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Good Morning Crackers! - lovely to see the posts - sorry that your daughter is finding the exams stressful MITM - I'm sure she has done far better than she thinks - but of course, she will not be able to believe that till the results come out. Hard for you too when all you want to do is give her a big hug and tell her the truth - that it will be absolutely fine.
BM in terms of weight I'm probably the worst among us - I have put on every single ounce that I took off and at the present time am struggling to manage my eating habits and with injuries which make exercise quite unappealing. I did, however, go to a yoga class yesterday and, although I fell over at one point, I did OK. I am very stiff today though. An enjoyable massage followed by a scrabble game in the evening with a group of friends (involving home made pizza - with a grated broccoli topping, slightly odd, but quite tasty) means that I have so far had a good 'weekend'. I am going to my parents later this morning. Mum has begun to fret about finances so I need to go and see if I can save them some money by shopping around for utilities etc. I'm sure they have nothing to worry about but Mum is a worrier. The sooner I can sort them out the better. The dodgy weather so far this year (we had a summer day yesterday. It involved humidity and thunderstorms) but mostly this year it has been cold and windy so far which means that we are almost at the mid point of the year with no real sense of sunshine.
well I need to go and get ready for my trip so I'll pop in again soon.
take care all
PB xxx0 -
A pop-in for me too but must say I hope your appointment goes well, BM. That is worrisome for sure. MITM, BM's math looks good to me. However, some of that weight can well be water. I especially note that if I've overeaten mainly sugary foods that seems to create more water than from eating a lot of proteins. Nellie may have gained some unexpected weight today as she scarfed about a dozen mints from a bag I left on the seat which were for Briar- I had forgotten my sunglasses and had to return to the house for them. Nellie took full advantage. A busy day today as Nellie also had a vet appointment this morning for her heartworm and tick test/medication, then I helped paint jumps at the stable to repay some of the extra care my horse gets (not that it was expected but was gratefully appreciated) and then I tutored my niece in her study of Romeo and Juliet. Warm weather meant the plants needed watering. we may get rain tomorrow night which will be nice.0
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Hi ladies, just a quick Hello, I have not been the best for a few days, but am up and about again. I wanted to say thank you for your kind words and support. My consultant and I have now decided that as this new lot of tablets is bordering on being over maximum dose for me, that come October I am going to come off everything (and have iud removed) with the plan being to induce earlier menopause. So I have lots to look forward to! Lol x Hopefully that will help keep my bloods stable without the Hormone levels to rock the boat. Time will tell. He wanted to do it all on Saturday after the scans and procedures he completed, but I want to get the UK trip out of the way first. So I expect I will be closely monitored and hopefully not lose complete control of my blood situation. I may even lose weight as the Dr said, I have been on massive doses of Hormone therapy to control things which has not helped my weight loss. Yahoo, can you imagine if I am completely well and slim!!! Lol x x I think it will be first time in a very long for that to happen, but I live in hope0
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Not too sure what happened, but the end part of my post is missing. Anyhow, hope you are all well, take care,
BM x x0 -
Good morning Crackers!
Well before my very eyes just as I was about to ask how you got on, as I was beginning to get concerned your post suddenly appeared BM. Poor you it's all happening - but wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful to feel completely well again and as an added bonus 'slim' - gosh all your Christmas's would come at once! So when are you next off to the UK and for how long?
I have faced the music and sobbed! But then having read your post BM I wiped away my pathetic tears!! I had to weigh in with my challenge group yesterday with a +2.2lbs which is thankfully not the original 4.5lbs I reported on Friday! However having spent a day in the garden yesterday with sweat pouring off me, I will admit to feeling disappointed to see no change on the scales this morning.... It's beginning to sink in slowly, for me too, I'm at an age when you can't mess with your body like you can when you are young! Oh those wasted years of youth...
