Well now - diet update

I've had a lesson today.  I popped along to my WW class this evening, fully expecting to have put weight on.  Not a very good expectation, but not really a very good week.  I lost half a pound. Yep, a measly ½ not a good amount, and thankfully, off but ....... still, I am now 17 st 2½ lbs - a whole 8 ½ off altogether.


This is good, it is good, but as my school reports used to say 'Could do better!'  I was fairly okay this week, with doing the plan, but there is a difference between 'doing it' and actually 'sticking' to the plan, if you know what I mean.  This week I did plan a week's menu, shopped for it, and pinned it to the board, so that I and Mr T would know just what we were meant to be eating, what the POINTS value was, and what page to find the recipe.  Except, I had not planned in for the Indian takeaway meal after class on Thursday; chocolate M & M's at the cinema on Friday; the odd chocolate bar; the missed breakfasts; and the big meeting we had at the SWRI on Wednesday evening, where I downed not only a lovely meringue with cream, but several sandwiches, Victoria sponge cake, chocolate rice krispies I had made (you can guess the level of sophistication in this house!) and plenty of lovely quiche.

Now, looking back at that list, I cannot believe I lost any weight at all, oh shite.  But, this week I will be starting with a walk with friends in the morning, Mr T has been complaining about the lack of housework carried out in this homestead, so I shall tackle some of that, ahem, and I will be sticking to the plan and writing everything down.


That will be a good start.

Well, it's been a busy ....

... time, this last month!

We had a lovely trip down South, and our new grandson is very beautiful, of course; we also met up with some friends in Peterborough, then towed ourselves and the caravan over to Wales, to Cardiff, for my uncle's 60th birthday party.

  We visited Barry Island (of 'Gavin and Stacey' fame)

 and had coffee by the sea and in the sunshine, and then had a bike ride in the castle grounds in Cardiff.  Bliss.  All the washing is now done (tho' not the ironing) and we're back to work with a bang. Ah well.

He's Here!

Yes, our new grandson has decided to make an early appearance!  Brandon Martin weighed in at 6 lbs 5 oz yesterday at five to midday.  His mother gave birth with just the gas and air, and very tight squeezes of dad's hand, together with those dirty looks that say 'I hate you!' and 'You're never coming near me again!'

Both mum and baby are doing very well and will go home from hospital today, and they'll travel in the car dad has just bought, after selling his motorbike.  And, I have talked him into allowing the baby to be wearing a nightie at night - they won't remember the middle of the night feeds, when you are barely awake enough to know which popper goes where, on those babygro thingies.

We have seen a picture of his bruised face, as he was born face-first but, unfortunately, won't be able to hold him and cuddle him until next Thursday week, as I have everything organised with work so that we were due to be there a couple of days before his due date.  Ah well, at least everything has gone so well, that we are not needed until then.  Dad, our son, has been feeding and changing him already, and as he already has a big sister, they are in good hands.

Congratulations to them, with all our love to a very special family.

Diet Update - probably boring you by now

But, it's not boring to me!  I lost another 1 lb this week!  Phew.  We've been out to eat twice this week, and I'm afraid I took no notice of what I was supposed to order, just had what I had and thoroughly enjoyed it.  However, I was then very careful about what else I was eating, so as to limit the damage.  So, this week I am a very lucky, 17 st 4 ½ lbs.

In other news, I have been sewing, but I have no pictures as yet - all will be revealed soon, I promise, with a surprise present I had!  Patience now, y'hear?

And, more news is that Mr T and I are due to visit the Americas before the end of the year!  Yep, we are doing the tourist-y bit of Route 66, but in a car.  No, not boring just sensible at our age.  We will be celebrating our 35th Wedding anniversary in the summer, but can't get away until later in the year.  We shall also be going with our great pals, N and G.  G is my uncle but so young that he won't readily admit it, cheeky monkey.  But, we went to Zambia and Mombassa together five years ago, when we were all celebrating our Pearl (30th) anniversaries.  Oh, and I found out recently that 35 years of wedded bliss is celebrated with Coral.  Hmm, me thinks we need to scuba dive for that one!

Our new and good friends, L and T, are possibly going there as well, and at a similar time.  We met them on our last holiday to Egypt last October.  They came by to see us this week, and I just realised I already posted about this, sorry, but it was great to see them.

