Omega's new journey - time to do it again...

Time for another update... Another week has flown by...

Things are generally going well...

We are continuing to appreciate that things are opening up in England.
Last week we went to zumba at the gym on Monday and Friday and we did salsa on Tuesday.
In addition we did a pilates class at the gym with our friends on Thursday.

So far this week we have done zumba on Monday and salsa yesterday (Tuesday).

We are continuing to be good with our food.

I am still driving every day... Some days more than others... I had a bit of a panic attack about it yesterday - so limited yesterday's driving to the trip into town for salsa...

Last week I did my driving instructor lesson in our own car... My husband and I had agreed that I was generally managing the size of our car - so there was no need to buy me a little car. We have a Mitsubishi Outlander which is quite big and chunky... The driving teacher had a small manual car and our car is a large automatic. When I told the instructor that we had decided not to buy a little car for me - he suggested that it may be a good idea so that we could concentrate on issues that were more relevant.

The two hour lesson went very well and he said that my driving was fine and that I should stop driving with "L" plates... He said that the choice was mine as to whether I went to "P" plates or not. His advice was to not bother... He said that I would continue to improve every time that I drive - but this is the case for many drivers who have recently passed their test. He said that I would be fine to drive without anyone with me - but I certainly do not feel like I am at that level. I had booked a block of lessons and have another two hour lesson to go... He said that after that I really need experience more than lessons...

On Saturday we went to Carlisle and back... That was a bit of a milestone as we have friends that live in Carlisle... It is also a milestone as it is near one of our favourite places to dance (so we have a lot of friends in that county). In addition my family is Cumbrian - so I have a lot of relatives in Cumbria and spent a lot of weekends and holidays there as a child.

The only hiccup was that we had not packed lunch and when we got something - the only low calorie option was sushi. I then sat on quite a big sodium weight gain for the next couple of days...

The water has worked its magic and my weight is back down now... After toilet activity I got a nice low weight this morning of 14 stone 7.25. That is 203.25 pounds.

This is really nice as it fulfils the short term goal on my ticker as it brings my weight down to the weight I had got down to when I went missing in 2017.
:party: :party: :party:

This means that I have to decide on a new ticker goal...
 
:party: indeed!
 
I've set my new ticker goal to getting under 13 stone... This would bring me out of the "teens" of stones...
 
Nice work on reaching your initial goal Omega!:hurray:
Lovely to hear that the driving continues to get better and that you're feeling more comfortable and your instructor has given you the thumbs up. That must feel great. i know I have my license sitting around for a time in the future like yours where I might have to drive so it's nice to hear it's all coming together!
Good luck reaching your next goal--not that i think you need any luck!--you are super motivated and committed!! Keep up the great work!
 
Your driving is obviously improving all of the time, Margaret. If your instructor has so much confidence in your ability & feels that you don't need him any more then it sounds like time for you to have more faith in your ability too. Well done.
 
Good luck with the new goal. If you're as dedicated to driving as you are to losing weight I see no problems whatsoever :)
 
Thanks for visiting Liza, Cate and Maria and cheering me on.

Liza - I cannot emphasise too much how lucky we are to have already passed our driving test... If I can manage relearning - I am sure that you will be fine if you decide to learn to drive again... My driving teacher told me that the waiting list for people wanting to take their driving test now is now something like 200,000 + people here in England... Apparently his students are extra stressed when they take their test as they know they will not get a retest until sometime next year (and that is with things staying open).

Its maybe a couple of weeks since I posted here so time for another catch up.

Everything has been on track with walking and zumba (with occasional pilates classes) for exercise and healthy food at a sensible calorie level - including lots of salads - plus treats most days of fresh fruit and 0% Greek yoghurt...

A couple of lovely milestones have been passed in my weight loss project over that period. My weight this morning was 14st 2 so that is 198 pounds which was a new low weight.

That means that I am in ONEderland... You may think that does not mean much to an English person who weighs in stones and pounds - but it certainly does to someone who has been a member of this forum for a dozen years, made many weight loss friends around the world and been fairly active in such forums...

I have now lost over three and a half stone - which is another milestone.

In addition I am delighted to announce that my husband is still working hard on his project and has now lost six and a half stone this year which is 91 pounds.

:auto: I am still practising my driving most days - some days I am driving more than other days. I had my last lesson of the block that I had paid for with my driving teacher - and he told me to not bother with any more and to just drive and get experience. I have changed the "L" plates to "P" plates which means that I am indicating that I have a full license. It is the one for people who have recently passed their test but feel that they could do with more experience...

On Thursday I went for the first time on a motorway in our car. I had taken a lesson with the driving teacher on the motorway - but that had been in a dual controlled car - so this was definitely a new thing... It meant that I got to one of our properties which is in Coxhoe (which I had not been to this year) in order to see the tenant. This was a great driving milestone...

Since I last posted there have been a couple of other new things...

