I’m a Pear ? the sequel part 2 !

I braved the scales and remain 1 lb over my target. We're having a record breaking heatwave here. It was 42° today. Announcements on the radio ask people to check on their elderly neighbours to see if they are OK. Surely that does not mean me!? I was walking my dog this afternoon and 2 people stopped me with "Are you alright Ma'am?" and
" How's it going with you?" So now I feel ancient!!
Nearly midnight now and very hot. I'm drinking iced water and lying naked atop my bed. Not exactly a sight for sore eyes I'm sure. ???

shall weigh tomorrow...
cocoa...blow about 10 degrees of your heat over here and i will blow you over some rain and fog lol...42 must be stifling....

Good morning all-lovely to hear how you are all getting on?.
Sarah that is an incredible achievement. I'm sure your BP will show a great improvement. As JoMarch says weight is almost always a factor. It is important they look at your meds though. My friends mother lost a substantial amount of weight but they didnt re adjust her meds for BP. She fainted whilst holding a kettle and had a nasty small-ball was ok eventually fortunately.
Life sounds busy Sarahmob, especially work but it makes us appreciate the other good bits such as family time. Its lovely getting together with friends and family again,like you I have found it does involve the odd celebratory treat. I think for many occasions are marked and remembered through family favourites ,sometimes special recipes. I suppose it's quite strange after so long NOT mixing with more than a couple of people in the same bubble. I suppose the social restrictions also meant that for us dieters there were potentially no occasions to lead us off straight and narrow! Suddenly we are back to celebrating friends and family and all the edibles that can entail.! That said last year rather than focus on getting healthier I resorted to baking like Mary Berry on speed-and eating the results??.
JoMarch you asked for suggestions of what to eat on your weekend away. Indeed it can be a dilemma. I suppose over the years the only thing I have gradually realised -and acted on more recently-is whatever the occasion weddings/holidays/ Christmas/ meals out the actual event is only one or two days. The important thing is to stick to plan before-theres no need to eat mince pies every day during December! Also to get back on plan straight after. On the day of the event it's trying to be as sensible as possible rather than the in for a penny in for a pound point of view. If going for a hearty pub lunch maybe make the remainder of the days intake lighter/healthier,so instead of a treat of a cooked breakfast have a poached egg on toast. Many pubs /restaurants will have something on the menu that although not always low calorie is a better choice. A protein with veg and minimal rich sauces or a salad etc. As ever it's all about what's in our minds. I suppose it's also prioritising -if theres a dish or treat you really enjoy have it and enjoy it but choose wisely and dont spend the whole day eating all the things you dont normally have and then do the same over following week!
That said there can be weeks when just genuinely hungry-well done Sarahmob for just adding more of healthier foods rather than grab a high calorie energy booster.
To my surprise I weighed in yesterday and had lost 3.5 pounds,so the weight I had put on and a bit more. Whiff and JoMarch it could have been extra muscle as moving more. That said I was probably moving more in one day than I had in a week last year. In retrospect I was much more active and probably of need of more calories due to energy spent. Unfortunately I was also tired and as a result made very unwise choices!
Yesterday I had a treat day combined with the most normal day I had since Covid reared its ugly head. I had my hair cut and then went into town with my daughter. Buses I'm incredibly used to now! We went into a cafe and I had a bacon nap and coffee. We went into various shops. I also went into a supermarket for the first time since Feb 2020! For me although things are more relaxed than last year it's still quite odd! At one stage I tried to log in with my covid app on a hand sanitizing station?. For me what is common practice for others such as etiquette of mask wearing is needed is now becoming normal but whether sit down and are waited on or go to counter can be a mystery ?.
Fortunately although I did spend a lot in the supermarket it was mainly for new picnic plates and solar lights for the garden plus a magazine and an individual custard tart which I enjoyed in the garden later!
I always had groceries delivered pre covid with occasional supermarket tip-in had forgotten how tempting the wider choice is?. I was very glad we went in though-we wanted to see the garden items in person as there were several options of each one and didnt want to rely on someone else choosing. In the end the ones I really loved didnt look as nice as I thought so bought completely different ones!
I dont envy you the heat Cocopops, it's not very summery here for a lot of the time but I prefer to be cool! Your feelings about being regarded as older also raised a smile-often I will see someone such as a musician on tv and think to myself how 'mature ' they look and realise we are the same age?.
Have a,happy week everyone ??

