The 'Rules'...

As a classic yo-yo dieter I have tried everything from Slimming World (slow and steady) to the 17 Day Diet (quick and cruel) and have decided that this time around I am going to try a combination of things I’ve learned along the way. Namely, eat less crap, move a bit more.

Apparently it’s the next big thing! I find the problem with any diet with ‘rules’ is that you quickly get tired of following the rules and your downfall to Dominoes is more spectacular that a slight wavering off the wagon.

There are things I have found from various diets that have worked, and I have managed to stick to. So, controversial as it is I am going to try to keep it simple and follow a few loose guidelines – don’t call them rules!

On the eating front:

-          Eat a low-fat, low-carb, high-protein breakfast

I find eggs and veggie sausages are a great alternative to cereals/toast as you won’t be as tempted to snack during the morning.

I recommend Cauldron Lincolnshire Veggie Sausages – they are genuinely tasty and although not the lowest fat will fill you up, and are a darn lot better than Walls bangers!

-          Unlimited fruit and vegetables

There are some diets that lambast fruits as high in sugar and carbs. But my feeling is that a pear is better than a croissant so whatevs.

-          Limit carbs

I find pasta, rice, potatoes deliciously addictive. When I tried the 17 Day Diet I was surprised how quickly I weaned myself off my addiction and saw results quickly.

-          Portion Control

Slimming World taught me to pretty much double, if not triple the veg on my plate. We are all used to a lot of protein and carbs as the building blocks of a meal but it’s easy to cut down calories by being inventive with veg. I’ll share some of my recipes in another post.

-          Drink more water

This is no nonsense stuff here. It’s true that when you are ‘hungry’ you can stave it off by hydrating. I’ve bought a bright pink water-bottle to put on my desk at work. It brightens my desk. Be like a kid – make your water-bottle/lunch box fun and attractive, makes it a lot harder to ignore!

Paperchase does some really fun lunch stuff – I love this water-bottle.

£6.00

And lunchboxworld.co.uk has a great selection of lunchboxes. This owl design is really cute:

  

£13.99

-          Treat yourself, but not everyday

Keep it simple and be smart!

We’ll soon see how successful I am!

What are your ‘guidelines’? Any obvious ones I’ve missed out.

Strike a pose...

The most scary thing for anyone not happy with their weight is the appearance of a camera. With smartphones being the portable equivalent of hell-on-3G for camera-phobes such as myself, unfortunately it’s hard to escape them.

My first proper post was going to be a simple “Here’s where I’m starting”, the picture that should act as my starting point from which all will be measured. Otherwise known as the ‘unflattering fatty shot’ – unposed, straight on, awful too-tight outfit. I’m going to do that now:

Current Weight: 12 st 4 lbs.

Ok so I chickened out a bit - I just wasn't ready to share that much of myself so soon. But you get the jist right?

But it doesn't all have to be doom and gloom. Now I have that rather awful experience out of the way here are some tips I’ve found for improving the whole fatty-photo experience. Simple tips to help avoid the camera adding 10 lbs., but I can’t guarantee it won’t add 5. Little devil.

Have to credit digitalcameraworld.com for help with this post. I’ve put some of their posing-for-curvy-girls tips to the test

Pretty simple stuff but next time your Facebook’ed spread-eagled on a lilo, flapping your bingo wings whilst wrestling a fourth chin you’ll thank me.

The first tip is all about bendy limbs!

·         “Your model’s arms should never be pressed against the body, as these will make the arms look bigger. Straight arms and legs make the subject look uncomfortable so remember if it bends, bend it!

Hmm not sure this is entirely flattering, but better than nothing - maybe it's just because I'm not comfortable scaling the doorframe. Any tips?

 OK so the next felt a little like a reworking of the old Gok Wan fatty on the bed shot. You know the show ‘How to look good naked’ when anyone over a size 14 got themselves thrown on a bed with some Matalan faux fur rugs?

·         Remember, you should always try to create an ‘S’ shape with the body when posing your model. The typical hourglass shape is the most desired by men and women alike, so when posing a subject to photograph them from their front, for instance, ask them to bring their front leg forward, bend the knee and roll the hip up to create definition.

Yeah so this didn't work out too well - quite a few may have worked on a specialist website and again I wasn't ready to share this much so I made it orange to blast your eyeballs and divert from the rather awkward attempt at the 'S'.

And of course, the ‘MySpace’ shot. Oh how I love you and your forgiving ways.

·         Here’s a top tip for this pose: if you try this pose do not get the subject to look up as this can cause wrinkles in the forehead.

So there we go... my worst fear - posing for pics - all in one place. NEXT!

Girl in a Bubble – huh?

I was looking for a name for this fledging blog – a documentation of (another!) attempt to lose the pounds, stones and ounces that have made their way onto my 27 year old ‘physique’ in the last erm… 27 years. And not only is ‘Girl in a Bubble’ a reference to a song on one of my favourite albums of all time ever – I’ll leave muso’s to guess that – it also describes how I feel in the body I have created.

I truly believe there is a slim, fit and healthy girl inside me, screaming to break out. At some points I was nearly there:

(2008)

I have created both a physical and mental bubble surrounding myself – an extra 3 stone of flesh combined with the thought that ‘it’s ok, one day I’ll be a size 10” which acts as a bolster every time I dial Pizza Hut – “It’s ok, you’ve had a hard week/you’re hungover/it’s a Wednesday!”.

And it’s this belief that there is an alternative me just waiting to be revealed that has acted as both an inspiration and a hindrance to me achieving lasting weight-loss.

(Aug 2012)

There is some part of me that can’t believe or accept the weight I am and is incredulous every time a size 14 doesn’t fit, or the scale reads a further gain. My BMI puts me just into the obese category so it's time to take the hint!

So here it is. A way to focus my mind, be accountable. An attempt to break out of my rather rotund bubble!

Blog Rules – for me, not anyone who happens to pop on by!

-          I will post weekly measurements, good, bad, dire!

-          I will keep a food diary (which I may or may not publish!)

-          I will post at least weekly aside from my weekly weigh in

-          I will be honest

So here goes…