[Sarah Ann]

I think we have all got our own favourite little tricks for keeping our calories down - and our favourite foods and ways of preparing them, so I thought it might be nice if we were to pool our knowledge and help each other out.

Here's three of mine...

My favourite is possibly low fat roast potatoes or potato wedges (not the sin free ones that a lot of people make, I don't like those). I scrub or peel enough potatoes for 4 people and cut them in to chips, wedges or leave them whole - I then dry them off completely and put them in to a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, which I then stir with a wooden spoon making sure they are all completely coated. Then I spread them out on a non stick roasting tray and roast on a fairly high heat until cooked through. An hour to an hour and a quarter for roast potatoes, 45 mins for wedges, 35 mins for chips.

If you are doing wedges or baked potatoes they are nice served with a spicy tomato salsa: 6 finely chopped tomatoes (that have had the pips removed), 1 finely chopped red onion, a VERY finely chopped red chilli, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or lemon juice and 1 tablespoon tomato puree, lots of seasoning - all mixed together and left for an hour. Serve heaped on top of a baked potato or spread out on potato wedges and drizzle some very low fat fromage frais over (very good sour cream substitute).

Frozen grapes are really good for satisfying a craving for something sweet. Loose freeze them and just help yourself to one at a time.... Yum!!

[tupperware queen]

I love the frozen grapes Sarah!!

My biggest tip is to write anything down before you eat it.

Only get weighed once a week at the same time wearing the same clothes.

Do not buy goodies that will tempt you in bulk....why torture yourself???

Have a focus , something to aim for, treat yourself every half stone.

Do not deny yourself anything you will only want it even more.No food is a sin (OK I know about SW...just dont like the term)
Lots more I will be back!!

[ChiChi]

The best thing I can recommend to boost willpower enormously is to book a holiday somewhere hot!

Coz Ive wanted to lose weight for ages but I've never had the willpower, then a couple of weeks ago me & my mates booked a holiday in Tenerife and the thought of going to Tenerife while I am still this size absolutely terrifies me! I know that if I dont lose a lot of weight by the time I go on holiday instead of being the best 2 weeks of my life, it will be the worst! All my mates will be wearing bikinis and I really want to be able to as well!

After booking the holiday I found it easy to give up chocolate and fizzy drinks, I used to be totally addicted to Dr Pepper now I havent had a can for a month!

Also just in case you dont lose weight at the end of a week do other things to make yourself look/feel better e.g. every time you have a shower use a loofah and put moisturiser on afterwards so you skin is smoother, maybe even put fake tan on coz tanned skin makes you look slimmer!

If your embarassed about going to excersize classes, stay at home, put on one of your fave, energetic CDs and dance round the room!


I dont have any recipe ideas though, coz I dont really cook at all, but if you want a packet of crisps have a bag of unsalted nuts instead, then you have the bag to hold just like a packet of crisps and the nuts are crunchy like crisps, but healthier! If you want sweets have sultanas or raisins coz they are very sweet!
I was a bit worried when I looked at the details on the bag of raisins coz although there is not fat in them, there seems to be a lot of sugar?! Raisins are dried fruit, surely they're ok??

[Smiling Sal]

My BIG tip is water - you can not drink too much of the stuff. Ok it maybe bland & boring, but it does you the world of good & it's free and we all have it on tap. We often think we are hungry & eat when really we're thirsty.

Not only is water great for drinking is ideal for swimming in, working all your muscles and realxing you after a hard week.

Besides that, other things I have learnt are to always eat breakfast, common knowledge but takes an effort to actually do and eat loads & loads of fruit & veg. And exercise - do something you enjoy, walking, swim, aerobics, skip. I fancy trying a hula hoop, used to be quite good in my younger days, would need to wait until the boys went to bed as they would laugh themselves silly. Wonder if that actually does you any good - or would it just be enjoyable. Anyone know ???

Carol

[ChiChi]

I think hula hooping meant to be ggod for trimming your waist.

[BigPhatBooty]

Sorry to sound think but...

Frozen grapes are really good for satisfying a craving for something sweet. Loose freeze them and just help yourself to one at a time.... Yum!!

I have never heard of frozen grapes. I assume you just put them in the freezer and then suck them hope that doesn't sound rude

I have also heard the hula hooping is good for the waist, but I can't find one for love nor money.

I agree with Smiling Sal - water (although I hate it) does seem to make a big difference. I have no idea why, but last year someone in chat told me off for not drinking and I promised to try it for one week and I lost 3.5lbs (and I had not been particulary good that week either - no I am not encouraging anyone to over indulge and then hope that the water helps them out )

[Sarah Ann]

All you do with the grapes is wash them and let them dry off on their own and then take them off the twig thingy and put them on a tray in a single layer. When they are frozen I put them in plastic container and they stay at the top of my freezer. And - yes - you just pop them in your mouth and suck them, they last quite a long time and really help when you get the munchies.

