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Hello Crackers,
I've had a busy day today so this is the first chance I've had to let you know my good news. I weighed in this morning and have managed to lose 8lbs in my first week of sensible eating and exercising. I am absolutely astonished as it is the most I have ever lost in one week. I have been scrupulous about weighing everything so I know my tracking has been accurate, I mostly had fruit, vegetables, eggs, porridge, pulses and lean meat. No alcohol and only three small slices of half fat cheddar the whole week. I didn't go over my daily allowance any day. It feels like being disciplined has definitely paid off. I've got the bit between my teeth to continue now and if I can sustain it and manage to lose 1 - 2lbs next week I'll be delighted.
I thought you liked cookery books BM so I'm really surprised to hear that you don't have one on vegetarian cooking. Like your husband, mine is quite happy without meat too so we regularly have meat free meals. It's the nuts and cheese that cause the problems weight wise isn't it?! I can definitely recommend Hugh's book if you fancy some new ideas. And you answered my question really well, I understood perfectly.
I know what you mean about it being easier to organise things when you only have yourself to think about, and no one to put temptation in your way so don't feel guilty.
I hope you manage to find those dumbbells PB but do the exercises sitting down, otherwise I am going to worry about you toppling over if you try and balance on your good leg.
Normally on weigh day I feel like I deserve a "reward" and I relax my eating. Another first, I stuck to my regime today. I made a yellow split pea soup with Thai flavourings of chilli, ginger and lime. It is a really substantial and filling soup and well worth the calories.
Right, time for bed. I'm off to the big smoke tomorrow - Cardiff. We need a new kettle so any excuse to visit John Lewis! I shall take the opportunity to look at fitbits too.
Good night Crackers, be good
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Absolutely fantastic LMV! thoroughly deserved too. 8lb is just amazing. A week without cheese and wine is, I am certain, torture for us both lol x I too am hoping for a lb loss this week. I don't usually lose anything on the 2nd week if I lost a few pounds on the first week, so fingers crossed for all us crackers on our second week.
MITM if you are back home I hope you are Ok and back/still on track with us. I would bet good money you are at the very least on an even keel, you have been in "the zone" for a good while! x
Bracken, hope you and Nellie are OK in that weather, good for you for using your treadmill (I would love one!).
PB, I couldn't help but smile at the thought of you lifting weights whilst on your crutches! Hope you manage to do some (whilst sitting!
) I can always remember someone saying "abs are made in the kitchen", also that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise, so don't be too hard on yourself if you are not up to it. We have a whole 11 months and a week to become a Christmas cracker!
Off to walk Harry now, on my earlier walk we watched a large boat leaving the marina with lots of people partying on it. They all seemed to be laughing and having fun and for a moment I felt like Annie no mates and was quite sad and sorry for myself lol x OH is out at sea testing out a new vessel they have bought so communication is sporadic to say the least, I haven't spoken to him since Monday and no emails since Tuesday. Keeping up with Crackers, especially now we are all checking in regularly is like my life line. If there was any good to come out of me being overweight it was the Crackers!
I'll say Nos da to you, take care.
BM xx
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Hell Crackers,
Thank you BM. I have stuck to the plan again today. My husband woke up with a sore throat and cold so we didn't go to Cardiff as planned. He's like a bear with a sore head so I haven't had the best of days, but I haven't let it throw me off track. He's monopolised the DVD player all day so I haven't had a chance to salsasize - I didn't dare ask him to take a break from watching films, it's best to leave him be when he is poorly!
PB - when I started with Tesco diets however many years ago it was, I lost the best part of two stone without doing any real exercise at all. It's perfectly possible to lose weight without exercising it is the boredom eating and emotional eating you need to look out for. I find jig-saw puzzles quite absorbing when I am laid up and I was recently given a colouring book. I find colouring very addictive and hard to put down once I start and three hours can pass just like that. I suspect finding something to keep you occupied will be key to not gaining weight during this difficult time. Chin up! xx
Bracken - you have been quiet so I hope you are OK and not unwell. I know you were feeling under the weather a couple of days ago.
MITM - I know you are back and have logged on so I hope you are OK too. Looking forward to hearing from you when you are ready.
Love to everyone xx0 -
Hello Crackers. I did not realize I had not posted here for a couple of days until I checked recent posts. However, I have been posting on the exercise thread. We've had a couple of days with significant snowfall and I've had to shovel out the driveway the past two days. Hope my body realized that was exercise too! Today was a little milder so I was able to take Nellie for a walk. I also drove to a mall to walk as I did not want to do the treadmill today. I went to a large pet store and bought Nellie a new squeaky toy and a deer antler to chew on. She is such an aggressive chewer that it is hard to find toys that she does not demolish is a few minutes- there is no use buying anything soft and stuffed with a squeaker in it so it can be quite hard finding something. I had not bought her anything for awhile so thought she deserved something as she is indoors more than usual. Today when I looked out my window I was surprised to see a large hawk, clearly scouting out little birds that use my feeders. I was distressed to notice that there were only a couple of birds at the feeder today. Probably they have been scared off for now though some may have fallen victim to the hawk. Hawks eat a lot of mice but with deep snow the mice are harder to find so that is when they come more to feeders. I know they have to eat too but I hate to lose any lovely little songbirds. I'm keeping busy indoors with a bit of simple knitting and also with my writing class. Some members from the last course have formed a little group to continue on our own. We will soon have another meeting but in preparation people have been e-mailing their pieces so we can read and respond before the meeting.