Coco like Shirley said, do feel free to send a few excess degrees this way !!! We have heavy rain and high winds today and it will be July next week
After a tricky picky week I have 'put on' 0.2 pounds which is basically I've stayed the same. I had a good loss last week so am happy with today's result.
Yesterday I was doing a crossword where all the clues were anagrams of the answers - tricky.
Why am I telling you this I can hear you say
How many of us realised the connection between Stress and Puddings?
STRESSED is DESSERTS backwards !!!!!!!!!!
Good luck everyone - stay positive and we will all achieve!

That should be scald and bacon bap?

Congratulations to all who have lost. I am in the same weight camp again.

Cocopops that heat would kill me. At least if it's cold you can put more clothes on. With that heat only so much you can take off during the day and stay decent.

Dorset a bacon nap is what I would take after a big cooked breakfast ?.

Be going off diet tomorrow lunch time. It's my daughter's birthday. We are going out to lunch . Just us and my youngest grandson. His dad's at work and brother at nursery. Going to a French restaurant. So be soup for dinner.

Start my exercise class on Wednesday afternoon is called active ageing. The bus stop is right by the church hall. Really looking forward to it. Funny never thought I would like exercise but when I first went to a class back in January 2018 I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed it. I want to get the strength back into my arms and improve my stability. Also it will get me back into the routine of doing my exercises at home everyday and hopefully start to shift the weight again.

At my daughter's Friday my grandson wanted me to play in his bedroom. He dashed up the stairs and said come on Nannie. I said Nannie isn't used to stairs as I haven't got any in my bungalow. He asked when the men where coming to put some in. He amazes me with the things he comes out with. I definitely have Bunga knees.

Love stressed is desserts backwards four.

I used to have scales that had a voice. I always made sure I was the only one in the house when I used them. The ones I have now don't talk.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Lost half a pound

Well done Shirley. ?

NanKate just read how you met your husband . What a wonderful man. At least you knew he really loved you as he went to such a lot of trouble tracking you down. 53 years is a long time. So happy for you ?

What a lovely thing to say Whiff. The irony of it is that my family did not like him, especially my mother. About 10 years before she died she said ‘I would never have chosen him for you, but I can see that you are happy together’. I was pleased she said that.

We are totally chalk and cheese. He is a hard working perfectionist and devotes himself to the family. I’m a happy go lucky person, always ready to go out and enjoy myself. We rub along pretty well. I’m lucky.

Well done to Whiff and ShirleyW- I hope you enjoyed your daughter’s birthday lunch, Whiff, and that you had a lovely Granny fix, Sarahmob. Well done too, Dorset, that’s a great loss in a short space of time. Weight loss just isn’t linear, is it? The trick ( ha!) seems to be just to keep on keeping on, and to have faith that it WILL come off eventually. You are quite right about celebrations knocking over the (toffee?) apple cart...I definitely have an “in for a penny” mentality ( might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb)which is pretty stupid really, but I am also quite good at getting back to being good after going off piste. Which is a long winded way of saying, of course I thoroughly enjoyed our pub lunch with dog on Saturday, and wasn’t at all stressed about the desserts we shared, ( brilliant, Fourormore!) that I really wasn’t going to have, but of course I did! One thing that really did please me though,is that we both - DH and self- are fit enough to walk far enough to exhaust energetic puppy. We couldn’t have done that a few years ago.
Well, back to being good- only 11 days til niece’s wedding weekend starts. Am going to give scales a few more days til I brave them again,might try on the white trousers tomorrow...on the other hand might give that a few days too!
CocoPops, you are so near your goal! Bravo! Does the heatwave help or hinder? When it’s cold I crave stodge, but ices and cool drinks can have unexpected calories. Have you tried sleeping with a wrung out damp towel? Sounds gross, but it has help me in heatwaves ( remember those, fellow Brits?) on holiday and at home. And I so know what you mean about what I call the “helping an old lady across the road ( whether she wants to go or not) syndrome”. I was very ungracious and snappy to a charming young man who offered me his seat on the tube a few years ago. It had been raining and I must have looked very bedraggled and exhausted, but all the same I was only 52! He did deserve better than my snarling acceptance of his kind gesture!!
Have a great week all.?

Looked at the nhs diet plan and will start it today, I do start with the best intentions a lot though. Going to start weighing myself just once a week as I find each day depressing.Also having a free day as it gives me something to look forward to. I know it will take a bit longer but it’s the incentive I need. So I will check in this time next week and see where I am and read your posts as it will spur me on. Your dedication and total commitment is impressive, to lose all that weigh Whiff well done, you must look a totally different person now, hope you’ve treated yourself to a new wardrobe.

Sparkling I used the NHS 12 week diet plan and it worked for me. I went on about 1400 calls a day instead of the 1200 it recommended and so took longer to to lose the weight. I now eat what I want but in much smaller proportions. Good luck. You’ll get plenty if great support here. ?

