SUEBLUE I love the word snaccident😀 x
CCATHY I hope youre ok after slipping on the ice x Please be careful everyone ( except our Aussie friends)
I empathise with strugglers….me too…January -and particularly THIS January – has to be the hardest time to improve our eating. I know several people who wont attempt it in January.
But us Bus People dig deep and take each new day as the chance to help ourselves,despite slips,blips and snaccidents! We can do it folks! Stay strong! If a leftover xmas goody somehow falls into your mouth,never mind,its gone now. And probably didnt do a whole lot of harm. Just remember Damage Limitation and make the next meal a healthy one…We’ll be glad when we get to the end of the month and we’re already seeing results on the scales and in NSVs xxx🌟🌟🌟

RubyG and hubby still here, struggling a bit this week though.
I am cold and the grey weather isn’t helping. Although I have been keeping carbs low out of habit, I wrote everything down but didn’t track in MFP since Monday, and when I caught up last night, was not really surprised to see that we (me, as catering manager) have not kept to 800cal yet this week, although today is looking on track. I acknowledge that retrospective tracking isn’t such a good idea.
I also realise that nuts are the food of the devil – how can 50g of mixed nuts nibbled on through the day take up nearly half my daily allowance? Anyway, the Christmas nuts are nearly finished (I also hate food waste) and they will only be allowed as part of maintenance or emergencies.
I am, however, feeling leaner than last week, so some positives.

RubyG, you are right about retrospective tracking and you have just reminded me that besides forgetting to add the cheese for my fritatta to my log I also…. had a few nuts as a snack. Oops.

I’m quietly sitting at the back of the bus and watching everyone manage their journey in different ways.
I have stuck to my plan of eating this week though haven’t been counting numbers. I did however give in to a VA(s)T last night!! Why, I don’t know but tomorrow’s gone and I’m determined not to beat myself up about it.
The bus is warm and comfy but we must watch how we go – snow and ice are like carbs and booze and can make us slip off the step!!!
O.D.A.A.T.
X B

RUBY G isnt it lovely when we get that leaner feeling!
BUSYBEE what are the VA(s)T that you succumbed to,..Ive no idea and Im agog! please explain! X
I like your analogy carbs and booze,snow and ice..both can make us slip..so true!
I ve still got a small bottle red wine that was in my xmas stocking and today I found some leftover xmas snacky savoury biccies lurking in the cupboard …tonight Im going to snarf them! Both wine n snax only small,so not too much harm..after all,its only our first week on the bus..anyone is welcome to a sip of my wine and a nibble of my snack😀xxxx

Well, I’m keeping my seat warm on the bus but not actually making any progress. Two days good followed by two not so good days. I can’t seem to get into the right frame of mind. I am snacking which isn’t something I would normally do. I’m blaming the third lockdown and the scary Covid crisis we find ourselves in here in the UK and I am genuinely frightened. The numbers of infected people is shocking and the death toll alarming. My son lives alone In London and has to go to work every day and I am worried about him. I am not making excuses I really do feel genuinely that it having an impact and I can’t knuckle down!
I will keep things in perspective and aim to get my health and nutrition optimised in order to give me a fighting chance when I get Covid.
I am disappointed that I haven’t got off to a good start but I honestly wasn’t expecting another lockdown and I haven’t jumped off the bus yet.
I get the distinct impression that there may be others feeling like me on our first week back to basics and I hope that next week might be a better week for us all. Well done to everyone who is keeping on track. I am starting my new job on Tuesday so there will be no snacking at work!
We can only do our very best and at the moment I am finding it difficult but tomorrow is another day.
Enjoy your wine and snacks Yowser- I have a feeling I will be joining you this evening!

