The last stone mission......ROLL UP!!!!

[clairejen]

Hi Joanne, did you have a good holiday? How did the cats cope? It doesn't sound as though the diet damage will be too bad, a week or two should sort it out, well done. Coming back to a pile of work is depressing though, I hope it isn't too huge.

I think I will keep on JUDDDing this week with my current 700cal DDs, and am considering a 1000 DD on Sunday before we go on Monday. That way I will only have one less DD than usual as I will be back on Thursday evening. No diet on the holiday, it is too short to bother and it would be a waste to not enjoy interesting new foods. After I get back I will see what my weight has done, then probably carry on with 700 DDs until comfortably stable at 9st7lbs. That's the general plan, I'm quite relaxed about it since I've long ago decided I'll be JUDDDing for maintenance and only pausing it for special events and holidays.

We're having an irritating phase of small gadgets giving up the ghost. None of them expensive in themselves, more annoying than anything, but I hope it doesn't spread to larger items. A bout of shopping will be required I think, hopefully somewhere which stocks more interesting things too. I haven't bought anything for the holiday, not much point for 4 days, and we are only taking carry-on bags to save time.

 

[Maintainer]

Coming back and hope I don't get caught! Work is tedious, boring, administrative stuff which isn't urgent but a pain in the butt to compile (times three as I work for three lawyers). Documents etc (aka "fun stuff") was done for me by my replacements but anything less "interesting" (like archiving, paperwork etc) has been kindly left for me (grrrrr!). Plus my brain seems to have a problem realising that I'm not still on holiday and that there is no siesta hour for me any longer (zzzzz!).

The cats got on fabulously. Little Minnie, now 2.5 months old, has really taken to Misha (15 months old) and the two of them got on like a house on fire. A great relief.

Holiday was lovely. Although not a "holiday" in the true sense of the word (no beach, few meals out, lots of work - DIY, weeding, and householdy things), I love being in the calm of the countryside and the people are so kind.

I'm pleased to be straight back into healthy eating mode. I did enjoy eating bacon, 2 x egg and 3 x toast (with butter, jam, honey) yesterday for breakfast but my peach, slice of ham and boiled egg filled me up quite adequately and in fact I wasn't *that* hungry at lunchtime!

Isn't it annoying how things tend to break down all at the same time.

 

[Maintainer]

Morning Claire, and you'll see that I've updated my ticker... although I was cross at seeing the numbers this morning, given how "good" I was most of the time on holiday, I did deserve the gain given the past weekend's binge eating, and I'm sure that bit will shift fast this week. Unfortunately it's my godson's 14th birthday dinner on Thursday evening, and I can't get out of that meal (and I'm also conscious that I made food excuses LAST year at this time too, grrr!), but the rest of the time will be damage limitation.

Hope things are better with you! I'm pretty upbeat despite the numbers on the scales though as I have found it very easy to slip straight back into plan this time, unlike the last!

 

[clairejen]

Morning, and a very chilly one here, brrrrr. I'm sorry to hear about your gain, you do seem to lose easily though so I'm sure you'll be back down in no time. The scales were kind to me today, down again to 9st8.25lbs, not a new low but it is good this early in the week and only a pound and a quarter over target. There are no "high risk events" in the coming week, so I hope to see 9st7something before we go away. I'm still not sure that this is the right goal for me, but I'm fast coming to the opinion that I've now got my muscle/fat ratios wrong and the next move has to be building muscle while maintaining weight. That should mean a loss of inches without weight change, hopefully.

You sound as though you were really ready to start dieting again, I often have the same feeling on a Monday, interesting isn't it? It is almost as if we don't even like our excesses, but still do them for some occult reason.

It's good to hear the cats get on well, nice for both of them (and you) that they can enjoy playing together. Being indoor cats it will give them much more interest to have a playmate. Your country village sounds lovely, that sort of friendliness is rare in England these days. Holidays don't have to be lounging on the beach, in fact mine never are, it is the change from usual environment which is good for us. Only 6 days until we go to Carcassonne now (I can't wait), definitely no beaches, but a lot of walking and eating.

