I’m a Pear ? the sequel part 3 - Wow!

I follow you with a Sunday weigh in Fourormore then Sunday = sinday. I always have a pudding on Sunday which then keeps me on the straight and narrow Monday - Saturday.
I made a pot of leek and potato soup for dinner this evening, but then accompanied that with homemade toasted muffins which were delicious. Don’t think they’ll be too bad calorie wise though.

Some good ideas and support on here as usual.

Had a mild bout of diverticulitis again, but now I know to go onto a very Spartan diet for a few days while it passes. It has the added bonus of getting me to cut back drastically on eating. I don’t recommend this method.

Onward and downward we go.

Has anyone ever used My Fitness Pal to help with counting calories? You seem to be able to do calories counting stuff easily without paying?? If anyone has, how did you find it?

Hi Madgran77
I used My Fitness Pal several years ago and found it was brilliant as I could enter items into my daily menu/list in advance - that meant that if I knew I was going to have something calorific during the evening I could count it in advance and know how many calories I had left.
It also told me if I wasn't eating enough!

I remember I initially had to 'register' my current weight, how much I wanted to lose, usual exercise and things like that and it then calculated how many calories I should have each day.

I could 'store' information as well - eg if I always had the same breakfast each day I didn't have to work out the calories each time - just clicked it in.

I was sorry to give up but I believe it went American or something (no offence to our US Gnetters I promise!) and they put warnings about privacy etc. that scared me!!!
I'm not very tech minded and panic if I see things like that!

If anyone is currently on MFP I would love to hear how they are getting on as I would rejoin immediately if I was happy it was safe

Still not been able to book any classes via phone. Im going to have to go to the leisure centre in person to book. You can only book 5 days in advance and all spaces seem to go really quickly. No loss this week but Im not overly concerned as it evens out over 3 to 4 weeks. Still doing 16:8 most days so saving money by not joining SW or WW

I hope you are feeling better soon, NanKate. That’s not the best way to lose weight.

Thanks Doodledog yes I feel a lot better. I follow the excellent advice of my consultant and have learned to live with it.

Nankate glad you are feeling better

So I have joined MyFitnessPal (basic not paying|) and am going to try using it to track my calories. I will report back!!

NanKate glad you are feeling better. My daughter put My fitness Pal app on my phone couldn't work out how to use it so deleted it. I will stick to pen ,paper and calculator.

Found a new low cal snack to have yogurt topped rice cakes 84 cals each from Aldi. Never like the idea of rice cakes but my youngest grandson was having one as a snack and decided to feed nannie some surprisingly tasty. Not like those puffed things that are supposed to vegetable flavour. Yuck no taste at all but he likes them . His brother has pom bears another thing with no flavour. But better for them than things full of salt or sugar.

Did my whole exercise class without my stick yesterday. Next week go into the maintenance class with 5 others . We had 2 new members join yesterday. When I started in June there were only 2 of us. Yesterday there where 13 of us. Will be better in a smaller class we get to do more exercises and they will be a bit more advanced.

Very frosty here today. Have a good day everyone.

I am getting along well with the Lose It app. I like that you can scan a recipe or a barcode and it tots up the calories and food groups, so you can see a daily/weekly breakdown. If you are n't using a printed recipe you can enter the ingredients separately, and it recognises, for example, Sainsbury's chickpeas as opposed to Tesco ones, and adds accordingly.

I also have an app called Virtual Gastric Band (awful title!), which has hypnosis tracks as part of it. If I'm not sleeping well I listen to the night time one, and it is very soothing. I don't think I've ever been awake to the end, so I'm not sure what it's saying, but I assume it's telling me to feel full faster, as though I have had a gastric band fitted. Whether that works or not is impossible to tell, but I am keeping within my calorie allowance without much difficulty now that the chocs are all eaten

Haven’t weighed myself, but I feel thinner but that’s because I want to eat. Very tempted today to have a biscuit, but didn’t, hope it’s not too long before I lose the craving, fruit doesn’t do it for me the way carbs do. I’ve only been five days and tempted, but then I look at my picture on the fridge.

I managed to do my exercise class again yesterday, although it was a bit of a struggle ... my joints are so stiff! I really need to keep this up, and hopefully get some flexibility back!

I weighed in again this morning ... less than 0.5lb down ... bit disappointing after last week's 4.8lbs loss! Oh well, at least it was a loss and not a gain, which is what it would've been had I not started on my new lifestyle regime! I'm in this for the long-haul, and I will keep at it with determination, and any weeks that I don't do so well will only make me try harder the following week!

Whiff, I'm with you on the pen & paper ... I like to look back through my weekly journal, where I've jotted down what I've eaten/had to drink/exercised/etc., and it often becomes glaringly obvious why I've perhaps not had such a great week. It's also good to be able to pinpoint the good weeks, and go back and follow the same meals/etc. I know I can do better, so I'll try harder this week.

Well done Nansnet 0.5lb loss shows you are on a downward trend. I’m glad you have a determined attitude. Keep going.

