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

[Maintainer]

oooh great to have your news Claire (and Tash of course!). I kept wondering how it was going and checking whether you'd posted. Your weight is absolutely fabulous! Maybe you'll be able to relax a little about it now? (silly me!!). So do you have a lunch break? Do you take your own food in?

I was the only one in the meeting at lunchtime to pull out her own food and more than one person raised an eyebrow. Tough! I had a huge domed portion of undressed salad with lots of chicken and a lovely runny boiled egg (my latest "thing" - they have to be runny!). They had "wraps", which were yellow in colour (interesting, but I saw lots of people surreptitiously removing the filling from same and leaving the yellow envelope...!); baguette sandwiches (aaah that evil white bread!); bagels (now I could have broken someone's arm for a bite of their bagel!); teeny tiny portions of salad; and a tonne of cakes. There was no need to "resist" as such as I didn't go near the table, and just dug into my fromage blanc 0% for pudding! Feeling hungry (psychological, I'll bet!) at the moment, mind you...

 

[clairejen]

First week over, and I am soooo tired. The combination of the show, the job, and eating at weird times is taking its toll. Next week will be better as I will be able to rearrange my times once the current girl leaves. Weight still 9st5.5lbs, but I think I will be up a bit by Sunday as we are going for a curry tonight and then have an aftershow party tomorrow. I'll have to give a speech (ugh) but otherwise it should be nice to relax at last.

Well done on the weight Tash, you should see a lot more go now you've left the plateau.

Joanne, how very restrained of you to stick to your salad and fb. I've not been taking a lunch break as the girl I am taking over from works through too. So I've been starting the day with oat pancakes for breakfast (they are my new thing, and keep me well satisfied through the extended morning) then have "lunch" when I get home about 3.00pm. At the moment I am not eating dinner until after the show, assuming I fancy anything, and up and down days are being ignored rather as every day is working out somewhere in the middle.

 

[clairejen]

Monday morning again, and I should be at my heaviest point of the week. Scales say 9st6.75 this morning, so it is looking good. It is quite a relief to have finished the show, it went really well and cleared a tiny profit so I am delighted with it but well ready for a rest. I'll be off to work in half an hour or so, another day of trying to remeber loads of stuff and make hundreds of notes - the girl who is leaving has only got two days left so has things she has to finish as well as telling me how to do everything.

How are you both today, good weekends I hope?

 

[Maintainer]

hello there - sorry to be late, and in a hurry

Gosh yes Claire your life is very very busy at the moment. Working through lunch certainly makes for a big gap between breakfast and lunch!

Things a bit manic here, as I'm in training this afternoon and boss left on Friday and I'm sorting out all the cr*p she left in there. No idea when someone else will move into it, so need to clear it pronto, but archiving, sorting, throwing out etc required...

This weekend (in the city) involved lots of walking Saturday and clothes shopping for us both... Sunday was the market, preparation of lots of fresh food and Gala dinner last night, and swapped dessert for a bowl of chocolate last night, mmm! But doled out by R (the chocolate!), and restrained quantity (for me!)...

off now to eat before training... enjoy!

 

[clairejen]

New boss, that will be interesting. What is the training for? I need to do clothes shopping too, the office girls dress much as I expected, smart(ish) trousers and shirts. I have enough to get by but could do with some more trousers which aren't linen - ironing is my pet hate.

Work was OK, I think I'll enjoy the work once I know the system better and I like the people there. Tomorrow is the last day for asking questions then Karen leaves and I will be on my own.

 

[Maintainer]

Claire - frankly the idea of another new boss leaves me cold. Since I've worked here, I've worked for 28 different people! (some left the firm, some switched offices/departments etc).

Ironically really given where I am, the dress code here is very very casual. Blue denim only on Fridays, but jean type styles in cotton fine the rest of the week! No one on the administrative side wears suits or tailored clothes... nice and easy to grab some cotton trousers and a tshirt in the morning! Must be ironed though (you'll need to get yourself a cleaner now Claire... mine does my ironing!).

New jobs/bosses are always strange at the outset until you fully know the system/how everything functions...

Tash - how's tricks?

All well my end. Bowl of chocolate Sunday evening hasn't upset my apple cart and I'm continuing my stabilisation without being (too) tempted to return to extra protein days to lose the 1.3K I still see on the scales!

 

[clairejen]

Phew, what a long day, we didn't take a break except for present giving for Karen's leaving, so my food intake since breakfast has been one cream bun! Talk about unhealthy. Tomorrow I shalll try to renegotiate my hours, same total but doing five mornings 9-1.30ish plus one afternoon, at least I will get a bit of solid time to myself then.

28 is a heck of a lot of bosses, enough to breed a little cynicism I imagine. Good to hear the chocolate had no ill effects. I was just under 9st7lbs again this morning, quite happy with that fotr now. I'll have another think about it when I am fully settled in at work.

Better go and submit my time sheets, they pay us weekly there as temps.

