Hi everyone,happy first June!
Short and sweet as Im ready to stay in my cabin and sleep after spending 14 hours in A and E.
Ive got shingles,doctor sent me to hozzy as I was having difficulty breathing.
Really hard to be in A and E at the weekend,it gets soooooo noisy and busy,but after triage I was put in isolation in a quiet corner,with a bed and a comfy armchair. So at least I wasnt on a hard chair for hours. The staff were wonderful,we are so lucky. Despite all its shortcomings,the NHS performs miracles every day
Good luck for the month ahead! XXXX
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YOWZER I’m so sorry to hear that you had to go to A&E. I had no idea shingles could cause breathing issues. How are you now? Im glad you got good care and really hope that they have sorted the problem.
Please get plenty of rest and know that we’re all thinking of you. I’ll say a little prayer for you now. If there’s anything we can do to help just shout : I think you have an email address for me from that time we were experiencing issues with the forum and wanted a backup plan for keeping in touch? So please let me know if you need help X
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Yowser- sending you get well soon wishes. So sorry to hear you had to go to A&E. Certainly puts things into perspective. Rest up and hopefully you’ll be soon feeling better. I agree with you that we are so lucky to have the NHS to take care of us when we need them.
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Thanks ladies! DCT thank you,thats kind of you,yes i have yr email add. I didnt know about the breathing prob either,found out the hard way xx 😄😄😄😄 xx take care of yourselves in the week ahead. See you both later,up on the top deck, for drinkies while watching the sunset! Xx
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Good morning all😘
Firstly so sorry yowzer to hear you gave shingles
Its is so painful I had it on n February this year I know what you are going through I pray 🙏 you feel better soon get plenty of rest if you canI am in Switzerland 🇨🇭 had a few days with my sister I fly back today my husband booked me a flight ✈️ he thought it would help me as I cannot seem to get out if my depression she is great we have talked and I feel more positive now she knows I feel unhappy as my weight has gone up so I will board the boat ⛴️ again and get my act together.
DCT I see you are doing 30 day challenge sounds a good idea thinking I might give it a go as you say cannot believe mm has been gone a year on 5th June we do need to all do this for him and make him proud😘
Cathy 2 pounds is ok I wish mine was only 2!!! You can do this especially as you have goals to help you get there
I am going to pack now as I leave this morning just hope I can put into practice what my sister has said it’s easier when you are away but I think I am ready to board the ⛴️ boat with you all thanks for all you messages you really are a great bunch see you on board
The only question I have 🤦♀️is can we have low fat yogurt and no butter I thought mm said we had to have full fat milk etc????
Bye for now
Have a good week all
Lv nokie xx 😘 -
I was thinking about you NOKIE,remembering you had had shingles. Thanks for the kind wishes. How long did you have it for? Its absolutely horrible isnt it. I have had slapped cheek syndrome for weeks and doc said thats prob activated shingles – what fun!
Stick to full fat yogs etc.. low fat anythjng usually has a ton of sugar and additives and thickeners to make it seem more palatable. Make sure you get enough protein and fat,and keep the carbs on the down low. I have whole milk if I’m having low carb cereal and semi skimmed in tea. Heylo low carb granola is tasty and filling – full of seeds and coconut.
Siometimes though,we can think we are doing the right thing,but we arent – i was astonished to learn in the bad foods for shingles list that nuts and seeds are included. Who wd have thunk!
Last week I only had water all week,one pear and two small slices of toast – eating a bit more now,but its quite pleasant to have little or no appetite for a while.
Love to all,have a good week xx -
Hi everyone,
Yowzer I’m so sorry to hear about your shingles having such awful effects and am sending you lots of hugs and hope you feel better soon. Also sending hugs to everyone else going through difficult times at the minute.
I should be weighing myself tomorrow but am delaying it as had a week in the Scottish Highlands last week and doubt I will have lost anything whilst I was there!
Wishing everyone a good week.
Dawn XX -
Last post reported. and should hopefully be removed soon.
Quite what these spammers hope to achieve by making irrelevant posts on other people’s threads is beyond me! Even if I actually wanted their product I wouldn’t consider them on principle.
Hope everyone is ok and having a good week. And sending hugs to those of us who are struggling X
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Hello everyone
Am back in the zone and working hard to get into the 140s before my holiday. Had a text from GP saying my QRisk3 is 8.7% and to lower my cholesterol so that is why I am back on skimmed milk and low fat yoghurt. I know the full f at versions taste better and are healthier but I am trying to reduce my LDL. I reckon if I lose 1 stone and cut out the fats then my risk will reduce. At 64 I am on no medication apart from my asthma inhaler and I eat a healthy vegetarian diet so I am not too concerned about my elevated cholesterol LDL level but I would like to lose the weight. I am going to go out for a brisk walk after lunch every day and that is as good as I can do . My friend who died from a brain tumour was slim and healthy and she died aged 63 so no matter how hard we try it doesn’t always make a difference! My main priority is to reduce my weight by at least 10lb but preferable 14lb. I am determined to be sailing off on the maintenance cruise in January.
Yowser – I hope you are beginning to recover from your shingles . I feel lucky that my dose last year was obviously mild. I had a burning back for about 10 days and thankfully that was it. Nokie and you have both had a terrible shingles experience. Nokie- I hope you’re feeling inspired to take small steps. Be kind to yourself. We are all on this cruise together and sometimes it’s not plain sailing but we will get to port after Christmas and hopefully we will all celebrate this wonderful voyage together. My advice would be to make small goals. I am doing that. I’ve learnt I can’t be too optimistic.