The daughter has her final exam tomorrow. The second, all important history paper. I have to confess to taking out my frustrations on her in the end. I momentarily lost it and gave one almighty lecture on it not being the end of the world if you don't get an A* although I do understand her disappointment but with everything else that is going on in the world.... But then I happened to read more about that book you mentioned Bracken and thought how interesting that a man who had been so let down by the education system, leaving school hardly able to read, ends up going to Oxford and getting a double first in History. Which then made me think who am I to stand in the way of my daughter's ambitions, hopes and dreams?
Going back to my grass cutting yesterday, I was behind the house in an area on a slope planted with large bushes and shrubs. To my absolute horror I suddenly realised that what was a huge bush in full flower last week standing over 5ft tall had disappeared! It had been completely devoured down to just bare branches as if it had been burnt but it was still smothered in a cotton wool web. The ermine moth! Just a few caterpillars remain. It's amazing if you've never come across it before (and I hope you don't) look it up! My new profile photo is of 'the' window I painted and my goal for this week along with to move a little more each day, is to paint 2 more frames!
So I should get a move on. Be good Crackers!
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Hello Crackers. PB, your last post must have been in transit as I wrote my previous so I was glad I looked over the last ones prior to mine. Please do not think of yourself as the worst among us as there is certainly no room for ranking here. However, I do know how easy it is to feel a lack of self-regard about weight; I've been struggling with this a lot recently as I have felt trapped in weight cycling. But I know that I never make progress through true self-loathing. Certainly chiding oneself can be helpful but I think there is a difference between the two- MITM, you chide yourself successfully often but I never get the feeling that you have obliterated your sense of self-worth. PB, going to yoga itself is a very positive thing to do. And I do think you should give yourself credit for facing so many recent changes as well as clearly having taken a great amount of responsibility for your parents. I've had a good week so far accounted for in part by focusing on exercise and organizing my food preparation better. I am enjoying the Fitbit - it is a good motivator to add more incidental exercise such as parking further from a store's entrance at the mall. BM, I am glad you are up and around but really what a trial your health has been lately. I hope you can do the UK in the way you have planned.
My garden is keeping me busy like MITM. Fortunately, no ermine moths as far as I know here but must look that up. Last year I had a lot of problems with snails- they put awful holes in the hostas, really unsightly so I must try and look for a preventative this year. I've been really enjoying the garden as many hostas I divided and planted last year are very large and showy this year. I think I am quite fortunate to live in an urban area but have really quite a lot of wildlife. The chipmunk who lives under the front steps make regular daytime appearances, a rabbit ran across my front lawn this evening, there are many squirrels for Nellie to bark at, there is quite a variety of birds, and this year I've had two toads in the garden- not something I've often seen for some reason. I've had a dragonfly around my pond and a couple of small butterflies. I am still wondering if I'll have a monarch butterfly- they have been in serious decline the last few years. my neighbour and I have discussed the scent of the skunk who must lives around one of our properties but so far the skunk and Nellie have not met- thankfully.
MITM, it was interesting to learn about James Rebanks background- I knew he was an Oxford grad but not about his earlier difficulties in school. I hope your daughter does well and also feels good about the effort she has made. I remember fretting about exams and my father , trying to be helpful I suppose, saying that in ten years it would not matter at all how I'd done on some exam. Of course, at the time and especially at that age there was no way I could take that perspective. At least your daughter is absorbed with something meaningful. I am minded by contrast of yet another news item (and perhaps the need to apologize for poor Canadian behavior) about the two travellers from Canada in Malasia who stripped naked for a selfie on top of a sacred mountain. The subsequent earthquake has been blamed on their disrespectful behaviour by locals. Maybe not very scientific but I really think the behaviour is inexcusable . Apparently this is a new thing happening at a number of travel sites. What next!
Regards.0 -
Unfortunately Bracken - there was a british girl among them too. I think the authorities wanted to make an example of them in the hope that they might just be a little more respectful in the future. I won't hold my breath though! I laughed regarding the skunk - my mother thought the smell of skunk was an over roasted coffee when we were in Canada last time. We all laughed so hard.
