Hello all, thank you for comments again and welcome to some new followers. Seems more people are finding me now, since I gave up trying to make my blog private. Not that I mind - I've got over trying to 'discourage' some people reading - if they insist on going to the trouble of finding me and reading, well then they can't get irritated if they read something they don't like. Nobody is forcing them to read, after all. Having been an emotional wreck for most of this year, I feel a lot stronger now...harder, even, and less likely to put up with things or people that upset me.
I shall be glad when husband's had his eye test tomorrow and gets new glasses ordered - if indeed he needs stronger ones, which I'm fairly sure he will. I know this is partly a man thing - he can't see what's right at the end of his nose, unless I point it out to him. A perfect example - the other day in the supermarket I'd sent him off to get a box of 15 eggs. He was gone quite a time, I found him in the egg aisle, standing in front of them, seemingly clueless. 3 times I pointed to the 15 eggs boxes and said 'there they are', each time he said 'where?'. The final time I did say 'THERE!!' quite loudly and a woman pushing her trolley past at the time laughed and said 'I feel your pain!'.
He is terrible at washing up, he's got a lot worse lately, I have to re-wash more and more things he's supposedly already washed as they still have food or coffee stains on. And he never washes the outside, bottoms or backs of anything! I know some will say I should be grateful that he washes up at all, and I am - mostly. But it's not much help if I have to re-wash half of what he's done, is it? I've told him he should wear his glasses and he says he does...trouble is, it's usually his distance glasses he's wearing as he likes to gaze out of the window over the field rather than looking at what he's doing. So, as I say, I'm fairly sure he needs new glasses!
It's our lovely neighbour friend's birthday tomorrow (she's a month younger than me), I'm just about to make her a bread pudding. Not a traditional birthday cake, I know! But she really likes bread pudding, it's one of her favourites.
Tuesday, 4 December 2018
Monday, 3 December 2018
No we didn't go mad!! And some great news
Thank you for all the congratulations, I'm still on a high from losing that weight, we'll definitely be having a 3 day diet stint every week or 2. I don't mind being very strict for 3 days, it'll help us to continue losing weight without getting bored and giving up altogether.
On Saturday for dinner we had a 1/4 pounder burger each, shop bought frozen ones, which I topped with blue cheese, with oven chips and an olive ciabatta roll spread with Bertolli and mayo, to stuff the chips in. Oh and coleslaw on the side as a token bit of veg. The chip butty was lovely, the burger was just alright - but it kept repeating on me and gave me indigestion all night. Think I'll stick to making my own in future. Sunday's dinner was lean minced beef with loads of chopped veggies in, served on horseradish mash, lovely. Other than the chip butty, oh and a packet of crisps whilst watching Strictly Saturday night (fantastic, by the way - both Strictly and the crisps!), we didn't go overboard foodwise at all really.
Out to town this morning, to pick up something on order. No, not a Christmas gift, something practical. We like soft lighting in our lounge in the evenings, one fairly dim floor lamp behind husband's armchair, a small lamp on the desk and a large glass jar on the mantel filled with fairy lights. It's all very restful and easy on the eyes....trouble is, I can't see to read or crochet, the lighting is just too dim. So I'm getting a floor lamp to stand beside my chair, it's called a Father and Child lamp, an uplighter with a small adjustable reading lamp lower down the stand, should be just right for me to see by in the evenings, each light has an independent switch so I don't have to have both on if not needed.
Some good news (for a change!) - my mother was undergoing tests for a gastric problem, the possibility of stomach cancer had cropped up. The tests showed no sign of cancer, she has a hiatus hernia. Not very nice for her, of course, but what a relief it's nothing more serious. She's been told to eat small meals, little and often, and nothing too spicy (she doesn't like spicy anyway). She already takes medication to protect her stomach from the side effects of her aspirin.