Almost summer solstice and half way around the voyage. I haven’t achieved what I had hoped to achieve at the half way point but I tell you what, I am not giving up. Full speed ahead before August and then full speed ahead when I get back from holiday. It’s definitely achievable. I have bought my ticket for the maintenance cruise and I am not going to waste this opportunity. -
Hi everyone, I’m still here and checking in on occasion. Yowzer, sorry to hear you have shingles, that is nasty.
It has been a really big week for processing my cptsd and I’m really very tired. But some good things have resulted. I was invited to attend my dad’s birthday dinner, but in an exclusionary kind of way. My dad called me to invite me, but said he was doing it so I wouldn’t feel left out. He said they were ordering chinese takeaway. I asked if they could order a dish that I could eat, but because I can’t have gluten anymore and I’ve just come off a bad attack after getting some accidentally last week, could they ask that the cook give the pan an extra wipe before cooking. He couldn’t wrap his head around asking them that. I thought that would be the end of it, but he called me up again the day of and said that he and my mum had come to a solution and that was for me to cook my own meal at home and to bring it over and eat it. I had thought about doing that, but with how busy I am right now, my meals are pretty much just healthy ingredients on a plate. It didn’t feel good for me to just take my seed crackers, cheese and veggie batons over and to eat them while they were all having a special meal. My therapist has been trying to get me to stop pushing on them to accommodate my needs, because they never will. This isn’t just about food, it is about an attitude they’ve had towards me for a very long time. It sounds a bit petty to write it out here, but believe me, I have been accommodating them for so long, and it is never reciprocated. It has led to my emotional eating a lot of the time. Now I’m starting to recognize this pattern – they treat me like I’m being needy, I feel bad for being needy, and then I go eat to soothe myself. My therapist says there is a difference between being needy and having needs that aren’t being met. So anyway, I didn’t get upset or angry with my dad like I would usually do. I just said, ‘sorry dad, I don’t have time for that’ (I’m hoping my therapist will be proud of me for that). The indifferent reaction I got was pretty stunning. It became clear to me that he didn’t really want me there, he was just inviting me so that I couldn’t say he hadn’t and to avoid that conflict later. I’ve also been noticing a pattern that as I’m getting mentally healthier and stronger, my family is treating me more and more like the problem child. Now, it feels almost like they are shunning me. My mum has been dropping some pretty vile comments about me being in therapy.
So anyway, I stayed home and made myself a simple celebratory meal for setting boundaries with my family. It was delicious and I didn’t overeat. My stomach wasn’t upset after like it might have been if I had risked the chinese takeaway.
Then the next day, I called my godmother who I haven’t spoken to outside of social media for decades. My mum cut her out of the family after my grandma’s funeral, in spite of her being the closest thing she has ever had to a sister. My mum hasn’t even liked me being in contact with her over social media, says she is stupid and uneducated, etc. My older sister says that she is a needy wreck. But I thought I would call and judge for myself. What I got was the most amazing, warm person supporting me. She knows what I’ve been up to on the farm through social media, knows the difficult family dynamics I’m dealing with and offered her unconditional love and support. We talked a lot about how the things that happened to me in my family if known to be happening today would cause somebody to call child protective services. She said I’m doing the right thing by being in therapy and says I can call her anytime. My therapist will be happy, I think because she has been wanting me to make connections with supportive people.
Anyway, the shift that has happened as a result of this has been incredible. I’m looking after myself. Eating healthy meals in the right amounts for the volume of farm work I’m doing right now, and not comfort eating.
So sorry about the long post, but all of you have been so supportive of me and I wanted to provide a bit more context about what has been going on. I’ve been minimizing the abuse and emotional neglect from my family for so long and feeling like it wasn’t bad enough for me to deserve help and support over it. Now I’m getting the help and realizing just how bad it really was, and it is having an amazing, immediate impact on how I’m nourishing myself too. -
ARCTICFOX thank you and well done for such an open post. It sounds like you are really beginning to face up to so much of the stuff that has happened to you, and work through it with the help of your therapist. You really are sounding stronger and more self-accepting, and it’s great that as part of that you are realising the importance of looking after yourself well. I’m delighted that you have reconnected with your godmother too : someone who knows first hand everything that has happened and is giving you the unconditional acceptance and support you need. Sending you a big hug and look forward to being part of your ongoing journey, albeit remotely.
CATHY I just love your determination, it is so inspiring! I completely share your sentiment : “I haven’t achieved what I had hoped to achieve at the half way point but I tell you what, I am not giving up.” as I’m in the same position as you. But unlike you, I haven’t been trying as hard. I keep rebooting, setting myself challenges, and get off to a good start, then just lose my mojo. I think part of it is that it’s a time of change in my life in various ways. All positive, it just feels as if all the pieces have been thrown up in the air and are gradually resetting, and in amongst that there always seems to be a reason to overindulge in some way. But I’m feeling good and not going to stress about it, I just feel I’m at the stage where I need to give myself a bit of time to regroup and then hopefully will be more focused.
YOWZER how are you doing? I do hope that you’re feeling a little bit better? Thinking of you x
MARIET how are your teeth now? I really hope everything is sorted. I’ve had root canal treatment over the last couple of weeks and I was dreading it but all seems well. But I can only imagine how awful your experience was. I hope that it’s now all behind you.
