Frump to Fab 2024

Makingabobor2

FreetodoasIlike said:

@Makingabobor2. I don’t think your comments were rude at all! I know my partner said what he did from a place of love and concern for my well-being and since I retired I’ve certainly gone down hill. I agree and definitely appreciate all that you say. Apart from my weight, my fitness levels have greatly reduced. I did check out the lady you suggested a while ago, but I don’t feel I’m there yet. My idea was to do some gentle walking as a start, but even just walking from the local shop hurts my back. I’ve been to several physiotherapists (some better than others), acupuncture, and other alternative therapies but I’ve always had sciatica and an MRI scan showed nothing serious but ‘wear and tear of the facet joints’. Still painful though (I’m 68) but feel 98!

Your comment about walking buddies made me smile! My partner (who walks a lot) is always trying to get me to accompany him, but I always find some excuse not to join him. We converted our bungalow into a loft room when I retired at 62 (I know most people would downsize to a bungalow!!!) and now I find the stairs SO hard and avoid them at all costs. 

Right!! Get a grip Free!!  Start by walking upstairs daily/twice daily as a start, then walk around the drive where I live at least once a day. Another issue I have is that I’ve always been a night owl, not a lark. When I worked I used to get up at 6 a.m. and forced myself to go to bed early. Now - I stay up watching TV or on my iPad until the early hours and get up (very) late in the morning. A slippery slope I’ve fallen into, I’m afraid. 

Thank you for your kind words. I KNOW I have to take matters into my own hands and do something about my physical health. 

Yes, the check-out lady was great and I’ll need to seek her out and thank her, possibly with wine or chocolates. 

Do you have a step counter/watch type thing? Maybe get a cheap one if not & set yourself a target to start on say 4000 steps a day & gradually build up an extra 500 a day, till you can get to 8-10k as a start?  Also there are chair based exercises you can do to help build fitness. Remember your heart is a muscle & needs exercising as well. The more you exercise that, the less out of breath you will get. Maybe check with your GP and see if there are any local groups they can suggest, or online things. 
How about Pilates? Gentle on the joints. 

helensbiggestfan

Free.  Oh my, that was scary for you.  Hope you feel better now. I'm sure the check out lady will be very happy if you take the trouble to thank her.  I'm sure she will be relieved to know you are ok.  

Tbh I had a similar experience a week or so ago.  I often get chest pains and/or sharp pains between my shoulder blades.  I was once hospitalised because when I went to A&E as directed when I rang 111 they all  suspected a heart attack.  They kept me in overnight, not a nice experience but they were very kind and very thorough. Luckily it wasn't,  it's stress related costochondria so not life threatening, just extremely painful.  

Well I had an attack when I was shopping with my son and grandsons last week, no idea why because I wasn't stressed.  It was awful, it was painful to breathe, I felt hot and clammy and very nauseous as well as being in dreadful pain.  I had to step outside and sit on a bench for a while till the spasm eased off.  

I have had a couple of repeat performances this week but fortunately not as severe.  Costochondria tends to come and go of its own accord.  It's caused by inflammation of the connecting tissues around the rib cage. I am taking anti inflammatories for a few days.  Another reason to lose weight though......extra weight does stress the heart and put strain on our organs.  

Do take extra care when it's hot. I too have noticed that I seem to struggle a bit with the heat these days, I used to love it, the hotter the better, but now I definitely don't cope as well with hot sultry weather and I'm pretty certain I would manage better if I lost weight.  

Speaking of weight, I have made a decision.  I have gone back on WW.  I have not joined any groups or joined online, just going to try and do it myself. It's a faff, counting points, weighing and measuring etc  but it has worked  for me in the past so keeping my fingers crossed 🤞 it will work again. Trying to concentrate on "healthy eating" hasn't worked, so I think I need to take a more scientific and mathematical approach.  

I did well at Aldi. I went early and they had some good meat, fish and fruit reductions  of 30% and 50% so I have stocked up the freezer. 

I know if I exercise I will experience less pain but i am finding it very hard to exercise when I am in pain, even something as innocuous as walking so I am going to have to break the pain cycle somehow - another reason to take anti  inflammatory meds for a couple of days to get me started.  

So there we have it. Time to stop Shilly-shallying and get serious so it was back on WW today and tomorrow I need to start walking and do some yoga or Pilates.  I have felt a bit low of late and I'm fed up with feeling so tired and having so little energy.  I too am rather shocked at how quickly I have deteriorated in the last few months.  

But ...I'm not giving up...... 

Floss

FreetodoasIlike said:

Yes, the check-out lady was great and I’ll need to seek her out and thank her, possibly with wine or chocolates. 