Husband's got the dentist today, eye and hearing tests Wednesday. Betty's going to the groomers on Thursday for a bath and nail clip. I shall be doing some baking this week (I missed that last week), and have some chutney to try and pep up. I made a batch of fruity chutney back in the Spring, 6 jars....it's ok but nothing special, not spicy enough and not up to my usual standard. 4 unopened jars of it have been sat in the cupboard ever since, we had 1 jar a few months back, didn't have another for a while as we weren't keen. I opened another jar a couple of weeks ago, thinking it might have matured and got better with age - nope, still boring. So I'm going to put it all back in the pan, add some more spices and a couple of chillies, bit of brown sugar and vinegar and reboil. Hopefully that'll bring it up to scratch, I certainly don't want to chuck it away.
On Saturday for dinner we had a 1/4 pounder burger each, shop bought frozen ones, which I topped with blue cheese, with oven chips and an olive ciabatta roll spread with Bertolli and mayo, to stuff the chips in. Oh and coleslaw on the side as a token bit of veg. The chip butty was lovely, the burger was just alright - but it kept repeating on me and gave me indigestion all night. Think I'll stick to making my own in future. Sunday's dinner was lean minced beef with loads of chopped veggies in, served on horseradish mash, lovely. Other than the chip butty, oh and a packet of crisps whilst watching Strictly Saturday night (fantastic, by the way - both Strictly and the crisps!), we didn't go overboard foodwise at all really.
Out to town this morning, to pick up something on order. No, not a Christmas gift, something practical. We like soft lighting in our lounge in the evenings, one fairly dim floor lamp behind husband's armchair, a small lamp on the desk and a large glass jar on the mantel filled with fairy lights. It's all very restful and easy on the eyes....trouble is, I can't see to read or crochet, the lighting is just too dim. So I'm getting a floor lamp to stand beside my chair, it's called a Father and Child lamp, an uplighter with a small adjustable reading lamp lower down the stand, should be just right for me to see by in the evenings, each light has an independent switch so I don't have to have both on if not needed.
Some good news (for a change!) - my mother was undergoing tests for a gastric problem, the possibility of stomach cancer had cropped up. The tests showed no sign of cancer, she has a hiatus hernia. Not very nice for her, of course, but what a relief it's nothing more serious. She's been told to eat small meals, little and often, and nothing too spicy (she doesn't like spicy anyway). She already takes medication to protect her stomach from the side effects of her aspirin.
Husband's got the dentist today, eye and hearing tests Wednesday. Betty's going to the groomers on Thursday for a bath and nail clip. I shall be doing some baking this week (I missed that last week), and have some chutney to try and pep up. I made a batch of fruity chutney back in the Spring, 6 jars....it's ok but nothing special, not spicy enough and not up to my usual standard. 4 unopened jars of it have been sat in the cupboard ever since, we had 1 jar a few months back, didn't have another for a while as we weren't keen. I opened another jar a couple of weeks ago, thinking it might have matured and got better with age - nope, still boring. So I'm going to put it all back in the pan, add some more spices and a couple of chillies, bit of brown sugar and vinegar and reboil. Hopefully that'll bring it up to scratch, I certainly don't want to chuck it away.
Sunday, 2 December 2018
Saturday, 1 December 2018
The weigh in
Weigh in this morning after our first short term strict diet....I'm really pleased to report I've lost 6 and a half pounds - in just 5 days! Husband has lost 4 pounds, but then he's got a lot less to lose than me. I know it's mostly water (I've been peeing for England this week, although that's partly due to my new diabetes meds) but, even so, it's a huge boost to my mood.
I feel a lot less bloated, my stomach is noticeably smaller (wish I'd thought to measure my waist at the start) and my face is much less puffy. I also feel much better already. It's all so encouraging, and we've decided we'll do the same thing for 3 days at a time, probably every other week. We'll eat normally (but try to be more sensible and not go mad on carbs or portion sizes) for the coming week, then have another go at the diet the week after.
