Thank you indeed Wendleg 🙂 This dear friend is such an inspiration to me . . . in spite of so many deteriorations in so many areas and in need of total care for everything save feeding herself . . . her respectability, level of grooming and sense of humour has never waned. This could likely be our last chance to share precious time . . . so there is a bitter sweet emotion around this “different” journey to travel there. Im usually the driver and love longhauls. This time its a 5 hour drive a 7 hour train ride then in reverse. Tats why its different! I WONT BE IN CHARGE OF THE STEERING WHEEL!!! THAT will be me not controlling! Whoa there! Im not used to THAT aspect 🙂 Merry Christmas all 🙂

Positives in my life right now
Just had full set of blood tests and all is good BG 6.1, Cholesterol 4.6 – even with much lower meds, and BP 120/70 also lost 2kg since last doctors visit.
Managed to get our French ID cards after months of continuously clicking on the website.
Finally, only a few days now before I see my lovely family in Birmingham, England for a 2 week visit.

Just happy about everything right now.

Hi sunshine-girl. Great results no wonder you are happy! Seasons greetings to you and yours and enjoy your stay back in the U.K. Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year and who knows we may ‘see’ more of you on the threads in 2019. Take care, enjoy and most importantly, keep on keeping on………

Evening all.
Short and sweet today, just like me 😉
1. As of yesterday weighed in on the next stone down.
2. Waist is down a little bit at 34 inches.
3. Seen a job I want to apply for. Hoping for a new start in 2019
Sweet dreams everyone, night night.

Nellie, you are closing out the year with style! Americans think in lbs., not stones, but I’ve learned to do
both, and where you are is a great place to be 🙂 Best of luck with the job prospects!

Good luck with the job application Nelliecat and well done on reaching the next stone bracket.

2019 is going to be our year !!!

Congrats Sunshine-girl on getting your French ID cards sorted. I gather it has become quite a challenge! And well done on all your med results. Best wishes to you for a lovely Christmas in the UK.

Positives from the last few days:
1) wowed a friend that I hadn’t seen for over a year. Er yes…I’ve lost weight!
2) managed a day in Belgium without succumbing to chips!
3) still not panicking about Christmas. Just looking forward to having all the family together again.

Have a great week one and all.

I know all about French Id cards/passports ! It took me 2 years to become Frenglish !! Well done Sunshinegirl ! That is one useful security blanket !

Well done to you too caronl ! I fondly remember the chips wagons on the main square in Bruges and I didn’t resist them at all in those days. I indulged in a lot of chocolate too if I remember rightly !!

So pleased you are looking forward to Christmas without any stress. That’s the way to do it. Unfortunately I won’t have my boys with us this year as they will be celebrating Christmas in Oz .Thank goodness for WhatsApp and Skype !

Have a great Week . Stay calm and stress free as much as possible everyone .Keep smiling ! We have lots to be grateful for !

Good morning! Lots for me to be positive about today.
Yesterday, we had lots of family here for lunch and a good time was had by all. I had no problem declining apple pie, chocolate tart or sticky toffee pudding as they really hold no attraction for me anymore. I can’t, however, say the same for cheese! I did enjoy it though.
Today is my birthday so I’ve managed to survive another year …. always something to celebrate these days. I’m surrounded by cards and flowers and am feeling that all is well with the world.
Chocolates… well I received two boxes, both dark, but again I have no desire for them with around 49g per 100g of carbs. I guess we have to say this WOE really does become a WOL if you stick at it long enough.
I know this is a busy week for everyone but try and stay positive!

Happy Birthday Verano and many happy returns!

My positives today:
1) Had my first job interview in many many years, and I survived!
2) Blue skies and the snow has melted.
3) Looking forward to some good Christmas shopping at the market. Olives, chestnuts (whoops) and cranberries…
Happy Monday!

Warmest Birthday wishes to you V.! I’m glad that you are feeling enveloped in love today 🙂 🙂 🙂 Was this a
“big one”?

Hi Caron! I’m so curious to know what you plan to do with chestnuts! Every best wish that the job you
have interviewed for is the one that’s meant to be. It must feel wonderful to walk in feeling confident
that you are looking your best 🙂 If you don’t mind my asking, what profession are you looking forward to
returning to?