You could also consider contacting the store to commend her, they have a form to do so:

https://www.morrisons.com/help/form/contact-us/compliments

SandyShores

Hi @FreetodoasIlike, sorry to hear you are finding walking painful.  Please do go and see your GP, it isn't normal to be dealing with with pain at any age and, like you say, it is stopping you walking, enjoying life and being healthier.  I only say this because I have an ongoing back problem and felt like you do - I thought this is it I'm going to be in pain now forever.  But I was really lucky and found a fantastic chiropractor who sorted me out.  She treats the whole body, so as well as my back, has tweaked my feet (plantar fasciitis), my back, my shoulders, my hips.  I've seen a few chiropractors and she was the first one who didn't just treat the aching part of my back.  When she was on maternity leave I saw a male chiropractor - very disappointing and just focussed on where the pain was coming from - but then switched to her female colleague who was also ace.  I make sure I go 3 or 4 times a year now, a bit like having a service, an MOT, and a winter check.  I would say find a good chiropractor but I know they are expensive and if you don't find one that suits you it feels like a waste.  Your GP should be able to help or at least refer you on to rule out other things.

Another one here who needs to lose a few pounds, the answer for me is to definitely do more exercise, but I am also the queen of excuses.  We live on the edge of town, so its handy for the countryside but I can also walk most places if I need to or have the time to spare.  Now the sunny weather is here I will definitely be out and about in the fresh air more.  

helensbiggestfan

Good Morning lovely ladies.   

Here we go. "It's a new dawn, a new day and I'm feeling good". (Nina Simone).  

Time to get down to business, no more moping and feeling sorry for myself.  Had a lovely long sleep and feel tons better.  It's amazing what a good nights sleep can do. 

It's raining. The lawnmower man came yesterday and he also set up my new sun parasol so it's my fault. Lol.  Although to be fair it hasn't rained properly here for weeks. The ground is like concrete so some rain is welcome.

So probably an indoor day. I will crack on with some indoor jobs, ironing, cupboard tidying and drawer sorting.  Will do some indoor walking on my treadmill and some simple pilates stretches. 

Just started watching Clarksons Farm.  I know he's not everyone's  cup of tea but I like him, and really enjoy his farm series.  He gets so sentimental about the animals, he's just a big softy under that brash exterior.    He had some ex pop star turned farmer on as a guest.  I am always interested in how many ex pop stars are now farmers.  Talk about lifestyle change, quite a change of gear.  Less stress, more peace, life on the road can't be that much fun once the novelty has worn off.    

A lot more tranquil than sex, drugs and rock and roll.😂🤣.  

There's something rather engaging about "reformed characters".  I find them interesting and often quite endearing, they have a wisdom and humility that comes from experience and I like that they often have a strong desire to "give something back".  

I'm not surprised that so many famous people who have lived in the goldfish bowl of public life choose farming as a second career or switch to a more back to nature lifestyle because it does seem to have some kind of healing properties.  Life in the fast lane might be fun for a while but it's not sustainable over the long run.  

I really got into gardening when I gave up work when my husband got sick. It was a very stressful time.  I would potter round the garden and feel my body relaxing. I am really looking forward to having my own garden again.  

I am currently reading about a reformed character, a guy called Neil Strauss. .  The book is called "The  Game", based on his life as a womanising pick up artist. Quite shocking in parts, exposing the tricks of the trade and the manipulation and control techniques that some men use to access women purely for sex.  

It should be required reading for every young girl just starting out in life, helping them to recognise and avoid predatory and misogynistic males, and the pitfalls of the dating market. There are still plenty of wolves out there....... 

Right, time to get cracking.  

Have a great day y'all.  Keeeeep fabbing.  

Makingabobor2

We love watching Clarkson's Farm as well. I've always like JC, even on TG & TGT. I know he offends some people, but the easily offended can always switch off. 

Interesting what you say about reformed characters. Its a bit like when you see a celebrity, who you previously disliked, and you see them on some of these reality shows like Race Accross the World, or SAS Who Dares Wins, or The Road To....( whichever series it is...lol) and when you see all their real life trials they've been through., you often get to like them. But on the other hand, some who you thought came across as nice people, can actually turn out to be awful. Lol

helensbiggestfan

Good Morning  lovely ladies.  

The only famous person I have met up close and personal was Bernard Breslaw.  (He was always the gormless one in the Carry On Films). Well he wasn't gormless 😂 and he was absolutely stunning.  If a man could be called beautiful, then he would fit the bill.  Also utterly charming.   

My dad used to have a sideline hustle as a taxi driver and he used to tell us about some of his famous passengers.  He liked Adam Faith, said he was tiny and a very nice guy.  Dad said he looked exhausted and frail.  His manager was with him and dad said his manager was nagging at him about something. Dad said he felt sorry for Adam because it seemed as if he was being pushed too hard and that he looked like he needed a good long rest.

 My friends two daughters worked at the Dorchester, the favoured haunt of Hollywood movie stars.  The girls met a lot of big hitters, some were regular guests and they got to know some of them quite well. Their absolute favourite was Pierce Brosnan.  "Pure class" was their verdict.There were others who were not so well liked........😂.  No names, I don't want to get sued. Ha ha. 

