Thanksgiving, The Manchester Christmas Market, and Christmas Decorating

A few Photos......

Thanksgiving Dinner.....

Manchester Christmas Market-

Decorating the house for the Holiday-

Excuses, Excuses....Otherwise Know as Reason #1, 2, 3, ...ect...

Okay, so here it is - almost holiday time again- and I've been doing so well on my slim fast eating plan. Easy and quick.... til the stress sets in.

So here are a list of the times of year it is and all the lies I tell myself.
January- I'm generally very good this time of year on eating clean.... until I run up on that unopened box of chocolates or Christmas cookies I completely forgot about and didn't get under the tree.
Well, I dont want to waste good money on treats and then have them go to waste- Apparently I'd rather eat them and them go to waist. And hips....... and chin.
So....I usually finish those off about the 2nd week in January- lo and behold- just in time for Paul's Birthday on the 3rd week of January! The only time of the year he wants cake- and by golly, if my hubby wants cake- he's gonna get a Birthday cake!! And it cant be just a plain cake- oh nooooo- he is such a special man he has to have the best I can possibly give him.  So I do. Filling, frosting, topping, sprinkles and candles.

So then, I'm pretty good for about a month. Paul and I dont really "do" Valentines day, so no worries about Chocolate boxes there. I'll just pick up a pack of Chocolate Bourbon biscuits to nibble on here and there....because at the end of the month of February is MY Birthday!! I dont make myself a cake- I BUY one.  Whichever flavor my heart desires- plus Paul always takes me out for a lovely dinner at Frankie & Benny's- or Burger King- whichever my heart desires. (is it any  wonder I love him so much?)

After that binge I'm usually good for at least a few weeks. After all, there's nothing much to be celebrated in March, is there? Except- I always bake a huge Cake for all the Birthdays in the office - for EACH and EVERY month of the year!!!!
So after making a big cake, I have to have a slice of it.... umm.... quality control, right? Yes- that's it. Quality Control.

Then April slides along- and usually Easter or The arrival of Spring. That's something to celebrate, isn't it?  And the Father-in-laws birthday- and Mother's Day in the UK. Of course it is- warmer weather- who doesn't want to celebrate with a few treats and a cake for the arrival of spring and Birthdays and Mother's Day in the UK???
So we do.

And then........

May- Beautiful, Glorious May!!!!!! Mothers day in the USA- and I console myself with treats for Mother's Day because I'm so far away from my Kids and my Mom. And I do console myself - quite a LOT.
Then Mid May- I celebrate. Mine and Hubby's Anniversary is slap Bang in the middle of May and we go out for a nice meal and of course- we have dessert. It would be rude not to!!
Then I'm very very good for a couple of weeks because I start berating myself for all the weight I've gained since the wedding- when, BTW- they had to put in bloody gussets in my dress because I had gained so much weight since buying it!! And I thought I looked big as a whale then!!!

Then June comes along- and another Monthly Birthday Cake- and other than that I am pretty good- because I lose my appetite  in warmer weather.  I nibble- ad I graze, but I rarely eat a full meal- and I do lose a bit of weight in the warm months of the year.
Same with July and August- I honestly drink most of my calories-(Except for the Birthday Cake I make for my Mother-in-law end of July for her birthday- and she has more self control and discipline than I do when it comes to cake)... but normally I have a sandwich in the evenings after work or maybe a cold pasta salad if I'm actually really hungry. Only if I have a sammich I HAVE to have crisps or chips or it isn't a "nutritional" meal/snack is it?
Rightttttttttt.

September rolls around- and that signals the beginning of cooler weather and my favorite season of the year- AUTUMN!!!!  Apple Spice Cakes, Pots of Chili with melted cheese on top and tortilla chips on the side.... BBQ chicken or ribs or pulled pork sandwiches with hot Oven Fries. The list of Oh so naughty but Oh so delicious food is endless. And I deserve a treat or two(hundred)  with all I have to deal with, dont I?
Of course I do.

