Great idea!

jaajh

Thanks for creating this group! Finally someone who might understand why I can't exercise self-control when I receive a food parcel from home, and why I always gain all the weight I worked so hard to lose when I go back to the UK! Why is it that we miss food from home so much?!

I have been living in Mali, West Africa for 15 years now. Doesn't get easier with time!

I look forward to connecting with others in a similar situation to me. So pleased this group is here!

lorrainesimba

Hi Jaajh
So pleased you like the idea of the x-pats group :happy: I am not used to doing things like this , but I think it is just something i needed to connect with other people in the same situation. I have been in Denmark for 11 years now allthough it is not as different as West Africa is to the UK ., I still miss home very much and speaking english, when i am home its so great to just talk, and not have to think about what i am going to say, before i say it, and everyone understands me :bigsmile: it just that takes a lot of stress out of everyday. I do speak danish but still make mistakes and my yorkshire accent does not help that much. The family know when I am home sick because i make custard and fill my face !! it helps a bit .
I am home 2 times a year and end up like you eating everthing i have missed for the last 6 months :embarassed: and then I fill the car with comfort treats as well :blushing:
I think we miss food from home because it means to us safety, comfort and it is familiar to us
Its great to hear from you Jaajh lets hope there is some more x-pats that would like to join us take care
From Lorraine

stevedaytona

Hi fellow Ex Pats

I have lived in Florida for the last 9 years - different from both Denmark & Mali, I am sure. At least I get to speak English (ish) but still no Marmite!

Not trying to lose a whole lot of weight - really waiting and hoping my Plantar Fasciitis improves enough that I can start running again.


Steve

lorrainesimba

Hi Steve
Welcome to our X-Pats group great to have you on board . Can you explain what plantar fasciitis is. Iam not a runner but love walking . I am training for the Shine walking marathon in Manchester 2012 to raise money for cancer reserch, my 2 cousins and a friend are doing it with me. It is the first time i have ever done anything like this before bit nervous .
Haha Marmite strange people the danes :laugh: but its a good job i hate the stuff :happy:
Where in the UK do you come from , I am from Hull Yorkshire
bye for now
Lorraine

jaajh

Hi Steve!

Welcome to the group! Sorry I didn't check this earlier. Glad there are more than 2 of us British X-Pats out there.

They don't have Marmite in America?!!! I thought you could get everything there! Have to admit I brought back 3 great big family sized pots with me when i came back from the UK this summer. Although the rate my kids are getting through it, it is not going to last until summer 2013 (next time we are due back!) Might have to get a parcel sent out!!

Since you're now living in the States, I guess we should be saying "Happy Thanksgiving" to you today! Enjoy the party and celebrations.

Hope you're soon back to full fitness and able to run again too.

Ali

jaajh

P.S. I'm originally from Alton in Hampshire - not sure I said that before.

lorrainesimba

Hi you to
First Happy Thanksgiving to Steve and his family hope you all have had a great day :happy: . Where are you from in the Uk Steve .
Jaajh is Alton towers fun park close to where you come from ? I have never been :sad:
How do you two cope with Christmas away from the UK ? One thing i find difficult here in Denmark is that all presents are opened on the 24 Christmas eve, I hate it, Father Christmas comes on the 23 and the poor children have look at the presents all day :ohwell: they are opened after a traditional christmas dinner in the evening . so christmas morning to me feels so flat and empty . so we have both a danish christmas and an english one :happy: Happily my husband likes the english tradtions aswell.
Well tommorow Iam making a christmas pudding, and on sunday the christmas cake is to being put together MMmmm... not good for the diet :embarassed:

fatphlhntr

Hello everyone,

My name is Phil and I'm moving from Sunderland to Shanghai in a couple of weeks with work so firstly I hope I'm not too early to join. I've been told by my colleagues that I will struggle to find clothes in China so I thought I'd use it as the kick up the backside I needed to stop the yoyo dieting and start to lose weight the 'proper' way! I've lived in both California and Australia previously so I am used to living abroad but I've never lived in a place so different from the UK as China!

