Thanks for this new thread V.
I see you worked it out Newbie! 😂🫣
Great to be on the site, it helps me to keep on the straight and narrow… as far as possible! 😂🤞

Thanks V and Newbie!
N if you look at ‘recent topics’, you will find the new monthly topic.. open it, post something and click on ‘notify me’ at the bottom! See you there!
K xx

Hello all, I am also aiming at a 1lb per week, and aiming to fit more strength work in to my weekly exercise plan where I currently run at least 3 times a week. I’ve found loosing the weight has left me with slightly loose skin so hope the strength work will tone me up a little.

Here’s to April – lets hope it’s a good one and don’t beat ourselves up if we have a wobble

So do we just add ourselves to the new thread?

Happy birthday Pootle – have a great day and good luck with your appointment.

I shall have a look at the cauliflower thread and hopefully get some inspiration for some variations on the veg, its low calorie and a good filler but a bit samey so new ideas will be great 👍

Pootle I’ve just posted the new April thread “Astounding April: One Month at a Time”, sorry I’ve only just seen your post!

🎉🥂🎈HAPPY BIRTHDAY🎊🪅🎉 for tomorrow Pootle🎈🎈

Welcome to April everyone.

This month we are going to return to ‘One Month at a Time’ again to see if that helps. Personally, I lost my way on the three month challenge as I think it was just a bit too long for my short concentration span.

So to oldies, newbies and everyone else tuning in let’s make April an ‘astounding’ month. It’s a short month just 30 days so let’s try and settle into our own routines and really make some headway with our individual goals this month. Mine is just 1lb per week!

For the new thread what about:
One month at a time: 2026 April Appetite Assuaged??
Sorry, not brilliant..
k x

Good morning on the last day of this thread!
I have posted on the 101 ways with cauliflower thread, so it now appears in the recents.

S-G and Verano might remember that I had a major battle with the practice diabetes nurse at my first appointment with her after my diagnosis in the summer of 2024. I have not been recalled for a check up since, until this week, when I received a letter asking me to make an appointment with her for a review!
I swear that my BS goes up when I am stressed… the finger prick reading after receiving this letter was the highest I have had in over 6 months..🫣!
Looking forward to reading the new thread tomorrow ( my birthday… yes I am an April Fool! 😂). Sorry I am not posting much, but I do still find these threads inspirational!

I just hope that I am able to hold my temper at the appointment! 🤞🤞🤞🤞
My HbA1c was 42 in December, compared with 40 the previous December, but then I had been very strictly low carb for 6 months. I have had ‘treats’ over the last 18 months, but have treated myself less in the last couple of weeks!

I noticed Verano was looking to get this thread back to the top.. (recents)
I have found Cauliflower to be brilliant in keeping carbs and calories down ! I use it mashed as a cottage pie topping, roasted with a Sunday lunch, and mixed the mashed cauliflower with a little cooked chopped onion, bacon and mushroom as a sort of potato cake for lunch! Along with many of the other ideas on this thread!

I can’t get the cauliflower thread back up but just search in the box above for
“101 ways with cauliflower’ and it should come up.

Newbie2026 you’re losing weight…. great that’s what it’s all about, as well as being healthier!

As I’ve just said above 800 calories is really restrictive and I think unattainable for most. I think we each have to work out what feels most comfortable.

Cauliflower, the low carb saviour! There is an old thread somewhere that lots of us posted our favourite cauliflower recipes on. I have cauliflower most day usually steamed and mashed sometimes with some broccoli added. Add seasoning like horseradish, garlic,, steamed with the cauliflower for example. I usually mash mine with a little butter but mainly I use Greek yogurt which gives a creamy consistency like mashed potatoes without the calories of butter. Now that the winter is drawing to a close I’ll probably move more towards salads although I do love my green vegetables!

Anyway whatever you’re doing it’s obviously working so just keep going!

Becca personally I think that 800 calories is unattainable for most people. You say you have a lot of weight to lose and you have great motivation with your granddaughter. You don’t mention if you have diabetes or not. You are aiming for 5lbs a month which is achievable.

Can I make a couple of suggestions? Firstly, it doesn’t matter which method you use to shed unwanted weight we are all here to support each other so keep posting. I’m not certain that your reliance on calorie counting is necessarily the best way to move forward. I don’t know if you have actually read the Fast 800 diet book but the diet was designed really to help reverse pre diabetes and T2 but the offshoot was weight loss. For those of us who have/had T2 the diet works well to reduce blood sugar. The secret is ‘low carb’ not low calorie per se. When you become low carb you almost always automatically reduce calories without having to count. There is a very good website called Diet Doctor which is basically low carb/keto. No calorie counting just restricting certain kinds of foods.

