Hi, sorry I’ve not posted for a while.
S-g what an uplifting tale, it brought a tear to my eye. I agree with you about sparkly frocks ….. even more reason to make an effort and make the best of things this year.
Not a lot to report from me. Just ambling along at the moment waiting for my appointment with the practice nurse on Monday. Really hoping my blood glucose is still under control as I haven’t had a check for 19 months ….. fingers, toes and everything else crossed!
Have a good weekend …. do the best you can do…. be the best you can be!

Hi Everyone,I’m still not up front on the bus Yowser but trying!It’s been a bit of an emotional week.It’s my mum and dad’s wedding anniversary today and it will be first one they haven’t spent together.If we had known 6 months ago that we would only be able to see my dad once in those 6 months we would have struggled to let him go into a care home.Because of his various trips to hospital and corona cases in the 2 care homes he has been in,along with local lockdown(I live in the north east of England) it has meant that there have only been a couple of occasions when visits have been allowed.He has now stopped eating again and isn’t wanting the supplement drinks which have been keeping him going since May,listening to the news I can’t imagine local lockdown being lifted here any time soon so it’s a sad time for the family imagining the likely scenario with regards to my dad.The hardest part is feeling we may never see him again.The staff at the care home are great,my sister is in contact with them every other day and he seems to be in his own world,sleeping a lot at the moment. My mum is in my household bubble so I’m bringing her round to our house today so that she isn’t by herself.S-g that Pooh and Piglet post was lovely,even though it made me cry!Anyway,sorry to bring the mood down,I am not giving Fast800 100% commitment at the minute but still fully intend to be at goal for Christmas🙂I would almost definitely have given up on that idea if it wasn’t for all of you on the forum❤️ Dawn

Dear DAWN,I feel like driving the bus all the way up to your front door and giving you and your Mum the biggest hugs,corona or no corona. So sorry about yr Dad. This has to be one of the worst things about the world we find ourselves in today – how its affected those who live in care homes and their families. My own parents were in care homes,so I know what a big and difficult decision it is for a family to make,and what a huge leap of trust you have to make when a loved one needs more care than can be given at home. One positive and important thing you mentioned is that you said the staff at his home are very good,so you can rest assured they’re looking after your Dad very well,and keeping up the vital contact with your sister.
I hope you all get to meet up soon,and congratulations Mum and Dad on their Anniversary. 💖💐xxx

Bless you Yowser,thank you🙂❤️

Hi everyone. Some lovely posts over the past couple of days; a complete mixture of honest, supportive, caring, uplifting and poignant.

Dawn I hope that your mum is having a lovely day with you despite the difficult circumstances. Sending hugs. My mum (92) lives in sheltered accommodation in the north east of England and I live near London. So I did not see her during lockdown from February until July. I last visited her in August but now again cannot do so because of the local restrictions. Just waiting to see what happens next. I do hope you get to see your dad soon and, as Yowzer said, it’s comforting that the staff are so good and you know he is being well looked after.

Cathy I can identify with your post too. We are living in very strange times (am trying to avoid the much overused “unprecedented”!) and nothing is normal right now. It’s hard to feel motivated and it does feel like Christmas is going to be a non-event in light of everything else that’s going on. But I love what you said sunshine girl about making the most of it wherever we are / whatever we’re doing / whoever we’re with. I’m just going to keep plodding on regardless, and in a way it’s good still to have Christmas as a target to aim for even though we are all likely to be seeing far less people than usual during the festive season.

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to fast forward 12 months for a peek at where this is all going, and how it gradually resolves?

Whatever happens, I’m appreciating being with you all not only on the Fast800 journey but as we navigate our way through this weird and ever-evolving Covid landscape!

Love to you all X

Hello all, enjoying reading the posts and find them all encouraging and can identify with much of it! Well, I’m one week in and done well. Tried on the same skirt I tried on a week ago and it’s definitely closer to fastening a good inch around my waist and maybe a couple of inches around my belly. It’s been fine keeping off the carbs and sugar, but struggling with portions. Still – I’m hardly feeling stuffed! Physically I’ve felt well apart from really tired around day 4. I expect to lose less or even nothing next week, which is what happened before, then my body catches up and every couple of weeks a load drops off. Fingers crossed! Expecting to feel rubbish from time to time next week, but after that it wears off…
Best wishes to all!

