The Curvy Goddess

Changing

During the last week I've been elated, depressed and angry.

Some careless comments reduced me to tears.

I feel better now.

It all started because I was thinking too much!  I started to fear that I would screw the diet up and not exceed my previous dieting record of losing ten pounds.  The realisation that there can be no going back and leaving a comfort zone disturbed me.

I hadn't acknowledged how safe I felt in being overweight.  It's strange to think that you can almost find comfort in the things you long to change in yourself.  I want to be healthy more than anything else right now, but changing is scaring me.  Perhaps I am terrified to have faith in myself because failure now would crush me.

I think thats it.  I am daring myself to believe that I can actually get where I want to be and f**king it up is terrifying.

Adding to my emotional seesaw of a week someone made some blunt comments which brought me down lower than I have felt in ages.  But then as if magically some things happened which redeemed me.  My boss hugged me and with tears in her eyes telling me I done a wonderful job in her absence and that I am ready to move on... And I received a paid creative writing commission.

Feeling tired and 'normal' today which is a relief.  Haven't had the chance to weigh myself, so not sure what (if any) loss I had last week.  Will have to try to do so tomorrow...

IGIGI Discount

Hey Ladies

Get yourself a discount at IGIGI!  10% off and there is no expiry date!  Check out their lush clothes, great for a special occasion.  I will be doing something here with IGIGI very soon...

Doubts

Well this week I lost another two pounds - thats 9 in total now!  Really pleased with that loss. 

If I can keep with my aim of losing half a stone a month - it could take me about 8 months to get to my target.  As one of those months has now passed I just wish that I could see eight lines somewhere and just cross one out with a big piece of chalk.

Am now a little scared.  Half a stone or ten pounds have been the most I have ever been able to lose before.  Doubts keep creeping into my head as to whether I can manage this another seven months.  I have been overweight my entire life it is hard to believe that I can ever be a healthy weight.  Equally so there is something different this time - the energy around this diet seems more powerful and achievable... 

After seeking advice from the Minimins forum - I have decided that I am thinking to much and that I really should take one day at a time.  Have also set myself a mini goal of ensuring that I lose two and a half stones by January so that I can tell my doctor to stick his 'alternative contraception' up his miserable arse. 

Feel better now, anger and bitterness do help occasionally.

Best of British Plus Size Fashion

A little while ago I did a piece on American plus size fashion and it is now time for me to restore the balance and write about British plus size clothes...

In the past couple of years there has been a big development in the number of on line retailers are solely dedicated to plus size clothes here in the UK, some say that this is to keep overweight and obese people away from the high street, leading to further alienation...  I say to hell with that - we've got a better range of shops!  Sadly the high street has lost a couple of good plus size ranges in the last couple of years.  First Evans scrapped their Seven range, I personally think they should have sacked their designers and Etam removed itself from the UK.  Those of us lucky to live in cities still have a reasonable range of shops to pick from, where as those in small towns are probably lucky to get a tiny Evans...

The On line Stores

My personal favourites for on line plus size shopping heaven are Big Girls Wardrobe and Simply Be.  Big Girls Wardrobe is very reasonably priced and up to date with current fashion trends and has an excellent range of gorgeous tops!  And there is Simply Be which has some gorgeous and sumptuous items, but sadly is rather expensive.  It is also the only on line retailer to offer the sexy Anna Scholz collection, which once again is too expensive.  Definitely on to shop at for those special occasions...

Others worth checking out are Pinc Clothing, which has quite a wide range of clothing, however I am put off by the poor pictures and the some what messy look to the website.  Picky I know, but one redeeming quality is that they actually have a shop!  A rarity and probably worth checking out if you live in wales... 

I also highly recommend Bonprix which is actually a French company, that has a .co.uk address, but they post stuff from France...  Anyway wherever they are you don't get charged high postage and there are no import charges to pay.  Bonprix has a plus size collection and quite a lot of their regular collection is also available in larger sizes.  Most importantly the clothes they sell are gorgeous every day wear!  They seem to be lacking and evening collection and you have to email them to get a size chart...  But they are so cheap, you can't complain really...

If you are after a way around of getting some American plus size clothes without paying through the roof in postage and import costs then check out the following links:

Kianet

Curvety.Com

Fully Figured Out (also has a great range of lingerie)

They sell a lot of clothes from Igigi, Size Appeal and a limited amount of B&Lu clothes, full price some of their items may seem too expensive, but wait until Sale time and you could well get a sexy item at half the price!

The High Street

Well I guess I have to start with the Uk's most well known and perhaps biggest plus size retailer.  Evans.

