The first one I remember was Bucks Fizz and we won so that's obviously a good? One ... My favourite though was the techno, drum thumping one from last year but I can't remember what it was or who it was by so obviously not THAT great! ... I also loved the Russian Grannies :oD LOL!

Ooh I use to be very, very overly keen on Angel Delight!!! My mother (who can't cook) use to buy lots of packets of the stuff when I was a child and I have to confess when she left the house I was known to sneak into the kitchen, whip one up and eat the lot in one sitting!!! I'd probably throw up if I had to eat one now!!

Well your question NEW8 had me thinking long and hard, there was nothing on the horizon I was really looking forward to! But today I've had a lovely surprise, my best friend from college who lives in Mazatlan in Mexico and works for Princess Cruises as a Hotel General Manager sailing around Australia and the Caribbean, is coming over to Southampton for the maiden voyage of their latest ship Royal Princess which is being named by Duchess of Cambrige and is getting off at the end of the 2nd voyage in Venice so is coming to visit me for a few days. I haven't seen him for 4 long years but I know I was at target when I last saw him!!! So now I've got a month to shift the last pounds. YIKES!!!

For me, I stop gaining before I put on more than 7 pounds. At that point an inner alarm clock bell starts ringing very loudly and I become a little panicky as I never, ever want to regain all the pounds I've lost.

Reading 'Thin for Life' a book BRACKEN recommended helps me as I read highlighted sections 'I remember how I felt overweight and compare it to how I feel now and to how I feel at target. I give myself a good talking to but I always look at the bigger picture;- I've made longterm life style changes, I now make an effort to be more active in my daily routine, there are fewer tempting foods in the house (and only at weekends), I eat regular nutritious meals so if I slip up, so long as I return to my regular positive lifestyle changes I won't gain any further and it will sort itself out. Another key to preventing relapse is to stop viewing slips as personal signs of weakness. Instead recognise that lapses are unique responses to individual situations.' I think that is important.

I'm motivated by my daughter, it amazes me that she was once obese (I still have the dreadful letter from the school doctor!) with rolls of blubber that were lumpy fat with stretchmarks and yet 3 1/2 years on, there's not an ounze of fat on her, her stomach is flat and blemish free, she is lean, mean and oh so fit! I refused to put her on a calorie controlled diet, instead we cut down our portion sizes, she was eating like an adult man, stopped her endless grazing, ate more fruit and increased our exercise lots. My husband took her cross country skiing and although she was so unfit, she was good at it and became hooked. She now loves exercise and does something every day and always burns off whatever 'treats' she allows herself or has nothing! She is an inspiration to me as all around her, teenagers are eating junk food and she is not tempted as she remembers all too well being overweight, feeling a freak and being the class fatty.

This circle inspires me, when I read BRACKEN has done a session with Jillian (at her age!) or LMV has done a Rosemary it motivates me to exercise even when I didn't feel like it. Likewise when everyone is losing weight and supporting one another, it encourages me to put in the effort to follow my plan too. Well now what is that saying 'just look at the size of my waffle?!

Crackers with it being only 117 days until Christmas ho! ho! ho! I think we should all set a personal goal/target/aim that we wish to achieve by Christmas day.

I shall be thinking of my own answer whilst I fly.

A very quick pop-in as I really should be on-line tutoring my niece. MITM, I say let's blame New82 for your weight gain, as well as mine, also PB or BM as I recall have had some recent issues. I think this all comes under the scientific theory that matter can neither be created or destroyed; so recently, New82 appears to have 'lost' a lot of weight. But where has that weight gone?- it can't just disappear into nothing (remember the scientific principle above); therefore, we can conclude it has gone to us and New82 is to blame! On a more serious note, the way the posts are displayed on my computer, I have by chance just read your post of June 18, 2013, MITM. It is very good and worth re-reading. MITM, I am sure you will feel you have the means to quickly get a grip on your weight after you've read it. Must go now. Regards.

Crackers!

How can it be 311 days until Christmas?!!!! It's actually 99!

Hello Crackers. Good grief only 99 days! I am getting myself together again but the last five days I've also been struggling with a nasty cold. I'm quite prone to respiratory infections but this is very early in the season even for me to catch something. It certainly sapped my energy too but now it is starting to resolve, I think. I have been giving considerable thought to the challenge and think I have decided what to make it. I have been reading The Diet Fix by Canadian Dr. Yoni Freedhoff . (MITM, you quoted one of his central ideas some time ago so you seem to be familiar with it in some fashion- one of his central points is that you have to have a diet that will allow you to be both healthy and happy while doing it or you will not be able to stick to it for the long term; this seems rather simple and maybe obvious but is important when there are so many diets that restrict or even eliminate whole food groups. He doesn't have anything against most of the current and varying diets but puts a lot of emphasis on knowing yourself and what you can be happy with.) I got it from the library but may purchase a copy. There is much in it that, of course, we all know already but he puts ideas in a very compelling manner and writes in a way that you almost think he is talking to you. His book makes a nice companion to Beck's book. One tool he really emphasises is the use of a food diary and he claims to use one himself. This is where my challenge will come from (yes, I have not forgotten I am determining my challenge!) as, although I have a food journal, I have often not used it on those days when I have not been eating well. I want a goal that is behavioural and measurable as I understand that those are the kind of goals recommended. So my goal is to log my food everyday, regardless, in the journal.
On a different note, I am going to mention a recent horse show I watched on tv. I don't know if any Crackers besides PB are interested in show jumping so apologize if this is uninteresting to others. Canada has one of the premier horse show venues in the world at Spruce Meadows, Alberta. It is said to be equal to Auchen, Germany. The event I watched was a grand prix, the most rigorous of all the events as the horses have to jump two complete rounds of very demanding jumps, and then, if there are riders tied at the end of the two rounds, there is a timed jumpoff. The SM grand prix has a purse of $1.5 million dollars so it attracts the best riders from all over the world. It was won by Canada's Ian Millar, one of only two riders to go clear in the first two rounds, and after a brilliant jumpoff. What is also noteworthy is that Ian Millar is 67 years old- it is really amazing to be competing at that level at that age. Seeing him do that is really inspiring and makes me want to push myself a bit more.
I mentioned previously that I was signing up for a short writing course. The first class was scheduled for last night and I was really looking forward to it. It was to be held in the same building as the downtown library. As I was looking for a place to park, I saw a swarm of police cars and the area around the library was blocked off. I parked a couple of blocks away and walked towards the library but was stopped by an officer and told the whole building was closed, continuing education classes were cancelled, but he would give no details. It turned out that there was a suspicious package left on the library steps and it was treated as a bomb threat. (no bomb as far as I know) This is very unusual for my area and I was really disappointed to have no class.
Has anyone seen the movie, The Trip to Italy. I am going to see it on Friday with my sister-in-law. It has had very good reviews and I enjoyed the previous, The Trip, so am looking forward to it.
Regards to all.