Nansnet after a large weight loss one week usually the following week is less or that's my experience. Just keep going . I am happy if I only lose quarter of a pound.

Glad you where able to do your exercise class. Feeling stiff is ok according to my instructor's but exercise shouldn't hurt if it does stop the exercise that hurts or do it slower. They tell us the slower you do some exercises the more effort it takes because you have to control it more. They are right especially with the sitting down leg lifts you really feel it in your calf muscle.

As we say it's a marathon not a sprint.
You are doing well.

Allsorts did you measure yourself ? Sometimes you don't loss weight but inches especially if you can do some gentle exercise as they build your muscles up . Muscle weights more than fat.

Unfortunately I haven't lost my biscuit craving just don't buy them so not tempted. Have a biscuit after my exercise class with a cup of tea but only one. And a biscuit as a treat on a Friday at my daughter's after they have been swimming. If it's not in my home no temptation. Keep going you will get there . I found not giving up even after a bad day is the key .

Good morning fellow Pears. Its lovely to log in daily and hear how you are all getting along ,even if I dont have time to add anything!
Well-I have lost 1/2 lb which I'm happy as is going downward!
I will be very honest and also say hand on heart I havent been a dedicated calorie counter let alone written everything down!
I was WFH 3 days which always means I eat more than if in the office. On office days I take in lunch and snacks. There are shops close to hand but tbh they are not very exciting and the two little cafes do sell favourites/cakes but they are not nice enough to be worth the calories!
I have my main meal in the evenings which is usually a healthy meal I have made and frozen.
Dont get the impression I'm saintly-certainly not the case?.
On Thursday we had a chinese take away to celebrate my daughters boyfriend's new job. In retrospect we ordered dishes for 2 but shared between three. On returning home last night my daughter had bought a meal deal from Tescos which was lovely but the portions were very sensible. The dessert was salted caramel profiteroles. I've never understood the fuss over salted caramel but these were divine.
So ,a mixed week but in many ways a realistic one if I was maintaining. Making good choices for the majority of the time.
I think it does help that like Whiff I never have any moreish snacks or foods I have a weakness for in the house! I do have snacks that I enjoy thought-out not those i would eat excessively!
Whiff,rice cakes certainly have moved on. I remember the origional dull ones.
I like the yoghurt covered ones but my favourite are the ones covered with a very thin layer of dark chocolate-especially the little packs of mini ones by Kalo. They are good calorie wise,they are more filling than many snacks and you have that small amount of chocolate that feels very indulgent!
So I need to be a bit more rigorous this week! My daughter also bought the Slimming Eats cook book. The recipes are all lower in calories,it was very popular with slimming world. Most importantly they are something a little bit different which is something we all need every now and again. The lemon and garlic chicken is around 300 calories and so delicious we dont even view it as a dish for diet days only!
I think enjoying your diet really motivates you and is more likely to bring good results. I think that's why I enjoy calorie counting-its flexible and adapted recipes become part of my life even when not specifically on plan.
I did weight watchers in the late 1990s and many of the recipes are family favourites. I did have a brief spell with Slimming World but although successful for many I wasnt keen. Not very flexible in real life when socialising etc and 8 think that's more likely to make me go off track.!
Still everyone has something different that works for them.
I hope you all have a brilliant week?

Dorset well done losing weight. Nice to see you are enjoying planning future low cal meals with your daughter. Hope her boyfriends new job goes well.

Unfortunately my liking yogurt coated rice cakes was short lived. Not because I don't like them love them. About 3 years ago I started to have blood blisters in my mouth either on my tongue or sides of my mouth. After reading and trial and error found out what caused them. Anything with sharp edges. Sourdough bread toasted was the worst. So if I want toast it's soft bread lightly toasted. Friday night still had cals to spare so eat 2 rice cakes . A blood blister formed at the back of my throat and got bigger right above my wind pipe. Must admit I was scared . As it was getting bigger decided to pop it . I know you aren't supposed to as it can cause an infection but I will take infection over not breathing any day. Normally I leave them and they go on there own accord. But I am on blood thinners and didn't know how big it was going to get. It bled a lot. So drank plenty of water and it stopped. I remembered when my oldest grandson was born he was tongue tied and at 2 weeks old had it cut twice and had to have a bottle straight afterwards to stop the bleeding. So thought the water would do the same thing.

My weight has stayed the same this week . So will make sure I don't go over my cal count like I did 3 days this week .

Made 12lb of mixed berry jam yesterday so they need labelling. Also housework to do.

Hope you all have a good week. ?

Whiff what a nasty experience - hope you will be ok.
Naughty week for me this week (again ) nothing really drastic just a bit bitty - biscuits and Christmas cake needed using up etc. Had decorator in so everything's been a bit disrupted.
Week off this week before he returns to do the next room - he's doing the whole house over the next couple of months but one room at a time so we can live around him!
Next week I plan to be more disciplined and get decent walks weather permitting!
I've put on just over half a pound which I am more than happy with as I really expected more!
I'm very encouraged by the fact that I am only 3 and a bit pounds heavier than my last weigh-in before all the Christmas festivities so my aim is to lose those by the end of January then start to lose gradually again in Feruary onwards?
Good luck everyone - keep with us and together we will conquer!!!