LMV, your 8 pound weight loss is amazing and very well deserved with your strict adherence to your plan not to mention your Gower trekking and 4 mile walks into the city. I do think you and BM, are right about the diet/exercise relationship. I too have heard that 80/20 number. Also Yoni Freedhoff a Canadian bariatric doctor who wrote a well regarded book, The Diet Fix,
is very much of that notion too. He stresses that one should exercise for health benefits but not think that exercise is the main factor in weight loss. I recall one of his comments being, "You can't outrun your fork." This seems particularly true when one eats too much. However, I do find that exercise when dieting really helps to moderate the appetite and a sense of well-being. As you say, LMV, it's the emotional eating and the boredom that can wreck havoc. You are also very on trend with your suggestion of the colouring books. They were a hot item over Christmas and I've read where bars here have colouring nights too. BM, I'll second that comment about the Crackers being the good that has come from our common struggles with our weight. I feel very fortunate to have a window into all your interesting lives and thoughtful ideas. One of which was your recent account, LMV, of your Welsh translation- it's not really funny but I did smile reading about those poor men being fattened up on honey and then sent off to battle. It reminded me of earlier days at school translating Latin. We did so much Caesar and it seemed they were forever pitching camp (and maybe having a good time) while some poor sod was sent ahead to scout and then there were sudden sorties and pitched battles but I could never really get a clear picture of what had happened even after I had translated it. I much preferred when we did the poetry of Horace and others. A couple of lines have (sort of!) stuck with me about a poet saying to his friend who has just died : "how often I remember that you and I have chased the sun with talking and sent him down the sky."
Well off now to finish preparing my dinner. The veg tonight are yellow beans, zucchini and red chard.0 -
BM - was the picture I put up of the Shaun blanket the one you were thinking of? xx0
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Well done LMV! That's a fantastic start - now comes the hard part of not resting on your laurels (as I have done many times when in this situation). I had to laugh when I realised you all had me lifting dumbbells whilst standing on one leg - I will exercise sitting down - but I still have to keep the weight off my broken bone so have to kind of be on one side a lot of the time and not try to use my feet to anchor me. The point of doing some exercise at this point is to try to prevent DVT (I'm having clexane injections but you can still get a DVT so movement of any kind is good and there is only so far I can hop). The heels of my hands are very sore at the moment. My eating is dictated by my mum's cooking - which is good but not exactly low fat/sugar. There has to be pudding and she is upset if I don't eat it - also it arrives en plat so I can't control portions very well. we are getting on OK though and I'm managing reasonably well now to get in and out of the shower. I had a very bad night last night but that was the first one really. I've arranged to see the GP a week Monday in hopes that I can persuade him to let me go back to work on a phased return. I really think it would be better for me to be able to do some actual work, sitting at a desk. Even if only for 3-4 hours a day so I hope he will agree.
We are off to Felixstowe today as I'm getting my hair cut and blow dried and doing a bit of shopping. We will have lunch out. Its the first time I've been out all week but I must admit I'm not entirely looking forward to it as it is very cold out. Still, I need to get some fresh air then I think I will sleep better tonight. I'm not on any painkillers now so I'm definitely on the mend.
I have lots of veggie cookbooks although I haven't often used them but handy when veggie friends come round for dinner.
Bracken I know its upsetting that the Hawk has spotted a diner in your garden - but as you say he/she has to eat too and there may be young who need feeding! he/she shouldn't eat all your little birds and they should return. We've had a pheasant wandering in and out of the front garden (Mum has called him Fred). Yesterday, as a result of bad weather we had seagulls in the garden and on the roof too. It blew a hooley last night but no snow here.
The Crackers are definitely a lifeline. I feel as if I know you all and that you are always there for me. I'm so glad we are all back together and I'm definitely going to come up with a challenge as soon as I can walk again (sport relief is in March but may be too early as I don't know how long its going to take to get me walking properly again).
Well that's all for now. Haven't looked at the exercise thread yet not quite ready for that but will do so soon.
Take care Crackers!
PB xxx0 -
Hello all. PB, great to see how well you are coping with a difficult situation. You are probably right about the hawk needing food as today while driving to the stable I saw a hawk on the side of the road eating roadkill which seems unusual to me as I think they are more hunters than scavengers. I hope you can work out something for a phased return to work- that makes so much sense and would perhaps make your convalescence pass more quickly. I sympathise with you about your mother serving a pudding with meals and being upset if you don't eat it. I always remember the same of my mother and grandmother and one hates to disappoint them as often it seems the only thing they can do for you. But with trying to hold onto the best of that recent weight loss, perhaps you could pull the medical card and say your Doc is concerned that you don't have too much sugar because of the DVT risk and at least have just a modest serving. I know I would be reluctant to completely refuse the puddings both for your mother's sake and for your own satisfaction. Hope you enjoy getting your hair done. I have always thought if I won a lot of money, having my hair done daily or almost so would be the ultimate indulgence.
We've had a milder day today so I was able to walk Nellie but tomorrow -8C is forecast so a return to colder temps. However, any day in January in which I can do a good walk with Nellie is a bonus. So far this winter is much easier than the past two and I am feeling better for it. I went to the stable to groom my horse but have not ridden lately with the mostly cold weather. I have basically decided that I won't ride again until March 1 (hopefully) as my horse is now out of condition. But that is only a little more than six weeks so I'm not feeling too badly. I used to be able to ride in the most wretched temperatures and it did not bother me but now I seem to feel the cold so much more. Age- yuck!0 -
Hello Crackers. The cold has returned as predicted so I did not get out with Nellie but managed to do my challenge steps when I had to go into town. I'm pleased because I went to a store and walked purposefully, not just sauntered and at my stops I parked away from the entrances. The main reason I had to go out was to attend an information session because I have volunteered to be a canvasser for our annual Heart And Stroke Foundation fundraiser. That will be good because it involves walking house to house; it is done during February so I hope there is a window of reasonable weather while I am out and about. I have not done this before but had a phone call asking for volunteers and I said I would. The Heart And Stroke charity is well regarded here and does a lot of public awareness campaigns as well as funding millions of dollars into research. The information session was actually interesting; we were given a large folder with our supplies and good explanations of what to do. I was afraid the director would spend the time just reading over what I could clearly read myself. I hate such presentations; it seems that all my former high school Principals did this whenever we had staff meetings. However, that was not the case; other information was presented including about a very significant new treatment for stroke that was funded partly by the foundation. As well, we were told about the focus this year of raising awareness of the signs of stroke. Apparently, a very high percentage of Canadians do not know the signs of stroke and avoid taking quick action. I assumed people would know this. So besides collecting funds, we will be giving out pamphlets and a handy reminder item for people. The only thing I did not like was being asked if we wanted to set up an on-line site for our donations as well. It seems such sites significantly increase the amount volunteers raise. We could, of course, decline which I did as it looks like the kind of computer involvement that I do not want. Besides I am not on Facebook which seemed to figure into that plan.
