I’m a Pear/Apple - Part 4. Yabadabadoo !

SachaMac thank you . I belong to a craft group. Most knit or crochet and some dabble in cross stitch but small pieces. Some do embroidery and patchwork. We just take whatever we are doing at the moment. It's held in our local library it's free and we supply our own tea,coffee etc and biscuits . I bake every 2 weeks to take . We have a kitchen and loo in the room we use. But the most important part of our group is we care about eachother. We have a closed what's app group so always talk to eachother everyday as well. Just happens we all have health problems. We are a noisy rude,funny group who would never have met in another life. For some reason we just all clicked. We are all different age range 30 to mid 80's But I know my life would be lost without them . Everyone is ready to help eachother.

One of my craft friends filled in the health questionnaire for Universal credit for me. She spent over 4 hours at my bungalow. So I made her a gingerbread cake and filled a hamper with 6 of my preserves as a thank you. I was giving my 3.5l slow cooker to one of our group because neither of us drive and it's to heavy for me to carry so one of my friends with a car got it and took it to her . As a thank you made her a fatless tea bread as it one of her favourite things I make. Plus some jars of jam.

I can't accept a kindness without giving something in return. Not the way I am.

But our group are all the same . Helping whoever needs it even if it's just a cuddle.

It's like the pears we are all different but somehow we clicked thanks to NanKate giving us a place to come but not to just talk about losing weight but anything that's bothers us.

I always like to think if we all met in real life we would just get on. This group just works .

Thanks for your kind words Whiff. As you say I started the thread with no expectations but then you Pears/Apples joined me and we just hit it off. I am as grateful to you as you appear to be to me 👍

Now advice needed. I have since mid July changed my pattern of eating as follows - no chocolate, sweets, alcohol (well one drink on a Friday), increased protein reduced carbs and eating within a time slot. My favourite top I bought in the summer which admittedly clung to my stomach is now loose and the fit is perfect. Now for the problem I do not appear to be losing weight at all. How strange. Any ideas ?

NanKate have you been doing any regular exercises or walking or even decluttering your home. Anything that makes you move your body more and stretches your muscles and if you have been twisting more from the waist. Have you measured yourself and have you got any old measurements you can compare them with.

Because of doing my sit fit class my waist and hips have toned up and my trousers are bagger on my bottom. A pair of pj bottoms that were tight on my waist isn't anymore.

My weight has been up and down the last 2 years trying to lose the last stone but have kept off the 7st I lost.

Everything we do can tones up your muscles . Even lifting growing grandsons or playing a favourite game of my 2 . Dodge ball luckily it's using soft small footballs and nannie doesn't get out of the way quick enough. I live in a 2 bed bungalow only so many places I can dodge into. 🤣

Stayed the same yet again - it seems to make no difference however hard I try but this thread encourages us all to hang on in there!
At least I am maintaining but a loss would be nice! Hey ho!
Onwards and downwards fellow strugglers!

Hi Pears, I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I put 2•5lb on this week, I wasn’t surprised as I really had lost the plot last week. I have now paid for another 12 week countdown and I think this has spurred me on again and I am knuckling down, I really don’t want to waste my time or money so fingers crossed I can get to target for Christmas.
It sounds as though you have toned up NanKate it’s good your top is fitting now but I understand your frustration with the scales.
My slow cooker is out and I’ve done a lovely stew this weekend, also, inspired by Whiff I have brought a simple knitting pattern and I’m hoping sitting doing this will keep my mind of snacks. I’m not the best knitter so I have to concentrate!
Keep going everyone.
Ive attached a photo of my pattern for those of you that like knitting/crafts. Just hope it turns out

Just calling in to cheer us all on.
No weigh-in for me as not allowed to put any weight on one of my feet for another week. (Post operation).
I think this is the only op I have had where exercise is forbidden. I will have work to do when I am given the go-ahead as I feel I have gained.
Our thoughts will turn to warming suppers now the weather has turned chilly.
That’s a super woolly slipover SachaM , love the colour.

