Louisa's Weight Loss Blog

A few weeks ago I had a stroke of good luck and came in to a bit of money at a casino. I gave myself a small shopping budget as I’ve not had much time to shop and not really had the spare money to revamp my wardrobe as I’d like. The first thing I bought was a pair of Fit Flops. I was going to opt for the cheaper Walkstar range at £36 but I figured I might as well shell out a bit more for the pair I actually like!

Fit Flops - £50 from John Lewis

I bought the silver sequinned Fit Flops from the Electra range from John Lewis for £50. I did consider the studded ‘Rebel’ Fit Flops but at £60 for a pair, I had to draw the line somewhere!

What do Fit Flops look like?

Looks-wise, the fit flops are rather chunky but the more expensive designs are worth picking if you want to wear your Fit Flops to work and want to look a bit smarter. I’ve got scary-looking skinny feet and ankles so on me I look like I’m wearing someone else’s shoes!

The Electra range come in black sequins, white/iridescent, gold and bronze so you can always colour-coordinate your Fit Flops with the outfits you would normally wear. The makers of Fit Flops also do shoes for men and children. Fortunately for those who want to try Fit Flops but can’t get along with toe-posts, there are other designs that have the same microwobbleboard technology so deliver the same results. The clogs are discrete but not exactly to my taste but there are open-toe sandal versions for men which are particularly good looking for summer. In women’s there is the ‘Rockstar Walkstar’ shoe which is a flip flop style encrusted in Swarovsky crystals. These are only available from Harrods though.

What do Fit Flops feel like?

My Fit Flops are incredibly comfortable. This is because the sole of the shoe is thick so when your heel strikes the ground it is well padded. You’d think that flip flops that are meant to give you a ‘workout as you walk’ would hurt but to begin with I wasn’t really sure they were working as I walked. I only noticed the difference between Fit Flops and normal shoes when I took them off. They are certainly very comfortable to wear and even if they didn’t do what they claimed, I would be happy to wear them but rather resent the price.

Do Fit Flops really work?

According to the Fit Flop website, their shoes do the following:

• Ease back strain
• Ease pressure on the knees and ankles
• Improve your posture
• Improve muscle tone

Fit Flops incorporate microwobbleboard technology – this basically de-stablises the body as you walk working your calves and bottom more than you would if you were walking bare foot or in normal shoes. The pressure on heels, ankles and knees are relieved as the wearer walks. After wearing the Fit Flops regularly, you should notice your calves are slimmer and bottom firmer. No studies have been officially conducted on people who are overweight but those who do have weight problems and purchased a pair of Fit Flops have reported that pressure on their knees and ankles has been a relief and as a result overweight Fit Flop wearers have been more mobile and able to start their weight loss journey in earnest.

Conclusion:If you don’t mind spending £36-£80 on a pair of Fit Flops then they really are comfortable enough to warrant the price. Like most women, I have cellulite and the appearance of it makes me feel rather sick if I catch sight of my bottom or thighs in the mirror. After two weeks of almost constant wearing of my Electra Fit Flops, my bottom looks slightly less dimpled but I would imagine you would have to wear them for that much longer to see a real improvement without energetic gym visits.

I bought my Fit Flops from John Lewis as they sell a great range of styles and colours of Fit Flops. They also do free standard delivery on orders over £30 which is pretty handy.

Aloe Vera Plant

If you’re a bit squeamish about bathroom visits, probably best to give this post a miss! I won’t be graphic but I know not everybody is comfortable discussing it!

I don’t mind admitting I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It must be a family thing as we all seem to have it! Anyway, about 2-3 weeks ago, somebody suggested I start taking aloe vera tablets to help ease my symptoms e.g. bloating, cramps, constipation etc. The results have actually been fantastic and I was benefiting soon after taking my first tablet.

I have been taking the high strength tablets (one a day) and at first, I’ll admit I was skeptical – you put aloe vera on your boo boos, not in your mouth! I’m going to the toilet daily instead of twice a week, my stomach is flatter because I’m not bloated and uncomfortable after lunch and I don’t appear to be retaining water like I used to. This is a common complaint for women, particularly at ‘that time of the month’.

I can’t make any promises that this is for everyone and if you are already on medication for other ailments then do speak with your doctor before you take any supplements.

