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I have been informed that the email subscription on Blogger is being discontinued and I am unable to access the list of people who have subscribed via email.

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17th July 2021..... Eat Less, Move More.....My Candid Weight Loss Diary.

17th July 2021

Well I have to say that the first week of my weight loss journey has been really positive and  successful. I am very grateful to all the fabulous and encouraging comments I have received. 

If you wish to comment I am on Instagram Orangecoffee1969 If you already follow me on any social media platform please comment or share my posts if you think they will help anyone with eating issues.

If you read my first post you will know that sugar is my Achilles heel. Today is day 12 with no sugary food and I am actually feeling good. 

The first few days were very hard because my body wanted the sugar, it craved the sweet taste, the sugar rush and the emotional hit. After a few days I realised that I wasn’t having cravings anymore. 

I genuinely feel lighter, less bloated and less lethargic. My goal is to be healthier again so I feel this is a good start. I am waiting for the results of  a blood test to see if I am pre-diabetic, and that is a very good incentive to be sensible.

I also want to wear fabulous clothes again and look good. I am lucky to have got some lovely dresses in a size 18, but when you are 5 foot tall being smaller makes the clothes look better.  I want to feel like the confident person I used to be rather than walking around with a confident façade like I have been doing since re-gaining the weight.  

It is so easy to walk around pretending I am not as big as I am until that moment I see  a photograph or my reflection and realise I don’t look as good as I thought. This would previously have plunged me into a sugar binge because one look in the mirror could cause me to lose hope in ever getting my figure back. 

Right now I am trying to use positivity to help keep me on track and losing weight this week has been a really good boost. This week I have lost two pounds, I am more than happy with that because slow weight loss tends to stay off. 

To achieve weight loss every week I will need to keep an eye on what else I am eating and also move more. I have decided that for my first month I will be happy to aim for more than 10,000 steps 4 times a week and 20 minutes of Pilates and floor exercises 4 times a week. This may seem low effort but I would like to get my body used to moving more again as I have been quite lethargic this last year. I put that down to over consumption of sugar, the menopause and the general situation we have all been in. My Pilates and floor exercises are not listed with my steps this time because I have only done a few 5 minute sessions to alleviate back pain. 

My aim is to increase my exercise levels as I go along and join a gym when I am feeling a little fitter. Living in a flat does mean that I cannot use gym equipment and do exercise videos at home as it would be really unfair on the lady who lives below me. This is not an excuse, it is common courtesy to a neighbour. 

My step count below, taken from my Apple watch, is a good start. My average had gone down to around 6,700 steps a day up until recently and so this, in my book, is progress. 

 

Date	Steps walked
10th July 2021	10,012
11th July 2021	11,164
12th July 2021	10,881
13th July 2021	10,400
14th July 2021	10,079
15th July 2021	9,378
16th July 2021	10,243
Total	72,157

Losing the weight is a fabulous feeling even when it is just a small amount. I know that it can grow gradually to a big loss and I know how good that feels. I will add my stats to each weight loss blog post as I feel it is encouraging to myself and to anyone else who is losing weight. 

Date	Stats		Notes
10th  July 2021	Weight	176 pounds  (79.832 Kg)
	Dress size	UK 18
17th July 2021	Weight	174 pounds (78.925 Kg)	2 pounds lost
	Dress size	UK 18

  

My eating issues are all psychological and I am never afraid to admit that. There is a huge stigma around mental health issues and there shouldn't be. I am currently paying for sessions with a brilliant psychotherapist who specialises in eating issues among other things. The sessions are held via Zoom and you can book as many as you need. I am aware that there will be a lot of people who cannot afford to pay for this service, but if you can, then go to: 

www.goodmentalhealth.co.uk 

A 25 minutes session costs £20 and a 50 minute session costs £35 so for me the cost is partially offset by the fact that I am not buying mountains of sugary food to binge on. It is a shame that there is not more help available on the NHS but the resources just aren't there. 

I will continue writing these posts and hope that each time there is a weight loss to report, however small. A positive mindset is imperative right now so I shall keep smiling.

