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Wishing you both a Very Merry Christmas and a Peaceful and Happy New Year. Also thoughts and best wishes to absent friends.
Also whether our families around us are making us grit our teeth or filling us with joy, we are blessed to have them. I miss my family so much, even the ones who annoy me!
Sending all my love to you both, MITM and Bracken and also to our missing Crackers. I hope and pray we will still have each other's love and support this time next year. (It would also be amazing if I could be 3 stone lighter!) x x
Merry Christmas!
Love BM x x0 -
well Hello Crackers - yes its me PB! I cannot believe how long it is since I posted on here and I do apologise. The main reason has been that I have not been on line much at all in recent weeks because of the long days at work and travelling to and from I have come home of an evening too tired to do anything except eat and go to bed. The bad news about this is that I am currently not ready to get on the scales - I know I have put on a lot of weight due largely to the way my clothes are getting tighter and tighter. I also can see that all the hard work I put in to tone up has now been lost. Oh dear. Virtually no exercise either and of course lots of Christmas temptation - one of our patients actually brought in a buffet (including everything you needed to wrap up left overs and 2 dozen bottles of Californian champagne!) for the staff and then there was the Christmas party and of course patients still bring in biscuits and cake and chocolates. Just so much generosity but really not very healthy.
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But the good news is that my house is sold - I'm just waiting for an exchange date (there was a rumour it might happen before Christmas but sadly that wasn't to be) early in the New Year. As I'm not buying immediately, I have no idea yet where I will be living in Oundle yet. It will all sort itself out in the New Year.
In general though I'm feeling very positive about the New Year and will get my act together once I'm moved and can regain that 2 1/2 hours a day travelling. Its going to be a wrench to leave Suffolk but Northants is also a very pretty area and I'm starting to make some friends.
Having gone through the posts and also seeing so little over the Christmas period I feel very guilty about my lack of contact I do think this is a very important support group and I don't want to lose it but I agree sometimes we need a little break so may be this is the point at which we all reassess our position, consider our plans for weightloss in 2015 and set new goals! I for one am determined that the situation will have improved considerably by Easter. I promise I will get on the scales after new year!
Off for a ride in a couple of hours. My Christmas day ride was put off but we went for a little walk by the sea instead.
Bracken, like you, I think too that I got to a point where I didn't know where to start so I hope we can both get back on track with this group in the next few weeks.
Looking forward to hearing all of your plans for 2015 Crackers!
PB xxxx0 -
And so to a short post on Christmas. It was peaceful and enjoyable although Dad wasn't particularly well, fighting a cold which for him always leads to breathlessness and worryingly filled lungs. Christmas Eve I was able to go to a Midnight Service in Saxmundham - which turned out to be a lovely service. Vicar's sermon was on the subject of peace and joy - which I felt was nice as so often we are treated to an admonition to consider all the bad things going on and to not be too wrapped up in Christmas. I found it uplifting and it set me up for a good Christmas Day. Boxing Day was at my brother's house and we finally got our turkey (I did Beef on Christmas day). Silly board and card games in the afternoon and evening had us all howling with laughter and then I came home yesterday morning. I now have a few days peace and quiet (but an awful lot of leftovers) before Mum and Dad return for New Year. Over the next few days I will be starting the process of packing - just looking up bubblewrap as a means of protecting my best crystal (I have a small number of pieces of Waterford Crystal). I have been decluttering over the last few months so hopefully the packing won't take long but first I have a box full of papers that came out of the drawers under the bed in the spare room to go through. I'm sure most of it can be got rid of as its been there a long time and I haven't looked at it - so it will go down to Maria's to be burned on their bonfire.
Sadly, last night I was a very naughty girl - a bottle of port and some cheeses shared with a friend made a great evening but really shouldn't have done that. Still its done now and temptation gone.
Well I must be off now as I have a date with Harley for a ride this morning.
talk to you all again later.
PB x0 -
PB! Absolutely lovely to have you back! Good news with your house, hopefully 2015 will be your year. Lots of exciting new beginnings!
Like yourself and I am certain many others I have completely binged over Christmas. I plan to enjoy my food over the New Year too. Then roll on January 5th when I am going to reduce to the amazing amount of 1800 calories!! I am really looking forward to this. I'm not sure if you read a few of my posts but I have been following the "eat more to weight loss" group on MFP. So here goes!
Hope you have a lovely ride today, I envy you.
Take care,
BM x x
Ps, I have never tasted port, but have consumed lots of lovely cheese and wine over the holidays. With absolutely no guilt either! What's done is done, lol x x0 -
Hello Crackers and I will definitely second BM's delight in your return PB. I completely understand your problem with dealing with your weight recently. I have had a dreadful time this fall and once it came to December I seemed to give up, with the expected consequences of tight clothes too. Part of my problem seems to be that when I was quite a bit lighter in the summer and early fall, I was at a plateau for a long time but did not appreciate where I was. Now from a distance I can appreciate it much more. Well at least I know now that getting back to even that weight will be good. I've jumped onto the bandwagon as I don't have major New Year's plan that would derail any attempts at sticking to a plan. I faced the scales and I've started a new journal. It is just day 2, but I can have three good days before New Year's. I can well imagine you've been exhausted with that long commute so it is good news that your house is sold. That was surely a major stress. I am wondering if you will still be able to go riding as you have been. It's good to hear that you have kept that up and I do envy you a walk along the sea.
