Crazy life of Chilli

Oooh I didn't know you could get boots that fitted calves. That is brilliant. I might indulge nearer winter. I've only got ankle boots at the moment. I needs some I can walk a dog in in all weathers.
 
for my dog walks I prefer proper walking boots @ladybird777

talking of boots, and feet in general I've suddenly realised I've been much less bothered with pain in my feet lately. Possibly a bit of recovery after a little weight loss, being able to buy decent shoes after my mortgage went through and also leaving my old job. It was 5 nights of being on my feet in a row and I think I do better in shorter bursts.

Well Good morning all on Sunday, it's definitely Autumn here which is my favourite season, and it's my favourite time of new moon this week, I'm working weds evening but home at 2230, if it's not raining I may have a little fire before I go to bed, send up some gratitude and new intentions.

I've been a very naughty spender @ladyfelsham and yes I have struggled a bit, I manage to buy for the kids and the house without guilt but I do feel I need to justify my own need for clothing, but having bought a lot suddenly, if you add up what I've bought over the past 5 years it will still be a lot less than most people lol. I'm trying to find my own way though and my own comfort and style are part of that. I still would seldom spend a lot on one item, aside from footwear which I've learned I really need good quality shoes or I just can't wear them.

I went back on to the simply be website and scrolled through their 'sale' pages and found a good few more items, so I've ordered another batch. I'll be the best dressed that I've been in a LONG time, but ya know - I'm ready to get out there. Perhaps even date if the right circumstances arise, it's about time I felt better about myself.

Do you guys remember the denim dungaree style dress I liked months ago and decided I wanted to make something similar? it was £47 which i wouldn't pay especially knowing I'll need to alter it for my height. Well it's now on sale for £14.50 hell I couldn't even buy the fabric for that so I ordered one, I'll make the alterations!

So confessional - my latest round of spending will add 1 pair of jeans, 2 pairs of Jeggings, 1 dress, 1 pair Pj's, a pack of pants, 3 cami tops, 1 cardigan, 1 hoodie, 2 blouses, 4 comfy tops, I'd already bought 3 long sleeved t's elsewhere and 2 pairs of boots.

I already have 2 other pairs of jeans, leggings, 3 dresses and a few tops and cardi's, some other bits and pieces, decent walking boots, 2 pairs of trainers and some other random shoes etc.

I think that's quite ENOUGH! It's more clothes than I've had in a long time, but all wearable and mix and match stuff. I'm going to go through everything else and bin anything I'm not likely to wear. Honestly this is also possibly the most diverse wardrobe I've probably had since I was a teenager, and absolutely the most dresses I've ever owned at one time.

It's funny looking back realising the rut's I'd fallen into. I started my engineering job when I was 16 and wanted to blend in, and I spent so much time from then onwards in work clothes, and was mostly a tomboy I guess. Then even when I perhaps wanted to be more feminine I was scared to branch out that way, because I didn't want the attention drawn to me.

Then my first husband, who I loved and had a good life with - I need not speak ill of the dead, but I don't believe in romanticising the past - he was actually a bit conservative about my clothes and retrospectively I allowed him to have too much control over that side of me we met when I was 19. He grew out of it and wasn't really like that by the time he passed 12 years later, but I'd - again - fallen into a rut, of buying things I knew he'd approve of.

My second husband wasn't like that, but he was so many other things... I spent so much of the past 10 years focussed on him and our marriage and trying to please him and hold everything all together that I definitely took a back seat. One sad admission, a recollection provoked by this new shopping - I remember probably about 6 or 7 years ago, before things really fell to pieces, going out and buying some new things because I felt he wasn't interested in me, and perhaps if I spruced up a bit he would be... how sad, but hind sight is 20/20. Needless to say it didn't work, things continued to deteriorate. Not because of my wardrobe or appearance but simply because of who he was and choices he was choosing to make.

It's no wonder when I look back, I've not really felt properly free to express myself through clothing until more recently. I've gained so much freedom in so many things since Mr Liar left. I'm still a work in progress, but I'm really pleased with my own progress.

