[Sarah Ann]

Helen.... sounds like you had a great time! Your new gadget sounds like fun! I'd be good at that kind of fitness test as well. Last time I had a medical I had to have my resting heart rate tested - it was 57! Shame my blood pressure wasn't correspondingly low.

Peacock.... yup - I'm late with the sprouts - I should have put them on in April.

[YP1]

I'm checking my resting heart rate at the moment, it's hovering in the 43 - 47 range. I guess that's why I'm good at the doing nothing test!

[2frustrated]

Helen - Prague sounds abby fabby! Glad you had a good n healthy time!

My resting HR is aout 64, but that's sitting at my desk I don't think it's ever been under 60. Something to work on I suppose.

Had a lovely snackette last night, whizzed cottage cheese, with splenda, cinnamon and vanilla, mixed with greek yoghurt and honey and a few chopped hazelnuts Then I dipped some oaty biscuity things in them for a treat Twas well yum and kept me full until this morning! Usually I eat in the middle of the night on a Thursday!

I'm feeling surprisingly awake for a Friday morning - I am usually dragging myself out of bed at 10 past 7, about half an hour after the alarm! This morning I woke up at 6.30am and decided to get up! Is this the BfL effect? I'm hitting the gym this afternoon for more weights and a spot of HIIT on the treadmill.

Oh and I lost a whole pound in August for the forum-wide weigh in! No BfL progress this week - yet. Weekly weigh and measure tomorrow morning. Although I do like to weigh on a Monday morning after my long run on Sunday, that seems to be lower!

:

[Sarah Ann]

I used to spring out of bed full of energy when I was at the beginning of BfL - the initial enthusiasm does wear off!

I'm off to a funeral today the neighbour opposite who had the stroke didn't make it through the second one. Its so sad, they were such a close couple.

I know it sounds vain.... but I've got such a problem with what to wear to this funeral. My only black outfit is a suit in size 20 - I'm going to HAVE to wear the skirt which I'm going to bunch up round the waist with a safety pin - but I haven't got a clue what to wear on the top half as the size 20 jacket makes me look like a little girl in her big sister's hand-me-downs - even the sleeves are too long. The only smart-ish black top I've got which fits okay is a Monsoon one with fuschia pink stitchwork and embroidery on the back - d'you think it would be okay?

[2frustrated]

That sounds fine. I don't wear black for funerals anywho.

I wore pink for my grandad's. I think older people frowned on it, but heck - it's depressing enough as it is!

Can you get the skirt taken in? Is there a quickstitch near you - or you could have a go with your sewing machine! Oh yeah it's today. hum.

[Sarah Ann]

Sewing machine.... ME..... I can't even sew on buttons.

The last time I tried sewing something was to take up a hem on a skirt and I accidentally sewed the skirt to the jeans I was wearing.

For the people that AREN'T doing LighterLife - what do you think about it? All the LL people seem to be so successful at it and are losing lots of lard.

[2frustrated]

Isn't that the one with pre-packaged meals like you'd get on the Cambridge Diet? Or am I thinking of something else?

[2frustrated]

Hmmm "no real food for 100 days"

That sentence just says it all really! Without meaning to be mean towards people doing it and having success with it, but OMG! NO REAL FOOD! Would not touch ANYTHING like that with a BARGE POLE!

But if you're doing it and having success - well done and bravo you! You're more of a dieter than I!

[micheleherts]

Good morning to you all

I have have been so tired all week. Last night I fell asleep on the bus and missed my stop!! Not much exercising been going on this week apart from some walking.
A blouse with some pink would be fine for a funeral I think. Although when I went to my friend's mother's funeral I wore a skirt that had some pink embroidery on it and when I got in the car my friends said bloody **** Michele where do you think your going clubbing? Hopefully they were teasing me. It's being there to show your respect that counts. I don't have any of my fat clothes anymore Sarah just one size 18 jacket from Next that I keep meaning to give to my mother. That swamps me.

Prague sounded wonderful Helen and glad you are home safely.

I know Ligterlife wouldn't be for me. I think I would rather drink battery acid than try and survive without food. The results though do seem to be pretty impressive but I am still not convinced that such a low calorie diet isn't affecting your vital organs. But of course it is an individuals choice and we all know what it is like to hate being so fat that such a diet must seem hugely tempting to some. God I sound as if I am on my soap box I am not really I am a live and let live kind of girl.

SW 14 stone 10lbs
CW 9 stone 13 and a bit pounds
GW 9 stone 7lbs less if possible

Height 5"

[Sarah Ann]

Yes, I've been reading the UK Fat Chicks LifterLifters support thread and its an interesting idea.

As I understand it, you get to eat four nutritionally balanced foodpacks a day totalling 500 to 550 cals with a huge amount of water and other non calorific drinks are allowed. No fruit, no veg, no nothing apart from the packs - the idea is to take away ALL choice which (IMHO) has its benefits. Basically you know that if you eat ANYTHING else you are cheating. You get the food packs by joining a group which has a trained leader and you buy your food packs from the leader so you are monitored properly. You stay on it for a fixed period and then there is a supported maintenance programme. There is a .com website if you want to take a look.

Its expensive - over £60 a week - but on the other hand I can easily spend that on a normal week when I add up the cost of normal food, a meal out and alcohol.

[Sarah Ann]

I wonder what the difference is between LL and Slimfast - don't worry, I won't be going this route because I am useless at anything to do with meal replacements but the results these women are getting is amazing.

Michele, what do you think is making you so tired?

[2frustrated]

What if you don't like the food packs? What if they make you feel sick? What if you're lactose intollerant? NO FRUIT OR VEG? ARE YOU MAD???? Those "meal packs" can't be fresh can they?

[micheleherts]

Not sleeping that well Sarah. My thyroid function is fine as is my Hb. My father was quite unwell this week and it made me fret. However he seems to have bucked up a bit and was able to go out for a pint. My mum bless her is quite oblivious to it.

Mind you Sarah as much as I fret I never go off my food!!

[Sarah Ann]

Michele I hope things get better for you and your family. Have you tried having some hot milk with honey in it before bed?

[Sarah Ann]

Jen - calm down - I would think they are typical meal replacements like bars, soups, drinks, etc. The whole point is that the meal replacements have got all the vits and mins in them that we need to survive. I expect there is a fairly wide selection to chose from.

I dont' think I could do it - I've tried a couple of different meal replacement programmes over the years and none of them worked for me but TBH the ones I've tried always had the 'healthy home cooked evening meal' element which gave me choice - which is what LighterLife does away with.

In fact LL sounds a lot like the diet programme that my BIL got prescribed at the hospital - he got taken in because he fell asleep in the fast lane of a motorway with that sleep apnia (sp?) caused by being over weight. They gave him food packs for for all meals for the first 6 weeks and then let him have a 400 cal evening meal until he lost all the weight he needed to. He has since put about 3 stone of it back on again - he admits this is because both he and his wife didn't really change their lifestyle.