Like many people we have been wary of pubs and restaurants because of the virus - but missing friends which we have not seen. We arranged to meet a friend who we have hardly seen for a meal in a pub. This was a first for us... She lives in the countryside so she suggested a pub / restaurant in her village... We decided to meet up at 4pm - which seemed a good idea as lunch people would have left and evening people not arrived... It would allow us to beat a hasty retreat if it looked like it was getting crowded. As it happened - the area of the pub where we were was very quiet with no-one near us. The food was lovely although a bit high of sodium (so we had a temporary gain for a day or two afterwards)... They were well organised - and ensured that only one person went into the toilets at any one time so no problem distancing while washing hands. Having got there at 4pm - we fully expected to finish our meals and leave while it was still light... It however worked out that we had such a lovely time that it was fully dark at 9:30pm when we noticed the time and left (having had a really good gossip). I then did a driving milestone as I drove home in full darkness including along unlit country roads...

The other new thing worthy of mention here is that I got a new bra....

In the past I have believed that a bra fitting was a great way of monitoring weight loss... I normally go to Bravissimo and in the past they have been very good. To put things bluntly - my boobs have paid the price for my weight history so the cup size is always stupid... LOL I am so often amused at how the world seems to judge D cups as being big... Even when I was at goal and had a 32 back the cup size was I or J. More often than not it is a J or JJ cup.

Normally the lady that fits you comes into the cubicle with you and helps you try on the bra that she thinks will fit... If you need help fastening it - then that is part of her job. It is something that needs to be done in close proximity - like hairdressing - you cannot do it from 6 feet away...

I will not be going for another bra fitting until the virus is over...

I was wearing a mask - but apparently the rule is that they cannot come into the cubicle and are permanently 6 feet away. They fetch you a bra to try on - then if you want to swap it they fetch you another... She asked me the size of the bra I was wearing and I couldn't remember - I took it off and couldn't read the label - but there was some writing on it that I couldn't make out... I asked her if she could read it and she said that she wasn't allowed to touch it... She then went to her shop records and looked up the size last time round that I bought one off them and brought me a bra with a backsize a couple of sizes smaller. I could fasten it at the front - but not swivel it fully round... She then got the size in between which needed to be put onto a tight fastening to be any good. I am fairly sure that the smaller one would have been the better fit - but I ended up buying the one that was there... I have toyed with taking it back as I was less than happy.

Next time round I will simply order from the internet with a J cup and see how it fits... My husband will help me fasten it if I need help. They say that shops are closing down because of the virus - and that shop is a candidate in my opinion.
 
That´s so many milestones in one post! Sounds like you´re doing wonderful on all fronts. About the bra fitting: in my experience a good fitter will be able to judge my size without me even taking my coat off. I don´t know Bravissimo (don´t think they exist here) but if she´s representative of the brand they deserve to go down.
 
A bra fitting like that is on a par with a hairdresser standing 6 feet away from you and handing you a pair of scissors and saying "I'll give you advice and hold a mirror for you"...
 
Omega said:
A bra fitting like that is on a par with a hairdresser standing 6 feet away from you and handing you a pair of scissors and saying "I'll give you advice and hold a mirror for you"...
Click to expand...
lol i like that idea! I haven't been to a hairdresser in years, so some advice might be a good addition!

Anyways sounds like you are doing great Omega--really nice to hear. All those milestones! Wonderful!
 
You are going great guns, Margaret. Well done!
That bra "fitting" sure wasn't. I wouldn't be going back there. :(
 
Thanks Liza and Cate.

Time for another "dear diary" update :)

Everything is still going well - with good consistent exercise levels and good food control.

Yesterday was another great day - so I thought it worth a mention.

My weight yesterday morning was 13st 13.75 which is the first time in ages that I have been under 14 stone... It was a big milestone for me - even though I was back up by quarter of a pound today to the 14st mark.

:auto: Since I last posted I have continued to work hard with my driving. I have pushed ahead with more motorway driving and have been now reached all our five northern properties which are located in Northumberland and County Durham. This in itself is a major milestone.

We have no idea how long things will stay as they are with Rod not allowed to drive. Rod misses driving - and has been investigating the concept of getting an electric bike... This would give him a level of independence as the situation is currently that we either walk anywhere or I need to drive us. Since I do not feel ready to drive alone in the car - we do not have the option of me dropping him off anywhere... That has not been a problem as I have been happy to drive him places and just hang around doing my puzzle book or popping out from a walk until he is ready to leave.

I have taken him to a number of shops that sell electric bikes and he has done research... He eventually decided that he would actually prefer an electric tricycle as it would be more stable and make it easier for him to carry stuff (like his bags of toy soldiers). The only problem was that the shops near here do not sell them. The nearest shop with this kind of expertise is in York.

Yesterday we went on the motorway to York which was over 90 miles each way and ended up going through the centre of York which is a city which I don't know... We went to the shop and spoke to a very knowledgeable person and have ordered a tricycle. Current delays are such that we will not get the tricycle until December at the earliest (uncertainty due to covid and Brexit - but everything has that sort of caveat at the minute)...

I was very stressed about the idea of going to York - including a poor night's sleep - but pleased that I managed to do it.