You can do the same thing with any of the soft fruits, cherries are really nice - but grapes are fairly cheap at the moment.

Another thing that works for me is to find yourself a diet buddy (anywhere in the world - doesn't have to be from UK) and arrange with them to swap daily calorie diaries and/or exercise. So long as you are both honest this works wonderfully.

I haven't seen a hula hoop for ages - skipping (with a skipping rope) is supposed to be really good aerobic exercise.

[ChiChi]

But arent you on the loo all day if you drink loads of water?!

[veggie]

The worse bit is having to get up in the middle of the night like an old person who cant control their bladder

[Smiling Sal]

Your body does eventually get used to all the water & you don't end up spending all your time in the loo.

I never sleep through the whole night, no matter how much or little I have to drink. No fun

Carol

[BigPhatBooty]

I have an extremely weak bladder (an alcoholic's bladder according to my sister ) but I find that if I try and drink all my water before 4pm, then all my "trips" should be over and done with by bedtime.

[flumper]

toys r us do hula hoops in all different sizes but i dont think theres one to fit over my hips so hula hula is out for me

[Delaney]

A tip that Victoria Wood once said in an interview which I use all the time is cleaning my teeth - that really gets rid of any cravings.

I once read that Paul Gascoigne lost weight by going to sleep when he felt hungry - it that were me you'd have to rename me Rip Van Winkle

I tried skipping last year. I went out and bought the skipping rope, put on my trainers and leggings went into the garden all purposeful and skipped for approximately 30 seconds before I collapsed in a knackered heap

I too drink tons of water and end up nipping to the loo in the middle of the night, I usually end up tripping over somebody's shoe and waking the whole house up!!

[Sarah Ann]

I am exactly the same as you, Delaney, I am NOT a quiet person when I get up in the middle of the night.... except that in my case it is not just once - but several times. I always manage to wake up the dog who then thinks it is time to play and whines for 10 mins or so when I go back to bed. I have tried not drinking water after about 3pm but the problem persists - I think it is probably the water in the fruit I eat each evening.

I found some rope in our garage and tried skipping this weekend - and found that my co-ordination is shot to pieces! I used to be so good at it as a kid........ I might have another go this week - perhaps if I do it on a weekday I won't attract such an audience either.

By the way - this weekend I found that if I burn scented oils or candles then somehow I don't feel so hungry. Haven't got a clue why!

[BigPhatBooty]

It takes a while to get back into the swing of things. When I first started I couldn't do more than 30 seconds, before I managed to whip myself silly

I had some lovely welts to prove it. They recommend skipping for 30 seconds and then jogging on the spot for another 30, to help you build up your stamina/technique/speed.

Here's some stuff I found a while ago, some of it maybe useful:

Skipping Rope is a Cheap and Effective Workout
From a reader: I've recently taken to jumping rope after finding my sister's old set. I'm not sure what benefit this has in store for me. What I do know is that I work out a sweat (not to mention the increase in my oxygen intake) after my eight to ten minutes session each day. I guess this is an indication that jumping rope is an aerobic activity and, therefore, will help me keep fit. As of now, I haven't gone beyond my ten-minute mark. I'm still in the adjustment phase. But I'm sure I can work my way up to 15 minutes or more. Please tell me about the benefits of jumping rope.

Liz Neporent, author of "Fitness for Dummies" lists a skipping rope as one the "ten great fitness investments" because it is a cheap and effective cardiovascular workout. She claims that it strengthens your cardiovascular system, improves your agility, burns lots of calories, and tones your thighs, calves, abdominals, back, chest, and shoulders without requiring too much space (all you need is the space that a small coffee table would take up) and expense (the cost of the rope and a good pair of aerobic or cross-training shoes).

I can personally attest to the benefits of skipping rope because I did it for about six months when I was a teenager. I had just bought the "bible" on aerobic fitness by Dr. Kenneth Cooper and I chose skipping rope and swimming as my aerobic activities.

Improves agility, coordination, and timing.
Traditionally, boxers have used skipping rope workouts to not only increase stamina but also increase coordination of their footwork. Mindy Mylrea, former World Aerobic Champion and star of the exercise video "Jump and Jab", says that if you want to improve your agility, timing, and rhythm, then a skipping rope workout is for you. Both the upper and lower body have to work together in synchronization or else you get all tangled up with the rope.

Medium impact activity.
"Many people avoid jumping rope because they view it as a high-impact activity" says Neporent in her book. "But if you do it right, it's more like a medium-impact activity on the order of a brisk walk. The secret is staying low. Your feet should barely clear the floor, and you should bend your knees just slightly." I found this to be true for me as it was not as hard on my knees and feet as jogging in place (and this was in the days before good aerobic shoes were available in the market!).