Despite my little slump lately, despite my toothache I'm genuinely the happiest, most content and least worried or anxious that I've been in possibly my entire adult life.

Grateful doesn't begin to cover it!
 
What a wonderful read. So happy for you, Queen!
 
thank you @AliGal it's truly a great time for me I'm really 100% grateful and the best thing is - I am hopeful this will continue, hopefully indefinitely.

well I've sts weightwise, but oh well. I've not been able to do IF with needing to take painkillers every day, and I really do think that IF helps me.

My second round of shopping has been another success, I'm only sending back 2 things. One of the cami tops is too loose, but it isn't available a size down so I'll take it in a little. I'll only wear things like that under a cardigan or jacket anyways. I'm all sorted.

I've been very lazy but I need to get my self into gear... it's my sons birthday tomorrow and I've lots I want to get organised - I've a cake to make, his presents to wrap, AND I have lego fabric to make a cover for our massive dog crate that's no longer in use to make him a fun Den for his bedroom. I also want to clear out his bedroom, and my bedroom.

I only have a couple of hours left this afternoon then I need to pick him up, take him to his drama group and then I have my meditation group tonight. I'll probably stay up late and try and get most of the stuff done tonight, then if need be I've a few hours tomorrow morning to finish the cake perhaps. I'd like to get to my tai chi class, and I run my art group tomorrow.

sooo... best get to it. Happy monday everyone x
 
Love the idea of a den for your son - happy birthday to him!!!!

I meant to post yesterday but got sidetracked - I just wanted to say how much I love the positivity pouring out from your thread - it is truly heartwarming to hear how happy and content you are, and all the exciting projects you can now focus on.

And I love all the shopping, I'm the same, have a little splurge, then don't buy anything for ages - so I say, go for it! :D.

And enjoy some cake xxx
 
morning all, well the cake never got made - I let him choose one from the co-op, but we're going to make one this weekend with the multicoloured icing I planned. He really loves the ex-dog crate den, so much so that I put him to bed as usual at 9pm on Tuesday but then found him playing in it at 1030pm and had to chase him back to bed lol. I told him he could sleep in it last night if he wanted and I haven't asked but I'm pretty sure he did, I've barely seen him but he'll be down when he's hungry! I don't mind at the weekend but on Sunday night he'll need to be back in his bed to get a proper sleep for school.

In other news - a miracle has happened. My toothache has gone. Obviously I've not been to the dentist but I haven't needed pain killers for 3 days so I'm hoping it will stay at bay until I get a place with a dentist. I'll still stay away from anything too chewy tho...

This week has been terrible for food, between being tired and in pain and having sons birthday I've been VERY off track. I don't think I'll weigh in for a few weeks lol.

thinking off the top of my head - I'd like to be back down to this years lowest by the end of the year. I'd lost 20lb's at one point, if I can start the new year 20lb's less than I started the last one I'll be happy. Having said that I do think generally I just need to keep trying to move forwards, perhaps the numbers don't matter really.

I've felt really great in my new clothes and boots, I'll need to get my dresses cut to length this week and start wearing those as well. I'm going to get back into properly planning my weeks as I've got only the necessary done over the past few weeks but I really did need a bit of down time. I do feel a bit less exhausted... I'm going to start taking my iron tablets as I tend to run low over time and I'm not eating much red meat these days probably only once a week.

Sooo. One of the planning mistakes I think I didn't really allow myself time off for chilling, so I'm going to plan some in. I have really settled in to my new work that's all great and I love the flexibility, Working when son is away is both possible and enough, I'm wondering about having mornings for myself and afternoons for my craft business, or vice versa, or perhaps just mixing it up. try out different times of day and see when I feel best about it... yes I think I should do that. Perhaps even say - 3 hours a day but place them where I feel like on the day... hmmm

right I best be off for now x
 
Love the Lego Lair!