Whiff you have hit the nail on the head, I’m just not doing enough exercise. Things will change this week. 🚶

SachaMac your pattern looks lovely. My knitters and crocheters use various price of wool. Some by from Aldi ,Poundland and Home bargains . All good wools and cheaper. But we do have a member who mainly uses high end yarns ones that contain cashmere, alpaca ,mohair ,silk that sort of price range . But she knits the most beautiful shawls with it. Like I said we are a mixed bunch but together we are all the same. No matter how much pain or wobbly I am I go every week. They are true friends but we just clicked. My life would be the poorer for not knowing them. Been a member since 2019. When it had to close for Covid it was awful . We didn't have our what's app group . But as soon as we could start again 1 of founders set it up.

I don't know if there is a craft group near you that you would like to join. Ours is in the library. Doesn't cost anything. And we take it turns to bring biscuits ,tea,coffee etc when we get low. We have a male member the ex husband of one of our group. But they get on and through ill health had to give up work he's late 60's. He taught himself to crochet watching you tube.

But if anyone needs help with thier project or wants to learn a new craft we are all willing to teach them.

One thing about knitting or any craft you can't eat at the same time. Plus it keeps your fingers nimble and your brain active. Be careful having a drink. Because my hands tremble I split hot chocolate on my cross stitch thank goodness for vanish stick .

Love Craft sell Paintbox yarns in a huge variety of colours cheaper than other brands but good quality. It's an online store but they do have some good offers.

Enjoy your knitting look forward to seeing the finished product.

Tilly hope you are healing well. Can you move your arms if so you could do gentle arm exercises. We do several at my sit fit class. That's if you want to do some exercise. Mind you not being able to put weight on one foot means you can't raid the kitchen.

NanKate it's funny my children laughed when in 2018 once I got to 15 .5 st decided to join an exercise class. I thought if I can only stick it out for couple of weeks then I can do them at home. But much to my amazement I loved it my husband would have laughed his socks off. Me liking exercise. It was an Age UK class but the instructor adapted the exercises so I could use a chair. Sadly she died aged 47 from breast cancer.

Did I say we did circuit training last week at sit fit. It's amazing how long a minute is doing an exercise where you go full plet. One was putting your hand on a wall leaning in so you could push yourself away from the wall keeping your back straight. That was the simplest. But it's fun at my class.

My weight as stayed the same this week. But I did have a bar of chocolate and much to my amazement made it last 3 days.

Have a good week pears..

Thank you, it is a nice pattern and will keep me nice and warm without being too restrictive.
I did used to go to a craft group Whiff but it was early on a Monday morning which wasn’t a good time for me. The lady at the wool shop is running some knitting/crochet sessions so I might go there and try to improve my skills. You did very well making the chocolate last three days, it just shows we can change our habits & have treats in moderation.

I hope things are going well following your op and you are soon on your feet again Tilly
It’s was a frosty start here but lovely blue skies and sunshine now. Have a great week everyone

Not a happy bunny here as up 2.4lb
The worst part is that it's my own fault - various commitments both expected and emergencies have involved either starving or grabbing sandwiches - bread is lethal on my scales!
I'm not freaking out or letting it get to me as under the circumstances I would do exactly the same if it happened again. I just accept that life does not always cooperate with the scales

Hello scales-watchers.
fourormore I feel your pain - I am up 4.5 lbs in 3 weeks.
Enforced post operative rest is the most likely reason.
Only 3 more weeks to go until I can get out more (and drive).
I should be knitting too but seem to have lost my mojo.
Good Luck to all for the coming week.

Hi everyone. I'm checking in again after being absent. I got down to my target weight but regained 8.4lbs. so I need to get to grips with myself and try and shift it.
My waistbands are tight!
Good luck all.

Your craft group sounds lovely whiff.
I used to go to a knitting circle, met at a pub once a month but that dwindled. Reading about your craft group is making me look around for another .