All I can say is that Aloe Vera tablets have made a massive difference to me. I didn’t change my diet and I’ve not done any exercise in the last 2 months as life has been rather busy! If only I had considered earlier that my final few lbs to lose were down to IBS and it could be counteracted with a simple table, I would have tried this yonks ago!

Funnily enough, I was able to wear my ‘target weight’ jeans last Friday with no gross hip and belly over hang. This I consider to be a small victory and I fully intend to continue taking the aloe vera tablets for as long as I see the benefit.

I am a firm believer that when you are dieting to lose weight, you need to have a little of what you fancy – studies have shown that people who can’t sustain weight loss are those that are constantly denying themselves the smallest of tasty pleasures. Bear in mind they all add up but part of dieting is learning what works for you, whether it is cutting out carbs, going vegetarian or taking certain vitamin supplements.

One of my little pleasures is marmalade on my toast. I saw this news article this morning  and thought I’d write a little blog post about my love for marmalade. It is yummy and my favourite treat to spread on toast. Yes, I know it is high in sugar but a teaspoon of marmalade is all you need for a slice of bread and you certainly don’t need to butter your toast before spreading a small teaspoon of marmalade!

When it comes to calories, choosing the right marmalade is a bit of a minefield! I’ve seen some that are 20 cals per teaspoon and some that are 80 calories so always check the label if you are trying to save calories but bear in mind that the sugar-free stuff invariably tastes rubbish and fake.

At the moment, I am LOVING grapefruit marmalade. I have searched for ages for the Tipton grapefruit marmalade (pictured) but with no luck.

I bought the Marks and Spencer’s Ruby Red Grapefruit marmalade (£1.55) today but it’s a bit sugary and doesn’t taste very sharp or fruity which is a complete let down to me but I’m sure others may feel differently. I’ll leave it in the fridge at work and invite colleagues to help me get through the jar as I’m hardly about to waste it!

So come on then readers, what do YOU like to spread on your toast as a treat?

It’s all TOP SECRET at the moment… but I have started taking a new weight loss pill and diet plan so that I can report back to Total Chunk readers at the end of the February about the product’s effectiveness.

Looking at the packaging, I’m not convinced or impressed with the product but I do hope for the sake of those who already take the diet pill that it does actually work!

Without giving too much away, it really does look like an expensive multivitamin – looking down the ingredient’s list it appears to be a list of vitamins with caffeine. When was a vitamin deficiency the root of weight gain?

Anyway, watch this space and I really do hope that I am wrong about this diet pill…

This is a typical dieter’s dilemma: I’m trying to lose weight but none of my clothes fit! It seems pointless buying stuff when it probably won’t fit in a few weeks…

Limited Collection Tunic from Yours Clothing

If you’re a regular visitor to Total Chunk, you probably have seen a banner for ‘Yours Clothing’. They’re a fantastic retailer of clothes made especially for women from sizes 14-32. Not only are their clothes cut and designed for bigger women, the prices are excellent. Now is a fantastic time to visit their website as their sale is still on but the spring lines are already out!

I piled weight on a bit over Christmas but sensible eating seems to have levelled everything out even though I’d still like to be firmer. I am a UK size 12-14 on my bottom half (UK size 8-10 up top – I’m a typical British pear-shape) It means that the stuff at Yours Clothing is now too big for me. whilst this IS exciting, it’s frustrating because they stock a lot of fantastic stuff that is the right price for a ‘transition wardrobe’

There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t take pride in your appearance, particularly if you are in the process of trying to lose weight. They’ve got some fantastic items in that will certainly contribute to helping to boost your confidence and get the compliments rolling in!

Take a look and let me know what you think of this ‘find’… just don’t try and stay bigger so you can keep shopping here!

So not only does it log your steps and workouts, you can get any colour you like!

(more…)

Jonny is my lovely boyfriend. Jonny and I are trying to lose a bit of weight but Jonny likes beer. We have realised that this is more problematic than we originally thought.

Beer is hugely popular but not good for calories counters

Bless him, he gave up beer for only a couple of weeks and he lost 7lbs with no extra effort. Unfortunately, he’s put the weight back on and this makes him sad which in turn makes me sad. I don’t like being sad so I’m on a fact-finding mission…

Anyway, I’ve found a website called Aleuminati  (I’m waiting for my membership to be confirmed) but once I get on the forums, I’m hoping to be able to source the best beers for dieters. After all, we should all get to enjoy a little of what we fancy as long as we don’t take it too far and get ‘rat-arsed’ every night and drink 1000 calories in the process!