How to buy a skipping rope.
Skipping ropes are now made of high-tech materials like "tough, molded plastic or metal wire coated in acrylic" says Neporent. She adds that these materials make for ropes that can turn faster and more smoothly. When buying a rope, she says to look for features like soft foam or rubber handles, which prevent callusing and ball bearing-like swivel action between the cords and handles. When you turn the rope, you shouldn't feel any hesitation between the cord and handles.

Weighted "sports ropes" are good for developing upper body muscular endurance but they are not appropriate for doing fancy moves. Neporent says you should use a light rope if you want to work on skill and agility and jump fast. When buying a weighted sports rope, make sure the weight is in the rope and not in the handles.

Neporent says that to buy the right size rope for you stand on the center of the cord and pull the ends straight up along your sides. The handles should just reach your armpits.

Jumping techniques.
Neporent gives helpful tips on how to have good form and execution when you skip rope. Keep your arms relaxed, slightly bent, and keep your upper body movements to a minimum. Rather than turn your arms in big circles, simply let your wrists swivel slightly - it is mostly "wrist action". Keep your shoulders down and elbows in. Land softly.

Warm up and cool down.
The American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual says that you can use the following activities (done for at least five minutes) as a warm up or cool down: graduated walking or walk-jogging in place and/or slow tempo rope skipping pace. Don't forget to stretch out the muscles of the lower body after the cool down.

Calories burned.
A 150-pound person (you will burn less or more depending on how much you weigh), skipping rope at 60 to 80 skips per minute will burn 143 calories in 15 minutes. This is considered a "low skipping rate" as compared to skipping at 120 skips a minute that has a similar caloric expenditure as running at six miles an hour.

How to start a skipping rope workout.
Skipping rope is a relatively intense activity so you need to start gradually. Neporent suggests starting with a few short sets - about 30 jumps - and resting by marching in place between sets. Gradually increase the number of sets and jumps per set while decreasing the time you spend marching. She says that you should eventually be able to jump 10 or more continuous minutes.

Time-efficient workout.
It is difficult to skip continuously past ten or fifteen minutes. Skipping rope is best used in an interval cross-training sort of program. An example would be three minutes of skipping and one minute of some kind of muscle toning exercise using dumbbells, body weight or exercise rubber bands. Doing ten sets of skipping plus muscle toning will give you a time-efficient workout that incorporates both cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength/endurance. You can even bring your workout with you by packing a rope and rubber bands when you travel. It can be your instant gym!

Not for people with hypertension.
According to Larry Fee, Ph.D., Sports Medicine Program Director at the University of Hawaii, skipping rope can be unsafe for people with hypertension because their arms are held in a continuous downward position. He says this can impede blood flow back to the heart and increase blood pressure. He adds that this would be especially true when the skipping rope is weighted.

Skipping rope videos.
You can find skipping rope exercise videos on the Internet by visiting www.collagevideo.com (one of the largest suppliers of exercise videos).

and this taken from a fitness site that George Foreman advises on:

What must I know about jumping rope to add it to my workout?



George: That jump rope, for me, has been a fix-all. You can travel with it because it's easy to pack, and it packs a whopper of a workout that trims the fat and really shapes up your sides.


Some basics:


Rope length. Stand on the middle of the rope, feet together, and pull up on the handles till your arms are bent at a right angle. Adjust the rope to this length by knotting it or adjusting the handles (possible with nicer models).

Basic form. Push off and land on the balls of your feet, then roll back to your heels for the softest landing, easiest on the joints. Favor your ankle power over your knees. Keep the rope in motion with wrist action. Your head should be held up straight; don't lift your shoulders and don't jump too high - just enough to get the rope under you.
You can vary your jumping by running in place (alternately jump with one foot, then the other, increasing speed till you're running), doing double jumps (two slight jumps per foot, usually at high speed) or doing step jumps (alternate steps while jumping in place). Fancier variations include side jumps (jump to left and right with your legs together and feet parallel), kick jumps (kick one foot forward, jump once with both feet, then kick the other foot forward) and jumping jacks (legs land apart and together on alternate jumps).

I would be very careful not to skip on concrete. Any surface that gives a bit is fine. I prefer hardwood floors or rubber mats. Always start easy: three or four 1-minute rounds, then increase to three 2-minute rounds.

And never jump more than 9 minutes at a time. The great boxing trainer Gil Clancy told me once never to exceed three rounds (of skipping rope, although that might be good advice in the ring, too). But I said to myself: If two rounds work so well, what will six do? I found out quick. Too much jumping causes pain!

And the most important rule, which I'll save for last so you don't forget it: Always stretch before and after.