Marvellous May is progressing well… sunshine and a very little rain has done wonders for the garden.

Welcome home to all the holidayers, great to hear you have enjoyed a really good break.
My earlier dilemma with see-sawing weight seems to have settled a little. Now only about 2lb difference! I do have to weigh every day because I know my weakness is to think ‘one won’t matter’ then ‘I had one yesterday, so could have another today’! If I can keep track daily it gives me as much motivation as I can get!
I am having an my first ‘annual’ blood test tomorrow, (a little early) so 🤞🙏 that I have remained in diabetic remission and all else is still in order! I don’t expect to get the results until next week so I am keeping on keeping on!
Congratulations Happysnap… doesn’t it feel good!!!
S-G hope you enjoy the planning for the move back to the UK, it can be important to be within easy reach of family… also hope the mower isn’t too damaged!!
Verano, good to hear that your holiday indulgences haven’t had a drastic effect… Hope you have an easy climb back onto the wagon!

Margaret, I hope the hearing aids are working out… tv no longer needing subtitles! And that the op happens soon!

That’s all for now folks… wishing you all health and happiness in Marvell May!

Hi and thanks for starting a Marvellous May thread!

Sounds like quite a few of us are enjoying holidays at the moment- hope the weather is cooperating for those of you and if you’re not focusing on your diet then hope you’re enjoying the food you’re splurging on!!
I’m really pleased my weight has dropped by another 2.5kg, so total weight loss so far is 12kg!
I’ve never managed to lose this much so I’m really pleased with my progress and I bet my consultant will be delighted when I see him on the 9th June… I just googled 12kg and turns out its 26.4lb- sounds better in that currency doesn’t it?
I’m finding the TRE/IF way of life so easy to stick to and I’m so pleased to have discovered this WOE!

Sueblue, I stayed on Cockatoo Island one long weekend with friends, in the Overseer’s House. It’s a fantastic place to visit. Well done you on losing half a stone! I have done the same, since the beginning of the year. I am back to my pre- Easter weight and very relieved about it.
Arctic Fox, losing inches is the best! I’m very glad for you.
Good news about your eyes and sight CC and that the weight is dropping even if it’s slow.
Dawn, glad you had a good trip away and that the gain is dropping off. My mum is 90 as well and I do her shopping on Thursdays. She is bright and fit and still drives ‘the older ladies’ to their various groups but she finds grocery shopping very tiring.
My dental problems are slowly getting better. The oral surgeon is hopeful that I will not need any surgery, I have to see him in a week. Apparently the infection I had was there for a long time and had eaten away the bone that separates the upper jaw from the sinus, leaving an opening there- there’s the reason for the disgusting taste in my mouth. He feels it should close over, if not there is an operation that can fix it up.
It’s good to be able to eat proper food again 🙂

I hope everyone is having a good week.

Hi Vince, well done on your success with the diet. As for ultra marathons I have no idea. You are on the right track with the good carbs like lentils, quinoa etc. As you are managing diabetes you need to be sure to always have something with you and I can only suggest nuts and seeds for long distance. I would say protein load but it is hard to carry an egg or some cheese with you. I just tried it on a holiday and had a bag of melon slices and they leaked all over my jeans so not such a good idea.

Hope someone comes along to help you and welcome to the site.

Thought as I was here I’d pop by and post some positives….

☀️☀️☀️ Wonderful sunny weather here after a few cloudy days.

🛩️🛳️🧳 After extensive travels we are starting to think about packing to go home. Love being away but love my own bed even more! Just a few more days to go.

🎉🥂🎂 Our son’s birthday today so went to his favourite restaurant for lunch. The only place I ever order pasta because they make an amazing prawn tagliatelle. It was sublime!

Just one more ….
👧👑🏄‍♀️ Our ‘little princess’ is growing up so quickly. It’s amazing what happens in a few short months. It’s wonderful to spend precious time with her.

So all positive here. Please post some positives. We all have them just need to take a moment to jot them down.
If all else fails try and stay ‘positive’!

Hi s-g glad you made it home safely. We are due home on Friday so I have the weekend to organise washing and shopping before I jump back on the wagon on Monday.

I have a delivery organised for Saturday morning with lots of fresh stuff and to be honest after over three weeks away I’ll be happy to have some healthy balanced meals again! I have a feeling I’m going to be ‘hungry’ after having three meals a day, and sometimes eating because ‘it’s that time I’d day’, rather than because I’m ‘hungry’.

