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 😊

My luxury purchase last week has been some new seasalt cotton dresses that are comfortable and fit me even when I'm overweight! I want to stop that catch 22 frumpy comfort eating. There are so many things to enjoy besides food, although delicious food is of course important🙂

Just been up thread and seen the horses! Wow, they are beautiful and the scenery too.
My gravy was just onions and apples added later to the pan with the fried chops, and some sage

Yes" food noise" is dying down somewhat here although it's difficult because DH is still quite into delicious meals and the production thereof at regular intervals. Luckily he does most of the cooking for himself so I can bow out if it's the wrong type of meal.

Raspberries and some homemade carrot and almond cake for breakfast...my digestion seems to have slowed to a halt with so little sugar. Maybe porridge with honey tomorrow.

@Nettleskeins what book are you reading in book club at the minute? (I have ALWAYS wanted to be in one!) It sounds like you have good food control at minute.
I often make onion gravy, am definitely going to have a try tweaking.

Today I have not been hungry at all, just tired. No breakfast, tried for a jacket potato with tuna and salad for lunch but only managed half. Have a lot to do for rest of day but think I’ll grab a protein yoghurt and some berries later.

This month it was a John Boyne set in Dublin but NOT most famous of his books. Won't give title as might be outing. I recommend most of John Boyne anyway.

Mumsnet has online bookclubs I think!

Curried Parsnip soup from freezer and a large slice of brown bread for lunch (no butter). Not so tired today. Approached project in bathroom (cork tiles on floor) with optimism (started with priming smelly old floor and have done half) instead of feeling overwhelmed and giving up or thinking why even start it's impossible 🙂

There is hope for my overwhelmingly shabby bathroom!!

Another decorating round the house to try keep busy, today had carpet laid on stairs & landing, I got a good work out cleaning up when they'd finished.

Another joy of working in a bakery is that **tomorrow my alarm is 3.15am, Fridays are the worst. I don't get home then till 4.30pm due to running around after my son and then have to be careful, I tend to pick at snacks whilst cooking dinner. Tonight is chicken breasts with lots of veggies & some mash, just need go easy on the butter!

@Nettleskeins itl’ll be lovely when finished. And now I’m wanting parsnip soup…

@Misshollys the early starts cannot be easy on you food wise or tired/stress levels wise, so make sure you’re proud of every little achievement.

Yes, tiredness makes me want to eat. I'm not good with limited sleep. I hope Saturday you get a day of partial rest @Misshollys

Tonight we had vegetable risotto but no snacks all afternoon so I hope the rice didn't cancel all my efforts this week.

Note to self, need more protein ingredients for family meals as pasta and rice dishes not good for resetting carb intake!!!

Apart from stairs did very little walking today. Someone else took dog for a walk. But did some aerobic hoovering!

@Nettleskeins housework can definitely help with fitness, I also find I’m up and down the stairs a lot which must help. Quinoa risotto is a nice alternative that’s lower carb/higher protein.

I slept really well last night, very unusual but I’m not complaining! Today is majorly important meeting in the morning then whatever the outcome I’m going swimming and having a sauna in the afternoon to destress. Youth Club tonight, ugh.
Food plans for the day: protein yoghurt, baked oats with rhubarb, vegetable stir fry. Will nip and pick some gorse petals and dandelions to add to the stir fry.

I eat dandelion leaves and red clover flowers (last year) but my bete noire is snacking and not eating proper meals, even from the wild garden so will try and eat my foraged food at "mealtimes"!

I weighed myself as it's Friday and Ive lost more than a kilo from last week. So from 93.5kg down to 91.75kg. I'm pleased. But It definitely easy pickings at this stage as I must have put that weight on in the last six months. It is frustrating when you think the actions of only six months need arduous unpicking, whereas six months ago I was overweight but 4kg less...that was the time I should have tackled the snacking/overeating.

Well I suppose it's like exam revision...you realise what you should have revised...too late, however it is never too late to scrape a better grade by last minute revision. Except you learn not to procrastinate, the next time....

