Don't be an April Fool! Join the Slenderistas. We are supper busy losing 7lbs in a month

[BitOutOfPractice]

Welcome to the brand new shiny daffodil-strewn April thread for annihilation of the Lindas.

Here's a link to the old thread

And happy Easter today

Talking of gym membership, it would be cold day in hell I gave mine up. But I do go 5-6 times a week so I get good value for money

BOOP that’s brilliant I did history at uni and loved it. Hope her exams go well

Lasty I also did history at uni and that's what she's hoping to do

Woo hoo! Another History grad here

Though back when I did my A Levels, there wasn't any coursework, it was exams or bust. I think a coursework component is much more sensible - so pleased your DD has done so well, BOOP

Also, I am jealous of the stilton. I love blue cheese, and I actually think it is a bit of a diet hero - pick the right one and it's relatively low calorie considering you don't need much for a big hit of flavour. It feels like a treat and it is very satisfying to eat. But sadly, DH doesn't like it, so no blue cheese for me.

We were going to have pork fillet with spiced pineapple (a new recipe for us), but given my WFH day means I'm down on steps and I had a cheese toastie for lunch I probably need something a bit lower calorie. Thinking cap on!

Half a historian here too! (Joint Hons with English)

Well done BOOP's dd. That's impressive.

I've had a day off work today and I've been walking with my friend in the rain. 25k steps done already but now I'm starving and I've got a blister so I'm not going running tonight.

No exams I can talk of but another history lover here, especially royal history. Well done BOOPlet, an amazing result.

Another big fat fail night for me, I was doing so well all day until I opened the chocolate cupboard door and didn’t close it quickly enough 😂. A boring day of housework, I hate housework, I should do more.

My DD is going GCSE history. She's loving it, we've done a few NT houses recently and her enthusiasm just shines through.

Oops Paws. I'm having a dia week food wise. I've use a hormone app and although my periods still two weeks away I really struggle this week - it's the flip in hormones. Feel like I've been hit by a bus, so my steps are lower, and am the size of a bus - my sugar consumption is shameful. 😩

The second half of your cycle is definitely tougher, Pebbles, so don't beat yourself up too much. It affects some people much worse than others too. Just make the most of the first half next time round.

Housework does that to me too, Paws - my cleaner saves me from so much biscuit and wine consumption and has no idea she's my double hero!

A better morning for me today. Scales said 12st 9.6, bringing my average to 12st 10.4. 4 Linda's to go on my average and 3.5 back to my pre-holiday lows. Making progress!

Another 2lbs off for me!

twink you are on FIRE! Amazing, well done! You tend to just modestly bomb us with these insane losses, I feel like it's just quietly dropping off you

Well done BOOPlet too, that girl is a real star isn't she?

So yesterday I tried something I've been pondering for a while: I ate normally(ish) with the exception of a single piece of toast, eaten about an hour before I... started C25K for the millionth time! I've been meaning to get back into running but struggling with where to fit it into my day food-wise: since I'm so unfit and out of practice I didn't want to attempt running on very few calories as I figure it adds to the misery, and might weaken my resolve again. So I decided on non-fast days, one piece of toast to fuel me is the new scheme, until my fitness is back up. I remember from my previously fit days what a huge difference a little carb boost made to my workouts. I'll see how it goes, anyway - obviously it means that for now the running won't aid my weight loss at all as my fuel's bound to be more than I'm expending, but hopefully won't hinder it, and I've got to do something about the exercise situation. I'm so unfit and flabby, it's depressing.

I realise that ^ doesn't sound like a big deal whatsoever, but carbs during the week is so anathema to me, it feels like it! Hoping the promise of toast will get me out the door if anything

Well done Boop and Boops dd that's great going. Another history lover here, and fan of NT properties.

I hadn't thought about the hormones Fizz and Soft I just look forward to seeing a big drop post flow when the water retention leaves.

Well done twinke

I'm about. 0.4 down, it's so slow. Did another 20 mins rowing last night, hopefully a long walk today.

Oh, the gratin was fab to those who asked! I'm a bit at the mentions of only using a little bit for a big flavour hit - I had a whole load taking up space so just crumbled the whole lot in...

For some reason it went kind of watery though - I used frozen cauli and brocolli florets, cooked them beforehand and left them in the fridge for the day as I normally do when making cauli / broc bakes, but for some reason they still seemed to have a load of water in them. It didn't wreck the dish or anything but it was annoying. I perhaps should have left them to stand in the colander for the day. Are there any clever ways to prevent this that anyone knows of? Roasting them in advance maybe?

Quim the water will definitely have come from the frozen veg. The reason it is worse with frozen veg is that freezing causes the fluid in the plant cells to expand and break, so when they thaw, all the water can get out rather than being held in. There are two ways to get rid of it – either roast it, or let it sit in a sieve lined with kitchen paper over a bowl to drain. I’d go for roasting, personally – you’d get an extra flavour hit from that too.