Anyway looking forward to making the rest of May a marvellous month!

Official weigh in after the holiday is not so big a shock after 3 weeks of pure greed and not following any sort of plan. Up 6.5lbs.

Now to get serious again and follow my well worn path of BSD, low carb and TRE. Hope to see many more of you on here even if you have strayed. We all do it from time to time. Also looking forward to getting Verano back.

The only downside is our housesitter obviously had no idea about our sit on mower and has taken chunks out of the grass, missed big patched and run into a tree stump. We think she has seriously damaged the mower but waiting for the rain to stop so hubby can get it outside and on a ramp to inspect it. It will be a massive bill if it is as damaged as we think judging by the way the grass has been ripped out rather than mowed. We will see.

Keep on keeping on…

Has anyone trained and successfully completed a 100km ultra marathon non stop walking?
I am looking for advice on nutrition as I no longer have traditional carbs in my diet (Pasta, Rice, Bread etc) I do eat lentils, beans, peas, Quinoa, Bulgar Wheat etc I have started training for the event in July and will be ramping up my exercise during the next 10 weeks so any advice I would be very grateful for.
Thank you

Have just realised that I’ve been logged off from this thread!

So to some positives…..

☀️☀️☀️Lovely sunny weather here but no where near as warm as in the UK!
🥂🫒🥘 Lots of food glorious food and a few, or so, glasses of champagne thrown in! I’m going to miss this life but my waistline certainly isn’t. Can’t wait to get on the scales!!!
🐥🐥🐥 Nice to see my ‘chick’ and his ‘chicks’. Certainly miss my family being so far away and only getting to see them two or three times a year. But enjoying it while we can.

Stay positive!

S-g good to hear your b-g is back in the normal range. Mine has been higher than normal but nothing really serious which is a miracle really!

So, looks like you’ve made a decision! Nothing like getting things straight in your own mind. Family is very important so good to be close to them if you can be. Enjoy your planning.

Hi Cathy,
Yes I’m finding this longer thread better too, hopefully it will be the one which brings the results we would like🤞Dawn XX

I have so many positives right now I don’t know where to start, so the every day stuff is

sun is shining
enjoying time with family
planning for a new adverture by moving to the UK.

More positives to come.

Hi to all of you. Sorry I wasnt here to greet you yesterday. I too am still on holiday staying with family in the UK until 6th May but I will keep dropping in. Lovely weather at the moment, we are having the same in France but due to cool down for our return.

Like you Verano, I am not following any form of plan, either diabetic, low carb or even anywhere near a diet. However, daughter took us on a 2 mile walk then yesterday dragged me to the gym where I did 20 mins on the treadmill. some leg weights and had half an hour swim. Low and behold lost half a kilo this morning. I wont be doing anything serious about diet so not a great leader at the moment.

Dont worry too much Pootle, just look at how far you have come and accept that life isnt always perfect for sticking with our goals but you will soon get your mojo back. Maybe you should weigh yourself a bit less then you wont notice the peaks and lows. Having said that, I am the worst for daily weighing but know that a small gain will make me more motivated and a small loss will do the same. The bad times are when you go out for one meal, avoid carbs and puds but have a few glasses of wine and you show a 2kg gain the next day and wonder how the heck that happened.

Margaret, your surgery is getting closer and you have 6 months to get yourself into the best shape ever. You sound determined.

Verano, we are in exactly the same situation i.e. cruise then family. Daughter likes taking us for long walks or trips to stately homes but there is always a pub at the end of it. No point counting but I have just lost a smidge of weight in the last 2 days and my BG is back into the normal but high range. I think we get home around the same time so just enjoy the time you have with family and I will be doing the same.

We have a lot of news and will probably be putting our French home up for sale in the next month, making plans to return to the UK and be with our family.

I will try to pop by in the next few days but if not will see you on Tuesday 6th May when I will be up to my neck in unpacking. That is when I will do an official weigh in and get seriously back on plan. So looking forward to it.

Hi Dawn-
Well done on your weight loss. Half a stone down since January seems to be a theme. I am also down 7lb since January. Slow and steady wins the race. This longer thread is really helping take the pressure off for me. Like you I want to be consistent this month and hope for at least 2lb off. I’m feeling more positive since ditching nuts and peanut butter! Didn’t realise how loaded with calories they were. I’ve not calorie counted for many years and it’s been an eye opener. Also, I feel that I can include more things if I count calories ie more choice!
A busy weekend this weekend and a weekend away next weekend but knuckling down in between. Let’s make May make a difference as we head to the halfway point of the cruise!

