I’m a pear ? the sequel!

I’m back from a lovely New Forest hols and need to get myself back on track. I didn’t overeat whilst I was away but I did have an alcoholic drink every day and I can already feel my stomach getting bigger.

It’s lucky we re all together here trying our best to get our weight down. With all the news about obesity and Covid it is in our best interests to keep our weight down.

I’m considering going back on the NHS calorie counting for a while as that did shift the pounds before.

One brief story. On the way down to the NF we stopped at the services to use their facilities ? and on passing through the small shop I spied some large blocks of chocolate. I thought well this is my holiday maybe a block of fruit and nut won’t hurt. As my hand hovered over the choc bar I foresaw myself eating the whole amount in a day or two, so with great reluctance I left it on the shelf.

Onward and downward girls. ?

Beechnut respect - what a great amount to lose. Keep at it.

Well done Beechnut that's a lot to lose. Starting doing my exercises again . Have rather let them slide. I enjoy them once I get going. My goal is to them everyday before my cuppa at 11.

Well done Beechnut wow that's great!
NanKate how do you operate the NHS Calorie counting? Do you have to weigh everything etc. as that's a pain when I have DH hovering I will have a look at it.

I used to be on My Fitness Pal which was great as I could 'save' regular meals and it automatically calculated the calories inc. proportions of fat, carbs etc. Then it went American and to register you had to click Ts and Cs that stated that users should be aware that American privacy isn't as tight as ours - at which time I fled!!!

I'm doing ok but fed up at not budging any decent amount of weight. I know the reasons why - lack of proper exercise and to be honest I am probably not eating enough? I am going to keep a food diary this week and see what it looks like on paper!

Good luck everyone!

Good to hear you had a lovely holiday NanKate and well done with the chocolate bar.

I think I’m going to think very seriously about what I eat with Covid obesity and the winter coming. Second waves and spikes etc. I don’t like being ill! .....bit of a daft statement, who does ?

Good morning all! I think you certainly had the best weather NanKate,its a bit drizzly here now! Well done on resisting the chocolate bar,quite an important moment! I don't know about you but I've found in the past that if I have something very high calorie its tempting to go down the "in for a penny " route! I now try very hard not to have temptation in house. I have to be realistic and if I do end up having something not so healthy I now try and eat healthier the rest of the day!
Fourormore in recent years I have found calorie counting the most effective. I checked out calories on NHS website and MyFitnessPal where I found the calorie intake specific to my age and BMI to both lose and maintain weight. Interestingly the NHS website allowed higher amount of calories than my fitness pal. What I did was aim for the lower but knew that as long as didnt go over highest I would be ok. It worked very well. It does entail a certain amount of weighing,especially with foods such as pasta or dairy products. I had been on Slimming world where portions are huge and it was tremendously beneficial to see what a normal portion looked like and to this day I do find I'm satisfied with much smaller portions.! A food diary is a very good idea. I think it shows a solid commitment and makes you really think about what you are eating. I also find it a handy resource for recipes/calories.
I think it's all small steps to forming better habits. Like you Whiff i need to exercise. I have no excuse other than lack of motivation so hopefully if i allocate a specific time it will become a new habit.!
I think there are many reasons for wanting to lose weight and the link to coronavirus is probably one of the most solemn. I think everyone hopes for a vaccine but there are no guarantees when or even if. To not lose weight may severely impact on what we can do.
On a final positive note well done Beechnut,lovely news on a wet Monday! Have a happy week everyone ?

Thanks for the encouragement folks - feeling a bit weird today as for the past 18m or more I've been supporting a friend through the illness and subsequent death of her husband. In that time we exchanged numerous long (and I mean Long!) texts and phone calls and, prior to lock-down, meet ups.
After the death we were in touch then suddenly it stopped. I texted four times in the first 3 months of lock-down and received no acknowledgement. I am always conscious that sometimes people don't want to be hounded with texts etc. so didn't 'overdo' it.
Then we were shielding so unable to go out - a group of other friends were meeting up (Doh!) and if they contacted her they got a reply.
To be honest with all that is going on with our sick rellies etc. I can't be bothered to chase folks - if they want me I am here but if they don't, that's fine! Sounds harsh but I know you all understand.
This morning out of the blue I've had an email - very short, no apology for the lack of response/communication, nothing. No comment about my situation (she knows as the messages went to everyone in the group) so it really threw me!
I haven't replied yet as I really don't know how to react. I honestly felt that I had done or said something to upset her but this has confused me. I will be fine - I went and scrubbed the bathroom Am off now to put it all back together as the floor will be dry!
What's that got to do with dieting Good news is that the NHS BMI just says I'm overweight - not obese - so there is hope!!!

