Maintaining weight & cheaters confessional

[EvaTheOptimist]

Thanks to BIWI's bootcamp I've lost loads of weight. I'm determined not to put it all back on. So I am now consciously trying to maintain my new weight.

I finished the last bootcamp on 150.8lb. My aim is to stay below 11 stone (154lb). Since bootcamp I have weighed between 149lb and 151.6lb. I think this roughly counts as maintaining!

My plan or experiment is to see whether basically eating bootcamp style, but with 3-4 off-piste moments per week (eg chocolate, toast, special treat meal etc) will do the trick of maintaining.

Post here to share your experience of maintaining the low carb way.

Also feel free to confess any cheating here, offload and wail in a safe space!!

Congratulations Trashy when you do get your proper proposal don't do what I did and look horrified and mouth, through gritted teeth, get up off the floor he got down on one knee in a restaurant in italy because I was terrified of being hugged by a load of sweaty italians. As it was they ignored the whole event and so did the one english couple there - in fairness she had her back to us and maybe he didn't want grief about when he was going to propose. I think know I sort of spoilt the moment and I'd half guessed he was going to do it that night

Ladies never mind an invite we're all going to be bridesmaids and we've got a geordie hen do to look forward to . I haven't been up there since the tube was shot there and used to frequent quadrinis and tuxedos the tales I could tell

Off to walk Divadog as inconsiderate DD's been in work and then went to clean her uni flat and hand the keys in after they all got a rollicking about maggots in the kitchen She kept her keys in case they had one final final night out but one of the lads stayed on with his gf. She's sent a message saying its a hovel and coming from my DW darling Waynetta it must be bad

Low carb 5.5 stones is amazing. I totally sympathise with your mobility problems. I had some serious problems last year and you do not understand until it happens to you. My day was just spent on concentrating on dealing with pain. I am a cheerful sort of person, always on the go, so it was a big shock to me. I was very lucky that mine was relatively short term but I now really appreciate every day. I think that is why I don't worry about my weight so much. Obviously weight loss does help with mobility problems so I am concerned that it doesn't creep up.

Trash sorry you might have EDS. Going to New York sounds exciting, I went aged 17 for 4 days and they had to drag me onto the plane home. The buzz there was amazing.

Yes EDS is Ehler Danlos.

Crabby I am definitely a pee free zone. No being peed on for me.

And thank you as ever for the support. The silly thing is barely anyone in real life knows about my weight loss because I moved half way through it all. People here know I've lost a couple of stones but generally I'm so ashamed of how I was, I don't tell people in real life. Feels great to shout it out here. I am really considering if I can get the rest of the weight lost starting up something along the lines of Sugar Free Sheila's website. Maybe writing an ebook on weight loss tips, recipes, maybe offering phone consultations to dieters. Not sure how possible it is, I get really tired talking, but would be fun to have it as a hobby and make a bit of pocket money. And then I would shout out loud about how much weight I've lost so I guess my friends would find out.

And I know I should be proud, not embarrassed, but I put on weight at such a dreadfully unhappy time in my life, I feel ashamed. Which is crazy, it wasn't remotely my fault. But there you go. Everyone else was sailing through life and I couldn't even manage to get the basics sorted. I was in such atrocious physical and emotional pain I just couldn't stop eating.

You can definitely all come and we are not setting foot on either of the bloody 'Tuxedos' - they are rusting in Middlesborough as we speak! We'll have to go down the quayside in matching fishnets and knickers and bra and try to avoid the cast of geordie shore while we're at it...

I'm not going to worry about an EDS diagnosis until it's an unavoidable reality. Do you approve of that lowcarb or am I being a (really bendy) ostrich with my head in the sand? I'm concentrating on getting slim and maintaining muscles if at all possible. My friends have all had variou health problems. One has fybro/a stroke/crumbling spine what needed operations plus thyroid shit. I figure we all have some kind of cross to bear, and I'm a repulsively positive git on such matters. Like, some poor bastard is always worse off than me, and basically, I know I'm really lucky.