On another topic, LMV, you recently mentioned in a post a recipe you made which had maple syrup in it. I was rather surprised as I think of maple syrup as something North American- Quebec makes the greatest amount, but a lot is made in Ontario and Vermont and New York State too. How did you get on to it? Perhaps it is my ignorance not realizing it is prevalent where you are. I like it very much and buy from a small producer who lives just a few miles away. My brother also gives me some every year as he makes it for a hobby. I find a little goes along way and it is something I can use without overindulging.
Must go as Nellie is out and waiting to come in.0 -
Evening Crackers,
That sounds like very worthwhile work you are doing Bracken. It's a cause close to my heart as an acquaintance of mine (I used to work with her husband so knew him better) suffered a very severe stroke at a young age. It happened on her doorstep in London and she was lucky that a passer by recognised what was happening to her and that her local hospital (St Thomas's) happened to be a specialist stroke centre. She survived but is disabled now and uses a wheelchair. If the passer-by hadn't known what to do, I'm not sure she would be with us today. So well done you, you may be saving someone's life. Re maple syrup, the best stuff of course comes from Canada and that is what I buy. It is readily available here in most supermarkets. The recipe I was using suggested honey, but I don't care for honey so don't have it in the house so I tend to substitute it with maple syrup when it is required. I'm sure the local syrup you buy will be far superior to what you export to us! A little definitely goes a long way!
How is your hair looking PB and did you enjoy your day out? I hope you managed OK. The pudding situation is a difficult one. When I visit my Mother, she tends to want to fuss and make us eat a pudding. I had a long chat with her years ago and explained that I just don't eat puddings any more apart from the odd Sunday and when we have visitors because of the health/weight issue. It is now a standing joke when we have dinner that she tells us upfront that there is no pudding in case we are disappointed, but she always adds that there is ice-cream in the freezer or a piece of Teisen Lap that she has made etc. Perhaps if you have a chat and say you are worried about weight gain while you are immobile and the fact that you have worked so hard to lose weight she will understand and accept that you only want the occasional pudding. It's worth a try.
Tomorrow I am going to a vintage pop-up tea room in a local village hall. They have become very popular in our area. This one has various "antiques" for sale and craft workshops going on as well as delicious cakes. I have already decided that I will try and walk there (weather permitting) and that I will NOT have a piece of cake. It will be good to meet up with some friends there though. It's about 6 miles and a substantial amount of it is uphill. I won't do it if the weather is bad though. Snow is forecast tonight but no sign of it yet. It is very cold though.
BM - congratulations on another brilliant weight loss in your second week. Keep going and make it a hat trick!
Time for bed, be good Crackers
xx
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Bracken I too applaud you giving your time to such a worthwhile charity. As you know my Dad suffered a stroke just last year and has since developed diabetes. Friday the consultant told him his latest ECG and telemetry showed his heart is completely stopping for short periods with no clear reason why. So he is now a ticking time bomb waiting hour by hour for a hospital bed to try to get to the bottom of it. I have offered to fly home immediately but I know if I do it will worry both parents more as they seem to believe as I nurse I know "everything" (!!!) and he must be even more in danger than he is! I also agree with you completely about the general publics ignorance through no fault of their own how to recognise a CVA. When I was last in the UK a series of adverts were shown with how to recognise and act on someone who appears to be having a stroke, I thought that was such a good idea. Thank goodness for people like yourself who are so generously giving your time to this to educate and help people.
I also buy Maple Syrup, obviously at an extortionist price over here. I eat it most days, as you both say a little goes a long way. I have it as a snack poured over natural yoghurt (only a teaspoon full) with 4 walnut halves or almonds roughly chopped. It really is good! I too am not a massive fan of honey, so I also use it to sweeten my frozen fruit for breakfast. Again over natural yoghurt. I then use stevia to sweeten my fruit if I eat it throughout the day, but at breakfast I always use the syrup. (When we stayed in Bali the breakfast maple syrup came in a little dish made of a leaf, it was amazing! So pretty and well done).
LMV your shopping trip sounds wonderful, you will for sure be way over steps if you walk the six miles! I hope you are able to do it with the weather I have my fingers crossed for you. My children have such a lot of snow where they are but fortunately the roads are not too bad. It made me smile to see you write Teisan lap. My maternal Nanna used to make great bigs slabs of it and it was so good. Maybe my memory is playing tricks but I don't think I have tasted any as good since she passed. Thank you for the congratulations on my weight loss, I was even more pleased this week than last as I knew this was two pounds of fat! I was sure last weeks was more water weight, not that I care because four pounds had me literally dancing round the room (more steps lol). I cannot believe it but I am actually enjoying this process of weight loss. I think the cameraderie on here and actually seeing my weight drop is making me feel so much stronger and finally in control. I have not had alcohol or cheese since I started. A true miracle for me. Happy shopping tomorrow!
