The importance of sports bras.

A few weeks ago, when I was changing for my weekly exercise class, I realised I'd forgotten my sports bra. Bit annoying, but I figured I'd just make do with what I had and exercise in a regular bra. I know, I know, you should always wear a sports bra when doing strenuous exercise, but what harm could just one session do, really?

The. Bra. BROKE.

One of the straps broke clean in two, with ten minutes to go before the end of my exercise class. It was mortifying. I had to spend the rest of the class with one of my arms clasped to my chest, doing all the exercises one-sided. I mean, I say mortifying – it was mostly just hilarious (my fitness teacher laughed for five solid minutes when I told her), but it also really freaked me out. We all know that we SHOULD wear sports bras, right? They’re better for your back, and all sorts. But this was a clear, tangible sign that some bras are physically not STRONG enough to support your bouncing boobies during exercise.

That’s a pretty extreme situation, but the ramifications of not wearing a sports bra are very real. If your boobs aren’t properly supported and are bouncing about all over the place (you’re loving the imagery, I hope), you’re actually making gradual, small tears in the tissue inside your breasts. This is permanent. You know those old ladies you see on the street with boobs down to their waistband? That’s most likely from a lifetime of never wearing a bra.

Until now I’ve been wearing a very cheap sports bra from Primark. It does the job, but the elastic is already stretchier than it was and I’ve been worrying that it wasn’t helping all that much. So when LingeriePlease offered to send me a Triumph bra to test-drive for Where Are My Knees, I obviously jumped at the chance.

I actually can’t recommend it enough. The bra is very well-fitted, but also not uncomfortable. In fact, I’m not really aware I’m wearing it at all. But it’s seen me through several very energetic Zumba classes, with hardly a bounce in sight (and I’m an E cup). I wore my older bra the other week and really noticed the difference – wearing a good bra made me realise how supported I wasn’t.

What about you? Are you wearing a good bra to exercise in? Or is it on your to do list?

Sunday Summary #37

Gemma - I couldn't attend class this week because I had to work but I weighed at home and I have either maintained my weight or stayed the same (can't really tell with my scales) I have been really good all week and went to M&S to stock up on lots of lovely Count on Us food. They have all the Weight Watchers Pro Points written on them which is handy and are very filling and tasty. I also plan to make some more soups this week.
Anyone following the WW plan? What do you think of the changes?

Sarah V - A pound and a half off this week which I'm happy with! I really have been good lately - just trying to stick to it until all the Christmas socials start!

Charlene - There's always something that gets in the way! Was quite happily doing the 30 Day Shred when I went and hurt my ankle. I've still been doing some crunches and arm weights but haven't really seen any improvements like I would have if I had stuck to the shred. Hoping I'll be okay to restart it tomorrow!

Sarah got MARRIED yesterday and is off on her honeymoon! We are so excited for her and wish Sarah and her new Mr all the luck in the world for their life together as newlyweds!

Guest post - Sarah from She's Coming Undone

This weeks guest  post is brought to you by the lovely Sarah from She's Coming Undone.

Low self-esteem is an issue that most young women and surprisingly a lot of men suffer from. I am one of those people. Low self-esteem has always been a problem for me ever since I started senior school I would say. There are many reasons for my low self-esteem, most being around issues with my weight and with bullying. I was bullied by a girl I went to school with from a very young age, mostly about my weight and my family’s weight as I come from a family full of obese people. I used to fear going to school and never walked home alone because of passing her house on the way. These fears led to more and more negative thoughts which in turn gave me lower and lower self-esteem. The bullying continued all the way through school up to an incident when we were 14 where she attacked me on the way home from a local shop with two of her friends which resulted in the police being involved.

Even now I still look out every time I walk past her parents’ house, even though she no longer lives there, it’s the fear and remembrance of one of the lowest points of my life. Through the low self-esteem I have become somewhat a social recluse, I struggle to make new friendships and often unintentionally sabotage the ones I currently have out of fear of what they will think of me, and how much I might get hurt.

Going to University was a turning point for me, I took a huge risk and moved into student halls of residence which placed me living with 5 other people every day and I have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life and one of best things I ever did for myself. It forced me out there to socialise with other people, I was still somewhat shy and reserved, but me and one of my flatmates constantly clicked and I would say she really helped me develop myself. It wasn’t a miraculous change, I still only spent time with people she or my other flatmates knew, I didn’t let very many people get close to me, but it was still progress in my eyes.