Thank you for inspiring me Sunshine-Girl with your thoughtful posts. I was proud of myself today. I was in a shop selling lots of lovely chocolates and sweets and I really wanted to buy myself some but my old good self won the battle and I walked out. I also tried on some clothes I’ve had in the wardrobe today and was pleasantly surprised that they fitted me. I know deep inside that I could never walk away from this way of eating and I know that I can have good days and bad days but I can never give up! It would be easy to make up an excuse and jack it all in but actually I don’t think it would be as easy as I imagine. I’ve worked blooming hard for the last 4 years to keep my weight down and it could all be undone in three months and I can only imagine how disappointed I would feel. SO…. I’ve dusted myself down, Had a good walk and have been inspired by the positivity on here and reading about how well you’re all doing has give me a kick up the bum.
I am going to be the best I can be every day.

Thanks everyone for being so supportive.

Thanks DCT we had a nice time with my mum.Lets hope the local restrictions are lifted before Christmas so that we can both do some visiting🙂 Dawn

Hi everyone,
Back from my two weeks in western NSW, had a great time and did my best to keep on the straight and narrow- though I was on holidays, there may have been a few refreshing beverages along the way. I had never been that far west before and it was so very different- they had had rain in Broken Hill a week or two before we got there (rare event) and locals were so excited about how green and lush it was- believe me, when you have bare dirt with a tuft of grass every metre or two, that’s not what I call lush. But definitely stark and spectacular.
I’m so happy to report that my weight and measurements are unchanged, I was afraid it would go backwards. Yay!
I do feel for you all who are in areas badly affected by this wretched virus. It is so hard not to be able to visit and support elderly and vulnerable family and friends. We have been very fortunate that once lockdown was eased in May, we have had no further restrictions. I hope there is some resolution soon- I’m with you, DCT, would love to see where we will be next year.

Hi everyone,
Sorry, I’ve not posted for a while. I’ve been desperately trying to get some structural work done to the house before winter so everything else has been on the back burner. (Didn’t happen, after much chasing different trades people, inspections, reports, quotes etc what I thought would be purely outside work clearly includes a fair bit of work inside the house as well. Given the number of different people we would need to have in the house we’ve decided to put it off until next spring or summer. It will happen at some point, so at least it’s not been wasted time !)
BSD-wise things have been OK-ish, – I’m pleased with things food-wise. Although I’ve stayed low-carb (which keeps my T2 in remission) my food choices recently haven’t been that nutritious so the last few weeks I’ve really focused on eating healthily and that’s gone pretty well. Exercise-wise, I’ve not been great, so not going there – as my old teachers would say – Must Do Better!
Mariet – that sounds like a great break you had and like you say, it’s brilliant that you did all that and put no weight on. Way to go!!
StarGazer – (lovely name) – it’s great that you’ve joined us and I hope that things are going well.

Hope everyone else is doing OK. Stay strong and stay safe
Jennie xx

Well done MARIET! on unchanging weight and measurements,thats quite a feat when on a trip. Tell us more if you can,Im fascinated by all things Oz.
Hi JENNIE hope all will be ok in yr home over the winter. Think a wise choice to leave til next year when hopefully all the plans weve put on hold this year will be viable again. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Hope everyone is doing ok on our Countdown,the clock is ticking !! …but the Battle of the Bulge bus has passed its MOT and has a full tank of petrol,been thru the carwash,and is ready to carry us safely all the way there.
I feel Im getting my mojo back,the Carb Monster is fuming and shaking her fist with rage,because Im NOT listening to her!
Think its ten weeks tomoz to xmas Eve,my favourite day of Christmas,
Lets continue onwards and downwards.xX!!!!!
* ~ “Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.” ~ ( Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe)
🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟🍁🌟

Hi everyone,weighed myself this morning and there is no more loss to put on my sparkly chart but not surprising as I really haven’t done enough over this last month to warrant any weight off,I have been on and off plan constantly.Instead of feeling like I normally would and thinking I have wasted a month,I’m just going to look ahead and as long as I resist cravings I will get there!No way I’m jumping off the newly washed Bulge bus YOWSER🙂 Dawn

Hi everyone, hope everyone is keeping calm and carrying on xx

My natural tendency is to focus on what I haven’t done (negative side of having perfectionist tendencies) so I’ve decided for now that my report-ins are going to focus on what I’ve done well each week. My main goals currently are around keeping a healthy, active lifestyle going. This week I made a meal plan full of nutritious meals and I’ve stuck to it. Usually, I start a 7-day meal plan on my computer and stop (get bored) at about Wednesday. Then, I end up eating low carb but quite process- ey foods for the rest of the week. Didn’t do that this week – I wrote out a meal plan full of lots of good nutritious food and I’ve kept to it. Hurrah.
One thing I discovered is, for me, it’s better to write my meal plan on a scrappy bit of paper (after a quick scoot around the fridge/freezer and adding items to my online shopping basket) than to spend ages typing it up perfectly on the computer. That’s good enough for me for this week.

