January 2025 Starters - Onwards and Downwards

[meatyryvita]

Thread 12 right here losers!

To think my original goal was just to get under 70 kilos..I'm hovering around 57 now. But @DGonMJ have to say that like with losing, when each kilo off is more noticeable, it's the same with gaining. Just a kilo or 2 can definitely make trousers feel tighter. Makes sense of course, it's a bigger percentage of body weight after all.
@SteveHarringtonsHair I'm in maintenance and the part of not gaining weight as been really easy. Stretching out my doses now, and only jab 2.5. What I'm struggling with is getting my brain to accept that staying the same is a good thing. That's what I want. I genuinely do not want to lose any more weight. But if you have only ever wanted the scale to go down your entire life, it's a very novel concept.

I am pretty much recovered from covid, will do some light exercise later as well. Soooo close from getting my muscle mass from 'high' to 'very high' as per my scales.

Glad to hear the date was pleasant @BreezyPeer , in comparison to a lot of dating tales, that's most definitely a win! I met my now-DH on a blind date (supposed to be a dinner date, I actually left his flat around lunchtime the next day 😳 ) we knew straight away we wanted to only see each other and 25 years later, here we are!

Another catching up on washing here - fun Sunday!

That sounds good @BreezyPeer. You have permission to see him again 🤣

@BreezyPeer that actually sounds lovely. Easy company, own interests etc but keen enough to arrange a second date. I judge him GOOD. Permission to see again if you would like to.

@HeidiLiteChrist that sounds like some joyous experience of on line dating right there. Makes me yet again pleased I met dh when a foetus pre that sort of palavar!

@PenelopesPursuitPrevails did you do a Covid test in the end? Dd took a good few weeks to get shot of her dizziness and I got the odd spell for quite a long time.

i have been super productive today. Rough night with the old wind side effects so patchy sleep but I got up, went swimming then did a massive Tesco shop so I can do some batch cooking for the fam. We don’t eat well as a group really and it’s too easy to grab crap. Also did a freezer stock up with fruit and veg, some but not too much beige for ease and my love - frozen jacket potatoes. Hear me out on these - just potato, only 20p more expensive than buying them raw and just need some time in the microwave.

I am off to pop on a podcast and get my chilli going….

@myladyjane , no I didn't feel up to going out. I don't think I have left the house for 6 days other than to go in the garden to the bin. 😑 Tedious. I'm about to go for a snooze (I did get up at 4:30am). Somehow I need to demonstrate top of my game tomorrow - not feeling it tbh!

Very good re batch cooking. 😇

I always plan what we are eating for the week in my head as I do my shopping. DD is here most of the time for food and has decided that she wants to get more involved 'we need to meal plan mum' 🙄, I do .... in my head. Anyway, we now have a written plan of what we are going to eat this week ... lets see how that goes. This week's food includes recipes to use up things in the freezer as I would like to empty it by the end of October if I can, always a joy 😂.

There was a lovely recipe in the Times yesterday, 'Autumn pasta with chickpeas'. Does this work? That is on this week's list.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/af0b0399-33fd-4b4b-a022-b770ea7fbc35?shareToken=ab269dcbc7623f73cf71a82b73cf8580

@HeidiLite I have to admit I was expecting something a bit more crazy! It was a nice surprise to be honest
@DGonMJ I did think I could 'lose him' between the pub and the cinema if necessary but not needed fortunately

@myladyjane I met DH when I was 29 and didn't really have long term relationships before that, so that was a lot of dating. I have enough material for a few books at least. 😁

I always have grand plans for batch cooking, but for some reason, we just don't eat freezer meals. Whenever I put something there, it's swiftly forgotten and eventually thrown out.

We do love trying new recipes and have a ton of cookbooks. This week, DS did this:
https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/avocado-and-chicken-salad-with-pomegranates-and-brown-rice/
DH did this: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/rukmini-iyers-tandoori-style-salmon-with-spiced-roasted-sweet-potatoes-tomatoes-and-red-onion/
I did this one: https://meerasodha.com/recipes/aubergine-and-cherry-tomato-curry/
and tonight DH is planning this: https://www.foodandspice.com/2020/02/roasted-sqaush-with-rice-and-lime-pickle.html

@PenelopesPursuitPrevails that link works, thanks for sharing. The squash and chickpea pasta looks good will add that to the list for next week.