I was so happy to see there was a group on here because it's hard enough lose weight without actually knowing what on earth you're eating! Also I'm usually better at giving encouragement than encouraging myself when it comes to healthy eating so I hope I can be an asset to the group (that sounds like I'm applying for a job doesn't it! :laugh: ) in exchange for a friendly ear somewhere in the world. Congratulations to you all on your weight loss so far you're doing really well...perhaps we could do a challenge in the new year to help motivate us?

fatexpat

Hello everyone,

My name is Phil and I'm moving from Sunderland to Shanghai in a couple of weeks with work so firstly I hope I'm not too early to join. I've been told by my colleagues that I will struggle to find clothes in China so I thought I'd use it as the kick up the backside I needed to stop the yoyo dieting and start to lose weight the 'proper' way! I've lived in both California and Australia previously so I am used to living abroad but I've never lived in a place so different from the UK as China!

I was so happy to see there was a group on here because it's hard enough lose weight without actually knowing what on earth you're eating! Also I'm usually better at giving encouragement than encouraging myself when it comes to healthy eating so I hope I can be an asset to the group (that sounds like I'm applying for a job doesn't it! :laugh: ) in exchange for a friendly ear somewhere in the world. Congratulations to you all on your weight loss so far you're doing really well...perhaps we could do a challenge in the new year to help motivate us?

Hi all, this is my new account. Sorry, I put myself down as 'female' instead of 'male' and there was no way of changing it so I had to start again! Sadly my boods are still the same size though!

lorrainesimba

Hi Phil
Welcome to British X-pats, our group is growing slowly, and we are shrinking slowly with the help of Mfp I will look forward to hear on you life in a very different country. I hope everything goes well with the move and you soon settle in to your new home , dont forget to pack the teabags !!!
And Merry Christmas
from Lorraine

jaajh

Hi Phil,

I echo Lorraine's welcome to the group (and her suggestion to take tea-bags! Certainly the kind on offer here in Mali are not the sort you want to be drinking!) When are you off to Shanghai? How long will you be there for?

I think your idea of a group challenge in the new year is a great one. Any suggestions? (Or do we wait until after the celebrations are over before we think about challenges?!)

I'm pleased this group is expanding. Feel free to add me as a MFP friend too.

From Ali

Aligold79

Hello all,

My name is Ali, hope you don't mind me joining your group here. I'm originally from Scotland but currently in Qatar. I've managed to make a lot of positive changes in the last few months and being here is a huge part of it but I still have some major weight issues to tackle. I've been here for a few months now but realising whilst all the facilities are here there are no support groups (weight watchers etc.) to help keep you motivated and when you're on your own a long way from home the reasons they call it comfort food become very apparent. You guys all seem to be doing really well and I'm just starting out today so hope I can be as much of a motivator to you guys as you can be to me.

Looking forward to a cracking 2012 :happy:

jaajh

Hi Ali!

I'm Ali too! Welcome to this group! Yes, it is so hard being accountable and staying on track when there are no support groups around. That is why I really like MFP - and particulary this group (as people here understand the "being out of a normal context"!) How long have you been in Qatar? I am in Mali, West Africa (been here 15 years now!)

I'm going to send you a friend request so we can encourage each other that way too.

Looking forward to getting to know you better.

Ali

lorrainesimba

Hi all, Happy New year
Welcome Allgold 79 to our x- pats group, great to have you here ) I know you will love mfp it has been a fantastic support to me it does become a little addictive, but in a good way.
It is hard to live away from home, and control ones weight, with foods you dont know , when I miss home i always turn to my comfort foods ARHHH, mainly custard. But now feel that my friends on mfp and our group are there for me, the help and support is wonderful . feel free to add me as a friend
Phil have you got moved yet to Shanghai, and what about this challenge you are going to set us ?
Take care everyone
Ps jaajh how was the turkey name of christmas ? our goose was lovely .
bye xxx

Aligold79

Thanks guys for the warm welcome, muchly appreciated. I've only been out here 3 months so still adjusting, not quite as settled as you must be after 15 years! Looking forward to getting to know you guys :happy:

jaajh

"Settled"- not sure you ever get totally "settled" when living out of your context/culture (that's a topic for a whole other thread!), but yes, I'm more used to it now! Still long for the UK though fairly regularly! Hope it is going well in Qatar. Look forward to getting to know you more.
Ali

maximouse

Fabulous! Hi All - my name's Max - nice to meet you! How are you?

