Follow the Yellow Brick Road 2023

savingholmes

SandyShores said:

I'd love to know how you get along with distancing yourself in the same room @debtfreeoneday.  It can be excruciating to stay, but can feel like you are putting yourself in the wrong if you leave.  I like your boundary messages @savingholmes, I'm thinking of having a t-shirt printed.  I had a bag printed up the other day and it was only a few quid.

PM me where you are getting your printing done....

SandyShores

PM'd you savingholmes.

Just wondering why I'm so broke on only the 8th day of the month.  Then remembered DH needed to borrow some money.  Its for something he does every year!  I really envy you single ladies at these times.  He's on strict instructions to pull his finger out and get flippin' saving up for these things.

I was thinking of buying the Shark LED mask, probably leave it a month or two now to save up and see if any decent offers come up.

I also need to start walking again, and using my gym membership more than twice a week - its all effectively zero cost for positive gains.  I saw some menopause vitamins I wanted to try then realised I have similar in my cupboard already.  The multivitamins are out of date, but I can't just throw them (apparently they are fine as long as not mouldy - and they are completely dry); magnesium is in date, and I have some capsules for sleeping.  Bought myself a 7-day pill holder from the cheap shop for £1.50 as a reminder and it seems to be working.  If I can work my way through these old ones then I'll try the proper menopause ones, but not until then.

I've also neglected a dental check up last year, and other things that are all reclaimable on my health package, so there's no excuse.  I need to prioritise me more.  These are my 2025 aims I set out in December (as a reminder for me):

• Keep up the fabbing.
• Fab the house next year
• Be Authentic and all that it brings
• Remortgage with 60% 
• Work - continue with the enrichment and learning
• Enjoy the Charity Shopping - me/gifts/mum
• Make time for the Painting/Crafting/Sewing and just enjoying life
• Make a routine again of exercising/keeping healthy/being fit
• Read those books.
• Enjoy the garden.

SandyShores

I was just reading this article about new year's resolutions and how its important to build on what you already have, rather than trying to be someone completely new (and probably failing).  It made complete sense, so I thought I'd have a go at setting achievable goals.

Goal Setting 2025

• Attend a dentist check up - can claim these on my health plan
• Have a regular eye test (free 60+) and claim for contacts or specs on my health plan
• Book regular haircuts - working my way from 2 to 3 month gaps.
• Book regular eyebrow and lash treatments - 6 weekly or 2 monthly
• Continue to book regular chiropractor appointments (claimable)
• Book a podiatrist appointment (partly claimable)
• Have my bike serviced
• Buy a metal water bottle

I somehow failed to take advantage of all the things on my health plan last year, so this year I'm going to make sure all the regular appointments are booked in.  I've now found a really good new hairdresser (NH), probably because I can afford one now, although it will take a while longer to completely eradicate bad hairdresser's (BH) colouring techniques.  BH liked to eradicate all signs of greys, but I prefer the more subtle approach of NH.  I'm trying to offset the cost by extending my appointments from 2 paydays to 3.

My two body goals are to lose weight and get fitter, but how am I going to achieve this?

Daily Goals

• Use my calorie counting app every day
• Eat only between 8 and 8
• Drink 3 glasses of cold water daily
• Oats for breakfast
• Lunch to incorporate beans/pulses
• Kiwi fruit/apple daily and dark chocolate to avoid snacking on unhealthier things

The following aren't goals but I am going to follow along the advice from the Mel Robbins podcast recently with Dr William Li - 'Eat this to lose fat, prevent disease and feel better'.  It was just seemed easily followable advice which included the 8-8 eating window.  Some of the things I heard were: staying away from processed 'health foods', and artificial sweeteners as much as possible.  Eating a kiwi fruit and a can of beans daily, apples, kale, brocolli, pak choi, edemame beans, tomatoes (tinned are better).  Lentils are good and so is olive oil. Cans are your friend e.g. tuna/tomatoes paste with pasta and plant based is good.  Sourdough bread with tuna and pickles is a good healthy lunch.  He did say to avoid milk apart from soy or nut milk - not sure about that but I can try. He also advised on pomegrate seeds or juice - the juice is great but £4.80 a bottle?  But I love the dark chocolate recommendation .  He also talked about swapping foods in, rather than restricting, and being pragmatic about it all.  Also eating slowly/not eating to full.  I've tried the macha tea he mentions - yuk - he recommends putting it in your porridge but I can't bear to ruin my breakfast - any ideas anyone?

One thing I did take away from the podcast was that being out in the cold is good.  So I guess that would be cold water swimming or maybe just out walking or running.  Exercise goals to follow as have run out of energy

KajiKita

Most of that sounds good, but why are tinned tomatoes better? I can’t follow the logic of that … 🤔

KK

SandyShores

KajiKita said:

Most of that sounds good, but why are tinned tomatoes better? I can’t follow the logic of that … 🤔

KK

I know, they are my hastily written notes and so not the full info.  He was talking about antioxidants, and one of those is lycopene.  Processed tomatoes contain more than fresh tomatoes.  So he's not saying to eat more tinned tomatoes, but if you want a few more antioxidants and can fit tinned tomatoes into your diet then go for it.  

Just looked online and fresh tomatoes also a great source, so I guess the advice is eat what you prefer.  That is the kind of advice he gives.  He talks about swapping healthier stuff in where you can rather than cutting things out.  I love both, so will get the benefit of fresh, but won't feel bad when I eat tinned too

KajiKita

Ah, okay. That does make sense 😊 We end up using a lot of tinned tomatoes in bolognese type meals 😊

KK

SandyShores

Tinned tomatoes are a regular here too and we like lentils, but I'm going to make an effort to incorporate the other things.  I bought frozen edamame beans the other day and I'd like to put some alongside some chopped up frozen kale into my lunch noodles for work.  I can always eat an apple and a kiwi, and I'm developing a bit of a habit for dark chocolate so I need to get calorie counting.

I also need to get exercising.  I've got a plan that I wrote out some time ago, so here goes!

debtfreeoneday

What was the reasoning behind avoiding milk?

SandyShores

debtfreeoneday said:

What was the reasoning behind avoiding milk?

I got that slightly wrong - its about avoiding dairy in tea and coffee, he's not against dairy altogether.  There are benefits to both tea and coffee and these are reduced if you put dairy in it.  There's an explainer about his ideas here which is better than my notes   I remember him talking about having a square of dark chocolate with a black coffee its now my new favourite treat - dip the chocolate in so it slightly melts and its yummy.  Of course I have to have 2 squares as its longer so easier to dip.  

LadyWithAPlan

debtfreeoneday said:

I also think in practice it’s hard when those people are your family and you feel like you have little choice as to say something or distance yourself would make it so hard for others. I’m having to really practice keeping my distance in the same room. 

So true - especially where it impacts other much loved family members if you go no contact on  their spouse etc 

I think one has to decide individually on the levels of destruction and if one can avoid their drama /negativity by going low contact  vs no contact 

Sorry you going through this - it’s far more common than people realise - and often alcohol fuels their bad behaviour (no excuses though) so it comes to light at celebrations/xmas etc just when you have to see the blighters 

SandyShores said:

Just popped into my mortgage account.  £8.61 a day interest now and another month knocked off the end date following this month's OP.  If I get that down by another 2 months that will be 2 years total reduction.

Now this is great news!! 

I now eat beans daily (often 2-3 times daily) and I am definitely slimmer !