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Happy Birthday MITM!!!
Hope you are having a good day. Its raining here and a bit dull and dank but I have used the time wisely and given upstairs a decent going over. Need to work on the downstairs this afternoon - and think I'm going to buy some upholstery cleaner for the 3 piece.
Had a lovely ride on Sunday and have singing tonight - but I think something is giving me an allergic reaction as I'm doing a lot of sneezing.
Chocolate cake with ganache - yummy. Don't eat the left overs will you?
take care all
PB0 -
Hello Crackers
Just to let you know I have finally heard from the BSJA that I have passed my exam! I now have a few more hoops to jump through then I'm able to be fully qualified as a level 2 judge. That's good news.
I have also made another application today for a job which closes in a couple of days time so I hope that I will hear about that one very soon. that's three applications made. Will keep you informed!
Hope all is well with everyone else. has the snow finally gone Bracken? or are you still knee deep in the stuff? Its been a bit more changeable here and we had some bad problems with pollution and sand dust from the Sahara desert last week - but it is fresh and spring like now so my home has been given a bit of a spring clean!
I'm still comfort eating but getting more active and will concentrate more when I have the coming weekend out of the say (Hunt Ball - far too much on offer to eat and drink and guests who will expect quantities of food and wine to be eaten and drunk for the whole weekend). Need to plan some meals and buy enough food for 3 people - not easy (or cheap) when you are used to buying for one - but they are worth it. Good friends.
Final job will be to get some upholstery cleaner and give my sofa and chairs a clean overnight (i.e. just before I go to bed and after the cats)
riding tomorrow afternoon and Thurs/Fri morning (weather and motorbikes permitting).
speak soon
PB0 -
Whoo hoo! Congratulations PB. A result well worth the long wait for! I am certain the healthy eating will all fall into place when the time is right. Enjoy your time with your friends. x x:drinker:0
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Hello Crackers,
Congratulations PB, that's extremely good news. I've got my fingers crossed for the job applications too. If one of those opportunities is the right one for you then I'm sure you will feel much happier and settled.
MITM, I hope you really enjoyed your birthday celebrations and that delicious looking cake. I loved your wreath too. It's a lovely tradition and I saw some beautiful ones in Prague bedecked in ribbons and china eggs all in lovely bright Spring colours. They all looked so cheerful. I expect it's only a matter of time before it catches on in the UK. You see more and more Easter cards in the shops and special Easter foods so I'm sure decorations will start appearing at some point.
I got back from my parents yesterday. My husband had an emotionally draining time.dealing with Age Concern, the medical profession and Social Services in relation to his Father and his partner. I won't go into details but it is all very difficult at the moment and we are having to take some immediate actions to sort things out as his Father's health is deteriorating rapidly under the strain of the situation. I have therefore been occupied elsewhere so haven't had much time to post on here.
Food wise I did my best while I was away. I only had alcohol once last week and although I didn't have a lot of say in what I ate, I kept my portions moderate and didn't partake in any chocolate that was offered. I was delighted to step on the scales and discover that I have lost 3lbs this week. That's 7.5lbs in the last 3 weeks (even though MFP says it's 6.5 for some reason!) which means I have last all the Christmas and holiday weight that I put on. I'm still a stone from the lightest weight which I fleetingly achieved but I'm thrilled to have the bit between my teeth again and to be on a downward trajectory.
It's a beautiful Spring day here with blue skies and sunshine so we're off to our caravan at the beach to see how it dared through the awful winter weather. We would like to have it clean and fully operational so that we can stay there over the Easter week-end.
We got back from London yesterday in time to go to our cookery class. I made a lovely vegetable and cheesy potato pie which was delicious. My husband made an oriental pork rice noodley thing which is also delicious and we'll have that for dinner tonight. It's so nice to have dinner all sorted as I have my Welsh evening class on Wednesdays and sorting out food us always a bit of a rush. My husband really enjoys the cooking classes and it definitely helped him relax after a stressful few days.
It was the final of The Great British Sewing Bee last night. Unfortunately my least favourite contestant won, but she did make an amazing ball gown. Everything else she made throughout the competition was a but dull and often very simple in my opinion so I would have preferred one of the contestants with a bit more flair to have won. Did anyone else watch it?
How are things with you BM? I've been thinking of you and I hope you are improving.
Also, how are you Bracken. I know PB has already asked but is your long, long winter finally coming to an end?
Right, my husband is ready to go so I must be off. We're not sure what will await us at the caravan but I'm hoping no rain got in anywhere over the wet winter!
Be good Crackers
xx0 -
Lovely ride on Harley this afternoon - warm enough to go out without a coat! He's looking a little podgy though as the spring grass has come through and he is now on short rations. We don't want laminitis. then I helped Hilda with 'doing up' - checking water, skipping out etc - rugging up for the evening. Butler wasn't impressed as he didn't get a hay net at all as Maria was planning to ride him after work. I gave him lots of polos though. (He's a terrible thug!).
Also, no helicopters or motorbikes in the forest - although small children on bicycles made Harley look and try to do a side step - but I was ready for him. He was definitely ready for a ride out though.
Hunt Ball on Saturday night. I hope my gown still fits - I hire as its so expensive to buy and that means I can have a nice different one every time. I'm expecting a houseful for nibbles and bubbles before we go the ball then taxi to the venue and back so everyone can enjoy a nice evening without worrying about driving.
