December Focus

[LadyGwendoline]

Still have 65-70lb to lose and really want to stay strong through December as my control feels fragile and simply must get healthier. Accountability is good. No negative comments about how I’m doing it, we all have our own ways.

1st December
Breakfast: homemade lemon and ginger tea
Lunch: soup (Hearty vegetable & pulses) ryvita
Dinner: Scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, Seeded sourdough

Sorry to hear you are so unwell, hopefully it will be a short lived bug. There is so much going around at the moment. I will probably be fine until we break for Christmas and then come down with something!

Sleep well

Well I slept for a solid six hours, practically unheard of for me. Can feel headache lurking and am very tired but do actually feel a little better overall. And hungry! The kids have been making spiced banana on seedy toast for their breakfasts this week, think I’ll join them and have some with a cup of tea.

Other than that, nothing planned for today so think I’ll walk dog and gently potter down to the harbour, check on my boat and have a natter with any other yachties who are out.

Hope you have a good weekend @85isalive

Apart from the bug, your weekend plans sound lovely. A couple of gentle days might get you over the worst of being unwell.

I don't have any plans for the weekend which is joyous in itself!

DHs dad is with us for a few days, it's lovely to see him.

I need to make a list of things I have yet to buy, and actually go to do that. I have a small shopping centre and retail park 5 mins away on foot and I can probably get most of it there. If I need to go to bigger shops, I will wait until Monday or Tuesday when it's not as busy.

Food wise- I could feel myself slipping the last few days. Too much distraction and some nice snacks landed in the house. So I had a word with myself, I don't want to gain before Christmas, but I will if I don't keep myself in check.

I made a very lazy stir fry of frozen veg, rice and a jar of sauce but it has given me 3 large portions of dinner, so I am sorted until Monday.

@85isalive your weekend sounds lovely too! Neither DP or I have living parents, I like hearing of others spending time with theirs.
My nearest shops are a 20 mile drive, blissful in many ways but not at this time of year lol
Can you do a few more batches of veg based meals for freezer for over this period? I have loads of white chocolate kvarg in, feels like such a treat snack but is high protein and low
calorie. Freeze some grapes maybe, they are always a good snack.

It is hard at this time of year. But very worth it, not piling on pounds physically or emotionally.

Just checked, seven pounds down since the first - that’s an awful lot seeing as it wasn’t the start of my journey, whatever bug I had really knocked me for six.

I ate better yesterday, feel brighter, still more little things like a yoghurt or an apple, but overall definitely appreciably more. I’ll try and have two proper meals today however small they turn out to be. Thinking porridge with berries and natural yoghurt, and chicken and ratatouille. Then yoghurts/fruit too.

A good day, feeling much brighter by the end. Some grapes twice, an apple, some roasted beetroot and scrambled eggs with ryvita. Plenty of water. Spent the evening making paper-chains with the children, was nicely relaxing.

Morning @LadyGwendoline !

Sorry for not posting for a couple of days. FIL is still here and we have been busy. He is a lovely man, and I love having him here. He is heading to SIL tomorrow for Christmas.

My food has been hit and miss and I am due my period so I am feeling the bloat today. I am off to meet my friend for dinner so today will be another indulgent day. The rest of the week should be easier to manage.

Your evening making paper chains sounds lovely. We don't have kids but I love seeing what my sister and friends little ones are up to this week. The excitement for Santa is huge!

Hope you are feeling better today too.

I have to battle the queue in the post office later. Definitely the best place to pick up a cold! Will have a medicinal gin when I meet my friend 😂

@85isalive medicinal gin! 😆

I ended up getting water retention tablets as forties saw the bloating near my period get so bad.
I was in the post office queue yesterday and the coughing was awful…first time I’ve missed masks tbh.

Today is good weather so I’m going to split some logs for the stove, then go to a school church service.

Just realised I am below 200lbs today!!!!

Some grapes, a kvarg yoghurt and a good sized bowl of neeps/cauli/broccoli/carrots with gravy. Might have an options hot chocolate later.

Well I ended up having a few medicinal wines, which destroyed my sleep last night, but I had a great time with my friend. Have already had 2 bowls of porridge this morning, I will have the munchies all day while the wine works out of my system!