During my second year though I fell ill in the first week of term and I was off for the first 12 weeks of the semester right up to Christmas. This ruined our friendship, and I moved back home and since then I have to say I have returned to many of my old ways. I have lost contact with most of my friends from school and college and those I do know I still see little. I’ve returned to the old fears and thoughts and the cycle is very hard to break.

May this year I decided to do something about it, I was at probably my lowest point by then, I wasn’t going out at all other than for university and work. But having spent 4 weeks finishing my dissertation with now access to outside world I knew I was ready to change. So I started going to a self-esteem counselling group through the university. I almost backed out at the start but I am so glad I went, to meet and talk with other people and realise you are not the only person who has these thoughts and these fears was so relieving.  There were even people that were worse off than me in terms of self-esteem which made me realise I wasn’t ready to take a step back but needed to take one forward.

The group session wasn’t about talking about what the issues of your low self-esteem were, in fact it never even came up at all really, what it was about was small changes you could make to help improve your self-esteem. Each week we had a topic to talk about and then a small goal to set ourselves for the following week that was related to the topic we had discuss. So I thought I would share these with you.

1.  Body Language/Gestures – This is the use of words like “I can’t”, “I don’t know how” or gestures such as turning away, avoiding eye contact
2.  Assertiveness - this is mostly around the issue of yes and no. have you ever had someone ask you to do something and you want to say no, but you say yes because you’re worried about what they will think if you say no? This is one of the signs of low self-esteem. – So be assertive. Say no. Even just once and for something simple can be very empowering. 
3.  Positive Thinking – are you a half full or half empty type of person? If you’re half empty it could be a sign of low self-esteem. Do you automatically assume the worst will happen? Do your thoughts constantly spiral from one negative thought to another? If something goes wrong is it the end of the world, does it feel like everything is going wrong? Changing our thought patterns from negative thoughts to even neutral ones can have a surprisingly positive effect on your self-esteem. Using words such as maybe, possibly instead of I can’t, I don’t know how. Not assuming the worst will happen and thinking, well I don’t know what’s going to happen.
4. Stress Management – Stress is our perceived ability to handle a situation, so the lower your self-esteem the more stressed you will become as you will automatically assume you can’t cope with the situation you’re in or that’s arising. This can also lead to more negative thought processes as well. When you are stressed it’s important to take out time for yourself. Small things like taking care of yourself often get neglected. Make sure you do all the usual things you would do, shower, moisturise, and then do something a little more. Paint your nails, watch a movie, have a bath instead of a shower. Even 5 minutes to unwind is better than none at all.

With low self-esteem it’s so very easy to take a step backwards into the spiral of low self-esteem so it’s important to remember to keep making these small changes. Even a small change of thought or gesture can make a significant difference in your confidence and each small step forward is better than a step backwards. Even I have to keep reminding myself of this sometimes.

Why soup is super!

If you’re struggling to find an easy low-fat, low-cost lunch that’s going to be comforting and warming in the cold winter months, then may I suggest soup?

I used to think I hated soup, and then had a moment last winter when I really fancied it, so bought some and realised that I don’t hate it at ALL. I’m not that keen on how my mother makes it, sure, and I've got incredibly lazy and hardly cook any more, but the fresh pots that you can buy from supermarkets, Covent Garden Soup Co and Marks & Spencer are brilliant. They’re also an AMAZING lunch if you’re dieting, so if you work somewhere with access to a microwave, get some soup down you!

Here are some of the benefits of soup…

It keeps you fuller for longer.
Science has spoken! Tests were carried out on two groups of people – the first ate a meal with water, the second ate the same meal & water turned into soup. The second group took twice the time to get hungry.

This is because when you eat a meal with water, the water leaves your system first, taking your stomach from full to half-full. When you eat soup – which has a lot of water in it – your system is forced to process it differently. Because the water is combined it can’t just remove that instantly, so the body has to work harder to digest the entire meal at once – meaning that your stomach physically does stay fuller for longer. Here is an article about it!

It’s REALLY low calorie and low fat.
There are very few soups on offer in the supermarkets that are over 5% fat, and most are under 200 calories for half the carton. There are even some that are 200 calories for the whole carton – such as Covent Garden Leek & Potato which is really filling. So if you know you’re going to have a naughty dinner, or are making up for overeating the day before, it’s a brilliant, saintly lunch that still tastes good. It even has CREAM in it – and it still under 5% fat.