Hope work isn't too dire for you today, I have a couple of VAT returns to finish but fingers crossed not too much more. I need to go shopping and visit the market, and I'm tempted by a pair of shoes (really shouldn't because what I need is a handbag).

 

[Maintainer]

Morning,
It's true that I do lose relatively easily and quickly the weight I gain just as easily and quickly over a short period of time, but I must make more of an effort to get back to my favoured size 12 if I hope to have a winter wardrobe to wear. Fortunately, dress code in my office is very casual but it's a shame to have a wardrobe full of clothes you're still 7lbs away from getting into...

5 days to your holiday. I checked the weather and it's going to be warmer than it is right now (fortunately). I was positively cold last night in the flat, and would have turned the heating on if it weren't controlled by the building we live in! I miss being able to light a fire in the evening...

I used to like beach holidays when I was younger but do get bored now if I spend more than an hour on a beach... visiting new areas is far more fun, particularly out of season when the kids are back at school.

How long are you going for again? So you'll be offline which days?

 

[clairejen]

Hi, what a rubbish morning we've had. David decided to install the latest OS on our Linux machine which we use on the network as an internet portal. So guess what - no LAN, no internet, nothing. The entire morning has been wasted, no work could be done, and my machine still won't connect, currently I've hijacked the office machine.

It is infuriating to have loads of clothes you can nearly wear, I don't know about you but I really resent buying any more when I'm still dieting. Maybe that's why I limited my shopping yesterday to 2 pairs of shoes, it should have been just the one, but they were very cheap.

Weightwise I'm up half a pound after a rather excessive UD yesterday, waylaid by chocolate finger biscuits which I knew I should resist. How come I can resist them today but not yesterday? DDs are so much easier, maybe it's a good thing they're here to stay. Have you jumped on the scales again yet?

It is really cold here too, and going to get worse according to the forecast. I won't put the heating on until we get back from holiday, October is plenty soon enough. We moved back into our usual bedroom last night, having spent the summer at the back of the house because with the windows open it was much too noisy. So I didn't have a very good night, still getting used to the extra sounds (they pass through even closed windows when a neighbour leaves for work at 5.30am). Thanks for checking the forecasts for me, some warm weather will be very welcome - I don't mind a bit of rain but I prefer not to be too chilly. We're going on Monday 1st, coming back on the 4th, so it is only 3 days really.

I'm being badgered to walk the dog, will pop back later.

 

[Maintainer]

oooh that is annoying not being able to get online. I hope David gets everything sorted while you're out walking the dog.

I really was determined not to buy any larger clothes. Having stayed stable for three years (including some increases on holidays and subsequent immediate weight losses), I knew that this gain was related to my cigarette quit or, rather, my bad food behaviour after my other crutch was removed... but in the end I just had to admit that size 14 wasn't the end of the world, and I actually look ok in most clothes, just not in my size 12s which I bulge out of in a most unattractive fashion!!!

I updated my ticker this morning (lost 2lbs yesterday) but that's a sure sign of a low carb day and lots of water consumed. Somehow I can never stick to my 3 litres minimum a day when out of the office, be it on holiday or at home at weekends...

Any different noises at night can disturb me as I'm a very light sleeper. I was just telling a colleague that my cat woke me at 5.30am yowling from the lounge as she obviously had "lost" her playmate (Minnie was curled up on the bed with us). Once awake, that's it for me so I'm yawning well today and that's probably why I'm sitting here with a jumper and cardigan on top, blue hands(!), yet my officemate is wearing a shortsleeved tshirt and wants the window open!!!

 

[clairejen]

I'm always the one who wakes in the night too, or who wakes for the alarm or telephone. Luckily I can usually get to sleep again unless the noises keep on (in noises include DH snoring).