MITM and PB thinking of you both xxx
Happy Sunday Crackers, BM xx0 -
LMV, sorry for the late reply! Yes that was the Shaun the Sheep blanket. I love it, if it was crochet I would attempt it like a shot.
My Darling OH has just called me from Mumbai airport and has a dreadful cold. I have been longing for him to come home but now I wish he could stay there til he is over his cold. He doesn't whine or moan, he just sits there with a look of martyrdom and suffering which I think is worse and drives me nuts! Also his colds always seem to pass to me and then I get a ridiculous chest infection with all the swelling, aching joints that accompany it. Oh joy! LMV I really felt for you when you said your Husband had a cold, I knew exactly the kind of suffering you were going through too! I just didn't think I would be joining you so soon!0 -
What lovely posts Crackers - well done BM on the current weight loss - you are definitely in the zone so keep it up and don't let your OH give you his cold! Its lovely to hear about the use of maple syrup. I was first introduced to it at 17 when I went to Canada for the first time. I'd never heard of it and of course you couldn't get it in the shops here at that time. Nowadays you have to be careful as a lot of people make a fake maple syrup and unless you read the label carefully you can find yourself with something that isn't nice! Also restaurants will say maple syrup when the mean maple flavoured. Its the most gorgeous stuff (although I also like honey on my porridge etc) and it is still quite expensive here if you buy the real thing. We always bring some back when we go to Canada though!
My day out on Friday was good and I managed a good nights sleep as a result. I am now in very little pain just a bit of discomfort sometimes especially in the evenings. I am seeing the GP a week tomorrow (first appointment I could get) to discuss going back to work on a phased return as I'm getting rather frustrated at what I can do at home (which isn't much).
I'll need my parents to take me in as the wheelchair is too heavy for one of them to handle so we are making a plan for them to sit and drink coffee in the SU whilst I do 3-4 hours work. Should be OK I hope.
Today they are going to go out for a few hours on their own and have lunch as this evening I've been invited to a friends for supper - there just won't be room for all of us as Maria lives in a very small cottage. Hopefully, they will enjoy not having to look after me for a while!
I do miss being able to go to church but I would never get up the gravelly slope to the church door and then in through the porch because of the steps.
Oh well I will close now as I want to see if my friend Janette is on line for a Skype - she is on holiday in Asia. We catch up most days even when she is at home by Skype as its free.
Well that's about it for now. Keep doing well Crackers - I will be with you soon!
PB xxx0 -
Good Afternoon Crackers!
Usual apologies, apologies....
Any time management skills I once had - have gone flying out the window. Although in my defence I will blame the husband as he is continuously moving the goal posts without any pre-warning. He can never turn down the chance of work (stems from his father who was a labourer and spent long stretches out of work when it snowed so his childhood was very tough), so he is currently working a 6/7 day week (fingers in far too many pies) whilst I have an increase in demand for schlipfkrapfen which had I been asked, I'd have said no as this new customer is an outside caterers based in Innsbruck and at a moments notice we have to provide - total nightmare! So since returning to Austria on Monday (knackered this all day travelling lark is ageing me!) we've worked every night and I prep in the daytime as the husband is not around at the moment for the next 2 months at weekends when we should work. I don't know why I even think that, as half the year he is not around but working elsewhere at the weekends! Fortunately yesterday he was home and we completed one order.
However when I take my tea breaks, I always sit down and read the posts even if I've no time to actually comment I can click a few likes and I'm always up to speed on what is going on. I'm so proud of the Crackers everyone is doing brilliantly!
PB - Well I cannot believe your bad luck! You poor thing. You will appreciate life so much more now once you have your freedom again and you're back up on your feet. Do take care. Is the Hunt Ball going ahead in February? Just keep thinking of that slinky dress you could be propping the bar up in, as dessert is served!
BM - An excellent start to the New Year you are on a roll. I pray that you don't catch any germs and suffer a set back after such a promising beginning.
Bracken - What has happened to your indoor bike are you using it? Talking of the colouring trend my mother mentioned, my sister-in-law had a table cloth at Christmas you could sit and colour in between courses - well she would! Personally I did enough colouring in to last a life time when my daughter was at school here in Austria, as pathetically (in my opinion) their school books were marked on how attractively they were presented, so any pictures featured on the many work sheets had to be coloured in... I didn't find it in the least bit therapeutic or calming but time consuming and annoying because it was compulsory and I often thought the pictures naff and not worthy of my time! It was like home-work for mothers as we all did it! I did get lots of stars!! The daughter meanwhile was spending her time revising and learning.
LMV - you will be amazed to learn re your ice-cream comment, I've given up eating the stuff. I went off it early last year and I now no longer have it in the house, it holds no appeal whatsoever which I never could have foreseen! I'm now just down to the odd Mr Whippy when I'm in Brighton but that doesn't count as ice-cream. Your Shaun the Sheep Starbake is just adorable! I watched all his DVDs with my daughter when she was about 9 years old and he first came on the scene. I loved the series it brings back wonderful memories of her childhood minus the colouring!!
Talking of the daughter who continues to make my hair go grey... She was offered one of the 300 places on the Cambridge University Shadowing scheme, over 1700 students applied and she turned it down! She knows where and what she wants to study and Cambridge does not offer the perfect course for her, so I (and her teachers) respect her decision that to go and experience the wonderful atmosphere and beautiful buildings might do more harm than good and as she rightly says she is stopping someone else. She has proved to herself she was worthy which I think is more important to her.