There are loads of varieties.
Flipping LOADS. My favourites are the soups with lots of bits in them – I love M&S Moroccan Chicken, Covent Garden’s Thai Chicken & Rice, Sainsbury’s Chicken Laksa. Look out for ones that include potatoes or other carbs as they’ll be thicker and more filling – Leek & Potato, Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash, etc.

It’s cheap!
A carton of soup typically costs around £2-3 which should cover lunch for two days. A lot of places do offers at this time of year – Covent Garden is £1 in some places, or 3 for 2. This basically means you can get lunch for the week sorted for less than a fiver. Bargain!


Soup is even cheaper to make, of course! Check out some of the recipes we've posted here in the past...

Butternut Squash, Spinach and Feta Lasagne

Pro Points: 8
Servings: 2
Cooking Time: 30 mins

	Ingredients 450 g Butternut Squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1cm cubes
	4 sprays Cooking Spray, Calorie Controlled
	150 g Tomatoes, Cherry, halved
	225 g Spinach, washed
	3 sheets Lasagne Sheet, dried, 20 x 15cm, cut in half
	2 tablespoons (level) Pesto Sauce
	75 g Cheese, Feta, light
	1 pinch Salt
	1/2 teaspoons (ground) Pepper, Black (Whole, Cracked or Ground)
	1 tablespoons Basil, fresh, to garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200°C/fan oven 180°C.

Put the butternut squash into a roasting pan and spray with the cooking spray, tossing to coat lightly. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the squash is just tender, then add the tomatoes and roast for 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spinach in a small amount of water for 2–3 minutes, until the leaves have wilted. Drain well, squeezing out the excess moisture with the back of a spoon. At the same time, bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the lasagne and cook for 3–4 minutes.

Remove the squash and tomatoes from the oven and stir the pesto sauce through them.

Drain the lasagne sheets well, and then layer them on to two warmed plates with the squash mixture and spinach. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top, drizzle with any remaining roasting juices, then serve, garnished with basil leaves.

This meal was very different to what I normally cook but it's good to change things up a little. If I made it again I would use more spinach and tomatoes and a little less squash as I found it a little sweet.

Irish Beef Stew

I have really been listening to what my leader has been saying in class the past few week. Processed food contains a lot of salt which is obviously bad for you but also means you retain water, not good for weight loss. She also said that people who have been on the Weight Watchers plan for a long time start to guess the points values of food and eat the same things resulting in smaller losses. I thought I would go back to basics and make some nice warming winter recipes, making sure I weighed all the ingredients. This stew recipe serves four and was pretty cheap to make it tastes really good too!


Irish Beef Stew


Serves 4
6 Pro Points per serving
Prep 20 mins
Cooking time 160 mins

Ingredients

5 sprays of Fry Light
1 large onion
500g of lean stewing beef
2 medium leeks
1 1/2 stock cubes (I used 1 beef and 1 veg for extra flavour, I didn't add any salt because stock contains a lot)
400g of potatoes cut into chunks
50g of peas, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons of parsley
Freshly gound black pepper


Instructions

Heat cooking spray in a large suacepan then add the stewing steak a little at a time so it sears and browns.

Add the onion, carrots, leeks and stock. Season with pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered for 2 hours. Check the level of liquid and add more stock if needed.

When the meat is tender add the potatoes and cook until tender for about 20 minutes. Stir the peas in and cook for a couple of minutes and sprinkle with parsley before you serve.

I was suprised about how much meat and potato was in the stew, very filling!
What are your favourite winter warming recipes?

Sunday Summary #36

Another week down, have have you all been getting on with your goals? We'd love to hear from you!

Gemma- Another great week for me with a 2lb loss. I think all the cooking I have done has payed off. Going to make a huge effort to measure all my food and be strict with tracking what I eat so I lose 2lbs each week in the build up to Christmas. I just got a new job and I can't go to the same Weight Watcher class in the new year when my hours start. I will have to go back to my old class that I attended before I moved house. I really hope this change isn't going to hinder my weight loss.

Sarah V - I couldn't make my weigh-in this week so I don't know really how I've done. I think I've stayed about the same. I'm already starting to struggle with lots of pre-Christmas social occasions but am doing my best to stay on the straight and narrow... I did indulge in chips last night though, ooops!