NOKIE how are you doing this week, now you’re back from Switzerland? And DAWN have you dared weigh yet?! My scales are higher than I’d like them to be but I hope to reverse that very soon!
Hello to everyone else too. DAWN, NOKIE, SUE, MIXNMATCH, VERANO, HEIDI, POOTLE, STARGAZER and anyone else I’ve missed! Hope you’re all having a good week.
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Arctic Fox- what a brave and honest post. It’s good to see that you’re beginning to feel stronger and that your therapist is helping you come to terms with your past. It can’t be easy dealing with the impact of what has happened to you. Thank you for sharing your story with us. We are all here for each other. I’ve been given so much support over the years by my friends on the forum and please know that we are all here for you. I’m looking forward to seeing you flourish.
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Remembering Michael Mosely today on the anniversary of his untimely death. He brought us all together on this wonderful forum. I am forever grateful for his teachings and for the friends I’ve made . When I read the blood sugar diet book in 2017 it changed my life. Here to express my gratitude for Michael and to my wonderful BSD friends. ❤️
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Thanks for the shout out, DCT. I am still lurking! Like others, I have been thinking of Michael Mosely and his family today particularly. I have been following his eating advice (more off than on) for about 7 years. I owe him a lot. Even when I am off the wagon, I know the right approach to get back on.
Arctic Fox, your post was so moving to read. I wish you lots of strength as you move forward with the therapist. . It is good to hear that your renewed contact with your godmother is proving such a support. Our emotional links to food can be so strong and it must feel good to be eating more healthily and taking better care of yourself.
I have been battling comfort/stress eating for a while now. Without going into gruesome detail, two very close family members have incurable cancer and another has worsening dementia. For the last two years, life has been full of hospital appointments and difficult decisions. I have ended up bingeing on all the wrong things late at night. As if that will change anything!
Anyway, I had a lightbulb moment two weeks ago, when I breached another kilo going the wrong way; * I can’t change all that is happening around me, but I can control what I put in my mouth.* If I can eat in a way which cuts out cravings, it should help me to resist the comfort/stress bouts.
So I am on Day 13 of eating healthily, drinking more water and getting to bed early. I am not counting calories or carbs, but just avoiding all processed carbs, sugar, rice etc, trying to eat things in a better order, and take a walk after each meal. I could call it the non-Magnum diet (!), but it’s really a combination of Michael Mosely and the Glucose Goddess. It’s early days yet, but I feel a lot more in control, and already healthier than I did.
Wishing everybody here every success in moving towards their goals. x
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Thanks for the shout out. I am also still lurking!! 🫣
Dr Mosely’s death marks the start of my journey.
This time last year I had just been diagnosed as type 2 diabetic. I had been to see a consultant for the problem with my breathing that had become totally incapacitating with the treatment the GP had insisted was correct. Specialist diagnosed asthma not COPD as the GP had kept saying!
So correct inhaler for asthma started to change my life but the diabetic diagnosis then knocked me sideways. Reading about the Michael Mosely BSD made me determined to try it!
12 months on, with plenty of support from these forums, I am in remission for diabetes and 5.5 stone lighter! And continuing to live the BSD way of life.
I know I cannot thank him personally, but I hope he knows how much he changed my life.
My sincere sympathy to his family and huge sadness that he is no longer here!Good luck to all on the ship for this voyage… it is possible to change your life!
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Hi everyone,
Thank you for the kind words. These are challenging times for me and your support means a lot.
My therapist was very pleased with the boundary I set and the fact that I reached out to my godmother for support. We spent most of our session though filling out the forms to try and get my appointments funded. Unfortunately, this meant disclosing a lot of information in detail that we had only just barely touched on in our previous sessions, which has left me feeling quite vulnerable over the weekend. She did warn me that this would happen and gave me some strategies for coping. Our next session is on Thursday because she didn’t want me going too long without being able to talk about what might come up. I had a really severe flashback yesterday, a nightmare last night and a good cry today, but I am managing with the coping strategies so far and not spiralling out of control, so that is a positive. One thing that I had to disclose on the forms that we hadn’t spoken about yet was how what happened to me has led to negative body image and struggling with food and exercise since I was very young. That was really tough as I hadn’t revealed any of that to anyone in person before. In fact, all of you probably know more than anyone else! I am seeing the connection now to how it is strongly related to me not wanting to attract negative attention.
In spite of all of this, I am still trying to eat healthily. I watched a video that talked about strategies that we use to numb our emotions, including comfort eating. The video suggested a strategy is to tell yourself that you are allowed to comfort eat, or whatever numbing strategy you want to use (mine also involves watching too many videos, ironically!), but you have to sort through the feelings that are driving you to engage in that behaviour before you can let yourself do it. It has been really working for me. I am working through my feelings by journalling and even though I would be allowed to comfort eat after that, I usually don’t want to anymore. So that has been really helpful, especially now when I have so many big feelings and painful memories coming up all at once.
Keep on keeping on everyone! One day I’ll catch up on everyone’s updates. -
The anniversary of Michael’s death seems like a significant time for so many of us. Some lovely words of remembrance on here, and it’s also so good that many are being inspired to strengthen our resolve and look after ourselves better.
ARCTICFOX you sound stronger in every post. I suspect that this time last year you would not have been able to face filling in those forms and, painful though it has been, it is another milestone on you moving forward. And the strategy of working through why you are doing something before you decide to do it sounds really helpful. Keep on going, and keep on posting. It is a joy to be allowed to share your progress.
