day and I am wiping the slate clean and starting afresh. This is because for the last two weeks I’ve not been very well. I started out with flu symptoms for a week and to be honest, I was a bit of a fanny and life completely ground to a halt. My hope was that rest and TLC would cure me but it wasn’t to be as it moved to my chest. This week I have been hacking my guts like an old man with a name like Cuthbert. I’ve also had headaches but I found out this was due to the solvents in the numerous coloured sharpie pens I’ve been using whilst studying for my post grad exam in philosophy next week. Oops.

I am not proud to admit it, but the diet went completely on hold and I stopped taking Proactol as my weight loss experiment is in theory, scientific. This means I should be eating a bit better but exercising too along with taking the tablets. After all, Proactol is a slimming aid, not a magic pill as such a creation doesn’t exist!

It’s weird, since I stopped taking the Proactol my visits to the bathroom have been less frequent and I’ve definitely been more bloated. I think this is because Proactol is a fibre complex and we all know that fibre helps what I shall refer to the less pleasant end results of digestion!

So I’m feeling much better and not coughing anywhere near as much so it all starts tomorrow. However, I won’t be exercising until later on in the week as I have an exam on Wednesday and I am BRICKING myself because I don’t think I have a reasonable enough grip on the course material (that i’ll remember in exam conditions anyway!) Why does everything massive and important all have to start in the same week?!

I’ve sorted out my first day outfit but I’ll iron it tomorrow and paint my toenails tomorrow morning. I’m terrified my alarm won’t go off but I doubt I’ll sleep thanks to nerves and stress about my exam anyway. My diet will start again tomorrow so I’ll be eating properly and taking Proactol as planned. Wish me luck in starting again!

I can think of one very good reason to lose weight quickly: you’re about to go on a date. Not just any date though… you’ve met someone online and you have really got a connection with them. Oh, he’s funny and sweet and attentive and his pictures have all got your heart racing! There is only one problem. You’re meeting him soon and your picture is an old one and you’ve put on a bit of weight since! You don’t really look like your picture any more with your large tummy and second chin and you’re sure he’ll flounce out the restaurant claiming you lied to him.

The first date is always terrifying

Online dating is a minefield of problems as you might feel chemistry online but in person, it is very different and you may or may not be feeling it.

I met Jonny online and at first he said we couldn’t meet as I lived too far away but we got chatting and he announced that he had to meet me that evening. So he booked a hotel room and drove 100 miles to meet me. We really hit it off and the first kiss was amazing as we had incredible chemistry. We fell in love very quickly and six weeks later, we decided that I would move 100 miles away from my family, friends and life to be with him as his career was more established than mine. We are living proof that online dating CAN work. I don’t just want to be with him, I want a life with him.

We all feel anxious on a first date, particularly if your date is gorgeous!

How can you make online dating work for you?

• Always be yourself. It is exhausting pretending you love football too when you really don’t care about anything but the footballers thighs. You will always get found out and he’ll feel deceived.
• Don’t put up a picture of yourself that is 10 years out of date. When he meets you, he’ll decide you are insecure and will again, feel deceived.
• Don’t feel pressured to put out on the first date. If you want to that’s fine but just because your online conversations became sexual early, it doesn’t mean you have to drop your pants at the end of the first evening. Your normal rules do apply.
• Remember your manners! This applies to both ladies and gentlemen! Guys, pull out her chair for her, take her coat and walk on the road side so she is protected from traffic. My dad still does that for me when we’re out and I have always expected that from guys I date. Ladies, remember to say please and thank you, at least offer to split the bill and thank him for a wonderful evening, even if it was average!
• Don’t bang on about your ex! It’s one thing to briefly mention you were hurt by your ex so you’re cautious about dating again. However, there is no need to go into detail otherwise you will just look like you’re not over it and ready to move on.

Hopefully, these pointers will set you up for your first hot date thanks to the internet. If you have any other advice for Total Chunk readers, please feel free to comment below.