Cheers CCATHY!🍷🍷xx🥰
Yes i think many of us are struggling just now and its not surprising..
Between post xmas gloom and worries about health and the future
Keep in mind tho CATHY..they now have three drugs they can use to treat covid,plus the vaccines..think three have now been approved?
Just think of how vaccines have eradicated polio and other illnesses that used to be so scary for our parents and grandparents! Fingers crossed,same with the virus,and we can send all our Carb Monsters AND the virus packing in the weeks and months to come 😀
Anyway it’s early days isnt it for us travellers,its only week 1 on the bus!..so if all we do is we just make some improvements this week,we have still accomplished a lot..and I know you have,and others,and I have too..so a big pat on the back to all of us! Team Easter! Go us! 🏆🏆🏆❤️❤️❤️XX

Oh CC I feel for you! I too feel much anxious about the lockdown this time round and have a daughter who has worked through the horrible pandemic in primary care in the South East. I hope she gets her vaccine soon – I would rather her get the jab than me!
I also agree that we are all finding it hard to find the will to cope with the eating plan and trying to reduce the booze!
Perhaps we should relax a bit, look after ourselves and wait patiently for our jab?
Love to all

Hello! Well, this week has gone well. I seem to have found myself fasting more than anything. The first two days I had vegetable soup in the evening. I’ve now decided I’m going to fast 3 days a week and try and be better with my non fasting days.
I’m also undertaking a 30-day yoga course and it’s doing me the world of good – I think! 😉
How are you all getting on and how are you planning to tackle the weekend?
❤️

Well done our Beano! Did I tell you that I told the 30 day yoga lady Adriene that I cdnt get down on the floor ( or up again!) and she sent me links to her seated and standing routines. Wasnt that kind! Im enjoying the breathing exercises X
Lets all sing..🎶🎶🎶the wheels on the bus go round and round! 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶 🥳😍🥳😍🥳😍🥳😍🥳

Hello everyone,
I was hoping to start on the 8 week Fast 800 to kick start my weight loss after Christmas. However, due to a variety of factors- new school term/ home schooling/ new Lockdown, I haven’t succeeded this week. Hoping to start afresh on Sunday and keep going this time! CanI join the Easter Bus Tour?
Thanks
Claire

Hi Claire. We’d love to have you on board! As you can hopefully see, we’re a friendly bunch with lots of good intentions but sometimes life gets in the way! We’d love to help you on your Fast 800 journey. Despite whatever else is going on, I’m sure if you stick with us, you’ll not only lose weight but also have some fun and friendship along the way X

Yowzer, I love your rendering of ‘The Wheels On The Bus Go Round and Round’.🚌
In answer to your question about a V.A.(S).T. It’s a Vodka And Tonic or VAT as Del Boy drinks in Only Fools and Horses, but with Slimline tonic!
I find that if I use a really nice glass, add a slice of lime and lots of ice I can get away with just a little Vodka.
Stay safe and take care of yourself.
X B

Hi DCT and everyone
Hope it’s OK to join the Easter bus. A little bit late but not to worry. I’m having my last bottle of beer tonight (was bought 4 well before Christmas so not done too bad) and starting properly tomorrow. Really looking forward to being back on board and travelling along with everyone over the next few months.
Jennie xx

BUSYBEE! Thanks for the explanation..Im the same! Tiny bit of gin,fill up with slimline tonic,ice and a slice …does the trick.
lovely jubbly..
I think DelBoy used to say that as well!
CLAIRE welcome to the best bus in the business! See you tomorrow!
Hi JENNIE,enjoy those last beers..and dont worry many of us have got off to a very slow start,so you havent missed much..see you tomorrow as well..ding ding! Hold tight! the freedom of the road awaits us all! X

Hi everyone, hope you are all enjoying the weekend, we are finally getting some lovely summer weather here in Sydney, I usually hate summer as it’s too hot but I must admit after a few weeks of cooler, grey and wet days (actually a lot like being in England!), it’s been nice to have blue skies and sunshine.

Jennie – nice to see that you have been able to join us 🙂

CCathy – I’m sorry to hear you are feeling low. This Covid situation is awful and dragging everyone down, and I can understand why you would be worrying about your son.

