# Help with diet and routine



## CleverGirl (Apr 9, 2013)

Hey Ladies,

this is probably in the wrong place but just after some advice...

Basically, I was a fit size 8 at 8 stone 5 (I'm 5'5) then I got pregnant and ballooned by 5 stone!! I managed to get back down to 9 stone 5 by doing Dukan for 2 months when my daughter was 4 months old. Fast forward to now, she is 9 months, I'm 10 stone and saggy and just disgusting!

I read online a few motivational stories about mummy's in my situation who have managed to turn it all around and be able to compete, I would love to be able to do that and can only dream of being able to look like a figure model. I have always had a trim figure and now have absolutely zero confidence in myself. I joined a gym but I'm scared to go as I feel disgusting compared to the other ladies in there. No excuse but my diets gone to s**t as well 

All my friends who go to the gym all live on diet food and spend hours on the cross trainer which isn't what I want to do. The trainers at my gym just tell you to do loads of cardio. I don't have the confidence to go to body pump but may try it this week!

sorry to ramble on 

xx


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## dorris1988 (Mar 13, 2013)

will get ellemac to post a reply for you


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## ElleMac (Sep 20, 2011)

Hello there!

Firstly, well done in taking the first steps and finding the courage to share your story! It's not an easy thing to do.

It's great you're taking inspiration from other people and aspire to look like a figure competitor but here's my advice to you from day one:- "AIM TO BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOU". You can't ever compare yourself to anyone else- their story, the way they look, their level of motivation. You're unique, it's what makes you beautiful!

Another thing is, amend your self talk- straight away! You are NOT disgusting. You are just in a different place than you were before, and now you're ready to make a change. It's ok, there's nothing wrong with you! Start being kind to yourself, because if you put yourself down honey, there might not be anyone to pick you back up. Tell yourself "I am beautiful, I am confident, I am successful!" You might not believe it at first but you don't have to. Eventually you'll start to feel better, your subconscious will hate the change but with repetition it'll listen!

Why not try working out at home to start off with, or training in baggy clothes? I started out in EXACTLY the same position as you. I just zoned out and focused and ignored everyone else. You'll probably find that people won't notice you and they'll respect you for being there! And trust me, there are such a mish mash of shapes and sizes in a gym.

Ignore that cardio rubbish! Why don't you post up your current diet, if you're not confident enough to do that then PM me and I'll try to help? I'm not a nutritionist by any means but I think I've enough knowledge to give you the basics to get you started. Also, what exercise would you usually do? And have you taken any photos of how you look now? X


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## ElleMac (Sep 20, 2011)

P.S. 10 stone at 5"5 is a perfectly acceptable weight, and try not to focus on your weight anymore, but the way you feel and look! 

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk 2


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## CleverGirl (Apr 9, 2013)

Thank you for replying!!

This is a before

View attachment 5191


And this is now!

View attachment 5192


View attachment 5193


My stomach is like a empty saggy flabby sack!

I had a c section so you do have a bit of overhand for a while after because of the scar.

My diet has been like zero carbs for a few days then I fall off the wagon badly then back on no carbs so a complete mess. I've been looking at eating clean and doing it that way instead. I was hammering an extra 700 cals a day in lucazade! So I've quit fizzy drinks.

I've been doing walking etc as exercise but now joined a gym so would like to start again, I used to run 5k three times a week, it's crazy how I've just lost it all!

Thanks for the reply 

X


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## CleverGirl (Apr 9, 2013)

By the way ElleMac your pics look amazing! X


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## daddy123 (Nov 30, 2012)

Welcome clevergirl. I,m sure people on here will help as much as they can.


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## gingernut (Dec 11, 2006)

You aren't that far out from where you were before.

You say "diet foods", do you mean Weight Watchers stuff?Special K or do you mean good clean, wholesome food?

Cardio helps remove the fat if your diet is less than expenditure, but too many people do loads of cardio but don't lose weight diet is the key and diet doesn't mean restricting too much. If you zero carb now when are you going to zero carb in future when you are very lean?

At the beginning small changes will have a better effect, so you hardly notice and aren't at risk of breaking rather than jumping in the whole hog.

Steady and consistent is the name of the game.

Get on a basic weights programme, learn how to train muscle groups(understanding what you are doing means you'll understand form, and how to perform the exercises properly) small amounts of regular consistent cardio and just keep it simple.

That's it.


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## CleverGirl (Apr 9, 2013)

Hi LancashireRose...

You don't live anywhere near Lytham do you? Lol!

My friends all do weight watchers and Special K diet etc. Dukan worked wonders for me to lose that huge chunk of weight but its not sustainable in the long run for me. I didn't eat carbs for almost 2 months to lose 4+ stone. But I don't want to live like that anymore, when I was small before the baby I just ate healthily but not overly strictly if that makes sense?

Xxx


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## daddy123 (Nov 30, 2012)

That is a great post by lancashirerose.


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## jo fairbairn (Mar 2, 2006)

Hey Clevergirl!

Quiting fizzy drinks is great - whether they are sugar-free or not they're really not that great for you. I found at night was when I would just want to eat EVERYTHING I could get my hands on - my secret tip was pints of Ribena "really light", I'd just guzzle half a pint or so at a time, it fills your stomach up and gives it something to do other than say in a horrible little voice "feed me"!

Try to eat food that is as close to it's natural state as possible, ie unprocessed.

