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

[FlorenceNightshade]

A sparkly new thread for our chatty gang!

Have a brilliant time with your family @ElsieJay . And come back with a gallimaufry of happy memories - much more important than a soon-to-be-gone tiny gain.

Gotta be better weather than here ElsieJay! Perhaps you should do my egg hunt for me over there! It’s been dreadful here today and I seem to have scoffed a packet of mini cream eggs. Oops! 😱 I’ll be so glad to see the back end of all these eggs.

Aaaah, thank you, @Apprenante , for those very wise words. I do love being there for Easter, all the traditions and celebrations are centred around family. It reminds me of the Christmasses of my childhood.

Keeping everything crossed for a sudden change in the weather , @Gingercar !
I’ve not been too tempted by chocolate this year. Hot cross buns, on the other hand ……

Ah I love reading everyone's news - as if we're all having a catch up over a coffee!

Hope the Easter plans are all going well.

An odd thing - I am using a 7.5mg pen and counting clicks to get a 6mg dose. My last pen and my current pen both "lock" unless you actually go to the 7.5mg dose.

Has anyone else had this? Wondering if they've changed the pen design so that you can't count clicks anymore. Bit annoying but not the end of the world. I'm using a diabetes needle to get the 6mg out.

I also used Claude AI to analyse my average day of eating to help get me back in track after a 3lb (?!?!?!) gain last week.

I don't usually use AI if I can help it, but it gave me some good pointers..mainly that I under eat by about 600 calories a day and need to focus on protein more. Gave me family meal ideas and some really good suggestions!

Ah I love reading everyone's news - as if we're all having a catch up over a coffee!

Me too. I read everything that appears on this thread but often find myself in a mad rush so don't often respond. Hope everyone is doing ok. @Gingercar I would never have been able to cope with your chocolate temptations, I take my hat off to you!

All fine here. I am four pounds away from having lost 7 stone, which I can't get my head around. I still think of myself as extremely fat, so it is a continual shock to catch sight of myself in shop windows and the like. DH, DD and I went out for lunch the other day and were shown to a table with banquette seating for two and a standalone chair facing. Previously I would have, shame-facedly, taken the seat opposite as would have been unable to squeeze behind the table. DH saw me hesitate and gave me a nice smile and nod, and I slipped behind the table without even breathing in. We then went to the theatre where I could enjoy the performance without the horror of encroaching on the person seated next to me. Amazing scenes.

@DBatteryBand you've done amazingly well and being able to slide behind tables is just one of many well-deserved NSVs . Keep looking in mirrors and enjoy getting used to your new reflection.

That’s amazing @DBatteryBand 👏👏👏. ⭐️⭐️⭐️🎉🎉🎉
My Easter Egg hunt went well. It stayed fine. Most of the eggs are now gone. I’m delighted- I have been stealing more and more this week, it was starting to become an issue. To be fair, it’s been a rough week, I thought we were going to have to have our little old dog put to sleep, but after two vets visits this week she’s rallied a bit.

Have any of you got loose skin? I’ve been fine so far, but I’ve started looking at my thighs and wondering if it’s about to start. Technically I’ve still got at least 1.5-2 stones left to go. But I’d happily stop where I am for a while if it avoided any sagging. Once I’ve got through these school holidays I’m definitely upping the exercise and seeing if that helps.

@DBatteryBand 👏👏👏👏👏 that’s brilliant. Well done .. these moments make all the SE worthwhile!

@Gingercar I have so much loose skin I could make a whole new person from it. I don't think at my age there's much chance of it going away. Thighs, arms and possibly my bum, but I don't look at that so I don't know for sure.

I have been slathering on moisturiser and I don't believe it's helped at all, although if someone tries to kidnap me I think I could easily just slide out of their grasp.

A melted candle - that's what I mostly look like. But a healthier melted candle than I was.

@DBatteryBand - that’s one heck of an achievement !!! And a lovely couple of NSVs as well . Am sure we can all relate to those !

@Gingercar - so pleased the hunt went well, I’m sure everyone enjoyed it and what a relief to get all those eggs out of harm’s way !
Glad your little dog seems to be on the mend.

@Apprenante - thighs and belly for me ..🙄

@SussexLass87 - oooh, really hoping you’re wrong about the pens . We’ve had enough grief already with that huge price hike last year .

Goodnight all -I’m off to bed before I eat anything else !!

Hi guys!!! It’s been ages!

@Gingercar Im good - thank you! How are you???

We have just got back from a big family holiday in Japan and it was AMAZING! Was able to walk everywhere, all day, all terrain. Just incredible. God bless MJ!

I haven’t been able to catch up on the thread yet so I don’t know if lots has gone on or if it’s a bit quiet but just wanted to pop on and say hi and hope everyone is doing well and getting to goal!

I’ve miraculously only gain a couple of lbs whilst away and already lost it again. Best of all wasn’t worried about not fitting on rides with the boys at Nintendo world!

I still have another 20lbs I want to lose but I must admit that I felt so much better off the jabs whilst I was away that I’m really wanting to get off them now. So the toss up is do I go up to 7.5 to kickstart and lose the last 20 or stay plodding at 5.5/6mg. Answers on a postcard!

big love to all! Happy Easter to those celebrating!

Hey! Nice to hear from you. The holiday sounds wonderful. And brilliant that you only put a bit on and have already lost it. And it’s great to hear you didn’t spiral when off them.
How many pens do you have left? I’m going to stop in June.