HEIDI lovely to hear from you and you are so right in that we can control what we do. A bit similar to what Arcticfox was saying in a way : if we take responsibility for our actions and make rational decisions before taking those actions, we can do this! I’m so sorry to hear of your family problems, but so pleased you are looking after yourself. It’s a bit like the airplane oxygen mask analogy : if you are not making sure you are strong and fit, you will be less able to help those around you. Well done!
POOTLE your weight loss is amazing!! 5.5 stone down and reversing diabetes is an incredible achievement, particularly in the time frame of a year. What a fabulous tribute to Michael and an inspiration to us all. I’m so pleased for you!
Hi to everyone else on here too. Must dash as I’m heading out now but will check in again later in the week X
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Hi everyone,
I have been catching up on posts today, there are so many inspiring ones. DCT I still haven’t weighed myself yet, it’s taking me a while to get back on plan after the holiday in Scotland! Doing a menu plan today which I haven’t done for a while so that should help me🤞Will report back in a week. Dawn XX -
Hi everyone,
Pleased to say that I have lost 5 kilos since my reboot on 25 May. Since I was bingeing on carbs, and had 20 kilos to lose, i suppose I have been lucky with the fast weight loss. I know that it will slow down so am preparing myself!I had to laugh this morning. We were at a cafe between appointments and I was feeling a bit wobbly. I decided to dunk a hard-boiled egg in some salt, to see if that would help. Unfortunately I got the wrong sachet. Hard boiled egg with artificial sweetener will not be added to my favourite recipes!
Hope you are all having a good day.
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Wow Heidi- 5kg since May!! I’ve not lost that since the start of the cruise!! That’s amazing! Well done. What an inspiring weight loss in such a short time- you must be doing something right. I bet your egg and sweetener tasted awful! I want to lose about 5 kg but it’s taking me forever!
I am seriously struggling to lose weight despite giving up breakfast and only having coffee. Despite going low fat to try and improve my cholesterol, despite walking 53,000 steps last week according to my fit bit (that’s a lot for my sore feet by the way). I am going to keep trying and doing what I can. My body is hanging on to every fat single fat molecule. One day soon I hope I’ll see a whooooosh and it will be all gone!
Keep trying everyone- giving in is NOT an option.
My goal for June is to weigh less than I did at the start of June. At this rate I’ll take half a pound! I think my body is messed up with years of dieting! -
Hi Clarinet Cathy, I started from a place of totally unhealthy carb bingeing, so I feel a bit of a fraud to report the reduction. It will all slow down very quickly I suspect! I always admire your perseverence. You can do it! x
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Hi all. i am sticking at the healthy diet. No more weight loss to report so I shall look at this as consolidation. But pleased to say that the 5 kilo loss has moved me from obese to overweight. I suppose that’s good news, though it underlines that I have some way to go…..! I hope you have all had a good weekend, and good luck for next week.
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Hi everyone,
I was on a real emotional roller coaster ride this week. Lots of ups and downs. I am still trying to eat healthily, although meals were a bit more chaotic than they are even normally. It was very hot at the beginning of the week, so not a lot of cooking happening.
Cathy, I can relate at the frustration of not losing weight even when doing all the right things. I thought I might be losing some, and I’ve been trying my best to wear my compression garments as much as possible, even with the heat, but I tried my jeans on just to see and they are tighter than ever. I’ve even been going swimming a couple times a week so thought that might at least shift some of the fluid that accumulates in my upper legs, but no joy. My ankles look quite slim though, so have to take that as a win?
Anyway, one of the positives this week was thinking about changing careers. It is scary because I’ve been doing what I do for so long and would have a pretty gold-plated pension at the end if I could just stick it out for another 12 years, but I’ve been seeing in therapy that it really isn’t a good fit for me when I have cPTSD. I’ve also been seeing that I probably filled out every career suitability survey through the lens of my trauma. We’ve uncovered in therapy that I’m really a dancer at heart. I was dancing out my stress this week when I was working from home and had some breaks, but when I went back into the office, I realized how confined I feel. I need to move! So I started looking into Dance and Movement Therapy as a career. Still not even 50% sure that it is the right thing for me. It’s going to mean going back to school for qualifications too. And there aren’t any direct paths to being qualified in Canada, so it would take 3-4 years of school, which I know I just can’t face right now. So, I got brave and emailed Roehampton University. They have a 2 year Master of Arts in Dance and Movement Therapy. They want a psychology or dance undergrad, which is not what I have, so I emailed to ask about different qualifications from mature students. We’ll see what they say.
Anyway, off to get my hair done. I have some big meetings this week and thought that a trim and tidy up would help me feel more confident. Talk later! -
Hello everyone
Had a terrible cold this week- tested negative for Covid but have felt absolutely shocking all week. Had a family crisis with my MIL who has been taken into respite care – she has advanced dementia Battling with my SIL at the moment re organising permanent care but she has Co-dependency issues and it’s proving very difficult.
It’s my nieces wedding this weekend in Liverpool and I’m hoping I’ll be feeling better and despite the current family circumstances it’s going to be an enjoyable occasion. It’s 7 weeks to my cruise and I hope to be below 150 when I jump ship 🚢 for a fortnight! Losing weight for me isn’t easy but once I am feeling better, hopefully next week, I am going to increase my steps and reduce my calories. I am hovering around 155 at the moment and can’t seem to get lower. I feel my body has quite a bit of inflammation at the moment with whatever virus I’m harvesting.
