TEAM "TRIM TAUT & TERRIFIC" seeks support

[the.fee.fairy]

about the sponsoirship thing - do you want me to send the cash when eny of you post that you've lost a stone? Or do you want to wait a while (say, a month or so) and then make a donation, or wait til you've all reached your goals?

Y'see, i was thinking the toher day that Paypal like to extract fees, and i don't have a cheque book (well, techically, i do, but i haven't seen it since i came home from BGG, unpacked and put it somewhere 'safe), and i could send cash to Andy or dave if that'd help, but by sending a quid every now and then, some of it would be eaten in fees, so I'd prefer to wait til i can send a decent amount, to make the fees worth it.

Hope that makes sense...

[The Chili Monster]

The fee.fairy wrote:

about the sponsoirship thing - do you want me to send the cash when eny of you post that you've lost a stone? Or do you want to wait a while (say, a month or so) and then make a donation, or wait til you've all reached your goals?

Y'see, i was thinking the toher day that Paypal like to extract fees, and i don't have a cheque book (well, techically, i do, but i haven't seen it since i came home from BGG, unpacked and put it somewhere 'safe), and i could send cash to Andy or dave if that'd help, but by sending a quid every now and then, some of it would be eaten in fees, so I'd prefer to wait til i can send a decent amount, to make the fees worth it.

Hope that makes sense...

It's up to you how often you make the payments. If it's more convenient to wait until payday, then donate then. The best thing for Andy to do if he wishes to avoid PayPal fees is to wait until there's £50 in the account before withdrawing funds. Another alternative may be to arrange a standing order to Andy's account ... (although PP is safer all round).

Anyway, I've lost 1/2 stone or 7 lb in the first week.


(Clickable image)

[Dave]

Andy did mention it in passing but with no link and didn't tell me where on the forum it was!!!

Anyway, I'm here now. Okay got a few different questions to answer here so for now I'll give some general advice and come back to any direct questions later.

Chilli Monster you'll be pleased to hear that Chilli's are one of the only foods that increase your Basal Metabolic Rate. That means just eating them burns up calories!!

A good tip is to eat more or less what you would normally but go for lower fat options. It seems an obvious one but drastic diet changes can often end in tears. You will get used to the taste of low fat foods after a while even if at first you don't like them and crave the full cream!

Spread out your midday meal. If you eat just as many calories as normal but have lunch from say 11 til 3 rather than in one sitting it gives your body more time to digest and less will turn to fat.

One of the most effective diets is the GI diet - there is loads on the web with lists of low, high and medium GI foods. GI is glycemic index and foods of a low GI will release energy more slowly into the body. Sugar has a GI of 100 and will give you a burst of energy followed by a slump and with the slump you will get hungry again. Oats on the other hand have a low GI which is why you will feel hungry later after porrige for breakfast than you would with Choco-honey Pop snaps or whatever they call them.

Avoid diet drinks - many contain a sweetner called Aspartime which actually increases appetite!!!

Right it's getting late, now I know this thread is here I'll come back to it and offer some more advice.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!

[Shirley]

Thanks Dave

So basically I can eat all day :) I like the sound of that.

I am going to spice up everything and give my metabolism a boost.

So... chilli on toast lol... chilli vodka... curry for supper tonight now!

Perhaps we could share meal tips in here too.

I heard a while back that often our hunger pangs happen not because we are hungry but because we want flavour... so the spice there would make double sense wouldn't it.

Actually - I've just hunted down one of my cookery books that I've not used for a long time - The Complete Low-Fat Cookbook by Sue Kreitzman and it has some good recipes in including pesto sauces made with quark - ok they've got pine nuts in but they are nutritious aren't they!, 'mayo' recipes (pumpkin 'mayo' as an eg. pureed pumpkin mixed with very low fat fromage frais and salt & pepper); she suggests using roasted aubergine pulp to bulk out mince and add moisture to low fat homemade sausages/meatballs etc. I have used the aubergine trick a few times and it does work! - there is even a low fat chocolate cheesecake! Apparently it's luxurious, sinful-tasting and is still low in fat. I think I'll have to try that one to be convinced - anyone want the recipe??

