Charlie Brooks Loses 30 Pounds

Charlie Brooks is a famous actress in the UK. In 2004, after having a baby, she weighed 168 at her height of 5'5". In 2005 she decided to hire a personal trainer and do 'a before and after workout' video. Over the next month, as she worked out two or three times a week, she lost about 14 pounds. By the end of the video she had lost about 30 pounds.

She says her workout DVD is different because it is not some famous star doing a workout video where they start out super slim and finish super slim. In her video you actually see the weight loss transformation take place.

Unfortunately, her video, which is quite popular in the UK, (and on Amazon.co.uk) is not available on Amazon.com, although you can find about 1,900 other workout videos there.

I couldn't take it any more!!!

Some of my dedicated and loving blog readers might have noticed the weight change bar above... has changed...

It now says 15 POUNDS LOST.

Because...

I just couldnt take it any more and weighed myself. I have lost 4 pounds since Sunday!!
WOW bloody WOW WOW WOW!

So I have now achieved 2 goals..
Lose 1 stone and get into the 16 stone zone.
Both done, today! YES!

I now weigh 16 stone 13 pounds.

Because this is SO awesome, I am gonna put it in the weightloss record.

I know its just in there but the BUZZ I got from the scales saying 16 instead of their usual 17 was like sweet music to my ears.

This also means that its only 10 pounds until I am back to my original banded weightloss...
The total loss I ever managed before it buggered up was 25 pounds. That was my lowest banded weight (16 stone 3). It was devestating to see it go up and up and up... I just wish someone had noticed and sorted it out earlier. Well, they didnt, so I guess I have to get on with it. Its working now honeyz!

My lowest banded weightloss was on 16th May 2007. I will be so great if I am less than 16 stone 3 by 16th May. In a strange way it will make me feel really good to know that I am back on track, even though its a year later. I still feel a little bit like I am competing with my initial weightloss. If I weigh 16 stone 3 before May 16th I will be very very happy; like I have overtaken myselfagain. I know it doesnt make sense, but somehow it will make me feel 'even'.

So the scales are shifting downwards again thank God. I knew that they would because food intake and eating habits have had to drastically change since Sunday. It has only been the last 24 hours where I have actually puked on food. I guess you start to relax a bit and forget to chew 500 times and do 450 times instead and WHAM! Your band says NO! NO! NO!
So I was reminded, not that gently, that thou must first chew TO DEATH the cooked beast and vegetation of the field.

Todays food:
BREAKFAST:
Tablets. Didnt want anything after that.

LUNCH:
1 McDonalds Hamburger (300cals)
5 Mc Donalds fries
1 orange juice
dipping sauce

IN CINEMA:
NOTHING! GO ME!!!!!!!!! I was too full from McDonalds! COOOOOOL!

DINNER:
Roasted vegetables (Butternut squash, aubergine, courgette, tomato, onion, pepper, sweet potato) coleslaw and green salad - 275 cals

So with a few other odds and sods, today's calorie intake is gratifyingly low at 835.

1 YEAR SINCE BANDING

I cannot believe that it has been this long, and yet gone so quickly.So after a year, two surgeries a total of 11 pounds weight lost... Am I glad I had the band?

YEAH! I know that if it hadnt blown apart, or someone had noticed and diagnosed it within the 8 months it was broken, then I would definately be close to my goal now.

So today, just to show you how much I love my band, I have taken photos of a couple of interesting items I ate today which PROVE that the band works. COMPLETELY.

Here is a plain regular size apple I tried this evening at about 5pm. Its still sitting on my desk waiting to be finished. I COULD NOT eat any more.

Here is the remains of my dinner. I have been painting and tiling all day again, so DH said he would get fish and chips. I ordered a small cod. I pinched 5 of hubbies chips and two are still on the plate as you can see. The cod fitted on the plate, so you can see exactly how much I could eat. No much. HA! Cool.

Suddenly this band is doing the job in a way I would never never never never in a MILLION years have been able to.