Eat Less, Move More........ My Candid Weight Loss Diary. (Introduction)

 Introduction

I have struggled with my weight and eating on and off for years, I have lost loads and put it back on in typical yo-yo dieting fashion. I have had binge eating and vomiting issues and seen psychologists. I have used hypnotherapy and I went for three years with no sugary treats, puddings, sweets etc. When it comes down to it I know I have to eat less and move more as that is the only way to lose weight. Sadly my eating issues, especially around sugar, mean that it is not as simple as it sounds.

In 2018 I thought I had cracked it with the Paul McKenna hypnotism book and CD, Get Control of Sugar. I stopped eating sugary food and lost 34 pounds. Three years later I made the mistake of starting to eat sugar again. A year later I have gone from a size 12 to a size 18 and put on more weight than I lost.

In principal I don’t agree with cutting out any kind of food, unless you have an allergy of course, but sadly sugar is my nemesis and it has to go.

I won’t be eating any cakes, sweets, biscuits, chocolates, puddings etc.    

I will be eating fruit as I am not so bad with natural sugar.

Yes there is sugar in foods like bread and that is not an issue.        

I don’t like alcohol so that is one sugary thing I don’t need to worry about.

I avoid as many processed foods as possible so the sugar in the occasional processed thing won’t be an issue.

For various psychological reasons I will binge on cakes, sweets, chocolates, biscuits etc until I feel sick and am in pain. The pain of feeling so full and the disgust after bingeing is so abhorrent at the time yet so easily forgotten. You forget the stomach pain and the desire to be empty where it would be better to keep hold of that feeling and use it as a valuable tool. The exhaustion, lethargy and headaches that follow should also be a deterrent but are not.

I am dealing with these issues with a private psychotherapist and it is worth every penny. It is so valuable to be able to discuss how I feel, why I eat and how to stop. I should have listened to him weeks ago when he suggested that I give up the sugar again, but I am a stubborn old bag at the best of times.

The other issue I have is the menopause. (I said it would be an honest diary.) I don’t really know the science but basically women struggle with losing weight and added belly fat when they are menopausal. (Among a million other things.) That’s life and I shall deal with it, but I am kicking myself because if I hadn’t put the last few stone back on it would all have been easier.

The only person who can lose the weight is me; no one is force feeding me. I am hoping that writing this as a series on my blog will give me something to focus on.

Finding things to do that make me happy is a key thing in distracting me from the bingeing. I recently went back to writing this eclectic blog after over a year of silence. Writing that first post after such a long time felt like a real achievement as it would have been so easy to let it slide. I walked to work the next day and felt physically lighter. I think it was pride and relief to be honest. I am no great writer but I do enjoy it.

 Scary stats    

I am exactly 5 foot tall (162.5cm)

I currently weigh 176 pounds (79.8kg)    

I am a UK size 18.

It is not fun writing that down as 3 years ago I was 138 pounds and a size 12. If I have to record that on here each time I will definitely want the numbers to go down (Not my height of course as it’s a pain reaching high things already.)

I did discuss writing this blog series with my psychotherapist as I was concerned that it would come across as narcissistic or attention seeking, he did think it was a good idea and might be of help to me.

I would like to think it may help other people too if they can read an honest account of someone trying to lose weight. If you want to come on my weight loss journey with me then please read the posts as I put them out. I am hoping to do two posts a month and more if I can.

My weight now, 176 pounds. 10.07.2021

What I aspire to look like again. 138 pounds. March 2018

 

  

 

 

 

 

                            

My 2021 Filofax set up

I probably should have written this back in October when I first sorted out my 2021 Filofax, but it is June ( just about) and so not too late to be writing about my 2021 set up. 

This year I initially decided to change from a personal Filofax to A5 for my diary, notes and organisation, however I ended up using the personal size again. I use a separate Filofax for work and don't carry my home one with me anymore unless I really know I will need it. I carry a pocket flex with a notebook for taking notes and reminders through the day and I transfer to my main Filofax at night.

Despite selling and giving away over three quarters of my Filofax collection, I still have a few, but I do always seem to gravitate back to my personal size ochre Malden. The leather is beautiful and the pockets work perfectly for what I need. I bought this years ago on offer when they first came out and was lucky it was dramatically reduced in price. 