Christmas was hectic as is usual and seems more so as now my family is more split as we no longer centre the day at my Mother's. I went to a very nice Christmas Eve service in the village at the small Anglican church, but not the one my Mother and I attended. Although the congregation is small, there are a few wonderful singers and it sounded as if there were many more. The service began with a half hour carol sing. The Minister is quite different from the one at the other church was (she is no longer there but we had a nice chat on the phone recently and hope to meet in the spring). I like the old liturgy and the readings were from the King James Bible and the Minister, who seems to have an affinity for languages, did one prayer in the ancient tongue of the early Jews and finished with a Latin blessing.
Christmas morning was at my brother's in the country. One of his daughter's is home for ten days from teaching in England so it was lovely hearing her impressions of England. Teachers in England carry a considerably heavier load of classes than in Canada and she found the first weeks exhausting but has managed get about a lot. There was a full brunch at my brother's. In the afternoon, a sister and her daughter's came to my house for tea and Christmas pudding. That worked out well as last year by the time we had a latish full dinner at her house no one wanted pudding. I do like Christmas pudding so that worked out well and what could be more Christmassy than the pudding with a lovely caramel sauce on Spode Christmas tree china. Nellie enjoyed her day running with my brother and sister's dogs. She also enjoyed her stocking and has played with all her new toys without destroying them!
As for the weather, we had a completely green Christmas and even today there is only the slightest dusting of snow but now much colder. The good side of this is that driving is so much better and I was able to go on Boxing Day to visit some old riding friends, one of whom was here from the Kingston area and doesn't get down very often. I am getting a lot of birds at my feeder including a couple of woodpeckers; I put out suet with seeds for them.
When I was doing my final shift for the kettles, one of the customers in the store was the woman from whom I got Nellie. We had spoken before and she has wanted to come and see Nellie but it hadn't worked out but we set a time for tomorrow morning.
I'm really looking forward to how our Crackers assess and deal with our weight loss goals. I'm sure that we can learn from each other no matter what different approach we take. Regards.0 -
That's annoying - I was in the middle of a long post wishing you all Happy New Year and describing in detail the naughty things I had been consuming over the holidays when it all suddenly disappeared. Rats!
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So Happy New Year in 2015! I hope dear Crackers that we have all resolved that this year we will focus on healthy eating and healthy living, enjoy the moment when our clothes feel less tight and feel good about ourselves.
I have to go now as I am about to go riding before Mum, Dad and I go to Aldeburgh for the best fish and chips in the world. (New Year tradition - usually as an antidote to a hangover, but not this year).
Take care Crackers
PB x0 -
Happy New Year from the Canadian Cracker to all fellow Crackers. Hope you enjoyed your ride PB and your New Year tradition with your Mum and Dad, a lovely and meaningful thing to do on this day. I did not go out in the evening but had a lovely afternoon with two of my sisters yesterday. Today is bitterly cold (-16) and very windy so Nellie and I are quite snuggled into the house. Still no snow here but that is expected to change by the weekend.
The woman where Nellie came from called yesterday morning to say she had been called to work so we have rescheduled her visit to see Nellie tomorrow.
Well said, PB, that we should resolve to focus on healthy eating and healthy living, not just weight itself. My daily newspaper today had 15 top tips for a happy, healthier 2015. I'll outline the ones that spoke to me the most.
1) Don't ignore your knees- knee injury can really put you out of commission. I like the suggested exercise called the clam which is for the hip abductors which are crucial for proper knee function. Lie on your side with hips and knees slightly bent. Feet together and separate your knees such that your legs resemble a clam opening and closing. Your pelvis shouldn't roll back. Do as many reps as you can, at least twice a week. You should feel the burn at the side of your hip. I'm going to use this as part of my easing back into the exercise tapes.
2) Feed your gut. Emphasis here on probiotics. I eat yoghurt regularly but am going to try to use more keifer which has many more types of baccilius. This advice came from the author of a book called Feed Your Gut. He also recommends dark chocolate!
3)Perfect your squat- a key functional exercise
4)Indulge mindfully and guilt free. Interestingly, my Doc has suggested I take a mindful meditation seminar (she knows I am adverse to drugs unless totally unavoidable). My eating gets off-track most often when I am anxious and stressed. I've signed up for a full day seminar on Feb. 7.
5)Recultivate a close relationship with your kitchen. I went through my bank books for last year and I've seen that I've eaten out more than I thought. If it isn't a significant outing, it is easier to forget about and most often it is hard to do more than maintain weight when eating out; losing is quite difficult.