Brenda asked what a chip butty is - sorry, I forget that some of my readers are abroad! It's classic comfort food, not particularly healthy. It's chips (you probably call them fries) between two slices of buttered bread, a chip sandwich if you will. But they have to be big fat chips, not those skinny ones you get in McD's! Sauce, be it tomato or brown or mayo, is optional and down to personal taste. Hope that helps, Brenda - do you have anything similar?
As if we haven't had enough eggs this week, I really fancy an omelette this morning, with bacon and lots of CHEESE!! I've just had my first frothy cappuccino of the day.....so delicious.
I feel a lot less bloated, my stomach is noticeably smaller (wish I'd thought to measure my waist at the start) and my face is much less puffy. I also feel much better already. It's all so encouraging, and we've decided we'll do the same thing for 3 days at a time, probably every other week. We'll eat normally (but try to be more sensible and not go mad on carbs or portion sizes) for the coming week, then have another go at the diet the week after.
Brenda asked what a chip butty is - sorry, I forget that some of my readers are abroad! It's classic comfort food, not particularly healthy. It's chips (you probably call them fries) between two slices of buttered bread, a chip sandwich if you will. But they have to be big fat chips, not those skinny ones you get in McD's! Sauce, be it tomato or brown or mayo, is optional and down to personal taste. Hope that helps, Brenda - do you have anything similar?
As if we haven't had enough eggs this week, I really fancy an omelette this morning, with bacon and lots of CHEESE!! I've just had my first frothy cappuccino of the day.....so delicious.
Friday, 30 November 2018
Last day - thank goodness
Although we've had some nice food this week, I won't be sorry to come to the end of this first short term diet. I'm so looking forward to my cappuccino and some cheese on toast tomorrow! I think the cappuccino, cheese and dairy have been the hardest things to leave out, for me. Husband has missed his nuts, seeds and raisins that he snacks on between meals, and thought the meals didn't really fill him up enough...by the time each meal is ready, he's starving. Oh, and he's just said he really fancies a chip butty tomorrow (which is odd, as it's not something we have normally!).
Today's food:-
Breakfast - 2 soft boiled eggs with 1 slice dry toast
Lunch - Chicken salad
Dinner - Salmon baked in foil parcel with spinach, roasted Brussels, tinned chopped tomatoes and mushrooms.
The howling gale yesterday had more or less disappeared by 10 am - blue sky and a bit of sunshine appearing. It was still windy and there was a further bit of rain early afternoon, but nothing near as bad as the early morning. We got off pretty lightly - loads of stuff blown around in the garden (including the dustbin, which was half full, and the recycling bins), a fairly heavy wood companion seat was blown over and a few tiles dislodged on the utility room roof, the polytunnel door got bent. Other than that though, no real damage done. Today is going to be much nicer, so we're going to our favourite little town, Wells, this morning. It's been ages since we had a browse round there.
Can't wait to see what the scales say tomorrow morning.
Today's food:-
Breakfast - 2 soft boiled eggs with 1 slice dry toast
Lunch - Chicken salad
Dinner - Salmon baked in foil parcel with spinach, roasted Brussels, tinned chopped tomatoes and mushrooms.
The howling gale yesterday had more or less disappeared by 10 am - blue sky and a bit of sunshine appearing. It was still windy and there was a further bit of rain early afternoon, but nothing near as bad as the early morning. We got off pretty lightly - loads of stuff blown around in the garden (including the dustbin, which was half full, and the recycling bins), a fairly heavy wood companion seat was blown over and a few tiles dislodged on the utility room roof, the polytunnel door got bent. Other than that though, no real damage done. Today is going to be much nicer, so we're going to our favourite little town, Wells, this morning. It's been ages since we had a browse round there.
Can't wait to see what the scales say tomorrow morning.