 

[Maintainer]

Amazing really when seen in writing (28 bosses!) but we tend to have 3 or 4 lawyers at a time, so I did get to work for a few for several years before they quit! (Not that I'm sensitive or anything! haaaa!).

I agree with you, Claire, 9.30am to 1.30pm is much more civilised than doing your current hours. They might prefer it even. As for your cream bun lunch, how fabulous! After all, if we were counting calories, that's exactly the sort of choice we could make! I doubt my chicken and boiled egg lunch salad was fewer calories... (but it might fill me up all afternoon, I hope!!).

Finally, a ray of sunshine! The sun has been too shy for too long. I was even COLD this morning in my short sleeved tshirt!

When's your holiday, Claire? I'm counting down, of course - five weeks Friday I go back to the house for a week. R is staying there for the week next week, and I'm to'ing and fro'ing on the train Monday and Friday... I'm meeting a fellow D***nian next Tuesday evening! That'll be nervewracking for me!!

 

[clairejen]

Back from work at last, it has been quite a hard day. What should have been a clean start was marred by errors made after I left yesterday so we lost quite a bit of time sorting that out. At least my boss now knows I am thorough and can pick these mistakes up. I am also stupid, I shut my finger in the door on my way out of the house this morning, never done that before and boy did it hurt.

It is similarly non-summery here, quite warm but very grey, more like autumn really. Our office is warm though so I don't need cardigans yet - just as well since I only possess one totally inappropriate one! My holiday is just the one week now, 20th to 28th June so just over two weeks away, and I am more than ready for it. I like your idea of travelling by train from the house, although going back to an empty flat during the week will be strange. Is the fellow dieter someone you know anyway or just got to know through the diet?

My weight is still unchanged, so I must be doing something right. My colleage with whom I share an office is naturally skinny, about my age, she eats non-stop and never puts on an ounce. I am insanely jealous. Never mind, at least I am not trying to lose any, that would be hard under such circumstances.

 

[clairejen]

Up bright and early this morning to a lovely sunny day. Time to wear my white suit to work I think, if I don't take the plunge and wear it soon I will lose my nerve. Also it still just about fits me whereas I notice that some of my trousers are hanging rather. This weekend I shall do a bit of sewing and make sure what few work clothes I do have actually fit me!

Scales showing 9st5.5lbs this morning, and I can feel that it is for real. Definitely feeling slimmer, and the clothes problem proves it. I think I shall try and stay at about this level, I don't want to buy a whole new wardrobe, especially when I hate the current styles in the shops.

I had another dance class last night, it is good to be back moving again, with all the nights given over to rehearsals I had to let the dancing slide. I'm sure it is good for me too, keeping the muscles toned and joints moving has got to help.

Looks like I'll be on my own quite a bit of the weekend as David is running a sailing competition. I've got tons of things to catch up on, this working malarkey doesn't half cut into your time!

 

[Maintainer]

Morning,
Your white suit sounds lovely. I do so love white although the day I choose to wear it will be the day I spill my lunch! As for cardigans, I really don't like them so only own a few myself and definitely do not like the layered baggy look they give off.

Your weight really does seem to have stabilised nicely at a good weight for you. You're right to sort out your wardrobe at whatever weight you blow the whistle at, and then get rid of anything else. Then there's no leeway to ever regain any, not that I think you ever would...

My dinner RV on Tuesday evening is with a girl I "met" on ST... she's not yet on Conso (but ought to be in my opinion, but is going on her holidays in 10 days, so I understand her reticence to go into Phase 3 too early). We're meeting in the Chinese quarter, to go round the Chinese supermarket, me to get some advice on how to cook some things, then to a restaurant. She'll be on PL, me Gala, shame eh?!!

So Tash...?

 

[tashy100]

Hi Guys

Nice to hear you both sounding upbeat.

Must be good Claire to have finished the show, started a new job and be light as a feather!!!! AND going on holiday soon!!!Must feel like a bit of a weight off - (no pun intended!!)

Another holiday Joanne - how fab and good to see that you can eat chocolate without any problems after (not that eating chocolate is EVER a problem).

I am feeling good!! Weight slowly going down - combination of low calorie and low carb eating. No bread, pasta, chocolate cake, biscuit, cereal, fruit. Plenty of cheese, fish, meat and salads. Been a bit 'bunged up' but better now .

Also have just remortgaged as my 4.75% fixed rate comes to an end this month and I was anticipating a much larger repayment. Happily though its much less than I thought!!!!

Woohoo - poverty doesnt strike!!

 

[Maintainer]

Morning girls and TGIF!

Tash - alas not me on holiday, no... another five weeks until my next break... but I'm off to the house in the country tonight for the weekend which is always a good break for me... (even if I'll have to leave my man and two cats there and returning on the train JUST before yet another strike starts so I mightn't be able to return on Friday 13th!).

Low carb definitely works for weight loss (and intestinal issues! I know exactly what you mean Tash!) but stabilisation isn't easy. I had hoped not to have to "diet" for the rest of my life but at the moment I doubt it's possible for me...

