Well done, Carol! Losing the pounds is very nice, but the best bit is when you can tell by looking that you have lost weight.

The downside is definitely the expense!!!!

BPB of course you are joining us, you are not allowed to leave!!We want you here :)

The answer for me has to be shopping at places like Matalan and Primark, George at Asda etc, where you can pick up items for under a tenner so we are not breaking the bank on whole new wardrobes. The thing also is to not get upset by whatever the labels say in the cheaper shops as they tend to have a little less material in them.
I feel better for getting rid of the baggy old jumpers and wearing something that fits a bit better, and feel more aware having something on that is a bit restrictive when eating, ie waist band getting tighter it must be time to stop eating :s: .

Desperation set in, when I tried to get dressed this morning in 'seeing other people' type clothes nothing really fitted at all. I put on the jeans I bought a few weeks ago which are starting to get loose in places and then the dog jumped up at me with muddy paws..... so I had to put on a pair of XL jogging bottoms that are so large the crutch comes down to almost between my knees.

After Kevin stopped laughing he said I definitely need some more clothes, so we went shopping yet again - I ended up buying yet another pair of jeans - this time a size 16 and a pair of lavender size 16 sort of combats! OK - I look a bit like an overstuffed sausage in the jeans at the moment but hopefully in a week or two they should be a bit more comfortable (i.e. I should be able to sit down in 'em!!).

Just back from my shopping trip. Brought 2 t-shirts from what everyone wants, one is a size 18/20 & the other a 16/18. Both fit the same, but are labelled as different sizes. Gave up on finding a decent pair of trousers, had the boys with me, Ray working & they were fed up in one shop !! But I did pick up 2 pairs of cheap leggings, just for running the about the house.

I wore my stretchy jeans last weekend, still need to lose a bit more to be comfy in them, they get a bit tight if I'm sitting down in them for too long.

Still got this house to gut & mums to go to. Have to go today as we're off to a birthday party in Dundee tomorrow so I won't be able to see her then.

I may find some time for my work out, about midnight. Sarah I'm dangerous in those auction sites as well. I'm trying to expand my exercise video collection - variety is the spice of life. I've bid on a pilates vid & collection of 5 vids on Ebay this morning. Both are only for a couple of pounds, but will need to break it gently to Ray if I get them. Too scared to go look at things like rebounders. Might see something else which takes my fancy.

Carol

Tell me about it..... I just bid on some signed Harry Potter first editions and a Slendatone thingy! I can see divorce looming on the horizon! I must be the only person who hopes they won't win!!!

Hi everyone

Carol, glad you had a poductive shopping trip...I know what you mean about the size labels too..as you probably remember I had a suit I was trying to get into for the wedding back in february up in Glasgow which was a size 22 ( the one I'm wearing in my new photographs on my webpage )...although all the clothes apart from that suit that I am wearing now are a size 18 - 20, that suit just wouldn't go anywhere near me..I was getting so depressed over the fact that it was supposed to be bigger but yet it wouldn't fit until someone suggested that I measure it...I can't remember who that was, but it was someone on one of the threads here...I never even thought about doing that...well I took 3 size 20 tops one was a fitted one similar to the suit ( which did fit me) the size 22 top was actually 2 inches smaller than all the 3 size 20's so I think they must have just labeled it wrongly, well it made me feel better at the time.

One thing I still can't get used to at the moment when I do go to buy anything.... and that is looking at the sizes of clothes...I don't mean the size labels I mean the clothes themselves...when I bought clothes before in a size 30 - 32, they were huge...I mean even a cardigan was so big it would be sliding off the hanger because the neck was wider than the hanger...but now when I pick up a size 18 - 20 they look so tiny compared to those and I keep thinking I'll never get into that, and it really does give me a thrill when I just slip into them really easily....I know that some people are starting their weightloss journeys weighing what I do now and that they feel really fat but when I started off at over 25 stone I feel so thin...I also know that at the moment I feel so good looking at the picture of myself from the wedding, but in a few months time I will be looking at that one and cringing just like I do now when I look at the photographs from when I first started . There aren't very many of those around for obvious reasons, I actually wish there were more of them now, I did find another one yesterday and I posted it on my webpage along with the one I got back from the wedding...easy to see which one I like best :)