Hi everyone,
I decided to face the scales after all on Tuesday after my Yorkshire trip and had definitely gained, not sure exactly how much tbh as I can’t find where I’ve written what my last weight was(haven’t used my sparkly chart for a while!) when I’ve weighed this morning I’m 3lb down which I’m pleased about.I know it will be water weight as my midriff (where I carry most of my weight) is 1 and a half inches down so I’ve definitely lost some ‘bloat’ so that’s a good start.
Like you Sue, I’ve lost half a stone since the beginning of January, however you have lost yours much more healthily I’m sure, losing consistently whereas mine has been up and down with all of the messing around I’ve done! I hope I can be consistent throughout May. Well done Cathy on losing in April, I don’t think I lost any in April after gaining over the weekend. Articfox congratulations on losing inches, that’s my big aim, more so than losing pounds. If I can lose more inches on my stomach, waist and midriff this month I will be really pleased.
I still have four days left on my food plan which is helpful. I’ve decided to have it go Tuesday to Monday as I go food shopping on Tuesdays with my mum (who turned 90 last month and has more energy than me🤣) I hope everyone has a lovely weekend, we’ve had gorgeous weather this week here but not sure it’s due to continue unfortunately,.

Dawn XX

ArcticFox it’s good to hear from you, well done on your inches loss 🙂
What a great idea to use AI for meal planning – I’m definitely going to try this!
I’ve been using CoPilot at work recently – it’s a great help for writing process manuals/instruction guides, which is what I’ve been doing. I paste a section of text and then ask AI to simplify it, or word it more professionally, or give me some examples for usage – it’s great! Obviously you need to check everything, but it really speeds things up.
I hadn’t thought of using it for health/diet before but am going to try it 🙂

Good evening!

Well we are now on our last leg of our trip. I feel like I’ve been away forever although in fact it’s just over two weeks. Anyway, we have had two really good ‘legs’ and are now with son and family in Portugal so another wonderful time ahead.

Food wise, well I’m being anything but ‘wise’ at the moment but such is life and I’m enjoying going off piste!

Margaret sorry your surgery is still way off in the future but as you say you can use the time to become as healthy as possible before your surgery. Just don’t expect miracles given your reduced mobility.

Pootle, first time around is always the easiest! We have all struggled when it comes to maintenance or second/third etc, time around. I think a five pound cushion sounds quite reasonable. Don’t beat yourself up just keep on keeping an eye on your upper limit and don’t let it get out of hand.

Promise to post on the positive thread soon. I’ve certainly had more than my fair share of positives over the last few weeks but just not had the time, or internet connection, to share them. Will be back soon..

Enjoy Marvellous May!

Sorry I haven’t been posting for a few days… TBH I have been struggling…BUT

1. Friends visited at the beginning of the week…great to catch up, and they liked the lower carb offering for lunch. (Although I did provide new potatoes also!)

2. I treated myself to a new handbag…I don’t need it, but it was too good a bargain to miss! (leather ‘cross body bag’ that will take my phone and purse, for £15.00!!!) I love a bargain.

3. The hot sunny weather has enabled me to wash curtains and mats, get them dry and replaced…so the house is a little brighter!

Hope you can find a few positives in your life. xx

Hi everyone,
It has been very busy with the farm and it has been a very stressful time with our national situation. Haven’t felt up to much outside of work and the farm and keeping a very narrow focus right now.
However, I have lost some inches. My jeans are falling off without a belt! And my leg pain is much better. I’m just focusing on healthy, lower fat, high fibre meals. It seems that too much fat sets off the inflammation that makes my lipedema worse. So I’ve had to stop worrying so much about carbs and am focusing on the most complex carbs that I can.
One thing I’ve started to do, is when I’m too busy to even think of what to make for dinner or lunches, I put the ingredients I have on hand into an AI chatbot and ask it to come up with some meal ideas and recipes. It is doing a good job for the most part!
Hope everyone else is doing well. I’ll catch up on the posts when I get a chance.