Dawn – Inspired by your sparkly chart (and the fact that we are on the Countdown to Christmas bus!) I ordered some sticky gold stars which have just arrived (part of my Amazon delivery). I’ve decided to start a new BSD notebook today, where I record all my goals, stats, thoughts etc. I’ve set myself some small targets and each time I hit one I’m going to award myself a shiny star. Hey, every little helps. With everything going on I’ve also found it harder to keep the motivation up, but as you say, as long as we keep moving forward – big strides, small steps, whatever, we’re moving towards better health – not to mention great skin and clothes we want to wear- not just those we can fit in!

Yowzer – I just read your post on the Positive Thread. Sorry to hear about Tier 3. I did wonder about you, and Verano also. My brother and his wife live between Liverpool and Manchester and are in Tier 3 too. It’s a worry as they have caring needs but the carers have been fantastic throughout and their neighbours have been cooking meals for them each weekend pretty much since March. Aren’t people great!
By the way, I smiled at your mention of Mystery Road. My husband is hooked. We’ve watched 2 films (one on iplayer, one rented on Amazon Prime) and series 1. We’re now part way through series 2, so I’ll join you watching it over the weekend, if you don’t mind.

Will be great to hear how everyone else is getting on. Take care
Jennie xxx

~Hi Guys,

Sorry for being so quite or late, life is busy at present, even if getting poorer by the day. All the rules on socializing mean that my holiday let has had to be closed since March, and no signs of being allowed to reopen until some point next year. I don’t wish to sound negative, but I don’t think everything will be normal again by March next year. Which means I will be living off savings for a while. On the positive side, I have joined up with a system called Workaway, where you offer accommodation and food in exchange for help around the property. I thought as the bunkhouse is far better insulated than my house it was cheaper for me to live in it and silly to rattle around on my own in a 7 bedroom property so have a team of 4 workawayers here getting through my to do list. Sadly all of them are carb addicts, so lots of temptation in the kitchen which means that my belt progress is even more of an achievement. (I will confess to having had cheese on toast for breakfast last sunday.)

I was pleased with myself yesterday, I am making progress with my which belt hole do I use monitoring of progress. On to another hole, 2 more holes and I will be in the making extra holes category. Another 2 inches will get me to that point and thats now my target for Christmas.

It will still leave me with 4 inches to loose to get down to a waist which is half my height, but as my body seems to prefer to remodel everywhere else in preference to my waist and hips its still a good way to measure progress for me.

JGWEN oh how fab about that belt! So satisfying to see the notches get tighter!
A cheese on toast is acceptable right now,specially if your Workawayers are carb addicts! That scheme sounds a great idea. Good to know they’re busily getting thru yr To Do list..👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 I guess theyre working off the carbs. Yr bunkhouse sounds very snug.
JENNIE Im glad yr folks have such good neighbours. Lots of good coming from these bad times.
I didnt get round to watching Mystery Rd after all,but will do so in the week….it sounds very promising from what you said.
I love notebooks,so I love yr notebook idea!🌟🌟🌟🌟
DAWN,sit tight on the bus,it can be a rocky road,but we’ll make it to our destination.
We can keep those carbs down,just taking it a day at a time. You can manage ‘Just for today’ then next day,,’Just for today‘ all over again.
What’s that saying…
Little pickers wear bigger knickers! 😀😀😀😀😀…we know come christmas we’ll feel much much happier if our Xmas jumpers arent too snug and our sparkly frocks arent a little bit tight…and if we dont have to wear Granny size knicks! X💖

Hi Everyone🙂 Well I haven’t had best weekend sticking to plan but could have been worse,my heart is definitely not 100% on board at the moment but Yowser,as u say,I’m just going to take one day at a time as that’s definitely more manageable.Jennie that’s a great idea about the sparkly stars🙂So far I just have one entry on my sparkly chart as didn’t want to put any adds on😕the next weigh in day I have written on it is 29th so that gives me 10 days of bus riding to be able to put a nice weight loss beside the sparkly snowflake stickers on that day😀 Have had an early breakfast of 2 eggs scrambled in butter with little bit of smoked salmon so that should fill me up for a good few hours.Will try to post on the positive thread at end of the day!Have a good day Everyone 😀 Dawn

Hi everyone – how’s everyone doing? it’d be good to hear.
This week I’m sticking to my meal plan and focusing on good nutritious food. I was drifting into eating more and more of the same food (salami, bacon, high protein sausages etc), quick and easy meals, low carb, but not necessarily the healthiest. I’m not on 800 cals anymore as I’m pretty much back to 9 stone but as an old yo-yo dieter I know once I stop putting time into making good healthy meals the next step for me is weight gain. Habits of a lifetime, eh! Anyway, I made another quick 7 day menu yesterday and I’m just going to stick to it. I was telling my friend about it yesterday and she said she’d find doing that too restrictive. Actually, at the moment I am finding it quite freeing. I don’t need to think about food too much I just cook it then eat it.