I'm a Brit (from Bedford, born in Leicester but lived in Sheffield 4 years and always wanna die a yorksihre lass). I got married last year to another Brit, grabbed one of our cats (Leo) and we are currently living in Cairo, Egypt ......but about to pack and move to Dubai, UAE in the next 3-4weeks. Our other cat was left behind with hubby's kids...long story but not a 'bad ending' one.

Ahhh you marmite munchers...wos wrong with ya - heheeee! My hubby and Leo love the stuff, but nope, not for me. Before you speed dial the RSCPA, Leo's never offered marmite, but he steals my hubby's toast, not mine Though considering I'm overweight, maybe the cat should be tempted with my plate more often - hehee.

Living in Egypt - its very difficult to get pork products so I do hanker for a bacon buttie sometimes but we usually bring over 'supplies' for the freezer which are rationed;) I do miss a decent fish and chips too but again, best not to dwell on that too much considering we're on MFP..urgh!

So how long are you all planning to stay away from the UK? Seems some of you have been away a long time - guess its a permanent thing?

It seems Dubai is full of health and fitness obssessives quaffing vitamin juices and the restaurants aren't full after work - the gyms are for hrs after the offices close. I need to find a job there urgently, and can't fit into any office clothes (haven't worked for 1.5yrs unfort as political issues in Egypt) so tryin to exercise and eat a lot less...and would love to socialise too...hence on here.

Feel free to get in touch when you're staring very still and intently at that doughnut/ plate of chips/ pair of trainers......;) I'm lookin frwd to being kept on the straight and narrow! Chat soon I hope,

Luvlies

Max

jaajh

Hi Max!

Great to "meet" you. Sending you a friend request so we can follow each other there too.

So excited to see another Brit who has spent time on the African continent. And in a country where pork is hard to come by too! (Mali is almost 90% Muslim too, so I SO sympathise with those bacon buttie cravings!) Can't have been easy for you being in Cairo recently :-( Is that why you're now off to UAE?

I've been away from Uk since Sept. 1996 (scarily long time!) Get back every 2 years (and pile the weight on when I do!!) My husband is Malian and I knew when I came here that marrying him would mean having to spend the rest of my life here (why it took me 3 years to say "Yes!") BUT in fact it now seems like we might one day move to UK (something the husband always said he would never do!) Wouldn't be for 2 1/2 years, but then my eldest child would be going into Year 10 and good schooling options here are severely limited, so a move back is looking like a very possible plan! I am determined to be a healthy weight before then and for this new healthy lifestyle to be so deeply a part of how I live that I will by then be able to resist all that food I have missed over the past 16 years!

So that's a bit more about me. Hope to get to know you better on here. Also hope the move goes really well!

Love, Ali

maximouse

Hi Ali,

Thanks for replying, wow you've been away from the UK a long time but what an adventure! Going back to the UK will take a bit of getting used to - will be great but also a bit strange ehh? Everything familiar but different. Its great you manage to get back one in a while.

You're doing fantastically on your weight loss - very impressed! You're like me - enjoy circuit training...well I say enjoy, but to me its the lesser of other fitness evils - heheee! I do enjoy boxing too and try and run once a week.

Yes living in Cairo is great and the Egyptians are fantastic people - very kind, friendly but most of all, they have a great sense of humour:) Its a shame to leave but yes, political situation has influenced us a little. We feel safe here, though it has been a bit wild...especially recently when we had 5 armed robberies, one each day of the week, car jackings, kidnappings, muggings, shootings but still we felt fine being here. I think the bigger problem has been that my husband was here to grow the business but he ended up having to shrink it drastically as the political instability was strangling industries. Now the business is too small for his capabilities really so they're moving him on. It also means I'll be able to work (very difficult for me to find work in Egypt).

I agree with you, I've finally realised at the beginning of this year, that weight loss/management isn't a passing phase, I'm in my 30s and it'll have to be done as a part of my daily routine forever more. Love your profile photo - you both have matching smiles!

Thanks for the friend invite:)

Have fun today, chat soon

M

lorrainesimba

Hi Ali
Great you have found us here. What an exciting life you lead.
I moved to Denmark the land of pork !!! and no marmite in 2000, and go home about twice a year , to shop until l i drop, as the cost of living here is sooo very expensive and fill up on home comforts teabags, custard and stuffing . I come from Hull in East Yorkshire.
Feel free to add me as a friend
Lorraine