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Hello Crackers,
Firstly I have started a new thread called "words of Wisdom". I thought we could copy any posts or information which we find helpful when we read them. Others can then browse them when in need of inspiration.
Bracken, there is never any need to apologize for anything you want to share on here. A problem shared is a problem halved. I totally understand how you feel about the second dress. It wouldn't matter how wonderful it was, it will never be your favourite because you want to be wearing the smaller one. We do need some decent "transition" clothes though as special occasions occur while we are on this journey and that is exactly what the black dress is. It's your "Go To" dress which you can dress up or down and wear with confidence before you are ready to get into your "Cracker" dress. Think of this dress as a friend who makes you look your best as you are right now. You will not be this size and shape forever, but as we know, change doesn't happen overnight and it's all too easy to pile pounds back on when we have a change of routine. We've all done that. It's annoying and a bit dispiriting, but it sounds like you are getting control again and you haven't given up which is the main thing. I too am looking forward to starting the 30DS in a strange way because although I hate it, I know it worked last year! I just need to get this swim finished and out of the way. I'm planning another trip to the pool today and then hopefully tomorrow I'll reach Calais!
BM - fingers crossed that your medical shows everything is fine. I had to laugh at the machines being reset to accommodate your ample frame. Be proud.......if you've got it, flaunt it! I bet the nurses were jealous.
PB - I loved your "rant". You have so much passion which leapt from the page. I'm sorry your working life is so tough at the moment but it definitely sounds like you are the woman for the job.
I had a visit from a friend who I lost touch with for about 15 years. We found each other again last year and this was her first visit to us in Wales. We had a great time, but I overdid it a bit so put 1 lb back on this week. Woe is me. I'm going to see my parents this week- end too so there'll be another battle fighting off the food lol! Hopefully the swimming will keep my weight stable this week.
The storms passed us by here in Wales with none of the expected damage arising. Is everyone else OK? It's quite wet though!!
Made a lovely red onion, butternut squash and carrot soup in cookery last night. I did some soda bread too to go with it and it made a lovely supper. It'll be lunch today as well I expect. I love soup time of year!!
Right, better get myself off to the pool.
Be good Crackers
xx0 -
Oooh, LMV. The soup sounds lovely. recipe please?! I am living in dread of my results, but just trying to get on with things. I thought your words of encouragement and advice to Bracken were so lovely. I knew EXACTLY how she was feeling, both with the dress and of how her family just "expect" her to be the "large" one. This path we are all on together is sometimes so difficult, but we have company on our way with each other so our deserved destination beckons!!
Bracken, I read your posts with tears in my eyes. I won't fit the Christmas dress this year that I bought in hope last year. However as long as I feel I am doing something positive and there is hope, that dress WILL fit me one day. LMV described your lovely new dress as "transitional". An absolutely perfect way to think about it. Enjoy it now whilst it fits! It will be too big for you soon.
I have to walk the dog now, 9am here and 33c already......UGH. If I walk him any earlier I just get crushed in the army of joggers who use the Marina and ocean front as a circuit!