Dawn – ‘sparkly snowflake stickers’ I envy you! Yes, Yowser’s words struck me too. I’m also taking it each day at a time. Nine days one day at a time is a nice small enough period to focus on. Go for it Dawn, Can she do it, YES SHE CAN. (Did I just quote Barrack Obama?, or Bob the Builder?).
Yowser, – can I confess I miss my big knickers, I wish I hadn’t thrown them all out. I was thinking of ordering the odd pair from M and S. Sorry! So, we’ve now finished Mystery Road in all its versions. I must confess it’s my husband who’s the big fan. He likes all the detectives and dead bodies type series. I watch with him but I’m the wimp watching with one hand in front of my eyes – don’t like gore. Having said that I did enjoy Mystery Road, I liked the main character and the landscape. We’re watching The Bridge on BBC too. Same system – hand in front of eyes – but I’m enjoying that too.
ClarinetCathy – I’ve been thinking about you with everything going on in Greater Manchester just now. How are you getting on?
JGwen, I was thinking about you in Wales, too. I was reading your other post so glad to hear the circuit break might help you a bit financially. Nice progress on the hole in the belt measurements.
DCT, Stargazer, caronl, shoegirl, everyone; hope you’re all doing OK. It’d be great to hear how you’re all going.
Take care
Jennie xx

Good morning fellow BSD’eters.
I’m running for the bus each day and sometimes get on board but sometimes just miss it! I’m sticking to low carbs though not necessarily 800 cals but some evenings the call of the red wine is difficult to resist!
I have managed to lose a few pounds and am determined to keep going, though It seems unlikely that I will reach my initial goal in time for Christmas.
Onwards and downwards.
X B

Hi Busybee
That first line did make me smile. D’y’know, I could be here all day trying to think of something to say linking Christmas, a bus, counting down, targets etc and never come up with anything. When people used to give me a birthday card at work to sign I’d sit for ages staring blankly and then write Happy Birthday. Anyway, I admire but digress! Losing anything sounds great to me Busybee. Onwards and downwards.
Jennie xx

Morning everyone

I’m on the Battle Bus but am still dodging the conductor at the back! Another week of maintenance which is ok under the circumstances for me. I am finding it difficult to tighten the reigns on my already austere lifestyle and the news from Greater Manchester has been headlines this week as we await an agreement re tier 3! I am sticking to low carb, having the odd treat and doing my best. It have a family member in HDU on a ventilator at the moment with Covid so it sort of brings things into perspective. Being happy and healthy are both high on my wish list and that is what I am keeping in mind every day. I am at the upper limit of my acceptable weight so I need to work hard not to put on any more weight. I am walking every day and being mindful of what I eat. I do want to lose half a stone but it just isn’t coming off. I know I need to eat less and maybe fast longer. I have still got time to lose half a stone for Christmas but I need to give myself a good talking to and just do it. Times are hard for us all and we all cope differently in these situations. I’m no heavier than I was in March when we went into lockdown and for me that is a massive win but it am not where I wanted to be either. It’s a constant battle and at the moment I can’t seem to crack it so I’ll stay on the battle bus with you all, keep battling and dodging the conductor and I hope that by Christmas I will have moved down the bus and am able to join you all in a loud rendition of “The wheels on the bus go round and round” and be able to celebrate a few lost pounds. I don’t want my Christmas jumper to be as tight as a sausage skin when I am singing!

I love reading this thread and reading about everyone’s progress be it good or not so good. I think the fact that we are still here is testament to our onward resolve.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to the thread and thank you for keeping us in the zone. Stay safe everyone.

Hi everyone, great to see some activity on here and lots of positives. Sorry that I’ve been quiet too: the weeks just seem to slip into each other at the moment. I’m doing ok, maintaining well but just can’t seem to summon up the extra oomph to start being serious about losing weight. The thing is, I’m actually pretty happy with where I’m at – apart from the belly fat. And that’s the hardest part to lose, well for me at least. So tbh I keep stopping and starting trying to do 800, but at least I’m eating well most of the time and doing lots of exercise, so not putting on any more weight.