In essence if you cut out, for want of a better word, the ‘bad’ carbs, like bread, rice, pasta ( of all colours), potatoes root vegetables and breakfast cereals, you are automatically restricting your calories. Sodas, even with artificial sweeteners, fruit juices, some fruits like mango, banana, pineapple even apples which are high in carbs, should be restricted. Be careful with mayonnaise but have good fats like olive oil. So I guess this sounds really restrictive because you also need to cut out the obvious cakes, biscuits, crackers, crisps etc. but you can have berries and dark chocolate, 70%, and drink plenty of water.

Michael Mosley first published the Fast 800 diet in 2016, although I think the 5:2 came before that. So 10 years on and research had moved forward in leaps and bounds. I like Ben Bikman’s work but there are so many others like Jason Fung but it’s very easy to become bogged down. YouTube has some good podcasts which may be of help although I find some a bit too scientific.

Let’s be honest here we all know when we have the odd ‘cheat’ but still think we can get away with it! I know I certainly do. I guess we just have to be really honest with ourselves. In fact I think losing the weight initially is the easiest part it’s keeping it off that’s difficult! Certain I’ve not be able to maintain my initial loss. But I do think that I’d be much worse off if I hadn’t kept posting on these threads.

Just never give in or give up and you will reach your goal. I’m very sorry if I’ve spoken out of turn here please just ignore me if I have. But as sunshine-girl always says … you just have to keep on keeping on………….

A postscript to my post above: I’m considering using these calorie allowances I’ve calculated on 5 days of the week, and then doing 2 very low calorie lunch-only days– basically a 5:2 plan, but not really 5:2, since I’d also be counting and tracking on the 5 days instead of free eating as the book suggests. I want the health benefits of partial fasting two days a week.

Have any of you tried or heard of a more controlled version of 5:2?

Hi, all! Home now from Arizona trip, which was nice, lots of lovely scenery (and also lots of flat boring dessert.. ha ha).

As these first three months of the year draw to a close, I find myself right where I was the first week of January. It’s not that I didn’t lose any weight… I did… I just didn’t stay consistent enough to keep it off. For a person of my extreme weight, 800 calories is just very hard to sustain, and it resulted in a lot of up-and-down on the scale.

As we begin a new month and spring is blossoming all around, I am ready for a fresh start. My aim will be to lose 5 pounds a month. If I can do that consistently, it will add up quickly. After inputting my height, age, weight, and activity level (less than sedentary) into a seemingly reliable calculator, I’ve worked out the calories required to lose 5 pounds each month, with calorie allowance moving downward as I lose weight. At present, it looks like I’ll be able to lose 5 pounds in April on 1350 calories, so that’s where I’ll begin.

Because regular calorie counting is NOT what this forum is for, I will not be posting much or at all, but will still be popping in to read and may say hello, applaud your successes, and support your efforts and frustrations along the way. You are all such lovely people, and I do want to stay in touch!

Happy Spring, everyone, and all the best to all of you.

Becca

Good evening all, please no-one made me feel like an outsider, just a personal feeling that I didnt want to butt in and intrude, but will try to contribute more and get to know you all. I had a bit of a rough day Friday and felt sorry for myself for lack of food choices, 3 months of cauliflower rice almost every day was taking it’s toll, but I had a word with myself that at least I have food, and I shouldn’t be so ungrateful, so much so that that nights dinner did infact consist of cauliflower rice! I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing, but I’ve done 8 weeks of 800 calories and found it not sustainable with the running that I do, so I have increased it to a max of 1200 meaning I have more energy and enjoy my runs and i’m not tempted by the naughty things, i’m still losing weight slowly and i’m happy with that, for me its got to be about balance. Please tell me if i’m doing the wrong things, I try on a couple of the days to have lower calories a bit like the 5:2.
A small dark chocolate egg sounds like a good idea, i’m quite restrained if it means I get a treat over more days.
I’m sorry but I’m not very good with “catchy” titles for the new group, but I like just “one month at a time”.
Anyway another day tomorrow to give it a go, night all

Quick check in with some positives for today ….
🌻🌻 lots of tulips in bloom in my garden snd a sunny day
🌻🌻 brief visit from youngest DD and we’ve arranged for her and her son to come for lunch on Sunday
🌻🌻 have started packing for our road trip, it’s a complex exercise with three overnight bags, plus general packing, so I’m doing it in bite size chunks

Hope your day has brought positives your way too.

Good evening.

Tomorrow is the last day of this three month thread. I think the general consensus is a monthly thread might be better next. Please speak up if you disagree or have any other thoughts.