Thank you S-G for setting up Marvellous May😀
I have also consumed chocolate over Easter & particularly liked my husbands Toblerone one🙀
I am continuing TRE & trying to eat more protein whilst lowering carbs but am on some new medication for my sensitive bladder & have felt hungrier since taking it but perhaps I am imagining that & making excuses for any increased eating.
I am loving the sunshine & I had an NHS hearing test at Specsavers this morning & am now the proud? owner/user of two hearing aids that I have a fortnight to get used to before a further hearing check. They do feel a little odd particularly in my left ear & I don’t think that I am hearing very differently but perhaps watching some tv without subtitles might show that.
I have heard my knee replacement surgery may be within the next five to six months with the surgeon I saw privately last October!
Oh well I need to use this time to start exercising more & to try to become slimmer & fitter. I am now awaiting my Ocado grocery delivery.
Keep on going everyone & Happy May Day💐💐
Margaret xx

Thanks for the new monthly thread. Marvellous May sounds…well…marvellous!

Tbh I am struggling at the moment, weight seems to be yo-yoing for no apparent reason. I am not counting carb and cal now, but think I am following the principle and keeping low carb with a few more than 1000 calories. Since Easter, when I know I slipped quite badly with chocolate 🍫 (85%, but a fair portion of it!) and the midnight feast of granary bread 🍞 toast after my prang 🚙, I have been careful about what I am eating. However, my weight is fluctuating wildly from 10st 5lb and 10st 10lb from day to day!! 🫤🤔🙄.
Feeling pretty down and finding motivation very hard… so no posts on the positives thread recently… but I am going to try harder and 🤞 hopefully get back on track!!
Hope we all have a marvellous May!

Hello everyone
April flew by! Here we are in May and I am hoping I’ll be back on track after a not very productive April. I am 1lb down. Had planned to lose 3 lb but as ever life got in the way. I’m feeling positive that I can make a difference in May although I’ve got my son coming home tomorrow for the weekend and a weekend away next weekend but that still leaves plenty of days when I can eat sensibly. I’ve had my eyes tested and the optician said my new lenses and the left epiretinal peel have made quite a big difference to my vision. I only now need reading glasses and they only cost me £50! That is a huge win. I usually had varifocals and they cost me a lot of money. Today I weighed 154.8. It’s creeping down SLOWLY. Calorie counting, low carb and time restricted eating will be my focus for May. I’ve bought some new trainers as recommended by Podiatry so hoping that I can get some more steps in this month too. SueBlue- 23,000 steps in a day is incredible!! I can usually only manage about 7000 but I’m hoping my new trainers will help take the load off my toes.
At the start of a new month let’s all focus and plan for what we want to achieve this month. I will be happy to weigh less at the end of each month. Would be great to lose a couple of pounds during may- I’ll aim for 152lb. I find I have to be realistic as it comes off so slowly. I have to admit that when I weighed this morning I was really pleased to see that I had actually lost weight during April even though it was only 1lb!
Mariet- I’m so sorry to read about your dental problems- you must be feeling awful.. Good riddance to that problematic tooth. Once the antibiotics kick in I hope you’ll be soon able to eat properly and feel better.
Have a good week everyone. I’m going to weigh myself once a week to keep track. I lost my way a bit in April but im back on track for May. I’ll weigh in next Friday and report back. Am loving this cruise 🚢

Mariet, sorry to hear you are still having dental issues, I hope you get it al sorted soon.
Cathy, glad to hear your eye issues are improving 🙂
Dawn, you sound really motivated, glad you enjoyed your break away.
I’m off work this week, and yesterday went into the city with my husband. We ended up walking 23,000 steps over the day! Haven’t walked that much for a while. We visited Cockatoo Island on Sydney Harbour – despite living in Sydney for over 40 years I’d never been there before, so enjoyed the visit.
I weighed in this morning and have lost another 300g or so. I looked back in the Happy Scale app I have on my phone and saw that I have now lost 3.5kg (since January) and have lost a small amount of weight each week for 8 out of the last 9 weeks. 3.5kg is half a stone – so it goes to show that while small losses each week may seem quite insignificant at the time, they do add up!
I’ve started to get back into meal planning and cooking again. In the last few days I’ve made some of my favourite BSD recipes – pumpkin and roast capsicum soup, vegetarian bolognaise, pear and cinnamon porridge. Today I want to make a plan for the next week, and then organise a shopping order.
I’m absolutely loving the cooler weather we are having now. I cope so much better in the 20 degree temperature range rather than 30-40 degrees! Hope everyone else is having a good week 🙂

Thanks for setting this up s-g. Just checking in so I can get all the posts. Although I’m not home until May 9th I will definitely be back on board on the 10th!