October rolls round and its a month long celebration of all things Dark and Magical and spooky. Cupcakes in purple and green and orange and black- All sorts of sweets on Spooky wrappers to celebrate the month of Spooktacular Fun and Revelry.
Wait- Halloween is only one night? Oh pish-posh. Live a little!! We deserve a bit of fun in our lives, right? We deserve a treat now and again...every day.
So,  FINALLY October is OVER and DONE with. I'm sick to death of candy and sweets by now- so I'm pretty good the next few weeks again... as I'm planning Thanksgiving Dinner!!!! Turkey and cranberry jelly and stuffing/dressing  and mac n cheese and broccoli casserole and mashed potatoes and candied yams and boats and boats of gravy drowning our food and being sopped up with fluffy soft rolls. Real food and about time, too!!  I stuff myself- and think I cant possibly eat any of that Spice Cake or Pumpkin or pecan or sweet potato pie after that huge meal...but after dozing in the recliner for a couple hours listening to the TV- I find myself a bit peckish and off I pop to the kitchen to decide what I want for afters...... and not being able to decide on a single thing- decide to have a sample of them all- and do it again before I pop off to bed for the night- so I dont get up an have a midnight or 3am snack, you know.
Riiiiiighttttttttt.......

Fast Forward a week later- it's December- and the start of the Holiday Season for REAL!! The tree goes up- and the baking starts. Cookies, Cakes, Home-made Candies, Gingerbread men- and the houses to go with it, peppermints and chocolate oranges and nuts and Boxes of Chocolates under the tree- and then Then on Christmas Day- you get Thanksgiving Dinner all over again- only THIS time you get all sorts of CHRISTMAS treats along with it like Cherry Yum Yum and Christmas Cake and  Fruit Rolls.No worries tho- it's almost the New Year and THEN- it will be a new Beginning....
But first, there is New Years Eve..... a final night of eating and drinking and Celebrating out with the old and in with then new...... And we make the most of it- only I dont anymore- With the occasional exception of a small intimate gathering with a few close friends, we usually end our year tucked snug in our beds well before Midnight.

A Perfect End to a Not So Perfect Year... Again.

All's Well That Ends Well

Or so I've been told.

Myself, I cant say that's completely true.

See, I had a bad day yesterday- I binged on Burger King after eating no breakfast. Then I ate Cadbury Mini-eggs.... the chocolate kind- until I realised what I was doing and was reaching for another mini bag to open. Ummmm no. Day 6 of 10 of my  TA123 eating plan boost- and I blew it. Lost almost 4 lbs  in the first 4 days- then that. So I stepped on the scale this morning- and according to it- I am back to Square One.
I cant moan- I did it to myself. Stupid cow that I am with no brain to think and no willpower at all.

Oh well. This Morning it's back to Day one to start over.
Not giving up. And I went on a walk.....in the rain, no less which I hate. Unless it's summer which it is DEFO NOT here in Manchester. So I was cold and wet on my walk....strangely enough- I walked almost 2 miles and my back didnt throb when I got back.  I only stopped a couple of times for a couple of minutes during my walk too when my back DID start bothering me. But it was short rests until it eased and then it was straight back at it again.
Not bad for the first time back at it again in weeks.

Today I'm back on Plan.... Eating Lean ham & Turkey breast for Roast Dinner today. Broccoli, a boiled egg and a baked spud are on the menu too. Im making a TA legal gravy for it too- altho I'm opting out of the Yorkshire puddings- OMG I cant believe I just said that as that is the very BEST part of the Sunday Roast meal for me.

Oh well- I played yesterday- I have to pay for it today.

Pay It Forward

I loved that movie- altho it was unbelievably sad and made me cry in the end.

I think it's  probably one of the most influential movies of this time.  After that movie came out- a movement was started. When the world was going crazy with hate and doom and destruction- but somehow in the middle of the chaos, somehow someone found the strength to do a kind deed for someone to make their day better. And in turn, one day that person remembered that good deed and how it made them feel and they wanted to pass that feeling on to someone else- so they did- and then the same thing happened- and pretty soon people were watching these good deeds and wanted to do the same- and so they did.

Now, you never know when going thru the drive thru or standing in line at the grocery store if someone in front of you has decided to Pay It Forward and pay for your purchase for you. Or put money in your parking meter for you so the meter-maid doesn't issue you a citation. Or maybe be the person who buys a meal for the homeless person  on the side of the road holding the sign- or hands the traffic officer a bottle of cool water on a hot summers day. Or maybe it's the guy who pulls over in the pouring rain to help someone repair their car- or offers to give the mom and the kids stranded on the side of the road a ride home- or offer to let them use their mobile phone to call someone to come get them- and then stay with them til their ride arrives- just in case.
 

And these acts are remembered- and in turn, passed on to someone in the future.
Like ripples in an ocean.