Congrats on getting below 200! That was a big milestone for me

@85isalive thank you! Munchies of porridge sounds very comforting, I’m glad you had such a good time. 😊

Have eaten well today: a protein yoghurt, two fibre one bars, and a salt and chili chicken wrap.

Today has been incredibly busy; realised at 9pm all I’d had all day was one cup of tea and one cup of coffee. Have had a protein yoghurt and two pints of squash but seriously too wound up, and also too tired, for anything else.

Tomorrow, I take the children to town to chose their presents for each other and me, a favourite cafe is nearby so I plan to have porridge for breakfast then lunch of feta & black olive salad when out. Maybe a jacket potato for dinner.

That sounds like a lovely plan with the children for today, and your food plan sounds tasty too!

I have definitely over indulged for the last few days and that will probably continue, but I am trying to eat lighter meals to allow for extra snacks. We will see how that works!

I finish work today. I have 2 weeks off which I am really looking forward to.
Tomorrow we will call over to my sister's. We have gifts for her kids and the adults get a take away.

Christmas will be a quiet couple of days, me, DH and the two dogs. Then I am travelling to my family for a few days.

So it will be busy, with a lot of socialising, but I am so looking forward to it.

I’m smiling for you @85isalive just reading of your plans, they sound so lovely.
Having lighter meals can work well to balance treats…though I remember years ago one weekend where I ate nothing but 30 bags of crisps and had lost weight after - I don’t actually recommend that healthwise!

I picked up my DP’s present last night, we have a friend who is an artist and I commissioned him to paint “our spot”, by the sea, where we relax with our thermos and feel most at peace. I hope DP likes it! (I know DP likes friends’ work but still).

Another day of unintentional fasting, just one black coffee. DP made me eat a protein yoghurt this evening but I hadn’t stopped all day and actually felt far too tired to eat. I managed 3/4 of it.

Tomorrow is my day off: I have a food shop to do and only supermarket is twenty miles away, the horses (and donkey) to deal with and also ride, two dog walks, kitchen to gut, the fire needs a good clean out, at least three full loads of washing and drying to do, hoover everywhere, I need to iron the outfits for Christmas Eve Church Service, bath the two youngest, make sure other three actually do have showers and somewhere in there also include feeding everyone and cuddling everyone who needs cuddles. I feel so run down!

Not bad with food yesterday - 2 x protein yoghurts, a fibre one bar and a jacket potato with bean chilli and green salad. Today I’ve had a yoghurt and fibre one bar for breakfast, will walk dog in a bit too. Tonight we always have a cheese board - but I’m adapting mine to Philadelphia on ryvita with pickled onions and grapes.
Plan for tomorrow is maybe a breakfast of porridge with raisins then a dinner of mashed turnip, a potato croquette, Quorn roast, carrots, sweetcorn, gravy - leaving all the side extras out.

Interesting fact learnt today - 4 Danish Butter Cookies have 20% of your daily recommendation of iron.

I hope you are having a happy and peaceful Christmas @LadyGwendoline your days sound busy but full of love and bustle. We are having a lovely quiet day. DH is away for a nap, dogs and I are lounging on the sofas. Content and grateful to be in our wee pack of 4 for a few days.

@85isalive Happy Christmas, that sounds such a lovely peaceful day. I’m having an okay day, the kids are happy which is what matters but I ended getting down that I see so little of DP, even at this time of year. He can only cope with people in small doses, has awful ptsd, so even though he lives a minute away he just nips in and out, which can be tough. He came earlier, bought me coal in to feel useful, walked my dog again to feel useful (and be useful, I do appreciate the kindness) stayed for half an hour but then left. Doubt I’ll see him again today as I said all I actually want is more time with him - true but I either accept him as he is or not. Ach well, I’ve got a new book from favourite author to read.

Small slice of turkey, 3 spoonfuls of vegetables, 150 calories of Christmas biscuits. Some apple juice.
Quietly pleased I didn’t binge, but just not interested. Too tired.

Think I’ll start making fruit/vegetable/oat/kefir smoothies. Today I’ve had a warbuton seedy protein bagel, smear of Philadelphia, tomatoes, cucumber, and three Christmas cookies. And some innocent smoothie that was green and quite refreshing.

Belated Happy new year @LadyGwendoline I hope 2024 is a good year for you and yours.

Thanks for helping me get through December!

I am back tracking my food today after 2 weeks of over indulging. I have gained 5 or 6 lbs but I know that is temporary.