Have a Marvellous May everyone.

Thank you s-g … marvellous is definitely the way to go….as you say we are! Hope you had a great holiday.

Well we still have 11 days to go but fortunately tomorrow is our last cruise day. Although we’ve had a great time the food is really hard to refuse. Looking forward to Portugal and fish, fish and more fish!

See you all over on the May thread.

Pootle thank you so much for keeping this thread alive. Apologies for being AWOL for so long, but I’m able to offer some positives…..
🙂👏🏻 progress has continued on our villa, thanks to the efforts of OH
🌞🌞 weather good and sunshine is definitely doing positive things for my wellbeing.
🍽🙂 discovered today, one of my favourites restaurants has opened for the summer season … yippee!!!
Hope there are some notable positives in your days too … why not tell us about them?

Thank you SG & I hope you have had a very enjoyable holiday.
I weighed last Saturday & had lost 1.75lbs so a more optimistic end to April for me.
I will be pleased to join in with Marvellous May 👍😀. I am really enjoying the sunshine this week 🌝
Margaret xx

Set up May thread called moving into marvellous May 2025. Hope to see you all there.

Welcome to the new monthly thread. I am not the best influence for you all at the moment, having just spent 2 weeks on a cruise with a total glut of food. What you can be sure of is I am totally on board to make a big difference in May.

So, whether you are one of our regulars, a newbie to the diet or just lurking, come and join us on our adventure into weight loss and health.

Sunshine-girl, SunnyB and Wendleg.

Hi Mariet,
I’m so sorry that you are still having dental problems, it sounds awful! Hope you’re feeling better soon. Dawn XX

I haven’t posted for a little while, it’s been a bit rough here. I wish humans had evolved better teeth! After a strong fight to save it I have had to have a tooth taken out last Saturday. I am still on antibiotics but I have the most putrid taste in my mouth although I’m on antibiotics and have been for some time. It’s revolting. So much so that I am barely eating, only soup or protein shakes. The silver lining in my mind was going to be a satisfying drop on the scales but sadly no, I have registered a gain 😭
Tomorrow I see an oral surgeon because this saga hasn’t finished yet.
I hope others are in a better place and getting better results!

Hi everyone,
Thanks Cathy, we had a lovely break in yorkshire, DH enjoyed a fat rascal from Betty’s😀, I had a vanilla slice and we both also had fondant fancies! We also had various meals out so not a healthy four days at all. We got back yesterday and I sat last night doing a food plan for the coming week as I daren’t think how much weight I will have put back on. I’m pleased your uveitis has gone, DH has had it twice and I know it’s awful.

Yowzer, I’m afraid I bumped into the Easter Bunny and ransacked his basket😱 Instead of a sparkly chart this time I ordered myself a food diary/exercise/habit planner (which I will use my sparkly stickers in😀) and took various body measurements this morning to fill in on one of the pages.

DCT I totally feel as you described about not knuckling down and using anything as an excuse to not fully stick in and I’m really going to try hard from today. The recent sunny weather has helped me imagine another Summer where I can’t fit into the majority of my clothes and I really don’t want that again😩

So, I’m definitely feeling in the right frame of mind and, with the usual brilliant support from you all, I really hope I can finally crack this in 2025. I hope everyone has a good week🤞

Dawn XX

Hi everyone, you have been very quiet while I have been away. We landed in the UK yesterday and I did get weighed this morning but on different scales and have gained 2kgs but my BG are totally out of whack and I have had to increase insulin every day. Not to worry, I will soon be back in the swing of things.

Thank you Verano for some suggestions for the May thread name and I am going to go with Marvellous because that is what we all are. I will set things up in the next day or two but definitely before the 1st. Looking forward to seeing you all then. Right now i am very tired and we are still celebrating with a meal out tomorrow. See you in a couple of days.

Just thought I’d pop in and say ‘hello’.

At the moment we are in the Med, lovely and warm, with just three more days of our cruise left. Today I decided to try and do ‘lowish calorie’ for the rest of our trip as ‘low carb’ has gone right out of the window! So this morning I just had fruit for breakfast. Just trying to stay away from the desserts but is a bit difficult on a cruise!

