Welcome to The Chart, @FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden Good work! I am so glad I DMd you elsewhere and found this group. Thank you.
@TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne - how wonderful. It's good to see the results from you who jab ahead of us! I find it really encouraging as I want instant results and the weeks and months ahead loom slowly for me. It's tough on the STS or up weeks.
I have been swimming! Last Monday I rocked up to swim at the caravan park outside pool I've joined. They'd neglected to tell me when I signed up on the Sunday that it would be closed the following day. So I went home and then swam stately slow lengths 4 days Tuesday-Friday doing 9 lengths the first day and then 11 length daily. It's 25 metres long and with the walk from the car park that's a lot more exercise in my life. Over the week end, it would have been very busy with lots of kids so I didn't swim.
Why am I swimming odd numbers of lengths? Because I go in at the deep end, but need to get out at the shallow end so I can clamber up the steps which are closer together than at the deep end. I was worried I might not be able to get out - so I am relieved I can haul myself up the steps. The steps on the deep end ladder are far too widely spaced for me to use them.
I'm stiff, especially in the hips. Maybe I will try crawl legs instead of breast stroke this week, I love the feeling of being in the water and that stretch when I push off from the end.
My size 26 swim suit is too loose on the shoulders so I've retired it but the 28/30 Lands End suit is OK but won't be for long. I've ordered 2 smaller suits from Vinted - as swim suit sizing seems all over the place I may need another to wear next.
I've been wearing a long coral cotton dress over the weekend. I usually wear jeans or linen trousers and vets with a fleece or a tunic. DH surprised me by saying how lovely I looked and how he loves me wearing dresses. We've been married for 21 years and I didn't know. I think I've only worn trews for the past 5 years.
I'm stealth as he was very unwell when I started and he'd have suffered crippling anxiety over the potential for something to go wrong. I wonder if part of him saying I look lovely was noticing I look better and have more energy as I have shed nearly 40lbs and he sees the rise in my energy while not realising I've shed weight. I'v also picked up a bit of sun from swimming. He's taken my MJ delivery the past 2 months but not asked about it being marked for the fridge. Maybe he didn't notice!
I am very conscious of my lipoedemic lower legs so loved wearing my new long dress, as it's cool, hides my trunky low legs and is a lovely coral broderie anglaise fabric - the sort African women use to make church dresses. We have an airbnb guest suite, formerly known as our sitting room and downstairs bathroom separated by a locked door in the hall. Guests enter from the front door so it's self contained. So I cleaned in my long dress! That's the other exercise I do 3-4 times a week, clean the bathroom, hall and bedsit, make the bed and do the laundry. I work up a sweat so that's been my exercise to date.
Bras: Thanks for all the recommendations - some brands I didn't know. M&S bras and knickers seem to have improved a lot - in sizing and style simce I last looked (about a decade ago!!).
I recommend using the calculator at https://www.abrathatfits.org/calculator.php if you don't have a magic eyed bra shop owner nearby. There's one in London but their bras so expensive. There's an associated subreddit - and they are good on the differences between bra styles.
Bon courage to the staying the same crew, and the feeling it's too slow crew. We're here for the long haul .... so stick with it, and vent here!