Regards all.0 -
Well, Nellie was thrilled today when she was visited by not one but three people who made an absolute fuss over her- the mother where Nellie came from brought her two sons who also wanted to see Nellie. (these boys were teenagers and I was really impressed with them coming out with their Mom and wanting to see Nellie - a really nice family and neither sat and had his cell phone on during the hour plus they were here!) I served tea and the gluten free oatmeal raisin cookies (I also added some walnuts and a bit of unsweetened coconut) I had made. I was asked for the recipe which was nice too. Later in the day I got two delayed Christmas cards. Both unexpected. One was from a second cousin in England (I had sent a card to her parents but not her) and the other was a card from my Doctor. I had given her some paperwhites as she is an avid gardener and a jar of my homemade black currant jam; she is a terrifically hard working physician. Of course, she had thanked me in her office. So two rather small incidents today, a visit and cards, but they just go to show that little things can really make a day brighter.
At last, I am slowly getting reacquainted with my treadmill so this is the second day for that. I am finding that I have definitely lost fitness in the last while so will have to work up gradually to previous levels.
Storm warnings here for the weekend.
Hope everyone is well. MITM, I expect you will again find it hard sending your daughter off to school away. Regards.0 -
Keep warm Bracken and Nellie. Its turned wet and a bit milder here today after an absolutely beautiful but cold day yesterday. Went for a lovely long walk and also helped muck out etc. Will have to start recording things. I just had to restart this post after it suddenly disappeared for no obvious reason.
My day did not go well however as at lunch time I received an email from my solicitor with the contracts for the sale of the house and two hours later a phone call from my estate agents to say that my buyers buyer had backed out at the last possible moment. So we are back to square one and I am very disappointed and frustrated to say the least as the weather is likely to be at its worst over the next couple of months and I was hoping to be moved sooner rather than later - still these things happen and it could be far worse. I've given my buyers a couple of weeks to find a new buyer before putting the house back on the market - but I'm slightly worried that they may not get such a good price which might mean they can't afford my house. No point worrying over what might happen though.
I still haven't had the courage to get on the scales - mum and dad still here and still eating Christmas naughties (left over Christmas pud to be eaten today).
Mum and Dad are going to move back into their own home this week and we'll be moving the cats with them. Mum was really struggling with the travelling and although it will be different for the cats (no catflap for a start) they'll be happy with the company. Its going to be a bit of a squeeze though until I can move out. And food is going to be a problem. But I am determined to resume one area of my life this month which is to rejoin a choir. The local choral society are doing Mozarts Mass in C Minor in the spring so I intend to join them asap. Its in Oundle which means I'll be late home one night a week but I can't keep putting my life on hold.
Well that's it for now - and well done those of you who have got started on the New Year with determination and enthusiasm!
PB x0 -
Hello Crackers. PB, so sorry to hear that your sale has run into a roadblock- clearly stressful. And as you say, this is not the best time of year; it's the same here. I feel sorry for you doing that long work journey during the winter. I think you are wise to join the choir again and have some outlet that is enjoyable. As bad as it must seem, spring will come sooner than we think and your house prospects will surely pick up. You will clearly face a tiring time but I hope you'll be able to at least pop-in here. Don't worry about long missives but I hope you can keep in touch while you go through the next while.
It is rather miserable here as we've had a combination of wet snow, rain, and ice. Temperatures are about to plummet this week apparently to lows of -22C. At the moment it is still fairly mild and Nellie is outside. I just looked out the window and she went bounding across the little bridge over the pond (she almost leapt over the five foot bridge!)
in pursuit of a squirrel. She never comes close to catching them thankfully but loves the chase.
Yesterday a brother came and put up a birdfeeder he had given me for Christmas. I already feed birds but the new feeder is in a different location, right outside my dining window. The birds have not found it yet but probably will soon.
I've done a short session on the treadmill today and will try to do another short one later. I'm not up to speed yet but progressing. I have a suggestion for any Crackers who would like to do this or have the time. I would find it interesting and helpful to hear about particular foods that people find helpful as they are trying to lose weight. Sometimes just a new twist can add a lot, at least for me as I can easily get in a rut, get bored and then go for the wrong fix. In winter I regularly eat oatmeal for breakfast. I read about putting almond butter on oatmeal, something I had never thought of doing. I use almond butter but have now found a teaspoon on my oatmeal really perks it up. I can eat it plain on occasion but when bored would go for brown sugar but this is much better.
Tonight I'm going to my neighbour's to watch the first episode of the new season of Downton Abbey which I believe has already aired in Britain. It does not come on the tv stations I get. I began watching it by buying the DVDs and last winter loaned them to the neighbour and she became hooked too and invited me to watch this year with her.
Time now to bring Nellie in. Regards.0 -
One must be philosophical about these things Bracken, but thanks for the support. The situation will resolve itself in its own good time. My first day back at work today. It was as I would expect, a bit fractious but everyone getting to grips. I have some major tasks to accomplish this month so lots to do. It was very cold yesterday but today has technically been milder although damp so feeling cold. Back indoors now and cosy warm.
take care all - keep warm Bracken, -22 degrees is very cold!
PB0 -
Hello. Yesterday I registered for another short writing course- this one non-fiction writing.
I've been reading the recommended text in preparation. I'm trying to work in more winter activities as last year I felt I was far too housebound during that hard winter. I'm working this week on increasing my time on the treadmill. It seems to be a better idea than trying to increase intensity at this point.