Just made a 'boiled fruit' cake as I have guests for the weekend and they are big eaters. Bought lots of salad and fruit though so hoping that I can be reasonably healthy. Its great to have some energy back though.
LMV I'm so sorry you've been having a difficult time with your husbands family. It is so distressing when your parents suddenly need your help and protection - they struggle because its their job to look after you and you struggle as its hard to see someone so strong suddenly become so vulnerable. I hope that you've managed to sort things out and that they are now protected properly.
Bailey thanks for the woo hoo!
PB0 -
Morning Crackers,
It's a beautiful day here in sunny Wales, the kind of day that lifts your heart! I can see ponies, lambs and sheep grazing on the marsh and despite everything else going on, all feels well with the world. I know this happy feeling also comes from the fact that I feel back in control of my eating after a number of "lost" months. The half stone I have dropped in the last few weeks makes such a difference - all my clothes fit me properly again and my slightly bigger clothes are unwearable as they are hanging off me. I hadn't really realized this until I went into M&S yesterday. I saw a summer skirt I quite liked which would be good for when I go to Italy in July. I picked up a 16 because in my head I'm really big again and then grabbed a 14 to see how far off it I was. I could get the 16 on without undoing it and the 14 is quite roomy. I'm really not that far off a 12 which is such a motivating thought. It will inspire me to stick with the healthy eating and to keep off the chocolate and hot cross buns over Easter. Strangely, when I looked in the mirror after my shopping trip I didn't look as fat as I had before I went. It just goes to show that what we see in the mirror is affected by how we feel in the head. When I started with the Crackers 2.25 years ago I was wearing size 20 clothes so I've come quite a long way with the support of you lovely ladies. I am hopeful that this year I will drop yet more weight and get down to a size 10 which I haven't been for 20 years now. Small changes definitely make a difference in the long term. 2 years ago a size 10 felt like a pipe dream but now it is a realistic possibility and that makes me feel good.
I had another reminder about the progress I've made from a friend the other day. We dropped in to see some friends in Surrey on the way back from London and she has lost quite a bit of weight over the last year and is currently doing a sponsored weight loss for charity. She's looking well and she told me that she had been inspired by how good I looked when she saw me last summer. She said "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I thought if you could do it, then I could do it!" I was absolutely thrilled to hear her say that and it's absolutely true.........if I can do it, anyone can!
Today I am awaiting a pair of French connection shorts which I have ordered for my Italy holiday in a size 12 ......... and I WILL be wearing them!
Be good Crackers, we can all do this if we put our minds to it!
xx0 -
A lovely email, LMV. It has definitely inspired me. I am in a slump at the moment so it was lovely to hear such positive thinking. OH has been away all week, so my eating has been not so good. Also think my abscess is starting again, which will probably mean surgery. This is obviously more of a risk now with the Haemophilia. So your post was like a ray of sunshine!
You should be so proud of yourself dropping all those dress sizes. I am an eighteen now but some of my sixteen's do still fit. So to be a 14 for the summer would be amazing. I am so positive you will also reach your size 10.
My long mail(s) that got lost when you were on hols were about a summer challenge. Only with not so much emphasis on the challenge! I am not in the least bit competitive (wish I was) and would surely buckle under pressure, but how about we try to come up with an individual or a team cracker goal for the summer?
Any thoughts and/or advice would be fab off all us Crackers. so how about it? What will be this years? I remember Operation pencil skirt, (MITM), and my desperate need to fit in my Hobbs dress for step-daughters very stressful wedding. A dress purposely made a size too small at sewing classes, (LMV). Also Brackens Nephew (I think?) whose wedding required fitting into a dress too. All of these things we have achieved, so together we are really quite strong!
Please be forth-coming with your thoughts. My parents arrive 5 weeks today and I would have loved to have made a good start by then.
Thank you Ladies, and a massive thank you to you LMV for making me want to get up and have another go at this dreadful excess weight I am carrying. x x
Love to all, BM x x
Ps MITM, checked out John Lewis and they have a couple of really lovely Easter wreathes, unfortunately they won't deliver one here but I am getting one sent to my parents so I can fetch it back in the summer ready for next year! (I had never seen one til I saw your beautiful wreathe)0 -
Evening Crackers,
BM, good idea and I am so pleased to hear that I offered you a little bit of inspiration! Well my size 12 shorts arrived and I can get them on and done up but they are rather tight across the tummy. However, the larger sizes are going back and I'm keeping the smaller ones. So I have my challenge.............it's the Summer Shorts Challenge! I now need to get enough weight off for them to fit comfortably across my tummy and I also need to do something to get my legs in good shape as these shorts are a little shorter than I would normally wear. There is a decent hem on them so I can lengthen them by over an inch but I will definitely need to do a bit of work on my thighs as well as losing weight.