So based on that assumption I’m proposing a one month thread, if that’s acceptable to everyone else, to start on Wednesday. My thoughts for a title are ……

One Month at a time: meet your goal.
: exceed your goal.
: excel!!
April: our spring into summer with gusto month.
…???

Sorry out of ideas at this moment …. please add all your motivational ideas!
I’ll set up a new thread tomorrow to run through April

Hi Newbie2026 never ever, ever feel that you are an ‘outsider’. I’m sorry if you have felt like that. We all have something to contribute to each other and newcomers often the most. You have you ‘new enthusiasm’ to share which rubs of on all of us. You can also remind us of things we may well have forgotten that are really useful. Please comment whenever you feel like and please feel welcome. We all share a common goal.

As to Easter I guess that’s very much a personal thing. I see you have T2 so probably best to stay away from the ‘buns’ and all the other high carb foods but maybe a small dark chocolate egg, 70% plus, will be ok. Depends on whether you can just stay at one! If there is going to be too much temptation then could be best not to have any. We’re all different.

Look forward to hearing from you !

Hi Verano and everyone else, sorry I have not posted much, but I do read every message that is posted, I find them all very interesting, informative and encouraging, I feel a bit of an outsider as you have all been at this for so long that I feel if I suddenly post things and make comments on others posts that I’m intruding, if you know what I mean, but I do find the thread very useful and would love for it to continue in any shape or form, maybe I will be brave and contribute more, I just feel like you all know everything so I dont have much useful info to share. Anyway enjoying the start of spring with the extra hour today, got lots of jobs done, looking forward to family Easter time, speaking of which how do people get around Easter, do you allow yourself a little egg or a hot cross bun, just trying to plan my strategy 😉, hope you all have a good week

Hope you can persuade your OH to agree to your autumn cruise, Verano. Really like your floral positives, I’m loving all the blossom and spring flowers about at the moment.

Anyway, some positives from me for the end of the weekend …
🌷🌷 OH joined me at Dad’s yesterday and helped out with a few small DIY jobs
🌷🌷 met youngest son and GD for lunch today, lovely to see them and catch up on their news
🌷🌷 good journey home late afternoon, going to have a relaxing evening now

In the coming days, I’ll be starting prep for our road trip, sorting out gifts for upcoming birthdays (Inc. OH’s on Wednesday) and maybe starting a new project to upcycle some old photo frames with paint and decoupage and doing some watercolour painting too.

Whatever you have planned or indeed end up doing, hope there’ll be plenty of positives presenting themselves and that you’ll take a moment to share a few with us.

Very mixed day here today but at least we now have sunshine although it’s quite windy.

Had some friends here for lunch today all very BSD friendly except some tiny new potatoes, some pitta and a delicious Sicilian lemon tart … very tart! I did have a small slice of tart and a tiny pitta and even two very mini potatoes and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Life goes on!

My tree outside my bedroom window has finally ‘bloomed’. It only lasts a few days but it’s lovely while it lasts.

So to my last for today….I have managed to salvage a beautiful cymbidium white stem orchid from a Mother’s Day bouquet that was past its best, and it really is beautiful. Paired with a few green leaf stems I’m sure I’ll get at least another week out of it!

Hope you’ve had a good and positive weekend whatever you did.

Hi Margaret I feel a bit like you in that I’m not really finding the 3 month timescale very helpful.
Just thinking of maybe setting up a one month thread for April. I’m away in May so maybe sunshine-girl might feel like doing May. She has been left very much ‘holding the baby’ without a great deal of support really and has done an amazing job to keep this thread going.
Might be better if we can do some sort of rota with others too, all taking turns to host a month???

So for a title for April…. fourth month of the year, spring is here, summer just around the corner, just 30 days, holidays on the horizon, sunshine and summer clothes, looking better, feeling better, eating salads, lovely new fruits…. lots of things that could be incorporated in our new month.
I’m thinking , will be back soon, but all suggestions really welcome …. please post here !

Hello Verano & I also still enjoy posting on here & seeing how everyone is getting on but think that three monthly is demotivating for me with having less focus which has happened to me lately although I weighed this morning & have lost one pound in weight. I am also looking forward to brighter longer days & wouldn’t like to lose this thread. Thank you for your efforts in keeping it going.
With best wishes
Margaret xx

Clare thank you. All feedback is good and I too would hate for this thread to just disappear!

Hi Verano,

I love having a place to read/ post….I quite like the 3 month thread but also I was happy with monthly. Weekly seems a bit too choppy-changey?

It helps me with accountability and inspiration/ motivation.

Clare xx

Sunny looks like we are just two with sunshine-girl joining us when she can.
Hope you’re having a great holiday s-g!

