January 2025 Starters - Thread 10 - Onward & Downward Losers!

[meatyryvita]

thread 10 already!

How exciting @DGonMJ ! We've still not got our arses in gear and booked anything else 😢

There was an anxious
moment this morning when the news flashed up that there had been a major crash on the M5 pretty much exactly where DS would have been. I called him and he must have been ahead of it by minutes, big sigh of relief. He's only been driving for a few months but is convinced he's indestructible as teenagers tend to be. I am not usually a worrier but do stress about his driving!

@2025istheyeari best of luck for GCSE results! what are his plans for next year?

@2025istheyeari there’s a lot of advent chat for august - I’m going to try and restrict myself to 2 (3 definitely not 4).

Espa have a no rinse cleanser @2025istheyeari - the Micellar one. I’ve used it before, I can’t remember what I thought of it tbh. I use the Elemis dynamic resurfacing range now and I love it, combined with their balm when I make an effort. My moisturiser, oil, and eye cream comes from the bargainous Espa Christmas boxes which also have a scrub and mask (which I rarely use 😅).

@MJalltheway that must have been difficult to hear, thank goodness you got hold of DS.

@DGonMJ we went to Copenhagen last month on our road trip, it was fabulous, you will love it.

I paid extra attention in the beauty section at TK Maxx earlier thanks to our chat earlier. Lots of stuff that looked great that I wouldn’t know if it was good bad or indifferent. The only brand I thought I remembered from here was Prai. I didn’t buy any of it, I was almost tempted but then I remembered that I’m really happy with what I use and how my skin is (plus I’m lazy).

@2025istheyeari I’ll join you on the results sofa, we are awaiting results next Thursday. DC2’s plans are all over the place, today 😎it looks like it will be a year of work before deciding where to go to uni. Has an offer from Durham (which I’d take in their shoes) but it’s their life/choice so all I can do is offer guidance and support.

Picked up my Next box - it’s good for £25.

Stomach still not great, but Stockholm is AMAZING!

Ooh that is good @BlueLimes ! I love the Espa scrub and the Elemis balm is fantastic too! I know, it’s v busy on the advent chat 🤣

sorry think I may have got@DGonMJ and @MJalltheway mixed up again!!!
So pleased DS is ok, that must have been such a worry @MJalltheway.

🤞🏻for dc2 @PenelopePerseveres, a place at Durham sounds fab, dh is from there, such a nice city but like you say, they need to do what’s right for them, sounds like you’re a fab mum and give them the space and time to make sure what they do is right.

Thanks, DS is hoping to stay on at his current school, but needs to get certain grades. He worked really hard and should be ok, but there’s always that element of worry. He’d be gutted if he needed to move schools. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but he’s starting to worry about it. We’re trying to keep him busy and be pragmatic but you know how it is! His cousin is here this week and they have lots of plans so hopefully distraction will work!

@2025istheyeari I remember that wait too.

I actually think that’s a tougher results wait tbh, waiting for X no of A grades to stay on was nail biting even though both my kids were predicted A+. Unis are everywhere and if you don’t go to X you can go to Y. Everyone’s moving at that point in their lives whereas our lives and home is/was built around them attending their secondary/sixth form. I hope your DS gets what he needs to stay on 🤞.

DC is thinking of going to somewhere nearer home, from home. Whatever they feel they need to do is fine …… but we are really not very far from Durham (45 mins in the car on a good run). They’ve had a tough time health wise so whatever they feel they can manage is perfect. I suspect they’re a bit influenced by DC1 who also went from home to begin with, plus couple of friends who commute.

I’m very relaxed about it, it just needs to be right for them.

@MJalltheway that is a relief! Is DS there for the full weekend? Am sure he’ll have a great time.

@2025istheyeari no mix up, you got it right!

@myladyjane enjoy your last day of holiday…time to book another one!

We’re also waiting for GCSE results, but no pressure with conditional offers, just would like DS (autistic) to not have to redo them as this was his second attempt, would really help his confidence to do more if he can get a decent pass. But am practicing @PenelopePerseveres zen approach, what will be will be.