Hello Four type into Google NHS Weight Loss Plan and a 12 week plan comes up and a calorie counter. I made up my own daily diary and found that I usually had the same breakfast and lunch so I only had to look up the calories once. I then just had to calculate my supper and snacks.

They said for my age and height I should be on 1200 cals a day but I found that too low so I allowed myself 1,400 but found I often didn’t get to 1,400. I often gave up a snack so I could have one glass of wine with my supper and added water to it and so it seemed like a large glass. I now prefer water in my white wine.

Once I had lost about a stone I then just ate what I wanted but in much smaller proportions.

Also I fit in a 20 minute walk most days.

Hope that helps.

Fourormore I'm so sorry about the upset caused by your friend. People can act in the strangest ways. Of course you know how your friend normally acts. The only thing that occured to me is could she associate you with a very difficult time that has ended.? Maybe consciously or unconsciously she doesn't want to think about those times and she associates you with them? People act in strange ways. It may be a blip. It doesn't stop it hurting and I'm sure it doesnt reflect on how much you supported her at the time. Maybe a brief but friendly reply. Big hugs?

Good advice Nankate?

I hope you dont mind if I share a recipe,sometimes it's nice to try something different.!
Bean Dip.
400g tin butterbean drained
Squeeze lemon juice
1 small crushed garlic clove
Tablespoon chopped parsley
Tablespoon chopped mint
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon water.
Blend everything together! Whole recipe 334 calories.
It's very tasty and filling. Good with veg sticks or on oat biscuits etc. Half a portion is filling. I add a little more water as like it very smooth. I've also used a teaspoon of dried mint and parsley when didnt have fresh and still lovely. Keep in fridge for a day.

Just seen your post Four can’t so called friends cause upset. You have done nothing wrong, so just leave her be.

Thanks for the recipe Dorset. ?

Glad you had a good holiday nankate, you do have control re. Fruit and nut choc bar , well done. Yes, with Boris and obesity and covid it is most important to keep even more healthy..
I lost 2 and a half pounds this week which surprised, didn't think I tried that hard lol.
Thanks for the bean dip recipe dorset. I shall make that at some point, be nice to take to work with crudités for lunch

Have a good week guys....weather has been very wet today but they say it's going to be hot by the end of the week.

Thanks Shirley Yes I was pleased about the choc, but I did have one glass of wine sat/sun. I don’t drink in quantity but I do drink regularly. I don’t exceed the recommended 15 points per week for women. A glass of chilled watered down wine with my kindle is bliss.

Well done Shirley another success story!
Thanks also to you all for your support when I was out of sorts yesterday re my friend. I am fine - I know I was feeling a bit hurt that I never even had acknowledgement when I contacted her but anyone else got an answer! I felt perhaps I had said or something to upset her but couldn't think what, as I had always given her nothing but support before and after the death. Still, I know it sounds harsh but with everything going on I am not going to allow myself to worry about it. If she wants me she knows where I am and I would always be there. I have sent a short reply, saying I understood she had a terrible time but needed peace. No accusations just a polite message that due to our need to stay free of any risk I won't be meeting anywhere indoors and only outside in a safe distance for the time being! I can do no more.
I think I just had a bad day yesterday with other external influences causing concern and I am fine again today! The last few photo folders on my laptop are in sight! Once I have all the prints it will still be many hours work but with light at the end of the tunnel!
We've asked ourselves several times why we started it, but we are so glad we did as it's kept us busy during lock-down and will be a lovely set of family history when it's all complete!
Thanks again for the support

Well do Shirleyw on the loss. Fourormore don't give that so called friend a second thought. You are a good , kind person and you must put yourself and yours first. You don't know how much your PMs have meant to me with what I am putting up with at the moment. 11 weeks now still no contact . But I will wait.

