My Big Fat Diet Fail (part 10)

I've lost count of the amount of times I have started and stopped a diet. There is always an excuse "My parents are visiting", "I'm having a hard day" etc. Essentially it is self sabotage and I wonder why I sabotage myself, what do I gain from remaining overweight? I think that's the eternal question most dieters have, either that or "What's the local chippies number?" HEHE ... I can laugh as I'm a fellow fatty at the moment.

I'm refocusing and restarting tomorrow (Sunday) as I'm getting very fed up of my big belly and lack of neck. Diets can feel like an uphill struggle but this is why I like the VLCDs as you're losing around 3lbs a week which is so motivating. It is restrictive and I do have this very bad habit of eyeing up restaurant menus when I'm on this type of diet. I'm thinking that has to stop and maybe the ordering of kebabs (salad, chicken shish and chili sauce) under the pretense of 'well it's high protein'. It is high protein but I don't know whats in the sauce, what the chicken is marinated in or if they put any dressing or ingredient with citric acid in the salad, so it's a no no.

I don't tend to dwell on these things but I have to learn from my diet mistakes and there have been many!

So I hope from Sunday I will be posting some very positive blog entries about my diet progress and I'll hopefully not feel like shooting my scales in the months to come.

Pink Parcel - March 2015

My March Pink Parcel arrived nice and early! No theme to it this month but it included seven items in total (not including my months supply of tampons). The bar of Divine Chocolate was white chocolate this time, which was yummy and the teabag was from Teapigs, chocolate flake tea. 

Bubble T - Hibiscus and Acai Berry Tea Bath Bomb

Unfortunately I don't have a bath at the moment but these gorgeous little bombs (about 2cms in diameter) have a strong floral scent so I will be taking a few with me next time I'm staying in a hotel. These will 'help to bring clarity of mind leaving your skin feeling hydrated and cared for', according to the website.You get 7 mini bombs in a tube and they cost £6 from the Bubble T website.

Perfectil Triple Active Skin, Hair & Nails

I'm really not comfortable with taking additional nutrients just to make your skin, hair and nails look nice but then I don't have any major issues with my skin, hair or nails. I personally don't believe these things work and unfortunately I can't try these as I'm already taking a multi-vitamin/mineral in conjunction with my diet.

I have looked at online reviews and apparently hair transplantation surgeons and dermatologist have encouraged their clients to use this after treatments. There are loads of positive reviews on Amazon so check that out if you're interested.

PapayaGold PawPaw Moisturising Balm

This is made in Australia and is enriched with 'Bio Active Manuka Honey 20+' which apparently 'soothes, relieves and moisturises dry, sensitive and irritated skin'. Well all that sounds amazing and as a lip balm it is moisturising and long lasting. The look of the squeezie tube is a bit dated compared to the Manuka Doctor products, who I'm guessing are a competitor but overall a great product that works!

OPI Nail Polish Gwen Stefani (I Sing in Color)

Hopefully this picture collage shows you the colour of 'I Sing in Color' by OPI. The middle picture is my photo which makes it look brown, the photo on the right is from The Beauty of Red Roses blog who took a couple of pictures of this nail polish. The third picture on the left is from pinterest and it's of Essie's Bahama Mama because i think the colours are so similar and I fell in love with the Essie colour over the winter but didn't buy it. So I'm really happy to get this OPI polish in my Pink Parcel.With one coat it's a reddish plum and with two coats it's a deep deep red with plum tones. I can't wait to try it!

Bandzee hair bands

Bandzee appear to be a new company offering 'the stretchiest of elastics to support any hairstyle without tugging on hair or leaving dents when you take your hair down'. These look exactly like PopBands so I'm not too sure what the difference will be once this company has found its legs and sorted out its website.

Overall this has been another great box from Pink Parcel and I can't wait for next months!!

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Makeup Haul - skin, lids and brow

It's been a while since my last post so I now have quite a few posts to do. I will hopefully get those written up soon and posted asap! Here's the first, a small makeup haul.

Bourjois Poudre De Riz De Java - translated as 'Rice powder of Java'. Rather an unusual name and apparently a cult classic from 1879! I saw it in a YouTube review by Leah XL Channel so I'm unsure where it's been hiding for over 100 years.

It's a pink looking translucent powder with shimmer which is good for locking in make up and making the skin look radiant. I've been using it for several days now and although the shimmer isn't obvious (which is a good thing) my skin did take on a illuminated tone, although the powder doesn't seem to last for long.
If you want to buy this from Boots (UK) there is an offer online at the moment for 3 for 2 on selected Bourjois products.

Botanics Shine Away Invigorating Face Scrub - this was actually a 'make-do' purchase as I really wanted the Botanics Radiant Youth Microdermabrasion scrub but they didn't have it in my local Boots. Saying that this scrub does have fine scrub particles in a lovely smelling gel. It's does make my face feel fresh and clean but if you are looking for an invigorating scrub I would go with St. Ives Invigorating every time.

Botanics All Bright Radiance Balm -  This was a total random purchase, I liked the sound of it as I've been trying to brighten my rather pale lacklustre skin for quite a while. I use this before I put on my foundation and I do feel my skin looks more radiant. I'm not sure how that works and there is very little information on the Boots website but the reviews are good and it smells full of flowery goodness.

 Essence All About Chocolate eyeshadow palette - this is one of five palettes by the very cheap and cheerful Essence brand. The colours in this picture don't show the colours very well but they are a mix of browns and creams, some matte and some shimmery. The website also says metallic but I haven't found a metallic colour in this palette. You get alot of shadow for your money, this palette could easy last you a year as the shadow pots are quite deep. The pigment isn't strong but the colours are good for an everyday look.


Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Mascara - Oddly I never thought I would need brow defining/colouring products as I have full brows with good natural shape. But I've recently gone back to dying my hair dark brown and although my eyebrows are darker than my natural hair colour, I felt they needed a bit of help to match with my new hair colour. Many moons ago I received a sample of Model Co More Brows Fibre Gel in my GlossyBox and have been using it daily. But it's £15 a pop so I went out looking for a value replacement. Maybelline Brow Drama does the job, although I will say the bulbous tip serves no purpose really. I short mascara wand would work just a well.

Thanks for reading! More posts coming soon as I've been sidetracked by my birthday celebrations! Enter your email under my logo and you'll be emailed when my next posts are available OR follow me on Twitter or Bloglovin! 

VLCD - how to keep going

I've been on Slim2BTrim for nearly a week now and lost 11lbs. That does sound like a lot of weight but for the first week or two of a vlcd (very low calorie diet) you lose a lot of water weight and 'loose' weight from the yummy fatty food you ate the week before.

I'm happy with the weight loss so far and the diet food I've been eating. The MRP (Meal Replacement Powder) shakes I've had are standard, not as thick as Exante but a lot of variation in flavours (unlike Exante). The High Protein snacks have been surprisingly tasty. The Novo Protein Bites are really good, you get a 40g bag which is full of light, airy full flavoured protein crisps. The texture is more like a Quaver than potato crisps. You can find flavour and nutritional info HERE.

I'm also having a MRP Bar every day and the quality is very high. I've tried several VLCD in the past and the quality of food products has been so hit and miss. The Peanut and Chocolate Bar (top right) has a Tracker Bar like quality and taste with some real nuts in it. The Muesli Bar (top right) has a lovely crunch to it and the yogurt coating isn't overpowering. The Chocolate Bar and Caramel Bar (bottom left and centre) both have the same chocolate coating and gorgeous chewing texture, like a heavy Milky Way. The Truffa Bar (bottom right) has the same name as other bars I have tried on different diets but this is very different. It's very chocolatey, a nice chew to it along with additional crunchy bits!


I've also tried the pizza mix, which although has an ok base and very nice basil/oregano tomato sauce, is a little lacking. But when you're comparing a diet pizza to a Pizza Hut pizza, it's just not going to win.

The main motivation to keep going is focusing on the great tasting food you CAN eat and the amount of guaranteed weight you will lose every week you're on it. This diet is not 100% sensible and the maintenance once you reach your goal weight will be more difficult (been there, done that) compared to Weight Watchers or Slimming World with support groups. But if you want to hit your goal quick with predictable 2-3 lbs of weight loss a week, this may be the diet for you.

Diet Update!

I'm still recovering from my Birthday weekend (it was long, full of fatty foods and a visit from the parents) so a little behind with blog entries. Sorry :-)

I've now had time to rethink the diet plan, Dukan diet is great but it just didn't suit me. I have little interest in food when I'm on a diet so having to think about prepping for your breakfast and lunch just doesn't work for me.

So I've now started the Slim2BTrim. It's such a cheesey name, you could have ... LessSin2BThin, BePetiteEatMeat, BeLeanEatProtein HAHA. Anywho, it's a Very Low Calorie Diet which some people see as unsafe or controversial. It's neither, it's just a means to an end. I will consume around 750 kcals a day, eating food plus high protein meal replacements. I'm on the Lifestyle Plan so thats:

• Meal replacement bar
  
• Meal replacement shake
• High protein snack
• 150g lean protein
• 250g vegetables
• 2-3 litres of water
• 200ml of skimmed milk

I have done VLCD before and they do work, any diet works if you stick to it. I tend to lose 3lbs a week on this type of diet so I'm hoping for good results. Losing weight when you're in the right frame of mind is easy but keeping it off has always been difficult for me. I'm 100% focused on this and feeling good.

Would be great to hear from anyone else on VLCDs to find out how they're doing.

ODed on Sugar Free sweets - Diet Update

The diet has been going well. I stalled for four days but realised I wasn't eating and drinking enough so I stepped that up and dropped an extra pound. It's amazing that weight loss stops if you don't eat. I realise your body goes into starvation mode but at some point your body must start using it's fat stores to survive and the weight will drop off? Not that I'm encouraging starvation in any way. The only reason I wasn't eating a lot was because on the Dukan Diet you are eating a lot of protein which zaps your appetite.

One little issue I have with this diet is snacks and unexpected outings. If you do anything remotely unplanned finding food can be difficult. I'm currently in a hotel, I grabbed 3 liters of  bottled water, a whole chicken and Sula Mint Humbugs before I got here. The waters going down great but unfortunately my stomach wasn't keen on the chicken ... so that left the Sula Mint Humbugs and they are sooo moreish! I'm only meant to have 5 sugar free items a day but I have gone over my quota and I'm having a hard time not eating the whole packet. The only thing that's stopping me is my gurgling gut alerting me to the fact that if I have any more I'm going to be on the loo far too many times tonight.

But it's Sula sweets, eat nothing or raid the vending machines downstairs that are full of carb laden goodies. Guess I'll stick to the water then ... and look forward to my buffet breakfast tomorrow.

I'm thinking about doing an overview of the Dukan Diet. Let me know if you'd be interested in that. You can leave comments on here or my Twitter @LouKDBlog.