I’m a Pear/Apple - Part 5. Still going!!

Thanks silverlining I have to admit it took me two and a half years to force myself to face reality and start counting calories. It’s the only way for me to lose weight, nothing else has worked.

By the way…You can shift that pound easily enough…

Oooo four slices, dripping butter… there is a price to pay.
One slice, scrape of butter …. Less of a price to pay.

Thanks for the info on your local oil. It costs so much here that I use ‘one spray’ in cooking, which is just a spray bottle with olive or other oil in, but using just one spray , sometimes 2 or 3, reduces the amount used.

Moan! Put on one pound almost overnight! Blame the English novel I' reading where everyone keeps eating hot buttered toast. Gave me the urge and yesterday I had four slices, dripping with butter. Today I pay the price

silverlining You asked about our kilometre zero olive oil here, north of Rome. Well, apart from the plantations (is that the right word?) of olive trees all around, most people have a few trees in their gardens. Around November, they all shake the olives off the trees and take them to our local olive mill -it's a kind of cooperative. The olives get passed through various machines (and very noisy they are!): first with twigs and leaves attached, then various others and finally you see the actual yellow/green liquid pouring down into a vat. You take along your own litre bottles or five litre cans and have them filled directly. We all take what we will need for a year. Take it home and store in a cool dry place, decanting into smaller bottles as needs. As we are only two of us now, 12 litres is usually enough. I rarely use anything else for cooking.

As I said before, it's not Tuscan or southern oil but it couldn't be more local!

Congratulations NanKate. A stone is an achievement, well done.
You deserve a new jacket, treat yourself! 😇

Well folks I started calorie counting on 11 October and this week have managed to lose one stone! I have only been losing about half a pound a week and my very slow progress I believe is because I have an underactive thyroid. I’m still classed as overweight so have a way to go.

Yes Whiff I can now get into my purple velour trousers which is pleasing. However the jacket I can now do up is no longer to my liking. Isn’t that odd?

Once a week I have had an M and S Count on us meal which is low in calories and I have added veg. I can recommend them especially when they reduce the price.

Still counting calories and using my excellent diet book that both Whiff and I are both using.

Bon giorno Frugola am curious about the olive oil you buy at Kilometer zero. Can you tell us what that is.?
As for wild boar and vipers, that’s enough to out anyone off walking. When my daughter was in hospital in Berlin the other patient in the room been attacked by a wild boar in her own garden. I don’t think she was seriously injured, luckily, but best to avoid if possible.

Whiff Here's some replies to your many encouraging comments and queries. Re the inevitable arthritis at around age eighty, three years ago was on two crutches for a while after a fall stimulated the arthritis in my left hip. This was the second bout. However, it has disappeared totally once more and I wonder if this is due to taking 1gr daily of pure cod liver oil periodically. This oil is supposed to lubricate the joints. I also think the daily peddling on my indoor bike helps. Am dreading falling over another time and so a very careful.

The hairy skin on kiwis (well-washed of course) gives excellent gentle roughage for the rectum. My brother, who suffers from rectal bleeding after laser therapy, swears by same. Cut the kiwi into small chunks and eat with a toothpick. This ensures you chew well.

I live thirty kilometres due north of Rome. This is agricultural, olive-growing countryside. The olive oil not of the quality of Tuscan or Pugliese oil but I buy it at kilometre zero and even know the man who produces it. So good enough for me. Most of my veg and some fruit also local.

Alas, no rural walking around here. We are infested with wild boar and vipers in the spring. One can also get the odd wild dog.

I love cake making but nobody wants to eat my cakes. Italians seem to be very careful about their calory intake. Even my grandchildren have been brought up to avoid most sweet things and never touch fizzy drinks. Are not even allowed fruit juices as over-sugared. I make the odd fruit crumble from scratch, which my husband and relations all enjoy.

I finally lost around half a pound this week!

Finally on page 15.
Frugalo hope your weigh in went well.

Sorry Readandcook only just noticed you are with us. As I have said my husband could eat anything and not put weight on . I only have to look at a cream cake and a pound goes on. A belated welcome to the gang .😊.

CocoPops well done glad you will be back here in the summer again . Gives you a good incentive to lose weight. My American friends in HPX group are going mad about Trump ,Vance and Musk. One has to use a bus for the disabled to get about even though she has to pay to use it because of Trump's health reforms they are going to lose it . She can't drive . All the medical companies have put all their prices up and not covering some conditions they used do due to that idiot . Funny you hardly seen him with his wife and when she's with him never looks happy. Other first ladies did their own thing and helped people she just disappears.

NanKate have a lovely time with your friends. And with the help from the book choose lower cal foods.

Have to get up now . But will be back . As you can see I am back with a vengeance 😂😂

Frugola I didn't know you could eat kiwi skin ? I don't have them very often but would never fancy the hairy skin .

