I’m a Pear ? the sequel part 3 - Wow!

Good morning lovely Pears?. So lovely to hear how everyone is getting on and how we all face similar struggles at some point. I can say hand on heart that here is the best " diet " I have ever been on! I know I can always come here and find like minded support and be totally honest!
My struggle with my weight seems to have been life long. I was a chubby child. Looking at photos from my teens to late 20s I was fine, in retrospect I was probably hankering after a totally unrealistic body shape! Before the birth of my eldest daughter in 1988 I was slim ,not skinny but slim! Unfortunately I ate for 2- maybe even 4 as I put on 3 stone! Since then it's been a bit of a yoyo!
In the late 90s I discovered the origional weight watchers and it worked very well for me and I was about 1.5 stone of goal. I'm not quite sure why I stopped,but I remember those days it seemed harder to get on track again after a holiday etc. By 2010 I think a shock point for me was realising I was a pound under 17stone,not good if 5ft 2! Since then I have lost over 3.5 stone ,although the process as I say has been very yoyo! In 2017 I was probably the lowest I had weighed in decades and within a stone and a half of my goal. Again I'm not quite sure what happened but now am 2 stone heavier than that!
I suspect the menopause has a reasonable amount to do with it. Previously if I stayed within whatever regime I was following 2lb loss was guaranteed. Now there is less wriggle room ,to lose a pound takes extreme dedication and a week off plan can set you back weeks?.
But I persevere! Mainly this is due to the memory of how liberating being lighter was. A few stone can make such a difference to not only self image but of course how energetic feel.
2017 feels like moments ago. That said my wardrobe is still full of the clothes I wore that summer. Summer,especially heatwaves are a time I hate most. It's fine when at home but when working that's another matter! For me trying to find an outfit that is both flattering AND cool enough that I don't end up an undignified sweaty heap is a nightmare!
Fortunately I'm only in the office Tuesday/Wednesday next week. Tuesday is forecast to be very hot but on that day I get a lift so no boiling bus and the office is air conditioned!
Another plus of the heat is I don't want to eat anything other than salad! Like Whiff I and others my weakness is icecream ,I have no off button. A recent find are ice creams targeted at childeren,in particular Rowntrees Ocean Adventures. They are 65 calories each and are like a mini solero, they even have a tiny squiggle of chocolate on! They come in a box of 4, but even if I ate the whole box the impact is not the same as a whole carton of Carte Dor in a day!
Oh Whiff,I so identify with the responsibility of grandchilderen,its so different!
I hope everyone stays on plan,and if not have the courage to keep on trying. I think it does take courage,especially when weight gain appears instantaneous after weeks of struggling to lose weight.
Like everything I also think it's a habit,and it takes persistence to form new habits.
I now do my Jo Wicks exercises twice a day. The only exception was Tuesday when it was so hot it didn't feel sensible.
Finally, I lost a pound this week! Slow but sure.
Have a peaceful week everyone.xx

I remember the original WW diets well Dorsetcupcake61 in fact I still have a couple of my old members books upstairs somewhere. It was more about meal ideas for breakfast lunch & tea & making sure you’d had your protein boxes, carbs & milk allowance rather than eating anything & counting points.
I do think WW & SW have got a bit over complicated as times gone by, WW particularly, there are about three or four different plans now! The apps and scanners are good though.
I might fish one of the books out and give it a try again for a week or two to see what happens.

We’ll done on losing 1lb

Like all of us it has been a really humid hot week and apart from my salad which I like (but hubby less keen) it's been a 'bitty' week foodwise.
Met up with friends two x lunch times (one planned - the other was a surprise visit) but on the whole I was sensible. I went to my first exercise class which I enjoyed - no tea and biscuits for us though Whiff!!!
Happy to have lost 1lb though - next week is apparently even hotter to start with so my usual walk speed is impossible but we will continue pears - onwards and downwards!
Good luck everyone!

Dorsetcupcake I well remember going to Slimming magazine clubs ok at first but if you put on you were named and shamed . First time it happened to me I left. I wasn't paying to be humiliatied. Years later when to Weight Watchers same thing happened again. Never liked any of both classes recipes. Remember a lot of cottage cheese in them.
Well done losing the pound. As I am happy if I lose quarter of a pound.

SachaMac I find I can make lower cal meals than slimming recipe books. I brought the Hairy bikers dieting book. I worked out I could make lower cal meals myself. Even though lower than usual recipes they where still high.

Four glad you enjoyed your exercise class sorry you didn't get tea and biscuits . Well done losing the pound.

I stayed the same for the third week but will make an extra effort this week.

It was 40.6°c in my greenhouse yesterday. Picked more french beans this morning thats 688g of them so far. My runner beans are forming. Got a couple more courgettes to pick soon. Lots of toms on my plants . Flowers on peppers and butternut squash where they will product fruit no idea. Lots of strawberries forming.