Be back later with a few positives of my own. I need coffee first, so at least I will sound coherent.!
A week left until the celebrations begin, and everyone is sounding so in control. I love it 🙂 I hope someone
will tell me the meaning of Boxing Day, and how it came about! 🙂

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VERANO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

Verano
I am joining in with all the lovely forum members to wish you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. !! So pleased to hear you had a great time with your family.

I am very impressed to hear you resisted all those fiendish goodies. This is definitely , most definitely becoming your WOL !!

Well done V. Not only did you ‘survive the year’ but you remain a major contributor and very well respected member of the forum !
Thank you for your advice and support
xxx

Well done on the interview caronl. Not easy after a long break from the interview circuit !

Let us know the outcome .Crossing everything for you !

Allie , Delia Smith a well known British cook (although not so visible on Tv cookery shows these days) prepares brussel sprouts with chestnuts . Recipe here

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/books/delias-happy-christmas/sauteed-brussels-sprouts-with-chestnuts
I love chestnuts !
Positives for me ? Last week of school, last meeting tomorrow. I am not sniffling and coughing and spluttering like many of the staff and pupils who have succumbed to various ‘lurgies’ and seasonal viruses. I swear by lemon juice and grated fresh ginger in hot water every morning !

Happy Birthday Verano!! Many happy returns!
Caron, good to hear your interview went well — it IS hard to interview when you haven’t done it for awhile. If you like the job, I hope it results in an offer!
Sunshine girl, I can imagine getting your French paperwork in order is very calming — and your health markers came back so good! How far you have come with this WOL!
Nelliecat, yay, a job you want to apply for — I hope that works out!
Hi Wendleg!
Hi Wooduckie!
Hi Allie!
Hi anyone I missed!
My positives are
1.) It is snowing! So beautiful and peaceful and good skiing tomorrow!
2.) I love being up in the mountains where my daughter and brand new son in law live because I get to see them a lot (ha ha they probably prefer me back in the flats!) and we also have the granddaughters and my son and DIL coming up for Christmas — I have the tree out on the deck and we’ll bring it in just before they arrive so it stays fresh.
I’m not even going to complicate my life with ornaments, just put a lot of white lights on it and call it good.
3.) I’m fasting today until dinner (a 24 hour stretch) to prepare for the coming week — there will be a few extra carbs due to the vegetarian requirements of the visitors (not to mention they will want some Christmas bread and desserts) and my body just doesn’t do well on carbs — so I’m building in a little leeway.
My new son in law says his Christmas Eve family tradition is LASAGNA for heavens sake — so I will make that because it is his first year officially in the family — I’ll make a big green salad to go with.
Christmas dinner is easy — we always do a filet of beef with peppercorns, and we will just skip the Yorkshire puddings and have roasted Brussels sprouts.
I hope this last week into Christmas is peaceful and fun and festive for all. The solstice is just three days from now, such a magical time of year!

Happy Birthday from me too V, hope it’s an extra special one for you.
Fingers crossed for the job, caronl – sounds like it all went well.
Brilliant results sunshinegirl – you must be feeling great.

Have had a busy w/e with pre-Christmas visits to son and granddaughter and then friends. Seems son and partner might come to us for Christmas Day dinner and stay over, but decision won’t be made until later this week! I’m beginning to get a little stressed with the Christmas run-up plans chores – I am managing to get things ticked off the list, although every now and then I think of something else to add on. Overall I think the list is shrinking though – have told OH he’ll be pressed into service towards the end of the week when he’s finished with work. Very conscious I still have some gifts or part of gifts to get and that is certainly stressing me.

Today has been productive though and so it’s easy to find the positives ….
1) A lot of pre-Christmas food prepped – 2 lots of sausage meat stuffing – 1 with prunes, walnuts and shallots and the other with cranberries and chestnuts; cranberry and port sauce made; mock ‘bread’ sauce made and a nice big batch of pigs in blankets too.
2) One spare room prepped and one to go.
3) Flight for our next visit to Turkey booked yesterday – only four months away …. yippee!!

Hope everyone else is having a wonderfully positive day.

OOH SunnyB I felt a bit worn out just reading your list of commitments and chores !!!