I was finally able to see my eldest daughter this weekend. I hadn’t seen her for a few months (Due In part to Covid restrictions) and in that time she’d got engaged, and of course Christmas and New Year had come and gone. So I cooked another Christmas dinner yesterday and we had a lovely family meal, plus a few glasses of bubbly, and celebrated everything all at once!
I had weighed myself on Friday and was pleased to see I had managed to discard 2.6kg this week – I realise a lot of that would be water weight, but it was nice seeing a lower number on the scales!
I don’t know what damage this weekend has done, probably not too much as I didn’t go overboard, but I won’t be weighing again till Friday so any gain would be gone by then (hopefully!)

Yowzer – I love Del Boy and Only Fools and Horses, I have the boxed set of dvds with all episodes and Xmas specials and we have been watching them again – always good for a laugh, even though I’ve seen every episode multiple times. 🙂

Wow well done Sue, you’re off to a great start! Lovely that you could see your daughter and catch up the celebrations.

And welcome back Jennie! I do hope you are ok? X

As others have said, many of us are struggling in various ways at the moment. I mean with life and circumstances in general, not just sticking to the diet. But we are hearing more and more that “it’s ok not to be ok” and it’s good we have this thread to keep us going if we are feeling down. It’s also important more than ever that we focus on our health and get ourselves in the best possible shape in terms of being well and strong. So it’s great that our bus tour can help each other do that as well.

I went a bit off piste last week so am drawing a line under it and starting again tomorrow. I know that when I do stick to plan, weight starts to come off again and I also feel better and stronger. I also had a lovely long dog walk on Friday and will do the same today, and even managed to get out for a short run yesterday. I find that fresh air and moderate exercise of any kind really helps to boost my spirits. Just wish we had some of your lovely sunshine Sue!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone, and here’s hoping for a better week with some good results among us.

Good luck with the new job Cathy! X

Hi all,
Dreamscometrue, I think the bus must just have hit a few potholes. I experienced them too, but onwards and downwards! After the first week, I am 2.2kgs down – nearly 5lbs. Most of it is water of course, but I feel I am on my way. Best wishes to all for the coming week, and good luck with the New Job, CC!

It’s reassuring that it’s ok to not be ok and it seems that most passengers have been ‘a bit down’ over the last week. (Except Yowzer who sounds on top of the world!)
I have mainly kept to my 2021 regime, (except for increasing my exercise) but admit it has been a struggle.
I haven’t stepped on the scales as I am keeping away from the numbers but that means I don’t know how I’m doing!
A new day and a new week tomorrow and I’ll get my bus ticket punched ready for the ’ journey’
O.D.A.A.T.
X B

Hi folks,happy Sunday…!
Like CARONL said,onwards and downwards……many of us are very slowlllllllly easing our way into the journey! Others are doing well,off to a great start,and are to be applauded for showing us such a good example 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
For me,its time to knuckle down now that we’re a third of the way thru Jan…I’m looking forward to tomorrow and to feeling better for healthy eating and hydrating more,keeping moving,feeling lighter and less sluggish…
Happy new week!
Three things you shouldnt lose this week..your faith,your courage and your smile!🥰🥰🥰 xx

CCathy – good luck with starring your new job this week 😀

CCATHY! best of luck for the week ahead! X Hope all goes well x

Hi everyone
Thank you so much for the kind wishes re my new job which starts on Tuesday. It’s part time and due to the current Covid situation I am taking it day by day. Should be a three day week but not sure if I will be required for three days at the moment due to lockdown. I’ll find out more on Tuesday. It’s so lovely of you to think of me.

I’ve not had a great start this week as you know getting to grips with my healthy eating- I’ve felt quite down and frightened about the Covid situation here in UK and the alarming infection rate/appalling death rate. However, I’ve strapped myself in my seat and I intend to try much harder this week.

