naps

  Well another week down, and I've been good.  Weighed in yesterday morning at 12 st 1lb which was about one and a half pounds down on last week, however I thought nah, knuckle down and you can get into that 11 stone lots weight for tomorrow, so leave it. And what happens? Aaaargh, now 12 st 3lb!!!!! Like the next target Alexis, we're off to the UK the weekend before Easter, so I've six weeks to get in shape.  My aim is a BIG one, hoping to hit 11 stone for the day we leave, that's 17lbs, errrmmm maybe a little too optimistic.

Hi all - back again after one week's holiday and one week of of virtually no effort - the shame! Some interesting postings about reaching a plateau, I think like everything, we've only got some much willpower and 6 weeks is probably our limit.  I've been on a 2 week blip!  But I pulled it back this week.  After losing 'almost' one stone (but not quite) I kidded myself that I could change from Atkins to the Kelloggs challenge - replacing two meals with a bowl of cereal and eating a normal third meal - I didn't have the willpower, and took the third meal a lilttle toooooo far!  Consequently I gained 4lbs - oops! Got back onto Atkins in the last week and managed to get rid of the extra weight + a couple more pounds (easy come, easy go) - have now (finally) lost my FIRST STONE (plus and extra pound)  - Yipeeee [<:o)] Current weight 12, 2.6  - want to get to 11 stone before our trip to the UK in April - going to have to work very, very hard, but I find it helps to have a goal.  It also helps that my OH is dieting too. But the main incentive is chatting to you guys and knowing that we're all battling together. Hope you're all losers this week.  

  Yep, that was the noise of me falling off the diet wagon!  Ouch it hurt.  In my defence we had visitors over for a meal, I cooked, Atkins friendly starter, Atkins friendly dinner (if I'd not been lulled into eating a roast potato), then already on the downward spiral, it would have been pointless to ignore the a crumble.  (and the slice of bread just jumped onto my plate when I was eating the cheese). Did I wake up the next morning thinking, 'Never mind, it's only one meal?-' of course not!  We had to give our visitors a hearty breakfast before they returned, so a couple of croissants later and a few slices of fresh bread and the diet was well and truly broken.  That's when I should have stopped, but I figured 'what the h***' I've blown it for this day, so continued to eat what I fancied.  Back on track this morning, but can't face going back to Atkins so following the Kellogs 'drop a jean size challenge', two meals replaced with a bowl of cereal and a sensible healthy meal for the 3rd meal.  I'm going away this week, so it'll be two weeks before the next weigh-in, enough time to see how this style of eating suits me.  

Yep Alexis, I'm still on the induction - I too let it get way out of control if I try introducing carb's, although I promised myself that once I'd lost the first stone I would allow myself to change diets - a bit of an incentive for sticking to Atkins, so I could get off it sooner.  Now I've the dilemma of either continuing because I know it works, or changing to something to relieve the boredom of eating meat, meat and more meat. Good luck to those still waiting to weigh-in.

It's catch up time, after a disappointing weigh-in last week, it looks like I'm seeing the affect of my efforts this week...down 4.6lbs (Start 13st 3.4, 1st week 13st 0.4, 2nd week 12 st 10.4, 3rd week 12st 9.2. current 12st 4.6)  That 11st something is now looking achievable - shame I'm on holiday next week, probably undoing all of the good work.[:#] Gay - how's the shoulder? 

Funnily enough I think it is too.

AndyH4 - the charge for booking in luggage only applies to flights booked after March 16th, so you shouldn't incur any costs if you book all your planned flights prior to this date.  I can see it being interesting at the check-in desks.  Suggest it would be handy to print a copy of this announcement and keep it with your passport and booking ref. along with proof of the date you booked your flight.

I'd certainly recommend flying, if you're only going to be there for a couple of days you can really keep the baggage to a minimum.  I don't think driving is an option for you.  We drive from Western France to Calais and it's a 6 hour non-stop run, of course we do stop and we share the driving.  If I were to attempt it alone with the children, stops would have to be more frequent - and let's be honest, a they can drive me to distraction when I'm doing the school run, so a 7+ hour drive, without having a co-driver to act as entertainer is just unthinkable!

From our experience in Deux Sevres, the standard of kennels varies enormously, but the price is usually the same, around 14 eruo's per day for our large dog.  Take a look on the pages jaune and you may come up with alot more options for your area.  www.pagesjaune.fr  

Well done Alexis (through gritted teeth grrrrr).  No, seriously well done, it's inspiration for me to keep going, I know that I can shift this flab and have to admit that my jeans are feeling a little more comfortable.  Gay, that's obviously a very, very heavy sponge sling with a lead splint running through the middle, you'll lose a few pounds when you take it off. The good thing about being poorly for me is that it's finally broke my wine intake.  Nothing Tuesday night, nothing Wednesday and one small glass last night, hopefully I won't get back into the bad habit of drinking so much? [D]

[:'(]  What a terrible week!  Not a cheat in sight, I ate what I should or ate nothing at all.  Tuesday, was spent running around after two childen with a tummy bug, Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning I had the displeasure of suffering from the nasty little bug.  Yesterday I was like a woman possessed cleaning this place from top to bottom to rid it of any germ which dared to have entered it.  The result????  1 lb down.  (Start 13st 3.4, 1st week 13st 0.4, 2nd week 12 st 10.4, current 12st 9.2)  OK it's in the right direction, but v. v. v. disappointing.   More determined though!  I'll catch up next week.  Good luck to everyone else.  