All the very best but you sound very organised and it will be fine. Don’t stress. You are not SunnyB Superwoman ! You have already achieved a lot .

Another trip to Turkey to look forward to ! That’s great !

Hi Californiagirl/Julia !

Wonderful positives ! Your mountain snowy setting sounds idyllic for Christmas ! A wonderful family gathering is in the making !

You sound well in control too and I think you are right in not over-complicating things !

You are definitely going to have a fabulous, fun, festive , family time !!!

Allie – forgot to say in the past, I’ve made mushroom and chestnut soup, which is yummy – though probably not great on the carb front!

Good to see so many wonderful positives being posted there CG. The mountain retreat sounds idyllic – although in truth, way too much snow for my liking, being a sun and sand type person. Have a wonderful family break though, I’m sure it will be a really special time for you all.

Trying to keep a handle on the stress levels and definitely not looking to be superwoman, wendleg – hence pressing OH into household chores later in the week. He’s not much good in the kitchen, but he can push a vacuum with the best of them and I think it’s time he had a go at cleaning the shower too!!! Haven’t told him that yet though.

Here you are Allie, some of the thoughts on the origins of Boxing Day

https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/boxingday.shtml

Happy birthday V, see you next year.

Happy Birthday Verano 🎂

Happy birthday Verano – you sound as though you had a lovely time with family yesterday. How brilliant that this has truly become a WOL and the bad stuff was not at all tempting.

Many happy returns from me also, Verano! Well done on dodging the sweet stuff!
1 – 4 more days to go….
2 – All gifts bought and just need to wrap
3 – Puff pastry mince pies – my ultimate favourite – on the fat station and didn’t succumb!
Wishing everyone a peaceful and happy time!
Kazzeexx

Happy birthday Verano!!!! Hope you had a lovely day and it was all you wanted it to be.
Caronl did you hear the outcome of your interview? Scary stuff when you haven’t had one for a while…. I’m currently looking for a new job and have applied for a few but no luck yet. I’ve got high hopes for the new year, good luck to you X
California girl it sounds beautiful where you are. There’s nothing nicer than a white Christmas, and a Christmas tree with lots of white lights sounds amazing.
SunnyB your sausage meat stuffing sounds a-m-a-z-i-n-g
I’m starting to think about getting food ready, might do my bread sauce later (for guests, not me) and was thinking about trying to make some sort of stuffing with ground pork crackling. I’ll see…
Hi everyone else, hope you’re having/will have a good day.
Positives are a bit early for me today but I didn’t post yesterday and will be busy today.
1. Wrapped all presents yesterday and feeling ahead for the first time ever
2. Meeting up with a friend this morning who I haven’t seen for a few months so lots to catch up on and coffee to drink
3. Cleared up a load of paperwork and ‘stuff’ in the kitchen yesterday. Now it looks all sparkling and lovely.
4. Only 2 days of work this week then 6 days off which I’m very much looking forward to
5. Made sugar free, flour free blueberry muffins as an experiment for Christmas and they were deeelicious 😁
Just debating whether to walk the dog. Not sure I’ll get time later but it’s soooo windy out and it makes me anxious. And the dog is currently having a lie in so not sure she’s that bothered right now, bless her. Ooh, just looked out and now it’s raining too. Hmm, not tempting me.
Got my accountancy course later so will be back tomorrow, see you soon everybody x

Thank you all for your good wishes. No Allie it wasn’t a ‘big’ one but in saying that they are all big now!
Everyone seems to be getting through their lists without too many problems.
Julia you snowy scene sounds fabulous but I’m with SunnyB on this one ….. lovely to look at but definitely a sun and sand girl too.
Caron hope 2019 brings you the job you are hoping for.
I have just one positive today, mind you it is only 9.30am so plenty time for some more……
I have just purchased a present for myself, a years subscription to Headspace. I’ve been waiting for a reduced subscription and it landed in my inbox this morning. 2019 is going to be my ‘mindful’ year and I’m so looking forward to it.

I’ve got an interview!!!!! 😮 Equal measures of excitement and terror!

Hi all, and thanks for the best wishes re the job interview. I wasn’t planning to look for work, since I am embracing my retirement whole-heartedly. But it was something I cared about being done properly. No idea how it will go, but will be happy either way. Don’t feel happy saying more on Bill Gates’ highway!

