Frugal Frump to Fab-u-lous Dharrrrrrrling Winter Solstice to Spring Equinox

Rummer

LL - Huge hugs
Hewie - I am glad things went as well as could be hoped
Bratz - Huge hugs
WW - Freedom soon!


So sorry that I have been out of touch with this thread but life has been really tough here and I have been just trying to get through. The next few months are going to be very difficult for me and I could do with some advice. I really need to get my weight under control as I have to be fit and healthy to face my coming challenges but I am really struggling.

What I ideally need is a sensible meal plan that I can follow for a while without having to research or think about it. If you know of one please can you let me know. I want to make a life change not just drop a quick few pounds. A diet club is not an option as money is an issue atm too although I could invest in a book or two. I really don't want anything faddy just good sensible and affordable food.

Exercise wise I need to take things in hand too however I have a few fitness DVDs that I can dip into and when the weather is good I am going to try and get outside and just walk.

I do appreciate everyone is going through a tough time I just know you ladies are a font of fabulousness and might have the info I need to hand

lizzie157

((hugs)) for those needing them
Bitsy- hope you are felling brighter
Hewie- glad your mum's funeral was a source of comfort for you.
try and take it steady and be kind to yourself over the coming weeks.

Must confess once agan I feel like things are slipping
Have woken this morning feeling shattered - don't know why but I do.
Have hurt my arm falling or rather beng knocked over by a boisterous dog a couple of days ago and it's rather sore today.

Have had DD2 off ill again, DS3 is not v. impressed with his so called apprenticeship either. He had high hopes for it but it seems to be a scam of sorts. He is spendng all day sat on facebook or twitter learning nothing and he and the other new started feel they were given false info. Apparently this company actually find them an apprenticeship elsewhere. It seems they are taking advantage of getting government money by taking on 'apprentices' but other than finding them somewhere else to train there seems to be no training there at all. DS3 has decided to give it a month and see how it goes and then if nothing has changed it's back to looking for something else.
DD1 has managed to get herself 5 interviews so hopefully she wll get something out of those.:)

And we have H's ESA medical looming.
I feel like I'm constantly rushing about again and achieving v. little.
Perhaps need to spend a couple of days going over things to get back on track. Problem s just at the moment I don't seem to have much time to myself again.
Anyway must get on lots to do again!

Carmen

Good afternoon ladies,

Just popped in to gives hugs to all that need them.
I also think the weather is having a negative attitude on us, so wet over the last month :mad:

Today is glorious and if the forecast is right will remain so for at least the next week :j

Yesterday we went to check out a new wood supplier, guess who forgot their wellie's? Mud everywhere :rotfl: never mind it soon washed off!

Chin up everyone, spring is almost here :dance::dance:

Carmen xx

lessonlearned

Good afternoon ladies

Oh my but there's some "bad stuff" around at the moment isn't there. It seems that so many of us are having tough times at the moment.

Hugs to all is all I can say.

Hewie - glad the funeral went off ok. I know what you mean - in a stange way they can be oddly uplifting as well as traumatic.

It's time for you now, just take some time to lick your wounds and do take care of yourself.

Bratz - what a kick in the teeth to discover you have a fibroid. I had one when I was five months pregnant with my eldest son, nearly had a miscarriage and spent a week in hospital on total bedrest. Luckily it settled down and after my son was delivered it disappeared of it's own accord, and fortunately didn't stop me conceiving again. I was very lucky.

Obviously you will need to think it through and get expert advice from your medical team but I can understand why you would want to go the surgery route. All the best with that one sweetheart.

Bratz thanks for the tip about mint tea. I am taking peppermint capsules and they really help. I've also started drinking camomile tea. It's quite soothing too.

Rummer - I'm no diet expert but I think if you can just try and concentrate on healthy eating and being more active to start with. A lb per week weight loss should be achievable and sustainable. Over a year it would add up to well over 3 stones.

Don't set yourself impossible targets, especially as you know you have choppy waters ahead this year. My advice is to try and eat well, so as to keep your energy levels up so you can face what is coming ahead.

I would say make sure you eat some protein with each meal. Apparently it helps you to feel fuller for longer as well as being an essential building block for strong bones etc. Go easy on the carbs, especially "empty" carbs such as sugary things, and try to fill up with plenty of fruit, veg and salads.