Forget the gadgets, forget the hoover there is only one way to deal with them... NOTE - THIS VIDEO CLIP IS NOT (Absolutely NOT) FOR ARACHNOPHOBICS!!!! http://www.videovat.com/videos/619/african-cave-spider-eating.aspx

It really depends on what you want.  If you're looking to rent somewhere on a long term holiday let, then those are the going rates, however if you're thinking of renting something longer term, say 6 months + then you should be able to find something cheaper and need to look a immobiliers, etc.  

Wahey!  Smashed through the 13 st barrier with a 4lb weight loss this week!  [<:o)] So, why don't I feel any thinner?  Still a long way to go, but feeling postive. Food - good: Alcohol  - still too high, BUT lower than usual : Exercise - a grand total of 15 minutes of pilates Good luck everyone. x

Although the induction does say no alcohol, white wine is much lower in carbs than red, so if you really feel the need and can face white as opposed to red, you probably won't do much damage.

That's it, I think I'll just drop the eggs (not literally) - I enjoy the bacon most, so a big plate of bacon and a couple of mushrooms it is - yummy. To those who have tried Atkins and failed, I can endorse it, I lost just over 18 kgs last time I did it, the problem was stopping and then thinking I had a licence to eat everythng (to excess) .  I'm hoping that this time I can maintaim on a 80:20 ratio WHEN (note, not if) I reach my target weight.

Of course, but that goes without saying!  [:D] I've got to ask, what are you eating for breakfast, aren't you sick of eggs yet?

We moved with a RHD car because it was more practical to take it with us, plus the fact that it was only a year old - it didn't make sense to sell it.  That was when we moved to Holland.  Since then we've relocated to France and the car came with us, now 5 years old, along with a 5 year old LHD  The import system here in France was quick and painless. Since arriving we've realised that neither car is ideal for this area as it's too hot in the summer and we don't have air conditioning in either.  We also know that we'll have to keep the RHD until it's ready for the scrap yard or we move back to the UK as it wouldn't be possible to sell it here in France. I'd say, from our experience the things to consider are... How old is your car and how much would you lose selling it before you came? What is the cost of an equivalent LHD  vehicle in France? If you brought your car, would you be happy to keep it forever? Does your car have aircon (will you need it in the area you're moving to)? What sort of driving are you expecting to do?  Overtaking on country roads, toll booths and ticket machines can be a pain in a RHD car.  

Alexis, I've finally joined you in the not hungry mode - I think we started Atkins on the same day?  It's reached the point where I actually feel nauseus at the thought of ANOTHER cooked breakfast.  I expect my wings and halo to be couriered to me at some point today as we entertained last night, and I avoided the crispy roast potatoes and deep banoffee pie, and ate only atkins friendly food.  Although I know I shouldn't be drinking during the two week induction, that was just too much to take on.  Still, it's all going well, so no complaints.

Haven't reached the 'I am not at all hungry' stage yet, still in the 'what can I eat now stage' but resisting well.  Doesn't help that the computer is in the hallway right next to the kitchen - just too close! Well done everyone, and good luck to those who are checking in tomorrow - here's to another successful week! [:)]

  I weighed in this morning and am 3lbs down since Monday - less than half a pound to that 12 st. something range!.  Food side still going well, I managed to cook a meal for visitors last night with lots of sliced bread and crispy roast potatoes and didn't eat a morsel out of the rules.  Also got round the dessert hazard by buying two individual cakes to serve afterwards. Excercise still non-existent, alcohol intake still too hgih. 

Pretty similar here... the only differences are that after pre-boiling I pour them into a colander and give them a good shake up, this bashing gives lots of rough edges and creates what later become the crispy bits. Just found goose fat in the supermarket - which is supposed to be best for roast potatoes, but prior to that I just used sunflower oil. I also pre-heat the oil before dropping the par-boiled potatoes in and season well with fine rock salt. Oh how I wish I wasn't on Atkins at the moment!

One tip, phone the Embassy prior to the birth, they can send all the relevant forms relating to registering the birth and getting a passport, this will also contain all the details regarding the price and paperwork required.  I recall that it was expensive, when we went through the motions 2 years ago, somewhere in the region of 200 euro's for the combined application. You can apply for the birth certificate and passport at the same time, which is useful as you only have to send all your documents one (your birth certificates and your passports). One final tip regarding the passports.  Obviously it's difficult to get a good photo (with eyes open) of a newborn.  We went to a typical in-shop phototgrapher and we struggled with the first child, but for the second someone recommended lying them on the floor (on a white sheet) and we had no problems at all..

  Suze & Gay - me too!  I'm 5' 7" and weighed in over 13 stone - what shocks me most is that in June 2003 I dieted down to 10st 13lb and really thought I'd never go back up in weight.  However, on a more postivie note, the 'eating plan' is going well.  (On the downside, the exercise is poor, and the lowered intake of wine went straight out the window!)  Not sure if anyone's seen the Boots Change One Thing campagin which has been advertised recently.  It basically says that we fail in our resolutions because we try to change too much in one go, I think they've got a point.  So for now I'm concentrating on the food side, over the next month I'll slowly try to incease excercise and lower alcohol. For anyone who's interested - the site is http://www.bootschangeonething.com/  

  I'm happy with the 1 kg down by Friday and 4 kgs down by Valentine's day plan.  Feeling very positive this morning - let's hope the feeling lasts! Weighed in at 13 st 4lb (catching up with the other half !!!) that's a little over 83kgs AND I DO NOT plan to stay this weight.  Going to do my measurements today and get a full length photo taken to stick to the fridge door. Good luck to everyone else.