Well I am very eager to join in the walking challenge. If you recall back in June I set myself a walking experiment which proved to be very successful? LMV - from January until June I realised I wasn't getting to my target weight the nearest I ever got was 4lbs away before sticking and regaining. I wasn't prepared to lower my calories so on re-reading Beck I knew I had to increase energy output and I decided to walk more whilst my daughter was home for 8 weeks in the summer and see what happened. Around ten years ago I increased my target weight from 9.5 to 9.7 and as I'm now approaching 50 I reluctantly thought maybe the time had come again and I'd have no choice but to move it to 9.10 where I kept hitting a brick wall.
As Beck says 'you need an eating and exercise plan you can comfortably live with for the rest of your life'. So end of June I started walking more whilst 5 pounds from my target weight. We spent the summer as normal entertaining family and my husband did lots of cooking but by the end of July with 30 minutes a day extra walking (up the steep hill behind where I live) I was at my lowest weight for the year and 2 weeks later 0.4lbs from my target. I did gain1.6lbs on my trip back to the UK and then I didn't do any extra walking for 2 months, started walking again on my next trip to the UK which was for 4 long rainy weeks and I was back at my target by the end of November. Then in the run up to Christmas with continued extra walking with the daughter I actually went below target and hit my old target of 9.5. Wow remembering what it feels and looks like I've now decided I want to be 9.5 again by my 50th birthday at the beginning of April after Easter - big ask! So I'm joining in as of tomorrow.
Right Crackers I should stop - continuing being good everyone!
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Hello Team Crackers. Well, this Cracker has been sidelined today and maybe for a couple of days but I hope not any longer. I seem to have strained (I do not think sprained) my left foot- when and where I can't account for but it suddenly gave me bad pain on the outside of the foot and around the bottom of the Achilles tendon (I think ). I think I have some weaknesses in my ankles/feet as I have certainly sprained that ankle once before and fractured it once- yes, from riding falls. (I always think that is not too bad for all the years of riding- those injuries, a sprain on the other foot and two separated shoulders). At the moment I don't think it warrants a Doctor's appointment but will be mindful as when I had the broken ankle I misdiagnosed it as a sprain, kept icing it but it kept swelling again every day (it was never painful however); after sixteen days I did go to the Doc. The fracture was a tricky one that took about three months to heal. Fortunately, I kept the air cast from that fracture and have unearthed it; it definitely feels better having it on. It certainly makes me sympathize with what you are going through, PB. Everything I've done today seems to have taken twice as long. I've taken it off and put a boot on when I take Nellie out as it has also been snowing again. I've been housebound but managed to do some cooking ahead.
MITM, great to hear from you but as I expected you have been swamped with work. It makes me tired to just to read of it all. No wonder you have not posted but glad you have a few moments to read what has gone on here. Big kudos to your daughter for making that elite group of invitees and what a sign of character that she would not want to use the opportunity when she knows Cambridge does not offer the program she wants. You ask about the exercise bike and funnily enough my first thought with this sore foot was that I will start with the exercise bike. I haven't been using it since there have been some mild days when I could walk outside and then I was also using the treadmill so I could count steps as part of the challenge- the Fitbit does not count biking steps. However, I intend to post whatever I can manage in the next few days under the exercise thread. Just reading what BM and LMV have doing has me itching to be on board. I was surprised to read how all of you use maple syrup. PB makes a good point about watching for imitation syrups that you have to read the label carefully to recognize. I saw one product here which contained only 15% real syrup. Regrettably there have also been some more malicious cases of outright fraud- syrup adulterated with water or diluted with other sugars. I wish the postage was not so expensive; I would love to send you all some of my local syrup. Hopefully if you buy from a reputable store you will get the real thing. However, like a lot of products, getting syrup from a smaller, local producer often is better. Recently I watched a disturbing show on television about the problem with virgin olive oil. It was claimed that about 80% of the virgin olive oil in the U.S.
is in fact not that. They talked about the many ways it is adulterated. Quite discouraging.
(I shall post this and return momentarily)0 -
Hello. (this is a continuation of the previous post)
MITM, I had to smile at your account of colouring with your daughter and agree that sometimes teachers misplace emphasis on such details. By the time I got students in high school, I sometimes had to struggle with them to get to the meat of their project and stop spending so much time drawing and colouring a cover page. There is certainly a lot of money being made from adult colouring books. I read an article about nursing homes using them with dementia patients who found them engaging. Some I saw at the local bookstore were extremely intricate. I was very surprised to hear that you have completely given up ice-cream. It has always been the food that I can most overeat. I have found that I'm not as fond of the heavy fat ice creams as I used to be but there are still ice creams really like and I also got onto frozen yoghurt, taken it by its low fat status but now aware that it often is really high in sugar. I would be happy if I knew I would always eat it very moderately. Something to work on and remember your example.
BM, I hope you can avoid that cold your husband is bringing back. Glad to know you had a good second week with your eating plan. Well done. I shall think of you when I too have my teaspoon of maple syrup on yoghurt with walnuts.
LMV, hope you were able to do that walk. It should set you up for another stellar weight loss.
The pop-up tea room sounds like a nice idea for a winter's day. Sometimes we have pop-up 'antiques' and collectibles vendors in the walkways of the malls. It can be a pleasant time brousing as you never know what you might see. I once bought a small round table cloth with lovely embroidered butterflies in gold and black and dark blue at one such event. I think it must be quite old as the butterflies, six of them, are the size of my hand and solidly embroidered- not the sort of work you see done much today. I have it on a small table in my bedroom. As I recall, it was quite inexpensive.
Off now to prepare dinner. Regards.0 -
Oh dear Bracken - do take care of that ankle - I was convinced that I hadn't broken my ankle as I could walk on it. I so miss being able to go for a walk and am starting to think about walks I can do once I'm able to use my left leg again. The weather has been cold but we had a beautiful bright day yesterday which was lovely. I went to a friends for supper which was very enjoyable but she rather piled my plate up and my appetite isn't huge whilst I'm doing so little. Lovely rice pudding though!