The length of the journey (and the fact that it was nice weather for a change) meant that we had breakfast and lunch out. I ended up opting for sandwiches (breakfast - egg and cress, lunch ham and cheese) and I never process bread well - so was not surprised to see my quarter pound gain today. I made up for it in part with poached salmon salad at night when we got home and no fruity treat.
 
Great work on the driving! That must´ve been nerve-wrecking, suddenly driving in the city, but I´m sure it gave your confidence a big boost.
 
Hi, Margaret. What a great day. Well done! You must be gaining more & more confidence in your driving ability with every hurdle that you are jumping over. You are also being very consistent with your exercise & eating. You're sailing :)
 
Thanks for visiting and the support Maria and Cate.

Its time for another diary update... Things are still going well.

I am currently sitting a fraction above my low weight which is 13st 8.25 or 190.25 pounds. That means that I have passed the 4 stone lost this year milestone. Rod's project continues well too - and he has now lost over 7 stone this year.

We both go out walking every morning together - but on the second walk Rod goes home at one point while I continue walking. I complete my exercise with a mixture of zumba classes, zumba at home, an occasional visit to the gym, my own stepper, my cycle pedals. I am currently shooting for something in the region of 20,000 steps a day.

On the food front I simply try to eat healthily and wisely... I found on my big project plus numerous failed diets that I actually do better if I do not count calories.... My personality is obsessive and perfectionist - so I tend to beat myself up if I feel like I have failed... If I aim for a number of calories and go slightly over - an inch is as bad as a mile so I might as well eat everything in the house.

I am managing to drive everywhere that we are trying to drive - as long as Rod is in the car with me. I still feel that I need a co-pilot :)

The virus is very big news here... The north east of England has special measures in place as the virus is 2.5 times the national average. The city that I live in actually has 5 times the national virus average.

New laws are in place here and we are not allowed to socialise in each others' houses or gardens. We can only spend time socially with the people that we live with. Pubs haven't been closed yet - but you can only sit with the people that you live with. There seems to be a loop-hole in the rules that says that while you cannot socialise with friends from other households in your garden or in a park - you can in a pub beer garden!!!!

We are really lucky as the gym is currently still open. We do not know how much longer that will be the case. Zumba is still allowed as it is classed as exercise - with socially distancing rules strictly applied with set criteria.

People that live alone are allowed to form a bubble with another household. A good friend of ours lives by herself and her family are hundreds of miles away. She is therefore in a bubble with us. I go to salsa with her on a Tuesday and dance with her as I am able to both lead and follow.

We are very lucky to have as good a social life at the minute...

We do not expect the current situation to continue for long - and we are preparing for a full lockdown like we had earlier in the year.

On Monday we rented a storage container and we spent Tuesday and Wednesday putting the furniture from two of our rooms into storage. This allows us to repurpose those rooms to be more useful to us in case of lockdown. A lockdown over winter will be more challenging as it is not always nice to walk outdoors here...

We have got the Reebok treadmill out of storage. It is theoretically not able to take Rod's weight - but we have decided to see how it goes......

We tried lots of times trying to get someone to repair the Tunturi treadmill (which will take the higher weight) and finally managed to talk to someone from a firm which is out of area. He has suggested some things which we could try and is sending us the bits... If they do not work he will get someone to us... We are waiting for the bits.

We are seriously thinking about getting an exercise bike... Rod feels that a recumbent bike may be best - and we are trying to do some research into this.

We are both keen to push ahead with losing weight and getting fitter. We will naturally try not to get the virus - but the fitter we are - the better our chances of a good outcome if we do get it.
 
How strange that you wouldn´t be allowed to socialize outside - while maintaining your distance. Great to hear you´re doing so well though, up to and including doing everything possible to make the next lockdown a healthy one.
 
In our opinion it is the ultimate in bad advice to say that you cannot see a friend or relative in your own garden - no matter how socially distanced - but it is ok in a pub garden... They have actually made it against the law here.
 
I agree that makes little sense, probably one rule I would ignore. As you probably know here in the US we have lots of confused guidance, but few legally enforceable restrictions. You see lots of mandatory mask signs, but there is no way to legally enforce and everyone knows it. Many people, me included, are trying to follow good practices mostly based on our own common sense. I always put the mask on when I see a sign, and often when I don't. Not all do though, you see lots of people out without masks and not socially distancing. I think the result is that those people are more likely to get the virus than us safer practice folks. Witness the recent news from here. Problem is that does put all of us at greater risk.

You are doing great, down over 4 stone!! Good for you.
 
Omega said:
In our opinion it is the ultimate in bad advice to say that you cannot see a friend or relative in your own garden - no matter how socially distanced - but it is ok in a pub garden... They have actually made it against the law here.
Click to expand...
Very true. Frustrate people enough and they´ll start ignoring all rules, not just the over-the-top ones.
 
A lot of the rules in Tasmania are similar & hard to fathom & I figure it’s pressure from business. We don’t have any active cases (touch wood) but you can only have 20 people in your back yard but pubs can have up to 1000!
 
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