Nelliecat, if you have found a recipe for blueberry muffins that is sugar and flour free, I need to know about it urgently!
Verano, well done on the Headspace. I will be most interested to hear how you find it. A more mindful 2019 sounds a really good goal.
KazzUK well done for resisting puff pastry mince pies!!!
Californiagirl it sounds lovely where you are.
Allie The chestnuts are to have with brussels sprouts, and as one of the stuffings. SunnyB and I are on the same page – they are lovely with cranberries and/or apricots. In moderation as always….

Positives for today:
1) enjoying a new look after going to the hairdressers. Much less grey!
2) learning a new piece of music to sing a capella – one of my favourite pieces – an adaptation of Elgar’s Nimrod. https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+lux+aeterna+voces8&oq=youtube+lu&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i60j69i57j69i60l2j0.5994j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
3) having a more sensible day food-wise after a stress-wobble!

Happy Tuesday!

Good luck Nelliecat!
Caron I tried the free trial on Headspace and found it quite relaxing. I particularly like the ideas for getting back to sleep in the middle of the night when I wake up at some unearthly hour. Sounds like your Tuesday is going well!

What a glorious day to be on this thread! We all are functioning well in a state of controlled chaos, but
the high spirits and anticipation of the holiday is well and truly here. 🙂

AnnieW, thank you kindly for the Boxing Day link. I enjoyed reading it very much! I’m feeling much more
“tuned in” now.

All these ideas for the use of chestnuts in vegetables as well as stuffing sound very elegant and upscale.
I wonder why they aren’t used more on this side of the Atlantic? I’m imaging that you have to first roast
and then peel them? One year I got it into my head that I would use brazil nuts in a stuffing recipe. Only
did that once, because they have possibly the hardest shell, 3 sided, to crack through! Most families
that I know are very particular about the preferred stuffing recipe, and if I were to stray from 3 types of
bread cubes, pork sausage, celery, onion and chopped apple with the traditional herbs and spices, there
would be disappointment all around 🙂

Sunny, I’ve been calling O/H into service to do the last minute vacuuming and bathroom cleaning, too!
He now knows that it has been factored in on all lists!

Julia, my imagination has created a full picture of your life on the mountain…and I have you in
a beautiful open plan home with panoramic views of nature and all the wildlife surrounding you!
I see the hardscape in terms of natural rock outcroppings, and a few fallen trees. Enjoy the beauty of
fresh fallen snow under the stars, and ski trails at your doorstep. Heavenly! Every family has their
Christmas Eve fare, so lasagna doesn’t surprise me much. I have a brother-in-law who is Italian, and
that menu would make him smile. In my family, it was always Reuben sandwiches with kosher pickles
and slaw. We are neither Jewish or German, so I have no idea where it came from! I suspect it came
about to give my Mother some breathing room before Christmas morning. I am delighted by the concept
of a well shaped tree loaded with an abundance of white lights. I may abscond with the idea, and focus
on it, instead of hours of tree trimming..I like your style 🙂

Stay cool, calm and collected everyone, and enjoy the preparations as much as the holiday. Memories
are being made, and it’s always best to try and stay “in the moment”. Joy is in every day, if we look for it!

Hi Allie
I tried once to prepare chestnuts from scratch. Never again! I now buy them ready prepared and vacuum packed, so just need to heat them through. Not sure if they sell them like that your side of the Atlantic.

Allie ….. joy is in every day if we look for it …. what a wonderful mantra! Let’s start now why wait until January 1st!

Why, indeed, V.! I’m wholely in synch with you on this one. “Gratitude” is the “kissing cousin” to Joy, and I
try to practice it each day. I still do my “daily review” before dropping off to sleep at night, and I know
that it’s possible to retrain the mind to see the glass as always half full, instead of half empty. Like the
BSD, all it takes is practice 🙂

Caron, I suspect you’re right about the availability of cleaned chestnuts for sale in Whole Foods markets!
I will keep my eyes peeled, as we are major fans of the lowly brussel sprout. For holidays, what I have done
in recent years is to saute them until they carmelize, with a finely diced piece of pancetta. I’ve made converts
of friends that previously professed to “hate” them!