We had a chicken & cauliflower lasagne last night which was ok, very light. Probably a good one for when suppression is high and you need nutrition but low flavour. But suppression was super low for me yesterday so I needed more cheese and garlic! Have two portions leftover for lunch in the week.

Making fish tacos tonight. Will bake the fish so it’s a bit healthier. Having it with a winter red cabbage slaw, black bean and sweetcorn stew and Mexican rice. The plan is to have 3 portions leftover for lunch tomorrow. Was feeling optimistic that I’d be hungry for it. But the jab has worked instantly today. Should have swapped recipes around this weekend.

I still have plenty of soup in the freezer which has been brilliant for quick lunches when WFH or at the weekend. We have three different flavours. Once one of them is gone I think I’ll do a mushroom and brown rice soup. We also just used up the last of the bolognese from my first weekend of batch cooking. So that’s on the list for next weekend.

The new fridge freezer is sat in the middle of the living room waiting to be installed. Can’t bloody wait to fill up the new frost-free freezer drawers.

@BreezyPeer im here to live vicariously through you. I have no adult dating experience. Met DH when I was 17!

Glad it worked @DGonMJ . I’ll probably serve some sort of protein with it tbh. I also like the look of the barley bowls.

I don’t really enjoy freezer food either. I used to batch cook like a pro, spend a weekend filling the freezer. Not sure what happened but I just went off it. I only make two portions of things now, one to eat and one to freeze.

Just getting up, what a waste.

Oh @PenelopesPursuitPrevails not a waste. You need rest.

i have to reign myself back with batch cooking for me (lone non meat eater). I once prepped 10 black bean burritos and ate 1 then had to bin the rest as they got so old. I tend to freeze ingredients for me - like salmon fillets which I can cook quickly, Dh has a dreadful diet so my way of trying to get dds to not eat shite is to have it all so easily available they can’t make excuses. So today I have made:
beef chilli
pasta and meatballs
peri peri chicken pasta
chicken and spinach curry
tuna pasta bake
lasagne from bloody scratch. Dh said ‘oh lasagne only takes 15 mins. Arsehole.
marinaded salmon

plus bought some microwave rice, the aforementioned jacket spuds and some pizza dough for the freezer. All pretty upf free if very convenient. Fruit and veg which is ok from freezer as well (peas, sweetcorn, blueberries etc). That way they can try not to die of scurvy.

bloody knackered now.

We have recently started meal planning in an effort to save money, and eat more variety - but we are failing on using recipes. We do have Hello fresh.

This week looks like:
Pulled pork buns and chips
Chicken and red wine stew with mash (hello fresh)
Pork quesadillas (leftovers)
Freezer night
Sausages of some kind.

We like protein...

@myladyjane that is some serious batch cooking

The insatiable hunger quietened - I think it was leftover from too many drinks on the Wednesday with work. Have recouped over the last few days. I think that's what I have to remember. Maintaining is about living life, and the next day, making sure you get back on the train... otherwise it will leave the station without you.

@BreezyPeer another vote here for 'good' on the first date. Most of all, enjoy it.

@PenelopesPursuitPrevails it's ok to just be at home, another week will roll round and you'll be back on the wheel...

@Jins - i think grey hair rocks. I'm currently orangey/red (out of a bottle) which takes a lot of upkeep. At some point, I'm tempted to go ice grey to change it up. Natural colour is mousey blonde. No idea how many greys I have.

Trying to enjoy my Sunday afternoon without the thought of Monday ruining it...

This is the grey mane immediately before starting MJ. It’s much thinner at the moment. I had poker straight hair when it was black but it appears to have curled nowadays.

I posted this pic on a MN post about embracing the grey and probably made a few posters throw up 🤢

@myladyjane I have no idea why people believe lasagne is a quick easy dish to make from scratch! 15 minutes, ha! Has he tried??

Obviously he hasn’t @HeidiLite. He is slightly less of an arsehole though as he’s made me a cup of tea.

@Jins that is beautiful hair!

@Thelittlestranger interesting re making your grey more icey grey. Mine has taken years and years to grey - I stopped dying it in my early 40s and I’m almost 51 and still only just over 50% grey. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I think it really washes me out so maybe I need to do something bold.

