I want a different me! Do you?

[DoctorDolittle]

Accountability thread. I piled on a huge amount of weight at start of menopause, was ravenous all the time, and am really struggling to lose it. I thought an accountability thread that also focused on increasing self-care and self-worth would be good.

So - food wise I think I’ll try “no snacks”, that gives some wiggle room with meals to be what I most fancy/will fit in with kids the most.

Self-care: I bought a whole new skincare regime a month ago, just start using it woman!!! Am pampering my decades-long neglected feet each night and have booked in to salon for eyelash tint and curl as now suddenly need to wear glasses and want to feel better about eye area behind them.

Fluids!!!

Any company would be welcome 😊

I love moussaka. Especially reheated. My mother used to cook it a lot. I don't think our family version was very "Greek" though 😎

@EasternEcho don't despair, sometimes there is a bit of a lag, it can be to do with water retention,which ironically is improved by ....wait for it....more water. I wouldnt cut down too much on all good carbs as it increases sugar cravings in my humble experience.

I'm incapable of anything orderly like tick boxes - it just makes me nervous. Habits are my only friend 🙂

@DoctorDolittle what a grown up daughter, and how dependable. Mine is 22 and is still needing feedback and tlc, but maybe that is a function of being based AWAY from home.

@Nettleskeins DD is lovely, we’ve very different personalities but there’s always respect from both of us and it works really well. She’s excited about moving in to her own house though, I must cramp her style 😆.

I got told for the first time today that I look like I’ve lost weight, and also that my figure isn’t looking matronly anymore now I’ve my new bra haha.

Food today: a croissant
80g of tofu slices fried with garlic, a sliced tomato, handful of spinach, black mustard seeds, garam masala, a dessert spoonful of rice (white sadly)
Two medium potatoes boiled, fried pork loin two medallions, button mushrooms, plain broccoli
Small ramekin of apple crumble made with granny smiths oats and ground almonds, butter and brown sugar. No cream or ice-cream though.
2 cups of tea with milk, and a very small glass of sherry (tiny)
Not worth it as it made me woozy immediately 😂

Food sounds tasty @Nettleskeins, shame about the wooziness though. I haven’t had any alcohol for years as it makes me so sleepy so quickly.

Today I’ve a three hour drive to pick something up but will take a thermos as might manage a canal walk once I’m there. I’m not doing enough exercise but need more hours in the day to fit it in!

Evening all, everyone sounds so busy, sometimes I think, I thought my life would be quieter as I got older but the reality is it's even busier.
Everyones food sounds so lovely, seem to be stuck on same food here a lot, with my son having autism, it's very difficult to change the menu, I am eating healthier though but still the water is lower than it should be.
The next few days are chaotic here but I'll try check in every evening, hope you're all doing ok,

When ds was younger he always ate the same food. And For some reason he couldn't bear potatoes except as chips! And detested tomato or tomatoey sauce. Only ketchup. But it did change. But He definitely has his favourite foods still. He loves mushroom sauce and dill. I had to stop him adding dill to everything, once he took a fancy to it.

Moussaka in the oven as there was an aubergine in the veg box.

Another snack free day but I did have breakfast today. 2 medium walks.

Food: slice of sourdough with peanut butter and apple, sliced
Heaped Tablespoon of cooked Butternut squash and 1 beetroot from fridge plus 80g of goats cheese (cold)...rushing
Moussaka one side plate portion: potato, cheese sauce beef mince fried aubergine. Half a cucumber sliced .

Things are calmer in my near 60s (58yrs). It does feel more things are optional. I watched Bridgerton this afternoon. Better script than the first series but still a bit ridiculous.

@Misshollys definitely try with the water if you’re going to be busy, especially if it’s going to be hot outside there. I bought myself a water bottle today, and a fridge-door filter jug, and I’ve lots of ice in…no excuses!

I had a lovely vegetable chilli with 1/2 jacket potato and salad today, and some dried apple slices as I really wanted something to chew lol. Had a wasted 40 mile round trip for cancelled gymnastics class after school which was very annoying after driving for a large part of the day, but hey ho.

Tomorrow I’m going in to a beauty salon for the first time ever! I’m having a pedicure and toenails painted, an eyelash lift and eyelash tint…I’ve discovered I’m a bit self-conscious about my face with suddenly needing glasses all the time, thought this might help.