That little bastard trashpup had another go of toileting on the bed tonight. A pee this time. She stalked about I'm an idiot, I should have seen it coming and started to squat on my clean bloody jarmies I had put out. I yelped and flung her out onto the balcony outside. The plus point here is both times she's been caught in the act, I've yelped at her and flung her out, where she's finished the business to high praise. Dog must think I'm fucking nuts.

walls of genitals

peony I'm expecting a really impressive hat on you at my so far imaginary nuptials, what with all your dosh

I went to tescos at eleven pm tonight. My feet resemble them monster slippers you can get. I have been really busy at work, walking and grooming lots of beasties, and my doggy hotel service is booked fully this weekend. I have five of the buggers under my roof from tomorrow. Italian student surviving. I cheated tonight as dcs at their fathers, and bought his tea from the italian deli, complete with canoli for his pud. He nearly cried with delight. Said they were his drug. He's 15 ffs!

Night xxx

The scales have dropped a bit again woohoo! My DH has suggested that I try on my wedding dress for comparison. Do I really want to know whether a 16-year-old dress fits me?

I will be away at a funeral next week for a few day so it's going to be difficult to keep on track. I'll just have to do my best but I find it really tricky to get enough fat when I'm away from home. It would be so much easier if I could eat slices of butter!

stunt . Wedding dress warning ..... Having babies seems to make ribs a little wider ( anecdotal from me and several friends ... Not looked at science!) - so even if you weigh less and waist same size .... Actual wider rib area may prevent successful zippage !! .... or not.

Cheerio gang . Am about to take a 4 yr old to 'ocean fest' ..... Music / surf festival on the beach at Croyde, North devon . Rather a spontaneous decision and just the two of us - as everyone else busy doing 'stuff' . Sun's out , last minute tiny caravan booked, beach stuff packed and fingers crossed it really is 'family friendly' as billed ! ( we're only doing beach activities not going up to join crowds in front of the stage )

That's what I'm worried about, Peony, that it won't fit! I wasn't amazingly slim for my wedding, I didn't lose weight for it but then I was only 22 and I didn't really need to. Man it was a loooong time ago!

Yes Trash, don't worry. Everyone is different. The more mobile you are and the stronger you are, the better. Lots of people do very well with physio too for any problems that do arise.

My pain has definitely improved for getting stronger, and I've been in a very bad place obviously being extremely overweight and unfit, so nothing is set in stone.

Wow, quiet as fuck on here. Is everyone alive? Been off having real life. At a BBQ today, but all good food. Have had a couple of glasses of wine on fri and today, so see what that's done to me tomorrow morning....

Yeah where is everybody? I'm driving my parents and brother off to a funeral today and my mum has made cheese sandwiches for the journey. I'm slightly concerned the bread might cause me some digestion problems as I haven't eaten bread in about a year.

Morning all.

Morning.

Feels like I've not been on in ages, this thread had dropped off of I'm on!!!

Have had a great four days at the highland show. Weather was fantastic and I saw some great show jumping and loads of other things. I also bought some lovely presents for me I bought five new tops, some lovely recycled aluminium and coloured resin coasters, some yummy cheese, some very tasty sausages, some orange fudge , and I have some ideas of a bracelet I'd like one of my friends friends to make me if she can. She is a silversmith and I saw some gorgeous horsey bracelets (for those that know, they look like miniature snaffles all joined together) but they ranged from £100 - £500 so wanted to see what she would charge.