I have definitely decided to do an online style analysis so once I have the results from that I may talk to my hairdresser about a change…

Wow @myladyjane very impressive, I hope someone else is cleaning the kitchen 😅.

Lovely hair @Jins . I'm only about 5% grey on very dark brown hair so I have gone down the semi route. It sort of blends them in, they go a bit auburn. The biggest problem I had with grey hairs was the texture, thick and wiry.

😂@ your DH @myladyjane , I'd find the longest cook lasagne recipe I could find, buy him the ingredients and set him off on it 🙃as penance.

I'm not feeling this assessment day tomorrow, I would have usually done a lot more prep, it is tomorrow or never. Let's see how I feel in the morning. I need to leave home at 6:30am if I go.

I’m so happy for you! A great start to your return to dating.

@myladyjane I'm all for embracing bold. I think I now understand why all the dinner ladies used to have a purple rinse - why the hell not?! First time I died my hair the colour it is now I felt so conspicuous. Now people who didn't know me before can't imagine having any other colour. Some even ask me if it's natural, which is bonkers. Go with what makes you feel happy 😊

@Jins your hair is fab.

Morning 🌄 losers!
Monday again! How did that happen?
Another new low for me today, I am thinking I am getting near my goal, maybe just another few lbs. I can really feel my ribs and I don't want to get too much skinnier 🤣
This is not a problem I ever thought I would have. I am nervous about maintenance but I don't want to keep losing to avoid having to face maintenance 🙃

Beautiful hair @Jins !
I'm quite grey I think, but also naturally blonde, so it is not so visible and I can still get away with just highlights.
Ate a lot yesterday, including some bread and pastries - but am actually trying to build in some treats and more indulgent days. And have 2 bodypump classes to teach today.

Morning my Monday morning maidens

i am on such a go slow - should have logged in about 30 mins ago but not dressed yet!

I did a sneaky weigh in and my Friday bloat has gone and I’m down a little bit so my bmi is now definitely under 30!!!! Whoop whoop. I slept very well (through my alarm) and I feel rested and ready for the week. This is clearly distressing. Who have I become!?!?!?

Month 1 of Wegovy done and I've lost 1.6lbs in four weeks. I've emailed Shemed to ask to cancel my subscription and then look to move to another provider. I don't mind slow weight loss but this is realllllly slow and given it costs me £100 a month, the value isn't there. Whilst I've been unwell for a short while, before then and now I'm keeping track of protein, have good water intake, and stick to my calories (although I'm definitely hungrier). I'm just not sure that Wegovy is working for me at 1mg.

Perhaps Shemed will come back suggesting increased to 1.7mg or whatever which I could be open to but at this rate of loss, I'm not happy.

Morning losers!

Thanks for the positive views on my hair. Sometimes I feel like getting a nice sharp new cut but I’d lose the versatility and the ability to wash it, comb it and forget about it. Growing my grey out was 100% the most liberating thing I’ve done and I can thank lockdown for it.

Sending support to @myladyjane who is clearly dealing with a personality crisis.

Still a little over 9st chez Jins but no real surprise as I’ve had a weekend of autumnal gluttony from our version of tartiflette through to a full roast lamb dinner including rhubarb crumble. However I’m down from Friday’s result so obviously there’s room in maintenance to pig out a little.

Off for coffee with a friend I haven’t seen since the first month of MJ so she’s in for a shock. She lives in the same village as me but we’re both a bit chaotic about keeping in touch and our paths rarely cross. I won’t be divulging my use of MJ - it could go either way with her.

Have a great week and best wishes to all those who are unwell.

I've had a word with myself, and I'm not going to track this week. I was getting obsessive in the fear of coming off the jabs, and I'm just going to eat the right things, at the right time.

@HeidiLite I have no problem bringing in the treat days! But I'm definitely in the cycle of making room for them during the week at the moment.

Started the week at 9 again, the plan is to get it down to 8.12 ahead of the weekend. Which should be easy - if I'm not wooed out for work drinks. So, that's where I draw the line this week. No. Work. Drinks.

Had a lovely morning of home weight session, then walked the dogs and finished my audio book. Now trying to start work and getting distracted...it's a beautiful day outside.