But what awful times we’re living in. Cathy I’m sorry to hear about your family member and hope they make some good progress this week. Also that the powers that be sort out what on earth is happening re Manchester! JGwen I guess you’re in full lockdown again from Friday, will your WorkAway team be able to stay?

Jennie great to hear from you, and positive as always. I’d not heard of Mystery Road but will look out for it now. Always looking for new things to watch these days! Busybee and Dawn stick with it, as long as we are still moving forward (even intermittently) then it’s better than going back. Stargazer and Mariet, hope things are going well for you this week? Mariet your holiday sounded fab.

And Yowzer! A big thank you for always cheering us up. We haven’t had an award on this thread recently and I think you really deserve one for all your fun and positivity. I love the quotes. Hope things go well for you this week.

Big hello to anyone else I’ve missed, and anyone reading this but not posting – do come and join the motley crew!

Let’s keep this bus moving! X

Hello all, sorry I haven’t posted much lately but I’ve been reading all of your updates from the sidelines – I usually work part time 2-3 days per week but have had a few weeks working full time so have been a bit distracted with that.
There are so many posts ob here that resonate with me. Cathy – I’m like you – i weigh the same now as I did in March – which would be fine if I was at my target weight in March but I wasn’t.
I feel for everyone going through lockdown again. I think we are over the worst here (in NSW Australia), however we do have a current cluster close to where I live. I have compromised immunity so can’t relax at all, and wear a mask at all times when I’m out, which is not very much! I’m lucky that I can continue to work from home at the moment.
I am sticking to the principles of Fast 800/BSD but not to 800 calories. I did manage to lose 800g last week though, so happy with that.
I have my OH birthday this weekend (our birthdays and wedding anniversary all fall within 4 weeks), but once that’s over there should be a clear run till Christmas! Stay safe everyone!

DCT I am so happy that you have awarded Yowser an award for cheering us all up with her fun and positivity. I wanted to do the same this morning when I posted but didn’t feel it was my position to do so. Great minds think alike! Congratulations Yowser on your well deserved award! Your fun and positivity as well as your wonderful quotes have kept us all on the straight and narrow. Thank you!

SueBlue- fantastic to hear from you and well done on maintaining in such trying circumstances. See it as a win- I do! Enjoy your forthcoming celebrations.

Stay safe folks and keep trying hard to stay on the straight and narrow. Any weight loss is a bonus!

SueBlue and CC, I weigh more than I did in March 😢
And when I looked back, my back to basics kicked off at the end of July. Basically no change in any parameter since then, but I have been trying so hard 😫
I don’t know what to do- all I can do is to KOKO but the past 4 months show pretty clearly that it’s not a viable strategy. Feeling pretty low to be honest.
Oh well, I’m the absence of any other ideas I’ll keep going.
Hoping others are in a better place.

Mariet
I am sad to read your post and appreciate where you are coming from. For some reason this way of eating seems a lot harder this time round and like you, I have struggled to lose any weight. I am up and down the same few pounds and to be honest the fight is getting harder and harder. The fact that we are still here and still trying says a lot. You’re right, we have to KOKO because for me, if I give up, all the four years HARD work will be for nothing and I think we both know we have come a long way so it’s worth the fight. Keep strong Mariet, we owe it to our health. Like JGwen always says, the scales are not the only thing that matters! Don’t weigh, just keep eating healthily and let’s be the best we can be. Times are too tough to be even tougher on ourselves. Let’s be kinder to ourselves.

Well I have been stuck at the same weight for around 5 weeks and some days it is up a bit then back down. I am not going to let it stop me from trying. I always look at the numbers on my chart from 4 years ago to remind myself how far I have come. Even now, when I started trying again I was 79.9 and today I am 77.0 – not a great loss in around 10 weeks but I would rather be 77 than the alternative. For us Christmas is pretty much cancelled and I am not feeling sorry for myself as I am sure it is the same for lots of people. We just have to be strong and keep going. Stay strong everyone.

I too agree that Yowser should get an ‘Cheer Up’ award!
That Scouser humour shines through and never ceases to make me smile.
X B

Oh wowzer yowzer! What a busybee 🐝 thread today. Lovely to hear from so many Crimbo Countdowners.!
MARIET I feel for you X and I think C CATHY is spot on..
this DOES feel harder to me,second time round…( and of course the strange days we’re living thru dont help…) but like she said,we’re still here….and that makes us winners in my book…!🌟🌟🌟🌟
We have our ups n downs but we keep going don’t we…onwards and downwards!
Im running up and down the stairs on the bus and ringing the bell..Ding ding! …so excited to get an award… Thank you!
Very proudly wearing my 🤴 crown! Not even going to take it off for bed.🙂🙃
Heres an interesting question…
How old would you be,if you didnt know how old you are? 🤔…..