NanKate going down a dress size and losing the weight is brilliant. Remember you buying the purple trousers think it was before Christmas the time goes by so quickly. I love Seasalt tunics and brought another 3 in their sale now have 12 plus 3 of their coats . But they have really good sales and their clothes are beautiful and the tunics are cut to flatter any shape so hide my wobbly flabby bits and the fabrics feel lovely on my skin . Since losing the weight I have never had such bright patterned and colourful clothes . Glad my daughter talked me into trying trousers. I like the wide legged ones from M&S and have the linen mix for the warmer weather.

CocoPops slowly is better than fast off and like I did in the past it went back on faster. 🤦.

Silverlining exercise has helped me lose weight and toned my muscles and helped with me strength wise. I will always be flabby and baggy my skin will never go tight as to many decades of being obese . But exercise always makes me feel better and gives me a sense of achievement. It was so frustrating when I came out of hospital I couldn't exercise for a week as I hurt to much and was exhausted. But glad when I could do my wake up exercises but very slowly and holding onto my bed bar as my balance was off.

I don't feel right until I am dressed and do my exercises and my pedalling while my porridge cooks in the microwave. I love going to my sit fit class on Monday and move it or lose it on a Tuesday. Do different exercises and use different equipment. Monday's sit fit is circuit training which I love we do it in pairs so have a chat while doing them. Think everyone's favourite is the boxing gloves and pads we do the circuit twice. The hardest hitter is our nearly 94 year old .

Sillymoo thats a blip . Or as my cheeky brother would say in need of a xxxx. But he has won and is still fighting to keep the weight off but like us all has blips . As well as swimming for hour every morning at 6.30 he had started to use weights at home and still does his 10,000+ steps a day. Getting the allotment ready for planting .

Silverlining 2lb off brilliant and lovely surprise for you . Doing all that walking paid off.

Frugola living in Italy lovely .That's one of the places we wanted to visit after the children stopped going on holiday with us. But not the touristy bits . My husband's ideal of adventure was driving down a road with grass growing down the middle of it . Mind you we did end up in a farm yard a few times. Unfortunately I am not able to go abroad due to my health . But did when the children where younger only France , Switzerland and Ireland.

My husband loved his food just my luck to fall in love with a man that could eat what he wanted and not put on weight . But he loved and fancied me no matter how heavy I got .

Which bit of Italy do you live in you don't have to say where just which compass direction? When I watch cookery or travel programmes always envy the Italian markets and all the odd shaped veg and fruit . Like it used to be here . Growing up cucumbers where always curved and veg was all sizes and potatoes came with dirt on . We had a bag just for potatoes.

I was brought up cooking from scratch so that's how I have always cooked. Plus it's cheaper and I don't like ready meals. But there have been times when the children where young and cooked 4 different dinners if I was dieting and the children where going through foods they didn't like phase .

You say you have read the thread then you know I love baking but only do it with my grandsons or for my craft group. My new one is monthly first month I took 2 cakes my hybrid lemon marmalade drizzle cake one gluten free as I didn't know if anyone was and glad I did as 2 are and others have family members who are. Last week I made gingerbread again 2 cakes. Don't know everyone's name yet but a lady took a piece of my lemon hybrid cake home for her daughter as she's gluten free and she said it was the best and moist cake she had, had. She took a piece of the gingerbread home for her. I never bring any home as already had small piece of each to try at home . Next month with make biscuits to take . I wrap everything up individually so people can eat it there or take home . Plus I love making jams, marmalade and chutney's but my way. My dad taught me but have adapted them over the years as my hands won't let me do them the normal way. But no one has ever refused them or not liked them glad to say. I know blowing my own 🎺.

Keepingquiet it is frustrating staying the same weight but it's better than putting on . I can't have any bread products in as I am a devil for them . But when I go on holiday I stay in a Premier Inn and always have 2 packets of Alpine with 2 yogurts and may be some fruit on . But always a croissant ,pain au chocolat and a mini muffin . And have to have butter and honey for my croissant but I don't usually have lunch just my 2 course dinner at the hotel . I am a creature of habit so that's always my breakfast there. But home it's porridge all year round , homemade soup for lunch and some sort of stew or pasta bake .

Hopefully the weather gets better as walking in the rain is miserable. We change the clocks this weekend so lose a hour . That's if I remember the rhythm correctly spring forward and fall backwards .

Good to have you back Whiff 👍

NanKate I am honest because I can't remember what I say. So don't tell lies . Plus I have a habit of repeating myself usually in the same sentence and don't even realise I have already said it. Plus I forget what I am saying . But I know now it's not me just being weird but can blame it on my HPX as it's one of our symptoms.

I use that book everyday so glad I brought it. Thanks for the recommendation.