Have a good week everyone.

Well I’ve put on 2 lbs, this happened before. Not being able to exercise hasn’t helped. I will stick at it though, I did it before and got complacent so it came back on thick and fast. Well done all those that are continuing to lose anything is better than nothing.

Morning Apples and Pears. Managed to lose 2lb of the four I gained while visiting GC. It goes on easily but its so hard to shift. My oh who has been following my diet has lost nearly a stone since I started. He doesn't need to lose anymore he is under his bmi for his height. It's just not fair as he consumes far more calories than me and eats supper every night washed down with a beer. I could do to fast a couple of days as Michael Mosley recommends but when I've tried I feel very lightheaded and can't function at all. My friends consume crisps, chocolate, cake and bread and fry a lot of food but still remain at normal body weight. I don't eat any of the above but it makes no difference. However I do have a lot of milk at breakfast or with coffee during day along with a handful of nuts in my porridge. Just wish I could exercise more but my leg restricts me. Tried on line Tai Chi but knee didn't like it. Oh well will keep plodding on. Have a good week everyone.

Dorset. I’ve been on and off over the years a binge eater. And ice cream used to be my late night downfall. I don’t keep it in the house now but sometimes I stay at my daughters dog sitting and she has it in her freezer. Ditto crisps. I don’t know what here is about crisps and ice cream. I can only liken it to an alcoholic not being able to have just one drink! I’m so fed up sometimes that, at the age of 70 I’ve been dieting for all of my adult life.

Allsorts it's a blip. You haven't given up and that's the main thing. It's easy to give up but hard to keep going when you put on or stay the same weight for weeks. I have said it before if losing weight was easy we all be a size 12 but it's not. So easy to put on but twice as hard to lose but you will win in the end. ?

kissngate well done losing the 2lbs. I hate it when anyone recommends fasting. It doesn't do your body any good. Yes you lose weight but that is water. Your body will think you are starving and hold on to the fat hence water loss which in turns makes you feel dizzy and faint. And makes you hungry.

Slow and steady is the way . Marathon not a sprint. Plenty of blips along the way but you will win in the end. By being here shows you are determined to win. ?

MayBee I have been a yo-yo dieter all my adult life until 2017. I had jaundice and couldn't do anything for 5 months but think what I wanted out if life funny enough only 3 things move house,lose weight and get fit.

Well moved in 2019, lost over 7 st still battling to lose the last stone and bit and fitter than I have ever been in my life. I am now 64.

Everyone has different ways to lose weight. You have to decide which is best for you. As I keep staying it's a marathon not a sprint. Don't set yourself an amount to lose every week it puts to much pressure on yourself and will make you feel awful if you don't achieve it. Been there done that got dozens of tee shirts.

Take it a day at a time. If you have a bad day which I do often. Just accept it and start afresh the next. Keeping going for months or years is hard but the main thing is to keep going. Everyone has plenty of tips to help. But the main thing is to do it for yourself. And you can do gentle exercise even with health problems. I have one I was born with but only had diagnosis in April it effects my limbs and PAF.

Today is a new day and new start. ?

Lost 4lbs this week, very happy with that

maybe70 , I’m 63 and I too have dieted on and off all my adult life ….humans, we are a right lot.

Glad I’m not working today or tomorrow……stay cool everyone

Hi all, I have put on 1lb, I do tend to retain water when it’s very hot plus we had a garden party at our craft club on Saturday, we had individual afternoon teas delivered by a local bakery, they were delicious but must have been extremely calorific!

I couldn’t do fasting either, I get low blood sugar and go very dizzy & light headed if I don’t eat regularly. It may work for some people but it’s not for me. We all just need to keep going & doing whatever works best.
Well done to everyone for sticking at it, shirleyw 4lbs is a great loss, I bet you were very pleased with that. Have a great week all, enjoy your French beans Whiff I have got the Gairy Bikers Diet Book btw, I must have a look through for some inspiration.

Weight crept up a couple of pounds this week - I think it’s probably water retention as I haven’t been eating any differently but have been drinking loads! (Water nothing naughty) but I am going to be extra strict with myself over the next couple of days so it disappears quickly. Thank

Shirley well done that a really good loss.

SachaMac and Sarahmob it's a blip.

I have been drinking more plus have a cold so was up every hour for the loo. Honestly you can't win. Hopefully it will be colder tomorrow . Got my exercise class tomorrow and don't want to miss it as we are on the count down to it finishing for good.
Did a LFT test just to make sure it was a cold yep it is.

What with hot weather,cold,hot flushes and sweats should have lost pounds by Sunday bet I won't thought ?

