New Workout DVD

I bought the second Carmen Electra DVD. This one contains a series of more challenging toning workouts for toning bums and tums, upper and lower body, abs and back etc. They're not the hardest toning workouts I've ever done, but that's a good thing because right now I'm so out of shape I couldn't manage a really tough workout. They're just right for me because they're a bit harder than I can do right now, but not so hard I give up in disgust. I did it yesterday and today I'm sore, so I'll rest a day or so before I try again.

Diet Delish is going well. The food is great and I'm sticking to it really strictly. I don't know if I've lost any weight since Wednesday but I'm sure I haven't gained any.

Smaller Plate

I read that eating off smaller plates makes you eat less. Like, duh! Our plates are massive, they don't even fit in the dishwasher. So I bought a smaller pair.

Day 4 - Diet Delish

I've been sticking strictly to my new diet but I can't believe I'll lose any weight this week. There just seems like so much food, and it's so tasty. I just finished breakfast - French toast made with raisin bread and spread with jam. Two questions:
1) Why did I never think of making French toast with raisin bread before, and
2) How on earth can you lose weight eating this stuff?
But it's all calorie counted to 1300kcal/day. The proof of the pudding will be in Wednesday's weigh-in.

Body Measurements

I have taken some body measurements.

Bust - 40 1/2 inches
Waist - 34 inches
Hips - 44 inches

These correspond to a UK size 16-18 (US size 14-16) but in practice I wear UK size 16 clothes which I find fit me fairly loosely. I'll consider that I've reached my subgoal to drop a clothes size when I can comfortably fit into UK size 14 clothes. I'll check these measurements from time to time to see if (and where) I'm shrinking.

Goals

I have added some long-range and short-range goals in the right-hand sidebar. My short-range goals are:

• To get below 182lbs - acheived on Cabbage Soup Diet
• To lose 14 lbs
• To lose 10% of my starting weight
• To go down a clothes size

And my long-range goal is:

• To weigh 126lbs

I have other goals but I don't want to scare myself silly with a "to do list" that's miles long, so I'll add a couple more items when I've ticked off a couple of these. And I'll reward myself whenever I reach one.

Lost 7lbs on Cabbage Soup Diet

I lost 7lbs in one week on the Cabbage Soup Diet. That's fantastic, I was hoping to lose about 4lbs, but I'd have been satisfied if I had lost 2lbs. It wasn't hard, I enjoyed the soup and the other food, so I stuck to it very strictly (except strictly you're not supposed to drink coffee or tea, but a) I can give up food but I can't give up coffee and tea and b) I don't believe it's coffee and tea that made me fat, so I've no qualms about drinking them black, or with skimmed milk, as much as I like).

Now I'm doing Diet Delish. I hope to lose 2lbs this week, although I'd be satisfied just to maintain my weight. The meals seem really tasty and generous after the strict Cabbage Soup regime. I've already had a bowl of bran flakes with skimmed milk and half a sliced banana and it tasted indulgent. I'm looking forward to spinach salad for lunch and Asian Turkey Burger for dinner.

Cabbage Soup Diet Final Day

This is my final day of the Cabbage Soup Diet. Today as well as soup I can eat vegetables and brown rice. Tomorrow I'll weigh myself and see whether it was worth it.

I decided that after a 7-day crash diet like Cabbage Soup Diet, I need to switch to a less strict regime, but still calorie-controlled. So I found a diet on iVillage called Diet Delish. I've made a shopping list and I'll get everything in I need so I can start the diet tomorrow.

The Carmen Electra Striptease Workout DVD was fun. I'm very unfit, so I couldn't have managed a really intense aerobic workout, but it raised my heart rate and certainly got some muscles working (read: aching) so it's about right for my level of fitness. And it was more enjoyable than a plain old aerobics DVD because it felt more like dance moves than aerobics (and sexy dance moves, too). I like it and I plan to do it three times a week, maybe more.

Exercise DVDs

I bought the Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease DVD. I thought it would be fun to do an exercise video a few times a week. I picked this one because I want to feel sexy, and maybe this will help. I bought some sexy new exercise clothes as well to help my motivation.

Today I ate more steaks and vegetables. I even had my lunch at the mall, and ordered my steak with no sauce and no potatoes, just a side salad. It was delicious, and it didn't feel like being on a diet at all.

Mix-And-Match Dieting

Today I ate beef steaks and tomatoes as well as cabbage soup. That was nice, you don't normally get to eat lots of steak on a diet. I did lots of gardening, so I'm counting that as exercise.

I know that I can stick to any diet, for a while, but I get bored and start cheating if I stay on it for long. I also crave whatever things are forbidden. So I'm planning to keep changing diets, mixing and matching. If I crave chocolate, I'll find a diet where you can eat chocolate (slim-fast for example has lots of chocolate shakes and bars and even hot chocolate), if I crave meat I'll try a low-carb diet for a while. If I crave carbs I'll go on the pasta diet. And so on. Maybe this way I can lose weight without getting bored.

First Challenge - Socialising

Today I was supposed to only eat cabbage soup, bananas and skimmed milk. But I had arranged to meet some friends and help one of them move apartment. I knew they'd be getting pizza and probably eating donuts and all kinds of things. But I took my flask of soup, my bananas and milk and just told them what I was doing.

They were really interested in the diet and I was glad I had told them about it, although I had felt scared beforehand. And they were supportive - once they knew I was trying to lose weight they kept giving me the heaviest things to carry, to help me get more exercise!

Diet Support

Today I ate cabbage soup and fruit and vegetables. I enjoyed it more than yesterday. I suppose I like fruit better than vegetables.

The Cabbage Soup Diet page has a friendly and supportive forum. Getting support is so important when you're trying to lose weight.

My Virtual Model

This image of me was created in My Virtual Model. You type in your height, weight, and you can select different faces and hair styles etc. It's uncannily like me.

I'm not ready to put an actual photo of myself here, but I'll update these models from time to time and show how I'm doing.

Today I had cabbage soup and lots of vegetables. It wasn't fun exactly but I didn't find it difficult to stick to. After all, it's only a week.

Cabbage Soup Diet

I am Paragon.

I am female, I am 36 years old, I am 188lbs. I'd like to be 126lbs.

Today I started the Cabbage Soup Diet. I'll stick to it for a week and see how much weight I can lose, then I'll try something else.

Today I ate cabbage soup (it's not as bad as it sounds - it's a mixed vegetable soup which tastes similar to Heinz Vegetable soup), and a lot of fruit. I also walked briskly for 30 minutes.