Lizze - you are still getting it from all sides aren't you. That's very disappointing for your son, but yes, I think there are some quite dodgy "apprentice" schemes and courses out there.

I do feel sorry for our youngsters. The dice seem loaded against them at the moment. The world of work seems to be such a minefield these days. Both my sons slog away and even though one of them has a Phd in Maths he's not really reaping the rewards yet for all his efforts. He is one of life's eternal optimists (they both are thank goodness) but even he was a bit crestfallen this week about his work.

Hope the ESA assessments go ok. There are going to be a lot of people in dire straits the way the benefit system is going.

Well today we had a meeting with OH's Care Manager. I told him what had happened about my OH being pressured to agree to going into hospital. He was livid.

He went through OH's file took photocopies of the mandate and all of the notes etc. He wants me to put what happened in writing for SS records and he has made it absolutely clear to the nursing home that nothing like this is ever to happen again.

Or Else (ie their licence revoked).

That told them.:rotfl:

I don't want to dwell on what happened too much, but in all honesty it has made me so ill. Nearly 2 weeks later and I am still dealing with the stress of what happened and the subsequent fallout. As I said to the guy, I honestly don't think I could withstand another onslaught like that again.

Speaking of benefits etc. OH has had his Continuing Health Care Claim turned down again. Again his Care Manager was shocked, and after seeing how badly my husband has deteriorated since he last saw him in November has decided to demand another assessment.

My poor OH cannot do even the simplest thing for himself now, very soon he will not even be able to swallow and will have to be fed by tubes.........

What kind of a health service is it that would deny someone the full range of help that he should receive in such circumstances.

Ernest Hemingway once wrote "The World is a Fine, Fine Place" and with that I agree, although just occasionally, it's hard to get past the sorrows that befall us.

The world is indeed a thing of beauty and life continues to inspire and delight me. Today I wrapped my OH up in blankets, scarves and rugs (He looked like Eskimo Nell peeping out from underneath all his wrappings) and wheeled him out into the sunshine for a few minutes.

He just looked at me and smiled .........

WelshWoofer

Bratz - I'm like you and have never really wanted children and I think I'd be inclined to go for the op too. It may be a major operation but you will recover in a few months and then have the rest of your life to look forward to without constant medical appointments and worry. Whatever you decide I hope it goes well for you.

Rummer - I went to slimming clubs and then finally decided that losing weight and eating healthily is all about common sense and a teeny bit of science. I'd just try to eat plenty of F&V, some protein and carbs and don't forget some fat (your body does need it) - low fat things are often packed but of sugar/sweeteners to make them taste of something.
If you want to track your food/cals I'd recommend www.myfitnesspal.com whilst you're getting started - its free and easy to use.
And don't deny yourself too much - a little treat every so often will stop you throwing in the towel completely.
I'd also recommend some gentle exercise every day to start - even a 20 min walk counts. Remember its all about being healthy and not necessarily stick thin.

LL - so good to hear that you can see the little positives amongst all of the hardship - very difficult to do sometimes. Your OH sounds like a superstar that loves you very much xx


Well ladies, its half term:j:j:j
I'm working a couple of days next week but its only revision classses not "real" work and I get paid extra for it.

I also weighed this morning expecting a :eek: moment but amazingly I've actually lost a lb :rotfl:How did that happen? I felt very podgy and flabby yesterday - I think that its the lack of much hardcore exercise lately, I'm not quite as toned as I was. Will get back on to that this week now I have a bit more time. Isn't it funny how just a little thing like a number on the scales can affect your mood - feel much better about myself now. Shouldn't make a difference I know.

I'm going to really get back on the wagon this week - the days are a bit longer, I'm not working and I feel more relaxed so no excuses!

fedupandskint

Well, thank crunchie its Friday!

Have so far fabbed up half the house by cleaning especially the job I put off the most of sweeping and mopping the floors which is done and ticked off.

Also Shredded which was ver hard going today. As I've only exercised twice this week looks like I'll be exercising over the weekend too along with the usual walking.

Tonight I'm planning to fab myself up with a facemask, exfoliate, nail tiday up and repaint and attempt to sort out my feet which are looking worse for wear.

Diet this week which was week 1 of maintaining - and I did! Lets see if I can keep at it - going fir week by week approach to keep on track.