Gosh a lot of exam results expected in the next couple of weeks then, I hope everyone gets what they need. None for us this year, last year we had both A level and GCSE together so glad of a year off! I'm involved in the results work-wise though so a busy couple of weeks coming up.

im so tempted by these beauty boxes even though i never use any of the stuff! It's just the appeal of a mystery box of any kind, I can't resist them. 😊

@DGonMJ no he's just gone for the day, we're in the south west so only a couple of hours away. He was there for the weekend last year and got caught in the crush 🤨 I swear I've got so many more gray hairs in the last couple of years from that boy....

Best of luck to your DS @DGonMJ , I hope he gets the results he’s happy with.

My DC are ND. Both of them put tons of pressure on themselves to get results.

@MJalltheway we really enjoyed a beauty box subscription in lockdown, something to look forward to every month. Between me and DD we used most things and had a wonderful travel stash of small stuff.

@DGonMJ best of luck with results. And yes Copenhagen is lovely - I travel through there regularly for work, at least 2 trips in September. Really need to take some time to walk around again.

For Oct half term, have booked Athens, as DC1 requested it - I think I mentioned. He's gotten really into Greek mythology and history, and wanted to see all the temples, so being a bit of a geek, I was happy to oblige.

Now the rest of you losers, don't get me into advent calendars and beauty boxes again here! I have way, way too much stuff and total obsession with anything trial or travel size. But there's only so much I can use, and I'm already doing all I can. 😂

@2025istheyeari @PenelopePerseveres @DGonMJ We are also waiting for results! GCSEs although DC has a sports scholarship to go to so doesn't really need any specific grades apart from passing maths and English so he doesn'thave to miss training for the resit classes 🤣. I would like him to do well to keep open options but he's fairly relaxed about the whole thing! Thinking about everyone in the same situation xx

@BreezyPeer wow how amazing to get a sports scholarship, that’s fab!! Good luck to all dc waiting for results ( and to us!!), sounds like we all just want them to get what they need to move onto their chosen next step. Hopefully they’ll be fine 🤞🏻.

I signed up for the liberty beauty drop this year and I’m enjoying getting that little box every quarter! I think the retinol I’ve been using plus sun have given me a reaction so I had a nice gentle Japanese rice mask on earlier which will
hopefully soothe it! I agree with others, now I’ve lost weight I’m much more interested in this and clothes!

I have nothing to contribute to beauty chat - I keep it very simple, although I would like better skin. I'm in awe of all of you!!

Mine has exams last year - both lots, so nothing this year. Good luck to you all, it can be a tense few weeks.

I was supposed to jab yesterday, forgot, and haven't done it today either. So will be jabbing after 9 days tomorrow which will make my 5mg not as as effective but I'm ok with that. Intrigued (and I can't remember who said it!) about one provider saying that leaving more days between jabs is better to reset on maintenance...

Checking in! Last checked in on the 7th June when I was 12st 3lbs, I’ve lost a stone since then and weighed in at 11st 3lbs this morning. Total weight loss to date is 4st 11lbs (67lbs). Last 5mg injection today, had considered a couple of weeks ago going up to 7.5mg but I’m still loosing slowly and suppression has been very high this week, like super high that eating was a task but I managed it. So I might just stick for another month on 5mg.

BMI is 23, I’ve 10lbs to go until maintenance.

Hello again losers! Doing well there @MisseyLurker!

Zero contribution to beauty chat from me I’m afraid. I used to be fairly committed to a skincare regime pre-kids and had some pricey products but with the inexorable decline in my finances and time when the DSs arrived products downgraded and quite often felt a sense of achievement if I’d managed to wash my face! I did invest in tret by subscription couple of years ago but that had to go to help pay for MJ so I’m back to basics again. I’ve gone full on retro recently with ponds cold cream for make up removal.

The festival was great. It reminded me of Glastonbury in 1985 and funnily enough one of the acts said the same thing. We’re friends with one of the headliners and met for a brief chat after their set but we’re seeing them again later this month so didn’t take up too much merch selling time. Felt weird to head back to a hotel as we usually camp. Maybe next year.

Didn't go mad at the bar, didn’t eat much so the 3lb gain was annoying yesterday. That’s not made onto my spreadsheet! It can’t be fat after a day so it can just jolly well sort itself out!