Sorry to hear about your abscess and the thought of surgery looming on the horizon BM. That's obviously not a nice prospect at all, but don't let it stop you making another start on weight loss. In the five weeks before your parents arrive you could chip away half a stone quite comfortably if you put your mind to it. I've done it and I'm ashamed to say I've done it without any exercise and I really have no excuse for not exercising other than sheer laziness. I know exercise is hard for you for both climatic and health reasons, but you could still lose weight. And as my friend said, if I can do it then you definitely can too. I started by being extremely strict for 7 days. I told myself "This is only for 7 days and you can do it" every time I was tempted and it worked. I gave up alcohol and sugar and basically ate fish, vegetables, fruit, eggs and limited bread and cheese for a week. I dropped 4lbs in that week and it kick started me off again after months of no progress. What I did might not work for you, but some kind of strict regimen for a week to get you back on track might help. Also, start a project so you have something to occupy your time and distract you from food. Get those knitted cushion covers out from the back of the wardrobe and pledge to get one finished during that week! Or sew something, or sort out a photo album or any thing which will keep you absorbed. I've got my bossy boots on again haven't I? Lol
Looking forward to hearing what everyone else's challenges will be. Summer shorts, here I come!!
xx0 -
Hi Crackers - WELL DONE LMV - WOOHOO TO YOU!!!
What a star and what an inspiration. I'm in awe. We all seem to have been in the doldrums in recent months but I hope that we are all feeling better now. I know I'm feeling much more positive and have been a lot better in recent days although still not managing as much exercise as I had been. The ankle is definitely much better though - will do lots of dancing tonight so see how it holds up!
I guess my big challenge will be to get back that amazing moment when I put on the size 16 pencil skirt last year and was complimented in all directions. This may be helped by a new romantic interest that is starting up in my life - I'll tell you more soon - we haven't met yet but seem very compatible online. We are certainly enjoying email chatting. He's originally from Spain. I hope to meet him very soon. In any case, I reckon I need to lose most of a stone to make the pencil skirt look stunning again - so I want to try and do that by the end of June. (10 weeks...). I'll let you know how it goes.
Take care all - and good luck with the surgery BM - I hope it is not too traumatic for you.
PB0 -
Morning Crackers,
Great to hear you sounding so positive PB after all that you've been through and I hope you had a fantastic time dancing the night away in a fabulous frock at the ball. There's nothing like dancing to lift the spirits in my opinion. I LOVE to dance although these days I seem to do most of it in the kitchen lol. It's also very exciting to hear there might be a bit of romance in the air.........I'll look forward to hearing of any developments!
So, two of us have our challenges, me with my summer shorts and you with your pencil skirt. So come on, how about the rest of you?
I've had a reasonable but not brilliant week-end food wise. Went out for a meal on Saturday, no starter, no desert and no alcohol so not too bad. Went to football yesterday afternoon and succumbed to a twix with a cup of tea at half time because I felt so cold. We had dinner at some friends - again no desert, but I did have the best part of a bottle of wine when we got home and some Jaffa cakes. A bit of a naughty day, but not so bad that I feel down about it. We all have to let loose sometimes. Back to being healthy today!
I'm off to strip the beds in the spare bedrooms and get them made up ready for guests we have arriving next week. That should burn some calories!
Have a good week Crackers and get going on those challenges!
xx0 -
Hi Ladies, PB, I wait with baited breath for more info and wish you all the best with your new romance. It is so lovely to hear good news and happiness!
LMV. full of fab advice as always. I am quite pleased to have made a really good start with being positive today. Unfortunately for me I lose weight so very slowly I get demoralised. I am on Troches to try and stop my periods every month as well as having a Mirena iud, so as you can see I am bombarded with hormones which aren't helping the weight loss! lol x However, losing weight is still definitely possible so I am plodding on. Strangely enough I have absolutely no problem sticking to my 1450 cals every day and cannot remember the last time I went over by more than a few. I have not had cheese in weeks, and am doing OK without it. Still have my wine on a Saturday, but a lot less than I used to. I think it knocks me a bit when I have weighed everything (I still weigh all my food daily), stayed within my allowance and at the end of a long week have nada to show for it. (I had to giggle at wine and Jaffa cakes, totally new one on me).
I am still knitting and have just a few inches left to do of the second scarf. I also have a knitting project lined up and ready to go after that. I am also plodding on with the sewing. Today, I have made a few "alterations" on 3 of my tops. I bought them from White Stuff as I love their cotton and linen tunics/Kaftans. Unfortunately they had the rolled back sleeves which I am not really comfortable with, so I hacked off the bottom bit of the sleeves and made them 3/4 with the great big, impossible to iron, roly sleeve bit now gone! I also made little loops for one for the belt that came with it, but unfortunately had nothing to thread the belt through! I only cut 2 pieces off the end of the belt and then made them into little loops which I then put on the tunic. (I used another tunic I have as a template for the sleeves and loops). I never tie a belt around my middle, I just look like a shapeless sack of potatoes, so I tie the belt at the back which then gives the impression of a bit of a waist shape.
So, only tiny bits of sewing, but all firsts for me so I am feeling quite happy with it all! lol. I have also recently had a bash at English Paper Piecing. (EPP). I had the book from Amazon shipped over with some Cath Kidston fat quarters. I am quite enjoying doing it too. It's not complicated and the good thing is you can just pick it up and know immediately where you are, so much easier than knitting, lol x
Ok Ladies, I am sorry to have prattled on so much, but whilst I am typing I am keeping busy and positive!
Take care all,
Love BM x x
PS LMV...I need a bit more time to give myself a goal. I am also the big five zero this year so want to be realistic with my goals! It will probably be an item of clothing for the summer, rather than a weight though x x0 -
Hello Crackers
Well a good time was had by all - too good...... the excesses of the weekend will barely be over when my parents arrive. On the good side maria made it to the Ball - having had a phone call from the consultant on Friday afternoon - she is now in hospital at Addenbrookes having her pre-ops before getting the skin graft tomorrow (all being well). I do hope this will put a line under her pituitary tumour and she can get on to a relatively normal life after this.