Charlene - I'm back from working away in Newcastle and the reality is that despite making use of the gym I've still gained a few lbs. Too scared to get on the scales but I had a sudden surge of motivation last night and in my sleepy state completed the 30 day shred! Done it again today and I'm ready to shed some lbs and look fab in the dress I'm gonna buy for my works Christmas party on the 17th of December! BRING IT ON!

Guest Post - Dawn from Disappearing Dawn

Arrrghh – what am I going to wear for that party?

Party season is fast approaching and it’s a time of year I normally dread. For years I’ve been very overweight (last Christmas I was a size 22) which isn’t great for party frocks, especially when all your mates are in skimpy skirts and fab dresses. Plus size retailers seem to specialise in sacks – generally in black with some sequins if you’re lucky. Although it’s getting better, it’s still harder to get (and feel) glamorous if you’re large, and I should know.

Back in 2007 I was 21 ½ stone, and about a size 30. Health problems meant that I had to lose some weight, so my first real diet was with Boots – using Orlistat (the drug that inhibits fat absorption). Over a year 1 lost 4 stone and was pretty pleased – but then I reached a plateau and just couldn’t move any more. A year with Slimming World saw just ½ stone come off, and I really lost my mojo. 2010 was a terrible year, illness and bereavement left me not really caring what I ate, and the pounds started creeping back on – so in April this year when my “trousers of truth” got too tight, I decided it was time to take action. I found out about a meal replacement and skin therapy program called Alizonne – a friend of my mum’s had just lost 5 stone and looked great – so I signed up and joined in!

7 months later, 6 stone lighter and not much excess skin to speak of, I feel like a new woman. I’m now in the process of “phasing off” – reintroducing foods one group at a time – and will be completely finished for Christmas. I feel healthier than I have done in years, have been eating more salad and veg than you can shake a stick at for the whole of the diet, plus a daily intake of  5 quite tasty foods made up from sachets (and they’re not all shakes or soup, which is nice).

So this year will be my first party season as a “normal” sized woman since I was 18 – I’m slimmer, healthier and embracing my size 12 and 14 dresses! 

I will see many friends I haven’t seen since last Christmas, and can’t wait to see their shocked faces. As well as smaller dresses, I’ll also be wearing higher heels – it’s surprising how comfy heels are when you’re not carrying all that weight. I don’t think I’ll be out dancing in my 4 ½ “ Dune platform stilettos yet though, I’m still holding onto the kitchen cupboards when I wear them at home.

But what to wear, that’s the question? After far too many years to remember of shopping in Evans and Ann Harvey, I really don’t know where to start. And what about all those lovely clothes I have from previous years?  And could I buy something second hand or borrow something to reduce the costs – this being a busy season financially too?

It was discussing this idea, and my husband’s frequent lament that I shouldn’t buy clothes but just rent them, as I’d been losing size so quickly, that led me to collaborate with the Wardrobe Angel on a style event for larger ladies. I could sell all my lovely clothes (some hardly worn, some still with tags on), she could do styling, and we could get some other people in to do pampering and stuff! If you like the sound of that, you should check out the details of what has become The Big Style Event on Nov 26^th https://sites.google.com/site/bigstyleevent/

 

In the meantime, I’ve been shopping for this year’s party frock – with a hectic social calendar leading up to Christmas I’m sure I’ll get my wear out of the three outfits I’ve bought – and if you want to keep tabs on me, you can check out my blog for pics of the seasonal outfits http://disappearingdawn.blogspot.com/

 

I’ve tried to go for things that will multi-task. A black velvet pencil skirt from TKMAXX will be my mainstay – it’s elasticated with a wide waistband that can be turned over, so I can effectively change the length from floor skimming to mid calf. It will still fit if I lose a few more pounds, and can be worn with a wide variety of tops and evening jackets – dressed up for Hollywood glamour or dressed down for dinner with friends.

I’ve got quite a variety of evening jackets – and despite being much smaller they still all fit OK – in the main they are untailored, floaty material and have proved to be a good buy. Worn over an evening dress or top and skirt, they add a bit a movement and in some cases drama! The more kimono style ones can be worn belted for a different look too, and are very fashionable at the moment. I stuck with classic colours when I bought mine – black, silver and red – but that’s because I generally wore black underneath!

And then I have a more flirty, slinky wrap dress for livelier parties – it’s very plain, so I’ll be accessorising it with belts or jewellery depending on the party – have already worked out about 3 different looks for that one dress.