Its really strange. Until you are literally AT THIS POINT you cant imagine what its like. This is like mind blowing. I have read so many blogs where they say things like "When you get the perfect restriction you will know" and I kept asking "How?" I mean surely there must be some kind of way to describe it...

Well basically its the above pictures. This is what restriction is. Couple it with a feeling of fullness thats NICe and not bloated and hurting. Couple those with not being hungry between meals. Then wrap all of those up in a ribbon with realising you are eating around 800 cals WITHOUT TRYING!!!!!!!!!!! I mean WOW!

Today I can truly honestly from the bottom of my heart say

I love my band

So back to boring stuff...

Breakfast: rest of the prawn and salmon salad in the fridge from yesterday's lunch

Lunch: Knorr chicken noodle soup - 1/3rd packet

Snack @ 5pm: Kiwi

Snack @ 6pm: 1/4 apple

Dinner: 1/3rd piece of battered cod and 3 chips

Total (I F'ING LOVE MY BAND) Calories - 501

Awesome.

45 Pounds Lighter Without the Soda

John used to drink a lot of soda. He decided to give it up. This was the key change that helped him lose 45 pounds in nine months. He now weighs 190 and feels great. Although it took him several weeks to beat the soda cravings he's sure now he wouldn't touch the stuff again. See his quitting soda story here.

Breakfast:
1 chopped apple, 1 kiwi fruit, 4 grapes and 1 petit filous.
This kept me well full until lunch time. It took me 30 minutes to eat.

Lunch:

Or rather the REMAINS of my lunch (still in the fridge!).

I forgot to take a pic before I started gobbling it, but remembered when I saw the camera on the side on the way out to the kitchen with my plate. The complete meal was:

a handful of salad

70g prawns

50g smoked salmon

tablespoon of chilli sauce

2 tablespoons of cocktail sauce (home made with less cals!)

However, I only ate HALF of this as you can see. I had to stop as I started to feel a little pressure in my oeasophagus. So I thought -

"Right, rather than sit here and keep trying to eat a little bit more, and then
a little bit more, I will bung it in the fridge and get on with my jobs. If I
get hungry I can eat it then."

Didn't get hungry. Didnt end up eating it. HA HA HA HA HA COOOOOOL!

Spent the whole day tiling and painting and stuff in our Utility room. Am totally covered from head to toe in silicone sealant and paint and bits of tiles. But it looks WELL GOOD! I dont know why I didnt do it before. Its like one of those rooms that are getting a bit ropey, but you dont notice, as its kind of got older with you!!! Then one day you look and think "Jeez, this has got to be done up" and start wondering if anyone who visits thinks you are a total scab hound.

When I got right down on the floor and started work I was pretty ashamed of my housekeeping. I blame it on the short sightedness!! It really was well grim under the radiator where the dryer pumps out its perfumed fuzz laden air right onto the pipes. Without skirting boards since we tiled the floor over a year ago (OMG!) its kind of started to get a bit gross where the plaster is a bit damp etc. So its done now... filled, made good, sealed and skirted and now tiled to boot. Looks ace.

If I am renting the room downstairs to one of the Spanish girls, I cant very well let her walk into that pig sty every morning. I would want to shoot myself. So we have made it really cool now. Will finish it off with a lick of coffee colour paint tomorrow and it will be awesome.

DINNER:

I made Spaghetti Bolognese.

Extra lean mince, passata, onions, garlic (lots of!) and pasta.

I am still full now and its 11pm. Yippee flaming doo!

YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Total cals today according to The Daily Plate 823

I could cry with ecstasy.

Dare I say... 364 days after banding,

I LOVE MY BAND

Tomorrow is my 1 year bandiversary.

I kind of hate to think what I would look like now had the blow out not happened... but

Que Sara Sara

I'm not skinny yet, but this time next year I definatley WILL be!!!!!!

Another day in the life of me.

TODAYS CALS 817

SPELL CHECKER STILL NOT WORKING. SORT IT OUT BLOGGER PEOPLE!!!