Love to all, BM x x0 -
LVM and BM, your words were truly uplifting. I too thought the word 'transitional' was so positive. BM, your worry is so understandable but I will try to share a bit of it here in line with a the "problem shared is a problem halved" proverb - in fact, others here are also feeling along with you and if we could we'd divide it down to nothing. Today it is raining nearly all the time but I put on my old Barbour jacket (bought years ago in England and quite roomy compared to some earlier times I wore it!) and Nellie and I walked two miles. Yesterday our media made a lot of the fact that the Olympics begin in 100 days. After reading accounts by LMV and PB of their marathon swimming goals, I decided to make one too. I have an old Nordic track ski machine that has not been used much since I got the treadmill but I have got it out and my goal is to use it 100 times before the Olympics start, basically do something on it everyday- I'm not setting a daily time/distance and will try to use it daily, realizing there might be the odd day I have to miss. Better still, I am thinking I should do some extras rather than having to play catch-up. However, my goal is as much about consistency as anything so I'll really focus on the daily thing. I began yesterday and have done today's- only a few minutes to start as I haven't done it recently. Halloween here is huge. This evening I will go to my youngest sister's so she can take her youngest daughter out trick or treating. I'll hand out the treats at the door for her- and still be able to get my Corrie fix.0
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Hello Crackers - Bracken I so know where you are coming from - its difficult not to go with what other people are doing when it comes to food and eating out for their sake means that yes your sugar levels go up. I also really get what you were saying about the dress - its so frustrating knowing you are so close but just can't make that final leap - and whatever anyone else says they aren't in your shoes and they don't understand what it means to you. Having said that you've now started to get back on track so the goal now is to do it for you! Not for anyone else, not for a specific event - just because you CAN!!! Take heart from the joy that you have in your life - a big, close family and lots of love - especially from us Crackers who've never met you in the flesh and know you for the heart that you display in your posts. we love you and are proud of you. No ifs no Buts. Unconditional
Love PB xxxx0 -
Good luck with the Nordic Track Bracken. I'm now 17.4 miles in and just over 4.5 miles to go. Its turning into a bit of a slog now but I'm still determined I will do it. I hired a dress for the hunt ball at the end of Nov and it was lovely but I'd like to feel it was a little less snug so will be trying to get back on track. What Bracken said about sugar levels really rang true for me - I'm eating lots of naughty sweet things at the moment and really craving them. I know part of it is that I'm feeling quite depressed about work as various issues remain unresolved due to partners being off (or just procrastinating). and of course there has been a lot of sweet stuff around with 2 lots of baking being done. Still the dress is a beautiful full length royal blue number with floaty sleeves. I'll be wearing silver shoes and bag and have a lovely necklace that has a matching blue in it (a sort of Egyptian collar) and I've just bought a very cheap pair of earrings with 'Swarovski elements' in them from a Groupon deal.
So the bad news is I've put on some weight - the good news is that November should be a lot quieter (at least until the end) before the Xmas celebrations begin.
Managed to survive the storm with not too much damage - but yesterday some villages in the area still didn't have power. One of my fellow Practice Managers had had power problems at both branches all week - nightmare! she sounded frantic yesterday. Parents were meant to be coming yesterday but Dad had a bad night with his breathing so they didn't come. Don't know if they will come today. Will be riding on Sunday morning and singing on Sunday afternoon.
Think positive everyone - this is a tough time of year - but yes its also soup season which is good.
Take care
PB0 -
Morning Crackers,
I reached Calais yesterday and have raised over £500 for a brilliant cause so am feeling quite chuffed. Aspire sent out a note yesterday with details of a new house they've opened. It's available for people to stay in while they have their own houses adapted for wheelchair use. They showed a girl who had been unable to get out of her house unaided and struggled to use the bathroom without help so she was thrilled to have somewhere to go where she can be independent and was looking forward to getting her independence back in her own home when the work is completed. I think this type of practical help must be a godsend to people who have had their lives turned upside down so thank you all for your support and sponsorship. Carole, keep going, you are nearly there. Those miles in the late teens seem never ending, but once you get to 20 and can see Calais, it's all downhill. I'm so in awe of how you have managed to do so much at the same time as holding down a full time job. It has been so much easier for me as
I have more time and I know I have found it harder than I thought. It really is a long way!! Keep going, you can do it.
Bracken, I love the sound of your Nordic Track challenge. Very good luck with that. To be honest, I hadn't realized there were Winter Olympics coming up, or that they are being held in Canada. I suppose because the UK isn't big on winter sports it hasn't had much coverage here yet. Small changes can make a big difference so with walking Nellie every day already, using the Nordic Track and doing a bit of Jillian too you will really be upping your exercise levels which is bound to help. My exercise levels dropped with my back problem over the summer and my weight increased as a result. I have found it quite difficult to get back in the habit again but the swim has helped. The Jillian challenge is coming at just the right time for me and I'm hoping to get back into salsasizing as well.
Your outfit for the ball sounds lovely Carole and I'm sure you will enjoy wearing it.