We've had another summer day here which is great although its been very humid. Such a nice change - it must be very upsetting though when you see the destruction of a bush - even if it is for a beautiful creature that's in danger. Springwatch - a programme here in the UK which watches wildlife for a few weeks every year has just finished - it was at Minsmere which is just down the road from here. Lots of lovely things including some baby owls. Very sweet - although one of them didn't make it.
My work for Mum and Dad has been less than successful as yet - the energy company have come back with a ridiculous over quote nearly twice what they are already paying - most peculiar as they were meant to SAVE several hundred pounds per year. Ridiculous. Its so difficult being so far away and of course I'm flat out most of the rest of the month so feel like I'm not helping much. My brother and family are away on holiday as from next weekend too.
I'm helping out at the Open Gardens event next Sunday so have to make cake for that and then help out in the village hall kitchen. I've just finished making some mini lemon drizzle cakes for the horse show tomorrow - need to make some shortbread too.
Well better go now - speak soon and be good Crackers!
PB xx0 -
Popping in for a few minutes between jobs. Nellie and I have just returned from the vet's where she had to update her shots. Last week it was medication for heartworm and ticks. It really is amazing how much routine medication is now the norm. My horse also gets a series of shots for equine influenza, tetanus, rabies, strangles and West Nile Virus- not even sure if that is the lot.
PB, I laughed too at the over-roasted coffee. I sympathize with your difficulties re the energy company. Energy and communications companies seem to cause grief everywhere. Here, our Ontario Hydro caused enormous distress when many people were overbilled by hundreds and hundreds of dollars because of glitches in the new computer
system. The worst of it was that their collection division was very aggressive with people and wouldn't believe there could be an error on their part. These situations are usually even more upsetting for the elderly who feel less comfortable negotiating the many channels necessary to actually deal with the situation. So your parents are fortunate to have you to help.
The Open Gardens event sounds delightful. I've been to some here though I don't recall a venue where cake was served! You are certainly getting involved baking for the horse show too. Hope you have time to enjoy watching some of it. Tomorrow I'll be helping at a Garage sale at my sister's house as part of the local Rhubarb Festival. This sale is actually the second part of a sale of some of the mother's effects we have had recently. We decided to give the funds to the local Humane Society. They were very appreciative of the first donation but as everything had not sold we decided to do a second one. The shelter gave us one of their signature dog banks for donations/funds raised which was very helpful. We still have a lot of lovely books to sell. My mother was a great reader and there were more books than family members could take. She had an abiding passion for the ballet and there are many lovely books on the ballet, some she originally brought from England. Sadly, no one in the family has quite the same interest ( I have been to the ballet in London and Toronto and really enjoyed it but do not follow it as my Mom did) so the books are in the sale. I'd really like to see someone who loves the ballet stumble upon them and be thrilled to find them.
Must off now and pop out.0 -
I'm afraid an Open Garden Event in the UK is entirely illegal without cake! There will be lots of it - and tea too. I shall be doing plenty of horse watching as I'm judging the show jumping. I don't always get that when I'm doing a One Day Event like next week as Im usually scoring and don't get to see much as I'm locked in a box!
The promised thunderstorms haven't really occurred yet - there has been a little rain but it is still very close here. I've just put on a wheat pillow to my 'frozen' shoulder having had a session of Physio and acupuncture today. I'm making some progress I think but it is still very painful at times however, I do want to see if I can get some swimming in soon.
Well its time for bed so I will be back again soon.
take care Crackers
PBxx0 -
Good morning Crackers!
Well I'm off to the UK early tomorrow - always a challenging time for me! Fortunately it's only for a week until my daughter can sign out of school officially and I do intend to stay fully aware of the toxic environment - but then I always say that!! Luckily my daughter will be with me as she has finished her lessons so that means we can walk together even if it's only pounding the city or striding up the steep roads around where my parents live until we can legally leave the country....