So I have some positives….
Invited out to ‘lunch’ a few days ago and it was lovely to catch up with people I’d not seen in a while.
Garden is coming on well and new stones have arrived to replace some chippings that were way past their best.
Trying to book a cruise for the autumn but finding my OH is quite resistant despite wanting to holiday with friends who want to join us. Positive is … I think I can persuade him!

Hope you have a lovely weekend wherever you are and if in the UK don’t forget to PUT YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD TONIGHT! Longer days are here!

Good afternoon!

I’ve just looked back through this three month thread and we seem to be a group of 6 or 7 with the odd post from others here and there.

The first quarter of the year is coming to an end and I’m wondering who would like to continue with the three month thread ?
Would anybody like to go back to a monthly thread ?
Or even a weekly one?
Do these threads help at all ?
Do you find other people’s losses encouraging or demotivating?
Do you have any suggestions for making the thread more interesting/useful/encouraging?

All thoughts really appreciated.

In the meantime…. THE CLOCKS SPRING FORWARD tonight so let’s enjoy the longer days and let them help us enjoy ‘healthy’ food more!
Or indeed more healthy food!

Hi everyone,
A quick update as I had my appointment with my GP today. He thinks that based on my history, I likely have ADHD and thinks it worth trying a medication. He said if the medication works, I likely have it. He messed up the prescription though and when I tried to pick it up from the pharmacy, they said he only put 2 tablets down and was that correct? He was supposed to give me 2 weeks worth! So now I have to wait until next week so they can talk to his office and confirm. Not the first time he has messed up a prescription either. I think he goes too quickly when he is writing it or just thinks everybody will understand what he means. Very frustrating!
He also gave me a requisition for blood work seeing as I’m now over 50 and he wants to check things every year. I’m a bit miffed that he used this appointment to do that though. I’ve really only been eating super well for the last 10 days, so I don’t want to get my HbA1c done yet. He did say that I could just fit it in whenever. What are the chances I can put it off for 3 months? I guess I could blame the ADHD and say that I misplaced the requisition!
I had a takeaway last night as it was a busy day, but it was a salmon burger in a lettuce wrap with salad on the side instead of chips, so I felt pretty good about that. I also picked up some macadamia nuts and Comte cheese for a bit of variety in the nuts and cheese departments. Tonight I repeated the broccoli, cauliflower and tilapia for a quick and simple meal as it was so good 2 nights ago. So I’ve had a lot of fish this week, but hopefully it is doing me some good and I don’t have weeks like this very often.
Onwards and downwards everyone! In my case, hopefully my HbA1c as well!

Definitely overdue for posting here, so here goes ….
🌸🌸 currently visiting with my Dad, pleased to say he’s doing well
🌸🌸 two watercolours I submitted to a charity fund raiser have sold online …. no-one could be more surprised than me, but I’m very happy about it
🌸🌸 spent some time pottering in Dad’s garden, lots of colour in it, full of spring blooms and new growth.

Hope your weekend will be full of positives… lookkmg forward to read about some of them here.

Hello everyone.
I wanted to share my situation because I don’t know what to think anymore. My headache started on March 4, 2024 and it hasn’t gone away yet. The doctors said it’s a new daily persistent headache. I have tried various treatments: antidepressants, a psychologist, but I haven’t felt much change yet.

Sometimes this pain is very debilitating and affects my sleep and emotional state.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? What helped you?

Hi all, just checking in. I didn’t make my below 150lb target this week, but to be honest it was no surprise as “Fridgegate” set me back in terms of food planning and preparation etc. I’m now back up and running so will dust myself off and hopefully get below it next week : I’m currently hovering around 151lb.

CATHY well done for yet more loss! That’s amazing and I’m so pleased for you. I think you should definitely aim for 140lb by the end of the 12 weeks – you’re on a roll! And I hope you get your wretched tooth sorted soon 🤞

MARIET it’s interesting what you say about the online plan. I’m enjoying the food planning aspect, and swap things round a lot to work with my ingredients and tastes. But I get what you’re saying about feeling bloated. I’m on the New 5:2 and if I stuck to all the set meals I’d find them too heavy (though, interestingly, still within the low calorie & carb range). Three meals a day suits my lifestyle at the moment, but I need two of those to be light and sometimes there’s what I would call a “main” meal for at least two out of the three set meals. So I tend to have a yoghurt-based breakfast, some kind of salad for lunch then a main meal early evening.

ARCTICFOX I’m sorry to hear about your work situation. That must be very unsettling. But that’s great advice from your colleague about trying not to worry about it unless it actually happens. Meanwhile well done for sticking with healthy eating and also getting some good exercise in. It sounds as if you have already built up a good rapport with your new counsellor too.