Right, soup recipe. Very simple
2 red onions
2 garlic cloves
Butternut squash
Carrots (equal weight to b'nut squash)
Black pepper - really good grind for piquancy to cut through sweetness
Chicken or vegetable stock
2tsp dried thyme or 2tbsp of fresh
1tsp dried parsley or 1tbsp of fresh
Recipe says to sweat onions and garlic in olive oil until soft and then add carrot and squash. Season with black pepper and add stock and herbs. Bring to boil, simmer for 30 mins or so and blitz. I don't usually sweat the veg in oil (waste of calories in my book!) I just chuck everything in together, bring to the boil and simmer. Mine came out quite thick so I added some water to get it to the consistency which I like, or you could add milk if you like creamier soups.
I must say, it tasted even better the next day after the flavours had melded a bit more.
Well it is a miserable day here so I'm going to settle down with my knitting as a treat for having finished the swim yesterday!
Be good all
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Bonjour Madame LMV! Comment allez vous? WELL DONE!!!! Yes you are right those last few miles are the hardest - Mum (who is staying for a couple of days) just asked me how many more swims - At 1.5 miles a time I have 3 to go!!!! The leisure centre staff are all giving me lots of support but its hard sometimes. Those first 50 lengths are usually the hardest then I can countdown. The pool was very cold last time as a result of the storm = the electric was off in Ufford until Wed morning so the water hadn't had time to warm up - didn't enjoy that so much.
LMV you may now go to the Café on the promenade and have a coffee and croissant (or a glass of wine and a plate of cheese) - you deserve it. And a fantastic amount of money. I have earned a little less from the swim but will add £350 from the raffle so hopefully that will go a long way for them.
Busy weekend - going shopping with Mum in Ipswich now then off to ride Harley in the morning and a Vivaldi and Haydn in the afternoon. Might even manage a swim Sunday night if not too late - but will probably end up going out for supper with my singing friend Margaret. We'll see.
Dad is going off fishing - he's mad. Its damp and cold out there.
Take care all and have a good weekend.
PB0 -
Hello all. Last evening I posted and my post disappeared into cyberspace- no idea why so very frustrating. How can clicking the post reply box possibly be confused with log out? So I'll just write this, then post. If successful, I'll return.0
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Success Bracken! We'll await your return. It is just so annoying when you've spent the time writing a post and it disappears.
It's an absolutely miserable day here - very grey, raining hard and so, so windy. Gusts up to 80 mph, it's actually quite frightening. I haven't stepped out of the house all day. Thankfully I had already postponed the visit to my parents because I wouldn't want to be driving in this. Unfortunately my husband has a back problem and it would have been too uncomfortable for him to travel at the moment. So we're hunkering down and having a quiet week-end as we were expecting to be away so have nothing in our diaries. It makes a really nice change. The husband is going to cook me his speciality bacon, leek and pea risotto this evening so I'm putting my feet up and looking forward to Strictly Come Dancing. Bliss!
Hope you are all having a good week-end
Lots of love,
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Hello all. I can't believe this is the third time for this post- and the last loss was my fault! I had finished it. I was also sort of listening to a satirical program on the radio in the background and I suddenly clicked the logout before post reply- it was just the same feeling as seeing oneself lock the keys in a car at the same time as it slams shut. So again. LMV, congratulations on reaching Calais, no mean feat and doing so well with fundraising. Your cause is such a worthy one. I agree that these practical projects are such a good initiative. As for exercise, surely so much swimming is going to prepare you for Jillian- just two more days. P.B., I see you too are approaching Calais and you have also been very successful fundraising. Your outfit sounds gorgeous and the hunt ball sounds very Dounton Abby. I hope you will give us the details. I'm glad to read that you will be riding on Sunday. Is this part of the lesson package you mentioned earlier? Here it has been raining a lot the past two days but I got out my old Barbour coat that I bought in England many years ago. I was very pleased to find that it is quite roomy as it certainly has been much tighter at some other times I remember. The weather is set to get much colder tomorrow so yesterday I bought Nellie a winter coat at my local tack store. It is manufactured by a popular maker of horse blankets and is black/tan plaid, just like a miniature horse blanket. It was rather an indulgence but I like that it closes with thick Velcro straps and should be easy to get on and off. This week has been good diet/exercise-wise. I managed to help my sister at Halloween without succumbing to too many treats..Yesterday Nellie and I walked two miles plus and I did the Nordic track. In my garden now, the hostas have all turned a brilliant gold and the maple tree outside my den window is also a brilliant yellow. The back garden is covered with leaves but I will have to wait until it is drier to either rake them up or cut them into the lawn as mulch. However, only about half the leaves have fallen so far. It is certainly soup season now and I have made some butternut squash soup too as well as baked and froze squash for later use. I season mine with ginger and coriander, my sister always use curry powder, but I will try a future batch with parsley and thyme like LMV. I also like the idea of adding carrots and have seen recipes calling for diced apple. I think I'll also try adding a parsnip. Squash really is a versatile veg. Really must go now or there will be no riding, walking or Nordic tracking today.