As you can see by the pictures of the inside front and the inside back, the pockets and sections are useful and the leather is soft and supple. The Malden lies flat very nicely which makes it easy to use. There is only one pen loop, but I do carry a very slim pencil case in my bag. Incidentally I know that Filofax did do a pencil case to match the Malden, but I don't think it is still for sale. (I use a Sainsburys one which was a present and is perfect.)

This year I decided to go with week on one page with a notes page facing as I find that the best configuration. I may have a list of things to do in a week that is not time specific and they can go on the notes page and actual date specifics can go on the diary page. As I have separate work Filofax it works to use this set up for home. 

I buy my Filofax diary pages from  Toad Diaries. I did find them on eBay but they do have a website too. www.toaddiaries.co.uk   You can choose from a big selection of Filofax compatible diary options and they have other diaries too.  I have definitely found the place I will go back to each year to get inserts. (This is my second year of using them.)

The picture above shows the information page which comes with the Toad Diaries inserts. To learn more about them please go to their website. 

Above are the to do pages which I use for lists of what I need to do long term. These ones came from a Kiki K planner which I bought a few years. Most planner refill systems include To Do pages and I like these because they are basic and not fussy.

Lastly I always have lined paper for any notes I want to scribble down. This is from Paperchase but I don't think they sell it anymore. They used to do a brilliant planner selection but have stopped it. I was lucky to get a few packs of this on massive sale at 50p a pack when they were selling it off.

I don't use decorative stickers so much in my Filofax, but I do like these indicator stickers. I will put a coffee cup for meeting someone for coffee, the scales as a weigh day reminder and the present stickers to highlight birthdays.  Walking is for going for long walks for exercise and the book ones I actually use in my book Filofax. (That is a whole blog piece in itself). These fabulous stickers all came from Hummingbird Planner on Etsy. They are good value, decorative without being fussy and really useful for highlighting things on the page.

My dividers are old Paperchase, Carpe diem and a handmade orange one; all well used and still going strong. My main pen right now is from Typo and was from a fabulous set which I got as a present. (Pictured in the pen loop in my Filofax below.)

I ignore the jibes about being stuck in the 80's which people so unsurprisingly make when they know you use one, because  a Filofax, to me, is the perfect organisational system. If you want to add sections you can and if you want to take them out you can do that too. I personally have a separate address Filofax but some people also keep them in their main Filofax.

Orangecoffee Instagram Page

If any of my lovely readers wants to follow my second Instagram page it is called Orangecoffee1969.  I started this second account a couple of days ago as my original account is private and for family and friends. 

I have already blocked two scammers today so don't follow unless you are genuine. Thank you. 🙈

You just have to laugh

If we look back to say November 2019 there is no way the normal person in the street could have seen how 2020/2021 was going to pan out. No one could have foreseen the death, the sickness, the sadness, the loneliness and the financial devastation the world has now lived through. On the other hand we have seen kindness, empathy and people helping each other. What we have also seen is humour; because sometimes the only way to get through a bad situation is to laugh.

The first person I always laugh at is myself because you can never take yourself too seriously and I do, quite honestly have a lot to laugh at. I really do think I am actually the lovechild of Laurel and Hardy with a bit of Harold Lloyd thrown in for good measure. This morning I dropped the packet of Rennies, picked them up and took out a tablet, dropped that and stood on it. Not a very auspicious start to the day you have to admit.

The winter has gone now but trying to wear a scarf, headphones and a mask did not work well. Add in my hair being too long and getting in the way and juggling bags and an umbrella and you have a slapstick routine right there.  I do love a scarf but I walk everywhere and they can get a wee bit blown about, as can my hair which, up until recently was suffering from lockdown growth. If you add in the tangle which is a set of headphones you are already in a state of disorder. I like the over the ear headphones which runners wear because my ears are small and I struggle with most headphones being too big. (I cannot consider ear pods, they are just too big.) My phone, which is attached to the aforementioned headphones, is in my bag and, if the bag strap gets tangled too I start to look like I am attempting a clown routine.  Of course throwing a facemask into the mix really hasn’t helped. Now, don’t get me wrong, I would always wear one as it is for everyone’s health, but they do bring their own little set of issues.