My daughter will then be in Austria for 8 weeks and whilst she is with me I am going to try out an experiment. I have the spent the last 6 months, since the New Year unsuccessfully trying to get back to my target weight. Where I have been more successful is getting to within 4 pounds although even that has been an uphill struggle but when I gain a few pounds (as I currently have!) I know I do have the skills to 'eventually' re-stabilise and get back - but only so far! I'm also aware in my 'every day' life the amount of activity I currently do maintains that middle weight. So my experiment is to see how near to my target weight I can get, when I increase my activity levels with the help of my daughter as she will drag me out walking daily in the evenings uphill, not just gently trotting around the village!
I'm back reading the sensible Beck and realising that you might not be able to stay at a certain weight because of your age, as your metabolism will slow and you'll have to decrease your caloric intake or increase your energy output. Well I'm not prepared to change my eating habits, I feel I eat a healthy diet and I won't lower the calories so I will attempt to increase my exercise levels. At the end of the 8 weeks I will then make a decision if my goal is realistic or to change it to a figure between my original target weight and my boundary line instead. I changed it 10 years ago from 9.5 to 9.7 and was able to maintain for a time and from reading Becks this seems reasonable and not giving in!
So from re-reading Becks and chapter 11 'when to stop losing and start maintaining' I'm following her lead
'You need an eating and exercise plan you can comfortably live with for the rest of your life.'
Bracken- glad to hear that you are getting back on track again and PB that you are preparing to start again. I have also been dipping into my other 'dieting bible' and it advises on 'how to unplug a weight control block' as
1. forgive yourself - until you do that you simply can't get on.
2. write down all the reasons why weight control is important to you.
3. take things day by day. Weight control is a long term process with inevitable ups and downs and not something you only have one chance at.
4. go back to keeping a thorough diary. Look out for negative self-talk and for 'head hunger'. Be honest not critical.
5. It is normal to go off track from time to time. Learn from your lapse. You know you can do it - you've been doing it for weeks if not months.
6. For inspiration, look back a the things you felt your weight once stopped you doing.
BM - I hope you are hanging in there? Right well I'm going to do my last schlip shift before I start my packing.
Be good Crackers!
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P.S. It's all coming back to me fast why I want to be at target... or at least in the middle - I have very few suitable clothes that fit for my trip to the UK from my summer wardrobe when I'm weighing nearer the wrong end of the scale. The capri jeans I wore 2 weeks ago - forget it, I can both feel and see that extra pound just too uncomfortable! So it will be back to basics on my return...0
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Hello Crackers. Thanks for full and timely advice, MITM. Your plan is very well reasoned. I will look forward to what decisions your make about your goal weight. The Beck quote is a good one and your plan fits in with it. I do agree that the clothes issue can be a big one in deciding how comfortable you are at a given weight. At the moment I am trying to take it one day at a time but still have my eye on some future, near enough too, dates that are helping to motivate me. The last week of August, a friend from England is coming here and will stay with me for a couple of days. (We will see some plays at our Stratford, including Hamlet which has received rave reviews). On September 6, my friend from Kelona, B.C. is coming to Ontario; the plan is to spend a couple of days visiting a former colleague outside of Toronto and a couple of days in Toronto. I have an appointment on Oct.8 with my cardiologist. One often reads about people's motivations for losing weight, whether external or internal. While these three situations are not the sole reason for me to act, I know I will feel much better (an understatement that!) if I am feeling more in control of my weight and have lost some. I know that realistically I'll not be close to target weight but can definitely be at a more comfortable weight. The cardio doc suggested I keep a food diary to show him. He gave me a reproducible diary sheet but I find it too simple. I like my Ultimate Diet Journal. It is quite daunting to me to be asked to show my journal because even if I am doing well, I am easily intimidated by criticism. I am trying to remember Yoni Freehoff's dictum: "perfection is the enemy of the good." I am trying hard to really reduce the amount of sugar in my diet (25g. a day or less). But I still seem to need, probably psychologically, something sweet often. I'm trying to have small amounts like a teaspoon of honey on a rye cracker. MITM, I hope your UK excursion goes well. The walks with your daughter will surely be a joy.
