Posts by mcdh1

Most of London's museums and galleries are free to enter and are wonderful.

A nice day out is to visit St Paul's Cathedral, then walk across the Millennium bridge over the River Thames, visit the Tate Modern (a really great gallery) and then stroll along the South Bank of the river checking out shops, cafes and other attractions along the way, including the National Theatre and the London Eye (the best view of the city).

Or You can take a tour of the Houses of Parliament in the summer.  Away from the centre, Islington is an interesting neighbourhood to check out, with shops, antique stores and stalls and a good range of places to eat and drink.  Ottolenghi on Upper St, Islington has really good fresh food but it is  pricey.  

It's worth checking out Time Out magazine - see here:

http://www.timeout.com/london/

And Borough Market is a fabulous place to shop for food  - worth a visit just to look around.  Awesome!

http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

Have a great time, synaesthetist!

For me, 2 things help to avoid binging.  One: avoid the sites of temptation.  Unless I know I'm in solid place, I keep away from places that sell my favourite foods.  I know this isn't always possible but often I find temptation goes in phases.  In particular, try to shop for groceries just after you've eaten a big meal with some protetin in it - you'll feel a lot fuller and that makes a difference.  There was a great TV programme on the BBC recently which showed the science behind this - people who ate protein for breakfast had a different reaction in the brain when shown pastries mid-morning than those who ate less protein.  Amazing stuff.  Two: when you're tempted to eat something really bad, just ask if it's worth undoing all the hard work you've done - those pounds are so HARD to take off and so easy to put on. 

I've lost around 100 lbs and I still binged last week.  I'm mad at myself but it's only really a problem if I do often or, much more dangerous, if I use it to say 'Well, I've already eaten x, so i might as well go the whole hog and eat b,c,d,e and f!'  You can do it, infraviolet!  It also gets easier, I found - partly because your body gets used to not having those sweet, sugary foods and partly because you have more to lose: if you've lost 30lbs and people start to notice, that's a real motivator to keep it up. 

Mary

Thanks for the advice and encouragment - I think I'll go with thrilled.

It could indeed be My First Plateau (but not my last, I'm guessing).  Or water retention is a good thought -  when I'm away I end up eating a lot more processed or restaurant foods which are bound to be higher in salt than the food I eat at home.    But if this keeps up, I might edge up my cals a bit.  Though I'll be going away again soon so I guess this train will come to sharp stop soon enough and I'll be complaining about not losing enough weight!

I am always so grateful in these boards full of interesting stuff that people take the time to offer thoughts and advice to others.  Much appreciated, folks!

Mary

This is really interesting.  Sorry for being dumb, but can I ask for a bit more help on this diet point?  I weigh 245 lbs (have already lost 95lbs).  I started lifting weights a month ago and the biggest weight I've lifted is 15kg (33lb) in the chest press, and I can barely lift that. (I know, it's embarrasing compared to most people!)   I do cardio and have been trying my own  version of interval training in power walking or swimming and, though neither is going to break any world records, it does seem to be working re weight loss.  But...... I'm currently eating under 100g of protein a day (my split is on average 40% carbs; 35% fats; 25% protein).  I now realise I need to  change that balance but for me to eat 245g of protein would mean a radical change in a diet.  I can't imagine how I could get that much protein into my diet without blowing my 1500-1600 daily calorie limit and without eating much more fat.  (I can't eat nuts, btw). Any advice gratefully received. 

MC

OK, here goes with my 1 April weigh-in:

1 April 2009:   256  - Tossed 6lbs in March

It should have been better but it's been a tough month and at least I'm still going in the right direction. And the stories on this thread of late have been more and more inspiring.  Thanks to everyone who posts for helping to keep the rest of us on track!

My SW was 341 back on 28 July 2008 so this means I have now lost 85 lbs. This doesn't sound like much of a milestone but other Brits may appreciate that this means I've lost 6 STONE!  And I have now officially tossed one-quarter of my body weight.  What's more, each size I drop now opens up more places i can buy clothes.  This is exciting.  (But expensive.....)

MC

FEB 1 WEIGHT: 274 (LOST 6)

I lost all those 6 pounds in the first 10 days of January and have totally fallen off the wagon since.   I was doing so well  but am really struggling to get back into my routine since Christmas.   I think it's been a mixture of too much work, too many dark mornings and just getting out of the swing of things. Any advice gratefully received. 

MC

Thanks for all this advice - much appreciated.  In response to the various questions, I am female, 47 years old and 5' 5" tall.  I don't feel hungry, I guess because I am eating lots - it's just very different from the food I used to eat.  I'm cooking good food at home rather than buying convenience food and eating loads more fruit and veg than I used to.   But I do find that going to the gym makes me v hungry!And also v tired....

Thanks for all the encouragement too - this site is brilliant.

MC