Finally, my investment piece for the season is a long red dress from Mango – I usually go to 2 or 3 black tie events a year, and this one will be good for all of them. It’s a very dramatic, Grecian style dress, but with no embellishments – so I can decorate it using jewellery, belts, shrugs, fur wraps etc to give it lots of different looks. 

In each case, I’ve picked the bit of me I like most (my waist which is now tiny!) and bought styles that accentuate that bit and play down the rest - covering or hiding bingo wings, disguising pear shaped hips and coping with being only 5 ft 4.

So, my top tips for Christmas style? Play to your strengths, buy things that accentuate your loveliest bit(s), buy things that are classic rather than fashionable, in simple styles that can be dressed in lots of different ways, and make the most of accessories – no matter how much weight you lose, a handbag will always fit!

Carrot and Ginger Soup

The temperature in South Wales has plummeted recently so I'm on a big soup making mission. Sandwiches really aren't the best thing to take to work in the winter.  This carrot and ginger soup recipe was my favourite out of all the soups I made last week. It is only 1 Pro Point per serving so it is a Monday soup if you have indulged on the weekend, great as a starter before your main meal or a low point snack to keep you going in between meals.

Ingredients

1 medium onion
1 teaspoon of fresh or ground ginger
1 Vegetable stock cube, add 1 1/2 pints of water
350g of carrots
15g of soup pasta (I just broke up some normal pasta)
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Instructions

Heat the onion and ginger in a covered pan, with about 6 tablespoons of the stock.

Add the carrots when the onion is soft.

Pour in the remaining stock and bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer and cook, covered for about 20 minutes.

Liquidise the soup or just use a potato masher to break up the carrots.

Add the pasta and season to taste.

Heat through for another 5 minutes until the pasta is soft.


What are your favourite combinations in soup?
Let me know if you make it and what you thought!

Sunday Summary #35

Gemma: -3lbs this week, hurrah! this takes me to -54.5. I would love to hit the -60 mark before early December and then try to maintain my weight over Christmas with a possibly 1-2lb gain. I think this weeks weight loss was a delayed reaction from last week rather than me being particularly good this week. I haven't got many events or nights out planned until December so no excuses not to do well.

Sarah V - 2.5lbs off this week! I was hoping for 3lbs to make up for gaining it the week before, but at least it's almost there. With Christmas in sight, my motivation is 100% back and I've found myself making an extra effort to work exercise into my daily routine, and scrutinising the calorie and fat counts on labels when I grab a sandwich as a quick snack! I'm missing my usual Rosemary Conley class this week, but I'm going to make the effort to go to a different class so I stay on track.

Sarah -1.5lbs this week, like Sarah V I was hoping for more to make up for the previous two weeks gains.  I was 100% on plan so hopefully I will get a big loss this coming week although the wedding I went to yesterday may have scuppered that :(

Much better results for Team Where Are My Knees this week! How was your week?

Guest Post - Samantha from MinnyBites

Hi there everyone!

For anyone who doesn’t know me (which is most of you) my name is Samantha and I’m from the blog MinnyBites where everything is delicious in a mini-bite. Now I must admit that I had a lot of trouble with this task because if you’ve ever read my blog you’ll notice that I adore butter. I worship at the alter of caster sugar and I bow down in front of full fat milk. For a long time I believed that dieting was a myth, and then I discovered Where Are My Knees? and I saw that dieting is a massive market. It’s a whole community of people striving to eat better and to feel better...so when Gemma suggested a guest spot, I was like “Oh hell yes”.

This recipe was inspired by my mother. She is a diabetic and normally can only comment on the look of my cupcakes and treats while she has to leave it to my father And myself to taste and enjoy the treats. So it meant a lot to me to produce something she could actually eat.

Let me explain that, depending on who you speak to, diabetics are allowed honey in moderation and a small amount of fat. In fact, my mother finds that a small amount of fat in her diet helps with the feeling in her feet and so this recipe was perfect for her!  I hope you like it too.

Ingredients:

120g Flour

40g Low Fat Margarine or Butter

1 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 Tbsp Honey

1 Banana Crushed

1 Egg

120ml Semi or Skimmed Milk

Method:

1. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the margarine or butter and using either a handheld mixer or an electric mixer allow the ingredients to mix until you get a sandy consistency. If it starts to cream together then don’t panic, its just because the margarine is softer than a normal full fat butter. It’s real life. It happens.