Silverlining I look on weight gain as a blip. Having problems with water retention at the moment so weighting and recording my weight everyday. Have always weighed myself everyday but by writing trying to pin point what sets the water retention off but can't find a pattern but can see when it's stating to happen . Put on 6.5 lbs Wednesday last week Thursday it had gone . But was up every hour to the loo good job I can get back to sleep .

Glad to say this week lost 3.25 lbs just have to be good and have a drink instead of food if I feel I want to eat. Hopefully another lose on Sunday my official weight day.
I will be back to read what I have missed . But loo and lunch time beckons . 😁

Didn't realise it had been so long since I had a ramble .😁.

Frugola welcome to the fruits . Nearly 80 you are older not an oldie anyway I don't think middle age kicks in until your 70's today . With better healthcare people are living longer . Well done for losing 2.6kg since new year . You made me laugh when you said you are tree trunk shape. I am most definitely a pear . My boobs disappeared when on my back and no they don't go under my arms they just flatten . Mind you standing up they are heading south until safely in my underwired bra.

I know a lot of women in real life in their 70-80's and they don't look their age . One of our sit fit group is nearly 94 and she can put her foot flat on a chair while sitting down . Takes me all my time to stand up.

Losing weight will help with all your joints but unfortunately non of us can get away from arthritis. Found at my latest hospital visit I have lost 1" so now 5'1". My grandson who is 7 will soon be as tall as me and his brother 4 can still fit under my arm . But there dad is 6' 5" so both are going to be tall.

My daughter lined us up the other week it was like the old sketch with John Clesse , Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett.
If I was 6' I would be skinny .😂.

As you will no doubt see I ramble on and am a few pages behind. Weight always comes off more at first . Then it's a constant battle but the important thing is not to give up. If you have a bad day look on the next day as a fresh start . I can't have foods I can't control in my home . As I know I will eat the lot . I can't have chocolate and think I will just a a couple of squares ,or tub of ice cream ,packet of biscuits as they will go within a couple of hours . Then I tell myself off for buying them . Chocolate I buy for presents has to be wrapped immediately otherwise I will eat it and have to buy replacement. Same with boxes of biscuits. But at least I know my weaknesses.

I have static pedals at home and now do 400 rotations daily as when I came out of hospital couldn't do any. I used to do 300 until a couple of weeks ago when I got carried away and noticed I had done 370 so thought I would see if I can do 400 . So that's my new count . Plus my 7 exercises I have been doing since January last year. Our sit fit instructor calls them wake up exercises. Because of my HPX I like routine and it's how my life has always run. Like planning ahead.

Can't remember if I said I had joined another exercise class move it or lose it . We do different exercises and use different equipment plus she gives us brain teaser exercises. We definitely use our laughter muscles for those.

Shirleyw well done for keeping up the running. You will soon get rid of those 2 lbs 👍

200g is good silverlining
. Been to Norfolk for a break and put on 2lbs but now back on track . I kept up my running though, was lovely running by the beach, makes a change from the football field I usually run round 😂🏃‍♀️‍➡️

Every gram counts!

Have just checked on 200 g and it’s about the same as half a pound which is what i lost today too.

Can’t imagine 200 g Frugola, but well done for losing it, all good.
We do have kilos etc here but many of us of a certain age still think in stones pounds and ounces. I do.
When weighed at SW its stones and pounds and maybe half pounds if there’s space on the tiny square that it’s written on.
Keep on keeping on. I have lost 5 lbs so far… it’s a long slow road we travel.

Silverlining My Tuesday weigh in finally showed a 200g drop after three weeks of stagnancy. Therefore, feel encouraged to proceed as before (eating healthy and exercising). I do seem to rise out of the bathtub with greater ease and can usually get up off the loo without leaning on anything!
Sillymoo I still indulge in my morning G&T. I couldn't drink the "0" alcohol one but admire your greater virtue.

Oh well done sillymoo. I went this to a different group this morning as I am out on Thursday. I didn’t think I had lost but lost half a lb. Hooray. 🥳 keep it going.

WI this morning and 2lb off 😃
I bought some 0% gin on Saturday which I've had with tonic and only a 125ml of wine since then. Seems to have helped. Also saved the other sort of pounds as on offer in Sainsbury's!

Whiff where are you we haven’t heard from you for a while? Are you ok ?

ReadandCook my husband too is slim and eats far more than me. When I eat the same as him I have smaller portions. He may have 5 potatoes and I have 2. He loves veg so we both file our plates up with them. I now have a small fresh fruit salad after my main course, instead of a high calorie pud.

Tomorrow two old friends are visiting and we are going out to lunch. I will have one alcoholic drink, will share a starter with DH have whatever main course I fancy and no dessert but will have a coffee. When they have left in the early evening I will get DH whatever he likes and I will have a bowl of cereal. So I don’t expect to lose any weight that day but hope to remain the same.