SUE I love the sound of that travel pass! I now have a free bus pass which I can use anywhere in the UK but I’ve not taken advantage of that yet. And I do use my Senior Railcard for the train : you have to pay for that but then get 1/3 off pretty much every train fare so it soon pays for itself, particularly as I go up to London a lot. Hope that you are recovering from all your injuries? Thanks for asking about my hand. I did get an x-ray last week as it was beginning to trouble me more, but thankfully nothing broken. They said it was a sprain and could take at least a couple more weeks to heal, and this week there has definitely been some improvement. So I’ve been starting to do stuff around the house and garden again which in itself has made me feel much more positive.

Hello to everyone else too. Do let us know how you are getting on.

Hope that you all have a lovely weekend X

HI everyone
Mariet – I was interested to read your post about how the online BSD plan hadn’t helped your weight loss journey. I wonder if it was too much fibre. It’s good that you are so well tuned to your body that you realised something wasn’t right and I am glad you are feeling better and well done on your weight loss. I have found the structure to be just what I needed. I am enjoying the meals though they are getting rather samey and I haven’t eaten anything out of a packet for the last 8 weeks- everything fresh and cooked from scratch. I’ve been sending photos of my evening meals to my eldest son as I can’t believe this is “diet food”. I am not sure what happens at the end of the 12 weeks period. I assume I transition to 5:2 but so far this 800 keto is suiting me. I am down another 1lb this week and today I weigh 147.4 lb- am 19 lb down since January when I started at 166.4 lb. My initial thought was to get to a goal of 144 lb but I might try and be cheeky and go for 140 lb.

I am still waiting to hear from the dental practice that my dentist has referred me to. I didn’t choose to pay my practice £300 for her private dental colleague to extract my tooth. She said it was a complex extraction but it seemed only to be complex on the nhs! It wasn’t complex if I paid her colleague £300. After working in the NHS for over 40 years it goes against the grain for me to have to pay privately. I hope I don’t have to wait too long and regret my decision! My husband is away this week so we couldn’t have a chat and I hope he isn’t cross with me when he gets back.

I’ve got book club tomorrow and I am hoping I can navigate my way through evening without succumbing to crisps and naughty nibbles, I’ve bought things to share that I can eat like cheese, olives, hummus, peppers etc. I will avoid the crackers and crisps and hope that nobody notices or passes comment.. I am not going to have a drink but I’ve got some sparkling water and 🍋 and I’ll have it in a gin glass. I want to stay in Ketosis because it’s managing my appetite. Hopefully my friends won’t be too judgemental.

Looking forward to reading all your news and updates.

Have a lovely weekend everyone. Spring came and went away again this week in the North Weat of England. We had hail, snow, sleet, thunder and a rainbow 🌈 here on Wednesday!

Hi everyone, checking back after missing last week. So many posts, I can’t respond to them all but I do hope those hurt and injured are improving and congratulations on all the great results I’ve seen.

I am going to cancel my online BSD plan- I just couldn’t make it work for me, I was uncomfortably bloated and with quite distressing internal symptoms for the last few weeks until I decided to give it a rest. Within a week my tummy settled down to normal and I have dropped 700g this week after my weight bobbing around or increasing while I was so uncomfortable. I’m surprised I had such a reaction, the food wasn’t so very different to what I am used to but there we are and with only 3or 4 kilos still to lose I decided to just grind away my own way. I’m so pleased for those of you who are finding it so helpful though.
Today my weigh in was 67.1kg, about 148lb. I am aiming for 64-65 kg- the way I am going it will be several months away but oh well, slow and steady etc, etc.
e are heading into autumn and I am relishing the warm days and cool nights, so good to be able to sleep easily again. It has been lovely weather for walking although I have not been anywhere as active as SueBlue. I bet your South coast walk was spectacular! I was camping at Depot Beach earlier this year, so very beautiful.
Arctic Fox, I am also having incredibly vivid dreams, sometimes several a night. Sometimes nightmares, sometimes just uncomfortable. Not something I usually experience on a daily basis. I hope it stops soon, sometimes I wake up, turn over, have a drink of water- and go back to the same dream. Very unsettling.
Enjoy your northern Spring, so lovely to feel the warmth after your cold winters.

Hi Margaret sorry to hear you still need strong painkillers but hopefully as the weather warms up you will be able to do more outside which I think always lifts the mood. I know only too well how mobility can lead to low mood and it makes everything just that much more difficult. As you say you have a river cruise to look forward to so concentrate on that and don’t worry about your other knee until September! I know that’s sometimes easier said that done!