The Ball was fabulous. I was pleased with the look I achieved and was complimented on it. I didn't really overeat but I did drink probably more wine than I should. Oh well. Never mind!
Sunday turned into a bad day after dinner when I brought out the cheese board - which was accompanied by an excellent LBV Port. Ooops.
What on earth is English Paper Piecing??? I've never heard of this Bailey - can you enlighten me? It sounds complicated as do 'fat quarters' - I normally associate this with horses! The big 50 is no big deal Bailey/LMV - don't worry. Life begins....
Bracken are you OK? You've been a little quiet lately.
I picked up a beautiful linen dress today - a Long Tall Sally outfit - so it probably needs shortening a bit - but I paid £10 for it so a bargain. Its white and full length and quite a thick linen - almost quilted in style - very fitted bodice. Will look great in the summer - although its a little bit loose on me (its a 20). Its of a quality that is worth making some alterations to.
Enjoying a relatively quiet day today. Took the ball gowns back today, had a massage on my legs (I managed to fall off the mounting block on Friday and fall over again on Sunday - in flat shoes - so some bruising.
Anyway, lunch will be ready soon - left over lamb and vegetables with roast potatoes and gravy. Smelling good. The lamb bone has been boiled up for stock to go in the freezer. I've no other plans today though. Ironing this afternoon I think and I need to sort out the guest bedroom too as Mum and Dad arriving Thursday.
Speak soon and take care
PB0 -
Afternoon Crackers,
PB, I'm so pleased to hear you had a good night out at the ball and that your "Look" drew compliments. There's nothing like a compliment to give your ego a phillip. Thinking of your friend as well, I hope all goes well with her op.
It seems like we are all busy altering clothes at the moment. I've have just repaired a dress for my friend. She was giving a presentation so bought a lovely smart black dress from LK Bennett off EBay (at a great reduction!) and then just as she was leaving the office she managed to split the back of it. Someone had a needle and thread but my friend really can't sew so she just did the best she could in the 5 minutes she had. She said she had to try and keep her back to everyone all the time and sidled around the room with her back to the wall. She had me in stitches while she was telling me all about it. Anyway, I've sorted it out for her now. It's a beautiful dress so when I've slimmed down to a 12, I shall ask for a loan of it sometime as a quid pro quo.
BM, you are a very busy bunny with all the knitting, sewing and quilting. What are you actually making? I think English Paper piecing is the way I originally learned to quilt where you wrap the fabric around paper pieces and hand stitch them together. Is that right? PB, a fat quarter is nothing to do with horses lol, it's a measure of fabric used by quilters. A fat quarter is a square piece of fabric equal to about 1/4 yard. Quilters often buy a stack of fat quarters in different fabrics as they only need small amounts of each material.
Also, I echo PB - there's nothing to this 50 lark, I'm having lots of fun! It would be great to have a gorgeous outfit to wear at any celebrations though and that must be a great incentive for you. I know your various health issues make things hard for you but don't get despondent. Have you asked the doctors about what impact the drugs you have to take might have on your weight? Also, have you thought about dropping your calories? I'm on 1200 a day and seem to be losing without exercise if I stick to it.
Well, I'm going to get on with my knitting now. I've ironed all the bedding I washed yesterday, done the repair for my friend and sorted out menus for when our guests arrive so now I'm going to relax for a couple of hours and do some knitting.
Bracken and MITM, I hope all is well with you both and that we hear from you soon
Lots of love,
xx0 -
Thanks LMV - for the info on English Paper Piecing and Fat Quarters - you learn something new every day!0
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For info, I exchanged messages with New8 today on Facebook. She's away on holiday on the Isle of Wight at the moment having a lovely time. She's been really busy but is zumbaing twice a week and says her shape is really beginning to change. With work and the play group she runs I think she's a bit short of time.
Just thought you would all like to know.
xx0 -
Thanks LMV - we've become remarkably close on this group and its nice to know how everyone is doing. Big pile of ironing calling to me this morning. As soon as I finish my coffee......0
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Afternoon Crackers,
I discovered Aldi yesterday and what a revelation it was. I've discovered that I've been a bit of a supermarket snob. I had assumed that the reason why places like Lidl and Aldi were cheaper than everywhere else was because they sold rubbish. Well how wrong was I? I read in a magazine that Aldi had won the Which Supermarket of the year and I am a big fan of Which and always read their reports before I buy things. Then my Mother told me that the Aldi dishwasher tablets had come out on top in some consumer tests (may have been Which again) so she gave them a try and they were marvellous and she had tried lots of other bits and pieces from there. Then a friend told me that she'd had a whole trolley of fruit and veg that cost half of what she normally pays. With all this evidence mounting up I went and found our local Aldi and gave it a go. I must say, the stuff in there is brilliant value and I definitely saved a substantial amount of money. I got some gorgeous smoked salmon which was £2.99 for 200gm compared with £4.99 for 120gm in Sainsburys and it is delicious. The only thing I noticed is that there is a much shorter use by date on the salmon. This isn't a problem for me as I always divide the pack up into portions and freeze it anyway if I'm not going to use it all the week
I buy it. Red and yellow peppers are 80p each in Sainsburys and were 65p each for much bigger peppers in Aldi, broccoli was 45p ......I could go on but it would get very boring for you! The only thing I've been disappointed in so far is one of the packs of tomatoes which are a bit flavourless. The cherry tomatoes were fine but the bigger ones I'll use up in a soup or stew or something. They had jars of herbs and spices at 45p so I'll give those a try too when I need some. I'll definitely be going back there in the future.