Well done to everyone who has got off to a great start- SueBlue- amazing loss! I am going to knuckle down tomorrow and earn my seat on this bus- I don’t want to be the one who lets the side down. So here we go again for week two, taking it one day at a time. Great to see so many passengers keen and eager to do their best. All aboard…. ding ding 🔔 x

Hi everyone,
Cathy I really sympathise with how you’ve been feeling as I’ve been feeling very similar over the last week.The situation is looking very serious in the UK,I have just been watching Prof Chris Whitty on breakfast tv and I just hope all members of the public take what he says seriously. I think a new year is sometimes a time to reflect on the last year and I’ve been feeling quite sad as I’m sure lots of people have.My daughter’s GCSEs have been cancelled which is a relief after all of the disruption but also a shame because they’re something she and her friends have worked towards for so long.I have to say I’m relieved she is not at school with the current rate that the virus is spreading.Also I’m now just trying not to think about when we may eventually get to see my Dad in his care home as I would imagine it could be quite some time.So all in all I haven’t got stuck into this woe the way I had intended over this last week,even though I had written a food plan,but from today I’m going to try to take advantage of the fact we are in lockdown again and really concentrate on getting myself to the healthiest I can be.I know I will have days when it’s maybe harder but I know from experience that after the first two weeks I will find it much easier.I usually try to have my breakfast before the school run but,as there is no school run now,I’m going to leave it until 10 o’clock which gives me a smaller eating window of 8 hours.I’m hanging onto my bus seat with no intention of falling off the bus completely but it may be tricky in places!Cathy I hope your first week at the new job goes well.Dawn X

Hi everyone hope you all had a good day today.
I thought I’d share something I read today with you. I’d ordered the new Fast 800 Easy recipe book and it came today (basically it’s Fast 800 recipes using 7 ingredients or less), and in the diet summary they talk about calorie counts for the Fast 800, and they recommend 800-900 calories and say that anything between 800 and 1000 is ok
For vegetarian/vegan diets they recommend at least 900 calories a day so that you are getting adequate protein.
Anyway I thought I’d share in case there are others like me who struggle to keep to 800 calories or less 🙂
Today was 860 calories and I managed to fit a 45 minute walk in. It was quite hot so it was easy keeping my water intake up!

Hiii everyone..a brand new week! Just a quicky,trying to cut down on online time! X
Good quote..
Monday is the perfect day to correct last week’s mistakes! XXX
❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜 ~ Love and Hugs to all Bus Dwellers..the week is ours,lets use it! ~❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜 xx

Yowzer, where do you find all these inspirational comments/quotes! You never fail to make me smile or cheer me up!
I’m chugging along nearly on the bus route but I’m not exercising as much as I should and make excuses not to go out.
I’m clutching my bus ticket and mantra and willing myself to carry on!
O.D.A.A.T.
X B

BUSYBEE I usually find them in books or online. I’m gad they help
Your O.D.A.A.T. really helps me 💜
Hows everyone on the bus today as we fly by hill and dale,enjoying the scenic route?
Yesterday was my first proper 100% committed day and I feel better already for it.X
CCATHY hope first day at work today is going / went well xxx

Hi folks,
I found this article quite interesting and shared it on the non scale victory thread earlier today, its been suggested that it could be helpful to share. I hope you find it thought provoking.

https://tinybuddha.com/blog/if-you-hate-your-body-and-think-you-need-to-fix-it/?fbclid=IwAR16eMgyD1y9oS9vRoFcPd3PmuAJsDoJNbUAjGoZurK1uUjMngM_6kvw5ps

Great article JGwen, thanks for sharing. It’s frightening how we can get trapped into negative ways of thinking about ourselves. But so good to be aware of that so we can break free.

I’m much calmer about my weight loss journey now – which probably presents on here as a bit lackadaisical sometimes. But I’m at the place where I do have a goal, and know I will achieve it, but my progress is not linear. Through choice as much as anything else. Sometimes I put in real effort and it all feels right and I see results. Other times I just need to take a step back from it all. Not to undo all the good work but just rest a while. And the overriding thing is to be kind to myself and accept who I am.

We can fall into the trap of placing all our hopes and expectations on some future point, for example when we’ve achieved our target weight. And always be striving for that. But it’s also important to live in the moment. Life doesn’t just start once you reach your target weight , it’s also to be lived and enjoyed now. Particularly in these dark and difficult times.