Stilton is about 400 cals for 100g. A chunk of supermarket stilton is about 150g, so the whole wedge would be 600 cals. So, 300 each. Actually not that bad in a dish where everything else was veg. And to be fair, I could sit down and demolish the whole chunk with no veg at all, so you’re still winning

Good job on starting C25K again! I hope to be joining you in June. Yesterday was a bit momentous on my road to recovery, as I increased the weight I use for my achilles rehab exercises to be higher than I have ever managed without breaking it again. This is a major, major thing – it is definitely improving! I am not out of the woods yet – I was only working with 6kg, and I have to get to 20kg before I can start running again. But I am still really thrilled about it

Great news about your ankle Fizz steady progress and hopefully you will be running again soon.

Im sat outside nursery at the moment while dd has her first 1 hour trial. It's too far to g9 home and come back and 8 doubt she will settle. So I'm waiting for a shout for help and the king about dinner. No idea what to cook.

Fizz good intel! I didn't know that, although I'd noticed the frozen stuff tends to be worse for water, I just thought it was because it absorbed more or something. I did do ti in advance and leave it to drain for a bit but then I put it in the dish and left it in the fridge, next time I'll leave it in the seive to drain for the afternoon and add it to the dish after several hours.

You've made me feel much better about the stilton! Hopefully that means the whole serving wasn't too much more than 5-600, which is perfectly respectable. There were two wedges which had been started on (which is why they were getting on my nerves and I wanted them gone!) so no idea how much went in, but I reckon it wasn't much more than 150g, and DH ate more than half the portion as ever.

Bloody good news on the achilles too, you're well on your way! 20kg is a vast amount of weight though, what's the exercise?

Good luck to Hooplet, she may surprise you!

Yes, 20kg is a lot Quim - I am not looking forward to it! The principle behind fixing tendons is that you need to apply increasing levels of load to them to strengthen them, but in a controlled manner so you don't aggravate them. What I do is put the weight into a backpack, then stand on tiptoes, shift all my weight onto the bad side (so standing on tiptoes on one leg only), and slowly lower back down on that single leg, back down the the floor. 3 sets of 15 reps at the weight I'm using now, every other day.

If I only wanted to walk or do low impact exercise, I would be fixed already (and I have been for over 6 months), but because I want to run, I need to add much higher amount of weight, to strengthen the tendon ready for the force it will have to deal with when I start running on it, every time my foot hits the ground. My physio reckons 20kg will do it - but they the time I am at that sort of weight, it'll only be 8 reps, not 15.

Losing weight will really help all this - my achilles won't be having to cope with quite for much force as I lumber around parkrun of a Saturday! And obviously running would also help with the weight loss, so it would be a win all round if/when I sort it. I don't really want to get my hopes up too much though - I am close to 2 years since the injury first happened, so it's been going on a LONG time. Tendons are stubborn bastards!

Thanks @QuimReaper but considering I went back up to my post-Xmas weight there is nothing really to congratulate me over

fizzing that's exactly the same exercise my physio gave me. Did your Achilles rupture? Mine is just stiff and sore but I don't think the calf raises have helped. They really hurt too [wimp]

I'm going back next week because I've now got a lump on my ankle and I've diagnosed myself with bursitis rather than tendonitis. I've finally admitted I need to stop running on it until it's better. What do you do instead? I think I'm going to go cycling and spinning.

No, Bishop - no rupture, just a lot of pain and stiffness, plus a visible thickening/lumpiness of the tendon compared to the 'good' one and a cracking limp - though I'm walking normally again now and have been for a while. I've had to build up to the exercises I'm doing now, starting just by standing on tiptoes for 30 seconds up, 30 seconds down for 5 mins, first on both feet, then just the bad one. Then simple raise-and-lower on both feet, then just the bad one. Then lower only on the bad one but with weight. I do all my exercises on a bent leg, because that strengthens the lower part of my calf, which was described by my physio as being 'weirdly underdeveloped'.

I have to go very slowly with it, because my tendon is so easily irritated and I don't get any warning signs I've over done it while I'm exercising, only the next day - by which time it is waaaay too late and I've set myself back weeks again. I've lost count of the number of times this has happened.

I definitely wouldn't be running on an ankle with either burstitis or achilles tendinitis - you'll only make it worse. Definitely go back to your physio and ask. Maybe you need to do some lower load exercises first if what you're doing is either not helping or aggravating the injury.

9st9
I keep dropping off and losing track of the thread sorry all!
But the numbers are going down so that's only a good thing!

I gained a pound overnight fro a bit of a heavy dinner and then had a chocolate croissant this morning! Dust for lunch and dinner!

I BOUGHT THE BLUE DRESS! It was 20% off today so I splurged!

I hope it's good, it's only got one review which says it isn't the expected quality. If it looks as good as I hope it will I don't care

I'm hoping it'll arrive over the weekend so I can try it on on Monday at my fattest!

Hello lovely ladies (and TV. Where is he btw?)

I have had the most stressful time. DD1 was urgently referred to hospital (24 hour referral) for a potentially very frightening indeed problem. Sleepless night, lots of crying and way too much crap food. Thankfully the hospital doctor was not concerned and all is well, though she will still need an MRI scan and follow up hospital appointment in a few weeks. I have never been so scared in my life.

So goodness knows what that has done to the scales.

Oh Jesus BOOP! That sounds terrifying, what a bloody relief it's nothing! Hideous for you, and for her I imagine. Crap food is a must at times like this - I think people underestimate how much energy stress takes up.

Good point, where are you @TVHubbyClaire?

It was terrifying. I am absolutely knackered.