Saw a fab recipe for scones on FB today - flour, cream and lemonade - mix, shape and cook - beautiful! Probably not one I should try at the moment though.
16 more days of injections.....
MITM your thoughts on how to reach that final few pounds gave me some food for thought (although I'm a long way from that point). Given your very active life style I'm amazed you had difficulty with that last bit of weight but I guess its the most resistant to removal.
Anyway that's all for now. take care Crackers - I'll be with you again soon!
PB xxx
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Hello Crackers,
Well I've just come in from a six mile walk in the dank, dismal, drizzly weather we are experiencing today. There was no point in going anywhere scenic today as you have been able to see it! So, I went down to the marsh and along the road to the post office to post a birthday card and then on to the next village where I stopped for a cup of tea and then came back again. It's about six miles in total so my steps are clocking up for today after my poor performance yesterday. The ponies and sheep were out in force on the marsh and there was a beautiful red kite gliding around the estuary looking for its dinner I think. It's nice to be back in the warm and snuggled up in front of the fire though as I catch up on the posts.
The vintage pop up tea in a local village hall was really lovely. Loads of beautiful cakes and sandwiches. A lady who runs some local sewing workshops had a stand displaying what she does, samples of her work and lots of fabrics to look at/buy. There was a vintage jewellery stall and another one with lots of knick-knacks. I got a really pretty small thermos flask for taking on walks with me. They had a section for children where they do art workshops to keep hem entertained while the Mum's chat. It was absolutely packed so the place was buzzing. True to my word, I just had a cup of tea while all around me tucked into afternoon tea. How virtuous did I feel?!
Choir practice last night where we learnt "My Guy" which is fun and then started on the Nidorus Jazz Mass by Bob Chilcott which is a bit more challenging.
MITM, I must confess I practically fell off my chair when I heard you have gone off ice-cream. So what is your guilty pleasure now? I was never much of a colourer as a child, but the colouring books I have are by Johanna Basford - Enchanted Forest and Secret Garden. The pictures are extremely intricate and detailed and it takes hours and hours of work to complete the bigger pictures. In fact I haven't tackled any of the big ones yet, I've only done the easier ones but I'm building up to it. Given how time poor you are, it's probably not for you at the moment. When I've finished the one I'm doing at the moment I'll post a picture for you to see. Congratulations on getting to your target - you are the poster girl for the Crackers showing us all it can be done if we are prepared to work at it. I'm sure the key is moving more and sticking to healthy eating which you obviously do. I think ruin lies in eating the calories you have burned through exercising. There are countless times when I have been out for a walk and then had a cup of tea and a piece of cake which I had "earned" through walking. I walked for two hours this morning and my pedometer tells me I have burned 558 calories. A piece of cake may well be more than that so in actual fact the walk would have contributed nothing towards my weight loss even though I had been "good" in my head.
Congratulations to your daughter on getting onto the Cambridge programme even though she has decided not to take it up. Has she decided where she does want to go to university?
PB - glad to hear you got out again and had a nice dinner with your friend. I hope that the doctor agrees to your phased return to work idea. It sounds like a good plan to me. Have you found your weights and done a bit of exercising? Oh, and leave those scones alone!!!
BM - how are you feeling? Have you managed to avoid the cold your husband is suffering from? Mine is finally on the mend.
Bracken - how is that foot? Have you had it checked out? Your comments about maple syrup led me to check out my bottle in the pantry. I am horrified to see that my Waitrose (a reputable supermarket in the UK) bottle of "Canadian Maple Syrup" is actually from San Diego in the US. Shocking to label it Canadian, although I suppose it is technically a description of the type of syrup rather than location. I shall definitely be looking for an authentic bottle of it.
Right, well I must get on.
Be good Crackers
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MITM - just seen that you have lost weight again this week. Very well done! One question, I see that you note your weight in tenths of pounds. Which scales do you have? Mine register halves and quarters but not tenths.
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Just checked in to report that I lost 2.5 pounds this week (actually closer to 3 on scale but a hair off so I'll report 2.5)- very pleased. Bitterly cold and windy and -9, not counting wind factor. I'm in my air cast again; I think my foot seems somewhat better today but am not trying anything active today. I spent time making a big batch of carrot soup and will make a salmon loaf, most of which I'm going to give my sister. It will make it easier for her for one dinner this week; she is very busy with two daughters still at home (one 12, the other 16) and her husband works a permanent 3-11 p.m shift so most of the cooking and childcare falls to her. I enjoyed the description of your walk, LMV, and well done too on chalking up those 6 miles. I am very surprised to hear that your maple syrup comes from San Diego as I can't imagine how it would get there; I do not think there is any production in either western Canada or western U.S.
Hang in, PB. January is now more than half over so keep dreaming about those walks you would like to take and soon you will be.0 -
Brilliant Bracken - you're on a roll and I hope you are suitably proud of yourself! xx0
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Bracken, absolutely well done and very inspiring you have lost 2.5 pounds! With all the dreadful weather you are having it shows your commitment that you have still managed to lose so much. "Cracking". (which is said a lot in Wales and means brilliant/fab and I thought appropriate for a Cracker!0
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Oh my word, I just spent an age typing my longest mail ever only to lose it somewhere, only the first paragraph has shown. I am beyond gutted and will have to type again later as I feel like throwing this ipad out of the window. ( laptop on charge and couldn't reach where I am sitting) Grrrr, I am so annoyed!0
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Bad luck BM. Every so often as I go along I "select all" and "copy" my post. That way, if it disappears I can "paste" it back in. If It's very long I do sometimes paste it into a note in the Notes app on my iPad as I go along. Hope you manage to rewrite it, I want to know what you were saying now!
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Yay well done Bracken - a triumph!