We've given in and turned the heating on, there's no point being frozen and miserable. No heat in the bedroom yet though, I don't want the dog panting all night. Do you think feeling the cold and weight gain are related? I sometimes wonder if I could use the food I eat to generate heat, rather than pad out my thighs, but I don't know how to make it happen. I read an article about it once, something to do with brown fat, but I didn't find out how to prompt it. The people who experimented with the system felt very warm, ate loads and lost weight - sounds ideal doesn't it.

2lbs is a great loss, well done. Size 14 is not fat, except for people under 5 feet tall I suppose, but I'm with you on wanting to wear what I already have but without the bulges. Since I work from home it is mostly jeans and fleeces anyway, and I am due to buy new jeans if I can find any I like. Fitting is harder as you lose weight isn't it, strikes me that fat will sort of squidge around so as long as the size is right the fit sort of adapts itself, now I have to be more particular to get a reasonable looking fit. Add to that the problem of finding jeans which aren't low-waisted (I don't want a muffin-top) and the whole process becomes a drag.

We always share the bed with our pets too, perhaps that's why we have a kingsize bed and only one dog! Animals seem to get heavier during the night somehow, and acquire large areas of duvet.

 

[Maintainer]

oooh how I wish we could put the heating on. These modern apartment buildings in the City are all very well most of the year but not when there's an unexpected cold snap out of traditional heating season. Brrrr! (I could of course buy a plug in heater, for the two weeks a year I need it, but I fell for that one with an air conditioning unit and now it encumbers my tiny lounge for the 51.5 weeks a year I don't need it!).

I definitely feel the cold far more now that I'm slimmer. I used to wear tshirts year round and didn't own a "real wool" sweater. Funnily enough, they're not very easy to find these days. Anything other than wool in the East of France in the colder months isn't worth putting on! I even bought thermal vests last year (very unsexy but sooo warm) when it got to minus 14°C one weekend last year!

Another 1.5lbs lost so I now weigh what I did last Saturday (aka "before binge"!). No problems sticking to plan but have a birthday dinner party tonight with my 14 year old godson so will be consuming the unavoidable slice of birthday cake and glass of champagne. Strict the rest of the day though and have planned "nice" but low calorie meals for the weekend (from market: King prawns for Sunday lunch; fresh salmon steaks for dinner with a load of veg. Saturday always omelette for lunch, and will send Rich out to find nice steaks for dinner while I'm having my highlights done.)

Aside from the problems you outline above when buying jeans, what is difficult too I find is that you buy a nice tight fitting pair which makes you look nice in the changing rooms, wear them for an hour, and they're suddenly not "tight fitting" any longer. I hate that baggy round the bum look yet seem to get that in most jeans which seemingly fit me in the shops! (Mind you, I can't even do *those* jeans up at the moment, so a baggy bum appeals right now!).

What you say above about clothes sizes etc, and squeezing into whatever size, also is so true so I can't comprehend how people can "go by their clothes" and not by the scales. I can go 7lbs either way and still wear the same clothes and depending on whether freshly washed, or 1 hour old, changes the whole "fit" anyway!

We have a big (160 x 200) bed in the City, but the normal double size (140 x 190) at the house. The cats are not impressed at the latter in the slightest but the double size in France corresponds exactly to double in England (so I can buy bedding in the UK which is far cheaper). King size in the UK unfortunately (unless things have changed) are or were 150 x 200 so the fitted sheets don't fit here! (Is that right? Do you know the size of your bed?)

 

[clairejen]

Hi, cold and wet again here but at least I feel brighter than yesterday when I had a bad headache and went to bed early. Well done to lose yet more, it must be very satisfying to see it disappear like that. I'm the same as yesterday, despite the DD. I can't be bothered at the moment, I'll sort out where I'm going when I get back next week.

Cake is horrendously calorific, but a small slice will be lovely won't it. And it can be fitted into a low calorie day without ruining everything. Your weekend menus sound delicious, we haven't had any interesting fish on the market lately, probably to do with the weather. We live near the coast so the shellfish and some flatfish tend to be local.