Regards all.0 -
HI All
Just had the most wonderful ride on Harley - it was quite windy (and the wind was a bit chilly) but the sun is shining and we picked our way around the fallen trees in the forest and had some lovely trots - no canter today though. Going off to have a shower in a mo and get ready to go to my singing workshop. Big news yesterday - despite my atrocious eating the last month I managed to find a size 16 skirt yesterday in M&S that fitted me perfectly. Also bought a 'little black dress' coat, trousers, shoes and a couple of jumpers - quite a haul! But that skirt really thrilled me. Will be wearing warm clothes this afternoon for the church though - could be quite chilly in there. Now wearing 'large' tights instead of XL and my shoes were half size smaller too. Still need to focus and get a few pounds off before the hunt ball - should be a bit easier the next few weeks with far less going on.
well talk later all. Not sure when i'm going to finish my swim 4.6 miles to go..
PB0 -
Hello all. P.B. so glad to hear you found a skirt you are so pleased with. Can you tell us what it is like? I recently bought a skirt, the first in ages as I realize that I have defaulted to trousers routinely. You must be really toning up your lower half with all that swimming if you can now fit the L tights. I find tights and pantyhose notoriously small fitting even when I am at a better weight. Your ride on Harley sounds wonderful and you are fortunate to be riding outside. We have had so much rain that the outdoor ring is probably unridable until spring. However, I did have an excellent school indoors today and despite being away last week, did some small jumps. My instructor was very complimentary about my approaches and striding; I gave thanks again to my wonderful horse, Briar, who really stepped up. I had a good weekend exercise -wise as I managed to ride both days, walk Nellie two miles each day, and do my Nordic track both days. I also got quite a lot of yard work done though there are still many leaves to deal with. Still I don't like to think of the leaves as just a problem to be dealt with. When I was walking today, just around my neighbourhood, I was glad that there were leaves some places on the sidewalks that hadn't been immediately raked up. They looked so beautiful, all golden and orange, and I made sure to scuff a little through them and appreciate them.
LMV, just a note on the upcoming Olympics. Here we are reminded of them, I kid you not, for at least a year in advance with regular adverts profiling particular athletes or sports. Canada did very well when the last games were held in Vancouver and there are huge expectations about the Sochi , Russia games. I rather fear there may be a letdown as we have a bit of a history of hyped athletes coming up short in the Olympics. Also we typically do very well in new winter sports that often originate in North America. However, many countries, particularly China are making huge efforts to also do well and a number of Canadian coaches have been lured overseas to coach. I'm not a huge fan of watching the Olympics, summer or winter, except the equestrian events of course. But, I'll watch some.0 -
Morning Crackers!,
Bracken - the fact that the Olympics are in Russia might explain why I haven't heard about any going on in Canada! Lol
PB - that is so exciting that you've dropped another dress size. I think it's things like that which are the most motivating of all as it is tangible evidence that the hard work is doing some good. I know that the day I realized my extra large tights were falling down and stretched up as far as my armpits was a real eureka moment for me!! Like Bracken, I want to see your skirt so if you post the product number we can check it out online.