Hi Yowzer. Crown well-deserved! And btw please anybody do nominate anyone for an award whenever it feels right. Just wish we could have a proper awards ceremony!

So I’m 61 and at a better weight now than for many years. I think if I could choose I’d probably go back to mid-40’s , when I could be fairly settled in life (I wasn’t – not at all – but maybe second time round?!) but still have a good slug of young- ish years ahead to perhaps pursue something totally new.

Great question!

SueBlue lovely to hear from you and that you’re keeping on. Mariet sending empathetic thoughts to you. Stick with it and you will see changes soon I’m sure. And Cathy sorry that Manchester now Tier 3. Let’s see what the next couple of weeks bring for the rest of us …..

Love to you all X

Your award is well deserved Yowser. Enjoy wearing your crown! I love your interesting question. I am 59 but if I didn’t know my age I think I’d guess I was younger! It made me feel quite good about things answering that question. I am arthritic but suffered with Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since being aged 12 So have always been physically not very strong but feel lucky to have an active and strong mind. I’ve never heard that question before but it’s definitely something to think about. Thank you for sharing.

Your crown is definitely well deserved Yowser😀 Like a few people have mentioned,I’m finding this woe much harder this year than I did when I first tried it last year but your positivity helps a lot! I’ve managed to get some more Christmas presents sorted but am not as well organised as you yet🎄Dawn

Hi Guys,

Dreamscometrue, – Yes I will be back in full lockdown again on friday for 2 and a bit weeks. – There was an interesting snippet of information on the news this evening. – While Wales has the lowest level of Covid of all of the 4 countries of the UK, apparently we also are known to have a lower level of ICU beds for the population. That explains why the lockdown. As you are still allowed to travel if your work requires it, there will be no problem with the workawayers staying. The only one who has a family home in the UK that he could return to was already going to leave this week anyway. – For me there will be little difference to this years version of normal. Thanks to the maximum of 6 people from 1 household my business has to be closed since March, but at least if the government puts us in lockdown I get some financial support. – Its one of the issues for the tourism industry in the UK, all the rules mean that many of us have been forced to close, but because the government have not told us to close they dont have to give any financial support.

I am really lucky with lockdown, have plenty of space to let the dogs run, plenty of locations to go for walks from home. I just need to plan ahead to do a shopping run to make sure I have materials for projects planned for the next couple of weeks that can only be bought from none “essential” shops. Then life will be fairly much the same as the Covid version of normal. – A trip to town once a week to do the food shop and the rest of the time I get on with work around home.

—————————

Can I suggest to those who are getting frustrated on gaining an loosing the same couple of lbs that you look at other ways to monitor progress. – I know I probably sound like a broken record with this, but it could be that clothes are fitting better. It could be that each drop/gain cycle if you are staying on plan is a change in body composition. – Or monitor fitness levels, are you stronger, faster, finding it easier to run for the bus or go up stairs?

————————–

The age question is an interesting one, and a happy co-incidence. Last week I ran into someone I haven’t seen for 12 years. One of the builders who had worked on the barn conversion. There was no double take / not sure if should say something moment when he saw me. You know the look that goes over someones face when they are thinking someone has piled on the weight. I realised afterwards that actually I am back at the dress size and fitness level I was when we first met 13 years ago So for me, I feel that years of pain and misery have been wiped off the white board of life, but on the other hand, I am still aware when making plans that the clock of my life has still been ticking. So the time available has not changed. Its just that Covid has given me the opportunity / time to sit back and assess the quality of life I had in recent years an that was lacking. I wasn’t using my brain as much, and didn’t have me time as should have.

Hi everyone, thanks for the kind words. Feeling better now and concentrating on the healthful effects of this WOE, even if it’s not going to help with my waistline 🙂
Yowser, congratulations on your award and I agree with everyone, it couldn’t have gone to a more deserving person!

Mariet- good to see you’re feeling better. I’ve had a nerve wracking trip to the dentist this morning with toothache! I am petrified of the dentist. Being referred to an oral surgeon for an extraction as my new, young dentist doesn’t feel it’s a job for her. I was happy with that. I’ve put my new rescue cat Monty on diet today. He is a house cat and has been rather greedy since we got him. He was a street cat and he has food issues I think. Anyway, no science plan biscuits for him for a week and I’ll weigh him every week to see if he can lose 3lb. He is looking fat! I’ve never had a house cat before, always had cats that had adventures outside and burnt off their food. Think he’s had too many treats. It’s because he looks sad and sits by his food cupboard begging so no more dreamies for Monty!

