I found a tape measure... now im depressed...

I easily lost a dress size in the few weeks before our wedding, eating worse than I have for years, so (with the benefit of hindsight!) I can say I really wouldn't worry too much.

You also have 6 months to go AND it's just been Christmas, so don't be too hard on yourself, now's the perfect time to start a new regime...having piled on the pounds since our wedding, my healthy eating regime starts tomorrow...I'll be doing Slimming World which works really well for me. Good luck, but I'm sure you'll be fine...hey, by the time your day comes around your dress will probably be too big!

I hope you're right daisy! I'll be going back to curves (only made it 5 times since i joined!) once I'm back at work and using my cross trainer more. Drinking more water is a definate and though my OH isnt interested in eating healthy i might try living off salads for the next 6 months! My stomach looks like im 5 months gone! perfectly domed but perfecting depressing!

I'm going to do this too! Hopefully my bms and some friends will join me as its a couple of weeks before the wedding and I'd like to do it as part of my hen do. I've done it twice before, mainly jogging/walking. Took me about 1 hr 20 mins, its great fun, loads of people come out to watch and the atmosphere's great. I'll need to get started on my training too ?

Girls I just wanted to say the Resolution 10k is FAB! It is by far one of the best races I have done and the support and buzz from the supporters is great. I have always ran it because I was fit enough and I'm hoping I can get fit enough to run it this year as it's only 2 weeks before my wedding so a great motivation I'm hoping. I did it in 49 mins in 2004 so I will never get near that time but to just complete it would be an achievement now even if that means walking and running.

Nona I've put on over a stone since ordering my dress and when I ordered it the shop made me sign to say I would lose weight so I now have 1 1/2 stone to lose in 5 months!

Yes Nona sorry for crashing! Carol, you'll be surprised at how many people do walk/jog it, I'd say at least 75% do.

Hi

I know the feeling! I've went up a dress size since I bought my wedding dress, I tried it on at Christmas and it's so tight around my bust! It's so depressing that I feel like greeting whenever I think about it but not quite managed to stay away from the Xmas choccies yet though! I've got 2 months until I take my dress into the shop for any alterations so I'm hoping I can lose the extra weight by then, I'm joining Weight watchers and think I'll be living on salads for 2 months.

Good luck x

GULP. I havent had the call yet..... I think they were putting it off till after xmas coz i said money wouldnt be so readily available. My mums doing any alterations for me so i must lose weight before she starts telling me how fat I am lolol.

I;m going to cut out all the crap in my diet and see how it goes... it doesnt help that OH doesnt seem to care at the moment and I am not sure he fits his kilt!

Not the end of the world. You've seen this before, but just to remind you - on the left, 8th January 2008, size 18; on the right, 29th July 2008, size 10:

Tee Hee - you can drop a dress size so easily! And just look at Mel - 7 months, that's brilliant! ? Everybody feels naff this time of year after Christmas but it'll soon sort itself out! I have 2 & half stone to lose by May!

xx

Yeah but mel went full pelt at the gym - which I cant afford to do and joined a slimming club which is something I dont want to do.......

I havent pigged out over xmas, but my sweet tooth has increased a lot over the last year since i gave up smoking. I'd go back to smoking if it didnt come with the health issues! I used to be a one meal a day girl... but the routine of teaching has made me eat more to keep up my energy and I hate it! ne'er mind..... i'll get started as soon as I can.

Don't have to join a gym to exercise, Nona. Instead of the stepper, use the stairs in your house/block of flats. Instead of the treadmill, run on the streets. Instead of weights, lift bags of sugar. Do dips off the side of the sofa or sit ups whilst watching the TV. Look on Freecycle for home gym equipment, or buy it cheap from somewhere like Argos.

I guess you need to ask yourself how much you want to lose the weight. What are you willing to do (without starting smoking again!! lol) to get back to your previous measurements?

I totally agree with Mel about not needing a gym. I was a member of a gym for ages and tbh it just kept my weight the same because I didn't push myself. When I split up from my ex I started running around a park and I couldn't even run for 2 mins without gasping for breath but when I was half way around I had no option but to keep going. If that had been me on a treadmill I would have quit.

Mel, I'm amazed every time I see your before and after pictures! They really motivate me to do the same as I'm at slimming world. Back on a mission now so hoping to do the same as you.

I am the same Mel yoou did so so well if i can do half as good as you for my wedding in June i would be pleased!! I remeber you said a few weeks a ago u was going to be in a national paper please say i havent missed it!? xxx

You haven't missed it. Might be tomorrow, actually. Still waiting on the confirmation. I'll let you know as soon as I find out for sure.

Without wanting to turn this post on its head, as it is Teehee's post - but those photos are so inspiration Mel ... I'm off on hols on Thurs but when I get back I'm joining SW - weirdly enough got a leaflet thru' the door y'day with a joining offer on it - must be fate....

Teehee - if you're not a gym bunny there are lots of other options - even classes that aren't just circuits of machines in a gym - but many clubs do all sorts of weird and wonderful things - boxercise, salsa, jazzercise - it doesn't all have to be about endless minutes on a treadmill. I HATE gyms with a passion but I have to find out what is going to work for me along side Slimming World as diet alone won't do it for me.