Before Christmas I finished knitting an infinity scarf that I gave to a sister. She really liked it and I'm thinking of trying to make several for next Christmas as everyone seems to wear them now. I've almost completed a second as I can knit while I watch tv. In the winter, I watch more tv than in the good weather so this is a time to work on the scarves.
My family had very sad news on Sunday when we learned that my brother's wife (the one with colon cancer)sister had died suddenly in her sleep. I don't know how much more my sister-in-law can take and likewise my brother. Tonight there will be a funeral visitation (I'm not sure if that is done in England and fewer people have them here now) and a funeral tomorrow. On Friday, I have been invited to a memorial service for the former colleague who died recently. He was only 62. Sad times. But I suppose I must see it as a part of life.
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Hi Bracken - sorry to hear your sad news. Its a bad time of year and sadly we do tend to lose more people during the winter. well done on trying to keep busy - not sure what an infinity scarf is though. I wish I had a treadmill, that might help me to keep fit at home. I've just signed up for the swimathon though in April so I need to get back in shape soon. Its been busy at work but quite productive today and I managed to return home at a reasonable hour. Warm and cosy in doors now.
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take care and I'll be back tomorrow.
PB x0 -
Bracken, I am so sorry for all that you and your family are going through. You are in my thoughts and prayers x x
Like PB I have no idea what an infinity scarf is. Please tell us, as I restarted my interest in knitting during the summer holidays of last year and been quietly plodding away at it. I have managed to knit hats for the family and a blanket for Harry. I have 2 more hats to finish and then I start on a Winter cardigan for myself which I rather ambitiously would like to have finished to take home in March! It is however chunky wool and big pins so I may as well have a go! Harry's blanket (which I wrapped for him as a Christmas gift!) is my biggest achievement so far, I will try later to see if I can somehow post a picture on here of it. I am clueless but find the ipad a little easier than my laptop for things like that.
PB, I too would love a treadmill, but we have absolutely no room in the apartment for one. I am sure I would use it a lot more regularly than the exercise bike which was like an instrument of torture. Very good as a clothes "horse" though lol x Good for you for you for signing up for the swimming, will it be as far as the one you and LMV swam last year? Bracken, your writing course sounds interesting, I really think you have a book in you! I love hearing your tales of all your wildlife, weather and Nellie's love of everything. I always seem to read authors saying "start with writing something you have good knowledge of" and your home and surroundings sound a wonderful place to start.
MITM, a difficult time for you I know, I will be thinking of you. x x
Well, I have been doing this 1800 calories for 2 days now, the scales haven't budged but it is ridiculous of me to think it would happen this quickly! I did what I always do and "stock up" on my intake of food prior to starting a healthy eating plan (Not diet! lol) so I am probably now showing the calories I ate over the weekend. My own fault and totally deserved.
I am going to do the ironing now, it is 10:30 am and already 32c, we are having the monsoon storms almost every afternoon so I try to get everything done before they arrive when I have close every window and door and just wait it out. I can't wait to be home in March to hopefully have frost and maybe even a bit of snow. My biggest excitement though is just the fresh air. To breathe in and enjoy it instead of feeling like you are breathing through a hot wet towel.
Wishing you all a safe and good day,
BM x x0 -
You too Bailey - I'd almost welcome the rain except I expect its very hot and humid - which I would hate totally. It was frosty this morning but we have weather warnings for wind and rain for the next few days - but warm. I don't mind that too much as it means I can get in the car without scraping.
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Awful news from Paris today - what kind of world are we creating? Why do such people find it so hard to integrate with normal life -and how hard for real muslims who are good and kind and just like everyone else - but tarred with the brush of fundamentalism. I fear a backlash.
well today was quite stressful but I coped OK. One of the GPs got behind and took it out on a member of staff - leading to tears and an early departure. I'm afraid I had to tell the GP that she was out of order. She didn't like it - but she was still blaming the staff and having a go when she came to see me. She really doesn't get that its not what she says but the way she says it that causes the problem.
Not a bad day on food but with not getting any exercise much I'm probably still taking in too many calories.
when I got home this evening I called my mother and she asked me to open an envelope that had come from a Solicitor for them. It seems the owner of the freehold has sold it to another company - not a word to anyone. Not nice to hear that way and I really don't know if they have any rights or protection if this bunch start misbehaving. Very worrying.
Well I'm going to try and close down the laptop a little earlier tonight as I slept very badly last night.
take care all especially absent friends
PB xx0 -
Good evening Crackers!!
Firstly my apologies for my prolonged absence. It's taken me a little longer than I thought to recover my mood and grow back the tip of my tongue, after the seasonal festivities and all that that entails... However the last of the Christmas decorations have now been packed away and there's just a few chocolates lingering. Since my family left I've been out walking daily, in fantastic, gloriously sunny, +1°c temperatures to lift my doom and gloom mood and with not a cloud in the sky today - I've decided upon 2 New Year's resolutions; firstly Christmas 2015 will be very different.