Is it true that drinking lots of water helps? I know that I don't drink enough of it. Perhaps now is a good time to start.

[Millymollymandy]

I have the same bathroom scales as The Chili Monster!!!

[Dave]

Okay just looked through some older posts on this thread.

Boots, you wanted some tips for long days on the road - I used to do drivers mate work, doing 12-14 hour days on the road. What I used to do is have breakfast that would keep me going like porridge or museli. I'd bring with me a 2 litre water bottle, three peices of fruit and salad sandwiches for lunch and an evening meal of pre-prepaired rice or pasta dish. If I felt like snacking I'd also have a bag of mixed seeds and nuts. I was doing a lot of heavy lifting but found that I never really got hungry taking all that with me. Another more extreame idea I heard once was someone who used to take a flask of Five grain, Five fruit and five vegetable soup/broth with him on long journeys. It sounds slightly revolting but I suppose fruit like apple and pineapple can cook well but I'd struggle to make something paletable with five bits of fruit and veg and grain - a five grain and five veg might be a better alternative.

Shirlz - Pinenuts are very nutritious. they contain fat but it is 'good' fat. Likewise with Avacados, some vitamins are fat solible so an absence of all fat in the diet is quite bad for you. A good bit of exercise is one of the best ways to shed pounds. Have you got a bike at all?
Not heard about the craving flavour thing but sometimes we can be thirsty but misinterpret thirst as hunger pangs so plenty of water and herbal teas are always good.

Ok some ideas for low fat meals - Pasta Salad
Vegetable risotto
Jacket Potato with (low sugar and salt) baked beans and low-fat cream cheese or cottage cheese. Or tuna and sweetcorn.
And some links -
http://recipes.selfsufficientish.com/tagine.htm
http://www.recipes.selfsufficientish.co ... ldsoup.htm
http://recipes.selfsufficientish.com/trout.htm

Right more again soon - I should really get back to work now

[Boots]

Just realised it is Saturday!!!

Chilli!!!!!

WoooHoooo!

Far out Girl, I have no idea how many kilos that is, but it sounds like LOTS!!!!

GOOD ON YOU!!!

I was certain I would have big numbers this week as I have just pushed myself to the point of exhaustion each day, and there's been heaps of walking, and extra lifting. Nope.

Only one kilo over here, am sorry to report. But am heaps impressed with your results and Dave's info. Forgot all about tuna... Will have to get me some for next week.

Keep on keeping on Chilli! And congrats on a great start.

[Dave]

just read back - half a stone is loads for the first week - well done!!!

[Millymollymandy]

Boots - that's about 3kg!

Well done all of you.

[Boots]

Yes it is!!!!

Just went back to try and work out the conversion, but think it must be in another thread where Chilli posted it - Anyway - while back there I realised that I have lost 3 kilos...!!!!

I thought I started at 75kgs, but have just realised I weighed in at 77 when we started, and am just hopping about here pleased as punch. Didn't even realise my last weigh in was a loss, and was really dissappointed last week, as I thought it wasn't....LOL....

Wooo hoooo

*doing happy dance*

Another benefit of being blonde, I guess.

[Shirley]

Oh dear, oh dear.

Big well done to my team mates Boots and TCM - I'm really pleased for you both.

I've not done anywhere near as well - I've lost one single solitary pound... not even a kilo

I've been trying hard not to eat the chocolate and cheese, and have had soup quite often, cut out the bread (I do still have some), and I've been substituting oat cakes/rice cakes for bread.

I just can't do the low fat stuff though. I'd rather have half the amount of cheese that I like than twice the amount of ropey stuff. I like natural unadulterated food so the thought of low fat spread just fills me with dread. I like butter, and again, would rather have less than substitute the low fat stuff.

I've been having weetabix or cornflakes for breakfast - this next week I'm going to substitute porridge for this and see how that works.

Dave - no, I don't have a bike I did think I should get an exercise bike rigged up in front of the computer, and wire it up so that I could power the light to see the keyboard by LOL

Keep up the good work team-mates!!!!!