Thursday, 29 November 2018
Day 4 - and awful weather
Thanks for comments again, and welcome to a couple of new followers (or old ones that have found me) - Julie Caisey and Susan Zarzycki.
The headachey sort of bleurgh feelings have gone, so our systems must be coping better with what we're eating now - or rather, what we're leaving out. We're really enjoying the meals, although we're both looking forward to the weekend and normal eating. I'm also very keen to know how much weight we've lost - I shall be hugely disappointed if we haven't lost any, but am sure we will have.
So, today's food:-
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs and tinned tomatoes for me, dry fried fresh toms for husband. Betty has scrambled egg too whenever we have it, she loves it.
Lunch - Chicken leg and salad again.
Dinner - Lamb leg steak roasted with roasted Brussels, green beans and Hispi cabbage. A plum or 2 for husband for afters.
Enough of diet food, let's talk about non diet stuff! The weather has been pretty grim all week, with a lot of rain and wind, but through the night and this morning it's been truly awful, REALLY strong wind and rain, a proper howling gale out there. Must have been bothering Betty too, as she got out of bed immediately I came downstairs - she doesn't usually, she's a proper teenager and likes a lie in. A big gust of wind throwing something around in the garden had her rushing to the door and barking - I knew she wouldn't want to actually go out (she doesn't like bad weather either!), but opened the door just to show her there was nobody out there trying to break in. The wind nearly smashed the door in my face, good job I was holding onto the handle firmly - Betty turned tail and ran away! Some guard dog she is, it did make me laugh.
Thankfully, the forecast for tomorrow is much better, as we're going a bit stir crazy. Definitely not going out today, other than dog walking when the wind has died down a bit, as it's meant to do soon apparently.
I'm going to make a big batch of pastry today and portion it up for the freezer, also some pizza dough. Not sure though whether to freeze the pizza dough as is, or make up the bases then part cook and freeze them. Will have a google and see what's best.**
Please take care if you're out and about today and have this awful weather.
**Edit - seems it's best if you let the pizza dough rise and then knock it back before freezing uncooked, just portion it up, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
The headachey sort of bleurgh feelings have gone, so our systems must be coping better with what we're eating now - or rather, what we're leaving out. We're really enjoying the meals, although we're both looking forward to the weekend and normal eating. I'm also very keen to know how much weight we've lost - I shall be hugely disappointed if we haven't lost any, but am sure we will have.
So, today's food:-
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs and tinned tomatoes for me, dry fried fresh toms for husband. Betty has scrambled egg too whenever we have it, she loves it.
Lunch - Chicken leg and salad again.
Dinner - Lamb leg steak roasted with roasted Brussels, green beans and Hispi cabbage. A plum or 2 for husband for afters.
Enough of diet food, let's talk about non diet stuff! The weather has been pretty grim all week, with a lot of rain and wind, but through the night and this morning it's been truly awful, REALLY strong wind and rain, a proper howling gale out there. Must have been bothering Betty too, as she got out of bed immediately I came downstairs - she doesn't usually, she's a proper teenager and likes a lie in. A big gust of wind throwing something around in the garden had her rushing to the door and barking - I knew she wouldn't want to actually go out (she doesn't like bad weather either!), but opened the door just to show her there was nobody out there trying to break in. The wind nearly smashed the door in my face, good job I was holding onto the handle firmly - Betty turned tail and ran away! Some guard dog she is, it did make me laugh.
Thankfully, the forecast for tomorrow is much better, as we're going a bit stir crazy. Definitely not going out today, other than dog walking when the wind has died down a bit, as it's meant to do soon apparently.
I'm going to make a big batch of pastry today and portion it up for the freezer, also some pizza dough. Not sure though whether to freeze the pizza dough as is, or make up the bases then part cook and freeze them. Will have a google and see what's best.**
Please take care if you're out and about today and have this awful weather.