Your walk sounds lovely LMV. I do try to ensure there is refreshment on my routes when I go walking - although I can rarely resist the little treat that goes with it..... Having said that I just had a capucino at Waitrose when I went there yesterday.
On the maple syrup issue - if it says Canadian style maple syrup its is very probably fake maple syrup I'm afraid. You have to watch these manufacturers as they often describe something as 'style' to disguise the fact that it is a fake and still charge ridiculous amounts of money.
I heard a report on the news today about a town called Crickhowell where they are rebelling against big firms who cheat on their tax (e.g. Starbucks). They have set up their own offshore company and are 'paying' it to avoid corporation tax - I think this is brilliant and hope lots of small firms will sign up. If it gets big enough the UK govt will have to crack down on the weasels and make the law less easy to get round. Support your local shops and get these big companies to toe the line!
Political rant over.
talk soon Crackers! and keep up all the good work all of you. I'm very envious. Just two weeks to go now though!
PB xxx0 -
Afternoon Crackers!
I've potatoes cooling so just time for a quick post before I do my upper arms muscle toning exercises; crushing 18lbs worth of potatoes!
I read whilst still in the UK an interesting article by Mimi Spencer (she of the 5:2 dieting craze along with Michael Mosley) about dressing in your 40s and beyond (she was in the fashion business) apparently although now everyone just wears what they want regardless 'there are still rules'. 'As she quoted Quentin Crisp 'fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are.' Once you've got a handle on that a sense of style emerges according to her.
So number 1 on her list of rules pick a palette. A key neutral to suit your complexion and colouring and act as a base layer. So my key tone is obviously navy LMV!! And then with that as your anchor you ensure the rest of your wardrobe is on friendly terms. So all my many shades of grey and splashes of bright pink makes a happy wardrobe!
Find your signature and remain faithful to the style so I can stick to my cigarette trousers! Ignore trend 'burps' as a rule they're quirky and cute and suit only people who need ID to be served in a pub (i.e. the daughter!) Buy new jeans every year - right now a pair of high-waisted slender jeans in an inky, indigo blue. Listen, try, buy.
Invest in your hair, great colour and a fab cut will always steal away the years. Another great quote from Nora Ephron 'the amount of maintenance involving hair is genuinely overwhelming. Sometimes I think that not having to worry about your hair anymore is the secret upside to death.'
Understand true value of quality this is a matter of basic maths. The cost of one expensive investment item divided by the number of times you actually wear it gives you the true value. Spend more on fewer things.'
I found this all very assuring I did go jean hunting as my own trusty pair are just way too loose with the 1/2 stone I've lost but as I wasn't at target (straight after Christmas) whilst I could get in them I didn't like seeing how tight they looked. Of course I now know I should have bought them as I've re-lost the pounds gained over Christmas so I will order them as an incentive to hit 9.5 again because at 9.5 I realised I don't have issues with my legs!!! Who would have thought 2 pounds could make such a difference! And I've ordered a bright pink handbag for Spring!
Actually I'm amazed I lost any weight this week as I made a batch of brownies to celebrate the husband's birthday; 400g of dark chocolate (that's my only vice these days LMV!) full of good intentions of freezing half -never happened we scoffed the lot over the weekend! For my best friend's birthday I've made Nigella's 'Salted Chocolate Tart' it's in the fridge chilling as I type. So there is no way I'm going to get away with a 2nd loss! However as I'm in the zone as you so rightly put it BM and currently 0.6lbs off my target weight (my scales are Salter LMV) I'll happily settle for a STS. I will make sure my friend takes home at least half with her! This is the same friend who has now lost 14 kilos since Easter eating raw vegetables and fruit! But we're on the same wave length when it comes to birthdays and celebrations we do it in true style - with lots of calories!
Right I must press on with my potatoes. Bracken well done on your loss brilliant! PB - hang in there!
Be good Crackers!0 -
Hello Crackers. I feel better already after reading these posts- a real tonic after a most frustrating day. I decided in the name of being sensible and following good advice, including Cracker advice to phone my Doc and see if I could get an appointment today or tomorrow. I hardly ever ask for one on short notice and don't think I need much time. So, a morning phone call immediately defaulted to voice mail. Then the waiting game as I don't want to be rude by being persistent. Afternoon comes, one, two, three o'clock and no return call. Then I phone our Telehealth, thinking that I could get an answer to my two main concerns. My foot seems to be improved since Sunday but I have been wondering if in fact I should be wearing the aircast, or perhaps only for so many hours at a time and if doing some light cycling would be ok given that the pain is reduced. The path to Telehealth is long and tortuous, all opening instructions of course in both official languages, then a message about recording the conversation, followed by instructions that I could or could not choose to give my health insurance number to be used for possible followup, then someone who took my story in detail, only to pass me on to someone else, the story retold, many questions asked clearly being read from a prompt sheet, no comment on the my questions about the air cast and the cycling, ending with a recommendation to make an appointment with my Doc. So I phone my Doc's office and this time get the office manager who tells me I have just reminded her that I called earlier- forgot. I tells her my story and that Telehealth advised seeing my Doc. She tells me Telehealth workers are afraid to make any definite statements because of fear of litigation. So why are we paying millions of tax dollars to fund this service? She also kept saying I should go to Emerg or Urgent Care ( where we are constantly being told in adverts that we should not be going unless it is an emergency). In the end she advised me to listen to my body and that was it. I do not blame my Doc in this. She is an unbelievably hard working physician who keeps long office hours including two evenings a week and visits her elderly patients in nursing homes. The practice consists of just her and the office manager and I certainly do not want to alienate anyone but I have been a patient for over 30 years and I only wanted a few minutes; I would even be satisfied with having my questions answered on the phone. Going to Emerg or Urgent care would involve quite a lot of walking, most of it outside, and I would have to drive myself there. Well, PB, I think I've outranted you - probably not something to brag about! So rant over!