I know your fruit and veg is very expensive in Singapore BM, so you must be falling off your chair hearing some of these prices!
I weighed in yesterday and STS this week. I had been good apart from one quite small lapse so I hope I'll see the benefit of it next week. I'm psyching myself up to start doing some exercise again as part of Operation Summer Shorts but I can't quite get myself out running again yet. We have friends arriving on Sunday now for a couple of days and then my husband's Father is coming to us for a week so I think I'll start after that. Hopefully the weather will be warmer by then too.
Be good all
xx0 -
Apologies Crackers for my continued absence... but I have been a little pre-occupied what with the daughter staying who keeps insisting upon dragging me for walks up very steep mountains, her Easter party to prepare and bake for which was much appreciated (I did succumb alas as there was one portion of cake left over but we divided it between the 3 of us), non stop relatives visiting to see the daughter so endless bed making, towel washing, bathroom cleaning and yet more baking, oh and the small matter of 4 weeks worth of work to cram into 2 weeks which is so not fun....
However my body unlike in my younger days now seems to thrive on stress as I've had lots of naughty nibbles over the days on all the goodies, yet to my great surprise I discovered I had lost a pound on my wedding anniversary - so what more could the husband wish for on our Silver anniversary to wake up next to, yes an older but somewhat slimmer (in fact a whole stone lighter) model than the one he married, a vintage classic no less!!!
So my summer challenge will be 'Operation Target' to hit it, currently only a pound away, and stay there so if I do decide to grace the pool with my presence I'll be able to wear the bikini with confidence and without fear.
I'm returning the daughter to England on Saturday so I shall be absent for another 10 days and then I shall brave the scales to see if I've survived the first mini challenge of Easter...
Bracken - I've missed your posts of late so I hope you are okay? PB - I too am looking forward to hearing more on the love life! BM - Glad to be of help with the wreaths, you just can't beat John Lewis! And great idea the challenge. LMV - totally agree with all very inspiring and motivating post to get us going again! Just stay away from the cheese board whilst you are entertaining!
Well as I will be packing madly tomorrow I will wish everyone a lovely Easter and I look forward to catching up on all the posts on my return.
Be good Crackers!0 -
LMV, I could have wept at those veg prices at Aldi! I had a very much loved Aunt who was as wealthy as could be, and she bought all her deli produce from Aldi. She especially loved their cheeses and always had a huge fruit basket in the kitchen which she said was so cheap to keep stocked up from there. She said she begrudged paying more from elsewhere when the quality at Aldi was so good. She started my parents shopping there and now they too are singing it's praises to me. I will definitely be checking it out when I am home! Just to make you appreciate your good shopping prices even more, I pay $18 each week for a cauliflower from Oz (about 9gbp) and a head of broccoli is never cheaper than $8. We also buy our fruit individually and almost daily as it goes off so very quickly and costs way too much to waste. When I pay $12 for a peach I enjoy every mouthful of it! Lol x these are not even the organic prices, the only thing I buy organic now is celery at about $13 dollars because the ordinary is so tough it's almost impossible to cut, never mind chew.
MITM, absolutely fab you have lost your last pound. Brilliant! It must be so lovely having your Daughter home with you for Easter, I expect you enjoy every minute of it.
I have been reading up regarding TDEE again, and have just manually altered my MfP calories to 1598 a day, which sounds an enormous amount, but I don't get to eat my exercise calls back ( I can hear you all asking what exercise? Lol x). I can but try, as I did not lose anything again this week, so am going to hopefully boost my metabolism by eating at these cals for at least a month. I used Scooby to work it all for me. I have also dropped my carb percentage and greatly increased my protein allowance. Am also reducing my alcohol a bit. I only drink on a Saturday evening, but usually end up finishing the bottle, so I am going to try stopping at 3 Glasses. I already alternate with Perrier, so hopefully should be painless
:drinker:
It is a scorcher here today with a heat index of 42c and I am watching all the yachts going to nearby Islands for the day or weekend. The excitement of my day is waiting for OH to change the dressing on my hip! Lolx He is coming home from work in the morning to do it and then he does it again before I go to bed. Bless him, he has saved me from a twice daily trip to our GP clinic. I am really grateful and counting my blessings to have him!
Wishing everyone a Happy Easter. Enjoy those eggs, it's only once a year! Lol x x
Love BM x0 -
Hello Crackers - quiet on here - I guess we are all busy. Have not been doing too badly but probably drank a little more than I should yesterday. Off to judge at a show this morning. Have been maintaining weight but really need to do some measuring as I'm buying all sorts of sizes when it comes to clothes - very odd. 16 still seems a little small in most things but my size 20 skirts are going to have to go as they are hanging off me to big to wear. I now appear to be mostly 18 with size 16 occasionally.
I went riding yesterday morning and we just missed the rain. I was feeling a bit stressy as Mum and Dad were not so good and they were worrying me. But yesterday they were a lot better and I cooked them a roast dinner which they really enjoyed. Had an Easter Egg to share with them although only Mum and I ate any.
I am back to work tomorrow but trying not to think about it too much.
Bracken - are you OK? You've been very quiet after a period of being really focused - I'm concerned about you.