This morning was a delicious breakfast of porridge made with water, cold milk added after, with raspberries and blueberries (small amount) and pistachio kernels (a sprinkle) and black coffee. No honey although I WAS psychologically tempted; my sweet tooth seems to have adjusted and it all tasted perfectly flavoursome without...🙂

Today I need to go on an errand (long walk involved)

Hope meeting goes well. I used to dread after school volunteering/drop offs, now I've passed that stage - its an incredible relief, but some activities were great and in retrospect I miss the buzz.

@Nettleskeins that’s a good loss! I like to use foraged greens for pesto or smoothies usually, and my favourite way with dandelions is to batter the heads - a way of cooking them recommended by Alys Fowler years ago which is very moreish.

Today has been a full on day. I was very jittery with adrenaline after my meeting and definitely not in the mood to eat ever again lol but DP surprised me with a drive to our special spot by the sea and we had lunch as take away from our favourite café sat watching yachts. It was very peaceful and I managed a salt and chilli chicken wrap and an empire biscuit with a thermos of tea.

Tomorrow is gardening (digging for new trees woohoo) and relaxing. Think it’ll be porridge around lunchtime and chicken breast with asparagus later. I’ll try for a protein milkshake or yoghurt at some point too.

Lunch was avocado, beetroot, boiled egg vinegar oil and some sauteed leeks. A peeled orange, breaking my fruit rule
No snacks
Meatballs in tomato sauce, tiny bit of rice lots of green salad with oil and vinegar. Pomegranate seeds for pudding. Also breaking fruit rule but I'll see if it has bad effect by next week's weigh in. Maybe will weigh myself tomorrow too! Son consumed the custard pot so that is no longer a temptation.

2, no 3 walks. 2 with dog. Enjoying cold spring sunshine and city gardens/local park. Bluebells everywhere in the South East.

Tree planting is hardwork, but I love choosing them. I wish I had the land ! Only a small garden here in the city. Although I garden in a colder district sometimes too for a friend.

Met a lady today with her dog with a lovely hairdo so I asked for a hairdresser recommendation. Haven't been to hairdresser for four years, my daughter has cut it simply and that has done for now but it's a bit too penitential to continue like this!!

@FestivalFun @Herefishiefishie @Misshollys
Hope all is well.
First week of accountability has flown by but the first few days I felt very bored, as if i was just waiting for time to pass an "Are We There Yet?"
New habits are hard to absorb.

@ViciousCurrentBun hope you are also well

Accountability to oneself seems an easy task but isn’t always.

Your food sounds really tasty @Nettleskeins

I have two Kilmarnock Willows to go in, one for each garden. My two youngest daughters love the Willow Fary from Mary Cicely Barker’s Flower Fairies so they are very happy. The front garden already has a Rowan (gift from birds that brings joy every day), then I’ve planted three pear trees, two apples, a crab apple, a mountain ash, a cherry tree and a mulberry. Oh and two magnolias. The back has lots of large bushes but only one tree, a hornbeam.

I've been caught out before by root stocks. Our apple tree (a gift at ds1's Christening) turned out to be a very short rootstock for pot trees, and dh recently planted Stella cherry is enormously tall, having been told it was a small one!
Then a magnolia Fairy Blush is not going anywhere, fast, also getting very chlorotic and my other magnolia Soulangeana is stately and spreading to 4 or 5 m!!
The pear tree in the cold garden (I'm Ireland)developed fireblight and my crabapple blew over the wind was so strong, leaving only the suckers of the rootstock.

The sorbus, hornbeam and cercis in cold garden are very happy! I suspect also "big" willows would flourish but fear for the drains.
Wind is the biggest threat ..have to rely on nursemaid hedging to get them started in my cold windy garden. City is a tropical paradise in comparison, bottlebrushes, eucalptii, tamarisks, mimosas round here but not in my garden itself.

Interesting about your magnolias - I have an unnamed one that is struggling big time but a Fairy White is very happy. I’m the West Coast of Scotland, about quarter of a mile off the Atlantic - I hear you about wind! I planted hedging a couple of years ago which will in the end act as a windbreak but until then put up willow fencing as a buffer too, it’s made a huge difference to the whole garden…so much, my next door neighbour could feel the improvement in hers and immediately bought loads too.