Our second yard sale went quite well although I'm not sure how much money will be there for the Humane Society as the money went right into the dog bank and it has yet to be turned in and counted. I don't think it is as much as the first sale at another sister's. This was part of the Rhubarb Festival as I wrote earlier. I could not believe how many yard sales were being held. Not only that, but the amount of stuff being offered (I did not actually go to any but gawked as I was driving past!) was overwhelming. One person did say to me that there was so much stuff for sale, she felt overwhelmed and did not buy anything. It certainly is a comment on our society to see how much we accumulate. We were very fortunate that the weather held for the day despite being overcast for the whole day. But the Sunday, when I finally was able to get to the stable, was a day of terrific thunderstorms and torrential days. I had to ride in the arena and the whole time rain was pounding on the roof. My dear horse was really very good considering how loud it was. However, the outdoor riding ring was left with not puddles of water but pools; it was almost covered with water and will take several days before it is ridable again. Yesterday was also very rainy though during both days the temperature as being hot as well. The hostas are absolutely loving it. Unfortunately, some other plants have not fared so well with the rain.
Must go for now. Back Later. Regards.0 -
Hello Crackers. A pop-in here as a reward for doing morning exercise. I walked Nellie and did a half hour bike ride, taking advantage of the early morning moderate temperatures and a welcome reprieve from the humidity. Today has begun much better than yesterday which was not a good day. It began with someone knocking on my door. It turned out to be the neighbour who lives directly behind me. He was quite irate (and justifiably upset) as he told me that a large tree in my yard, right near the fence line, had toppled during the night (there was some rain again) and part was lying on the roof of his large shed. I did understand his concern that the tree would damage his shed; it was also my concern as I would be responsible for the damages. He was really quite rude about the situation. I felt he would not have spoken to a male as he did to me (I think this was later proven). I told him I would contact my brother who would remove the tree. My brother has a rural acreage and is very handy, and has removed trees before. Ironically, this tree was destined to be cut by him in July because the fence it is beside is planned to be replaced by the neighbour and me as it is really worn. My brother was at work teaching and I tried phoning him several times during the day. No answer. I was so upset I took Nellie for an extra long walk and did a bike ride. During the day I kept looking out the window dreading that the tree would come completely down and crush the shed roof. Finally, my brother called back and kindly said he would have a look at it in the evening. In fact, he came with all his cutting equipment and proceeded to take down the tree. The job was not finished until almost dark. Now my yard is filled with piles of branches and great hunks of wood but at least I know my neighbour's shed will not be wrecked. (It was quite heartbreaking to see that where the tree was taken down, all the surrounding hostas were sacrificed- flattened and broken. Of course, they are hardy and will grow back but I have been so pleased and proud of my garden work there. Oh, pride before the fall!) Before, he started cutting my brother had a word with the neighbour whom he said was quite cordial and said the tree was not a big deal! And this morning when I was walking Nellie the neighbour stopped his van and told me my brother had done a good job with the tree. He went on to make some other small talk but of course, no direct word of apology for yesterday's rudeness. I suppose this passes as an apology for someone like him. I'm hoping today will be a little calmer. I'm planning on going to the stable in the late afternoon as I had to cancel doing so yesterday.0
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Hi Bracken - I know what you mean about the way some people behave. Your neighbour really should have apologised. Its understandable that he was upset first thing in the morning, but when he calmed down he should have realised that he was out of order.
I've had some bad news in that my lovely Harley has got to have an operation. He has something called a 'Sirrius'. this is a bad infection in his waterworks where he was gelded years ago and an infection has lain dormant until recently. He is on major antibiotics at the moment and then he will have to have a general anasthaetic and an op to clear out the mess. Very upsetting -horses don't do well under general anasthaetic. I'm devastated for my friend who has only just got her horse back on track after nearly 2 years - alongside of course her Pituitary tumour etc. Its just one blow after another for her.