[The Chili Monster]

Shirlz wrote:

I've been trying hard not to eat the chocolate and cheese, and have had soup quite often, cut out the bread (I do still have some), and I've been substituting oat cakes/rice cakes for bread.

Even Weightwatchers and Rosemary Conley no longer avocate that slimmers should abstinate from chocolate or alcohol completely- treat yourself to a fun-sized choccy bar every day.

I'm more of a savouries person - I like crisps, bread, cheese. I eat perhaps 3 to 4 chocolate snacks a year but I'm treating myself to some beer one night per week.



It's unrealistic to cut out everything you like. I have sandwiches every day during the week; the problem (IMHO) with omitting bread completely from the diet is that it's filling and a source of fibre. For the weekend, I've got some Lentil soup in since I figure that it's more filling than the low/fat sugar varieties and so I won't need to have bread with it.

I just can't do the low fat stuff though. I'd rather have half the amount of cheese that I like than twice the amount of ropey stuff. I like natural unadulterated food so the thought of low fat spread just fills me with dread. I like butter, and again, would rather have less than substitute the low fat stuff.

Hear, Hear!
I find that cooking in a wok requires less oil (and you don't notice it!) and using stock cubes to improve (or disguise) flavour is a good remedy for this. I still add a little oil (from a spray or by coating the vessel with oil) to much of my cooking -it's an unfortunate fact of life that quite often some oil is required to bring out spices. Plus, women's bodies need some fat to make hormones. I've finally sussed out dry roasting spuds - and got them to taste somewhere between the original version, and oven chips. Yum!

Oh yes, don't even go there about Skimmed milk.

I've been having weetabix or cornflakes for breakfast - this next week I'm going to substitute porridge for this and see how that works

.

I've been eating porridge - water, splash of milk, salt and sweetened with honey. I've had Weetabix a couple of times when I've been in a hurry and have been pleasantly surprised to discover that I actually prefer it minus sugar. At the weekend, I've been enjoying toast, no butter or marg, with ordinary jam.

Anyway, all this writing about food is making me
Tonight's fare is dry roasted spuds, chicken in an orange sauce, and veg.

Cheers for the encouragement, everybody!

[Boots]

Yes!!! Losses all round... What a team.

Kaching...Kaching... Can hear the Sish paypal button from here!

Well done Shirlz - every loss counts and as long as its going down that what we are after.




I am using what is called a 'strip diet'.

(No, no, settle down Muddy. I still have my clothes on )

This may be something Dave might be interested in though, and I wouldn't mind running it past him for his opinion. It is basically built around high proteins, low carbs and requires a few sugar bolts (which means chockies are actually useful). It's a weightlifting diet that is used before comps.

I bulk up very quickly on carbs, so pretty much all bread, pasta, spuds etc are gone till I revert to normal weight - basically anything white or yellow as a rough rule.

Sugar bolts are used before activity to provide for optimum energy output. That sounds very posh, doesn't it?

I eat/refuel only as I exert energy, so there is no breakfast as such. Or night meal actually. Small protein serves, start about 3 hours into the day. First food this week has been a chicken shish-kebab stick, and a piece of fish. Salami sticks, chicken, ham, vegemite and the odd gaurana, coffee (or snickers bar ) keep me going and push me through the comfort zone. Lunch is a meal - usually a chicken or ham salad and a fruit salad.

I also use a metabolising shake that costs a fortune, so I try to just have one of them a day. I usually slot that in about 1pm. They come loaded with a stack of vitamins, so I figure I should have at least one.

I eat a lot more than usual when I do this and it always seems odd at first. My body usually responds pretty quickly though as long as I am active. If I eat like this and do nothing, I end up the crotchiest, grumpiest person you are ever likely to meet. Also have to watch myself, just before its time to refuel. My mind starts thinking grumpy things and I realise its time to put something in my mouth before the cranky stuff comes out.

I have a home gym, but it has not had much use this week because of the hours I have been out of the house. Did find a pallet of bricks at the worksite though, so sneak off out there when I feel myself getting impatient, irritable or restless.

My dog is very patient, I have decided. She worked with me today...

[the.fee.fairy]

Congratulations!

Keep up the hard work Team TTT!

[Andy Hamilton]

Keep it up girls.