Bravo @DrDolittle.
I've still not booked a hairdresser. Maybe a beauty salon when I'm braver. My sister is always appearing with her eyebrows "done"...and I feel like it's not my scene but it's really just "hiding". Makeup now makes me itch too. Even Clinique.
Party this Saturday - someone's 60th...we were all young together so I will have to try my hardest to look my best.🙃

@Nettleskeins ooh a party! What are you going to wear?? (Am not living vicariously through you at all 😆)
I’ve never fiddled with my eyebrows as I actually really like their natural shape, also my mother had hardly any left when I was a child after plucking them so much and I found the pencilling them in after plucking them out so illogical!

I ordered myself some wide leg denim dungarees to wear with my Birkenstocks…my mother would turn in her grave bless her…she never once wore a pair of trousers in her life.

My mother used to wear trousers to ride and climb mountains. But never to look smart. She then took to wearing long flowing (impractical) skirts from her fifties; I am hoping to get back to trouser size (when I'm size 14 again) and ditch the long flowing skirts! My daughter lives in wide leg denim dungarees - they are very fashionable😀

Party clothes. Not a clue. I have a blue velvet dress with the tag still on but I would have to suck my stomach in all evening. I also have a tried and tested teal lace maxi dress but I'm bored of it. I'll find something!!

They both sounds nice, I love interesting textures like velvet and lace. You could buy a new panty girdle for the velvet maybe.

I’ve done a crazy (for me anyway) thing this evening and bought myself a Phillip’s Lumea!!! Try and Buy over 12 months, which I didn’t realise they did. Wanted one for years. I have such thick leg/underarm hair (and chin hair) that I don’t really believe it will work but I’d so love it to! It’s a 4 hour car journey to nearest salon that does laser removal, I’m never going to be able to do that. Really excited, going to look for online tips.

Hi all, scale this morning showed a little bit of a "whoosh" with a 2.2 lb loss. Whether it be merely water loss or not, I'll take it! I'm down 3lbs since the 5th of May as per MyFitnessPal log. Yesterday's meals were Danish style fishcakes (which tend to be lower in carbs than conventional fish cakes) with salad, barbecued chicken legs with cauliflower rice, handful of peanuts and protein pudding.

@Nettleskeins I completely agree about very low carb and cravings. I tend to eat a lot more calories with low carb initially trying to compensate for the cravings, but in the long run low carb seems to work. At least in did in the past. In my 50s and with perimenopause, I seem to have gotten a new body that listens to nothing, so I'll have to wait and see :)

@DoctorDolittle The lash treatment sounds great!

@Misshollys I agree with the thinking that I'd be less busier when I got older. Didn't forsee having a 7 year old at age 52! I also have a 21 year old, and the difference in the level of energy I had with the first and now is remarkable.

@Verlag How's it going with the skincare routine?

Have a lovely day everyone.

@EasternEcho that’s a great loss, well done! I’m off to Google danish fishcakes…

Good morning all!

Just been on the schools and after my eff it Week last week and back to being really good this week I've lost 4lbs! Now I'm definitely looking forward to my Friday morning Costa that I grab on my way to work as I was up several time with DS being sick 😫

Today brings nice food for me after weigh day! Hope you all have a lovely Friday 😊

I still haven't started it @EasternEcho ! My tick sheet list thing from Amazon arrives today (yes, I know I could've made my own...) so hopefully that will be the start of it. My food prep has gone downhill too. Re-set didn't go as planned on Wed. How is your skincare routine going - what are you doing/planning on doing?

Well done @EasternEcho and @Chocolateeggsarebetterthannormalchocolate on those whooshes!

@Chocolateeggsarebetterthannormalchocolate fantastic loss! Sorry about your DS, hope it clears quickly. Enjoy the Costa 😊

@Verlag are you maybe a bit tired? My plans/planning never goes as well when I am. What are you doing today food wise? Hope something nice.

This morning I don’t have a waking-up headache! Drank water yesterday evening. Probably correlated haha.

@Verlag I don't really have a new routine. I'm planning to be consistent with the routine I already have. In the morning I use Hada Labo toner after cleansing, followed by Garnier vitamin C cream and La roche posay SPF 50. At night, again cleanser with micellar water, toner, tretinoin from Dermatica, and a layer of Nivea from the blue tin. I am awful at sticking to skin routines, so I try to keep it as simple as possible. I use Garnier body superfood as an all over moisturizer after showering. I'm looking into the Nivea Luminous range for dark spots, and might try it soon.