Sorry, am rambling, but that article hit a chord!

Hello to everyone else. How’s the week going? Good to be travelling with you all.

Cathy hope your first day at work went well today? Sue thanks for the calorie update. I tend to work to 1000 calories if I’m exercising that day. I want to make sure I’m giving my body enough nutrients to be healthy, particularly as I eat a mainly non-meat diet. Well done Busybee for hanging in there! Keep on keeping on as the saying goes. And Yowser yes, I can’t believe we’re a third through January already! How’s your social media cut down going? I agree it can be a real time waster, though in the other hand a real lifeline during lockdown.

Dawn I share your mixed feelings about your daughter’s cancelled GCSEs: a mixture of relief and disappointment I’m sure. And so sorry yet another delay in seeing your Dad 😞. My mum is 92 and has her first Covid jab tomorrow. We live 300 miles apart and I’ve not seen her since August. It’s horrible that I can’t be there to help – she’s having to get a taxi to the vaccination centre. Makes me feel awful tbh.

Difficult times for us all. But good to be plodding on together X

DCT, that is a wonderful post. Your second and third paras are so perfectly put. I think it goes very well with the topic on NSVs which JGwen has initiated. You WILL see your Mum soon; don’t feel bad, there are many who are in exactly the same place. All best.

Hi DCT, I am glad you enjoyed the article. I initially just posted it on the NSV thread but it was suggested that I post it wider. I have been reading a book on binge eating, and thought about sharing some quotes from that but this article made the same points far better than the book.

I will add it to the take a look at this thread so that its there for people to refer back to in the future. – For anyone who is relatively recent to the forum there is one thread where we all post links to articles and youtube videos that we find helpful. A great resource for others to work their way through, but I would suggest starting at the earliest posts and working your way through if you fancy some background reading some time.

Sixturkeys lovely to hear from you and thank you for your kind words. How are you? How many turkeys still to go?!

JGwen I will indeed take a look at the “Take a look at this” thread. Thanks. Hope all is well with you during the latest lockdown?

Have a good day everyone. This bus is on the move! Destination Easter. 🚌 🚌 🚌

Hello Everyone
JGwen- thank you for posting the very inspiring and interesting article. Being kind to myself is something I am working on. I am giving the scales a miss! I will weigh myself once a month.

I have had a couple of really good days food wise. Coffee for breakfast, frittata for lunch and a low carb evening meal. My fluids are down because I started my new job this week and I am taking my own water to drink and have only been drinking 500 ml until I get home when I am really thirsty! I don’t want to use a communal kitchen to make a hot drink or use tap water! It’s been a tough week mentally. The new job isn’t easy at all and I have got a lot of new systems to learn and I wonder if it might be all too much for me. I am 60 this year and learning a new job isn’t easy and it comes with a lot of responsibility!. It’s too early to make a decision so I will see how things work out over the next few weeks. My friend’s daughter has sadly been admitted today to ICU with Covid. She has Down’s Syndrome and has been put into an induced coma- it’s all very worrying. My Aunty has her Covid vaccine tomorrow which is good news. Difficult times STILL!

I will keep doing my best during these very trying times! I hope that everyone is enjoying the first leg of the journey. We have some turbulent times ahead but we are well strapped in and all doing our very best.

One day at a time everyone!