We were invited out for lunch yesterday and I was faced with plates of ginger cake, little dainty slices of cheese cake and strawberry scones all of which I love. I didn’t eat any! Funny how tastes/willpower can change. I’m no angel and certainly not stoic but the cakes just didn’t appeal to me yesterday!

Anyway, hope anyone that’s still reading this thread is doing well. New month just around the corner. Love ‘new’ anything always makes me feel like I have a new ‘beginning’.

Hi everyone,
Cathy, so sorry to hear what happened with the dentist. I hope you do mange to get it sorted. Dentistry wasn’t covered here on our provincial medical plan but now the federal government has stepped in for people without insurance. I’ve been fantastically lucky that my insurance plan for work covers pretty much 100% of all my dental care. It isn’t too great a plan for other things (like counselling 🙁 for instance) but I’m always grateful for how good it is when I go to the dentist and know most are not so lucky.
I’ve had an upsetting end to the day as I found out that job cuts have hit some of my work colleagues and one in particular that I have worked with for many years and rely on to do my job has had her position axed. It has shaken all of us. I’m only 5 years from my earliest possible retirement date and 10 years from receiving a full pension, but now it feels like I will be lucky to keep my job for the rest of the year (so maybe goodbye dental plan after all?). Anyway, I saw a retired former colleague who now works on contract for us (so he collects his full pension and gets paid!), just as I was leaving the building and he told me to not stress about it until it happens and that I will be able to cope with it if it does. So I’m trying to not think about it anymore this evening.
SueBlue – that is some very impressive walking you have been doing! And how good about the transit pass.
I did my longest walk today in ages as I asked my counsellor if we could try a walk and talk session today as the weather was gorgeous. We did 4 times around on a path that loops around a small lake in town. She said most clients usually just do 2 or 3 and that I walk at a pretty good clip! It was about 3.5km total, so not too bad. Maybe she will back off telling me that I need to stay fitter throughout the winter now! I think she was forgetting that although I do less cardio in the winter, I am still hauling water buckets and firewood and hay bales, so I stay strong. Also, I look so tubby that it might be easy to assume that I’m less fit than I am, I suppose.
Anyway, I’m feeling quite proud of myself today. I was really hungry after that walk and had to stop at the supermarket on my way home, but I just got Greek yogurt, cheese and a cucumber and stayed away from the carbs. When I got home, I had leftover tofu steaks with some avocado on top for breakfast, Greek yogurt with blueberries for lunch and then dinner was broccoli, cauliflower and a tilapia filet. So even with that upset this afternoon, I managed to stay on plan and have a healthy dinner when I really felt like crisps and lemon drizzle cake. I have a busy couple of days coming up, so hopefully I can keep on keeping on. And hope you all do too!

Thank you for asking Verano & my knee is still painful rising after sitting, after standing long whilst food prep in the kitchen, using stairs & in the evening & then in bed. I am back playing short mat bowls & I am walking now without using my stick but still carry it with me just in case of stumbling. I think the suture abscesses plus a UTI soon after surgery then all my side effects taking antibiotics for eight weeks really has slowed up my recovery & knee flexibility and I am still taking strong pain & nerve pain medication before bed. However I am slowly improving but it’s very frustrating & it would be lovely to have no pain 🤞🤞. Sorry for the saga but it has also affected my mobility & that is why plus poor motivation to concentrate on dieting why I have gained nearly one stone since my surgery last June. I know that I must address this because of both of my knees having to carry this extra weight & my left knee is deteriorating which is rather depressing so when I have a review next September I will be told that I need another knee replacement 🙁. I have a river cruise in June to look forward to & would like to lose weight before this to be able to wear all my summer clothes & attractive dresses plus being able to walk further on the various visits 😀. I need a good kick up my derrière to get my dieting motivation back 😂
I am off to play short mat bowls this morning & to have my hair trimmed this afternoon 😀
Keep on going everyone 🤞🤞🍀🍀
Margaret xx

Cathy so sorry to read that you are still having trouble with your tooth 🙁 I would be incredibly angry in the same situation! I hope you can get it sorted soon.
My daughter recently had to shell out $1500 for fillings, she’s not in a health fund so it’s all out of pocket. Dentistry is so expensive. I have quite a few missing teeth as when my family were younger and we were on a low income, it was far more affordable to have an extraction than a filling, so I’d have a tooth removed when it became troublesome!
Anyway, I hope you can get it sorted soon x
Yowzer sorry to hear you are still in pain – I hope you can get some relief soon x
DCT – how is your hand going?

I had a funny week last week, I tripped over and landed on my hand. Thankfully just had a grazed elbow and a cut on my finger, but also a bruise under my nail and in the nail bed, so my finger is still quite sore. Then a few days later I dropped a 5kg weight on my foot – luckily no injuries other than a nasty bruise!