Today I felt really lazy, but got up with DH and then just bummed around on the computer and doing loads of washing. Spent just over 2 hours on the phone to my Mum too. How cool are free phone calls!!

Breakfast:
1 weetabix with skimmed milk

Lunch:
1 yoghurt
1 snack egg... like a scotch egg, but much smaller and with egg mayo inside. Yum

Snack:
1 Yoghurt

Dinner:
3 tablespoons of pilau rice
3 ounzes of chicken breast
1 tablespoon green lentils
1/4 onion
1/5th Jar of Yellow thai curry sauce (Loyd Grossman)

(this is such a SMALL meal. COOOOOOOL!)

Evening snack:
1/2 box raspberries (100g) and skimmed milk.

total cals today 817!!! WICKED

Totally full, totally satisfied. OH GOOD GRIEF ITS

Wait for it....

ACTUALLY WORKING

YEAH

At flamin' last! I am so happy. This is totally different than I have ever felt before. I have not had a single PB, or any pain or sickness at all. I am HAVING to take at least 30 minutes to finish my meal, but I am serving myself at least half of what I normally have, if not less than half. I am seriously chewing. Chewing is not the word. I am actually eating the tiniest bites and chewing them over about 50 times. Its getting to be quite enjoyable as it seems like I am eating for ages!!

I was self restricting after the bodge up of my last band, and practically psyching myself out of my brain to believe it was true and that I really did have restriction.

Now I HAVE restriction for SURE!!

This time, I am not thinking about food for large amounts of the day. I truly feel great. I feel as full and comfortable after my meal as I would had I been able to stop when I was full before banding. I feel no different to how I used to feel on a sunday roast. I didnt ever use to stuff my guts to bursting. I just ate until I was full and I had had enough. Sadly it was too darn much. But I feel EXACTLY the same as If I had had as much as I used to have had, except that obviosuly I have changed the portion sizes dramatically because I dont feel pressure to eat more.

Oh I really cant explain how different this is to, like, 3 days ago even!!!! Honestly, there was a significant difference then, but I was still being a dumb bastard and not thinking in the right way, and maybe even trying to check that the band really was there.

Yesterday really was a wake up. I am so HAPPY that I puked up coffee. WOW. This band is skill.

I dont even feel pressure to weigh myself because I feel so great, and I KNOW I am eating correctly and without any problems or bad feelings or guilt or feeling hungry and deprived. This is going to work, and I am getting my enthusiasm and trust back, little by little, day by day.

Oh my goodness, I do hope so much that I am not talking too soon and stuff, but I can feel the difference and its made me feel completely blissful.

After nearly 1 year - YEP 2 DAYS UNTIL MY 1 YEAR BANDIVERSARY, its finally JUST yesterday started working. I really am a year behind. That is so shit. But hey, its doing the thing now and BRING IT ON!

Want to say Hi to Erika and Bunk Mate, Erika, I am loving all your comments, they are really inspiring me, especially as we kind of started this journey together and you are now so far on in your success. Keep going babe, you are an inspiration. And Bunk Mate, Hey honey, I hope you are Ok. I am so glad I met you and we truly did start this HELL/HAPPINESS together! I hope that you have heard from 'the company' about your band problem too, and they have sorted you out... but I am guessing you are still hanging on otherwise I would have heard from you. Either that or you are off on a caribbean cruise on the cash!! HA HA! ;o)

Anyway, love and hugz to both of yaz

Thanks to everyone else for reading my blog. I hope it helps someone somewhere someday.

How to Eat More Fruit: Try Fruit Treats

Here's a fruit that I've maybe only bought once in my life. It's the pomegranate (also known as Chinese apple). Inside are hundreds of pretty kernels, each with a tiny seed surrounded by ruby red pulp. These kernels can be eaten, seeds and all, and they're great sprinkled in salads. You can also press the kernels for juice and strain out the seeds. Wear an apron when working with pomegranates; the juice can stain your clothes.

The pomegranate is not in season now, but check out the beautiful tropical fruits page at the Cook's Thesaurus for more great ideas to diversify away from the more boring apples and bananas.