Well I weighed in this morning and it's a STS for me which is obviously much better than a gain. I was out for two meals this week so all things considered I suppose I'm happy with that. I think I may need a miracle to achieve the 20lb challenge, at this rate I'll have to be content with 10lbs.
Things are quite busy at the moment. At Choir practice last night we realized there are only 4 more rehearsals before our Christmas concert. Hmmmm quite a lot of work needed to knock us in to shape. Our choir master has written his own arrangement of Silent Night which is absolutely horrendous. It's discordant and turns a beautiful Christmas carol into a monstrosity. Stone things just shouldn't be messed with. We all hate it but he will not listen to reason. I actually find it quite hard to sing stuff I don't enjoy and it feels quite embarrassing because I know the traditional audience in this area (there'll be a lot of pensioners) will hate it too. I can hear the murmurs and polite applause now!!
I've booked myself in for a swimming lesson this week. I swam the whole Channel in breast stroke because for some reason I can't do crawl. I think it's time I was able to do it so I have a lesson on Thursday. I suppose I must have been taught it at some point when I was young but I don't remember doing anything other than breast stroke. Have you managed to get to the pool to do a few more lengths? You're so near the end now, keep going. I'm off to Cardiff on Friday to meet my friend from Bristol who has also reached Calais. We'll start off in John Lewis and then find somewhere a little more French to celebrate, probably with a glass or two of something French........ ooh la la!
Right, I'm off to sewing class this morning (to do some more work on my too small sundress!) and then it's cookery class this evening so I need to get to the shops. I made a lovely soup for lunch yesterday with bits and pieces of veg which were languishing sadly at the bottom of the fridge. Sometimes hotchpotch is best!
Have a good day all
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Afternoon Crackers!
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the headlines of late everywhere 'Only 12 More Fast Days Until Christmas!'
During my trip to England as I was travelling around so much on trains to Bath, London and Brighton (Bath this time around with my walking friend from here, whose a huge Jane Austen fan so we were at the Jane Austen Centre where we enjoyed a delicious cream tea! No. 1 Royal Crescent Museum which has had a 5 million refurbishment and we dropped into the Fashion museum, where I bought a rather groovy little notebook with tapemeasure print ready for the Shred, so a great trip and then a super week with my daughter, who has settled in very well at her new school but is finding it 'challenging' living with a 6 year old!) anyway I picked up a copy of the 5:2 Fast Diet book to read on my many journeys.
I like the science and after 2 weeks of far too much junk and fast food and feeling absolutely stuffed, I was considering trying it out with the husband whose complaining about his middle aged spread! Now I'm back the thought of only 500 calories I'm not so keen. But I may attempt a fast day this Friday just to see if I could cope. However for the moment I've got straight back to my normal eating patterns, logging and with the additional exercise with the lovely Jillian I'm hoping to shift both the pounds and the inches gained and get as near to target as possible by Christmas. I'm currently measuring very similar to when we first shredded, the only difference I know I've abs already lurking underneath this layer of flab and that I'm so much fitter this time around! So I'm hopeful for similar results and if I get them I'll be very happy.
LMV - well done on completing your swim and for the 4 pounds you've shifted in my absence. More s******s as you mentioned your sundress that should keep you going!
BM - Hope you're having a good week and the scales are kind to you on Saturday. You really are an inspiration!
PB - I hope you can now see the coastline. I loved the tights incident. My knickers suddenly started feeling very tight on my holiday so I was glad to get home again!
BRACKEN - your 'transitional' dress experience and all those strong emotions wow! You need to write that out again onto your advantages response card, re-reading that daily when you next feel like going off track, those powerful feelings should stop any sabotaging thoughts at once. Fortunately I was only away for 2 weeks. I wore my pedometer and every day I walked between 15,000 and 25,000 steps sightseeing (I also went to Hampton Court and Churchill's War Rooms) but if I hadn't been walking so much daily, the damage would have been far worse than the 3lbs I gained as my food choices when out were rubbish and I went with the flow and ate what I was given at my parents, so I was very glad to come home and be able to cook again for myself and get back to basics. But the great news is I wanted to stop eating the junk, I'd had enough and my body had had enough so it's not a struggle it's a real pleasure to eat healthily again. As Becks writes 'you'll get to the point where you react differently when you see food you know you shouldn't eat' I am at that point today! So there is hope for us all.