Right, you might be able to tell that I am sitting in my kitchen, v.v. late, posting this, so it's time I was off to get my, much needed, beauty sleep.

NB. Picture courtesy of The Nature Conservancy; Coral reef in American Samoa

Photo © Keoki Stender, Fishpics Hawaii

Headache & Warning of Colourful Language

Ooh, I do have a headache today.  No, not because I've been out on the razz, though we did go out again last night, but I am very boring and don't drink.  Not becuase I don't like it - I do, I do!  but it seems to hate me and, if I do have a drink, it acts like a poison on my body and takes a week to get over it. Bah, I do dislike this getting old malarky.

No, we went out with some friends we met while on our hols in Egypt last October.  They came to stay for the night as they were on their way to Glasgow.  It was really lovely to see them again, and it seemed like we'd only seen them last week instead of four months ago!

Anyway, when we'd gone over all our holiday pics, we toddled off to our beds and we have a telly in our room.  So, I switched on the latest episode of 'Shameless' ** that we'd recorded.  Oh heck I am really enjoying this current series!  I don't know where they get their ideas from, but they are so shocking!  However, once we'd watched that, I turned over to some +1 channel and saw next week's as well!  I don't even know what time I finally turned off the light and went to sleep, but I sure was tired when I 'came to' this morning.  Then, needing to feed our guests their breakfasts, I left it up to Mr T to make the porridge, while I sat at the table chopping up strawberries and putting them and some blueberries in bowls, and making the tea.

One a diet note - I made a mistake when I went up to the loo this afternoon (no, don't worry, not anything remotely 'Shameless'-like) but, I pulled down my jeans without undoing them!  Woo, hoo the inches must be coming off, eh?

** Please note the 'Shameless'  series is very explicit, with loads of swearing, violence and adult content - phew, thank goodness!

Valentine and Pressure

Hello and Happy Valentine's Day to You!

It is also our daughter's birthday, so me and nanny's best girl made her a cake yesterday, and this is it!  Isn't it wonderful?

I've just worked out that a single slice (of chocolate mud cake, with butter icing) will be a less than generous, at least, 6 points of my ww diet!  Oh well.  Then Mr T and I are out for our, romantic, Valentine's dinner this evening, ahh.

Speaking of 'aah' add a 'yum!' to that and you get what we had for our dinner one evening this week - a neck of lamb stew - a meal from my childhood, with carrots, onions, potatoes and pearl barley, mmm.  We cooked it in my new passion - a pressure cooker!  This stew took 45 Minutes instead oft he 4 Hours it would have done in the oven, and was absolutely delicious.  We have been using it to cook soups as well, so far. 

We originally bought the pressure cooker to use in the caravan, when we go South next month, to visit with our new grandson, due on 7 March and, hopefully on a mini tour of the England-shire - Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Cardiff in Wales, for my uncle's surprise 60th birthday party.

Now, I have to wrap up said daughter's birthday pressies - a sewing machine (bought from a pal for a very reasonable price) with Cath Kidston's 'Sew!', which I hope she will love!

Ciao for now.

Another one (and ½) bites the dust!

Diet Diary - week 2

Yay! Another 1½ lbs off, so I now weight 17 st 7½ lbs.  Now, while I would have liked so have lost 6 or 7lbs each of the two weeks I have been doing this, I do feel slimmer and lighter already, and the 'bloatedness' has gone right down.  Surprisingly, I have only lost inches off my hips, not anywhere else.  This has happened before when I have cut right down on the fat I have been consuming. And, my bum looks slimmer!

My aim for this week is two-fold - drink more fluids, and walk more.  I walked this morning for 20 minutes, and earned another point for this!  Apparently, it is not good to not use up the extra 'Activity' points, so I can have 25 instead of the 24, today.  And, as Mr T says, if you walk more you lose weight, and if you're lighter, it makes losing weight easier.

On another note - we have our daughter's birthday on Sunday, yes on, Valentines Day.  So, we have nanny's best girl coming over to make and decorate a cake for her.  Daughter says she wants a weightwatchers cake, but we'll see.  Then, Mr T and I are going out for our dinner.  I have yet to make daughter's birthday and Mr T's cards, so I'd better get on. bye for now xx