Anyway, hope everyone is well. May is almost here … any ideas for an inspiring title for the month? May… mine is ‘definitely must do better in May‘ but Marvellous or Miraculous May would also work for me!

There’s nothing wrong with having a weekend off. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself! You’ve done so well, you deserve it
We are flying into Murcia staying at Le Torre golf resort. Just hired a little apartment and a car and aim to get about the area and coast. Very excited as I feel I need a bit of a break. Cyprus was lovely but it was busy with wedding and meet ups etc.
His 2 cats were rhe only 2 of a litter and their bond was crazy. They did eveything together and slept with their paws wrapped round each other.
Literally unreal. So as well as the dire circumstances of the boys death, the girl is desolate. So sad to see. X

Hi Lucy,
Good news that your Dad now has a permanent placement.
So sorry to hear about your Son’s cat. Losing a pet can be very hard, especially when it is sudden!

Great that you have lost 5lb of the 7…….. exceptional given the stresses you are under! I am certain that you will achieve your goal by the time you go on holiday to Spain! Where abouts are you going? We have friends in Malaga and relations near Madrid!

I put on 2.5 lb last weekend and have found it very difficult to resist the temptations, that came from the treats, I succumbed to over Easter! 😩😥
I had lost them again this morning… but only by being very strict with myself!
Thinking of you… onwards…
Xx

Hope you enjoyed your weekend off Pootle.
Been a grim week , ladt weekend my dad suffered a very bad fall and was taken to hospital but thankfully nothing broken. He’s still not eating and its so so sad to see. My son who got married had 2 cats 18 months old and one was sadly killed by a car. That was the beginning of my week. The rest was taken up by more hassle with getting Dad a permanent placement which was achieved yesterday at last. And he doesn’t have to move homes thankfully.
And I went back to weighing and measuring and being 100 percent….and lost 5lbs of the 7 I put on on holiday. Pretty pleased but not going to lie it’s been hard. I have 6 weeks until hubby and I go on our own to Spain for a week,can’t wait, so my target is to get back to pre hols weight which is another 2lb and then aim for another half stone by then. As you know I have lost 2.5 stone but haven’t achieved much more than that since before christmas. I’ve worked on maintaining which I have more ot less as life has been so stressful I kept falling off the wagon so would then diet again so all I was ever doing was maintaining. I want to lose another 1.5 stone to total 4 stone but woukd be happy anywhere above a stone. So I am going to keep measuring and carb counting until June when we go away.
Hope everyone else is doing well xx

Hello everyone
Enjoy your break Dawn . Enjoy a Fat Rascal in Betty’s- I love them! I’ve decided that on the days I am doing nothing I am going to be 100% good and that will give me permission to enjoy the odd luxury when on holiday or eating out etc. I’ve made a note of all my forthcoming events and if I am good in between then I still should be able to see a loss on the scales. My son is coming home next weekend and I’ve not seen him since September and we are going out and I am going to enjoy our meal. So, I’m being good til he comes home. The following weekend we are going to Lytham for a couple of nights so again, I’ll be good before and after!
Sue- I’m glad I’ve been an inspiration along with DCT. I do think being mindful of calories is helping me. I’ve ditched the peanut butter for a start! DCT’s idea of 5:2 is great. I have been so inspired by this cruise because it’s given us space to see what works and to experiment and mix n match. It keeps me inspired to keep trying different methods and because we have time I don’t feel like I’ve failed.
I went to eye clinic this morning. My uveitis has cleared up so I can have my eye test on Tuesday . I’ve got some antibiotic eye ointment for 10 days. My eye is still a little sore. Podiatry went well too. I am booked in for 4 more sessions of shock wave therapy for my plantar fasciitis and he has recommended some trainers for me to try which I’ve ordered – £159 but if they help me it’s worth it! . He said they’ll take the pressure off my toes! I am becoming a new woman!!!
Have a great weekend everyone. Weather is looking good here for the Uk next week. Let’s eat plenty of salad!! 🥗

Hi everyone,
Apologies, have been meaning to post most days then didn’t get round to it! I’m still not sticking in the way I know I can so haven’t weighed myself again yet. We are heading to Yorkshire tomorrow for a four day break and I know I won’t be able to resist popping into Betty’s shop in York but I will definitely weight myself next Friday. I’m so pleased this is a leisurely cruise which gives us plenty of time to refocus. I will catch up properly with everyone’s posts whilst I’m away.
Hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Dawn XX