And finally, to everyone having a tough time right now, I couldn.t relate to that quote by Hemmingway more and just what LL said. Life is like that indeed and throws more at us than we could ever imagine. We can get past it and onto seeing life as fine once again, it takes time as it did for me.

lessonlearned

Good morning ladies

It's a new dawn, it's a new day and yes I'm feeling good:D.

Slept well - that's always a bonus. And finally....the chest pains have gone.:j

Today I'm going to unpack all my books and bits and bobs and have a bit of a re-organisation of a few cupboards in my bedroom. Might have a bit of a declutter whilst I'm at it. I'm determined to keep on top of the decluttering now and not let stuff build up again.

It's a life of "elegant simplicity" from now on ......:rotfl:

Looks like we might be in for a reasonable day so am going to try and go for a walk - have a little explore round my new neighbourhood.

Hope you are all well and that the "troubled ones" feel a little brighter today.

It's a bit of a cliche but today is a new day, a blank page.

Let's write something good - no matter how small - on that blank page.

PS I treated myself yesterday. A beautiful crepe/lace Per Una summer top. Yes I know - it will be months before I get to wear it but at £1 it would have been rude not to.

WelshWoofer

Afternoon all!
Had a good day so far - all positives LL!

Took the dog for a lovely long walk around the waterpark and along the river - very mucky but the sun was out and it was fairly warm, took about 90 mins so a good bit of fresh air and exercise.

Then I went to the Trafford Centre for a little look - bought a nice bright red patterned shirt type smartish top with 20% off and then found a pretty purple patterned short sleeved satin top for £7 in the sale - like you LL I won't be wearing it for a while but it will certainly be a nice one for warmer times.:)

I was going to go to the cinema but when I looked there wasn't really anything that grabbed me and at almost £10 a ticket I didn't see the point of going for the sake of it.
So instead I went to the hairdressers for a chat and some advice on what to do with the unruly mop - we've decided to strip the colour off completely, recolour it with a reddish brown (its very dark brown naturally but I want a change) and restyle it - all to be done next Saturday. Quite looking forward to it - I've had more or less the same colour forever as its so difficult to colour as nothing shows up (except the grey!) so we're going to start from scratch.:eek:
Also got my eyebrows done (only a fiver and quick and fairly painless) - they look much better now.
A quick whizz round Tescos and now I'm back home and its almost dog walk time again.

I think this time of year is the worst for looking good - I'm all pale (for me, quite dark skinned but no colour at the moment if you know what I mean), feel grey and dull even though I exfoliate regularly and dye my hair and just look tired.
Hence the eyebrows, a sneaky sunbed tomorrow and the change of hair colour.
I'm determined to look better when I go back to work so plenty of exercise, a bit of a makeover and some sleep are needed.

Just off to get changed out of the glad rags and back into the dog scruffs to get a bit more sunshine before the night draws in.
Will have a bath and watch a movie later and try to have an early night - realised I'm starting to look my age and I don't want to!

fedupandskint

I'm feeling pretty tired after a busy day. Finished the cleaning leaving only a couple of jobs to do tomorrow, prepped tea and pud which is asian spiced beef, chinese style cabbage and broccoli and rice followed by a treacle apple sponge and custard. Lots of leftovers too for the next couple of days.

I've fabbed myself up with a bath, defuzzed and tidied my nails again and repainted the strengthener. Just watching a film now while tea cooks then another one off for an early night here too - so rock n'roll its untrue!

Hewie29

Hi all

Its amazing what abit of sun can do for our spirits.

Managed to wash one of the cars yesterday afternoon in the sun and have been out doing some gardening this afternoon and it was lovely. The birds were singing and we have a couple of robins who follow us around. Hubby was sorting out the rabbit run and he had the company of a little mouse. Our rabbits have been digging theirselves quite a sophisticated tunnel system so he had to get rid of all the earth, which was put on my veg patch.

Looks like spring is just around the corner, its been a very long dark winter for us.

Hoping for our walk tomorrow, but it looks like DS is playing footie away and will need a lift so hubby might have to take him. If that happens I'll walk round to my dads and annoy him for a while, we still have so much of mums things to go through, but its still raw so we can only manage a few things at a time.

Hope everyone is enjoying the weather and had a good day xx