Watch this space – I’m hoping to find out what the tastiest beers are that are diet-friendly too!

Will surgery really help you to lose weight?

Going under the knife seems like a drastic method to lose weight, after all, anaesthetic can be deadly and things could go wrong if you pick the wrong doctor…

Z-list celebrity Kerry Katona infamously put herself through thousands of pounds worth of cosmetic surgery to acheive her ideal body after having four children understandably took its toll.

The trouble with Kerry was that she wasn’t willing to put in the hard work to keep the weight off, so she piled on the lbs as her life continued to spiral out of control.

Are you thinking about liposuction?

There is no shame in turning to a surgeon for help when it comes to losing weight. If you have turned to diet and exercise and lost a lot of weight but the last few lbs are tough to shift then lipo really could be for you. The only problem is if you don’t change your diet and exercise programme accordingly, you are likely to put weight back on and waste your time and money.

There are two types of liposuction:

• There is a more aggressive form where a tube (called a cannula) is inserted into the fatty area and pushed in and out whilst a vacuum literally pumps out all the fat in the required area. This is done under a general anaesthetic and can be painful. Patients are required to wear structured underwear for a few weeks otherwise remaining fat could become lumpy and uneven.
• Tumescent Liposuction is much simpler and more for those who can’t shift stubborn pockets of fat. A solution is injected into the problem area and over time the fat dissolves. There are less side effects and the recovery time is considerably quicker than traditional liposuction.

Do I approve of people who choose liposuction as a weight loss method? I don’t approve of liposuction for people who need to lose a lot of weight and have not tried other options first, however, I am practical enough to understand that these treatments are available and are the right choice for some people.

Cosmetic treatments like this aren’t the easy way out as keeping the weight off is YOUR job, not the surgeon’s. If you are contemplating a treatment like liposuction, ask yourself the following questions first, the correct answer should be obvious:

1. Can I achieve the same results without treatment?
2. Is the doctor I’ve chosen fully qualified and experienced?
3. Do I like and trust my doctor?
4. Is this my decision or am I under pressure from someone else?
5. What are the risks involved?
6. How long until I can resume normal activities?
7. Will I be reviewed after the treatment?
8. Will I need pain relief?
9. How frequently does the doctor I have chosen carry this procedure out?
10. Will there be any added costs?

Last week, I was sat watching the TV minding my own business when an advert came up through the TV and smacked me right in the face. Well, obviously not literally but I was surprised all the same.

The advert was for a cd box set of 5 cds that is purely songs to go running too. 101 of them to be precise.

Now, a lot of them clearly are not my taste in music but my biggest problem is how the b****y hell are you meant to run to The Fray’s ‘how to save a life‘? It’s hardly upbeat and positive and if anything, the line “I would have stayed up with you all night had I known how to save a life” catches me in the throat every time as we spent 2 days by my grandmother’s hospital bed watching her slowly slip away back in 2006. P!nk’s ‘Who Knew‘ still gets me with the line ‘If someone said three years from now, you’d be long gone, I’d stand up and punch them out, cos they’re all wrong. I know better, cos you said for ever.’ Anyway, I digress but my point was that songs like that are hardly running songs.

If I am running, I like to listen to very noisy rock or even metal music with the exact intention of drowning out my thoughts because sometimes they can be rather loud. ‘Meds‘ by Placebo has a bit that just sounds like noise and it clears any bad thoughts from my head so I love running to it.

Why should you run to music?

• Music can help lower your perception about the amount of effort you’re putting into your workout. It’s almost as if your mind and body separate, and if you’re into your music enough, you can ignore the niggling aches that would have bothered you when you weren’t listening to anything at all.
• Listening to music as you run can help you develop a more effective running technique i.e. how your foot hits the floor and the follow through (take notice of the beats per minute)
• If you match the tempo of the music to your pace, you can reduce the amount of oxygen you need by 6%! (source: www.runtothebeat.co.uk)

I don’t rate this CD very highly as I believe that you should create your own playlists that match your pace and ability perfectly. If you’re more of a placid jogger, running to house music isn’t going to help! Digital music players make creating your own playlists a doddle but if you really can’t live without this 5 cd boxset, you can get it from Amazon

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.