Hello all, thanks for your posts DCT and Cathy – you’ve given me some great ideas and inspiration! I’m definitely going to try calorie counting for a while, and I really like the idea of 5:2 and then moving to 3:4 etc – as I have been behaving exactly the same as you DCT, I just can’t seem to knuckle down!
My husband suggested we have a ‘dry May’ as we’ve both been consuming too many liquid calories so far this year. May is a good time, as apart from Mothers Day there’s no family birthdays or occasions to get in the way.
We’re still keeping up with our walking, we walk for at least 40 minutes, 4 days a week, and sometimes when we’re out on the weekends or running errands we’ll walk 12-15,000 steps a day. So between walking and the upkeep and garden maintenance at MIL’s house, we do keep fairly active. I just need to get serious with my eating. I’ve lost a couple of kilos since the start of the year and have kept it off – BUT I still have a long way to go to get to my target weight!

Hi everyone. How are we all doing? Hope we all survived the Easter Bunny!

CATHY it sounds as if you have a lot going on! I hope that your eye appointment goes well tomorrow and that you can then focus (pardon the pun!) on your forthcoming happy events before getting your toe sorted out. I think it’s a good idea to defer your retina surgery to give you time to breathe! Good luck with your April weigh-in result. It may be better than you think : I often find that when we are expecting little or no loss it can be more than we think. And sadly vice versa!

No loss this end, but that’s because I still can’t (or won’t?!) knuckle down to be honest. Part of it is that with recently retiring and then the Easter holidays there’s always “something” getting in the way. By which I mean, that I will use pretty much anything as an excuse not to get fully back on board this week, or next, or the one after etc. Be it an event, a lunch out, a family visit, it becomes a convenient focus on why I should leave it till next week to get going properly again.

So earlier this week I gave myself a good talking to (as you do!) and decided for now that I will commit to 5:2. Whatever else is happening, there is no reason for me not to be able to be really strict for 2 days a week. I did one of my 2 days yesterday and did fine, and there is an immediate loss on the scales this morning (water weight I know, but they had been starting to creep up, which I was cross with myself for). And today would have been my first day. back at school so I’m off for a spa day and will allow myself a glass or two of fizz without feeling bad.

Next week I’m off for a country hotel break from Wednesday (my birthday!) to Sunday, so I will do my two days Monday and Tuesday. I’m not planning to gorge myself while away – the food at this place is lovely with lots of healthy options. I’m just in the place at the moment where I need to get back into calorie and carb counting gradually without the “all or nothing” mentality that I tend to fall into.

Once I get 5:2 working well, I will probably increase it gradually to 4:3, 3:4, then 2:5 – ie being stricter during the week but cutting myself some slack at weekends. I’m going on holiday with my daughter at the end of June so hope that by this gentler approach I’ll be able to shed a few pounds before then.

MARIET how are your teeth? I have recently been told I need root canal treatment on one tooth, which is booked in for 21st May.Not looking forward to it. I really hope that the oro-maxillary surgeons appointment helps and that you get everything sorted soon.

Hope the rest of the week goes well for you all, and have a great weekend when it arrives!

Hello everyone
Let’s dig deep for the last week in April- the time is flying by and progress at this end is slow! I ate two hot cross buns over Easter which were calorie counted in and a jam and cream scone which wasn’t! I want to finish April at a lower weight than I started so am giving it my best this week. I know I won’t have achieved a 3lb loss which I hoped for but at this rate I’ll take even 1lb! I spoke to the orthopaedic doctor yesterday and I have asked to be listed for the fusion surgery on my first big toe after my cruise in September . My toes are incredibly painful now and I’m having to limit my walking. I’m going to enjoy my nieces wedding in June and my holiday in August and then hopefully have my surgery. I am mindful that I will not be moving much for about three months so need to capitalise my weight loss now! Am at the eye clinic on Friday so hoping to be signed off to get my new glasses if the uveitis has cleared up. I’m going to defer the retina surgery to next year as I feel I’ve had enough eye ops this year!
I have a few things coming up which might scupper my losing weight schedule so I am going to work extra hard on the weeks when I’ve got nothing on. I’ll post my April result next week and am hoping to be less than 155!!
Have a good week everyone.

Hope everyone has enjoyed a Happy Easter!