Also had a bit of bad news as well which did put a slight damper on some of the weekend, some of my friends (not close friends but I've looked after their house and animals when they are away) were involved in a very serious car accident and are currently in ICU, both are stable but still a bit worrying.

crabby fish are a nightmare to photograph, my friend brought her new underwater camera the other day to try and get some pictures of mine but they are just too fast Glad to hear the DDs legs are much better, I think it was peony who asked but not sure.

eva shorts not too bold I don't think, if I breath in I can get them done up, they only cost £6 so not the end of the world if they don't fit. I am not making a habit of buying clothes too small but these were hot pink and I LOVE pink

Ahh yes minny I forgot about being bridesmaid I am also looking forward to hen do (Poor trashy can you imagine is MN crashed the wedding!!)

stunt can you eat the cheese out the middle and not the bread?

Sorry haven't been on the thread for AGES a combination of Actually Working during the day and being too tired to switch the computer back on at night. (When I'm too tired to "do stuff" in the evening its a bit of an early warning alert for the fatigue elements of my immune system condition.)

So totally ignoring that - I went to the midsummer party I got invited to, on Saturday night, including staying the night camping. DH went to bed about 11.30pm. Kids finally fell off a cliff of tiredness and went to bed at 12.40am. (til then my childcare consisted of "that torchlight bobbing around in the distance - that's my son..." and "yes of course you can have a midnight feast with your new pals DD take what you want from the boot of the car" just don't disturb me I'm playing fiddle with my friends ) I stayed up til 1.40am.

So this morning I am wishing that I was a coffee drinker! All my own fault though.

For a food report I did eat lots of cake at the party. But as far back as last Friday morning, I weighed in at a perfect 150lb so eating the cake was just one of the planned maintaining treats. Back on le straight et narrow now its Monday.

Ooo Minny maggots in the student kitchen !

Lowcarb don't feel embarrassed at having put the weight on in the first place. We have ALL been there, that's why we're now all here! I haven't really even fully shaken off the comfort-eating-response-to-difficulties - partly its diverted to low-carb options, partly I now understand a lot more about the addictiveness of carbs. And I haven't even had any serious mental or physical health problems to deal with.

Stunt well done at weight loss! I've sold my wedding dress but I'm pretty sure I am now slightly slimmer than my wedding day. But I was 31 not 22! - though I don't know about rib cage effect.

Best wishes for the funeral today. Eating cheese out of the middle of the sandwiches - I have done this.... Hard to know on the eating bread effect, but you don't want gut-rot at the same time as sitting at a funeral.

Peony hope you had a great time at oceanfest.

Sayra glad the Highland Show was fab. Really sorry to hear about your friends being in intensive care, that's very shocking.

Trash I don't know how you can bear the wee and poo risks to your bed from trashpup! Fingers crossed on diagnosis...

Hellooooo

Well we had a marvelous and fabulous time. I just want to live on the beach forever..... tries to get a gripWe danced, sang, swam, body boarded ( which she loved ++) and I exhausted myself holding her on and running in and out of the waves. Everyone was so lovely and happy at the festival - it was very child friendly and we both slumped into the caravan at about 9pm and slept in the bed together. The next day was a repeat and included much eating ( tries in vain to redirect self back to the thread title!) - why do holidays always seem to evolve around " what can we eat next". so many ' treats ' seem to be tied in with food and I really want to break that for DD's. Anyway - I did have ice creams and burgers ( tossed the bun though), and humous ( the one thing I have massively missed). A couple of pounds up this am - but back on the straight and the very narrow for a few days.

I have sand still in my hair and have been feeling rather wistful about the beach all day at work sad middle-aged mummy thinking she's a surf bum

sayra highland show sounds great fun - but so sorry to hear about your friends in ITU - I hope the progress is positive.

eva that midsummer party sounds amazing - just the best sort of memories for DC

trash..... its going to have to be a cork....

Hello everyone

I'm in a funny sort of mood today and I was all alone at work TOTM I think. My boss sent me through a link to a job vacancy (I think I might have mentioned it before) in Wales.

I can't decide what I should do, I think I will apply for it but if I get it I am not sure what to do, I don't know if I want it.