Diet wise I didn’t weigh in on Friday as had a few off plan days. But I weighed this morning and have discarded another 600g in the past 10 days 🙂 SO this means I have finally lost the first stone 🙂 as since the beginning of Jan I’ve shed 6.8kg which is 13.86lb, or just over 1 stone. Anyway very happy with that!
I still have a long way to go but feel like I’m getting somewhere this time around.
I’ve had 2 big walks over the last week or so with my husband. We pick a destination, go there on the train and then walk around sight seeing / browsing shops etc. One walk (down the coast) was 16k steps and the other (a country town) over 20k. Because we both have seniors cards now our train fare is only $2.50 a day to go anywhere on the Greater Sydney network basically – this includes trains, buses and ferries. We are making the most of it and going up to the Blue Mountains on the weekend.
I’m still mainly following the online Fast 800 plan, but swapping some meals for my BSD favourites and tracking everything on My Fitness Pal. I’m also following the recommended exercises most days. I just need to keep going, as when this 12 weeks ends I’ll still have more to lose. Hope everyone else is having a good week!

Good evening.
It’s Tuesday and I have a couple of positives…

Had a phone call from a friend today so a nice chat.
Had an invitation to a party but will be away but nice anyway.
Got an appointment for a follow up lung scan but can’t make it but on the list for a cancellation so all good.

Hope Tuesday has been kind to you.

So I missed yesterday but that’s not a reason to give in/up.

Today cooked a roast… a very rare occurrence here! Only because our son joined us for dinner so positive number 1.
Having our garden ‘spruced up’ so even though we have a long way to go it’s looking much better.
The buds on my apple tree are looking almost ‘fit to burst’. Really looking forward to that.

Hope you have some positives too.

Margaret how are your knees doing? It’s been a while since your surgery but I do realise that knees take much longer than hips to recover. Anyway hope you’re going in the right direction.

Not much to report here. Just finding it really difficult to get back into a good rhythm again. Hopefully this coming week will be more productive. I think I may have found a new focus!

Aah Cathy that’s unbelievable and I’m not surprised you are cross, that’s so last minute!!!! I honestly don’t know what I would do in the same situation, yes it would be good to get it sorted on Friday but it’s annoying that you would have to pay 😡 Sending hugs too. Dawn X

Have a lovely holiday with your family Becca👍
It’s weird that I was able to log in today as usual but previously prevented🤔 I was trying to report my weight gain despite walking much more that my knees really felt but I will really try to do better diet wise this next week 🤞🤞
Keep on going everyone 🍀👍
Margaret xx

Cathy just jumping on quickly to commiserate. That’s awful. It sounds as if your dentist is as much use as the proverbial chocolate teapot!! I’m so sorry, and also angry on your behalf. 🤬

I hope you can clear your mind and decide what to do next. In your position I think I’d be tempted to get out the credit card and pay to get it done on Friday. Then hopefully that’s the end of it. But you’re right, it should never have come to this point in the first place.

Sending hugs X

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes. I’ve just had a phone call from the dental surgery and they say that the dentist who is due to do my extraction this aftenoon has looked at the x rays and thinks it’s too complex for her and so they’re referring me to a specialist!!!! She said she could give it a go but it might not be successful! I’m fuming. Why did they wait until today to decide this. Also, I’m going away on 1st May and she said not to have an extraction two weeks prior to going away. There is no way I’ll get an appt for the extraction on the NHS within the next couple of weeks. However, if I pay £300 she said a private dentist will be going into the surgery and he can take the tooth out on Friday! This goes against the grain for me. It’s a lot of money. Is it a money making exercise? My husband is away this week. What a mess. The receptionist said they’ll give me antibiotics to cover my holiday and if the pain is unbearable she will attempt to remove the tooth (it’s got a curly root apparently) but in the meantime I’m being referred to a specialist dentist who deals with complex extractions! Is it me?

Hi everyone,
Cathy, I will add my wishes to everyone else’s that all goes well at the dentist today and also Becca hope you’re having a lovely time away. Yowzer I really hope your pain gets sorted soon, it must be very draining. Articfox that’s great news about your eating and sleeping! DCT it must be a nuisance having to shop from day to day, roll on Wednesday when your new fridge comes! I would normally weigh myself today but I went totally off plan over the weekend so will leave my weigh in until next week. I also didn’t try the two new recipes I had planned so have included them in this week’s food plan. I think maybe my HRT still isn’t at the right level since changing to the gel as certain symptoms are returning but I’ve read it can take up to three months for your body to adjust so I will see how things are by then. I hope everyone has a really good week. Dawn XX

Morning all! Just checking in and wanted to wish CATHY every success at the dentist today. I hope it goes smoothly and that you finally get your tooth sorted. Also hope you have a nice peaceful week with just you and Monty. And well done for further loss last week – you’re an inspiration!