We are half way through the cruise and despite the choppy waters I am clinging on and I am 100% committed to leaving this ship at target weight. I would like to embark on the maintenance cruise at 145. I’ve had to be realistic here! How did I ever achieve 130? My body is battling for every single ounce. Anyway, I’m 64 now – it was my birthday on Sunday- (worst birthday ever) and I’m feeling confident and positive that I’ll make the best of the next six months.
Good luck everyone- let’s celebrate the solstice together and make a commitment to make the next six months really work out for us all. -
ARCTICFOX hope you are pleased with your hairdo and that your meetings are going well so far this week. And it sounds like you’re making huge strides in your therapy sessions. It’s exciting that you are considering a complete change of career – and possibly country too. It’s a brave step to allow yourself to start thinking of what you really want, and believing that things can change. And whatever you decide to do, we’re all here cheering you on!
CATHY belated Happy Birthday! I hope you are feeling a lot better this week and that things are improving with your MiL. Have a fabulous time at the wedding this weekend. Looks like it will be a scorcher! I love the heat but am struggling a bit this time round. I just find it hard to get things done when I’d rather be out in the garden pottering or reading! As a result there is lots of domestic stuff and holiday prep piling up, and (of course) I’m also using it as yet another excuse to eat the wrong things. So needless to say my holiday weight loss challenge is not going according to plan. I head off at the end of June so at least may be able to fight off a couple of the extra pounds I’ve put on recently but I’m definitely in the naughty chair at the moment!
HEIDI how are you getting on this week? You sound very determined and have got your reboot off to a great start with your 5K loss. Very well done, and I look forward to hearing more about your progress soon.
YOWZER how are you doing? I really hope the shingles is clearing up and that you’ve had no more breathing issues. Also that you are coping with the heat ok.
Hello to everyone else on here too. Let us know how you are getting on!
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Hi DCT,
Thank you for the rallying message. I’m sure you will keep up the fight. Just think of the holiday outfits!I am still doing well for me – now over 3 weeks of no (absolutely no) white carbs, alcohol etc. Still eating healthily. As expected, the weight loss has slowed. I am now 5.7 kilos down since 25 May. But genuinely the most important thing for me is being back in control of white carbs and sugar in particular. I was just stress/comfort eating every evening, and now I have stopped. I’m not counting calories or carbs yet, just choosing to eat healthily.
Belated happy birthday to CC, and hope the cold has vanished. I hope the wedding goes well.
And wishing arcticfox lots of courage, strength and good luck in considering all the options. x -
HEIDI well done on keeping going and I really admire your resolve. I’m enjoying reading your posts so keep us up to date with your progress 😊
I had to smile though at your comments about summer outfits. It came just at the right time as I’d had a despondent moment in M&S. I went in for a few basic items, and tried on a white one piece swimsuit. Well!! It looked awful : every bulge on full display. In the process of hastily removing it I caught my reflection in one of those corner mirrors and wish I hadn’t. If I had any illusion about not noticeably putting on weight it was well and truly shattered at that point. I looked huge. In my defence, I don’t think M&S mirrors are the most flattering (which seems a bad marketing ploy to me). But I was horrified. Scuttled out of there asap.
What a wake up call! It’s too late now to do anything very significant before my holiday so I will have to rely on baggy floaty dresses this time round. And fortunately I’d managed to buy a couple of those at a local shop earlier this week. But oh boy do I need to get my act together when I get back in July. Fortunately there will then be almost half the year left to really make a difference and I really need to do that. And I know I can rely on you lovely fellow travellers to help me regain my mojo and finally get to target.
Ok, am off to seek out one of Yowzer’s wet lettuces. Much needed 🙀
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Hi Dreams, buy a cozzie with a bold or complicated pattern or even plain black. White will show everything. Sorry for the interruption.
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Hi sunshine girl lovely to see you. Hope all is well. And thanks god you’d help. The white one was slightly textured and I thought it was one of those tummy control ones but sadly not. Instead I bought a black one online from Next that has a kind of blouson top. Should arrive tomorrow so 🤞it fits. I also have an old patterned one with a frill on each hip and that is much more flattering too. So I’ll be fine but it was a real wake up call 🙀
Have a lovely weekend X -
(Just reread my last post and it should have read “thanks for your help”! Blooming predictive text 😂)
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Dreams, I’ll take it whatever 🙂
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Hi everyone,
Still keeping on keeping on here. Nice to read the posts about summer outfits. After years of wearing competitive swim suits, it was shocking to realize that there isn’t a size that fits me now. I ended up ordering a couple of more recreational types on clearance from Land’s End last year. They are patterned, but probably not the most flattering I could have bought from there if I wanted to spend more, but the price was right on these and they are good enough for going for a dip in my parents pool.
I’ve been swimming a few times this month already, as we’ve had temperatures up to 38 C, but we’re getting some much needed rain this week and it is only 12 C today, which feels freezing, but much nicer for working outside. I spent about 5 hours weeding today. That’s how badly things have got out of control here after a wet spring and my brain being too scrambled from therapy to stay on top of it all. More to do tomorrow while the soil is wet and before it gets hot again.
Exercise beyond the gardening is dancing. I’ve just been doing what I can and find it embarrassing that I can’t even fully get through a 4 min song right now, but I am already feeling a bit better than last week. Better able to balance and push myself a bit anyway. At least I actually want to do this. I kept talking down to myself because I haven’t felt like going for a walk or doing online yoga or going to the gym. But dancing is something I want to do and need to do at the moment, so why not use it to get fitter too? I need to build muscle and stamina ahead of my surgery in the fall in any case.