Still the house is now finally all mine again, I'm in charge of the now spotless kitchen once more and the husband and I can have sex on the kitchen table if we so please (I don't!) and it's not all bad news. Although I'm missing the daughter lots, my controlling father not a bit, I have started this January 5 pounds lighter than I did same time, last year and I even lost a pound over the Christmas period - run off my feet no doubt! But since I ate everything going I think I can thank the daughter for that pound lost as we walked miles. Although the hill opposite my home is white our side is green as we have sunshine, I even have winter Jasmine in bloom under the terrace which doesn't normally appear until the end of March. Fortunately the daughter brought her walking shoes home so we went hiking in the hills. I live surrounded by stunning countryside yet my parents left the house precisely twice in 2 weeks to walk our village (as I do with my friend on the flat), Mother read all day and watched DVDs in the evenings and my father was in the basement repairing and painting a fence... or moaning about the church bells! My husband (lucky him) escaped across the border to Italy to work once Christmas Day was over.
Anyway with this unexpected weight loss, I am continuing on with the now challenge 'Valentine' group and aiming to be back at my target weight on the 14th which is when I go next to England. Much like you BM - I have struck upon a system that suits me well, I'm eating more yet still able to lose 1/2lb on average a week now since November with no hardship involved and it all adds up in the end. I now need to purchase a new pair of skinny jeans as mine have suddenly become saggy jeans and my once tight cords have now become a 2nd loose pair! But with 2 weeks under my parents roof, I could easily gain 1/2 a stone so baby steps, I won't be throwing out any clothes as I know all too well how the scales can turn! But with all this recent regular walking in hilly conditions I'm now determined like you Bracken to get fitter again this year (my 2nd resolution) because if you don't use it, you lose it! And I'll second what you said in an earlier post about appreciating far more this time around being lighter, as the last time I was this close to target was 6 long months ago and I'm not throwing this opportunity away!
PB - so pleased that you are back with us and very impressed that you have signed up again for the swimming!
Well be good Crackers!
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I've just finished reading the three most recent posts with pleasure and even a smile (loved the sex on the table comment, MITM). Our news broadcasts were likewise filled with reports on the Paris attacks. It is so hard to understand the motivation of these extremists
when living in an open society. I could not ignore the contrast with the attacks on the satirical magazine and a comment that just happened last night on Coronation Street when a mother said to her daughter that she had "put up with her Christianity" as if it were some kind of an affliction. Impossible to imagine that being said of another religion in the program, at least without reprecussions.
About infinity scarves. They are simply a scarf that is a long oblong and usually worn wrapped around the neck twice, in various manners. This style of scarf seems to be the most popular here now. I took a simple pattern from the internet. It called for 40 stitches knit to a length of 53" and then seamed to make the circle. The second is being knitted on larger needles and I'm doing 30 stitches to the row. I'm knitting in a simplest stitch but both used a variegated wool and have turned out well. I am going to try to do another one using a slightly more complex stitch. The wool shop I buy from is very good about helping one get started and before Christmas recommended a pattern book with six dead simple scarf patterns. BM, your knitting sounds very ambitious to me.
MITM, your walks in the hills with your daughter sound so beautiful. No wonder you miss her company so much when she goes back to school. You've done brilliantly over Christmas with your diet. Have fun buying some new skinny jeans.
PB, I am assuming that you are an only sibling or the only one living close to your parents as you do seem to have a lot of worry and responsibility for them. You still have so much stress that even maintaining your weight would be a victory, I think. I think you are doing remarkably well with so much going on (shook my head about the Doc who has no people skills) and am so glad you fit some time in for here.
Today here is another bitterly cold day (-19) but sunny and calm after yesterday's storm. Now my yard is covered in knee deep snow. The birds are constantly at the feeder, including a pair of scarlet cardinals yesterday.The worst of the storm was that several members of my family including myself missed the funeral yesterday for my sister-in-law's sister. Everyone felt very badly as my sister-in-law has a very small family and we wanted to be able to support her. We were able to attend the visitation the previous evening so were glad we had at least gone to that.
With being housebound, I am again attacking new areas of clutter! I am radically downsizing files. I have always kept electricity, gas, taxes, vehicle repair bills, etc. for ages. Now I am only keeping them back for a couple of years at most. It does take time though because I seem to need to write down a few details of when I did certain things like have the new cupboards installed or replaced the furnace. Who can remember such things?
Regards Crackers.0 -
Dear All - what is it with MFP that makes it cut you off in mid blog??? So infuriating.
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What I was saying was - I'm sorry you didn't make it to the funeral Bracken, it is so important to support the living at a funeral. It must be a very frustrating situation for you. Still I'm sure they understood and theres plenty to be done to help your brother now he is through that difficult experience.
The GP Partner who was misbehaving yesterday continued to snarl and take it out on everyone today - in the end I had to speak to the Senior partner as the partner in question is also the HR partner - a job she is not really suited to when she is stressed out (which is most of the time!)
So I spent all day trying to mop up the mess and reassure receptionists and other GPs who had been the brunt of her temper - I walked in to 4 emails from her complaining about yesterday and a patient complaint so it was nearly 5pm before I even sat at my desk for more than 10 minutes. Nothing I had planned to do got done - but hey hoe it was what I was expecting today.