I have a love/hate relationship with Evans.  Mainly because I think they aim too old and at 27 I am just not ready to become a frump.  The love/hate comes from that one season they will produce some excellent, young and sexy clothes, the next flowery tents are all the rage.  Now you could argue that it is the changing fashion trends that leads to this, but it is more likely that their designers are not equipped to supply a younger generation with clothes.  It seems to me that the plus size market is well geared to providing clothes for the older plus size woman and the range for younger women is very poor.  And as I have mentioned here a few times, I am still angry that Evans scrapped their Seven range - it needed a rethink, rather than binning it altogether.

All of that aside, Evans does have an extensive range in their bigger stores and it is the only retailer solely committed to plus size clothes in the high street, across the country and that is an achievement.

For the younger plus size woman New Look and Mark One both have plus size ranges aimed towards a younger market (however thats not exclusively, they do have items suitable for all ages whither that is conscious or not I am not sure...).  There is also Mackays, which has some lovely items and Marks and Spencers plus size range, which for me personally I am not impressed by, but it does have some smart and simple pieces, which would make excellent office wear.

Well that is my current plus size clothes review and rant over with.  I still need look at the big catalogues and I am intending to do a piece about alternative plus size sellers...

7 Pounds Gone

13 Stones 12 Pounds.  My new weight.  Which means I have now lost 7 pounds in three weeks. 

I am so happy and positive right now.  I really feel that getting to my target is achievable and I am amazed how changing my diet has affected my energy levels and mood - I realise now how bad caffeine, sugar and too much starch were for me.

This week I will also be playing squash again - so I am excited to see how that will support my diet.

YAY!!!!!!!!

Beaten Those Sugar Cravings!

I have made a conscious decision not to weigh myself this week.

Yesterday I started my period (sorry to be so frank) and as normal I started bloating - my stomach feels very uncomfortable and I know that it could affect the results on the scales.  I feel so positive about the GI diet at the moment - I would hate to lose momentum and to feel all the worse because my hormones are fragile.

On Thursday evening as I wondered around Sainsbury's - I discovered something new about myself.  Ever since I started eating healthily and the GI Diet - I have been missing chocolate and sweet things.  But on Thursday I could wonder past chocolate and cakes without even feeling tempted or actually wanting them.  However I could not help myself buying more peppers and mushrooms!!!!  I guess giving up sugar has been tougher than I imagined, although I now feel wonderful for conquering those initial cravings!

My hair is feeling a bit dry at the moment - I am wondering if the diet is affecting it in some way...  Anyway last night I treated myself to an intensive conditioner and heat protection spray to make it better!

Fat Bashing News...

On Friday the news was awash with this story.  England it seems will have record numbers of obese people by 2010.  The BBC made it a topic of 'Have your Say' which had a mass of cruel and derogatory comments about obese and overweight people and not to mention the patronising comments about eating and exercise!  Grrr!!!!!  I would love to tell some the people on HoS to just f**k off!

Once again these issues are discussed purely on a diet related basis.  There is no mention of any emotional problems or difficulties that people might face in trying to lose weight.  It's focusing on food, food and food.  Not good for a diet.  No mention of support or making exercise more accessible to everyone.  I wonder if they government has ever tried looking at things from our point of view?  If the government actually acknowledged the views of overweight people, rather than scaremongering with these report's - they might actually find better ways of combating obesity - rather than adding to the social stigma of it.

Woo HOO!

Yay!  Have lost four pounds!!!!!  The GI Diet is great!

GI Diet Going Well!

On Sunday I started the GI Diet.

So far I haven't cheated.

I have been struggling a little with giving up sugar and jacket potatoes (crave chocolate and miss the spuds...).

But I am no longer having horrible dips in my blood sugar levels.  When I get hungry now - there is no urgency for me to eat.

Best of all I really have faith in being able to see this diet to the end.  Hoping that when I next weigh myself on monday some pounds will have shifted...

One and half weeks in

I'm nearly through my second week of healthy eating and exercising.

Have decided that I want to follow a diet and have chosen the GI Diet.

Choosing a diet got me thinking about how 'diets' are a incredibly personal, individual thing.  What works for one person, won't for another.  It has been a real eye opener to read the stories of the people on the minimins forum.

I chose the GI diet because I have realised that I eat when I am hungry and crave 'crap' when my blood sugar levels dip and then I only crave more.  I think that by keeping my blood sugar levels constant I wll hopefully resist bad foods. 

Just wish that amazon would bloody hurry up and deliver my damn books!

Was bad today and ate a little pack of peanut m&m's :-(