Where There's a Will, There's a Weigh.................

On my previous blogpost, I was bemoaning the problems I've been having with my weight.

Over the last couple of years, the medication I was taking gave me terrible sugar cravings.

How am I doing?

My starting weight was 11st 2lbs. I'm only just over 5ft 3ins.

My usual weight has always been between

8st 12lb and 9st 7lbs.

None of my clothes fitted me. The more weight I put on, the less I was moving about.

When my size 16 trousers started to pinch................enough!

I'd read that one of the tablets recommended for the treatment of fibromyalgia has weight loss as a side effect..................

Ooooh.............I'll have some of that, I thought!

So, last week, I made an appointment with my doctor.

It was well worth the visit!

I told him of my plan. He was well impressed that I'd already managed to lose 4lbs during the previous fortnight.

(Some of my diet tips are at the end of this post)............

He agreed the extra weight wasn't helping me and gave me a prescription for the alternative tablets.

At the moment, I am taking a half dose of the old one. (I've been on them for 9 years, so I need to tail them off gradually.)

I love my Doctor!

The sugar cravings are definitely going and I have lost another 3lbs........WOOHOO!!!!!!!!

But, best of all...........I got in a pair of size 14 trousers today. YAY!!

I'd do a cartwheel........................

............but not with my bad back!

I'm feeling very positive, but it's early days yet.

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Diet Hint and Tips

1. Start the day with a good breakfast.

I have only one boiled egg............

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2. Drink plenty of fluids................

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3. A glass or two of wine won't hurt............

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4. Make sure there is plenty of fibre in your diet....................

Coconut's supposed to be VERY good for fibre.

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5. Don't forget your '5 a day'..................

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6. Cut down on cakes. I only have one piece a week now..................

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Finally...............

Don't forget...............

and..................

...........however good you are at doing the laundry..................

Do you have any dieting tips to pass on?

Don't forget to pop back and see how I get on!

Seeing the Error of my Weighs!.....................

Hello, my dear Bloggeroos!

Some of you know that I have been having trouble with my weight over the last few years.

This has been mainly due to my medication. I've never had a sweet tooth, but these tablets give me terrible sugar cravings.

Remember my struggle with Coco Pops addiction?

The Monkey Made Me Do It

I'm also less active as the Fibromyalgia causes painful joints, so I have to pace myself.

I had a terrible moment this morning when I stepped onto my bathroom scales.

I'd already decided last week that something had to be done when I weighed in at 11st 2lbs! (156lbs)

Before I developed Fibromyalgia, my weight was always between

8st 12lbs (124lbs) and 9st 7lbs (133lbs).

Even during pregnancy, my top weight was only

10st 4lbs (144lbs).

I've been looking at ways to tackle this, but more of that later............

Today, when I cleaned the bathroom, I'd left the scales on the landing.

I'd been downstairs tidying up. I went back up to put my clean clothes away.

As I replaced the scales on the bathroom floor, I stepped on them. (As yer do!)

OMG!

12 stone?!

That's IMPOSSIBLE!

I felt completely crestfallen.......................

...............until I realised..................

..............under my arm.................

..........was...............

...........a basket of clothes!

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I've already lost 4lbs just from cutting down.

Also, I'm going to try some gentle exercise with a view to improving my suppleness and stamina. (Then I could maybe manage a proper Keep Fit class.)

I've got an appointment with my doctor this afternoon to discuss trying a different tablet.

Watch this space!

Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear?.......................

Hello my dear Bloggeroos!

I hope you are all well.

Today, I have a tale from my childhood. It's about Mumsie's attempt to reproduce my Nanna's recipe for "Pineapple Surprise."

I was going to call this blogpost "Pudding on the Agony."

But that would be toooooo daft. Even for me!

(Imagine now, if you will, that the screen is going swirly, the world is in black and white, and Perry Como is crooning quietly on the radio.....)

Now I've got you zoned in, I'll begin..................

My Nanna was a wonderful woman, if not a bit fierce!

She had a hard life.

She married a man much older than herself, so she was widowed at 55, and left to bring up eight children single handed.

She was a fantastic and VERY resourceful cook. She worked quickly and methodically.

(My Dad told me that he often wondered if Nanna had once worked in a casino as she buttered the bread and threw it around to each person's plate so fast!)

Nanna really loved her food, she was an enormous woman; almost 6 feet tall and she weighed over 20 stone (280lbs).

We all loved her and miss her to this day, but..............

she could be quite sharp............and..............

we were scared to death of her!

She was particularly fond of desserts and puddings.

During the War, Lincolnshire was home to many American airmen.

One of my Aunties was a very stunning young woman and made friends with some of them.

I don't know how many, but let's just say she never ran out of nylons!

These delightful young men, had a very strange habit of also handing out various treats to the local beauties, such as sweets, jars of jam, and, of all things, tins of Pineapple Chunks!

Obviously, they were gratefully received, but one tin of Pineapple Chunks didn't go far between an adult and eight children, so Nanna came up with a recipe of Pineapple Surprise.

She would make up a HUGE load of Bird's custard made with evaporated milk and pour in the pineapple chunks.

The "surprise" bit was if you actually managed to find a piece of the delicious fruit!

"Surprise - I got one!"

It became a family favourite.

Over the years, as the rationing ended and more of the children left home - there would be far more pineapple and much less custard!

By 1963, when I was a little girl the recipe amounts were now about half and half.

One day, Mumsie put a large glass serving dish on the table, and proudly announced that she had made us all "Pineapple Surprise."

Nanna had come for Tea that day. She sighed heavily, leaned across the table and started shoving the bits of pineapple around with the serving spoon, as if checking for an unexploded bomb.

Nanna: (sucking some of the custard of the spoon.)You didn't ask me for the recipe, did you?

Mumsie: (indignantly.) Pineapple, custard......How hard can it be?

Nanna: Have you ACTUALLY tasted it?

(She held out the spoon.)

Mumsie: Errrr.....no...... (she had a little taste.) Oooh 'eck! It tastes nothing like yours. What have I done wrong?

Nanna: Did you make up the custard with evaporated milk?

Mumsie: (nodding her head vigorously) Of course I did!

Nanna: How did you make up the milk........exactly?

Mumsie: With water......how it said to do it on the milk tin.

Nanna: You didn't make it up with the pineapple juice?

Mumsie: Errr.......no. Was I supposed to?

Nanna: Yep!

Mumsie: Oooops.................I drank it!

Nanna: Ooooh our Aud - you're such a greedy bitch!

(Then she smiled and added,)

Still, that's NO surprise!

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I'm still very hit and miss with my postings. I've still got things going on here.

Tomorrow, I'm having a new loft hatch put in.

That'll get rid of the last of my clutter with any luck!