I have decided that I am going to aim to lose 1lb each week. I think if I keep the goal small each week then it may psychologically be achievable. I reckon a few small tweaks each week could do the trick. This weeks tweak is going to be a fast on Sunday and I am going to try eating a little less at each meal.

Feeling positive and motivated. Have a good day everyone.

Hi everyone …and CLARINET CATHY! Oh you poor thing,have you got some pain relief medication ..how long til you get the extraction?
Sooner its out the better even tho youre nervous…at least you’ll be pain free then. I dont enjoy visits to the dentist either,just can’t wait to get out of that chair and leg it,fast as my feet will take me!
Thank you for taking in Monty the street cat! X its great he has a happy home now💖 I wish DDs cat was a house cat,he’s a roamer and it does make you worry.
A pound a week is a reasonable goal,every little step downwards helps. 👍🏻 I think being overly ambitious can be counterproductive in the end and more likely to end in failure …years ago on here we used jokingly to call it wearing The Slippers of Despair when we veered off track and regained…. slow and steady is better than a few pounds off then on again,which is what i seem to do a lot these days. Low carb second time round is harder for me,even tho this time theres less to lose. Love yr tweaks ideas!
Heres a little vid Ive received today, countdowners..its very short but its guaranteed to make you smile! X
https://www.facebook.com/PaulaAbdul/videos/592389758035893/

Ps Thanks for comments re the age question.. I replied but looking back,I cant see that post ..maybe I forgot to click Submit? Or posted it on another thread?🙄🙄
JGWEN i know I was admiring you that after twelve years,that old friend didnt notice any difference from when you last met,as in the meantime you had got back down to the 12 year ago you sizewise…..and I said a neighbour i hadnt seen for five years said to me ,youre looking well,which i always interpret as youre looking pretty plumpscious!😦 Thats so lovely JG that you have wiped years of misery away thru your own sheer determination 💝
DREAMSCOMETRUE..i too wd either choose early to mid 40s when I was at my best achievement wise ..or age 14 – 19,loved being a teen. Or early 30s when DD was small..oh any age is better than 70! I want to get into a time travel machine and go back!😀
At this age,I have sciatica and arthritis affecting mobility but C CATHY it seems so cruel you had to have this from a young age X
Thinking of how I feel agewise in my heart, I wd say I still feel in my twenties ..with a dash of added wisdom!

My Mother used to tell me that in her head she was 46 but her body told her she was 76.
I am nearly 74, but my body feels older ? (Who knows, I’ll have to wait and see), and in my head I am 54 ish!!!
I just keep on jumping on and off the bus but will reach my destination one day, and hopefully my body will feel younger and be a little smaller- sigh!
X B

Hi all, I haven’t posted for a while as Melbourne is slowly limping out of lockdown and it feels like the sun is coming out again! I can only imagine how it must feel to have that go away again, so hang in there all of you over in the uk. My dad lives in the north east of England, he’s doing ok, but I don’t know when I’ll see him again!
Onto more positive things, I’m loving all of your posts – shining clean buses, sparkly snowflake stickers and tv recommendations – what a diverse and joyful lot of posts!!
BSD-wise I’m disheartened that I’m gaining weight despite doing 2 days of TRE +fasting. I’ll try to cut back on non-fasting days, but if this continues then a burst of 800 calories for a couple of weeks is on the cards. I love your advice about focusing on other ways to look at this journey, JGwen, almost like a gratitude journal!
Stay strong everyone and keep up the friendly banter!

Hi all, just popping in to say I am still with you, reading your posts. I set a goal of 1 lb a week up to Christmas and pleased to say I have just hit my first pound in under a week. The weekend will be the telling point as I never want to see my previous numbers every again. Have a good weekend everyone.