CCATHY good to hear from you.
I hope the job gets less overwhelming as time goes on. Like you said,one day at a time and see how the next weeks go.
I bet youre coming home very tired..the first week in any new job is draining at the best of times..in the current climate even more so,trying to avoid communal areas and so on. So be extra kind to yourself and try to get plenty of sleep.
Well done on eating carefully,even tho youre feeling stressed.
Dont forget,you won this job and thats a huge achievement to be chosen at age of 60! You must have really impressed the interviewers! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
My thoughts and prayers go out to your friends DD and family x
I also have heard my friends daughter has covid. Nowhere near as ill as yr friends daughter.
She lives with mum and brother and the three of them are finding it hard to isolate from each other in a semi. Friend hasnt seen DD for a few days as she’s keeping to her bedroom….what odd times we are experiencing!
Anyway sending you a big cyber hug! Take care of yourself,be good to yourself XXXXX💜

It’s a while since I posted but not because I’ve gone off the rails, I haven’t- or only in the tiniest way last Saturday when I had a [small] group of people here helping me make alterations to my kitchen and stupidly joined then in some lunch. Actually I was a little despondent about my lack of progress despite trying really really hard since 27/12, I was feeling such a failure! but then I re-read something JGwen wrote about fixating on scales and then this last article you posted a link to a very profound piece on hating our bodies. It seemed profound to me anyway. And somehow I am sunny side up again, believing I’ll get there somehow.
Thank you, DCT, for your comment about living in the moment because it helped me get to where I am now, realising that life is going on and I might as well enjoy it even if I don’t look just the way I’d like to!
CC, I haven’t had many totally new roles but my last two have been huge departures from what I did for 30 years- birthing unit midwife- and I have found each time that it took me 3-6 months to really shake down and know confidently what I was doing and how to go about it. It’s a very unsettling period but I am sure that if you give yourself time you’ll do fine.
I am keeping my spreadsheet up to date and that is really helping to keep my aims in the forefront of my mind. We are finally having some summer here, with a vengeance. It is still over 30deg at 8pm. My weight is fluctuating by more than a kilo each day but I also know I am retaining fluid like nobody’s business so managing to see it without it having any power over my determination.
You are all having such a worrying time in America and uk [my keyboard won’t do capital u, no disrespect intended] I do hope some respite comes to you soon.

KOKO, ODAAT

Cathy – this quote came up on my FB newsfeed this morning and I thought of you straight away:

Sometimes the spark within you is not a big, fiery flame for all to see, it is just a tiny spark that whispers ever so softly “You got this. Keep going”

It is always daunting starting a new job (or indeed anything new!). In late 2019 at 54 years old I moved into a completely different role and have had to learn all new systems too. It was a challenge at first but once I settled in I was fine, and I’m sure you will be too 🙂

I’m still on the bus, had a slightly better week so far, long may it last.
Keep safe everyone!

Thank you for all the lovely messages I’ve received giving me confidence in what has been a very difficult week starting a new and daunting job mid pandemic! I was awake at 5 am this morning worrying about whether it was too much for me but then I thought to myself- just think of it being a difficult 1000 piece jigsaw I am doing every day and getting paid for it! I know I am more than capable of doing this job and going back to JGwen’s article, I need to be kinder to myself and I do like a challenge and I do like helping people and doing a good job. I am going to be kinder to myself and try not worry about things!!! I am off now until next week so I can concentrate on my eating and looking after my fluid intake!

Thanks everyone for your support and kindness- it had meant a lot.

Hi SueBlue, would you say the new book is worth buying? I only have my original one from 2017. Interesting about the revised calorie guide.

Hi Mariet
I still use my 2017 Blood Sugar Diet recipe book, but also have the Fast 800
main book, recipe book and now the new Fast and easy one.
To be honest I wouldn’t worry about buying the Fast 800 main book as the principles are pretty similar to BSD.
There is more emphasis on TRE, and some more flexibility with carb options, for example on non-fast (non 800 days) adding in brown rice, quinoa, sour dough bread etc. There is also a list of vegetables you can eat freely without counting calories.
The Fast 800 recipe book (the original one) is fantastic. So many delicious recipes, I use it more often than I do the BSD one, so I definitely got my money’s worth with that one.
Now the new one, the Fast 800 Easy, it has 130 new recipes that are mainly 7 ingredients or less and can be prepared in a shorter time frame. It also includes prep time in the recipe as well as cooking time, and is designed so that everyone in a household/family could eat the meal also. My book was delivered earlier this week but I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t had a chance to look at it properly! And I haven’t made anything yet so can’t comment there!
The part about the change to calorie allowance was in the meal plan section at the back of the new recipe book, it’s only a couple of paragraphs.
Once I’ve made some recipes I’ll let you know 🙂
Big W are selling the new recipe book for $22, and I think the Fast 800 recipe book cost around that much too.