@Gingercar im one of those people who were not smart enough to stockpile so I’m still buying as I go. None left in reserve, currently counting clicks of a 7.5. Maybe I’ll aim to come of in June with you wherever I am in the goal journey… you’re at goal already, is that right?

Hello, @HKG - or should that be “Konnichiwa”?
It’s the only Japanese word I know, so not very useful really . Sounds like you had an amazing holiday, I’m very envious.
I was at the hairdressers yesterday and one of the stylists was flying out to Japan at lunchtime today , she was bubbling over with excitement !

@ElsieJay konnichiwaaaaaaa! And arigato (thank you) is pretty much all I learnt - and plain white rice which is all my boys would eat!

it was amazing - have you been? Highly highly recommend! How are you doing???

No I’m not at goal. Technically I’ve got 1.5-2 stones to go, but might stop in a stone or so. Im not sure.
Ive only been to Tokyo. We got taught a few words for on the plane, but I can only remember your words plus kohe, ochai and sayonara (could be spelled wrong!). Coffee, tea and goodbye! They were always the most polite and quiet passengers. Apparently they never complain, but never return if they hate something!

Sadly not , @HKG , though I would love to visit someday .
My bucket list destination was always India, for as long as I can remember . Think it sprang from reading the Whiteoaks sagas of Mazo de la Roche as a young teen !
Anyway, we were lucky enough to spend 3 weeks there back in 2006 , it was everything I’d ever dreamed of and more.

@Gingercar ah, so you and I really are at about the same place in the ‘journey’. I think I’m the same - happy to do with another stone off. Maybe I will try going up to 7.5 next week (can’t risk it this week with both monkeys off for the break!). That’s so funny about the not saying anything but never returning - someone was telling me today that culturally they don’t like tourists but you’d never be able to tell with how polite they are. I have no idea if that’s true or not but certainly everyone I met was lovely. Except maybe this one guy in a noodle shop but fair enough as we didn’t speak anything but the words I said in Japanese. Shocking of us really!

@ElsieJay where were you in India? I’m so pleased it was fulfilling for you! I’ve only been for work so usually visiting grassroots communities and it’s always been a challenging and rewarding experience. Such an incredible country. Delhi I struggled with but Jaisalmer was magical and jaipur amazing. So jealous of your three weeks - you properly get a chance to see things/people!

@HKG - we started in Delhi and had three days there I think , then on to stay in Jaipur and then Agra - burst into tears at finally seeing the Taj Mahal. We then spent three nights in Ranthambore, incredibly fortunate to see tigers on two out of our three game drives.
After that we flew to Bangalore, moved on through Mysore and took the Nilgiri Mountain Railroad to the tea plantations around Ooty, Kerala, down to Cochin and finally to Kovalam.
We stayed in some fabulous hotels , former Maharajahs palaces and on the Malabar coast in a heritage Ayurvedic resort on the beach.
Incredible country and incredible people.
Can you tell I would go back in a heartbeat!

Off to Cyprus early tomorrow morning - WiFi can be a bit erratic but will check in as often as I can.
Damn, just realised I need to jab before shower and bed 🙄- am absolutely shattered.

@DBatteryBand Holy shit, what an achievement! 7 Stone is approximately 315 bananas, 1.6 elephant penises (peni?), 24 traffic cones or Kourtney Kardashian. Bloody marvellous!

Love reading everyone's updates and getting travel fever from some of the recent ones.

I've lost the weight I put on over my knee surgery recovery, and a bonus pound, which is nice! I'm now at 175lbs with 35lbs to go, although I might revise my target to 150lbs depending on how I feel.

I'm getting quite a bit of heartburn on an evening at the moment which is really interfering with my alcohol problem. It's a relief because I can only drink two small glasses of wine before I need to stop altogether and munch through gaviscon tablets. For me, this is a huge improvement. I would like to keep this side effect please.

Just a little NSV yesterday. I wore leggings and a t shirt at the coffee trailer as it was warm and sunny. Obviously as it’s outside in the Pennines I’ve been wrapped up in ski coats all winter. Loads of people (regulars) said “wow you’ve lost a lot of weight. You look great!” Which was a boost as I’ve gone up 3lbs for no reason this week. I’m not getting stressed about it, it will come off, I’m sure. But I’m not recording it this week either!
It’s been so busy over Easter that I’m three days late to jab. And now I’m intrigued to see whether my body will notice, as I don’t feel any different without it so far. We’ve friends staying tonight so I won’t take it until tomorrow night anyway.

And the mini eggs are all gone!! That’s a nsv in itself too!

@DidILeaveTheGasOn we are almost at the same weight/goal. I’m 177 with 30 to normal bmi. But I think I’m going to stop after another stone. My skin is starting to feel a tiny bit loose and I really don’t want it to be. And I’m feeling quite happy with myself now. If I had to stop right now I’d feel ok with myself. Which is a nice feeling after hating myself for years!

Congratulations on the NSV Gingercar here’s to many more boosts now that warmer days are finally here. It must be a good time to be in the Pennines.

Yes you remember why you live here on days like these! But two days ago it was sideways hailstones. And unfortunately the hills have been set on fire again. Seems to happen every spring sadly.
But I’d never have walked around in leggings and a t shirt previously.