What with hot weather,cold,hot flushes and sweats should have lost pounds by Sunday bet I won't thought ?

youd think wouldnt you whif lol...hope cold goes soon.,

from sweltering Bedfordshire.

Let’s hope for a storm to clear the air tonight, I think my poor dog wonders what he’s doing wrong not being taken out for his usual walkies. I’m missing the exercise too!!

Lot cooler today. Making mango chutney. This is my new Oddbox. Lovely to see a curved cucumber. Reminds me of my childhood and the cucumbers we brought and my dad grew. Looking forward to trying the fennel. The fruity sparkling water was a sweet treat they put in for having Oddbox.

Looks good Whiff I got some Sharon fruit in mine this week, something I don’t normally buy but I enjoyed them. I’m really impressed with the boxes so far.

Good morning lovely pears. Well I stayed the same,which tbh is good, or even a result! After my last entry I did have a Chinese take away and my daughter had her friend round for a bbq-first one this year! I didn't count calories but didn't eat everything in sight either! When I got on the scales the next day I was genuinely shocked to have put on 4lb. Tbh I also felt quite angry. Yep chinese not diet food but I had not consumed many calories that day. We went to a meeting where there is normally a nice buffet so I kept my calories during the day very low. Unfortunately on this occasion there wasn't a buffet and by the time we left we were genuinely hungry!
The BBQ just burger,I sausage,pasta salad,potato salad and a smores. I know calorific but 4lb? I found it so frustrating. Not for the first time I thought how wonderful it must be not to easily gain weight and not have to dread getting on the scales unless I had attended a social event and only ate salad garnishes ?. Of course maybe other factors such as water retention due to heat/ higher than usual salt intake? Anyway I was straight back on track. I think in many ways heat helped as too hot to cook anything! Amazingly I have lost the 4lb I put on so back to what was last week!
Maybee I hear your frustration. Apparently ice cream is a perfect combination of sugar/ fat/ feelgood mouth feel! Makes it very hard to stop eating it. I'm also quite a fan of crisps. I used to like the square cheese and onion crisps which were reasonable calories. Unfortunately I liked them( or any cheese and onion crisps) so much that stopped buying them due to potential affect of salt consuming! If I buy crisps I buy lentil based ones,lower calorie,quite nice but not as moreish!
I never physically went to SW Whiff. My daughter did and I used her information. I have heard before that they are into public shaming. My daughter went for a while. She liked the stickers and incentives and did lose a lot of weight( which she put back on). Overall she found it quite a disordered approach to eating. We both appreciate that when you read the small print it advocates lots of veg etc. The initial draw for many is unlimited carbs. It's approach and reasoning is something we found peculiar and it's surprisingly rigid. It's only plus point is restricted use of processed sugar. Also it portion sizes are MASSIVE all well and good until come off it,you never learn what a normal portion is.! I'm quite bemused that Dr's still prescribe 12 weeks free I don't think it's a healthy or sustainable weight loss programme. Well none of them are really,otherwise they would go out of business! Personally I preferred the flexibility of WW points in late 90s. Simple and effective and they supported not fat shamed! I think they were overtaken by all the publicity SW had a few years ago. Since then WW seems to have adopted similar approach and all the different plans look confusing. The only positive of SW for us is that we can't face pasta?. Calorie counting,especially if cook from scratch is more flexible. I certainly think it's healthier. I will never forget how small a normal portion of pasta looked in comparison to the mound SW allowed?.
I'm glad it's cooler ,hopefully noone experienced any nasty repercussions. Have a great week everyone. Keep on at it!

Wow, what a hot and airless week we've had - apart from my exercise class I've only managed a stagger to wherever I needed to go!
Ice cream and cold (non-alcoholic!) drinks to cool down didn't help either but I am relieved that the gain is just one pound - I'm happy with that and hope to do better next week!
Good luck everyone - we need to survive so we mustn't beat ourselves up if we wobble a bit - winter will be here before we know it. Keeping hydrated is vital!!!

Good afternoon pears,
I’m pleased to report that I’ve lost the couple of pounds that I gained last week - think it was water retention. I’m now back at just under target so am really happy with that. Drank lots of sugar free squash and iced water last week to try and cope with the heat. Steered clear of ice cream etc.
onward and downward!

Dorset well done losing the 4lb. Well balanced post. It amazes me how much my weight changes everyday but only count Sunday morning.

Four with that heat it was hard not to want easy things to eat and of course ice cream. Also spending the least amount of time spent in the kitchen the better especially if your kitchen got as hot as mine Tuesday at 4pm it was 36.6°c. The pound is a blip . At least it's cooler the last few days.

Sarah well done losing the weight. I had water retention before my heart medication got sorted out. It was very annoying as I had stuck to my cal allowance.