On more pleasant notes, thanks all for supporting my weight loss. MITM, I really enjoyed what you've said about clothes and fashion. Loved the quote about fashion. I wear a lot of neutrals,
but would not say I have stuck to one as a base. Black might be the most consistent, but I went through a big brown phase a couple of years ago. One colour I had never worn until two years ago is grey and now I really love grey. I also gravitate to the mossy greens. Years and years ago, when having your colours done was first around, a woman at my school organized a session with someone who did your colours and I went. She chose colours on seasons and I am an autumn. I definitely think she was right and those are the shades I like although I steer away from the brighter autumn colours like burnt orange and find it hard to find a shade in the purple range that suits me. BM, sorry you lost your post and looking forward to that long one also.
Must off for now.0 -
Evening Crackers,
I am now in Hertfordshire with my parents. Tomorrow morning I am going with a friend to the Waitrose cookery school in London for a Healthy Baking course. I'm not sure there is any such thing as healthy baking, but I'll let you know afterwards!
We drove past Crickhowell today PB and it is BM's home town (or close to it). As a retired accountant who specialised in corporation tax, I would just tell you that it is a complex issue which the majority of the press and politicians do not understand. At times I see politicians saying stuff that simply isn't true - I understand why, they believe their advisors and it makes a good headline/soundbite and very few people know enough about tax to challenge them on it. I'm absolutely with you on everyone paying their tax (reminds me I must submit my tax return in the next 10 days) but don't believe everything you hear/read.
The brownies sound lovely MITM and I made the Nigella salted chocolate tart for some friends before Christmas and sent them home with half of it. It is really intense! I'm sure you will like it. Your friend sounds like she is doing really well and hopefully her success will be helping with the depression (assuming it is that friend). Good advice on the fashion front. I'm not sure what my basic wardrobe colour would be. I would love it to be bottle green, but you can rarely get it. It happens to be in vogue at the moment, but it will probably be 20 years before it is available again. Brown is more readily available, but again goes through highs and lows. Black and grey are always available as is navy so it would have to be one of those. Black and grey are complete no-no's for me as an Autumn, but warm navy is good so perhaps I should opt for that.
I'm feeling quite pleased with myself tonight as I have declined all alcohol, completely ignored the cheeseboard whilst those around me were tucking in, and refused all other dessert options offered. This level of commitment won't last, but I'm making the most of it while it does. It's my Mother's birthday tomorrow so I will have a glass of champagne with her tomorrow evening to celebrate.
Bracken, I know ages ago you asked if any of us watched Borgen and I kept forgetting to mention it. They started showing it in the UK some years ago on a minor TV channel and it passed us by. However we stumbled across an episode and thought it was brilliant. We then bought the box sets on DVD of all three (I think) series and watched them. We really enjoyed it. The real former Danish female PM is married to Neil Kinnock's (a former leader of the Labour Party in the UK) son who is the MP for a constituency near ours. We also enjoyed The Killing series which is a Scandinavian police drama. We bought the box sets for those too and tend to watch several episodes in one go on dark winter evenings or rainy week-ends. Currently we are trying The Bridge, another Scandinavian police drama set between Denmark and Sweden. We recorded series 3 on the TV and loved it and are currently watching series 1 on DVD but I am finding it a bit slow. As you can tell, we come to all these things quite late! We really should try and keep up with the times!
Right, well I must sign off, it's an early start for me tomorrow morning.
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Just had to add former PM - Helle Thorning-Schmidt more famous for her selfie photo with Obama and Cameron at Nelson Mandela's memorial - ok my rant over!!!!0
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Absolutely quickest pop in ever, just off shopping. I have received an Email off John Lewis and my 3rd set of Portmeirion have been broken in Transit. I just do not believe it. In fact I am wondering if they even bothered to send the 2nd lot and are just hoping I will accept a refund! I have written a scathing email to them and just cancelled that and other orders I am for off them.
Sorry for the rant Crackers, it seems to be a day or two of rants for most of us! Xx0 -
Hello Crackers - well lots to respond to in there! i'm an Autumn too - had my colours done back in the 80's when I was climbing the greasy pole and how you looked was considered very important. Oh thank goodness those days have gone. On the hair front, I stopped colouring my hair because it was thinning and I felt the chemicals weren't helping. As a result, I've found that there are colours that I wouldn't have wanted to wear when I was younger that now appear to suit me. purple is a very good colour for me as I have hazel eyes and pale skin.
On the tax front I agree its a complex issue - I think my point was that the Crickhowell small businesses have got together to highlight the unfairness of the situation to honest small businesses who can't afford flash lawyers and tax advisers. You are absolutely right that our politicians are only interested in cheap journalism and headlines that fool the more stupid citizen - you only have to look at the garbage that is currently being spouted about muslim women learning English (what about hindus and Buddhists? surely they may find learning English just as difficult?).
BM I'm appalled by John Lewis - surely they can figure out that there carrier is not doing their job properly (probably Yodel - they are absolutely the worst I've come across). I don't blame you for cancelling your order - I'd avoid them altogether in the future. Simply not good enough.
Bracken - your tale of trying to attract attention from your doctor resonated with me. We have a 111 service which is similarly useless and basically passes everything on to the emergency services. Having said that your foot/leg may not be an emergency but it is a serious problem and you really should go to your local A&E for help. They will not consider you to be wasting their time. We have nurse practitioners here who can do quite a lot but even then I was sent to A&E for confirmation (to get an xray we have to go to a hospital as few GP surgeries have Xray equipment). Please, please get it seen to you as you will do damage by leaving it. You are doing the right thing.
take care Crackers
PB xxx0
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