Week Ten
Nahid's nurturing streak
Inch loss: Bust: 1 inch - Waist: 2 inches
Hips: 1 inch - Arm: 1/8th inch -Thigh: 1.5 inches
I have totally loved being on the Drop a Dress Size course – I love to live by rules even if I break them every now and then. The results of 10 weeks thinking about what I do and making the time to exercise regularly is that I am trimmer. It's great to remember that you can fix yourself – without being fixated.
I like being the size I feel happiest at without having to embark on a dogmatic and tiresome regime. Why do grown up women accept a life of green days and a points system to rate food? It's slightly bats! And unsustainable because you are not thinking for yourself.
The crucial aspect of the Good Vibes how to eat tips is that you have to think about how the food you eat will affect your body and then make the choice. The Power-Plate part of the course makes it easy to fit in your resistance training - it has completely changed my body shape. I wouldn't have retrained and set up Good Vibes if I didn't believe in the product. I need the encouragement to stick to a regular cardio regime and I did it because I had to record it in my diary. I've really enjoyed talking to the Good Vibes team and clients about our collective progress on the course. The doing it in a gang thing has been really helpful.
I did worry a tad that I would be a Rachel Zoe figure encouraging me and the (much younger) Good Vibes girls to get competitively skinnier by the week. However, the course is much more sensible than that – you need to eat well to Power-Plate and step up your cardio – this isn’t about shrinking your magnificence and being miserable. The Drop a Dress Size course is about empowering you to enjoy your body at its best no matter what your build.
I did get into the Bill Gibbs jacket that I used as my measure but I couldn’t do it up and breathe. I didn’t realise that it’s more a tiny size 6 (seventies cut VERY tight) , I am not and don’t want to be. I’d look too weird, children would point at me in the street and laugh. I am 40 for heaven’s sake, lollipop head isn't the look I am aspiring to. I’ll wear it with the buttons undone instead.
I also thoroughly enjoyed nurturing clients who all thought that losing their weight was beyond them: take a bow David who has lost 1.9 stone and counting - David is in his sixties and has been trying to lose the inches since his forties, I had to refer to the course as Drop a Trouser Size everytime we spoke about it, but it worked! Take a bow Rebekah who is on her way to losing 2 dress sizes and Jo who has lost 10 cms from her waist.
Take a bow Good Vibes gals who have been prodded and poked by me and encouraged to write down and make public their private thoughts. Thank you girls, it's been a pleasure to see your sweet cheeks getting slimmer and your skin glowing with good health each week.
I am going to continue with the principles of the course because it makes me think about how I live everyday, the effect it has on my energy and means I won't get complacent as the years roll on. I realised I was a bit of a binge drinker so will sip in a more ladylike fashion in future. I also realised how much better I eat and function when I yoga or get out in the fresh air, so that will be added to the non-negotiable parts of my life.
I will also make sure that everyone measures in cms next time - I've spent the best part of today trying to work out from everyone's stats the inches and part inches lost - my head hurts.
If YOU are serious about dropping that dress size, step on the
plate with Good Vibes - it works!
PS I was a bit worried about losing any inches off my bust - but the Power-Plates makes everything firmer, tauter and perkier so no complaints so far!
Rachel's breakfast habit
Inch loss: Bust 1 inch- Waist 2 inches - Hips 3/4 of an inch- Arm 1/8th of an inch - Thigh 1.5 inches
Even with my lack of will power and straying off course pretty much every weekend the DDS course still seems to be working. Nahid keeps telling me that me face looks thinner – think she’s just being nice, bless her! Only the measurements will tell for sure! I’m definitely going to keep up the good work. During the course I’ve learned to love porridge and I’m going to carry on eating it every (weekday) morning. It’s a bit more difficult to do on the weekends as I love a lazy Sunday brunch. It really does stop you snacking during the day. I never used to eat any breakfast, so it just goes to show that little changes can make a big difference.
I love the Power-Plate sessions and there’s no way I’m going to stop them when I finish the course. The sessions are a great little pick-me-up during the day. Exercising on the plates releases feel-good endorphins. I love it because everyone always leaves Good Vibes lovin’ Good Vibes. I’m more flexible and stronger now too. I lifted the water bottle for the cooler all by myself!
The 80/20 rule makes it really easy to be bad every now and then without feeling like you’ve completely ruined everything! I’m going to keep to my naughty weekends(!) whilst being saintly during the week (or at least most of it) and vibrating away all my sins.
Kate's slow crawl to the end
Inch loss Bust: 1 inch - Waist: 2 inches
Hips: 2 inches - Arm: 1 inch - Thigh: 1 inch
Although it is the last week of the course I’m certainly not stopping what I started. My eating habits have improved so much and I’m actually enjoying exercising again. Hoorah!
I have had ups and downs on the course (doesn’t everyone?) the ups have been great, for example, the food diary aspect of it and getting into the habit of cooking my own food. It has helped the waistline and the bank balance. The downs have been the cravings. When you start to think about being careful of what you eat, you always seem to want the things you can’t have - why ISthat?
The support from the rest of the girls has been great and helped me get back on track when I have had a pit stop. I felt that I
plateaued out towards the end of the course and I now need to step it up again to maintain all the hard work.
Steph turns it around
Inch loss Bust: 1 & 7/8th inch - Waist: 1 & 3/8th inch - Hips: 1 & 3/4 inch - Arm: 1/4 inch - Thigh: 1 inch
DDS has been such a challenge, mainly because the last few months have been particularly stressful and hectic. I've had tjuggle both a new day time job and my evenings on reception at Clerkenwell, which means that I'm out of the house for 12 hours everyday.
I think I would have had more dramatic results if it was a more settled period in my life and I was able to focus more, preparing healthy meals in advance and have a more routine cardio schedule instead of just fitting a session in when I have the energy.
I have never been one for exercise - if I wanted to shed some pounds in the past I would eat less instead of hitting the gym. I think now I have realised that there comes a point in your life where you really start to care about your health and general well being rather than how slim your thighs look.
I am going to continue using the plates put perhaps only two sessions a week as I know I can commit to this. I have had some grueling and challenging sessions on the plate. I have had times where I want to collapse into a heap in pain or exhaustion but I made myself complete the session and felt great for it.
I'm going to start running maybe two times a week now that the nights are getting lighter. I even had the absurd thought of running from Good Vibes to home every night - maybe this can be a long-term goal.
I've definitely took on board the DDS food rules - including the 80/20 one and really don't want to deny myself the things that make long days at work worth it - a glass of wine or some chocolate. I have become more aware of what I'm putting in to my body and really don't want to mess up my system with lots of white bread and refined carbs, sweets and fizzy drinks.
I would recommend DDS to all types of people. I'm testament to
the fact that even if you are very busy, not a gym bunny or are
naughty and have slip ups, you can loose the inches. Go on, join
up now!
Ally from Glamour Magazine Online is on the Drop a Dress Size read the blog here. |