Hope you get on well with the Lumea @DoctorDolittle ! I've got a boots ipulse - haven't used it in a long time, no idea how old it is now! I used it on underarms, upper lip and lower legs (more so on underarms) and it has definitely made a big difference. Hard to be consistent with big areas as it is quite time consuming. Just pulled it out from the bottom of the wardrobe...wonder if it still works...

Yes, I think I am still tired. I had a half day at work yesterday - felt fine until I had lunch then ended up having a long nap, which made me feel quite rubbish (maybe hayfever too) - still slept well last night.

My 'daily habit tracker' has arrived. I've got the productive app on my phone, which is also good (when I use it) but there is nothing like seeing everything at a glance for the month all on one page. Well I hope anyway.

My new moisturiser arrived too - so today is the day to start a routine again. I'm going to have a think about what that was now @EasternEcho - has similarities with yours though.

AM Liz Earle hot cloth cleaner (or Liz earle gentle face exfoliator if in shower), Elemis toner, super facialist vitamin C serum, typology eye serum, decleor neroli rich day cream, Garnier ambre solaire SPF 50 (La roche posay SPF 50 when that runs out).

PM as am but swap the vitamin C serum for super facialist retinol+ anti ageing and no SPF 50

Masks etc. use them ad hoc (well don't at all at the moment)

At the moment it is occasionally use the exfoliator in the shower and occasionally put a bit of moisturiser on in the morning.

Now to think which habits I would like to start/be more consistent with and stop!

@Verlag if it’s hayfever, I strongly recommend nettle tea - will get rid of all symptoms completely for half an hour. Doesn’t sound like long, but the respite is brilliant.

I have pretty toes! I have never worn nail polish 😳. Realised that actually my feet are no worse than everyone else’s and why on earth have I hidden myself away so much of my life. Well, I know why, victim of childhood abuse it has long-reaching consequences on so much of your psyche but I really would like to feel prettier in myself. I’m going to go and browse toe rings.

yay for the pretty toes @DoctorDolittle ! Sorry to hear about your childhood abuse. I think a lot of my self neglect stems from that too (although... complicated - it was certainly far from ideal).

I'll try the nettle tea, thank you! I think I am a very mild hay-fever sufferer, and I think late onset - unless I never noticed before? DH looked rough yesterday with it.

I've got 17 things on my daily habit tracker so far (some things are super simple - take seconds, others will take more effort) - space for another two. Start recording tomorrow.

@verlag you’ll be a completely new person with all the new habits 😊.

Today I’ve got a haircut for DD6, a trip to the dump, and, I hope, lots of gardening. I fancy scrambled eggs with chives, maybe with a slice of sourdough. Dinner is sea trout DD19 caught yesterday, with wild garlic and a salad with lime balsamic vinegar dressing.

I hope so @DoctorDolittle ! Your day and food sounds lovely - even the dump, I always feel better after a visit there.

My main plan today is to try and tick off all of these habits (two of which are around food organisation) and get some extra cleaning done (at a pace that doesn't flare up my foot). I've decided to go back to daily WI for a bit (it is one of the habits) - to focus my mind on the fact I want and need to lose weight.

Hi all, I've missed loads 🫣 been a busy time here but I was down 2lbs which I'm delighted about & I really have been trying to drink more water. I keep thinking of you ladies, you're all on a roll at the moment.
We're away up North next weekend so I'm getting my hair done Tuesday and then eyes, an eyebrow shape and tint, they're very unruly at the moment. I'll hopefully be walking a lot & will have to make good food choices but I'm looking forward to it.
I got up this morning and went for a lovely walk, it was a bit dull but dry so took the opportunity. Then I came home and baked, Lemon Madeira, Chocolate Fudge cake, & made Chocolate Biscuit cake & Mint Aero Tray bake, we've family/friend birthdays early next week so lots of goodies required.
Hope everyone is doing ok & having a lovely weekend.

Party this eve...I had a piece of bread and cream cheese to line my stomach. Did a lot of walking back and forth today.
Breakfast was flatbread and strawberry jam (no butter)
Lunch was tomato mozerrlella avocado a small spinach samosa and green salad.
Milk and tea, milk and coffee in the day.

Just noticed invite mentions floral dress! Oh no. Will have to find some alternative way to introduce flowers to my apparel. Husband refuses to dress up. At least have organised a present: "You Are Here" by D Nicholls.