Hi everyone.I rolled off the bus over the last few days but have clambered back on now and am hoping that I can sit firmly in my seat without too many bumps in the road. I haven’t weighed myself since Christmas Eve and there are only 17 days until I weigh myself again (I think I had been thinking February was still a full month away for some reason so was surprised when I realised it wasn’t,I’m so not with it at the moment!!! ) so I really want to make these next few weeks count.Well done everyone who is sitting firmly in their seat and to anyone like me who isn’t,let’s make the next 24 hours (no matter what time of day it is wherever you are) healthy eating ones😀 Dawn X

I’ve got off the bus a few times this week too!
Little things in life have upset me and I gave in to the comfort of the white stuff!!
Why oh why do I do this?
Never mind, I am trying to be kinder to myself and ‘as tomorrow has gone, tomorrow never comes, I will deal on this today’.
O.D.A.A.T.
X B

Hello everyone- for some reason I’ve not been getting any emails through this last day or so. I have to admit that I got off the bus yesterday because I’ve had a particularly upsetting and bad week. I am going to take myself away for a few days, give myself some space and jump back on again on Monday with renewed enthusiasm. My friend’s daughter is still in ICU with Covid and is particularly poorly. She has Downs Syndrome and I don’t know whether that will have any impact on her recovery. Very very sad, I’ve known her since she was a little girl and she is 33 so I am saying my prayers for her recovery.
I quit my new job today- it was horrendous. The Professor I was working for was obnoxious. However, I have learnt so much about myself. I am still confident, I have not lost my skillset and the best thing of all is that my intuition radar is as reliable as ever! I have a special skill of being very intuitive and I wondered, if since I retired last March, whether I would have lost that special power- well I haven’t! I am very sad that things didn’t work out but would be sadder staying in a job working with someone so incredibly difficult to get on with. His language was grossly offensive and he was so rude and extremely angry. I cannot work with somebody like that. Monty, my rescue cat is so happy I am staying home with him now. Apparently, he waited in the hall for me coming home all day! That’s the problem with having a lockdown pet!
So I will be dusting myself down after the weekend and I will buy a new bus ticket 🎫 and join in again. I don’t know where I am weight wise. I was being really good whilst at work last week but have had a little dalliance today with some Christmas cake and some chocolates I was bought for Christmas!

Well done to those who are knuckling down and making progress. Keep going to those like me who are on and off the bus. Life is so difficult at the moment and we are doing our very best. Let’s be kind to ourselves.

Cathy just want to send love and moral support. It’s funny: you talk about being intuitive and I think I am too. So when you related some of the “teething” issues earlier in the week I did want to ask you if you really wanted the job. Something just didn’t feel right. So I’m glad you did the brave thing and walked away from what sounds like a horrible situation.

If you need another job then I’m sure something better will come your way. Meanwhile, enjoy your time with Monty!

So sorry to hear about your friend’s daughter. Am hoping and praying that there is some positive improvement soon.

Meanwhile do have a relaxing weekend to get over this week!

Same to everyone else too. Happy weekend, and hope that there has been some progress this week? I’ve had a better week and am starting to see a downward trend on the scales. But have had far too much wine this evening so have probably scuppered that 🙀