I'm also falling out with the gardener who in two months has only managed to the mow the lawn a couple of times - all the other activities that I wanted sorting have been ignored. Its been very humid here today so glad that there is a little breeze. Its very cloudy but I don't think we'll get much rain.
Work is still going well although I'm finding the office a bit miserable as it has no natural light so I have to keep getting up and going for a walk to ease my eyes and limbs. today we had a women's bike race go along the waterfront - there seemed to be about 100 support vehicles and about 50 cyclists - lots of flashing lights and it was all over in about 3 minutes. Hilarious - but that's one of the most enjoyable things about working on the waterfront = you don't know what is going to happen.
Take care Crackers
PB x0 -
Oh Bracken, you poor thing! To lose your beautiful plants and have an idiotic bully be so mean to you. I absolutely despise rudeness, and to speak to a lady like that beggars belief. I really do empathise. I live in a country with probably the rudest people I have ever met and it does feel like every time I venture out its a battle. It is also as I am sure you know very upsetting and if you are like me you stew over it and replay it over and over in your head. I hope you have a lovely time at the stables. Being around horses is a sure way to relax and lower your stress. x x
PB, such sad news re Harley, I so hope both he and his owner get through it all safely x x I once had an office without a window and you are so right to keep removing yourself from it. I found I felt unwell quickly and was sad not to be able to keep any plants in it! A friend of mine and her nursing colleagues had to move into a basement office (cutbacks!) and one by one they are becoming ill. I reckon it's "sick building syndrome" which Doctors now agree is a viable cause for illness. So please look after yourself. Ps Our Gardener in the English house used to leave the garden for months on end and then before we were due home, work like a fool on it for days! He is much better now after a few choice words but still only does as little as he can get away with. He was also using our mowers and hedge cutters (and electric!) to work in the nearest neighbours garden!! Which we were later told involved lots of extension leads. He really does make work for himself! Unfortunately, good gardeners are not easy to find are they?
Well my weight is slowly on the increase, and at the worse time of year for me. I go home in 5 weeks and my clothes are unfortunately becoming tighter. I am eating well and healthily but not moving too much, also my new medication is taking a while to settle so it's a bit uphill again I'm afraid. I am trying to be positive but it does get annoying after how well I was recently doing. I am sure for all of us its one step forward and two back at times.
MITM, hope you are having a wonderful time with your daughter x x
Take care all, BM x x0 -
Hello Crackers - its sunday evening on the longest day with fluffy clouds and blue skies. I spent the afternoon helping out in the village hall as its been Open Gardens today. Its been lovely but I'm shattered and my legs ache.
Back to work in the morning and looking forward to it. My frozen shoulder is feeling a little better too. Seriously considering a glass of cold white wine. Life is very pleasant at the moment.
take care all
PBx0 -
Hello Crackers. PB, good to hear that you are looking forward to work again. How sad that your friend's horse, Harley, must have an operation. I hope it goes well. I had been wondering if you would be able to get back there and do some riding (not sure how far it is). You seemed to have got back into good riding form with Harley and I recall you recounting some lovely hacks. I sympathize with that shoulder problem. One often doesn't think of shoulders much when thinking of injuries but in the past, I have twice separated my left shoulder (yes, horse falls) and I well recall the pain and discomfort, especially when trying to find a position to sleep. I have gradually been doing a little more riding and had quite a nice ride of Sunday. I would plan to ride today but once again rain has made the ring impassable. Last night we had one of the most violent thunderstorms I can recall. It woke me at around 2 a.m. The lightening was so intense and seemed to be all around my house. I usually like thunderstorms
but this one actually made me somewhat anxious it was so violent. The amount of rain was tremendous- it sounded like water canons on my roof. I took a look at the garden this morning. I have two shrub roses that were in full bloom, masses of pink roses, ( since my gardens are mostly shade, I am always happy to have these roses in their little patch of full light) - sadly they are looking quite bedraggled. I have been asked to help out with announcing at a small horse show on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it as an old friend and her husband from some distance away will be bringing one of their horses. This show is a Canadian Sport Horse Show- Canadian Sport Horses are a distinct and recognized breed in Canada and the show attempts to promote the breed.