Hi Countdowners One and All…
Ding ding all aboard the Battle of the Bulge bus!
A special hi and thanks to BUSYBEE!SUNSHINE GIRL! SHOEGIRL! for yr posts,as its been quiet here and im as guilty as anyone for not posting for several days.
Think I’ll have to tie myself to the back of the bus and run behind it to use up some calories…Ive been looking thru my tops and theres about a dozen that dont fit and several are borderline…a shame as theyre all nice and my own stupid fault they used to fit and now i cant squeeze into them!
Last two days Ive been doing a little detox to shake things up a bit.
Anyway keep well losers ( in the nicest possible sense!) keep safe and warm,and remember..
Drink sensibly,dont spill any Xxxx
🎵 🎈 💕🎵🌷💕🎵👏🏽🎵😀 🎵 🎈 💕🎵🌷💕🎵👏🏽🎵😀 🎵 🎈 💕🎵🌷💕🎵👏🏽🎵😀 🎵 🎈 💕🎵🌷💕🎵

Sorry have been meaning to post regularly but keep getting distracted!I downloaded a book recommended on Sara Cox book show and couldn’t put it down so spent more or less a whole day reading that.had really sore back for couple of days after that,probably through lack of movement😀 Have been doing some much needed tidying around the house today.Due to do my next weigh in for my sparkly Christmas chart tomorrow but I will be amazed if I have a loss to put on it as I think I have probably been gaining and losing the same few pounds for the last 6 weeks.Some days I’m 100% committed and others I’m 100% not🙁 Am feeling very positive today though so going to run with that hopefully until Thursday next week at least to get some more losses on my chart❄️I’m enjoying reading about everyone’s progress.I’m staggering about on the bus a bit Yowser but haven’t fallen off😀 Dawn

Hi DAWN,Im the same,some days committed,others not. I just pray the Inspector doesnt get on the bus! 😨
Its hard right now isnt it,the times we live in make lots of us want to reach for the comfort foods, whether they be cakes,choc etc or whatever else cheers us up.
Not entirely our faults,sweets,sugary foods,desserts etc were given as rewards when we were kids or to dry our tears when we fell over..so we still see them as treats that will make things better,even tho theyre far from being treats when it comes to our health and welfare.
Shall we make a pinky promise to make the committed days outweigh the ‘lost my mojo’ days 💖
Lets see that sparkle chart become a blindingly sparkly chart!!!!!!Twinkling like a Christmas tree full of fairy lights!X

Yes will definitely make a pinky promise Yowser,sparkle fest here I come😀 Dawn

Yayyyyy! Sparkle fest! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Nothing nicer than lots of sparkly glitter!!!! Anyone else joining our pinky promise! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

We all seem to be struggling at the moment. I certainly have been self sabotaging over the past few weeks which has resulted in an overall loss of ….. nil!!.
I tend to think in weeks of weight loss and when things go pear shaped, I end up giving in for the rest of that week and each Monday I start again.
Therefore I have decided to tackle each day separately just like AA, so if I fall of the bus I will get back on the very next day.
‘My name is Busybee and I will not eat (nasty) carbs today’
I hereby make a Pinky Promise to get on the Christmas bus each day and will show my mojo to the conductor along with my senior bus pass!
X B

Busy bee, I am so with you. Each weekend I do something to negate any wins from during the week.
Just showing up isn’t enough really is it! I guess it has to come down to how much do I want this, what is it worth to me. That’s how I did it last time, it was hugely important to me. Now i have no event on the horizon (last time it was my son’s wedding) so it’s got to be my desire to be well and healthy- doesn’t seem to be quite as imperative as vanity!

Love this idea, Busybee!! Can you keep me a seat on the bus? I need to shift a couple of kilos before Christmas and now is the time to do it! Unfortunately here in Melbourne Christmas is also summer and beach time, so no hiding under winter layers! I’m ready to add my stars to the chart and make it shine. We can do this, bb and Mariet! I pledge to drop 3cm off my stomach and lose 3kg by Christmas!! 👠

Hi there Countdowners and hurrah,more Pinky Promisers! One thing we can say..we’re honest,we admit it when we are struggling! And we empathise with each other
Lovely pledge BUSYBEE! MARIET i agree,somehow good health doesnt seem as urgent as the wish to look good on a special day. SHOEGIRL theres always space on the bus,congrats on yr pledge to be beach ready!XXX
Have a great Chase the Carb Monster day everyone…the Carb Monsters will be quaking in their boots! 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

I am holding up my mojo which came back yesterday -Long may it stay around!
I stuck to my one day at a time pledge and my new mantra is ‘yesterday had gone and tomorrow never comes’.
Have a good weekend one and all and let’s hope our renewed enthusiasm lasts over the weekend!
O.D.A.A.T.
X B

HI B! so pleased youve found yr mojo! Did you see any sign of mine😀
I think mine has fallen under the seats on the bus….,Im going to have to get on my hands and knees with a torch ….
That mantras very true,its always today that counts..today is another chance to do better! 💕👍🏻💕👍🏻💕👍🏻
O.D.A.A.T. X 💜💘💜💘💜💘💜