Well done on the weight loss Shirleyw ?. I hope you and Nankate enjoy the recipe. It is brilliant for work. I always find getting a wide variety of work lunches tricky. When I worked for the CAB it was temptation filled as we had a lovely manager who popped out daily to M&S to buy us delicious treats,plus the odd bunch of grapes.! Recent 12 hour shifts were a challenge as really couldnt face breakfast that early and always took a packed lunch as although the food was available it was rather nice and of course enriched to build up residents! Not finishing until 8pm meant needed something for early evening. When got home at 8.30 to tired to eat! Really not missing those 12 hour shifts!
Fourormore you are not harsh at all,I think you have shown great kindness towards your friend.
Have a wonderful week everyone ?. The sun is shining here . I wondered why my cat was jumping up and down at the patio doors and saw there was the sweetest little mouse having a wash in the sunshine!
Oh,the NHS have a new diet APP quite basic but it's free and can monitor weight for 12 weeks plus lots of advice on website. I remember myfitnesspal being very helpful but I was to mean to pay for it after free trial!

Much to my surprise my weight has stayed the same. Had a bad week eating more than my calorie allowance. Must be all the gardening I have been doing this week. Done a lot of weeding and digging. Put down 200l s of compost. My daughter and grandson took me to a garden centre on Tuesday morning. Got lot of new plants and a container to make a pond. Saw Adam Frost the other week on Gardner's world making one . He has several made out of various containers. Mine is a large plastic plant holder. Takes more rocks and pebbles than you would think. It's all done. Has floating Hornwort , lesser spearwort and black iris planted in baskets with pond compost. Hopefully it will work if so may consider another one.
More gardening today if the weather holds.

Hope everyone has had a good week.

Whiff your garden work sounds great and that's why you have needed extra calories this week without them doing any damage. Well done!

I have lost another 0.2lb !!! Crazy - as again this week I have been really good so it's disappointing but a loss.

Keep up the good work everyone - hopefully none of us will be in areas that are put under house arrest again. It's bad enough self isolating voluntarily.

Will this virus ever clear - pleased with the Devon and Cornwall Police though. Not near me but they tried to negotiate at an illegal gathering on Friday night without success. They returned and seized all their music equipment! Good for them - why are folk so selfish!

Keep safe everyone and have a good week

That's good news Whiff. I'm sure the gardening absorbed the excess calories especially installing a pond. Sounds lovely though?.
I've lost 3lb which pleased with. I must admit I havent counted every calorie and think it's the usual fluid loss when eat mindfully and no treats. Certainly if I want to continue to lose will have to be precise from now on.!
I have also ordered a yoghurt maker. I last had a basic one in the 1980s. This one a bit more flash with temperature control so can make greek yoghurt and own soft cheese. It will no doubt work out cheaper than buying yoghurt, but for me the appeal is being able to control what goes in it! Have a great week everyone has ?

Well done fourormore and Dorsetcupcake61 on your losses. I have an Easiyo yogurt maker which I love. I buy the plain low fat Greek style mix. I have tried the flavoured ones but prefer to add my own fruit. I boil mixed fruits using frozen ones with bit of sugar and sugar free sweeteners. I tried fat free but didn't like it.
Keep up the good work everyone and hope you have the sunshine.

Well done fourormore, it's a loss?. I do sympathise though. When I was doing Slimming world I followed it religiously and was losing tiny amounts. My daughter was having regular reasonable losses and at the time there was a lot of publicity about people dropping half their body weight! She did admit that when she went to weigh in ladies who were 50plus were experiencing the same as me! The only time recently I lost a regular amount was the quite restrictive Newcastle diet. I must admit I will see how it goes this week but may contemplate a form of 5.2.
Yes its relatively quiet in Dorset although reports of fights on Bournemouth beach. Its certainly a mess. I went on Twitter briefly,came off as everyone seemed angry about something!
Yes Whiff I'm looking forward to experimenting!I'm a big fan of berries ,especially frozen as only need to use what want.
Have a brilliant week everyone. Enjoy the sunshine, much nicer here as less sticky!?

No loss, no gain and must try harder! Am doing 16:8 with low carb this week.
I am also a fan of bags of frozen mixed berries to use in smoothies and overnight oats. Have a good week everyone.

Cocopops I look at staying the same as an achievement. Ok I would rather lose but it's better than putting on pounds. It's the start of a new week. Bon chance pear's.