BM, interesting comments about the "sick building syndrome." I do agree with you about the effects of workplace and light. When I began teaching, my room was in the old wing of the school and nearly the whole back wall was lovely windows (with rich wood frames too) looking out into a courtyard. Then, in the name of efficiency the windows were changed and reduced in size by about two thirds. The room became hotter, sometimes miserably hot in spring, much darker, and much less pleasant to teach in. I'm very sorry to hear that your are struggling with weight increase at the moment after making such good progress; it is surely connected to your imposed exercise restrictions. As I am still struggling with the gains I made in the past few months, I would say that a good goal would be to try to not worry about losing at the moment but to maintain what you have achieved as much as possible. Last summer I was considerably less heavy than now and I keep thinking if I had only just maintained that weight last fall and winter. Of course, at the time I did not appreciate what I had accomplished to that point. I am making some progress but it is slow (and seems slower every time I try to lose) though I am feeling real progress again in my fitness level from my walking and bike riding. I am enjoying my Fitbit and finding it motivating. Off to get my hair done this afternoon. Regards.0 -
Hello Crackers. Just a quick pop-in as I have been feeling a bit frustrated at myself today because I got derailed from good progress yesterday. This happened because of a rather good day (go figure!). I went to the horse show at which I had been asked to be the announcer and had a really good time and everything went well. There were a number of people there with whom I am well acquainted as well as a couple who are old and good friends. After the show I was invited back to the house of a woman who has been instrumental in developing this show for this breed of Canadian horses along with my old friends and a number of other people who were also involved with the show as judge, photographer, competitor, show admin etc. It was a lovely, interesting group of people all passionate about horses. We were served a fine late afternoon meal. I had already been given a large sandwich at noon which I felt rather badly about because I knew it was really far more calories than I needed but ate to be polite as it were. Then the meal included potato salad, a large serving of beef on a bun, another salad, and some very rich ice cream for dessert, again a large serving, premeasured. I also ate some nuts when they were passed around to me and had a glass of wine. What was rather upsetting was that I did not feel overly full from all this food and in fact, later at home in the evening I snacked. Then when I woke up this morning, I felt hungry! I have not been waking up hungry and have been walking my dog and doing a bike ride before eating breakfast. I'll add that today it has poured rain again as it did yesterday (the only reason the show went on was that it could be held in the large indoor arena as it also poured rain nearly all of yesterday). I have eaten badly today too but feel I am coming to my senses. As soon as I sign off here I am going to cook some chicken breasts I have thawed to have for prepared meals ahead this week and do some more organizing and meal planning. I have been feeling much better and do not want to let this lapse turn into something worse. To be honest, I'm sure I have been eating emotionally with this. Yesterday, it was a question of being somewhat socially anxious as everyone else at the gathering knew each other better and had socialized as a group before. Today I think I have been bored and frustrated with yet more rain (we had a similar storm at the beginning of the week) because I could not go riding because it was too wet. So this is my little psychotherapy session. Tomorrow it is not supposed to rain. I will plan to get up, walk my dog and bike in the morning. It will be annoying to know that I have had this setback but I'll try to think that in a couple of days I can feel better again. Here is hoping other Crackers are well and looking forward to hearing from you. Regards.0
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Afternoon Crackers!
Yes I'm back! I can't believe almost a week has passed but then I'd forgotten how time consuming having a teenager daughter around full-time can be! My daily routine has been shot to pieces however I've just enough time for a quick post...