Bailey Good luck with the calorie change. I must try that as I really need to get a handle on my eating again.
LMV - unfortunately there isn't an Aldi very close by so not really an option for me.
MITM well done on the last 1lb.... You must feel absolutely fabulous. What an achievement.
Speak soon and take care all
PB0 -
OOh should have said. Tried the pencil skirt on yesterday. Its just about do uppable but wouldn't be comfortable. I reckon a very doable half stone is what is needed. Wish me luck!!!
PB0 -
Hello Crackers,
Hope everyone had a good Easter week-end. We had visitors so I've green out and about quite a lot and have definitely been overindulging on both the alcohol and some Easter biscuits and cakes. I did stay away from the cheese though as I could see MITM's stern finger wagging over the cheese board!
Weighed in and was pleasantly surprised to see I had STS. Last week I had been very good and STS so I think that compensated for how bad I have been over the week-end and I gave reaped the benefit of that hard work. In truth, I did deserve to put on!
I did get some exercise in though. BM you might recognise where we went. We drove over to Langland and then walked around the coast to Mumbles. We had lunch and a mooch around the shops and then walked back to Langland via the road. It was a glorious day and the sun was sparkling on the blue sea so it was divine. Yesterday we walked in the murky mist to our local pub which is about 2.5/3 miles away. I had chicken tikka skewers with salad, no alcohol and no dessert so that was a much better day.
It's raining and miserable today and I'm concentrating on getting the beds stripped and made up ready for my Father in law who is coming to stay tomorrow. We have a long drive to the New Forest and back tomorrow to collect him from my husband's brother. We'll also call in on my Mother in law who lives in Dorset. I should probably explain that my husband's parents divorced when he was a teenager. Anyway, once I've ironed the sheets and made up the beds I'm going to have a bit of time to myself and enjoy the calm before the storm of looking after my FiL for a week. With his memory issues he can be quite demanding to look after so
I know we'll be exhausted after a week of him staying here!
PB - good luck with going back to work. I hope it's not too much of an ordeal. Let us know how you get on. Also, good luck with the pencil skirt. With a bit of concentration on what you are eating, you could shift that half stone in 4 weeks and be back in your skirt for summer. You can do it. It isn't "luck", it's a matter of looking after yourself and making healthy choices. You've done it very successfully before, so you can do it again. Now is the time to get back to it and you'll be wearing that skirt with confidence.
BM, how are you getting on with your revised calorie total? I'm not sure if I've got confused, but were you upping your calories? Anyway, I'll look forward to hearing all about it.
Bracken, I see you haven't logged in for a while, but if you do and read this, I'm missing you. Come back soon.
Right, ironing a bed making call.
Be good Crackers. We can achieve our Summer challenges
xx0 -
Hello Ladies,
Just a quick pop in before my bath and dressing change!
I am still on my 1590 calories a day, up from the 1480 suggested by MFP and definitely up from the 1200 I tried for a few days! I think it's just all about finding out what works for you. I could manage on the 1200 for days but then always had a day where I definitely ate more than was sensible. I am going to stick at this for another 3 weeks and see where it takes me. I have been on the scales every day as per the norm and so far by some miracle EVERY day has seen a drop in my weight. It might only be .2 or .3 of a Kg but it will all add up. Strangely the day it "only" went down .1 was when I ate 1300 cals the day before.
I have 500 cals left today and it's 11pm so this is where it gets tricky for me. I am not hungry and we are out of peanut butter so I have to find something to eat before bed, which I never like doing. Might just have some more dark chocolate and be done with it!:blushing:
In answer to your question LMV, yes I have, as I said, gone UP calories. I used Scooby to work out my TDEE and my BMR and now eat my TDEE -20%. All these figures used to scare the life out of me. I think for someone who has used only weightwatchers periodically for most of my attempts at weight loss, it is a bit unreal to try to understand you need to eat more to lose more. I am trying to get my mindset away from the less you eat the more you lose. So I am trying to follow what MFP seems to advocate and eat more. The difference now is my exercise calories are already included in my allowance so no matter how much or how little I exercise I have the same amount of calories to eat. Also another weird thing this week is I seem to have a bit more energy and have been walking a bit further each day with the dog. This could also be down to my hip becoming much better, but that in itself could be a knock on from the massive amounts of protein I have been eating. Only time will let me have the answers, but I am feeling more positive than I have in a long while.
Okay, I have to have a quick bath now as OH is waiting to do my dressing before bed. Hope everyone is well. I would like to post again tomorrow as I have made some progress with the knitting!
Bracken, please let us know you are OK. We all go off the radar for a while, and that is totally understandable, but I am missing your wonderful descriptions of you and Nellies Lives in Canada. x x
Love to all, BM x x0 -
Hi Crackers
Well my life has taken quite a turn and although at present it doesn't feel like it I think in the long run it will be a good thing. I went back to work on Tuesday only to have two of the partners walk in and suspend me 10 mins later. I was then contacted by the HR company they had brought in for the purpose and summoned to a meeting to 'investigate allegations' made against me yesterday afternoon. This turned out to be an incident that had happened when I was ill plus some vague comments about being 'unapproachable' and 'abrupt' with staff who were frightened to come in and talk to me. As I'm sure you can imagine this latter came as something of a surprise to me as my office door is always open and staff are in and out like yoyos. The incident occurred when I was ill and I regretted it (it was an email I shouldn't have sent - it was defensive not offensive but in my right mind I wouldn't have sent it). It was painful and I was a bit tearful at times. He seemed to think this wasn't normal - no need to be defensive. I pointed out that I was completely alone and couldn't turn to anyone as I had been forbidden from talking to anyone at work - and there were two of them, one taking notes, so why wouldn't I feel threatened???