Lost half a pound this week . Been a funny week. Blistering heat Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday all the buses went on a continuous strike. So took taxi to exercise class. There was a lovely cool breeze. But my balance has been bad all week. So ended up on the floor and couldn't get up by myself so very glad I am lot smaller than I was as my instructor had to haul me up.

Then went to a friend's for lunch . She had a new knee about a month ago. I told her I didn't eat meat. She got nice salad ,with potatoes but to my horror boiled eggs for me and chicken for herself. I hate boiled eggs. Luckily she had cut them into quarters so I had 2 quarters it was a case of cut into small pieces and just swallow. She asked me if I eat dairy said yes and chicken . She said chicken is meat I said no it's poultry.

My daughter said she would say chicken is meat but I said no it's poultry. I was brought up with chicken and turkey was poultry. Even at college where I trained it was poultry. Am I odd or do you all class chicken as meat?

Today luckily had my shower at 7 and got a load of washing done. As not long afterwards my water pressure was very low and some areas had no water. A large pipe had burst. They where due to work through the night but people complained so are having to only work until 10. Would have thought people would want their water back on. Good job my daughter text me so put some water in jugs in the fridge . Ironically it's been pouring of rain all afternoon.

Well take care all and have a good week.?

Well done all ye losers!
I can say one good thing about slimming clubs because WW worked for my Mum who put lots of weight on comfort eating following a diagnosis of breast cancer. When her surgery and radiotherapy treatment was over she was damn cross with herself because she'd always been a healthy weight previously.
I suggested she try WW for the support. She knew how to eat sensibly but I thought she might benefit with weekly encouragement. She decided to join a class in a neighbouring village where she could be anonymous! To her surprise she really enjoyed going and being praised for losing weight and she lost all the excess weight which was 4 stones and never put it back on when she stopped going like so many people do. Of course she could have joined Gransnet had it been around then!
My weight is the same. I have been cooking meals to take to the family's cabin tomorrow. It is on a small island off mainland B.C. I was there for Christmas and enjoyed totally deserted beach walks (except for seals) and forest walks amongst the deer. This is my first summer visit there and the weather is warm and sunny so I am a very lucky Granny.

Morning all & well done, sounds like you have all had busy weeks. Thank goodness it’s cooled down a little so we can get some jobs done without breaking out in a sweat, it really was unbearable on Monday & Tuesday.

I haven’t weighed in yet & there’s a reason for this, on Tuesday last week, yes on the hottest day of the year!! I decided to go back to SW, despite having said many times that I would never rejoin. A friend has recently joined and asked me if I fancied going along, initially I said no but then I fished out my old book and looking back was really impressed at how quickly I had lost 1.5 stone on the plan. I’ve been trying very hard on my own but just don’t seem to have the willpower & seem to be going around in circles losing the same half stone over & over.

The main reason for joining is to be accountable to someone, to have my weight recorded in black & white and I suppose I am hoping that the thought of getting on those scales in front of people will spur me on. I know I could get a family member or friend to witness my weigh ins but I don’t really want that. The people in the group all seemed very friendly & enthusiastic, most were around my age and there were a few new mums who were doing very well. It’s a morning group which I prefer. The leader is an older lady, I was very impressed with her. I don’t really like the image therapy part but the way she did it was better, most people had done very well but those who hadn’t were encouraged rather than shamed. I don’t think I will stay for that every week though. I don’t particularly like all that happy clappy stuff

There have been some positive changes to the plan which mean your plate should now contain mainly speed food and some foods that were free are now syns (I don’t really like the way they use the term syns tbh but that’s how they’ve always done it) . The app has also improved and there are some great recipes & tips on there and also a scanner and lots of inspirational stories. I do have a bit of a love hate relationship with the SW plan but I’m hoping by just going to a group to be weighed it will spur me on as at the moment I’m just not getting very far. I have paid for a six week countdown which meant I got a free week and a free recipe book. At the end of the six weeks I can take stock and decide whether or not to carry on. I will let you all know how my first weigh in goes later in the week, wish me luck ?

I think you have made a good decision SachaMac returning to something that has worked in the past, whilst still being supported here.

Whilst on hols last week the heat stopped me over eating. I weighed myself today and need to lose 6 lbs to get back on track. Onwards and downwards ?

Hi all, well I’ve been for my first weigh in. Quite disappointing really, I only lost 1lb! I have stuck to it apart from a meal & drinks out on Tuesday but tried to choose wisely and yesterday went to London in Bloom so had a few little treats there. I can only hope for better results next week. Why is it so damned hard!!

Morning Apples and Pears. Managed to lose another 1lb of the 4 I gained visiting GC. Been doing a few online senior exercise classes during the week however it hasn't speeded up the weight loss. My oh has just weighed in and reported another 2.6 lb loss and he doesn't need to lose it. Oh well will keep plodding on. Have a good week everyone.