Bracken firstly, so sorry to hear about your tree and I do hope when the new fence goes up all will go smoothly and no more hostas will get squashed in the process. I have 2 in my front garden which are currently measuring 1 metre wide and high. And much to my surprise my recently devoured bush at the back of the house has new shoots all over - isn't nature amazing! The first thing I did on my return was head for the garden and cut the lawn at the front, dead head my balcony and terrace flowers , rearrange and secure my gorgeous roses onto their trellis and only then did I make a start on the dust inside the house! PB - if I lived nearer I'd pop round to your garden too!
I'm very sorry BM to hear of your recent weight gain and through no fault of your own. Most disheartening and I do hope it's not getting you down as I've noticed you are not checking in daily which is so unlike you. Once your operation is over hopefully the weight will fall off again. When do you leave for the UK? In the meantime I agree with Bracken aim to maintain.
I am also taking heed of your wise words Bracken and appreciating much more where I am at this very moment. Having lost almost a pound (from pounding the dusty, filthy city streets oh and a lovely walk in the countryside on the Isle of Wight) I am currently 5 pounds from my target weight and although I'm positive, I'd be oh do much more happier 2 pounds lighter, I'm also remembering only too well how much more unhappier I was 3 pounds heavier than at present! And this morning I was over the moon to have STS since my husband (the professional chef) has been spoiling the daughter cooking all her favourite meals since her arrival. Luckily for me, the evening hikes with the daughter up the hillside have kept me from gaining! I'm now taking over the cooking once again which could prove challenging as I've also forgotten how much teenagers eat - my fruit bowl which usually lasts the week has disappeared in 3 days.
Bracken do not be too hard on yourself. I can see and hear Becks in your last posting she would be proud. You have drawn the symbolic line and recommitted so now give yourself credit for stopping and as she would say be aware and 'watch out for feelings of failure, it's essential to remind yourself that mistakes are inevitable; it's normal to stray from your diet from time to time. No one's perfect.' And you have most definitely learned from your mistake and reviewed it with us!
Right well I need to feed the teenager and then go shopping to restock! Be good Crackers!0 -
Hello Crackers. Great to have you back, MITM. I've enjoyed your post - so nice you made time for us when clearly you are busy again. That garden itself is surely a lot of work. How lovely the bush seems to be reviving. My garden
is very much a work in progress at the moment. The fence where the tree came down has not yet been replaced as the neighbour has recently bought a cottage and wants to get work done on that first. The big logs from the tree have yet to be removed by my brother who is very busy but at least there are only a couple of hostas still compromised by the tree incident- clearing away the limbs and branches, many of which covered other hostas has allowed them to revive quite nicely. Elsewhere in my garden there are a few sad spots but I could do nothing about them because they were affected by the tremendous amount of rain. I do not have a lot of sun loving plants but in the few spots that get sufficient sun, I had three lovely roses, all which bloomed beautifully this year; however, their blooming time has been shortened by the rain. Numbers of potted plants have been jockeyed in and out of the garage (and spent more time in than out it seems) including some pots of marigolds and the small begonias- both of these I find usually hardy but even they have trouble with the fierce rains we've had. A clump of evening primrose has stood up quite well. Some day lilies are just coming into bloom and are looking good. In my vegetable box, the tomatoes are thriving with all the rain but a zucchini squash has yellowing leave, a sign of too much water I think. Tonight I steamed some red chard I've grown. Last week I managed to pick some strawberries to freeze but not as many as usual and I think the rains have shortened the season; however, the raspberry bushes looked absolutely loaded so I am hoping to get some good picking there.
Today has been sunny and very pleasant. Nellie and I went to my brother's in the country where she had a great time with his dog and jumped into the pond. I did get my walking and bike ride done this morning and got quite a lot of further steps on my Fitbit by parking in the furthest parts of the parking lots where I had to do some shopping this afternoon. I'll try to do a short walk later this evening. I've been able to get back on track food-wise today so feeling better. MITM, glad to hear that you are feeling good about how you are coping with diet/exercise. I think you have put forth a very wise perspective.
BM and PB, I am thinking of you and wishing you are well. Both of you have had a lot of stresses lately so take good care of yourselves.
Regards.
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