I’m hoping to get below 150 this week 🤞 Was hovering just a little above it for.a couple of days at the end of last week then regained a bit over the weekend. Things weren’t helped by our fridge packing up on Friday! A replacement is coming on Wednesday but in the meantime I either froze (we have a chest freezer in the garage) or used up everything I could, but a few things have since been wasted. And I’m now shopping from day to day until we can chill things again. No major issue really, but it’s broken my newly gained habit of weekly meal planning, shopping and using leftovers so I’m keen to get back into that later this week.

ARCTICFOX I’m so glad that you are eating and sleeping better, and also that you are making time for fun activities too. It already feels like it’s going to be a much better year for you.

YOWZER always lovely to hear from you but I’m so sorry you are still in so much pain. Will be thinking of you and praying for you, and really hope that you see some improvement soon. And well done on starting to get back on track eating-wise in the midst of everything else.

BECCA not sure when you go away but hope you have or are having a wonderful time!

Hello to everyone else too, and hope we all have a positive week X

Hi everyone,happy Springtime! to most of us. Happy Autumn Equinox SUEBLUE and MARIET xx sorry if ive missed anyone out.
🌸Spring fever: the only fever you’re actually looking forward to catching.🌸
CCATHY I mainly came on to say,good luck at the dentists!X
And DCT,I’m glad you got sorted out X
Havent beenposting as havent had much to say,but have been reading all the lovely newsy posts as they pop up in my inbox. Im still very limited walking and in a lot of pain,have been referred to specialist pain clinic,not sure how long I’ll wait for an appt.
Seem to have got a grip now on the mindless eating and feel a little lighter,tho havent been on the scales. I cant actually get on them,as I can barely lift my left foot,so I’m too wobbly!
Have a fab week everyone andremember,progress not perfection! Love to all XXX
“May the dream of peace take flight across the world “

🐝 ¨*• ¸🌼¸¸ 💞🐝*•.¸🌼¨*•💞¸🌼 🐝 ¨*• ¸🌼¸¸ 💞🐝*•.¸🌼¨*•💞¸🌼 🐝 ¨*• ¸🌼¸¸ 💞🐝*•.¸🌼¨*•💞¸🌼 🐝 ¨*•

Hi everyone,
I have had a really good last few days eating-wise, and I’m feeling much better for it. The improved sleep was helping me make better decisions, and then eating better has helped my sleep further. Although I did shut off my alarm on Saturday morning, fell back asleep and slept for a further 2 hours, but they were nightmare-filled, unfortunately. I tend to have very vivid dreams so nightmares can stick with me even after I wake up. But last night’s sleep was good again.
I am basically eating all the healthy ingredients that I have in my store cupboard and freezer that I was continuing to buy even when I wasn’t eating it. I’m having my tray bake broccoli for dinner tonight, but instead of having lentils with it I have gone for the lower carb option of lupini beans. I had a veggie stir-fry with soy-free tofu last night. Pretty much keeping to the 2 meals a day but with a snack of cheddar cheese or some almonds in between if I get hungry. I am doing a 4 min tabata workout each weekday from my online gym and a walk after dinner now that the evenings are lighter. But this weekend has been full of quite hard core gardening with lots of moving wheelbarrows of compost, etc. so I’ve counted that as most of my exercise, and then I went swing dancing for just 45 min this afternoon (normally I go for 1.5 hrs, but too busy today).
Cathy – wishing you all the best with your tooth extraction tomorrow. Hope it finally fixes that issue for you.

Well done on finding three positives Verano. Strange isn’t it, some days it’s hard to pin down specific positives, even though it’s been a pleasant enough day.

Anyway, my positives for the last couple of days are…
🌼🌼 more gardening, loving feeling the sun on my back and having my fingers in the soil
🌼🌼 dinner out with youngest DD and her son, as a belated 40th birthday celebration for her
🌼🌼 neighbours brought round a dozen free fresh eggs for us, from their hens who apparently have gone into production overdrive with the sunny weather
🌼🌼 last travel element booked for our upcoming road trip to Turkiye …. only a couple of weeks now before we go

Does anyone else have some positives to share? Hope to be reading some soon.

Good evening.

Today I’m struggling to find three positives. ….
So, yes the sun shone and that was lovely
I had a lovely gift of an orchid.
I’ve had a ‘really need food’ day today and just wanted ‘carbs’ so had noodles and I must admit I really enjoyed them, so that’s good. Had my quota for this year!

Tomorrow us another day and it will be more healthy!