I'm thinking about taking a slightly different approach to stabilisation (just thinking about it, mind you): having a look at the old "mind issues" behind my binge eating. A kind person is helping me via internet, I have a book on order that she recommends, and I have to admit that while I don't really feel ready for too much navel gazing and would sooner continue banging on to get rid of the last 3lbs I want to lose AGAIN, I'm on a treadmill and keep regaining some, relosing it, bingeing, and off I go again.

It's a behavioural thing with me, that's for sure, and I've never looked at the "mind side" of things too seriously before... banning my trigger foods has always been my way, but if including them daily might "cure" the problem, I ought to look at something different.

I'm looking into it at in any event... I see even on this site (so this issue isn't solely linked to the diet I followed) that many people with great weight loss success stories are back at the drawing board... depressing really! Concentrating on the weight alone, for people with eating disorders I hasten to add - something which fortunately neither of you suffer from I KNOW - is not the end of the road...

Anyway sorry about all that offloading, and have a great weekend!

 

[clairejen]

Hi, somehow I didn't have time to get on here before work today, probably because David was away and I had to do all the morning stuff. I was very good last night and dragged the sewing machine out to alter some things which were hanging off me. I now have two more wearable skirts and another pair of trousers (with a matching jacket which luckily didn't need altering). Back up to 9st7lbs this morning, I'm not too surprised at the fluctuation and it might have gone by tomorrow.

Life sounds good Tash, and you are being very restrained. I'm way too fond of carbs to cut them out like that! Things are pretty hectic here but I feel on top of it all - just about. And soooo looking forwards to my holiday. Even having a weekend to myself is bliss, and I'm still excited at the thought of having evenings in - pathetic or what.

Joanne, I'm sure you are onto something with the mind thing, and I also think it has a physiological side. I was looking into insulin spikes a few weeks ago as I was finding I had strong carb urges on up days and tending to overeat. I've changed my breakfast and now eat something oat based which is low GI and keeps me from wanting to eat throughout the morning. I wonder if binge eaters have less effective insulin receptors so don't respond to the enough signals when eating carbs. I'll be very interested to hear what your researches throw up.

Have a great weekend both of you.

 

[clairejen]

Hi all, and I'm back from work and have eaten my salad and yogurt. Scales were up rather alarmingly this morning, but I did eat masses on Saturday night and quite a lot yesterday too. It goes like that sometimes. So hopefully a restrained rest of the week.

How are you both today? Enjoying the sunshine? It must be strange to be back in the city on your own Joanne. Are you going to break out and do anything in the evenings, apart from your D***n meet-up of course?

 

[Maintainer]

how weird - I wrote you guys a LONG post yesterday and it's gone! I wonder if I was censored! How funny!

That's put me right off my stride... how's tricks girls? I'm fine - but cross if I've been moderated - will come back later in case it's the site playing silly b's because I'm sure I saw above message from Claire early yesterday too yet it's showing as being posted "17 hours ago" only...

 

[KD]

I'm fine - but cross if I've been moderated - will come back later in case it's the site playing silly b's because I'm sure I saw above message from Claire early yesterday too yet it's showing as being posted "17 hours ago" only...

That is weird. I'm sure nobody has deleted anything you've written Joanne, you're certainly not being moderated

I'll alert Pierce though.

 

[Mini]

how weird - I wrote you guys a LONG post yesterday and it's gone! I wonder if I was censored! How funny!

That's put me right off my stride... how's tricks girls? I'm fine - but cross if I've been moderated - will come back later in case it's the site playing silly b's because I'm sure I saw above message from Claire early yesterday too yet it's showing as being posted "17 hours ago" only...

The last post before this one was posted four days ago.

No one has moderated your post and the only thing I can think of is that you clicked preview post instead of submit reply.

Which can and does happen as I have done it myself on occasion.

Love Mini xxx

 

[Maintainer]

oooh gosh sorry KD and Mini (hello you two!! how are you both?!),

Yes I guess I must have mis-hit a key or something then... hmm... I wonder what I nattered about yesterday (diets? Yeah I bet it was that!!).

Oooh also yes Claire tonight is the evening I get to go to a Chinese supermarket with a "native" (albeit one born here) who will show me what's what... note to self: take pen and paper. Then out for a quick bite to eat, but she's ordering so that I don't stay in my safety zone (oh and no carbs of course!!).

Hope all's well Claire (KD, and Mini)... Tash too?

Lovely hot day today - we'd better make the most of it since it's due to end soon... shucks!

 

[clairejen]

Hi Joanne, that sounds fun - wach out for the frozen squid! I am back down to 9st6.5lbs, sighs with relief. I was naughty and skipped class last night, it was way too hot for dancing.

Work is still new enough to be fun, and I managed to clear a load of things from my desk, always a satisfying feeling. It is good to get home again too and know that the rest of the time is my own (domestic duties aside). Yesterday I went to see my niece, who has just found out she is pregnant again, why do these women not realise how much pleasanter it is to have kittens or puppies instead of babies?