Just to say, jogging will obviously help your cardio and I guess leg muscles, but if what my pal who runs says is true, it really works muscles you don't use for much else - a bit like horse riding, so jogging alone might not do it if you're looking for an overall tone up / weight loss in specified areas like the waist/tummy etc. I might be talking shyte, I'm just passing on what a pal has told me. Not that I can run or jog with my knees!

My hubby has got me one of those wibbly bar things that apparently works your core muscles. I've tried it but I'm still at the 'learning how to control it' phase rather than 'working out with it' phase! Thats quite good fun tho'! And a lot of folk swear by the Wii as a good way of adding to your fitness/toning etc ... I don't have it myself (impossible to get hold of the thing!) but again, reviews would suggest some folk find it a good addition to the dull routines of fitness/weight loss..

Good luck! Sounds like there are a few of us (me inc) who could be going over to the WL forum!!

Running alone toned every single part of me without a doubt because I was holding my tummy muscles in to keep a good running posture and using my arms especially to help me up hills so I definitely benefited everywhere. I find running a great way to exercise the whole body instead of using a bike which only does your legs and then needing to find another exercise for your arms, tummy etc.

I have the Wii. I used it all summer and lost no weight, blaming anti-dep's for making me gain weight.

I have a cross trainer in my hallway.

I have an elastic rower exersiser thing but still not sure what to do with it.

I have dodgy knees.

I have a Curves membership which I can attend after school as its on route, other than that its a pain in the arse to get to.

I have one layer of chocs to get through in this box!

The Wii alone won't make you lose weight. It can help with toning.

Cross trainers are cardio, which is good for burning excess fat and will help you lose weight.

Do you have the instructions for the elastic rower exerciser? Rowing can be good as it is cardio and also tones arms and legs.

Be careful choosing what you do with your knees. Running on the street is not a good idea as it jars you, but depending on how bad they are a treadmill might be ok.

I go to my gym on the way home from school. Couple of benefits: gets me out of school early once or twice a week (I tend to stay there working til silly o clock usually!) and also means you're not wasting your entire evening at the gym as you're home by 5.30pm.

Finish the chocs. Get rid of all temptation that you have in the house, make a fresh start tomorrow and don't buy any more naughty stuff!

I think its winter love - we are less active and our bodies pad up a bit for the weather - it will be gone again in no time dont stress.

After reading all ur posts i hve now booked in for aerobics on Monday evening to start back into it!!

anything naughty will be binned tomorrow night he he

Mel please let me know if it is tomorrow would love to read it, do you know what paper it is as i will buy it just incase he he

Teehee have u tried exercise dvd's? Was wondering if you prefer these to the gym? xxx

Even although you have dodgy knees if you get yourself to a proper sports shops like Grieves and get decent trainers that will help and might make it doable for you to have a jog for 20 mins 2 or 3 times a week. Obviously depends how bad your knees are though but walking at a fast pace is just as good as running if you really push yourself. Remember the advert walking a mile is the same as running a mile?

You just need to get into the right frame of mind first because it sounds like you know you want to lose weight but not actually in the place to do much about it and put excuses in the way. I was doing that but I've now decided I DO need to lose weight otherwise my wedding dress won't fit. If that means I don't eat crap for 5 months then so be it.

Bin the choccies, do you actually need them? Will they make you feel better? No probably not so why eat them and consume extra calories.

Sorry if I sound harsh but I'm just trying to movitate you.

It'll be in The People. She said she was hoping it would be in tomorrow, but everything is up in the air because of the split week for New Year. She said she'd let me know. Hope she doesn't forget!

Nona, if you want to give exercise DVDs a try I have a couple you can have. E-mail me through my profile (not PM cos I can't access it at the moment) and I'll post them to you.

Oh thats nice of ya mel, thank you. I do have natalie cassidys one but never get any further than the 1st section. Lounge is really small and I cant exercise in trainers on the carpet here, its just rubbish. (not our carpet)

I was going to get some with my xmas hmv vouchers but dont know what to buy. was going to explore amazons pages as they usually have snippets of peoples dvds.....att the moment its a toss up tween her that used to be on hollyoaks, a dancey one off emmerdale and mel b's......

Well, I'm sure I have Davina, Beverley Callard (Liz from Corrie) and Gaynor Faye with Daniel Whiston (they won Dancing On Ice a couple of years ago) around somewhere. If you want one of them, let me know.

Firstly Mel - blimmin hell, you have the nicest bottom in the world!!

Secondly Nona - we love you so don't be down about the whole dress size thing - as everyone else has said it is quite easy to drop a dress size. Ban all choccie/cake from the house and my tip is to have soup lots for lunch - so for breakfast muesli or porridge/bran flakes, then soup + sarnie for lunch and then pasta/stir fry/ meat + veg for dinner.

No snacking really but you shouldn't feel starving on that and it is so easy to make your own pea/carrot/any veg you like soup. You just need veg, stock/water and a pan and a blender or potato masher. Easy-peasy.

I lost a dress size in the summer in 1 month having soup every day for lunch and going to the gym 2 x week. Even if the gym is not your thing than as everyone else says try dance classes, long walks (is it pretty where you live? can you borrow a dog?) etc

HTH

xx

PS Loving your shoes