The weather has been lovely…
Positives for today;
1. I was treated to an Hotel Chocolat dark chocolate egg…and have been very good about not scoffing it all at once! 🐷 (It wouldn’t have lasted 24 hours in the past!!)
2. British asparagus…with hollandaise sauce….has been my easter special…yummmm!
3. All my seedlings are thriving…so looking forward to home grown Onions, Butternut Squash, Courgette, Celeriac, Leeks to eat and cornflowers, helichrysum, sweet peas and sunflowers for decoration! 🌻🧈🌱🫛🧅

Hi Lucy,
Brilliant to hear that you had a wonderful time in Cyprus!
Also great to hear you are getting back to it… it can be so easy to ‘backslide’ and go down the slippery slope!
I am having a ‘weekend off’…. Husband bought me a superb dark chocolate Easter egg, filled with dark chocolate pralines etc…. They just have to be eaten!!!
So here’s to getting back on board next week!
Xxx

I hope you have a wonderful & relaxing holiday Verano & I also hope you have recovered from your car prang Pootle. I’m reviewing what I am doing at the moment rereading MMs the fast 800 book to refresh my memory & have also adjusted my food shopping for next weeks delivery. My husband & I do have an Easter egg each to eat so by Tuesday temptation will be gone. I will also go back to drinking fruit teas instead of coffee that I really rely on to pep me up in the morning & will try to keep strictly to the fast 800 diet & I always follow TRE anyway not eating until lunch. I will review after two weeks & hope I have lost some pounds in weight. I know I must get prepared for my knee surgery & after reading about the recovery period I do feel quite anxious & daunted so do need to get back to taking control & looking after myself more!
Let’s keep on going everyone 🍀🤞🤞👍
Margaret xx

Hi Yowzer.
We all need a treat from time to time…and Easter is as good a time as any!v
I am looking forward to my special easter egg tomorrow…(Whisper…husband has treated me to a Hotel Chocolate Dark egg….🥚🍫!!!)
But I am now worried about avoiding the Easter Bunny…🐰😉

Will get back to it on Tuesday!
Happy voyaging all.
xxx

Hi everyone. Had a fab 6 days in Cyprus, everything was great. Wedding day fantastic!
Nothing got sorted with my Dad in my absence..social worker off again and no one else knows about it….you know how these things work…they allowed an extra week again to tey and sort full time so I’m straight back to it after bh weekend !
Down side…have put on half stone. But I know some of this should vanish quickly.
Back to it!!!
Hope everyone else is good.
Pootle….thanks for the .message, appreciated.
It’s a .minefield isn’t it??? We are still no nearer a resolution! He’s still not eating. Will have to get on with chasing it all up Tuesday again!. X

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Hi CCATHY and MARIET and all my other shipmates! Happy Easter to all xxxxx
I have lost the plot completely and have indulged in buttery hot cross buns and have already cracked open the chocolate! Its a holiday weekend and Im allowing my Carb Monster to throw caution to the wind until Tuesday.😄😋
Look out 👀 for the Easter Bunny,ive seen him strolling round the deck with a basket of goodies! XX
🦋🦋 Happy weekend everyone X 🦋🦋

CC, I have had that exact experience as well, it’s a timely reminder as I wonder to myself why I am up 200g this week. The extra handful of grapes, the little piece of a grandchild’s Easter egg and all the rest probably hasn’t helped.
I hope calorie counting for the next little while helps for you.
I am still having awful trouble with my teeth 😫 so I am on a liquid diet, apart from the aforementioned grapes and chocolate. I’ve been referred to an oro-maxillary surgeon next week and hopefully he will be able to help me.
Meanwhile, looking forward to hearing from other cruisers and hearing how things are going!

Happy Easter all.
Sounds like you are really enjoying your break away Verano, isn’t it brilliant when you don’t have to think ‘Think, menu, shop, cook, serve’ just ‘menu, choose, eat’!! 😄😄

Wendy1947.
Good to hear that someone has listened to you and you have had an MOT! Hope the result is a quick turnaround for the op!

Now the weather here has broken, I am struggling not to give in to some comfort eating! Cold and VERY wet means I am sort of confined indoors!
I also had a minor car ‘prang’ yesterday, which has in-nerved me more that it should have!! Result…I was eating hot buttered toast and drinking tea at 1.00 this morning as I couldn’t sleep!
But tomorrow is another day… getting back to keeping on, keeping on!