At one stage I used to volunteer as an "usherette" at our local assembly rooms.  I got to see loads of big name entertainers, singers, comedians, rock and pop bands. I never mingled with any of them or partied with them but it was interesting to see them working. Some were very generous, kind and appreciative to the back stage crews and front of house staff, some were vile. Lol. One of the nicest was Toyah Wilcox, absolutely tiny but with a huge voice and a larger than life stage presence. She was charming and very popular with the staff.  And Billy Connolly, what can I say.....an absolute doll.  The staff adored him.  Happy days, I loved working there.  I got free entry and spare tickets for my friends. 

Later, when heavy metal bands were the thing, many of the older volunteers didn't want to cover, so management had to pay people. So I not only got to see them all for nothing, get free tickets for my friends, I also got paid as well.  Saxon were the loudest.....even though I liked their music well enough my poor eardrums couldn't take being in the auditorium for long. After that I learned to wear ear plugs for the heavy metal bands.  Even so I know I have some hearing loss, a legacy from my misspent youth. ...lol.   

Back in the 90s my sister was the manager of a photography studio near to Pinewood film studios. She developed a lot of the stills for their continuity departments.  She's met hundreds of movie stars, tv actors and the like.  Some nice, some awful.  Her absolute favourite was Big Arnie (Arnold Schwarzenegger). She said he was every inch a true old style movie star, a consummate professional, signing autographs, chatting to fans, laughing and joking with them, even giving fitness advice.  She said he was absolutely delightful. She has a photograph of them together which she cherishes to this day. I think she still has a not so secret crush....

Day 4 of my diet, it's going well.  I know it's a bit soon to see results but I couldn't  resist popping on the scales, 2lb down already. Ok that was the easy bit but it was a nice little psychological boost to get me started. Now in for the long haul..........

Raining again. Never mind, hopefully it will soften the earth so I can plant out some geraniums later. In the meantime going to nip to Lidl for some f&v. Maybe nip in to the chazzer, see if they've got any amazing bargains.  

Have a great day y'all.  💕

FreetodoasIlike

@Makingabobor2. I have a Fitbit but never use it - time to charge it up I think. It will give me motivation to move more and chair exercises is something I will look at (remembering my heart is a muscle too). 

@Floss. Good idea about contacting the store to commend her. Thank you for the link.

@SandyShores. My GP gave up on me after my hip showed nothing and the MRI scan showed wear and tear of the facet joints. She just recommended NHS group physio (twice a month) which was absolutely useless. I’ve tried a few private physiotherapists but never a chiropractor so I will definitely look into this. I feel fine now after my funny turn bit I must admit it was scary at the time. 

Interesting to read of meeting any “celebrities”. I only met Lionel Blair (I know he’s not that famous) at a charity event when we were on holiday years ago. My partner went up to him and mortifyingly said “we’re coming to see you on Saturday” at the pier (I was hiding in the background). I met quite a few politicians at the time in my previous job (Gordon Brown, Jack Straw, Barbara Castle, and a few others when they visited my educational workplace. I say “met” loosely - I was in charge of ordering and overseeing the catering and tour! My partner (a bit older than me) used to work the lights at the local theatre (as a side hustle). He saw a few of the fifties/sixties stars, many of whom thanked him for his spotlighting. His favourite was Mary Martin (I think that was what she was called - singer and mother of Larry Hagman)  who was a broadway star (South Pacific/Sound of Music) before they were made into films. She was certainly getting on a bit when she toured the northern theatres, and my parter was only a young lad, but he loved her for seeking him out, thanking him for making her look good on stage and, best of all, giving him a 10 shilling note as a tip - a fortune in those days!

@helensbiggestfan. Well done on losing 2 lbs. You’ll get there and will soon be wearing your lovely clothes. (I wish I was fitting in mine!!).

thepurplepixie

Glad you are feeling a bit better @FreetodoasIlike, sounds scary.  I think stairs keep me fit, DH being disabled means I am often up and downstairs dozens of times a day.  Good if we can look at things with a positive spin if possible.  My hip is gradually improving but they think it being painful is stopping me doing as well as I could with exercises I've been given so later this month I'm having a steroid injection in it and the physio says I should feel an improvement that lasts about six weeks so in that six weeks I need to do all the exercises and get the tendons and ligaments working well and I should be pretty good then.  Fingers crossed.

chanie

Hi Fabbers,

thought i’d pop in and check on you all. I’ve read the last few pages of the thread, so i’m up to date with everyone’s news.

i’ve been keeping up with a reasonable fabbing routine these past few months.  i’ve gone from not seeing anything i like in the shops to seeing so much, a very short space of time.  At the moment, it’s shoes and make up that seem to be grabbing my attention.   Luckily, i’ve been able to get discounts on my purchases 😉!!!!!  

 I was thinking the other day that it’s been nice that i’ve been working locally for the past few years and don’t have to commute into central London anymore - it means i don’t have to buy things that are purely practical (coats that are warm/cool enough, comfortable but sturdy shoes and bags that will deter pick pockets).  i drive to work and park onsite, so i can risk wearing sandals even if it rains.