Nelliecat – re interview, good luck and remember, everyone has put their fingers through the toilet paper! Don’t be daunted and go for it! 👍👍👍😁😁

Help me, Kazz! This reference has totally passed over my head! Fingers through toilet paper??? I confess
to being totally confused, but I’m sure you will translate! xxx

Allie, 🙂 It just means we’re all human at the end of the day, not to be fazed or in awe. If I feel daunted, I imagine that and try not to giggle! 🙂

On the 17th of December it was the first anniversary of my being an active member of this forum, I wanted to come up with three overarching positives from the year, but there are so many to choose from that I gave up in the end.
My positives from this week I have successfully coped with encounters with 2 very draining self absorbed people this week without turning to food as a support.
I have finally cracked the 100kg barrier. Only by 0,1kg, but every little bit counts.

Just WOW, JGwen!! This is in fact a double anniversary to celebrate…Can it be possible that we’ve known
you for an entire year? For Americans, seeing the scale begin with something other than a 2 is a huge accomplishment,
and tipping below 100kg must be same for you. You’ve done the work, my friend, and I CAN imagine how much
easier your daily tasks have become! I look forward to 2019, for it will be the year that you will ride in competition
again! It’s all in your hands…and you now have the skills to take you there. Self absorbed people are a real
challenge for me too, so thumbs up for not allowing them to have any control over you. 🙂

So much positive activity on this thread, it’s taking me a while to catch up !
Well done JGwen !! I know about being 100kg and it’s a great feeling to be moving under that figure . Like Allie, you are an absolute inspiration to us all and I look forward to your informative nd insightful posts through 2019.

Sigh…self absorbed people ..they really drain our energy as you say and very well done for dealing with them . Don’t give them any more of your time.
I am picking your brains again JGwen …
Are you happy with the ketone breathalizer test you found ? A worthwhile purchase or not ?

Caronl …I am with you on the vac packed pre cooked chestnuts.Life is too short to peel a chestnut. The French like them roasted on an open fire in a special pan with holes in. A hairdresser visit is always a ‘feel good’experience . Let us know about the job interview if you can. You are doing really well keeping the stress under control.

All the best for your interveiw too, Nelliecat. As I said to Eclectic once, interviews are valuable experience whatever the outcome and the right job will come along. You have been incredibly productive too !

So many interesting, talented and creative women on this thread ….singers, musicians, artists.I am totally humbled by your skills.

Kazz !! Whcih part of the Uk are you from 😉 😉 😉 ?? I have never heard the expression ‘fingers through the toilet paper ‘ !! Maybe I have been out of the Uk too long. It took me a while to understand ‘bingo wings’ which I never used !!

I love your 2019 mindful resolution Verano ! I hope to resume yoga in January after an enforced break. It is good (essential) to find time for ourselves in all the chaos .

Have a great day everyone.My positive is that I can see the holiday approaching 🙂 Tomorrow I will swap my smart(ish) dress for a silly Christmas jumper with matching reindeer earrings. and red trainers !

Hi Wendleg,
I am really happy with the breathalyser I bought. – Its a bit of a knack to work out how to do the test. The model I bought is the same as the one on this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktZ6WtM3QNo – When you press it on, it starts a count down from 100, if you take a deep breath, hold it, and then start talking to expel air so that when you start to blow its the last part of your breath that is going into the meter.
The great thing is that it doesn’t cost you anything to test as often as you want. So after eating something I can test hourly to see how it has effected me.

Thanks for that JGwen. The link on the video leads to a ‘ we couldn’t find that page ‘message but I will look to see if I can find the model elsewhere on the site.
Your research is always invaluable JGwen !

Try this link https://www.fatforweightloss.com.au/measure-breath-ketones/ it has the video embedded in the page and also clearly shows photos of the device so when you are looking on Amazon you can match it up.
Jillie.

Found it Jillie ! Thank you
You are a star !

Well done JGwen! Great achievement and here’s to a just as successful year 2.
My positives and/or joys for today are …..
Listened to my first ‘meditation’ today and I have to say it was really calming. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s session too!
I have noticed ‘crunch creep’ the last few days but today has been ‘crunch free’ so far so I’m pleased with the progress.
Finally, for today, we are out for a Thai meal tonight. Maybe not the most BSD friendly food but without a starter or prawn crackers, and fish and pak choy as a main, it shouldn’t be too bad.
Hope those lists are almost complete now!