And brava to scheduling some chill time, it’s so important to just sit and breathe and relax for a bit, turn thoughts off, shut your eyes and breathe slowly in and out.
 
so apparently through my work perk system, I can have a discount on exante products. I'm tempted to give it a go. The basic 800 plan is 3 meal replacement products and a small meal, I've been reading that some people take 4 products for ease, or 2 and a more normal sized meal. So I guess it's a bit flexible, moreso than the VLCD I did years ago.

I do feel like I've struggled to get on track and perhaps this would simplify things somewhat and give me a boost. I'd not want to do it forever, but I'm wondering if I did this for 2 months for example and then switched to the BSD 800 I did a few years back the transition may be smoother, and I would hopefully manage to keep off whatever I lose, returning to a general LC diet in the longer run.

I'm open to any comments about the idea, positive or negative.
 
Personally I am unable to stick with VLCD plans but it's such an individual thing, some people do really well on it.

Do reviews say the food is nice? I remember trying one, Slim and Save I think, and the 'porridge' was something that even Oliver Twist would have had second thoughts about, and not asked for more :D.

But hey nothing ventured - so why not give it a go for a week, and if you find it's ok, then try a bit longer? xx
 
For me, a vlcd allowed me to disrupt the pattern of eating I had at the time. I kept to the regime when I was going to a clinic and was very successful. I just didn't create a new way of eating, so regained over the years that followed. I wish I'd known about low carb then.

I wasn't able to do a vlcd when I tried several times later without external support, just my own will power. It still helps that I did one, as I know I can be a lower weight. That felt impossible before I did a vlcd - as I had repeatedly failed to lose weight.

If it helps and you can do it, use it as a tool. The key thing to me, will it help you get to and stay at goal? Maybe keeping on keeping on, shedding it slowly, will help you stay at goal when you get there. Whatever you decide will be the right thing!
 
I did it for a few weeks and but Iost more IF. The regurgitated overpriced pap, aka food is disgusting on Exante. The shakes are too sweet and the bars all taste salty. The soup boiled over the microwave every single time, tho I made it how they instructed Hence the weight loss imo. I have a thread on here about it somewhere, I also found as soon as I went back to 2 meals a day I piled all the weight back on and some even tho I stuck to healthy food. I found it slowed my metabolism too and mine is slow enough. I had no energy and in bungs you up no end. Sorry for not being more positive about it but in my case never again lol
 
Last edited:
I did ask for positive and negative comments lol.

I did lighterlife many moons ago, but the timing was terrible. I just got to the point where I would have moved into their maintenance programme - I was less than 9 stone by then. Just at that time was when first husband unexpectedly passed away so obviously my weight just wasn't really on my priority list after that. I lost another half stone and was not happy being 8.5 stone I felt too thin but obviously grief was affecting my appetite. It did take a few years for me to regain the weight I'd lost (about 5 stone) but honestly I never really tried to keep it off or go low carb etc.

A while later when trying to get pregnant I did cambridge for a couple of months, then got pregnant so had to stop.

So I know these plans do 'work' for my body, I found it easier to focus knowing I didn't need to worry about what I was eating that day, and I think like Aligal it broke some of my habits at the time.

I do wonder about the long term sustainability, but having listened to Jason Fung about fasting etc I kind of think it is really about what we do after that matters. I think if I deliberately change to BSD 800 for a while and focus on LC and IF it could be a way forwards if I'm lucky.

I do kind of blame VLCD on the fact I don't have a gall bladder anymore though, but as a scientific person I have absolutely no evidence to support that lol. I'd need to be very mindful of my water, which I need to really up my game on anyway.

I might go ahead and get a pack of mixed products and just try a few days and decide if I can tolerate the flavours. The online reviews are mixed as many seem to love the shakes or soups as often as others hate them. I did quite like lots of the ligterlife and cambridge range but there were definitely flavours I didn't like as well.

My son has slept the past 2 nights in his lego den lol. I'm so glad I didn't just sell the crate as I think he'll get a good year or more out of it before he outgrows it either physically or mentally. I've also dyed his tongue blue with our multicoloured icing 🤣 I quite like how the week has gone, as he was home on his actual birthday but was then off to his Dads for 2 days, SInce he came home we've carried on like it's still his birthday so it's been like a week long affair. I think we'll keep doing this in future - week long birthdays should definitely be a thing.
 