The whole thing is clearly designed to gather evidence so they can try and dismiss me. I shall counter with constructive dismissal I'm definitely in fight mode! In the meantime I am suspended on full pay so I shall enjoy myself. I've been swimming twice this week - not very far as knee a bit painful and have ridden once - but this morning I am going to help Hilda with the horses as Maria is out of action after her op. In fact just looked at the time and I need to get organised to be there for 7.45am!
Talk soon girls
PB x0 -
PB, you poor thing. I hope all this gets sorted out very quickly for you. It must be very stressful. Good for you for fighting it. I should imagine they will want it sorted out very quickly, so stick to your guns and get your name cleared. Hopefully you have a good union who will sort all the legal stuff for you. I shouldn't worry re the letter, you wrote it when you were obviously already under a lot of stress caused by your lack of support. I would also want in writing the names of the people who were supposed to be afraid to enter your room and their specific complaints. Some vague comments off unknown sources is not good enough to tarnish your reputation. Somebody with a genuine complaint would not be afraid to make themselves known. Otherwise it's just hearsay which will get their HR nowhere.
I am sure you are right in that this will be a good thing for you in the long run.
Take care of yourself, BM x0 -
Hello All.
Hope this email finds everyone well. I am still trying to eat more calories but find I have been having too many left in the evenings. So today I tried eating a slightly larger breakfast and lunch and also a snack at 4pm. I will try and keep this up til I weigh again "officially" on Saturday. I hope my weight loss of 2.9lbs (yay!) this week wasn't a fluke, I am not too sure if it could have been "water weight' as I was eating more and not less as I usually do at the start of a diet. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I still can't think of a realistic goal for myself by the summer. I did get down to 83kg's for the Wedding so maybe I could aim for that. I think I will spend some more time thinking on that! lol x
Wishing all the Crackers a good week,
BM x x0 -
Hello Crackers,
Sorry for my absence but I have been busy with my Father in Law. We went to get him last Thursday and a week away from the stresses of being a carer has worked wonders on him. He's been good as gold while he's been with us and his blood pressure has dropped from dangerously high to being borderline too low. He's been under so much stress and being away from it is like a weight lifted off his shoulders. He's much calmer and so grateful to us for stepping in and helping sort things out. He's staying with us for another week and we're hoping he might consider moving into some sheltered housing 5 minutes up the road from us which would be ideal for him.
PB - I'm so sorry to hear about the recent turn of events at work. BM has said all the sensible things already but I really feel for you. I hope you have some supportive people around you and would emphasise the importance of getting some good employment law advice. The best thing for you is to be out of such a toxic environment, but you obviously don't want to be dismissed. I trust you have got full details of the disciplinary procedures and in my experience it is highly unusual for you not to allowed to have a "supporter" in any meetings, particularly where it is two against one as you were undoubtedly in shock and wouldn't necessarily remember everything that was said. I know you have had difficulty with some of the partners so do think about whether they have been bullying you or singling you out for treatment that is different from anyone else as that in itself can constitute bullying. Good luck and get the best advice you can.
BM - fantastic weight loss. Can you explain all the TDEE and formula stuff you mentioned in a recent post as I didn't really understand it. It's good to hear you sounding perky again. Very good idea to aim to get back to your "base" weight ready for another assault on a further reduction. This weight loss journey is very up and down but the long term trend being downwards is the important thing. Like you, I am aiming to get back to my lowest weight and then to move forwards again.
Need to go I'm afraid, sorry this s such a quick visit. Be good all
xx0 -
Hi LMV, sounds like your father-in-law is enjoying his time and de-stressing whilst staying with you. It must be lovely to see and such a relief for you and your husband to see him "himself" again. Unfortunately in the UK the powers that be rely far too heavily on the goodwill of carers, and their role in society is greatly underestimated and undervalued. I wish you all well x x (be wonderful if he did choose to live near you x).
As to the "my new attempt at weight loss"........I have been reading for quite a while on MFP the perils and myths of the 1200 cals a day. It is suitable for the people with not a lot to lose, the "older" person and someone with not too much to lose. For the vast majority of people it appears to be quite a bit too low. I was also reading of these "ordinary" women (I don't really read the male stories!) who even without exercise are losing weight on close to 2000 cals etc. So after much reading, I worked out all this TDEE malarkey and chose to use Scooby as my guide. (There were only a few calories between that website and others in the workings out). I just googled Scooby TDEE and then input my stats and it came up with the magical number 1598. It already includes your exercise (or as I put, desk bound!) so even if you don't exercise in theory you should lose weight.
From what I can gather, but please don't read it as gospel!
TDEE is the amount you need to eat to maintain your weight, mine is now (just input info with 3lb loss).1875
BMR is the amount of calories your body would need to survive if for example you were comatose. mine is 1553
Then your daily calories are TDEE - 20% (depending on amount to lose etc). mine is now reduced to 1500.
MFP really does explain this a whole lot clearer than I am!!