TQ...I agree with you too it is really nice to get rid of those baggy old jumpers...have to admit tho I have kept a few just to have something to look back on when I reach my final goal.
Apart from anything else I think I am also taking more care about what I am wearing now too...I feel better and I look better and it is nice to be able to wear something that makes you look slimmer rather than something that just makes you look even bigger...before it was always a case of whatever fit I wore no matter what it looked like and it would usually be just 2 or 3 outfits that I alternated but always wore the same old stuff...I only bought new things when I really had to...these days I am trying not to buy anything unless I really have to because it would just be a waste of money, the stuff just wouldn't fit in a few months and I really wouldn't get the wear out of them., and I am relying on family to give me their hand me downs...something I am eternally grateful for as things are a bit tight financially at them moment and if I didn't have those hand me downs I would probably be walking around naked...ooooo...not a very pretty thought :)

Well girls sorry I did ramble on a bit there...I suppose I better get a move on and do some housework

Have a great Mothers Day

Ali :wave:

Clothes sizes are always onfusing arent they?! They not only vary from shop to shop but from different items in the same shop!

When I bought tops from MK1 they only has S, M & L so I went straight for large but the problem is they're too tight across my boobs but to baggy around the waist! What am I supposed to do?!

The top I bought from Warehouse is a size 14 & practically straps my boobs down but the bottom is way to loose!

Its the same with trousers - too tight on the legs but too loose round the waist!

Do clothes designers not understand that most women go out at the chest, in at the waist then out at the hips? We're not all round all the way down or straight all the way down! Stooopid people!

WELL DONE, EVERYONE!!!!!

What a good week this has been ... the list is:

Me: -2lbs
Veggie: same
Melissa: -2lbs
Carol: -3lbs
Tracy: +2lbs
Kizzie: -1lb
TQ: -1lb
Chris: -3.5lbs
Janet: -0.5lb
Kim: -4lbs
ChiChi: same
Ali: -2lbs

The total lost this week was 17lbs - bringing our group total loss to 148.5lbs or 10st 8.5lbs!!!!

AMAZING!!!!

Big {{{{hug}}}} to Tracy, we all know how miserable it feels when those scales show a gain!!

*************************************

As for me - my stats this week are :

(Original start weight April 01: 16st 3lbs)
Start Weight this time (02 Jan 02): 14st 10lbs
Current Weight: 13st 3lbs
Target Weight: 10st 7lbs
Total lost since 02/01: 21lbs
Remainder to be lost: 2st 10lbs
Current BMI: 29.0
Loss this week: 2lb

I JUST NOTICED - I HAVE LOST 3 STONES EXACTLY SINCE THIS TIME LAST YEAR!!!!! PARTY TIME!!!!!

Remember the Five Ds ..... Desire + Dedication + Determination + Discipline = Diet Success

Have put on weight birthday etc am depressed cant get into this dieting lark didnt want to get up today but managed to get into college had a mild panic for reasons to embarresing to go into too involves clothes and grants...only 11 wks to go!! :( Sorry to moan.

Veggie - moan all you want - that's what we're here for! At least you know why you have put a bit on and had fun doing it!! I think its worse when it just sneaks up on you.

Why not make a fresh start today and forget about last week - after all you can't change last week, but you can change the way you eat today.

Sometimes looking at the whole amount and the time it will take to lose it can be a bit unnerving so maybe you could set yourself some little dieting targets with a little treat when you get to that target.

Veggie you can do it and we can help (groan...that sounds like a very old diet pepsi ad.) I feel very inspired by reading other peoples weight journals on the net, there is loads of help out there and I sure we have the key to our success right here, come on lass don'tget down by what has happened over the weekend it is over and a new week has began think how much you can lose by the end of your course.

Damn course...thanks for the support chickys...just peeved at course so in bad mood...oh well one more day over on the stoopid thing! :p

Hi everyone

we had an impressive group loss last week didn't we :)
For those who stayed the same and those who gained, don't let it depress you...we all have these little glitches from time to time...I know it is disheartenening, but try to focus on how well you have done over the past weeks and not on the one bad week, just hang in there and the numbers on the scales will will soon be getting smaller :)

I agree with Sarah too, looking at the whole amount of weight you have to lose can be very daunting...If I had done that when I started with 213lbs to lose I am sure I would have given up almost as soon as I began....even now that I only have another 76lbs to lose ( ONLY...she says :) ) I am not focusing on that, my next target is seeing the scale register under 200lbs

Ali :wave:

Veggie, please smile again. The course maybe seems bad at the moment, but in a wee while you'll be able to laugh at it. And Will, if he is gay then it's his loss that he is missing out on you - his number on fan - keep dreaming you maybe the woman to prove the scandel rags wrong.:dizzy: Keep looking for the happy thoughts.

I'm with Ali in the weight loss number. 70lbs is a long way away but that 200lb mark is getting closer every week - I struggle with big sums need to keep my life suimple - not sure any of that makes any sense - I haven't had a drink - honest

Carol