It gives me hope for humanity, after all.

Something a bit different.....

Something a bit different.....

Long Time...

Well, here we are 7 months later.

Feast or famine worked really well....until the holidays rolled around. And by holidays I mean from October until February.

Why so long?... October/Halloween.... November/Thanksgiving.....December/Christmas... January/New Years Day and Hubbys Birthday..... February/Valentines Day and My Birthday.
Five months of Celebrations.

Well, The weekend after my Birthday I stepped on the scale and it read 249.8.
Holy Crap. I had gained all the weight back that I had lost on the TA123 plan a few months before trying the  Feast & Famine Plan. 35 lbs. I swore I would never get back over 250lbs again- and here I was on the brink again. And not far off from that it will fast go back to  my heaveist 306 lbs.

I have one thing to say to that.
HELL TO DA NO.
Neither number is acceptable to me.

I was talking to two of my GFs who go to the gym. I'm giving serious thought to rejoining a gym. And as soon as the weather gets warmer I'm going to start walking home a few  days a week. 1.8 miles one way. I wont walk IN- I hate getting all sweaty and stinky before even stepping foot into the office- but walking home will be better because I can walk in, drop the clothes and step straight into the shower.
I've also decided I'm taking up my teen hobby again. Hiking. But before I hike- I gotta walk... a LOT. You cant do 5 mile hikes if it takes everything you've got to walk a block and a half to buy your lunch.  And my ultimate goal is to walk the Sandstone Trail  from one end to the other. First in smaller bits- and my 5 year goal is to walk the entirety of it at a go. 134 miles. It will take me two weeks I reckon.

Anyway, I also reordered my booklet from the TA123 plan.  I'm eating from memory of the bit's and pieces I remember from it for the past week... On Saturday it was Day 4 and I had lost 5.8 lbs. That's a good loss on the plan. You should be able to lost up to 10 lbs on the Boost- and I fully expect to lose that by Day 10. I'm weighing on Wednesday Mornings and Saturday Morning. I was weighing only on Saturdays, but  I think if I weigh midway thru the week, if the numbers arent moving- or worse, going UP- I can adjust so each week I have a loss- even if it's a small loss. It's still a loss and the numbers are going in the right direction. as in DOWN.

So there you have it. I'm going to post every Wednesday and Saturday too- it may not be a long post- but it will give my results and thoughts for the day....or week.

I have faith that this time it will stick.

Fast & Feast Eating Plan Update

The new eating plan I told you about a couple weeks or so ago......  Fast & Feast Eating Plan.

It isn't a diet really...it's an eating plan. There  are very few rules. You Fast alternate days and are allowed 500 calories. On your Feast Days you eat whatever you want- trying to stay within a 2000 calorie  limit.  On my first week on it- I truly FASTED on the fast days. I'm one of those people who would rather not eat anything than have a little bit of something. If I ever eat anything I'm starving for the rest of the day, so I knew that eating a salad or sammich  just wouldn't work for me on fasting days. So I stuck with just a cup of coffee at the three meal times, and water in between.

I lost 1 lb the first week. That was fine. I knew I wouldn't lose a great amount because I had trouble getting my 2 liters of water down on my fasting days. Water does NOT taste nice after drinking a cup of coffee. And if I don't get two liters of water down a day, the scale doesn't budge.

Anyway.....so the second week I switched things up a bit..... I fasted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I Feasted on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and had a One Meal Half Fast on Sunday with the meal staying between 700-800 calories. Saturday is the only day I truly allowed myself to Feast and have a treat of a few Fig Newtons with my evening coffee. The other two feast days I cooked and ate my usual healthy food options. My "treat" those days were having a cup of coffee with a spoonful of sugar in it as dessert. Everything tasted so much better on my feast days after fasting the day before. It's like my taste buds were reborn!!

And the second week I lost 1.4 pounds. Which is also fine. I didn't put this weight on overnight, so it won't come off overnight either. And if I continue to lose at this rate I will still lose over 50 lbs in a year. And I'm happy with that.

I'm hoping to wedge a bit more exercise into my routine as I have joined the ranks of the PokemonGo fanatics. The only catch is I have to go walking when the sun is low in the sky because of the glare on my phone screen. That's fine with me, too. I'd much rather walk later in the day so I can unwind and relax from the stress of the day at the office. We will see if it impacts my weight loss at all in the next week.