The good points are: good salary (very very good, the bottom of this scale is the top of most post-docs at my institute), permanent position (practically impossible in science), well known lab, human rather than animal so better future prospects (human health is better funded than animal health), lab produces lots of publications so good for future career, massive scope for further training and progression.

Bad points are: its in Wales, its permanent (will I ever leave if I've got well paid secure job?), prefer animal health to human, more computer based won't be at (literally) the shitty end - the end I like

I emailed the head of department today to ask when they need someone to start as I won't be finished writing up for a few months, she phoned and said they would be happy to wait for me if I ticked all the essential criteria (I do). I think that means I have a good chance but my biggest problem/worry is OH. We have been together for 10, almost 11 years and always seem to get work far apart. We were hoping that after my PhD we would finally be able to live together full time and not just at weekends. if I get this job that won't happen. OH has just started a new permanent job last week so he doesn't want to leave he says that I need to apply and should take it if I get it but I know he doesn't want me to go and I don't either but I will regret it if I don't take it then can't get a job or end up on 2 year contracts with no security.

Sorry very long post there and I've not done well with food today, it appears I need to work more on emotional eating. My meals have been LC, I've just had a few snacks that aren't and which weren't needed.

Hello my lovelies, I haven't logged on for a few days so I could finish my coursework - got a merit and a comment about not referring to the guidance notes so I checked my email and I'd completely missed that attachment - oops .

Managed to finally get a pee sample off Diva when she did a big puddle next to me took it to the vet and she's got crystals in her urine so he's trying her on a special diet before investigating the incontinence - £17 for a bag of food eek. She was already miserable because I got fed up washing her bedding so went out and bought a plastic bed and lined it with fleecy blankets and now she can't have any treats. I suppose I was a bit inconsiderate putting a leg of lamb in the slow cooker this morning and to top it off she's got sunburn on her tummy and insides of her legs after falling asleep outside - flagstones are obviously comfier than the placcy bed

Sayra if you don't apply for the job you'll regret it. SIL got a job in London and DB gave up a good job to follow her because he knew there weren't many opportunities for her and he always does as he's told It took him a few months to find something but she's now a professor and he's a part-time househusband.

Eva look after yourself, I turn into the incredible sleepng woman when I'm rundown. The past few weeks have caught up with my and my eczema has flared up for the first time in years.

Peony it sounds ike you had a wonderful time. I sometimes wish mine were younger so I could take the time to enjoy them, played with them more etc

Naughty trashpup no advice because I was the smug 'my dog was trained when we brought her home' and now I've got a house that probably smells like a public bog because she's dribbling everywhere must invest in a steam cleaner

Food I've been really good but the scales aren't playing. I tried a carb refeed yesterday to see if that'll get things going and have been bloated and farty all day but I have missed lasagne

Peony ditto your oceanfest is also great memories - for you and for the kids! Both events a wonderful sort of summer holidayishness.

Sayra my first response was the opposite of Minny's. My brother is a scientist and he has got very frustrated and miserable working in jobs that weren't actually what he wanted to be working on. He has this year moved to a job that IS something he feels motivated by and he feels worthwhile (ie cancer drugs not soap!). I reckon he'd be the first to say, if you know you like animals and the practical poo-end; don't go for humans and the computer-end. You will just amass experience in the stuff you don't want to be experienced in. (I remember my brother's worry that he'd never get a cancer drugs post because he was now so beautifully specialised in soap - if you see what I mean.) I think its worth holding out for a post that is animal poo. You have other great leads (from the Swedish conference, for example? - and potentially where you currently are after January should funding allow?)

PLUS moving away from your OH is, I think, an important consideration. I have in my past taken a job that meant I moved away from my OH of the time. But it was an absolute make-or-break job opportunity for me after 2 years of temping AND he was doing a training course at the time - ie the course would finish and then he could use the qualification to find work where I'd gone. AND it was at a different stage of my life - early 20s, we'd been moving around every 6 months anyway. You've got a 11 year relationship! AND - as you said (and I found out) the travelling involved in long-distance relationships is RUBBISH and miserable.