I ordered a month box ( it was heavily discounted and seemed best value) so it comes with a water flavouring and a mix of all the different products. So I'll give it a try, see if I like it.

I find I'm fine in the mornings, but often want to eat the rest of the time, I'll try to stick with the 16/8 idea and see how it goes.
 
Good luck with it hun, and then maybe have a plan to move onto slightly better food - ie your own low cal soups and things like that? Re your gall bladder, a friend of mine did 6 months on a VLCD and then suddenly got kidney stones and the GP ordered her to stop the plan - not something that should affect you for a month but worth keeping an eye on.

I bet your son has had the time of his life this week - he will remember his lego den forever! My mum used to really pull out all stops and make amazing birthday cakes - she made me a record turntable once (yes I am that old lol) with liquorice straps for the turntable base - can't remember what it tasted like, but remember the cake clearly :).
 
In the end he didn't feel like making a cake, but I'd bought the icing, so we bought a plain sponge and just covered it. He loves anything colourful at the moment, so all I did was roll together the different colours of icing to get a mixed up marled effect and popped the icing over the cake. He loved it.

As for the kidney stones yes, I definitely won't be doing it that long. I'm thinking 2-3 months max.

I weighed in this morning, still 179lb's so weight hasn't moved but I'm quite happy I've not gained lol.

I ordered it with free 24 hour delivery, so it will hopefully turn up today sometime, if I can get started tomorrow - there are 12 weeks left this year. IF I like it enough I think I'll do it until the end of the year.

my weight loss historically is slow, so I know I'll not lose 5lbs a week or anything crazy like some do, but if I were to lose 2lb's per week for 12 weeks I'd be down to 155lbs

154 is a bit of a milestone as it's the corner between obese and merely overweight.

Imagine if I could start next year just 'overweight' that would be amazing. I think this is worth a shot.

In other news I've been watching a docu-series about Skinwalker ranch, some real crazy phenomenon going on out there :oops:
 
well, my box arrived. I tried out the water flavouring and it's not bad, can't see the wee tub lasting a month tho. However if I like and want to keep going I'll just get another one. I've had a rummage through the box, there are mostly shakes, a bunch of bars, some soups and a mix of some other things, it's obviously designed to help you not feel bored and inspire you to try the different products that you might not risk if paying full price. The only thing I see straight off I know I'll not like is there are 4 caramel frappe's and I don't like coffee in any form.

However, doing the sums. Buying the 4 week box is so much cheaper than buying 84 products in packs of shakes etc. If I am lucky enough to like most of whats in the box, even supplementing with another pack of bars or shakes it will probably still be cheaper. Or purchase a 2nd box a few days early.

I'm torn between the excitement of realistically being able to shift a good chunk of weight before the end of the year, and the sensible side that says ok ok ok just settle down Ms Chilli. I might hate the meals lol. A few days will show if I'm going to stay on it or not I guess.

If I do, I'm thinking that some days I'll take a 4th product for easiness, but not always (another reason to buy the next box a few days early). I also really enjoy having a hot choc or chai latte these days, but perhaps a chocolate shake made hot will be pleasant... in any case I think I'll still have a chai latte now and then but count it as my 'small meal'

Fingers crossed for tomorrow.
 
All sounds pretty sensible to me - and personally i think that you should get excited, it's such a good feeling at the start of a new plan, so I say go for it :D.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

tobehappyme
Holiday body
Replies
2
Views
1K
AliGal
AliGal
S
Come say hello to me! ✨️
Replies
3
Views
2K
Torn_Tranquility
Torn_Tranquility
Y
Starting a VLCD for good this time!
Replies
4
Views
1K
Kitty07
K
Y
Weight loss journey intro -
Replies
5
Views
1K
Zafira
Zafira
goose
Goose's final road to goal
Replies
17
Views
2K
goose
goose
Back
Top