Glad you found the pears Sparkling. Took me decades to realise it's a marathon not a sprint losing weight. The old me would go on a diet have a bad day and give up. But having jaundice and no one being dependent on me anymore. Made me change my view. Finding this thread has helped so much. I do look different only one chin instead of 3 ?.

Sarahmob has done brilliantly to lose 5st in a year. Plus everyone else who has lost and especially maintaining.

NanKate my husband and I where opposites in quite a few ways but we both had a temper and where stubborn. But we never argued over important things it was always something silly. But making up was always fun. Haven't had an argument since he died. Only argued with him really miss that along with everything about our life. But I was lucky to have him in my life. And still consider myself married. He is and will forever be my husband.

Started my new exercise class yesterday afternoon. It's called Active ageing. There where 3 of us. Emily our instructor worked us hard. I am the youngest at 63 the other ladies were in their 80's. Must admit I am really enjoyed it. Felt it afterwards but it has spurred me on to do them every day at home. We where given our own resist band to keep and take to each class. Some exercises sitting, them standing plus some walking exercises. Have to use my stick . Only a couple of exercises I couldn't do because of my left leg. Can't go next week because having 24hr heart tape fitted but looking forward to going the following week. It's free for 12 weeks then £2.50. Which is the cost of a posh loaf. Run by the falls prevention department of Sefton council. Only found it by Googling exercise classes for over 60's with health problems. It's GP referral but my GP was happy to send the letter for me .

My daughter is wonderful she knows how much I miss my craft group so yesterday she let me know she saw on Facebook it looks like my old craft group will be starting again. Just hope it's not Wednesday afternoon as that's booked.

Makes me feel life is starting to get back to some sort of normality. Still have to take precautions.

Enjoyed my daughter's birthday lunch. Went for vegetarian option not low cal though but delicious. Plus very naughty dessert chocolate brownie . It was lovely to see so many people out and about . Glad to say social distancing and masks everywhere. But still everyone was enjoying the sunshine.

JoMarch hoping you will have the sunshine for the wedding. Have you got your outfit already or putting off buying one once you have lost more weight?

Have a good day everyone.

Good morning Pears.
I’ve had a ‘Whoops’ week this week with a pound on, although I’m not sure why as it’s not been any different to normal. Today sees me taking my DH away for a few days to celebrate his birthday and I’m expecting a bit more on but the scales have made me determined to try and limit the damage.
I went for my blood pressure clinic review last week and received a huge pat on the back from the nurse and the decision from the pharmacist to trial a complete stop of my medication, so no nightly tablet for the first time in ten years. BP to be checked in a fortnight just to see how it’s going with the option of using a lower dose of meds if it’s a bit higher.
Love the sound of your new exercise class Whiff, I’d quite like to find something like that near me, I’ll have to get onto the internet and see what’s about.
The heat you’re experiencing is really extreme Cocopops isn’t it? I love the sun but aren’t good in really high temperatures, I don’t think I’d be coping well at all - hope that you’re managing to keep cool.
Hope that you all have a good week Pears and that the scales are encouraging.

Good morning ladies ?. Cocopops I hope you are coping with the heatwave,worrying times. There was an interesting article in the Guardian online about how jellyfish are thriving and moving to new areas due to global warming and pollution. One does wonder what it will take for those in power to make real changes.
Well done on BP front Sarah. I love your description of a whoops week! I'm sure things will even out,as JoMarch says weight loss is not linear, loss or gain can catch up sometimes when least expect!
I love the idea of your exercise group to Whiff. I miss my crafting-dont seem to have the time or energy.?.
I stayed the same this week which I'm fine with as it was a stressful week. I did eat more processed sugar via biscuits and a couple of crunchies-something I havent done for months. It didnt affect my weight this week but definitely noticed other affects such as inflammation. A lesson definitely learned. Have a lovely week ladies?

Sarah glad to hear about your BP. You must feel proud all your hard work has paid off. You have just had a blip week.
When I first joined an exercise class in January 2018 it was run by Age UK and called community fit club. It was for 12 weeks and was free. First 45 mins was talking about nutrition and health and usually a fun quiz them the exercises. Because I have stability problems the instructor was great. I held on to a chair for leg exercises and sat down for arm. She adapted the floor exercises so I could do them on the chair.

When I moved here joined sit fit group. That was chair based again held in to back of chair for leg exercises and sat down for arm. Plus some exercises where just for sitting down. That was £5 for 45 mins. But Covid shut it down .