@Thelittlestranger both lots of exams in the same year was a lot! Very glad to have the break this year, I'm sure you are too!
@MisseyLurker amazing progress!! 🙌 So close to goal, what are your plans for maintenance?

@Jins glad you enjoyed the festival! I must say festival with a hotel is a lot more appealing to me than camping! I'd also be ignoring the rude scales as well, random fluctuations don't earn a spreadsheet slot!

Bemused to see DS's car back from boardies this morning, he was supposed to be staying over at a friends house near Newquay. But at least I know he's home safe.

@MJalltheway better to see the car back early than them not turn up when they say they will!

We’re a long way past waiting for results but I still get a shiver in August. Such a stressful time. Good luck to all DC waiting for results. My niece is waiting for an A level resit this year and she’s put our local uni as her first choice. I’m hoping to have a few coffee and catchups with her when she starts as I’m sure she will. She had a really challenging year last year which will have affected her results but I’m really proud of her for taking the time to resit to get the grade she deserves.

I'm taking eldest DD down to her uni today to drop off her stuff into her new house for second year, it's amazing how quickly the time passes. It's been so lovely to have her home for the summer. ❤️

Good luck to all those waiting for results, grateful that I've still got a while before that. I don't think it will be a fun couple of years with ND daughter!

I also am hit and miss with beauty. I get the odd dermalogica facial and was buying their stuff but have got some altruist moisturiser and cleanser in a bid to try and save some money (I already use their SPF). I probably cleanse my face a couple of times per week. I'd love to do it twice a day like you're supposed to... Maybe I will add it to my habit tracker!

I jabbed as usual today but with 2.5 as I last jabbed on Wednesday so according to Dosediary my top level will go up to the same as it did when I jabbed on Wednesday, I think the following Monday I will drop down to 40 or 35 of a 5mg pen to try and titrate down a bit more. We shall see how this week goes. I ate loads this weekend (pizza, chocolate, crisps) and the scales are down, there is just no correlation. Maybe it will catch up with me later in the week. My eating loads looks nothing like it did pre-mj so perhaps I'm just still under maintenance despite it feeling like a lot. Maintenance is as confusing as ever. I'm still weighing daily (when not on holiday) but need to change it up a bit...

So I'm having my hernia surgery tomorrow. Not looking forward to it as such, but honestly a few days to be able to lay there and have no Teams calls or alternatively, someone going MUM?! every 2 seconds does not sound too bad.. 😂

@HeidiNotSoHeavy good luck with the surgery tomorrow.

DH has just attempted to get my pen to go the 5th dose and it’s completely disintegrated. Annoying. Will have to wait now for next order to arrive. Then that pen will be my last (for now I suspect). That will take me in yo September and I really will have to stop spending on it. I thought I would only buy three pens max but I’ve spent over £1000 on it. I’m happy to be closer to the 11 stone bracket rather than pushing 15 stone. But gutted to not be into normal BMI range. I’ve enjoyed being thinner. But I suspect I will pile it all back on over the winter. Sigh.

@HeidiNotSoHeavy all the best and enjoy the ‘time off’. They can all sort themselves out so chill, read, watch crappy tv and get better soon.

@tinyemmyi love hearing the maintenance chat. Sounds like an art not a science! With the beauty stuff, I got myself into a habit with it (and taking my many many supplements). I did find it worth it but I sort of enjoy the ritual at the end of the day.

@Jinspleased you had a lovely time. @MJalltheway I am not looking forward to mine being old enough to go to festivals or uni although dh is in his ‘dadcabs’ phase ferrying teen girls on what seems to be an hourly basis.

Back to work with a bang - have just surfaced after 10 hours of back to back calls pretty much. The slightly higher mj dose is working as I forgot to eat after some breakfast at about 10. I did drink loads though and I’m about to have a nice walk to get rid of the day

@Polkadotdash there are plenty of people in maintenance who have been able to keep all the weight lost without MJ. As long as we keep an eye on it and tackle small weight gains, it should be manageable.

As for pens, pretty sure they've done something with design - the first pens I could force, but then they started breaking.