Masks make your glasses steam up and none of the anti-fog tips work completely. Then, while already attempting to perform a slapstick routine that Norman Wisdom would have been proud of, I have to push my glasses on to my head and therefore I can’t see.  Ok, I can see fuzzy things in the distance but that is about it.  I can only conclude that I must look hilarious to watch with my hair, scarf, headphones, mask and bag strap getting tangled so I am at least doing someone the service of making them laugh.

Now that summer has arrived, some restrictions have been lifted and a lot of people have had their vaccines, we seem to be heading on the path to normality. I miss my pixie boots and coat with the frills but the scarf is also now out of the equation so all is good.  I will say that sunglasses on, normal glasses off is a pain but needs must and it is surprising how many times you can do that in one short walk.  I do have prescription sunglasses as I would be a total menace if I added an inability to see into the mix.

It is nice to get out more and see a few people and now I have had both vaccines I am frequenting the odd coffee shop and the occasional shop. I have to say that I am very disappointed post vaccine. The anti-vax brigade clearly told everyone that Bill Gates would track us through our vaccines, but I spent a good hour walking round lost the other day and at no point did that tracker kick in. I think those anti-vaxxers were lying again. All my hopes of not having to rely on my dreadful sense of direction have been dashed.

Now I have invested in a new piece of equipment to help monitor exercise, I bought my son-in-laws' Apple watch off him. Sadly this little piece of apparatus is so dictatorial I have renamed it Mussolini.

It tells you to stand up, it tells you to breathe, it reminds you to move, it tells you your rings are not closed and it wants to know when you are walking and whether you are outside.  It’s a sad day when you realise that you have disappointed a piece of technology. The guilt trips are huge. It tells you how much you achieved the day before and hopes you will do better the next day. It knows how to crush your soul and it is already far cleverer than me.

I am sure this year will continue to throw up many a surprise but I am hoping they will be good and not bad. Unbelievably it is half way through the year already, and it feels like we are waiting for the year to start. However, we should be so proud of the people who have kept the country going on the ground and in the hospitals. I may like a good rant but we should be thankful if we have survived this year with any sanity intact.

Whatever you do and how ever you feel, please try to find something that makes you laugh and if it is watching a 51 year old woman wrestling with scarves, headphones and masks, so be it.

 

 

 

The Trials and Tribulations of Train Travel.     

Train travel is such a bore, but sadly necessary when you don't drive. I will begin by admitting that half my issues are because I always pack too much and end up with a huge suitcase, a massive holdall, a handbag and a bag for the essentials which don't fit in my handbag, (book, flask, water bottle, and snacks).

It would help to have lifts that are better placed and easier to use, lifts in every station, more helpful staff and wider train compartments. Have you ever tried to manoeuvre down a packed train aisle with a huge suitcase? Unless it is a posh case with sideways wheels, which mine is not, then you cannot possibly wheel it down the aisle of the train compartment. You have to lump it along sideways in a dragging motion that only Quasimodo would be proud of. This is not easy, it hurts your back and it most definitely puts you in a foul mood. Meanwhile you also have to try not to decapitate the seated passengers with your holdall, which is precariously slung over your shoulder, and try not to get your handbag caught on anything, all while keeping that flask of coffee upright in your essentials bag. (You need that coffee and no one wants soggy snacks and a bag full of coffee and sodden tissues.)

You really need to sit down before the train pulls away and you really want to be seated before the influx of people at the next station. What you really need is a seat near or beside your case and definitely where you can see it. They announce on the train tannoy system not to leave your case unattended but all the case racks are up one end of the carriage. If all the seats are taken at that end of the carriage then you either leave your case unattended or stand by it, thus blocking the aisle. National Rail, (or whatever they are called these days), you cannot have it all ways. Maybe have case spaces throughout the carriages. To be honest the luggage racks are never big enough and there is always someone who has filled it up with rucksacks, holdalls, shopping and unidentified wrapped objects. If there is a space on the lower section my suitcase handle will go on strike and refuse to lower. If there is a space on the top section I have to lift a ton weight of clothes and presents onto a rack far higher than I can lift.

If you finally get a good seat near the cases and there is a space for your luggage, you feel ridiculously happy and grateful. It does seem ridiculous to have such an over-inflated sense of gratitude for something which, quite frankly, should not be a rarity. Considering you have probably had to sell your soul to the devil to pay for the train fare, you should at least get some average comforts for your money.