I've stayed the same this week which I really was not expecting as losing 6 pounds in a week even if unwell and unable to eat would have been mostly water.

My appetite has lessened since though.

It's also possible given a few symptoms that my thyroid is running a bit high so will get myself bloods booked, waiting times are very long at present though, especially when trying to book around working hours.

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday

Good morning Pears, I do hope you are recovered from your nasty experience Whiff, it sounded really scary. I lost 3/4lb this week, which I’ll take as any loss is good. Well done all the losers and maintainers. Let’s all keep on keeping on ?
I’m going to see my grandsons tomorrow for the first time since Christmas so I’m expecting a busy day with no time to think about food or diet. I’m so looking forward to it.
Have a good week everyone.

Morning all. Down 3/4 is good sarahmob….mine not so, up 3lb, shall put it down to a very good weekend lol.
Gosh whif, that must of been a bit of a scare, hope you’ve improved.

Doing a dna test on our dog later, daughter gave us a test kit for Christmas. We know she is half bull mastiff, the rest we think is part greyhound and ridgeback…..gorgeous whatever she is….just be interesting.

Have a good week guys…

Whiff what an awful thing to happen, just with a couple of rice cakes. Glad you are ok now.
Doodle dog , your porridge sounds lovely but I eat 40/50 grams each morning, 80 Grammies would not last me 4 days, I must eat bigger portions, which is probably why I don’t lose weight easily.
Just had my first weekly weigh in, I have lost just under 2lbs. I know from the past I lose it first week, the shock to my system I think after all the biscuits etc. Yesterday had a dessert, plus 2 glasses of wine, plus couple of biscuits. If I didn’t have a day off a week I couldn’t do the other 6 days. It’s for the long haul. Would like to lose a stone in four months if I could. I eat my three meals within a twelve hour period, whatever time I have breakfast.
Sarahbob, 3/4 lbs is good, it’s a loss not a gain.
Fourormore, you should be ok now all the naughtiest have gone, I have to clear the cupboards out as when I’m in the mood it would all go. Your real achievement is getting a decorator in, you can’t get anyone round here for jobs, the workmen are like hens teeth. I’ve a list as long as your arm.

Hope you feel better Whiff what a nasty experience.

I decided last week to have a mint choc from a box left over from Xmas. I have to confess I ate 3 !!! Felt so guilty afterwards so I'm back on the wagon.

Onwards and downwards.

That sounds awful, Whiff - hope you are ok now.

My husband has tested positive for Covid. I don't know how he's managed that, as he hasn't been far (to get bread a couple of times a week, and to drop his 96 year old mum at the hairdresser - he waits in the car), but he had what seemed to be a cold so did a test. I am ok so far, but have to get antibodies urgently if I am positive, so need to keep doing tests. Unfortunately, I had a horrible nosebleed after testing yesterday, so I'm a bit reluctant to risk setting it off again. I might leave it till tomorrow.

Diet-wise, things haven't been too bad. I did eat a Toblerone yesterday (which is obviously not good), but have otherwise had nothing between meals. I haven't decided what's for dinner today, but my husband was talking about making soup (his soups are more like stews), so if he doesn't play on his Manflu* I will go with that.

*Yes, I am a loss to the caring professions .

Congratulations losers.
I am a couple of pounds above my target at the moment.
Christmas sparked off an attack of pretty severe IBS which I am trying to get under control with a low FODMAP diet. Started this way of eating last week and some improvement already so fingers crossed it works.
Rice cakes are allowed. I call them polystyrene tiles!
Hope your husband is OK Doodledog
Battle on Ladies.

Thank you for your best wishes still a bit sore but no infection.

Four at least all the Christmas goodies are gone and moving things for the decorator will be burning off some calories. Your house will look lovely when it's finished.

Sarah well done with the lose. Hope you had a wonderful time with your grandson's.

Shirley that's a blip. I didn't know you could have dogs DNA done. Learn something new every day. Ridgeback is that a dog used for herding cattle in Africa? Unfortunately my next door neighbours beautiful German shepherd is coming to the end of his life. He's not in pain but his back legs have gone , he's struggling ,not interested in food and just wants to lie down . He's 13.

Allsorts brilliant weight loss. Allowing yourself a treat gives you something to look forward. One of the surprising things I found losing weight lost it off my feet. I have Hotter shoes with Velcro closure and have to have them on the tightest setting now.

Doodledog hope your husband isn't feeling to poorly and that you are ok. He's soups sounds lovely. Chunky soup. Hope you are ok after your nose bleed. I have to be gentler doing LFT because of the blood thinners I am on. Just gentle sweeps of my nose.

Cocopops hope your IBS is under control . My mom had it and my nephew suffers from it. Can be very debilitating .

Have a good week fruits ?