Be good Crackers!0 -
P.S. LMV - no idea why it doesn't like my word beginning with s, it's not rude just means to laugh in a quiet, sly way!!!!0
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Hello Crackers
well done on the 10lbs - I'm afraid I'm putting weight on at the moment. Still I just need to refocus and get back in the groove. The plan is to spend the weekend getting back on track. I shall be buying the goodies to make a nice soup (Perhaps the pumpkin and carrot soup described earlier by LMV (I think it was LMV). Big problem seems to be not getting organised with lunch in the morning and then finding far too much stuff lying around asking to be eaten at work - NEEDS TO STOP CAROLE!
Took another mile and a half off last night so feeling quite good about that. Only 3.1 miles to go. Two more swims (I hope). Going to try and finish it by swimming on Friday evening and then perhaps again on Sunday afternoon. Walk on Sunday morning too. No riding this weekend though as the 'huskies' are in the forest racing.
Work continues to be very stressful at the moment which isn't helping. I'm going in a little later today as I will work to the end both today and tomorrow - 8.00am with the finance partner tomorrow morning.
Have had a little trouble with mice - spotted one running across the floor a couple of mornings ago. Caught it and put it outside but then found a dead one in the dining room last night - not sure if it might have been the same one but suspect not. Need a humane mouse trap I think......
Well need to go now so will come back and talk later. Need to know about the shred ladies - you all talk about it but I've no idea what it is....
PB0 -
Morning Crackers,
Well done on getting another 1.5 miles done Carole, you must be able to see the French coastline now! Re the Shred, Jillian Michaels (used to be a trainer on US version of Biggest Loser) has loads of fitness DVD's but there's one called the 30 Day Shred. It has three 20 minute workouts in it and you do each one for 10 days. How hard can a 20 minute workout be? Lol!!
MITM and I did it this time last year, I hated it, she loved it, but it was effective in whittling down the inches. We started it again on Monday and Bracken is doing her version of it with a different Jillian DVD and her Nordic walking. BM has ordered the 30DS so is going to join in too. I've set up another thread where we are logging our progress so by all means join in or just check out the thread and pass on any thoughts.
Right, can't hang around, need to log in on the Shred thread and get to my pilates class
Have a good day Crackers!
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I've logged in my exercise which I managed to complete today on the Shred thread. My day was thrown for a loop when I had a call last night from a riding friend from my former stable who gave me the shocking news that one of the stable owner's sons had been killed in a motor vehicle accident. He was a lovely person and the impact on the whole family is, of course, devastating. I boarded horses at that stable for over 25 years so the family have been friends as well as the owners of a business. The son lived some three hours north of here so all services will be there. However, I wanted to get sympathy cards out immediately and needed three since I know not only the stable owner well but two of her other adult children. I had a difficult time finding appropriate cards and ended up going to several stores. It is hard to find good sympathy cards at the best of times but in these circumstances, I found that so many seemed so trite and banal and I really think there should be a law against rhyming verse which seems to create a dreadful sing-song tone, most inappropriate! I finally managed to get three somewhat suitable, wrote notes on them which again took time as I wanted to say something personal and got them posted just before the post office closed. I was going to say a little more tonight but will leave it until tomorrow as I am rather tired from a fitful sleep last night and have actually had to leave this post twice since I started for rather long phone calls. Goodnight all.0
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How desperately sad Bracken - you sound quite done in. But you've done all you can now. take care. PB0
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Bracken, so very sad and sorry to hear your dreadful news. A massive shock to all I am sure. You are a very thoughtful, caring friend to have, but you must also look after yourself. You and the family are in my thoughts and prayers x x0