This brings me on to reserving seats. You have no idea when you book them whether they are near the luggage racks, toilets or on the roof of the train clinging on for dear life. When the train arrives I am just relieved I am on the correct platform at the right time, working out which coach I am supposed to be in is too complicated. Yes, they have the coach numbers on the outside but if you are too far up or down the platform you get on and wander hoping you are in the right direction. Along with finding the right carriage and reserved seat you often have to be in a certain part of the train. Newsflash! I have no sense of direction so telling me to be in a specific, yet unlabelled, part of a moving vehicle while lugging a huge case, is insurmountable.

Other passengers can be the biggest pain when you are travelling. If the gods of trains, travel and trauma are on your side you will get a seat with quiet and boring passengers. That is the best you can hope for. If, like me, you are unlucky you will get one of the following types of people as your fellow travellers.

Firstly you get the smelly passenger, my least favourite kind. Now whether it is a dirty smell, a body odour, stinky food, unwashed clothes, lingering cigarette smoke or a noxious combination, I don't want to smell any of them. I have a strong sense of smell so please keep away from me because it will only result in me wrinkling up my nose in a really obvious way until you feel distinctly uncomfortable.

The next type of annoying passenger is the space hog. Whether it is the bag on the seat on a crowded train, putting their rubbish on the other seat, using the seat opposite as a foot rest, or generally spreading out over several seats, it is not acceptable. Equally if you wish to slurp your drink loudly, crunch crisps in a manner that Dobbin the horse would be proud of or chew that vile smelling sandwich so that the people in the next carriage can hear, then just don’t do it on a train where other people have to suffer.

Why is there always a loud party of people who take up half the carriage and embrace the smelly person, smelly food, space hogging, crisp crunching traits of all the worst passengers put together? They should have their own horrific carriage. The shouting over each other, children running around and total takeover of the carriage makes the journey unbearable. I don’t want to hear your life story, the achievements of your odious offspring or how Uncle Mike chased the barmaid when you all went to Spain.

The group of women with their tales of “she said, he said” bore me totally. I don't care; I am just uninterested so pipe down. I am equally indifferent to what is being discussed on the phone by the know it all, the social justice warrior or the person breaking every type of GDPR rule by discussing inappropriate or classified business details on the train.

Sometimes you get into a conversation with someone fabulous on the train and I never mind talking to someone interesting. However, if you get stuck talking to someone you really don't want to converse with you can hope they are getting off at the next station because you are trapped. Once verbal contact has been made, there is no going back.

Changing trains is a delight that I am sure is filmed by the station staff for maximum laughs. I am sure they have award ceremonies for the member of staff who films the most stressed, fed up or angry passenger. Inevitably you will find there is not enough time to get from the train which has pulled in on the furthest platform to your connection six platforms, five flights of stairs and a broken lift away. Alternatively there will be a fifty minute wait for the next train on a station with no coffee machine, dodgy toilets and a clientele that look like they have escaped from a zombie movie.

Even on the stations there are several types of passengers. First you have the lemmings who mill about with no care for time or space taken up as they try to decide where they should be. I am sure the station staff love the great unprepared as they try to work out if they should have got off at this station or not. You also get the confident, seasoned traveller who strides around the station totally at ease with luggage and coats, balancing coffee and a pastry while talking on the phone and looking amazing of course.

I have seen some odd people on various stations over the years. Going to London on the same day as a rugby match I was most impressed to see a man in a full leprechaun costume, including beard and pointy shoes. On the same day I also saw a dancing Pikachu and someone in a sumo wrestler costume. It clearly takes all sorts. A man painted blue and wearing a Smurf costume certainly made me laugh on the station the way to work once, I just hope his colleagues had also embraced Children In Need and dressed up too or that could have been an awkward day at the office.

For me train travel is always going to be something that I have to endure but I do like to see different places and the strange and wonderful people who are also travelling. I must say I have been surprised by some unexpectedly helpful people and some downright rude and nasty people. It most definitely takes all sorts to fill a train carriage.

Outside Bristol station a few years ago. The suitcase of evil is out of sight.