Winters here just don't seem to be really cold any more, frosts are rare and snow even rarer. But the dampness makes it seem colder, it seeps into your clothing and is generally miserable - I'd choose a bright frosty day over that. Minus 14 might be a bit too much though, you definitely need good woollies. Although I own real wool sweaters I mostly wear fleeces because they are so much easier to wash and dry.

Buying jeans is always difficult for me as my thighs are my biggest problem, once I've found a style which fits my legs it is usually miles too big around the waist. They definitely have to be bought on the tight side as they ease up a lot. I was hoping to get some cheaply in Tesco but have left it too late, nothing there between an 8 and an 18 now. They do have some nice fitted cashmere sweaters for £35, but I really don't need any, must be sensible.

Yes UK kingsize is 150x200, not particularly large but better than a standard double when shared with a German Shepherd cross. Superking is 180x200 so that wouldn't fit yours either. Have you looked at German sizes? Do you have continental square pillows or UK style? That must make a difference when choosing bedlinen sets.

 

[Maintainer]

"unfortunately" (and I'm saying this tongue in cheek of course) my godson loves all things chocolate (good lad) so I should be guaranteed a chocolate fudge cake (at the very least) (mmm).

It's true that winters, in England and most of France, are far too temperate now and like you I'd far sooner a bright crisp day. We have lots of them over in the East of France which is another reason for me to absolutely love going there in the winter too. While winter to me here in the city means getting dressed up for the cold walk to the train, stripping off and sweating on public transport, wrapping up again for the walk to work, then generally being overheated in the office... in the country it necessary involves wrapping up warm, long walks, mugs of hot chocolate, and lazy evenings by a log fire... far nicer all round!

I haven't looked at German bed sizes for linen (not sure where I'd buy the linen!), but the 140 size is good for buying in England. We bought our pillows (rectangular), duvets and bed linen (at Argos!) for the three doubles in the country in the UK; in the city however we've gone along with French and so the pillows are square. I hate square pillows! They take up too much of the length of the bed! As for those horrible "bolster" pillows you often find in hotels over here, they're positively horrid!

 

[Maintainer]

Morning,

and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening out last night. I don't very often go out for meals these days so it was particularly nice to choose from a menu (without restraint) and not have to wash up afterwards! No birthday cake or champagne, as that's happening Saturday night (I'm not going though!), but I ate lovely feuilletes au fromage for starter, salmon with green beans (sounds healthy and tasted delicious but was very fatty and the beans were so nice I suspect butter came into play!), then chocolate crepe for dessert. I admit to having a moment's disappointment as I saw my crepe come to an end, and realised that we were just having the one, but went to bed very full compared to normal!

Lost 0.5lb yesterday despite that, so no damage done and ticker updated. Four weeks until next "holiday" so will I make it this time to "target"? I doubt it! These short breaks are badly timed to just not quite give me the time to get there. Will certainly try though.

Is today the last time we chat before your holiday? I really hope things go well for you and that the weather doesn't spoil things. Updated weather forecast shows warmer temperatures than last time we checked, but more rain potentially... ah well.

I'm wearing a polo necked jumper today and am fed up with feeling cold!

 

[clairejen]

Hi, it is very chilly here too, and we have yet more rain. I'm not too worried about rain on holiday, providing it doesn't bucket down non-stop, and will have waterproofs with me anyway. It will be nice to have a bit of warmth for a change. We leave fairly early on Monday, nothing ridiculous though, so I doubt I'll be on the pc then but I'll be back on here on Friday. I am really looking forwards to the break, and the lovely patisserie and restaurant meals - although not cassoulet which I do not get on with, my digestive system can't cope with the beans.

I so agree about bolsters, who could possibly find them comfortable? I think they are a ploy to avoid having pillowcases. I don't know what bed linen the apartment we are hiring will have, but since the owner is Spanish and married to an Englishman it could be anything.