I am low carbing it, already feel less bloated. I had a massive plate of chopped. veg and fruit for lunch with a chunk of cheese and then two grilled sausages, skinny ones mid afternoon.

Walked briskly for 45 mins and did lots of chores, they burn calories. I despise domestic chores in a way that’s a little bit crackers so viewing it as a mini workout was quite helpful.

Sorry all, I've been so busy I've not been able to check in. I spend most Saturdays with my mam, & it's an hr & a half journey up to her. My dad passed away very suddenly 2 years ago and she lives on her own so we try to get to her as much as possible but she's a feeder 😂 I tried to be good today, no pastries or scones though I did have a gorgeous chicken and broccoli bake, was delicious & worth the calories. I'll try get out for my 10k in the morning.
I love the garden talk, I'm in Co. Wexford in Ireland & am very lucky to live in beautiful countryside. The garden is my haven & I'm going to spend the next hr cleaning down my patio.
Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend 😀

@ViciousCurrentBun thats a good way of looking at horrible housework! And tasty sounding food.

@Misshollys I definitely miss my Mum’s cooking even though it’s sadly been decades since I had it. My adult children say I’m a feeder, I say definitely lol. Co. Wexford must be gorgeous at the minute, I visited as a child and loved it.

Food - I’ve had a jacket potato with bean chilli & salad, half a twirl and two rich tea biscuits. A bit sugary but PMT is starting I think. Will be more on top of that tomorrow.

Exercise - dog walk on beach and lots of up and down stairs helping a friend pack/move.

Worn a pair of jeans I haven’t managed to fit in to for a fair while. And a bra, the same.

Had a walk along canal yesterday but ate too many carbs, I aim to eat one small portion a day but had two yesterday. DH is unwell in bed so couldn’t resist some of the crusty bread that I made for him to go with his chicken soup, just that part baked stuff but it is really nice. Had small portion of rice and made stir fried duck with 7 types of veg in it as well. I’m having Greek yogurt for breakfast with bran flakes and then a banana late morning. I used to be able to eat anything I wanted till after I went through menopause.

@ViciousCurrentBun I know that feeling! The canal must have been nice; the nearest canal to me is a 45 min drive so I don’t go often but love them so much - when I was a child we owned a narrow boat and all boats make me happy.

I’m taking the dog for a walk up to the horses, may have a ride too as the weather doesn’t look good for next few days. Then this afternoon it’s swimming with kids. No idea about food yet.

All this walking is great for the mental health too, we'll all be so much better for healthy eating & exercise. It's lovely to get out, we've had a shocking run of bad weather here so the sun is very welcome, I've been warned though it's rain again tomorrow. I had a lovely 10k walk this morning, was really beautiful out.
The afternoon will be spent in the garden & mowing the lawn & tidying up. Dinner hasn't been decided yet here either, will definitely try to stay good though the offer of a takeaway was mentioned earlier, I don't want to undo my walk this morning, next weekend is bank holiday so that might be the time for a treat. 😊

Breakfast was granary toast slice with cream cheese (no butter), black coffee
Lunch was takeaway sushi from Itsu(avocado, seaweed, fish mayonnaise and of course sushi rice) as we went on a long walk in local park, though not as long as yours @Misshollys ! Then dog too muddy for cafe and outside was too cold to sit with dog so we bought some nice food home. Son at work in Tottenham Hotspur stadium and the other two out away at uni so no "feeding" of our children necessary, for once.(Husband is a great feeder, I'm more ruthless and keep asking them to do grocery shop instead!)

Ah, cleaning the patio. 😂 There is a bit of the pressure washer that has gone AWOL. That's my excuse at the moment. It's terribly rainy and cold! We've turned the heating on and the dog is wrapped up in an old dressing gown on the sofa...

Lost a bit more weight this morning ..I did an emergency check after yesterday's fish pie portion.

My plan for the rest of the day is more housework. Self care I think includes being a bit more houseproud. I've emptied and refilled a vase of rhododendrons and I'm going to sort out second son's emptish boxroom/the spare room as a treat to myself.