Still can't really focus on food and exercise but I'm trying to eat sensibly during the day and not go overboard in the evening.
That's it for today - will come on again tomorrow
PB x0 -
Just a quick pop-in. Agree PB, that losing posts is very frustrating especially as there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. Hope your venting here helps a little as the work situation sounds very frustrating. Give yourself credit for not totally ignoring your eating plans even if it is not the main focus at the moment.
Still very cold here and high wind chill. The forecasters keep being incorrect and the promised moderation in temperatures is pushed further ahead. Sometimes it seems like a conspiracy to always promise better days but not tomorrow! I'm still working on my files downsizing. Slow progress but making progress. I'm now working on old bank account statements which I feel compelled to examine closely before discarding. Quite enlightening to see the various ways I've spent money and baffling at times to see general withdrawals of significant sums that I now wonder what they were possibly for. I can only hope when the statements first came in before I filed them that I could account for everything. New resolution: to write down and account for such money!
Regards.0 -
Hi Bracken - it sounds very cold and nasty there - we are having slightly milder weather but a lot of disruption in Scotland as it has been seriously windy (113mph) up there. Not so bad down here but still windy and a more widespread storm is predicted for Wednesday - like you though our weather forecasters often threaten bad stuff and then pull back or warn everybody that its going to be bad and then it isn't anything like as bad - comes from the storm of 87 when a weather forecaster told everybody we wouldn't have a hurricane (he was right in one sense it wasn't technically a hurricane) and then huge swathes of forest were flattened just down the road from me - the forest is only just recovering.
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You are clearly someone who is much more organised than I am - although having said that I would say I'm a demented squirrel - when the paperwork gets out of hand I will have a big clear out!
I had a quiet day yesterday and just went to help 'do up' in the afternoon. I'm feeling much calmer after my ranting on Friday - sorry about that. It really does feel like the NHS is imploding with the press baying for blood - the latest government bright idea is to let patients go straight to hospital for tests for cancer. I can see that turning into a nightmare as we get a lot of patients who are convinced they have something sinister when all tests come back normal. It will just shift the problem to the hospital and probably delay patients who actually need to be tested and have seen their GP first.
Today, I'm going out for lunch with a friend in Felixstowe - and will be by the sea then I'll come back to help do up before driving back to Littleport in readiness for a new week. Hopefully, it will be a quieter, less frantic week.
No news on the house sale as yet - but who knows, the sun is shining which may help my buyers to find a new buyer. Fingers crossed.
take care all
PB xx0 -
Afternoon Crackers!
Bracken I found your comments about your bank statement rather interesting as they were almost parallel to my thoughts, only mine were on calories consumption!! My scales dared to register heavier today than on Friday?! How can that be so? Oh yes, a quick adding up of the figures and there were 2 packets of (salty) family sized crisps to take into account and a carton of chocolate flavoured ice-cream I sneakily deposited and absolutely zero withdrawals from the exercise account, as I was working. So the books don't currently balance and I'm 3 pounds over!! Tut, tut! Back to counting calories and burning off the deficit with a long walk with the husband, which after all the hikes with the daughter paid dividends - I was not out of breath and I was easily able to keep up! So I might have earned myself a small bonus and already started paying off the overdraft if I'm luckily - when I step on the scales tomorrow!
We are having the weirdest weather ever here in Austria. Yesterday in Kärnten which is the next county to mine it was 21.7°c which is the warmest temperature for a January day in 120 years and yet today it has been snowing in my village! During our walk this afternoon, we left and it was grey, windy and cold, walked for 15 minutes and we were walking through snow, then it was blue sky and sunshine and spring like weather with green hillsides... It just doesn't feel right.
PB - I'm hoping too that you have a quieter week ahead, quite honestly I don't know how you cope!
Well be good Crackers!
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I absolutely love reading about the different weathers in all our different parts of the world! The one thing that strikes me about it all, is that the weather is increasingly becoming more and more erratic and totally unpredictable. We opened the lounge curtains yesterday morning and the rain drops were so big and "slow" falling (quite unusual) that we both thought initially it was snow! When we were talking about it later in the day I realised that if it had been snow I don't know that I would have been all that surprised.....
Bracken, I don't envy you your task of downsizing your paper work, and as you say it is sometimes a puzzle as to what we spend our money on! I refused to make any resolutions this year but I did think to myself that I would love to be more organised. I have drawers and carrier bags stuffed away in the cupboards full of receipts and shipping bills dating back almost 7 years. So I have been going through one bag or one drawer a day. I would be too daunted at the thought of it all otherwise. I must say it is quite cathartic to see another pile ready for shredding! I am also trying my hardest not to buy any more clothes. I am a size 18 now and my wish is to be a 14, so I am hoping that as I lose weight I can alter my clothes accordingly. I have no idea how to sew with my machine, but I have learned so much about knitting off You Tube I figure I will learn to sew the same way! That is the plan anyway.