In other news, Roehampton University got back to me really quickly and said that from what I highlighted in my email I might be a good fit for the program and to please apply so they can assess me properly. So I can’t use that as an excuse for not doing it. Also, a person I used to work with is moving to Yorkshire next month and I told him that I was thinking of heading to the UK too and he gave me his email address so we could keep in touch and said we should meet up if I make it there. So that’s really nice. I’m still so nervous about making this career change but also so excited about the prospect of starting over in a better fitting career and not having to sit behind a desk for the rest of my working days. -
Good to read all the posts here.
I feel for you Dreams.. that moment when looking in a mirror gives a sudden shock… shouldn’t be allowed!!
I hope the black swim suit fits! I haven’t been brave enough to dig out my cozzie, but as it hasn’t been needed for over 10 years, I expect it has ‘rotted’ by now. (Last used in a friend’s jacuzzi) Then I would have to look for a new one!
My biggest problem with mirrors is that I often see my Mum looking back at me!! That makes me realise 1. It is 19 years since she died of cancer.😢 (She had type 2, treated conventionally, for about 15 years.. wish we had known about the BSD then!)
2. I am aging…🫣 I am now the same age she was when diagnosed with diabetes! Where have the years gone?Arctic.. rooting for you in your determination! I find gardening quite therapeutic and walk for exercise… wish I could dance! My oldest friend trained in Ballet and I know she keeps some of it up!
Going to sign off here.. broken bones in my right hand making typing painful… Hope I haven’t been signed out, taken ages to do this post.
Going ashore for a while, whilst hand heals.. keep on keeping on! -
Hi everyone,
Just a quick post to say I’ve weighed myself and it’s not good.Yowzer could I please have about 20 wet lettuce leaves😬
Dawn X -
I seem to have lost the emojis on my laptop… (Unhappy face) Dawn…another day another weight….hope the wet lettuce helped (Lettuce and caring face) !! xxxx
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Thanks Pootle🤣 Dawn X
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Hi everyone,ive missed so much as for some reason,I havent been getting notifications! Will have to wait til I feel a bit better to read everything but thanks for the kind words Ive seen as ive scrolled down. Still feeling pretty awful,shingles are burnong and itching and taking its time to leave! Plus still got sciatica AND a sore shoulder,so Im in the ships sick bay until i recover,then I ‘llbe up andstriding round the decks catching the sea breezes! Weekend is comin up,hope its a good one for everyone, see you soon XXXXXXXX
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Hi Yowser,
I am not getting notifications either! Sounds as though you are going through a really bad time! Thinking of you, hope the rest in sick bay soon has you bouncing round the decks again! -
Hi everyone, ages since I’ve posted and no excuses either ☹️
My progress has been very slow but steady and I am just about ready to look at maintenance. Dr is not keen for me to lose any more though I am still overweight at 149lb, she reckons the risk of osteoporosis outweighs any benefits of more weight loss.
I am sorry to read of the difficult times so many have been going through. Thinking of you all and hoping things get better for you soon. -
Hi everyone, ages since I’ve posted and no excuses either ☹️
My progress has been very slow but steady and I am just about ready to look at maintenance. Dr is not keen for me to lose any more though I am still overweight at 149lb, she reckons the risk of osteoporosis outweighs any benefits of more weight loss.
I am sorry to read of the difficult times so many have been going through. Thinking of you all and hoping things get better for you soon. -
Arcticfox I am so impressed with 5 hrs weeding in a day. I don’t think I could manage that in a week! It is great that you have rediscovered some exercise that you love. Carry on dancing!
Best wishes to Yowzer and Pootle. Shingles…broken bones…wishing you a speedy recovery. x
Mariet , slow and steady progress sounds the most lasting solution for good health. You must be very proud. I saw quite recently that the medical profession was shifting to a BMI of 25-32 for women over 60. Not sure if you fall in that age category, but I certainly do. And I shall embrace the extra freedom! There is a forum on this site for those who have reached their goals. Title is something like I’ve reached my goal, what next. It had some useful strategies on weight maintenance.
Dawn I think you should give yourself a hug not a wet lettuce!
And my update, as DCT requested. I am nearly up to 5 weeks of healthy eating, (no processed food, white carbs, no alcohol effectively). I have discarded 6.5 kilos – just over a stone. I feel hugely better for it – both physically and mentally. I am having a few days off while I visit my very elderly parents in the UK, and will be back on it next Wednesday. I suspect I shall have to start counting calories for the next push. But so far so good.
Get well to those who are ailing, Have a lovely weekend.
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Sorry to read you’re still struggling with sciatica and shingles Yowser and a sore shoulder. How awful for you. All those three things are really hard to deal with. . It gets one down when dealing with health issues and it can be hard to keep your resolve. I hope you’ll soon be back to full strength.
Heidi you’re doing great. Losing a stone is fab news. Well done. Thank you for the reminder about a raised BMI being acceptable for us over 60s! I’ll be using that to aim for a bmi of 27/28.
Mariet- my aim is to get into the 140s and I would be so happy with that. I am hovering between 154 and 155 and can’t seem to lose anything. I had a virus which scuppered any weight loss and I am fearful that I won’t have lost anything at the end of the month! Another month gone and another wasted opportunity.
