May 2025 Starters Thread 7 - Ending the year as we mean to go on ✌️

[FlorenceNightshade]

A sparkly new thread for our chatty gang!

Oh yes, please do stay here. You’re our buddies. And it’s interesting to know how you are going on at goal.
I keep forgetting to jab. I should be on Wednesdays. Last week it was Thurs before I took it, still haven’t remembered yet this week.

@ElsieJay yes, its all booked we are off to Limmasol. We've been a lot of times before. Its our favourite place, just going more up market this time with a posher hotel and more spending money for a few fancy days out. One on a nice boat. DH was actually birn out there as his DF was stationed there with the RAF.

I love Cyprus too. I haven’t been for years, but we used to have a house out there when we was a teen, so we went a lot.

@Megsdaughter - that sounds lovely!
I don’t know Limassol very well, but you can’t go wrong with a posh hotel, fancy days out and a boat .
@Gingercar - you lucky thing - where was your family house ?
DD and family live in Nicosia, we’ve travelled to most parts of the island over the years but will be based in Paralimni this Easter.

Anyone tried barrel jeans? I'm considering buying some but I've no idea how flattering they are.

I got some from M&S but took them back as they didn’t suite me. I like the wide leg ones at the moment, but you just have to try different shapes and see what you feel comfy in .

Not jeans, but I picked up some cheap barrel leg trousers at TKMaxx to wear as pyjamas. They look really good and I'm thinking of upgrading them to daytime wear. 😆

I bought some BL Jeans in Sainsbury’s just before Christmas. I love them but the length is a bit tricky with most of my shoes and boots. I think they work best with trainers.

I wasn’t keen on barrel legs on me. In fact I’m not keen on many styles of jeans at the moment. They all look a bit shapeless.

@ElsieJay it was in Ayia Nappa. Bought when it was a tiny fishing village. My dad worked at Manchester uni computer dept and one of his colleagues married a Cypriot PhD student and set up the computer dept at Nicosia. He wanted my dad to go with him. I was a teen at the time, and really didn’t want to move there. But we used to go there quite a lot. We didn’t actually stay at our hotel much, it was always rented out, and it got really busy in AN, which wasn’t our thing. We really struggled to sell it as everything had been built without proper permits after the division of Cyprus. I’d like to go back to Cyprus, it’s been years.

@Gingercar - it must have been beautiful in those days !
Think you’d see some changes now ….

I've got some barrel leg chinos from M&S via Vinted that don't quite fit (yet!) but I like the cut.

I always thought they were nice but obviously not for me with my weight...but been pleasantly surprised.

Found myself definitely keener to try more fashionable things recently.

Yes I’m sure. When we first went there weren’t even many decent roads, even between the main cities. A dual carriageway would suddenly turn into a track!

Last time I went was 15 years ago when I was cabin crew and we stayed near Nicosia when we weren’t allowed to stay in Israel (we’d do a quick nip in and out of Israel to pick up passengers but would night stop in Cyprus). Usually I flew long haul and Cyprus was short haul). My dad was there selling the house (spell check changed it to hotel in my last post, god knows why!). so I met him and the Cypriot family. That’s the last time I saw them.

In other news I’ve got a frightening amount of mini eggs and mini cream eggs left over, I need to sell loads this week or I’m going to be left with a lot of temptation! And the weather isn’t helping. I’m m doing an Easter egg hunt at my cafe on Saturday and hope a good few come so I can throw a load more down!

Please can I join here?

I have got 2 stone to lose and spent a good year thinking about actually taking the plunge. I kept thinking I could do it on my own but I cannot. I did the first jab tonight and thinking I must be getting side effects immediately!

The side effects are definitely what I’m most concerned about. The jab was surprisingly easy to do

looking forward to being on this journey with you all

Hello @Gotchagood. You’d be very welcome to join us, but you may be better joining the March 2026 starters thread with others starting at the same time as you?

not me getting the year wrong and thinking this was the new starters thread! Thanks, I’ll see myself out 🤦🏼‍♀️

You’re welcome here anytime. They’ll just be in the same boat and experiencing the same thoughts/effects on the new thread. And it won’t be as quiet.
Good luck! We’re ten months down the line now and have all done well, even if it’s a lot slower going nowadays than it was at first!

@Gotchagood - wishing you all the very best as you start your “journey”- I hate that expression, but can’t think of another one at this early hour….. 🙄
I’ve found the MN threads invaluable for exchanging tips, support and sometimes just a jolly good moan. Good luck !

@Gingercar DH and I often remark on how much has changed since we first visited in 1998 - never thinking that one day we’d have a place there, not to mention grandchildren !
I’m sure the Cypriot family would love to see you again.

Hope you manage to shift the Easter egg mountain ! This weekend’s hunt sounds a lovely thing to do , hope it’s a great success.

🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣

No. It’s an outdoor cafe, so very much weather dependent. And it’s pouring! Here’s hoping it bucks up towards the weekend!

Very envious of people going for holidays in warmer climes. My DH has developed more and more of an aversion to leaving this country over the last few years. I can persuade him to take a northern Europe city break now and then but that's all.

Good luck with not eating the eggs @Gingercar . You know they're horrible artificial chocolate, don't you? I guess they represent a stock investment but could you drop any surplus to a food bank rather than eat them?
🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥

Good idea for the end of the holidays @Apprenante. To be fair my husband would eat them. Slowly. He is the opposite of me- needs to put two stones on and can’t! He got a stomach bug in November and lost 16lbs overnight (I got it and lost 2lbs!). He’s only just put it back on by the end of last week, despite trying to eat more and higher calories! He has had lots of bowel operations over the last few years and eating for him causes no pleasure, and often problems. Despite wanting to be slimmer I wouldn’t trade places with him. But we are like Jack Spratt and his wife!

Sorry to hear about your husband's problem @Gingercar. What a difficult situation for him - and you. And you're right, despite the struggle we have to reach a healthy weight I'd rather have that than no enjoyment eating. Wishing him all the best.

That’s very kind. He’s a trooper. He now has a stoma, which has helped a lot. Right at the start of me taking MJ I had a major wobble about messing with my metabolism when I’d watched him go through so much because his system didn’t work properly. But hey I got over it and it seems my metabolism isn’t massively affected by it anyway!

Happy Good Friday, everyone !
Weather here is wet, cold and miserable - hoping it’s not the same for you, @Gingercar, with your Easter Egg hunt tomorrow. Fingers crossed for sunshine, and lots of customers ! 🤞

Not much to report here , just back from my weigh in at WW ( have missed the last two weeks ) and have gained 2lbs. Trying not to stress about it as we’re away on Tuesday for two weeks , and I’m not taking my pen. Jabbed 36 clicks yesterday morning and will do likewise on Monday.
Weather very mixed over there , yesterday they had rain but also the Sahara dust - DD says their cars look like they’re covered in mud .
The suitcase is a gallimaufry of swimwear, flip flops , sweatshirts and my trusty Seasalt Janelle coat (for standing outside the church at midnight next Saturday). Not to mention Lindt bunnies, lots of peppermint Aero bars (grandchildren’s favourite) and several jars of preserves from our local chilli farm ……

Onwards, hopefully downwards but possibly sideways or even upwards - but we’re still here, almost a year in , and keeping the faith and this lifeline thread going.
Group hug ! 🥰 xx