I am so sorry you missed the funeral. It is good that you were able to be there the night before though. You and your family are all in my thoughts at this difficult time for you all x x
Well MITM, it sound like you comfort ate your weekend away. Something I know for a fact we have all done many times. (I loved the comparison to Brackens financial statements!). I predict you will be back to normal weight by Tuesday lol x x
I feel like I have to "brag" now, but only because I don't think it has EVER happened to me, but I weighed the same this morning as Saturday morning.......I am certain it is because my couple of glasses of wine and JD and diet coke were within my calorie limits. I am not now existing on a 1000 cals a day and jumping up a few hundred on Sat and Sunday, which must have been the cause of me being pounds heavier every Monday, only to return to a lower weight by Thursday then the weekend starts again!! So I would love to think I am off that particular hamsters wheel.
Your walk sounded amazing, your scenery there must be breathtaking. My laptop wallpaper is with Bing and it changes daily, last week there was a picture of a little village in Austria at dusk with the all the lights on. It was also covered in snow. It was so pretty, and it was exactly how I would picture the perfect scene in a snow globe to be. You really do live in a beautiful part of the world.
PB, I wish you well with your house sale. I hope your buyers find buyers quickly. It is such a stressful time. You do sound like you are whizzing about a lot! Having been a practise Nurse for the majority of my career, I can only say it is like working in a Kindergarten more than with adult professionals! I have worked with both lovely and difficult GP's and know how even one bad one can make or break a surgery. As you are in no particular camp I understand totally how isolating and difficult your job can be, but you sound like you are relishing the challenge, and good for you! When it is running well, a General Practise is a lovely place to work. I hope your stroppy GP will wise up for you. I don't buy the excuses some give of a difficult home life etc (I have had that said to me by one GP), as a professional you should leave your personal worries at the front door! Sorry, that is my rant over! Anyhow, don't forget to look after yourself whilst you are looking after others x x
Ok I am going to do a bit more ironing and sort out the laundry after the weekend, it is sunny here now but it had been raining for over 24 hours (heavy monsoon type rain) so I want to get things done before I have to "batten down the hatches" for this afternoons storm.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy week,
BM x x0 -
Hello Crackers. There were a brief two days of milder (-5C) temperatures here but once again it will change tomorrow with high winds making it feel like -30C. As you say, BM the constant is the erratic and here I would add the violent. My area never had the intense winds we now get frequently. My yard is deep with snow after more fell last night but I took advantage of the milder day to let Nellie stay out for quite a long time. I am not walking her at the moment as the sidewalks and streets of the subdivision are snow and ice, despite regular plowing. About ten days ago, I slipped on a piece of ice near my house and gave myself a whopping bruise on the knee (fortunately no worse damage though). I topped up the bird feeders in preparation for tomorrow's cold so will probably not venture out much except briefly for Nellie. MITM, I do envy you your lovely walks and clearly the daughter walks served you well. I am continuing with this den decluttering which is now becoming a bit of an obsession. I can't believe how far back some of these papers go. What was I thinking? Vet and board bills for my horses going far back into the nineties. I wouldn't even want anyone to see how much money I have spent over the years on horses!
I have discovered (had virtually forgotten) that I have a shredding machine. It is actually quite satisfying to see the heaps of shredded paper. For some reason I am reminded of a book I read recently in which a woman turned her life around and became more satisfied with it; she began her project by decluttering. The book is called The Happiness Project. I found parts of it a little too precious but still it was worth reading and I'd recommend it.
PB, I am definitely not a natural organizer ( I have a sister who is and she is a whole different category of being from me in how she thinks about organizing). I did leave the den to do some treadmill walking today. I hope everyone's week is going well. MITM, you surely have that 'overdraft' paid promptly. BM, your STS is definitely worth celebrating. PB, hope this week is less stressful than last for you. Regards all.0 -
Good evening Crackers!
Thank you BM for your post - your words resonated with me and had me pulling my socks up again! This was no weekend comfort eat, I realised it had been a whole week of total disregard!!! Having got away with it over the Christmas period I obviously thought I could continue ho, ho, ho! NO! I have been caught slacking and I've paid the price with a gain and even though I was 'good' Sunday, Monday the scales showed yet a further gain boo hoo! So I'm guessing it might take me a little longer than first hoped to work off my overdraft....
However Monday new day, new start and I'm back on my tried and tested eating plan once again and fortunately back to normality as I've got to cook for the husband in the evenings, so I need to plan ahead and get organised, which all helps to keep me on the straight and narrow.
All this clearing out, it must be the time of year as I was recently reading an article 'after the excesses of Christmas it's time to de-clutter your life and live more with less.' This author and TREND forecaster (no less!) called it 'stuffocation' which I rather liked! Instead of gathering more possessions you gain happiness from experiences such as holidays, the theatre and spending time with friends. De-stuffocate wardrobes by putting all hangers the same way. If you wear something face the hanger the other way and by the end of the month you'll know what you wear. He also suggests be your own audience. Are you an intrinsic when you do something for yourself and the enjoyment of the experience or are you an extrinsic, when you spend too much time telling the world (putting it on facebook) what you're doing and you're doing it to impress others. My daughter told me after the school holidays, one of her group brought into school her new Christmas selfie stick!!!! And lastly instead of spending money and wasting time trying to buy your way up the social ladder through material goods, be content with a phone or laptop that still works rather than the latest model. It's my good intentions to sort our loft out this spring gulp!