3. In a separate bowl, mash the banana and add the honey. You don’t have to mix this up too well because it’s going to mix in the dry ingredients.

4. Slowly but gradually add the milk to the dry ingredients while mixing. It is important to beat at a medium speed to get everything combined at a good rate but don’t get too cocky, keep to a speed that you’re comfortable with. You need to be in control of your kitchen equipment.

5. Add the egg to your mixture while beating it.

6. Lastly, add the banana and honey to your mixture and beat until well combined.
7. Bake in cupcake cases at 170 degrees C for 12 – 15 minutes depending on your oven.

Right, now, I like to top these with whipped cream (hence the chat about the fat). You can either use single or double cream depending on what level of fat you’d like and if this is going to be a blow out treat or something a little more conservative. I also added a bit of cinnamon to the whipped cream to give it some flavour but you can also beat some mascapone or cream cheese to the cream. The topping can be your own completely.

I really hope you like this recipe and that it goes well for you too!

Samantha has a project called Let Them Eat Cake and if you would like to find out more about this click here.

Sunday Summary #34

Another week down!

Gemma- I only lost 1lb this week, not too bad considering how off the rails I went last week and it is my first class back after London. I'm really missing staying for the whole class, I have to leave after weigh in to get to work on Friday mornings because I am covering a vacancy and I work on Monday evening when the other class is held. Only a few more weeks of covering the vacancy left, I really miss hearing other peoples weight loss stories and getting some inspiration from my class leader. I bought the Weight Watcher magazine this weekend and I'm going to get involved on the message boards on the WW website to see if I can get back on track and find some inspiration. I'm also going to make a progress chart and inspiration collage to go on my wall, will show you the results in the week.

Sarah V - I gained 3lbs at my weigh-in this week which was gutting. But I completely know why, I was poorly last week and dieting was the last thing from my mind. I've been really good for the rest of the week though and as of this morning, that 3lbs has gone. So hopefully I will have a good result next week. I'm determined to stop making excuses and actually have an impactful weight loss by Christmas!

Charlene - Not going to bother weighing myself this week. Went to the gym lots but just feel awful eating all this pub/restaurant food every single day. :( It's making me lose motivation and I didn't think twice about ordering chinese takeaway last night. Ugh!

Sarah - I gained 2lbs at weigh in this week :(  I have lost my dieting mojo recently so am being really really strict with myself in order to get it back.   I'm also getting extra help and motivation from some of my lovely twitter friends, you guys know who you are - thank you!!

Lucy is currently in the air flying back from her Australian adventures so will be back next week to update you all.

We're not doing that well at the moment, what top tips would you share with us to help us get back on track?  How have you done this week?

Guest Post - Chris from MoneySuperMarket.com

credit

Diet Boredom – How to Beat the Grind

I’ve been on this diet for about twenty three weeks now. That’s like… nearly half a year.

I’ll be honest, I’m getting a bit bored of it - every night I come home and I cook one of a few different
things, eat it, then I sod off and do some form of exercise.

Pfft, I think. I wish I could have this. I wish I could have that. Then I slump around the house, flinging
my arms around like they don’t have any bones or muscles in them, muttering things about Muller
light like some sort of Harry Enfield teenager that’s not allowed chocolate anymore.

It’s called diet boredom, and it comes to us all. But what can we do to beat it?

Well, there are actually a number of different ways you can do it – I’m going to tell you about what I
do, but please feel free to share your own.

Way number one is very simple: Let yourself have the thing you want. Depending on what it is,
you’ll likely find it doesn’t hurt your diet as much as you reckon – I still allow myself a sausage and
bacon bap once a week on really cold mornings, and so long as you’re well behaved either side of it,
going out for a big meal isn’t the ruinous event you might think it’ll be. Letting yourself having the
thing you want can often reset your appetite – after my sausage bap I’m no longer thinking about all
the “naughty” things I want; I’ve had my moment of devilry, and then I’m right back on the straight
and narrow, sated and determined.

Of course, this might not work for you; allowing yourself a treat might be the gateway to a whole
chocolatey mess of eating – but worry not, there are other things you can do.