Carbs - don't completely leave them out, try not eating them after say 6-7pm, focus on having them early on to fuel you through the day. (eg Oats, porridge)

As ElleMac says - Baggy clothes are the way forward!! I still do this if I'm not in the best frame of mind, then I concentrate on what I'm doing instead of what i look like in the gym mirrors! (which, lets face it, aren't the most flattering thing in the world!)

You can do some bodyweight exercises at home - sit ups, press-ups, squats, lunges up and down the hallway/garden etc as you get better you can even use baby as a weight! eg Holding her while squating, holding her on your chest when doing sit-ups, strapped in a carrier to your back doing press-ups etc

Keep your movements SLOOOOWWWW and controlled keeping your form correct concentraing on squeezing the muscle(s) you're working - it's the "time under tension" that does the good - no point in using momentum to shift a weight as the muscles aren't getting really worked.

And as Elle says - get your head in the right place - DO NOT look at yourself and put yourself down - this will NOT help!! That old saying - gotta love yourself before anyone else will. You are YOU - just a slightly different version at the moment - which you'll love even more when you see changes happening!

xx


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## ElleMac (Sep 20, 2011)

You are NOT disgusting, as rose says, you are not far from where you were before.  I have a huge scar too, mine is vertical from a bowel resection. Losing fat actually made mine flatten out and my skin tone improved too!

Jo F helped me to lose all that weight, and I ate carbs ALL the way to the end- right before I got on stage! In fact, I think I only had 5 days of zero carb before I started "carbing up" (don't worry about what that means)- but basically, I used a carbohydrate cycling plan to get to my goals. I didn't cut out any food groups, but I restricted dairy and fruit just while I was losing fat (I eat it all the time now!)

Personally I don't think you need to follow a bodybuilding plan per se, because you aren't dieting to compete. As you said, just eat a clean diet- if it didn't once have a mother or it doesn't grow from the ground, don't eat it! Another tip I give is if you can't pronounce an ingredient in something- don't eat it! 

Why not take up walking and running again, if that's what you enjoy? You could also add in some weights to improve your muscle tone, why not try an upper body day and then a lower body day, just to get you started? In the meantime, you can do some research on diet (which by the way is the way you eat EVERY DAY, it is not a quick fix!)

As Jo said, try some training at home to start with, there's soooo much you can do- squats, step ups (use the stairs!), tricep dips, bicep curls, ab crunches... all sorts  x

P.S. Thank you for the kind comment about my photos, that took 6 months- see anything is possible, and no fad diets involved- plus training weights only 3 times a week!  x


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## CleverGirl (Apr 9, 2013)

Thanks for your replies Jo and Elle!

I know I sound dense but can you give me an example of your diet? Jo is there any way of getting a diet plan from you?

I loved up your pics on Facebook Elle (I'm not a stalker honest!) I'm so inspired by your before and after, you look exactly how I've dreamt of looking! I'd love to have the confidence to compete. I'd like to enter the miss galaxy universe yummy mummy near year, but I doubt I could!

Thanks for your kind replies, think I'm at a low point at the moment 

X


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## jo fairbairn (Mar 2, 2006)

Do NOT doubt yourself woman!!!! If you use that as your goal it'll help.

Yes, elle and I can help with an eating plan, pm me with foods that you don't like, there's no point in giving you a plan if it's full of foods you don't like. Also if you include a typical day or week's food diary so we know where we start from, small changes at first & hopefully results will be noticeable. X

www.sixpackbags.co.uk


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## CleverGirl (Apr 9, 2013)

Thank you so much! X


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## CleverGirl (Apr 9, 2013)

Hey Jo, it won't let me pm?

Thanks for taking the time to reply to me! In regards to my diet I always seem to hardly eat for a couple of days then binge eat s**t for a couple of days  I like most stuff except cottage cheese and beans!

Xx


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## gingernut (Dec 11, 2006)

CleverGirl said:


> Hey Jo, it won't let me pm?
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to reply to me! In regards to my diet I always seem to hardly eat for a couple of days then binge eat s**t for a couple of days  I like most stuff except cottage cheese and beans!
> 
> Xx


Definitely need to break this by eating consistently, know it can be hard at first because you want to undo the 'bad' stuff but it works once you get used to it. You'll probably find you feel a lot better about yourself too.


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## CleverGirl (Apr 9, 2013)

So for example I ate like this

Breakfast

Small fat free rhubarb yog

80g pomegranate seeds

Snack

Pumpkin seeds and raisens

Lunch

Tuna salad

Snack avocado

Tea

Chicken with broccoli and cauliflower

Snack 2 x hard boiled eggs

What do I need to add or drop? X


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## gingernut (Dec 11, 2006)

CleverGirl said:


> So for example I ate like this
> 
> Breakfast
> 
> ...


Oats and some protein (either whey or egg whites) would be a much better start to the day. At the moment you are hardly eating any decent carbs or protein!Do you know how much you are eating, amounts make a big difference - for example when I started bodybuilding diet 2 years ago my friend volunteered to cook as per my diet plan. He presented me with a plate of chicken, veg and potatoes. I asked "Have you weighed that chicken?", nope looks plenty to me. I chucked it on the scale and it was only half the amount I needed. Generally you need x 2 usual serving of protein food.


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## CleverGirl (Apr 9, 2013)

Hello!

I've been eating oats for breakfast, salad with hard boiled egg for lunch and chicken and veg for tea. In eternal I snack on pumpkin seeds and raisens, carrot and humous, fruit.

I need to get some scales as I don't weigh anything x


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## ElleMac (Sep 20, 2011)

How are you getting on now CleverGirl? X

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk 2


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