**Edit - seems it's best if you let the pizza dough rise and then knock it back before freezing uncooked, just portion it up, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
Wednesday, 28 November 2018
Diet Day 3 and some observations
Thank you for comments - Wherethejourneytakesme, thanks especially for your informative and helpful comments regarding calcium sources.
I'm sorry if anyone finds these diet food posts boring - it's a useful record for me of what we've eaten, as we intend to repeat this diet every few weeks for 5 days or so at a time. Long term diets are just not sustainable for me, I get bored and can't be bothered to maintain them, I rebel against the restrictions. Interestingly, though, I'm not having a problem with this one simply because I know it's very short term. Well, I say I'm not having a problem....after some discussion, we've decided to make this 5 days instead of 7, we are both really missing some things - eg, coffee and tea with semi skimmed milk (a tiny splash of skimmed just doesn't taste the same). I'm really craving cheese, husband misses his mixed nuts, seeds and raisins he has a handful of as a snack between meals. We've not been tempted to stray and indulge in the forbidden, but might if it went on for 7 days, so the decision has been made to go back to normal eating on Saturday. That doesn't mean we're going to go mad and eat tons of the forbidden stuff though. I do love my frothy cappuccino I have 2 or sometimes 3 of a day, so it will just be nice to have one of those Saturday morning with a couple of slices of cheese on toast.
Today's food:-
Breakfast - 1 slice dry toast with 2 poached eggs
Lunch - A roasted chicken leg with salad
Dinner - Cod baked in a foil parcel with lemon and herbs, roasted Brussels and courgettes, sprouting broccoli.
One thing we've found - not having butter (well, we have Bertolli olive spread) on toast when the toast is topped with tomatoes, eggs etc, is absolutely fine, we don't miss the spread at all, so will continue that even when not on the diet.
The fresh fruit salad we had for breakfast yesterday - husband loved it, I quite liked it except that it was far too sweet for me, since I've been diabetic and cut out all sugary things, I really don't have a sweet tooth anymore. Just the berries would have been ok, the plums and mango were definitely too sweet and made my tongue all tingly - a diabetic reaction I get from too much sugar. I'll know in future.
I'm sorry if anyone finds these diet food posts boring - it's a useful record for me of what we've eaten, as we intend to repeat this diet every few weeks for 5 days or so at a time. Long term diets are just not sustainable for me, I get bored and can't be bothered to maintain them, I rebel against the restrictions. Interestingly, though, I'm not having a problem with this one simply because I know it's very short term. Well, I say I'm not having a problem....after some discussion, we've decided to make this 5 days instead of 7, we are both really missing some things - eg, coffee and tea with semi skimmed milk (a tiny splash of skimmed just doesn't taste the same). I'm really craving cheese, husband misses his mixed nuts, seeds and raisins he has a handful of as a snack between meals. We've not been tempted to stray and indulge in the forbidden, but might if it went on for 7 days, so the decision has been made to go back to normal eating on Saturday. That doesn't mean we're going to go mad and eat tons of the forbidden stuff though. I do love my frothy cappuccino I have 2 or sometimes 3 of a day, so it will just be nice to have one of those Saturday morning with a couple of slices of cheese on toast.
Today's food:-
Breakfast - 1 slice dry toast with 2 poached eggs
Lunch - A roasted chicken leg with salad
Dinner - Cod baked in a foil parcel with lemon and herbs, roasted Brussels and courgettes, sprouting broccoli.
One thing we've found - not having butter (well, we have Bertolli olive spread) on toast when the toast is topped with tomatoes, eggs etc, is absolutely fine, we don't miss the spread at all, so will continue that even when not on the diet.
The fresh fruit salad we had for breakfast yesterday - husband loved it, I quite liked it except that it was far too sweet for me, since I've been diabetic and cut out all sugary things, I really don't have a sweet tooth anymore. Just the berries would have been ok, the plums and mango were definitely too sweet and made my tongue all tingly - a diabetic reaction I get from too much sugar. I'll know in future.
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