Team Bikini bloggers - Week 3
Friday 22 May 2009
Our Team Bikini bloggers are back on track this week, and it seems that writing the blog and following the Closer Diets plan has given them insight into their eating habits - good and bad!
Nadia has started a food diary and Jennifer has set up a one-to-one chat with nutritionist Catherine Williams from the Closer Diets support panel, in a bid to boost their results for the last week of the Team Bikini challenge!
If you want to join our diet bloggers on their mission to shape up for summer, go to www.closerdiets.com
Debra Moss 
Starting weight: 14st 2lbs
Current weight: 13st 13lbs
Weight lost so far: 3lbs
What a week it's been! The presentation went well and I managed to keep the 'diet demons' at bay and lost 1lb, making it 11lb in total since I have been on the plan.
Bearing in mind I did do quite a bit of exercise and had a lovely party with my son (where I was sort of angelic), I was a little disappointed with the results. Definitely felt like a 'nil -point' as they would say in Eurovision!
However on the up-side I did get round to measuring myself this week and found that I have lost inches on my waist, hips and thighs - so it's true what they say, that measuring yourself is a great way of keeping track.
Work has been pretty manic this week and I have sort of managed to not grab stuff on the go but have not really eaten what I would normally eat during the day.
I have been good in the evenings as I have managed to cook a good few recipes so fingers crossed I may see a bit of a loss this week - I'm saying fingers crossed as the dreaded 'time of the month' has hit and, like most women, I tend to blow up like a balloon - but hopefully by the time I get weighed on Saturday it should be ok!!
So the verdict from the Warrington jury is that I'm still enjoying all the lovely food on the plan even though my job has been a bit of a saboteur this week but hopefully I will win through!
The effort is being made and I've put in a jolly good performance despite the hurdles I had to face! I'm going to keep trying with it all - because I want to be a beach babe and not a beached whale come the summer!!
So like I always say, fingers crossed there will be a lot less of me (and you) next week.
Nadia Mierkalns 
Starting weight: 14st 8lbs
Current weight: 14st 1lbs
Weight lost so far: 7lbs
This week I have tried really hard. I had my weekend slip-up as usual, as I had a few drinks too many, but got straight back on it.
I have kept a food diary to see how much/little I eat of certain foods. It showed me that I ate too much bread and not enough veg, he he. I guess we're all guilty of this.
So I made a real effort to stock up on healthy food and have had chicken salads at work and snacked on fruit, which seems to work well as I lost 2 pounds this week!
Since starting my diet back in January I am now really beginning to like my body. I know I've still got a long way to go but the inches have fallen off and I'm really beginning to look toned.
I'm getting quite excited about my upcoming holiday as I will be my lighest for years and hopefully I will finally have a have a flat tummy - lol!
So on to the next week and hopefully I'll keep up the good work!
Sally Mitchenall 
Starting weight: 10st 4lbs
Current weight: 9st 12lbs
Weight lost so far: 6lbs
Unfortunately I haven't lost a lot of weight this week I am not quite sure why...
The only thing I can think of is that I have not been as good at having breakfast due to the fact I had to be at work at 8am everyday, which means leaving for work at 6.30am and I have been rushing out of bed and out the door!
I have been sticking to the Tuna Mediterranean Salad and to a mozarella and caper salad - delicious! In the afternoons I've been taking the easy option in terms of prep and have been having hummus and vegetables most
days, snacking on various fruits in between.
However, I had a bad day on Monday - it was the first day that I've really noticed feeling hungry and I did have some crisps and chocolate, and a can of coke - otherwise I would've fallen asleep at my desk I reckon! I went
straight back to being good though which I was pleased with as in the past I've used an episode like that to give up.
So all in all, I have only lost close to a pound, but I am feeling much better about my self image and I think I 'm looking better each week, regardless of the weight loss.
I've been getting back into some old clothes and this week I have had loads of comments about how well I am looking and people have started to notice the weight loss which is great! Some have even asked me for some of my recipes for my lunches!
So I am hoping to lose a few extra pounds next week - I'm intending to really hit my exercise regime and see if
it makes a difference!!!
Jennifer Trak 
Starting weight: 9st
Current weight: 9st 6lbs
Weight lost so far: 6lbs gained
I had an epiphany under the harsh lights of the Topshop fitting room last week as I struggled to zip up a pair of shorts in my regular size. It never fails to surprise me when I suddenly seem to put on weight overnight. In true pear shaped fashion – it all appears on my stomach and thighs. Oh joy.
Weeks of overindulging with friends, going out for dinners and 'treating myself' to just one or two cupcakes here and there have finally caught up with me. This is unfortunate as this exact thing happened to me last summer – instead of slimming down for summer and the inevitable baring of skin, I seem to have gone up in weight half a stone. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
I had a friend from Canada staying with me last week so we ended up eating out every night. On top of that, we had lots of wine, cocktails and the occasional late night chip frenzy.
I find it really difficult to say no and not indulge myself when I am in a restaurant – if I wanted to snack on carrot batons and tap water I could do that in my robe at home. So I started the week off with a bang - a 4 course meal and bottles of wine shared amongst the five of us.
At one point over the weekend we went and bought a load of cured meats, cheeses and olives and would have this as a “light snack” whenever the mood would strike us – which was often. I have honestly never really realized how food-obsessed I really am until I started writing out my calorific adventures for this blog. Eek!
I know I say this every week but this week I am totally serious. I feel sluggish, out of shape and generally blob-like. As much as I love her, my friend left for Paris this morning which means no more eating out for me at least over the next couple of weeks.
I am determined to drop half a stone as soon as I can (in a healthy manner of course) and am going to start running in the park tomorrow.
I am slightly horrified that I have gained weight over the first month of writing my diet blog, but I think that I am ptrobably not the only one out there who struggles to follow a regime, no matter how easy it is! ! Argh!
I blame it on bad timing, too many visits to Borough Market and just a general lack of motivation on my part, so do finally get going I have arranged a chat with the Closer nutritionist Catherine Matthews.
Member support is an integral part of Closer Diets, so when the team heard of my struggles they immediately suggested I have a chat with Catherine. Fingers crossed, it'll help me kick-start my new regime and to get over my bad habits!
I do not want to hide behind layers this summer so my goal for next week is to have started running and also to lose 2-3 pounds by next weekend.
If you want to join our diet bloggers in their quest to shape up for summer, go to www.closerdiets.com now!