I’ve found going to my girlfriend’s house for tea really helps out – her mum’s a great cook, and as
such being handed food you wouldn’t normally eat can really make a difference. My meals are based
around rice, pasta, chicken and peas, so being given stuffed sweet potatoes the other night was
fantastic; it’s not something I would have ever made, and it was absolutely delicious whilst being
pretty healthy (There’s a few syns in the Crème Fraiche and the Chilli Sauce, but not many) – It just
helps to break the monotony of eating the same things week in, week out. I’m not suggesting you
all pile round to my girlfriend’s mum’s, by the way, I’m just saying that if you can find someone else
who’s on a diet who’s prepared to chuck some stuff in a pan for you, you’d be amazed at some of
the great food you can eat and still stay on plan.

Of course, there’s always the other option: Allow yourself to go a little bit mad one week, and damn
whatever the scales say next week. If you’re someone like me who has lost 6 stone and the rest
(6 stone 4 now, thanks), then on an overall graph of your weightloss, one bad week is barely even
going to register – again, just so long as you get back on the diet horse afterwards…

Think about your diet objectively; if you’re normally eating 1500 calories a day, but one day you
crack and have, say, 1800, then over a week that’s a grand total of 10800, compared to 10500 – and
when you consider that there’s around 3500 calories in around a pound of weight, those extra few
calories barely even register.

So basically, what I’m saying is: Don’t be afraid to be a little bit naughty every now and then – we all
have our weaknesses, learn to accept them (but also to control them) and you’ll be fine…

Chris works for moneysupermarket.com as a life insurance blogger. As a result
of this, he’s always telling folks to get fit. After a long time of doing this he decided to start taking his
advice, and now he’s proud to purge his diet gland over the pages of WAMK.

Clothing Confession

Have you looked into your wardrobe recently and noticed how many items you never wear?

I have clothes dating back to around 2003 in my wardrobe, lots of 'thin clothes' that I had when I was my smallest and working in Topshop and clothes that I bought in December last year when I was my biggest. I don't really want any of these clothes in my wardrobe anymore, my style has changed a lot since I was in college and most of my Topshop uniform was very fashionable at the time but it is all rather dated now.

The biggest change I need to make in my wardrobe is getting rid of all my clothes that are too big for me.
The clothes that range from a size 20-24 are holding me back, I don't want to be that size ever again and keeping those clothes means I can easily slip back into bad habits.
I also think it is equally important to get rid of old clothes that are too small for me. I don't want to look back, I want to work towards being the best I can be. I am the happiest I have been in a long time and have bags more confidence now so I'm going to have a fresh start with my wardrobe and hope that this spurs me on to reach my weight loss goals.


I want to wear a dress like this on my birthday next year-

This means hitting my goal of being about a size 12-14 and maintaining that weight. I've always wanted a Vivienne Westwood dress and I think losing around 6-7 stone is the perfect excuse to buy one.  I would rather have a few really nice pieces in my wardrobe that fit me properly than have piles of clothes that don't fit. It's time to fill those charity bags and get listing on eBay!


Getting rid of those unworn clothes and those that no longer fit can also benefit others...

Tommy’s are working with Weight Watchers to raise money through a Clothing Amnesty, encouraging supporters to donate their unwanted clothes – including those items they never wear – and raise £10 per bag, which goes directly to Tommy’s charity via the clothesforcash scheme. For those who aren’t quite ready to part with their wardrobe but would still like to help Tommy’s, there’s also a new ‘Clothing Confession’ Facebook app; users just need to visit the app and share what their clothing confession item is, and Weight Watchers will donate 10p per person to Tommy’s.

Celebrity stylist Louise Roe is also involved in the campaign, and talks about her involvement in this video. There’s also the chance for users to win selected items from Louise’s wardrobe via the app.

I've looked in to what Tommy's do and it is a really great charity. Evidence shows that women who smoke, have a poor diet or carry excessive weight during pregnancy are more likely to have poor pregnancy outcomes.Tommy's help to educate women so they can make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and their babies. In the UK, one in four women will lose a baby as a result of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. Tommy's wants to help lower this alarming statistic.


Are you still holding on to clothes that don't fit properly? It's time to have a clear out!

Hotpants - The WINNER!!

Hey lovelies! Sorry it's taken us so long to announce the winner, we've been a little busy recently picking up a couple of awards :)

The winner has been chosen at random using random.org:

 

Which means the winner is:

Congratulations Lizi!! Please email us at wherearemyknees.gmail.com with your address and size and we will pass your info onto the hotpants people