Here is my NSV- When I was at my nieces wedding last weekend a few guests I hadn’t seen for many years commented on how I had not changed over the years and how good and young I looked!! Wow!! I’ll take that!! I did ask them if they were getting me mixed up with someone else!!
So as we come to the end of June I am mindful that I need to increase my effort! My holiday is in about 6 weeks. I know I’ll probably put on at least 7lb on the cruise. I really do need to get to 149 before I go so that I’ll be where I am now when I get back and then I can work hard for the last four months of this journey. It’s proving to be really difficult to lose weight. I am staying the same week in and week out. It’s so frustrating.
Thank you to everyone who is doing well for inspiring us and well done on your amazing achievements. To those who are struggling to achieve their goal- be kind to yourself. We are trying our best every day. -
Morning all! Lovely to read all your news. Well done to all who are losing at the moment, particularly HEIDI – am so pleased for you. I hope your visit to the UK goes well and that you have some good quality time with your parents. I know it can be difficult when you live apart and have to cram so much into the few days you have together. So take care of yourself too and rejoin the ship when you return.
YOWZER I’m so sorry you are still unwell. You bring such joy and inspiration to us all. I just hope that you can feel the love coming back your way and that in some small way it helps. Really hope that you start to feel better soon X
And POOTLE how is your hand? It must be so frustrating not being able to use it properly but give it time to heal. Hope you are fully recovered soon and so glad you are still keeping on. The black swimsuit does fit, thankfully, and the blouson top covers a multitude of sins! On which point DAWN you have my full commiseration on your disappointing weigh in. I seem to be slapping on weight at the moment. It’s a slight concern as, whilst I know I’ve gone off plan recently, the speed of weight increase seems disproportional to the extra carbs and cals. It may just be I’m retaining fluids in the heat – maybe that’s the case for you too DAWN? But when I get back from holiday I need to do a complete reboot (yes, yes, another one!!!) and see what I can do about it.
MARIET it sounds as if you are doing really well. Well done! It was interesting to read your doctor’s advice about the weight vs bone strength balance.I still want to shed about a stone once I get back from holiday but I also want to be careful that I maintain good nutrition during that time as well. I was also interested and reassured in what HEIDI said about BMI limits being higher for older people. I don’t want to use that as an excuse for lowering my aspirations, but need to realise that trying to get as slim and light as a much younger version of myself may not actually be a realistic goal to aim for.
CATHY how lovely to receive compliments at the wedding! It’s easy to forget previous victories isn’t it. I know that even though I’ve added a few pounds and bulges recently, I’m still over 20lb lighter than when I started this journey way back in 2017. And occasionally I will come across photos from the year or two before then and can really see the difference.
ARCTICFOX any more thoughts about applying for that course? Do keep us posted! And I’m so pleased you’ve rediscovered your love of dance. As you say, it’s so important to find some exercise you really enjoy rather that force yourself to go through the motions. And I share HEIDI’s admiration for your gardening stamina too. I’m not a good gardener, and in fact did pay someone last summer to come in every couple of weeks to keep it under control. But he seems to have abandoned us and so I’ve started getting on with a few things. I’m fortunate that my husband will cut the grass and do any heavy digging. But I’ve been weeding and trimming and planting and it’s beginning to look a lot better. I don’t really know what I’m doing tbh, but I’ve learned the secret is to try and keep on top of things which I’m trying to do, and am actually kind of enjoying it.
Anyway I’ll sign off for now as I’m off on holiday tomorrow so will check in when I’m back. I also have my friend’s 70th birthday party later today which is going to be fabulous – caterers, live music, the works! (You can see why I’m putting weight on!). I’ve bought a lovely new dress from Joe Brown’s which is long and frilly and covers the bulges beautifully 😀.
Have a good weekend everyone and special thoughts to those who are unwell or struggling in other ways X
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Hi everyone,
Good to see all the upbeat posts in spite of all the challenges.
I’ve had a really rough week, but feeling a bit better about things now. I had a counselling appointment on Tuesday, and things didn’t really go the way I expected around something we were talking about. So I was in a cycle of negative self-talk for a couple of days. The one thing I did accomplish on Tuesday evening was that I did not comfort eat even though it was the kind of situation where I previously would have done that. I can’t say that my diet has been stellar this week though. My kitchen got backed up with dirty dishes as I was working my way through my problems and that makes it impossible to cook and prepare healthy meals. I’m getting back on track now though. Kale chips with dinner tonight, and the kale is fresh from the garden.
I obviously have an issue from my last session to address with my therapist, but if we can get through that, I am going to ask her about possibly doing some EMDR sessions around my eating habits. She is an expert in eating disorder recovery, so hopefully if we can get our relationship back on track that might be a way to address the negative food patterns too.
DCT – I haven’t had much time to think about applying with everything else going on, but one thing my therapist did suggest was to book a couple of sessions with a dance and movement therapist to see if it might be something I would like to do. Unfortunately, because they aren’t in the area I would have to travel around 500 km to get to one. I did reach out to one who lives near my godmother (she’s said I could stay with her) and got on her waitlist, but it could be several months. She was also very nice and gave me some information about the demand for it. Basically, because it isn’t accredited in Canada, people can’t get their insurance benefits to pay for pure dance and movement therapy, so you have to combine it with other types of counselling to be able to make a living. So not off the table yet, but it complicates things a bit.