Put on half a pound 🙄

Making up soups this week for on the go lunches, must get back in the swing. Delias roast root veg soup is lovely, I add lentils ( like you whiff ) for extra oomph .

Not really for for a diet group but anyone started making the Xmas cake and pudding yet ?

Have a good one guys.

Morning Pears. It is so easy to put on weight and so flippin difficult to take it off. The one thing we are all doing though is not ignoring the fact of weight gain. Keep at it girls, including myself.

However I am giving myself a day off because 52 years ago today we got married!

Oh wonderful nankate a very happy anniversary.

Thanks Shirley I know I am lucky to have my husband still as I am 77 and he 78. Many others here, especially our Whiff 💐,have been on their own far too early.

Back in the wagon tomorrow.

I got back on track & was lucky to lose 3lbs at Thursdays weigh in, it’s what I’d put on the week before plus an extra half lb for good measure. I’ve been nibbling the trick or treat sweets I brought at the weekend so really trying to resist them now.

Happy anniversary NanKate hope you have a lovely day.

Hope you have spent a lovely and special Anniversary day with your DH NanKate.
🥂 🍾 👩‍❤️‍👨 🎊 💝

NanKate happy anniversary for yesterday. I am glad you still have the other half of yourself. 52 years is a great achievement.

It's funny middle aged used to be 40-50 now I think middle age starts in your 60's and you don't reach old age until well into your 80's. So you have years of happy married life ahead.

Some people can live their whole life and never know the love you have for your husband and him for you. I have a friend like that she was divorced in 1996 never found true love.

Finding the other half of you is so special the only person in the whole world who knows the real you and you them. But as we know you have to work at a marriage. Loving someone is easy but living and being together takes work. Especially if like my husband he could eat what he liked and didn't put weight on . I only have to look at a cream cake and put pounds on.

I have a neighbour who is 96 he calls me nought but a girl and I am 65 . He would probably say you and your husband are teenagers 🤣.

Hope you celebrated in style. 🥂🍾.

Sticking to losing weight is not for the fainthearted . That's what I love about you lovely lot. No matter what life throws at you , you never give up the fight.

I stayed the same again. So decided to do my exercises 3 times at home a week instead of just going to my class of a Monday. I waited until today to write as we had to take a tea towel in yesterday. Who would have thought using a tea towel would make your arms hurt so much. But it was fun. We had to roll it up and elbows locked to our waist and holding it taught( sure there is another spelling of that but can't think of it 🤦) . Arms them out straight ahead and imagine it's a heavy weight we had to be pulling towards us and then away all the time keeping a tight hold on the tea towel . 24 times. Then holding it out front from our lap taking over our our heads for a count of 4 . All the time keeping it tight. Then same to count of 2 both times 24 . Then the killer was holding it at arm's length and twisting it up and down again 24 times. Every thing we do is count of 12 twice. What makes me laugh our instructor says after the first 12 right have a rest . Rest last 30 seconds 😂.

But we turn up every week yesterday there where 12 of us. No matter how much pain I am in I still go . As I always feel better and get a sense of achievement .

My daughter does boxercise twice a week . Her instructor had then using weighed boxing gloves. Her more arms where hurting 2 hours later. But like me she goes to every class. And can take my grandson and his brother as it's half term. It's funny but all the child once they become toddlers want to join in. But they have fun playing together while their poor mom's are put through their paces.

Tilly hope you are healing well . And the weeks fly by. You will get your knitting mojo back. Plus you can't eat and knit at the same time.

SachaMac brilliant weight loss. Good thing about here we don't have trick or treaters come round. We never let our children do it and while my daughter and grandsons trim the inside of the house they don't go out. My son did the same I can only assume they don't let my grandson's go out.

Putting on is so easy and many would give up. I know I did for decades . But here no one does we all know it's a marathon not a sprint . So keep at it taking it a day at a time. I know one day I will lose the stone and well but more than it was one day.