Love to you all and let’s keep this bus 🚌 moving! X

( Gahhhhh…just lost a post! Try again)
CCATHY, the Prof sounds like an absolute nightmare! Nobody should have to work alongside someone who’s obnoxious. You deserve better ❤️
I’m glad youre giving yrself a few days TLC and hope Montys giving you plenty of cuddles xx!😻
Gut feelings…I never used to trust mine,but over the years Ive learnt to.
I think the creepiest one I had was living in London many years ago and taking temporary office jobs. For three weeks I worked with a seemingly inoffensive,mild mannered,quiet guy,but my antennae told me sthing was very wrong with him. I was actually scared of him,he chilled me to the bone, and I gave him a wide berth. A few years later,I saw his face splashed all over the front pages of the newspapers and in the TV news. He had been accused of a murder and went on to confess to many more.
Always trust those feelings in your solar plexus and listen to that little inner voice. It always knows xx!
DCT! Glad you have had a good week X Ive had a good five days that have shifted the Xmas pounds! SO i am actually on the roof of the bus tonight doing a little dance of joy! But I know exactly what you mean..I too am very capable of scuppering things ….we are only human,and lifes hard just now..a little drink is a great comfort at times! Or a few nibbles..😋 X

Ps ?.Sorry but just got excited coz I got a message telling me pancake tuesday is feb 16 th this year..
Mmmmmm..I cant wait! I reckon there’ll be a big plate of them getting passed round the bus! X

Cathy I am so sorry to hear about your friend’s daughter and hope her recovery begins soon.As far as your new job goes,that Professor sounds absolutely awful and I’m so pleased you haven’t stayed there,I can’t imagine anyone putting up with that behaviour for long!
Hope everyone has a good day,we are off to my mum’s this morning to see if my husband can fix her problematic kitchen tap,he’s not a plumber but has fixed stuff like that in the past so is going to give it a go🤞Dawn X

Yowzer how awful to have been working with a murderer! I’m so glad you had no problems from him. But what a shock. I’ve just finished reading a book called The Midnight Library which is a story about someone who gets the chance to go back to various points in life and see what would have happened if she’d made different choices from what she did at the time. It’s all made me think of the various “what ifs” we have in life, and how we got to be who and where we are today, and what dangers and pitfalls we – maybe unknowingly – avoided along the way.

On a totally different topic, cuppa asked ages ago what music we most liked to dance to. I took so long to think about my answer that I then forgot to post anything. I love many types of music but, though I enjoy dancing, I don’t get to do it that much. But you know what, I think I’ll start doing some at home from next wee!. Good exercise and lifts the spirits. Anyway, on the radio this morning there was some kind of disco special and one of the requests was for Trammps Disco Inferno, which took me right back to my uni days when Saturday Night Fever was all the rage and we used to go to a little disco called The Merry Go Round and dance away. But one of my more recent favourite movie dance scenes is Hugh Grant in Love Actually, boogieing down the stairs of Number 10 to The Pointer Sisters’ Jump. Never fails to raise a smile!

Anyway, am rambling on about nothing to do with our bus tour, although it’s nice to have a bit of philosophy and music along the way!

Hope that everyone has a positive weekend and we can share various bits of good news on Monday. Belated shout out to Busybee. Love the quote, and keep on being kind to yourself. We’re here to hold your hand on this rickety bus ride. Also Dawn, I hope you get your mum sorted, and that you feel a bit more up to the bus ride next week.

These are hard times in different ways for all of us, so sending a big hug to everyone reading this X

DCT- we are definitely “sisters”, I was bought The Midnight Library for Christmas and like you really enjoyed it. It made me think about my choices and decisions too. I love reading and am a member of a book club that sadly hasn’t met since Christmas 2019! Like you, I have an eclectic taste in music- I love classical music playing the piano and the clarinet. I love the disco inferno tune but deep down I am a “rock chic”, loving guns n roses. I seem to remember you loved Marillion, Kayleigh being one of my favourite tunes of all time. So , we have a lot in common.

Yowser, having intuition is a very useful and powerful super power! How shocking to read that you had been working alongside a murderer! I wonder what intuition is? Is it a sixth sense? Yowser, I will skip on the pancakes- I’ve always tried to like them but I really can’t stand their texture?

Anyway, lovely to share this journey with so many lovely friends. Let’s crank the music up next week for this ride. I am already beginning to feel back to my normal self and am definitely ready to dust myself down and restart my weight loss journey.

Have a great weekend everyone and thank you for your support and encouragement.