Heidi – I ended up doing 9 hours of weeding over the course of last weekend. It barely made a dent in the amount of weeds though. I’m going to get landscape fabric down tomorrow on the rows that I have weeded (they just have daffodils in them so they won’t mind being covered now) just so I won’t have to re-do them over the course of the summer. We’ve had so much rain this spring that the weeds are just out of control. They are predicting yet another summer of drought though, so the crazy growth will likely slow down. -
Hi everyone,
Just a quick update and to help bump this thread to the top again.
I worked through the issues with my therapist and we’re back on track again. I asked her about doing EMDR for my eating and food issues and she says it is very effective for that, so we’ve booked a session in a couple of weeks to work on that. In the meantime, she has asked me to track any negative thoughts that I have about food and eating. I’ll keep you updated as to how it goes.
Anyway, I’m going back out to the garden to tackle more weeds. It suddenly struck me yesterday that I can use my new hedge trimmer to cut down the tallest ones. So I’m going to try that. They are over my head now they are so tall!
Hope everyone is keeping on keeping on. -
Hi everyone and thanks Articfox for bumping this thread. I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything since last week, it’s been a bit of an awful time, much of it spent at hospital. My mum and I were at a shopping centre last week and had just stepped onto an escalator. I always go in front of her to break any potential falls, she’s never had one but it’s just something I’m in the habit of doing, and somehow she missed her footing and fell (past me) head first all the way down the escalator, banging her head and shoulder and side and back and virtually everything. The security guard in the store ran across and turned the escalator off before she reached the bottom and a nurse and first aiders arrived and store staff too and everyone was lovely. We spent most of the day in A& E and she eventually had a full body scan in the evening. Amazingly, after all of that she hadn’t broken anything which we are all so grateful for and was allowed home. The experience was a shock for her at 90 not surprisingly. She’s doing very well but is still very bruised and sore. Then on Saturday I started to get bad back pain which then also moved to my abdomen and I assumed it was a kidney stone again but it was still there by Wednesday morning and I hadn’t really been able to sleep or do much at all waiting for the stone to pass and the pain to go. My husband ended up taking me to A&E (I couldn’t believe we were there again in such a short space of time!) They gave me pain relief intravenously then they did a CT scan of my kidneys, no stones were visible but the radiologist then said he though it could be pancreatitis so they did another scan for that and my pancreas was inflamed and I have stones in my gall bladder which they think have caused it (as I don’t drink alcohol which can often be the cause) they sent me to another hospital a few miles away which specialises in pancreatitis and I was there until yesterday evening. They gave me morphine regularly for the first two days which kept the pain at bay and I was on a drip for fluids. I also had a uti so they gave me antibiotics for that. The pain completely stopped by 10am yesterday and I’ve needed no more pain relief since then. They allowed me home and I will be going in as an out patient within the month to have my gall bladder removed as the consultant doesn’t want to leave it any longer than that but if I had stayed in hospital waiting for an operation I could have been waiting a while if emergencies were coming in needing to be done straight away. It’s all been a bit of a shock but some patients on the ward were in a lot worse state than me so I feel lucky to be home so quickly.
Catching up on posts I know a lot of people are going through difficult times at the minute and I’m sending lots of love your way. Dawn XX -
Oh gosh DAWN you and your poor Mum,im so sorry for you both. Thank goodness yr mum was ok though,that could have been horrific – although the shock of it was no doubt horrific. Sending lots of love to you both and so sorry youve been going through a lot ofpain as well,Dawn xx Seems a lot of us going through stuff recently,this ship isnt bring us much good luck so far. Dont worry, One of these fine days we’ll all be in the ship disco dancing the night away,all our ailments forgotten 🙏🩷🤞🏻💜👍⭐️XXXX
Can you believe though,we are now over halfway through the year? I actually got an email the other day,” its beginning to look a lot like Christmas! “ I could hardly believe my eyes!
FOXY,very interested to hear more about your EMDR,my niece is having great results with it xxx
Hello to everyone else,have read but havent the energy to reply to all..,still feeling rubbishy with shingles,sciatica and a sore shoulder.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a good week ahead! XXXX
🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶 🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶 🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️ -
Thank you Yowzer and I’m so sorry to hear you still aren’t great bless you, you’ve really been through the mill🙁 Sending you lots of hugs and hope you have a cosy Sunday. Dawn XX
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Dawn and Yowser, so sorry to hear of the challenges you are facing. Dawn it must have been horrendous to see your mother fall like that. And then pancreatitis on top of that. Wishing you both a full recovery. And Yowser I am so sorry to hear that you are still suffering with shingles, sciatica and shoulder pain. That sounds like a nightmare trinity. I do hope you get to enjoy some of the holdiay. x
Arcticfox keep on keeping on, indeed. Glad to hear that you feel back on course, and wishing you a good week and the weeds a very bad one!
I am back on track after a few days in the UK, helping my very elderly parents during the heatwave. It is now 6 weeks since I started the health campaign. I have lost a further 0.5 kg so am now down 7.2 kilos. I can really see and feel a difference, which is great motivation. So I am pressing on. I still get the occasional craving for Haagen Daas, but have been able to resist so far. Mostly because I know that one teaspoon will never be enough…..
All the best to our group, and have a lovely or improving week!
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Thanks Heidi and well done on a brilliant 6 weeks, I find that really inspiring. My eating has been all over the place obviously, not being able to eat then eating the wrong things, but I am going to do a food plan tomorrow for the week and try my best to stick to it. Dawn XX