Had my youngest grandson on Saturday and we baked for the first time. My daughter always said he was a liability in the kitchen. But he's fine now will be 3 next month. We made chocolate chip biscuits. He put the flour into the bowl until I said stop. He liked eating the butter as he called it. I use olive oil spread supermarkets own brand. Didn't like the dark brown sugar and I wouldn't let him try the cocoa powder as I knew he wouldn't like it. He held the tablsp for the milk. He loved the mixer. But wanted to lick the bowl when it was full. Total him he had to wait but gave him the beaters so he was happy. After I spooned out the mix he couldn't have got the bowl any cleaner if he had licked it.

Once cold we had one. Then took rest home. His nan and grandad went later on . He proudly showed them his biscuits and make everyone have one.

My nam taught my mom to cook and then my dad . My parents taught my brother and me. And we taught our children and both mine taught theirs. I love cooking with my grandsons . Unfortunately because of my son's estrangement it's something I have never done will his 3.

Talk of Christmas cake and puddings. Mom always made Christmas cake but I never liked it . But once married she made one for my husband he loved it. Dad always made the Christmas puddings. He had a stove in the garage just for boiling the puds for 8 hours. Always made 3 months before Christmas day. And always made 4. Dad made his own mincemeat at the same time.

Until I got married our Christmas breakfast was mince pies and sausage rolls .Dad made then with his own rough puff pastry.

I posted as battery low. My daughter and family went last week to pick pumpkins that's their haul.

The nursery the little on goes to went to the pumpkin patch last week and got the biggest pumpkin for the nursery.

My daughter only had the pumpkins in the house . So I will be having lot of ready cut up pumpkin after Halloween. I have found a pumpkin cake recipe to try . Never cooked one before but decided to this year. Usually just put it in soups and stews. Have a good week pears and other fruits.
Don't forget the clocks change this weekend extra hour in bed.

Same as you Cocopops, it’s embarrassing.What a lovely assortment of pumpkins Whiff, it’s a big thing now Halloween didn’t exist when I was small, but it seems fun and popular.
I am still the same weight as I was 12 months ago, due to my sweet tooth and not exercising as I used to due to various health problems. Not likely to change so I have rid the house of anything tempting. Bought a big bag of nuts yesterday intending they last a week, by the end of the day all were gone, if it’s in the house I eat it. So now I can’t be trusted with nuts. The good news no sweets, biscuits, cakes or chocolates in 7 days, plus I have been doing two lots if 2000 step walks, it will take time but it’s a start.
SashaMac, love the tank top, will try to get the pattern. Started to knit a big cardigan, which I’ve unravelled as it just got too heavy to manage, so the wool from that I could easily do tank tops. Also trying to crochet granny squares just can’t get the hang of it for some reason, give me complicated cross or embroidery and knitting and I’m on it, but not crochet.,
Thank you NanKate for this thread.

Thanks for the good wishes Pears for our WA yesterday.

Always wise words from you Whiff 👍

Whiff if it were a choice between knitting and eating your dad’s homemade sausage rolls and mince pies,
I would choose your yummy festive childhood breakfast any day!
What a star he was?
Also (still talking food) I’ve tried pumpkin pie and didn’t like the taste at all. It’s acceptable in soup with other veg, for me.

Tilly the recipe is for a cake. If it turns out ok when I get the pumpkin will pop the recipe on here. Never liked the idea of pumpkin pie.

Gathered.how is a great site lots of competitions for different crafts I enter all. Also it shows step by step in video how to do various crafts plus has the patterns most you can down load for free.

It's amazing how many different grannie squares there are and what you can make with them even slippers, bags and cardies etc.

Also show all the knitting stitches again with free patterns to down load.

Well, who would have expected my scales reading this morning! It just shows how weight fluctuates from day to day - this week I have lost 3lbs.
I only weigh myself on Sunday morning so personally I believe I have lost this gradually over the past few weeks rather than all three this week - possibly my 'towards the end of the week' intake gave me a higher reading the Sunday mornings?
However it happened I don't care - it looks great on my chart!
Good luck everyone as we plod on united in our mission!