I have to say I am enjoying having more calories to play around with. Also I am enjoying my walks and using my pedometer instead of counting the minutes I do. I am now thinking ANY exercise I do is a bonus and don't feel the pressure in having to exercise or eat fewer calories. I can, as I said manage fine on 1200 but then it catches up with me and I have a day or two of eating/picking as I do feel hungry then. I can honesty say on these cals I have not been hungry, this could also be due to having increased my protein and lowered my carbs. I do seem to have more energy which could be a result of this. Also, after my sneaky daily weigh in I have already lost just over 1/2 a pound this week and it's only Tuesday!
Hope this helps, but please do read the far better explanations on MFP!
Take care, love BM x x0 -
Hi All
BM thanks for that - I think I will do something with that myself as I feel I have been exercising quite a bit but eating rather badly - need a little help!
LMV - thank you for your kind words. Yes I have some good friends (including my Crackers) around me who are supporting me. I have legal protection in my house insurance which includes employment issues so feel I have somewhere to go for legal advice - which is helpful. Its so different when you are the one being targeted. I'm quite good at helping others in this situation.
You've been having quite a time yourself but it sounds like you have taken the right action and your father, now he is de-stressed and relaxed may be able to make a decision for himself about moving into sheltered accommodation that suits his needs and keeps him close by where you can support him. I know only too well the difference between decisions made under stress and those made when well. I do hope that he is getting to that point for you now as it is so hard to make these decisions without cooperation - from an emotional point of view.
I am, however, absolutely doing fine. And being forced to be off work whilst well means I am enjoying a lot more activity! Riding is such a good way of dealing with my worries and as my friend Maria is out of action at the moment after a graft to stop up a leak of brain fluid I'm doing what I can to help her Mum with the horses. Yesterday, I went down and gave their old welsh section B, Merlin a good groom. He's roughed off and quite ancient so his coat was coming out in handfuls - I could make a small cushion with what I brushed off but a very therapeutic activity for both of us. But Oh his coat did shine when I'd finished with him and he all but trotted across the yard to his night box after it! Then Maria called me to say she had a raised temp and could I take her to the GP so a trip to the lovely village of Orford was arranged. It was such a lovely warm spring day and the air was filled with lovely aromas of blossoms all around. Hardly any traffic either!. She has a bit of an infection but we think it is actually a tooth rather than the graft that's causing the problem. She is waiting to get better from her op before having the tooth dealt with.
I must admit I'm quite worried about Bracken Crackers as she has been off line for some time. I do hope she is OK.
take care all - the ironing calls! Riding this afternoon at 2.0 -
Good morning Crackers!
Unbelievable but my cords were sadly too tight to wear come the end of my time in England....
I've only been away 10 days yet I've gained the same amount of pounds as LMV did in a month in Australia. Ooh! So yes Crackers definitely fallen at the first hurdle, in fact I'd say I fell head first into a trough of chocolate.... I arrived in England at target and totally forgot I can't be trusted with milk chocolate a bit like an alcoholic can't have just one drink. Of course arriving at Easter didn't help, my 7 year old nephew dumped 4 of his 14 eggs on us and after just one nibble, I was hooked on Cadbury's milk chocolate again which fortunately you can't get in Austria. And because of the large inexpensive family sized packs it all comes in, I was polishing of several bars at a time. Very disappointed in myself. If I lived full-time in the UK I wouldn't be anywhere near target that I'm sure of, so hats off to you ladies I'm impressed.
With the daughter away at school and staying at my brother's during the week, fortunately she didn't witness my lapses although her disapproval may have stopped me and again I admire her will power, as she doesn't have to go looking for goodies they are sat right under her nose, as my seriously obese sister-in-law is trying to force them down her throat on a daily basis and yet she still says no thank you! I'd have my mouth open I'm sure!
But with the daughter absent, I didn't walk in fact my pedometer I wore not once so I have only myself to blame - gluttonous eating and no exercise whatsoever unless you count jaw movement.
So my challenge has completely changed I'm returning to the UK in less than 4 weeks for 1/2 term when I'm going to Amsterdam with the daughter and my mother, to visit the Anne Frank museum and I want to be at target AGAIN! The good news where once I'd be feeling very sorry for myself and wallowing in self-pity, I'm instead just feeling hung over on milk chocolate and stupid; all that hard work and effort over my birthday, anniversary and pre Easter wiped out but I know in future to stick to dark chocolate (which my cake is) because although I love it, even if I wanted to I can't eat huge quantities so can't do lasting damage unlike the bars of milk chocolate I'm currently wearing on my thighs!
Crackers loved my innocent cup of tea this morning, catching up on all the posts. Interestingly I was really inspired which got me thinking had I been able to log in daily would I have been more sensible with the support of the Crackers, I like to think I would have.
BRACKEN - write something soon, I've got my log book out again today so I'm thinking of you - it's been ages since you posted and you're missed.
LMV - are you exercising again? I'm getting the Rosemary salsacise out today as I have some serious work to do on the thighs again!
BM - Agree totally with upping the calories, as you know I 'normally' eat lots never less than 1500 and if I also exercise I lose but being so close to target, if I don't I STS but I'm never hungry and I don't feel like I'm on a 'diet'.
PB - Agree with LMV & BM and their comments - you only need to re-read our blog to remind yourself of incidents for your defence, good luck.
Keep up the good work Crackers!
P.S. I'm now going to put the cords in the wash so they will be even tighter as I've noticed I've got chocolate on them!!!!!!!0
This discussion has been closed.