So - I wouldn't apply!

Minny well done on your merit and even more well done on being so disciplined you didn't succumb to mumsnet while writing the coursework! I am feeling a bit better today - I think I'm super-relaxed after my midsummer-madness weekend.

Thank you for both of your responses, you sound like my inner voices!

Eva the experience I will gain here will be relevant for future work animal and human, it will still be the same parasite I am working on but this post is more technical than my PhD work has been. I have lots of questions to ask about the actual day to day work should I get an interview, that will help me make a decision.

At the moment I feel that I would regret whatever I do and on the whole I'd rather regret doing something than not doing something! Yes, there is a possibility of funding at my institute but I think that there will be two of us, equally qualified, going for the same post.

I think that I am going to apply for it and see what happens, OH and I have spent 11 years apart only seeing each other at the weekends, whats another couple?! Also, his new job does have a place in Wales so maybe for future that would be a possibility. The added problem here is he has been trying to get back into this field (engineering, he did his apprenticeship in aerospace engineering) for about a year now so he doesn't want to leave for a few years at least until he has built up the experience.

Extra plus Welsh ponies are my favourite type of pony

minny well done on the merit [grin[ you must be very pleased. Poor DivaDog, hope that the new food makes an improvement.

sayra not trying to sway you either way but which end of Wales is the post - airbus have a huge plant in Deeside, N Wales and in Somerset there's Westland Helicopters and Rolls Royce - ex was an aerospace engineer, now at NASA according to his bookface profile and always had itchy feet. Off to work

I say ..... sayra - go for it .... Interview them as much as 'be interviewed' and then decide if you are offered . It might be a permanent job - but it doesn't mean you can't move on after gaining another rung on your CV . However our gorgeous big hearted Eva might be right ..... I just fall at the other end of the big hearted scale I think !

minny merit is fab ! Fantastic - you must be delighted ! I join you in the bloated and farty department after weekend beach carby stuff ..... And mad carby big poops - I must have carbed more than I remember ! I am also starving .....

The thing is - it wasn't really a desire for carbs - more eating what was available to keep the energy levels up for DD3 .... I wish we could wave a magic wand and make the whole country think like us dangerous!

Hey guys, god, I want to say some meaningful and uplifting stuff, but I'm run off me bastard feet and knackered.

Anyway there's some excellent advice being dished out, so I'm sure you'll all survive until I get my energy levels back up and start bleating my thoughts.

Love yous all xxx

Trash look after yourself darling. (So easy to say, not easy to do I know)

Peony (Carby poops!) I reckon it might happen - all of a sudden the weight of scientific/official opinion will shift, and fat and carbs will swap places as the dietary bogeyman. I fully expect my mum to say "but you should have TOLD me" you flatly refused to believe me

There will then be cheese, sausage and salad outlets at the beach and Crabby will be a millionaire from her chain of low-carb ice-cream vans.

In fact Crabby can you remind me of the recipe please? - I had a big argument with DD yesterday because I wouldn't let her have ice-cream for pudding (just on grounds of, not eating sugary things EVERY day would be a good idea). However if I make some low-carb ice-cream perhaps the problem is solved.

Sayra I can't believe you and your OH have put up with 11 years of long-distance relationship-ing. I found it really hard to deal with. I'm now swayed by Minny and Peony on this one - interview them as much as they interview you is excellent advice.

Re low carb treats - when I had people over for dinner on Saturday, I served a bowl of mixed berries for dessert, along with double cream into which I had stirred some vanilla bean paste. There is sugar in the paste, but the amount I used wasn't that great - something like a large teaspoon for 300ml of cream? And it was lovely - it occurs to me that it might make a good ice-cream if you froze it.