Your meal sounds delicious, and to have lost after it too is truly amazing. I'm the same weight again this morning after the UD yesterday so I guess I won't have hit target before going away but I'd accepted that already. When I get back I will be a bit stricter for a couple of weeks and hopefully see the desired results. Your aim of 11lbs in four weeks would be totally impossible for me but you lose much faster than I do so fingers crossed you will make it. It strikes me you are getting over the worst of the metabolism slowing effects of giving up smoking, does it seem like that to you?

 

[Maintainer]

11lbs in four weeks will I know be impossible. Although it might look as if I lose weight fast, the weight I keep losing at twice the speed of light are the pounds I pile on quickly as soon as I eat too many carbs. So in effect I'm simply losing and regaining the same bit, over and again.

Since making the concentrated effort with you to get back to my target, I've never been within 5lbs of it and even that close makes all the difference with clothes fitting badly... so I'm sure I can lose the 6lbs I'm up from my holiday, as they've only been in situ less than a fortnight, the other 5lbs have been there longer so I doubt it!

As for my metabolism and smoking and dieting, I haven't a clue where I am... it's true that I lose easily but I gain easily too so the two counter each other out! So unless and until I hit target, I'm still just as far away with this constant yoyoing. Trouble is, I have ANOTHER week away planned end October (these lovely long French Bank Holiday weekends make it very easy to stretch to a week with just a couple of extra days)...

 

[clairejen]

We both seem to have been struggling rather on the final stretch, in my case I just think I haven't really been trying enough, my DDs are fine then I let my UDs go sky high. In some respects I want to increase my intake because I want a "normal for JUDDD" eating pattern, and it does give me somewhere to cut down from if I need to lose a bit. I still think you'll find the stubborn 5lbs easier than you did a few months ago, it maybe looks different from my viewpoint.

I envy your bank holidays, we have very few here, not that they make much difference to me since David is always off sailing then.

 

[Maintainer]

Oh I haven't been trying hard enough either! I'm very much an all or nothing dieter at the moment. I'm either dieting or overeating, and ne'er the twain do meet!

It's true that we are very spoilt with Bank Holidays here at the moment but, as the holidays are celebrated on the exact date they fall rather than the Monday after, if a holiday (like Christmas) falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it's tough luck and we just work through!

Have a good weekend!

 

[clairejen]

Official weigh in result - 9st7.75lbs. So I didn't quite make it but was within a pound, worth a celebration I think (doing small happy dance). And I am encouraged that my higher but not maintenance level DDs are still producing a loss, it implies that my metabolism is working atthe right level.

 

[clairejen]

Last post from me before I go tomorrow morning. I hope you have had a good weekend and work isn't too boring. I'll be back Thursday night, not a long holiday but very welcome. The forecasts have improved and it is now looking like any rain will be shortlived. I'm not making any promises about not eating, how much damage can four days do? But I will make sure I enjoy it.

I didn't realise your bank holidays were so rigidly attached to dates, I suppose I should have realised if I'd thought about it as we have come unstuck with unexpected jours de fête in the past.

 

[Maintainer]

Darn I fear I might have missed you, and can't wish you a happy holiday! Congratulations on such a great final weigh in and, as you say, how much damage can four days do? Whatever damage might be caused, the best thing is to get STRAIGHT back on plan as soon as you get home and the weight will shift fast.

I had a good weekend, both on the food front and on the relaxing front. We bought plenty of fresh foods at the market so I ate more than I do during the week, but lots of fresh fruits and just five small chocolates last night.

I shall look forward to hearing how it goes and the weather is definitely now going to be better than we first thought

 

[Maintainer]

Hope your holiday is going well. It's turned far milder here, thank goodness (although peculiarly enough NOT in my flat where it is still decidedly chilly in the evening!) and so you must be having even better weather where you are in the South.

I've not bothered changing my ticker, as I've gained 100g but that doesn't change the pounds and stone value as I round anyway. No reason for it except that I've noticed before that sometimes Sunday's excesses take a day to appear! Ah well. I continue!