Kazz what a gem of a saying that is – as you say, we’re all human and have suffered such unpleasant little indignities and remembering that can put things in perspective in daunting situations.
I always go for the pre-prepared, pre-packed chestnuts too – as you say Wendy, life just too short for prepping them yourself! They are something of a tradition in our family though, whether included in a veg dish, or stuffing, or as part of a dessert, so I’m mindful to make sure to buy some each December.
JGwen – it seems like you have always been with us, you have become such an integral and essential part of the forum. You have made great progress this year and I’m confident that you will achieve great things new year too. Breaking into the 100kg is a fab milestone – congrats!
Well done on resisting the ‘crunch-creep’ V. Enjoy the Thai meal and the company, just get back to on the BSD track tomorrow.

Okay, well today felt like it was productive, but the list doesn’t seem to be getting any shorter! Unexpectedly, OH has to work tomorrow, so I won’t be able to press him into service until Friday and over the w/e. Meanwhile, I have done some more cooking prep and a batch of laundry, as well as some present wrapping – yes more and there’s still some to do! Trying hard not to slip into complete stress-head mode, but it’s getting shaky.

Anyway, there are still some positives I think, so here goes …..
1) There’s something satisfying about ticking things off the pre-festive list (or any list actually!) – even if things are still being added!
2) OH decided we need a new TV for the living room, so offered eldest grandson our old one for his gaming and he’s delighted.
3) Still keeping stress under control so that I’m not waking in the middle of the night with things whirling through my head. Just in case, I’m keeping pen and pad on my bedside table.

Hope you are all keeping your heads above water during the pre-Christmas madness and can find positives to report. Keep pressing ahead everyone.

Good morning!
Congratulations, JGwen, that is indeed a fantastic achievement! Looking forward to travelling 2019 with you and ALL of my friends on here! 🙂
My positives…
1 – 2 more days….
2 – Negotiated Xmas meal last night, best as I could. Had smoked salmon, cream cheese quinelle thingy with half a slice of gluten free toast, which I ate as was intrigued. Tasted sweet. Main was sea bass, roasted root veg, no dolphinoise potato cake though. Left then at 9.15 to catch train and pick up car. No alcohol!
3 – fast day today.
I’ll pop in later, have a good day! 🙂
Kazzeexx

Many congratulations JGwen. How fantastic to be in double figures, and so well deserved. I can’t believe you have only been active here for a year – you are so much part of the fabric of the website, and have contributed so much in that time. Have a lovely Christmas.

Morning everyone!
Kazz 😂🤣 that’s made me chuckle, I’ll be channelling my inner toilet paper imaginings mid interview 😁
Been busy here and I’ve had a nasty cold but still got some positives…
1. Caught up with a couple of lovely friends this week and had some nice unhurried, calm time with them
2. Had lovely presents from clients, but my best one has to be one lovely lady who I look after and she has dementia, she told me she loved me just as I was leaving. Makes my heart burst, that’s a gift enough for me.
3. Looking forward to seeing my mother in law tomorrow and enjoying some festive BSD food. Going to start preparing it this afternoon.

Have a good day everyone 😊

Oh Nelliecat – the lady with dementia – MASCARA WARNING!! To our friends across the pond, that means something that could make you cry!
Well, I posted some positives this morning but they’ve disappeared…
1 – Found a “pre-loved” parka for the bargain price of £30 which I collect on Sunday from a young lady who has lost weight, worn it twice and now it no longer fits! Didn’t want to spend good money on a new coat as it won’t fit (hopefully!) after 3 months. Only thing is, the body has a diamond padded look, which reminds me of my Grandma’s traditional eiderdown (comforter)! Anyway, for the sake of 3 winter months, I have a large scarf/pashmina that I can drape over the front and obscure the walking duvet thing going on….! I may be pleasantly surprised… 🙂
2 – Last day in the office until next Thursday…
3 – Lost 2 lbs after staying the same for 2 weeks. Yey!
Hope everyone is getting chance to unwind a bit now rather than running around hell for leather! 🙂
Kazzeexxx