The screen has just flickered, so I'm taking no changes I'm posting this!
Be good Crackers!
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Hello. Had to treat myself up here in the den after much time spent on decluttering and organizing so have popped in for a moment. Still have not done any treadmill today so this is brief. Very much enjoyed your account of 'stuffocation' MITM. Certainly a lot of wisdom and good ideas too (the hangers). It is as cold here as predicted. At noon I put on a nice pot of chicken soup so dinner will be easy tonight and I'll have another meal of it tomorrow. Regards.0
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Hi all, a quick visit for me, I have to pop out to pick up my medication. Laughed at the "stuffocation" too MITM. In fact I remember writing a long time ago that I use the coat hanger method with my clothes, I also recall LMV saying it was a good idea! It does work for me, but then I also have to remove the items not worn and put them out of sight for a while. If I still haven't missed them, then they are heading to the recycling. We are back to IKEA tomorrow to hopefully pick up the wooden wardrobe/ shelf system I have ordered. I need it for my wool! Cannot believe how much I have accumulated in a short time. I am using the top shelves as my new bookcase, so hopefully the room will look a lot less "busy" ( yeah, ok, cluttered!). I am just finishing off a chunky vintage cardi for my trip to the UK. Will post more later as I am feeling very proud of myself! Lol x x0
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Grrr - just lost a long post for no obvious reason...... so here goes again
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Dear Crackers! I hope you are all well - you also sound very positive despite the winter weather (excluding your weather Bailey -although monsoon doesn't sound like much fun either) Its blowing a hooley out there tonight!
My week has been seriously stressful with lots of meetings which have really left me shattered and feeling overwhelmed. We really are at breaking point in the NHS. I can't help feeling that that is the plan from this current government. I was at a meeting this afternoon with patients - and it was clear from what they were saying that they really don't think the current changes will benefit them at all - no more personal service - it will be all IT based solutions (I've just spent the last few months fighting against District Nurse services which prohibit them from talking to GPs in corridors and we are now talking about email/web based video based responses to demand. the latest is to put GPs in A&E - this will, as far as I can see (and incidentally the patient who was talking this afternoon) simply encourage people to go to A&E to see a GP rather than seeing their own GP. The whole thing is really quite mad.
So many meetings this week I've hardly even begun to do my day job. I'm going to put the house back on the market for this weekend so we'll have to see if that brings in any new interest.
Food has been a problem - largely because I'm struggling to find time to eat during the day and then pigging out at night.
Well anyway, I'm decluttered at home just need to do it at work now!
take care Crackers
PB xx0 -
Evening Crackers!
Well I have been struggling daily, so I'm back re-reading 'The Beck Diet Solution' as I've come to the conclusion with my recent 3 pound gain, I need to recommit 100%. I can see where a few bad habits have slipped back in; not always sitting to eat, not planning ahead, not recording it, grazing... just becoming altogether too complacent.
One of the recent blogs on here put it 'goal weight is not a finish line, it's the start of another lap.' That is very true. I also scribbled down recently (can't remember where I originally read it!) 'maintenance is down to long term follow up' or as Judith Beck puts it 'few people who have struggled with dieting can lose weight and sustain that weight loss without help or encouragement and knowing that you have to report your progress to someone else can motivate you to stick to your plan.'
So I'm re-engaging with the Crackers and I have drawn the line!
Be good Crackers!
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Good for you MITM! You are "in the zone". It's just so easy to slip isn't it? one day becomes two, two becomes three and on it goes. You have stopped "the rot" quickly though so I wish you well and just know this will be your time! From everything I am reading it seems as if losing is the "easy" part and maintaining is where it gets difficult. It seems far more people are able to lose it and then just cannot maintain. That also includes the people who slowly and sensibly lost it as opposed to faddy diets, so if I ever get to maintenance (NO, WHEN I get to maintenance) I am prepared for that to be hard work too.
I have had a miserable weekend, I had an upset stomach and was in bed for most of it. Typically for me I didn't even get to lose weight with it! The only thing I could keep down yesterday and Sunday was milk. I nearly fell off the scales earlier as I have put literally pounds on in a few days! I know it will be mostly glycogen/water etc but still a massive shock to see! I have just ate dry toast and feel OK, so I am determined to just get on with it today. I am also going to drop my calories as with doing no exercise 1800 calories is more or less just maintaining my weight, I STS this week, not even the expected half a pound. So whilst I was a tad disappointed I will just lower it a bit until I can walk/swim again.
Hope everyone had a good weekend and that the weather is being kind to you, wherever you are x x x x0 -
Evening Crackers!
So right BM - what a difference if your head is back 'in the zone'!! Sorry to hear that you've been unwell but as Beck says 'on any given day, the number on the scale is exactly what it should be, given what you ate, how much energy you expended in the past few days, the amount of fluid your body is retaining, and other biological influences.' So hang in there as once you're back on your feet, you will undoubtedly lose weight next week if you stick to your plan!
Be good Crackers!0
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