The active ageing class is run by Sefton council and GP referral. 12 weeks free then £2.50 . Chair based sitting and standing but also walking exercises. Main aims are strength and stability.

The council have other classes to suit different abilities. Some are gym based but machines are not for me. I would fall off them.

I Googled over 60's chair based exercise classes for people with heart problems. That's how I found my new class. I emailed them and it went from there.

Hopefully you will find a class to suit you.

Dorset I am the same as you stated the same this week but am ok with that. Hopefully doing my exercises everyday will help get it going again.
No class this week as having my heart tape fitted at the class time.

That was interesting about jellyfish. Only ever seen one. It was a lion's mane one years ago in Ireland it was beautiful.

Off to make some 4 berry jam. Have a great week pears.

Well done everyone, losses are great, but even when we gain a little we seem to know why and as several of us have said in the past, the weight seems to balance itself out over time.
We will persevere and support each other through all the ups as well as the downs!

Having put on a little last week I am delighted with a loss of nearly 2lbs this week. Being honest I haven't sinned this week and tried really hard so it is nice to be rewarded with a loss.
It is going down slowly but surely and although I'm sure there will be times when a little gain creeps in, I'm heading in the right direction.

Good luck to all my fellow strugglers - well done those who report losses but huge hugs to those who have an 'Oops' week. That's all they are!!!

Four well done. Hopefully I will get going downwards soon.

Thanks Whiff remember to stay positive! You have had a few 'treat' days recently and you are starting your exercises so I'm sure things will happen soon! Stay positive!

NanKate, I do believe you've hit the nail on the head with taking longer and losing weight more slowly. Sad to say it took me years to practise that rather than the failed crash attempts I used to crucify myself with. Slow but sure was the successful route for me and the joy is that I've never put any of it back on. Hallelujah! Only sorry that I didn't apply common sense sooner but....better late than never. It has been life changing for me.

I’m so pleased it worked for you too Kim. I still have a splurge on occasions, but mostly I have learned the way to keep my weight pretty steady.

Kim and of course NanKate well done losing and maintaining the weight loss. Took decades of yo yo dieting to realise it's a marathon not a sprint. My husband was great always supported me when I said I was going on a diet and never crictised when I gave up. He loved me no matter how big I got. Weight was never an issue.

I would start a diet have a bad day and give up. He would be astonished than I have lost so much weight and am still at it trying to get to my goal.

The difference between the old me and the me now isn't just physical but I feel more confident. I wear wide legged trousers most days . Only started wearing them less than 2 years ago. When I went to my old exercise class where I used to live I wore a skirt. It's only because of my daughter's encouragement that I tried a pair on. I wear bright colours and even brought a dress in 2019.

Where I live now none of my neighbours know what I used to look like. I am not vain and never been a judge a book by it's cover person. I hated the fact fat people are thought of lazy and have no self respect. I don't know about any of you but the amount of abuse I had from strangers was awful. It's only really the last 5 years I answered back before I started this weight loss journey.

People get up in arms about other forms of abuse . Have demonstrations about it. But being fat I for one just put up.with it. Makes me wonder why I did that. As my life matters and feeling matter just as much as anyone else no matter their religion ,ethic background or political views.

Oh dear that's a bit serious for a Monday morning. But been thinking about it for years. And know this is a safe place to air my views without being shot down.

Has anyone else felt this way?

Well done Shirlyw, Dorset ..3.5lbs Wow! and SarahMob you certainly deserved that pat on the back. Whiff.. good to know you're enjoying your new class and enjoyed your daughter's birthday bash.
Here in BC over the intense heatwave there were 300 deaths more than usual over 5 days and mostly seniors. In my neighbourhood the record breaking temperature was a tad over 44c on Monday. No way would you want the added heat from an oven so watermelon, salads and iced drinks and I lost a lb. Several cold showers a day for me.
I was worried about my dog (some have died) so I stood her in a few inches of water in the bath frequently and took her out for very short shady walks. She was lethargic like me. Today the temperature has been in the high 20's and right now at 11.30pm it's a lovely 23c. but because of global warming I expect this extreme heat will become the norm.
Have a great week Pears

Whiff, I didn’t realise that people being overweight, felt as you did, I have at most been 20lbs overweight, that’s too much I know, but never got really obese.
I started dieting again on Wednesday and was fine, then Sunday I kept snacking, undoing all the previous days work, I follow a pattern, I get lonely of a Sunday, so I eat.
I wasn’t going to weigh myself until Wednesday, but I did this morning and have out on a pound, so day I’ve started again and already know I have to get things planned for Sunday
I am going to look for an exercise class now things are opening up again..