Typically my boiler has broken so no hot water or heating! Boiler company say because of the virus they won't come out for at least three weeks! I'm soooo cold it's me want to snuggle under the blankets in bed with lots of warm comfort foods!
I am trying to hold out to dinner time in two hours time! I have already done nearly two hours of exercise today. One being my 10km run - which was also in freezing strong winds!
I have tried to do a bit of study but the hunger and cold is too distracting for me to concentrate. And I feel too cold to do chores to take my mind off being hungry! I kind of want to give in, badly! But I also want to have a successful day rather than another fail.
My mind is at war arguing between not wanting to put more weight on than the stone I already have... To saying screw it, I want comfort and will diet when things are less stressful with the virus and broken boiler etc....
Written by
CrimsonMama
Restart June 2023
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
My daughters are 8 and 13. They are staying in bed on their computer devices and not seeming to feel the cold as much as I am! Usually I put my heating on at the weekends to dry the clothes so I can iron them before work on Monday. I am a key worker so still going to work tomorrow. Work helps with my diet - mostly - if I can avoid the biscuits. But weekends are always harder as I have more time. But can't distract myself by going out for a walk or shopping to pass time.
Layers! Pants, tights, bicycle shorts, thin socks, thick socks, leggings, jeans. Yes, I mean all of them at once, in that order. You may have to dig out some larger jeans, if you still have them.
Same on your top half, get all your knits and hoodies and put them on. Thermal layer against the skin, if you have it. Beanie and gloves if necessary.
Also, large supermarkets sell electric heaters. You should get one.
Lots of hot drinks. Maybe soup. If your body is crying out for food, that might be a good answer.
Oh god I tried to get into Tesco earlier but with the restrictions it was going to take hours to just get through the que to get in the front door!
But I will see if Argos has and will deliver something? And definitely give the layers a go! I've already had four layers on all day on my top half but just leggings on my bottom half as its harder to layer trousers over trousers but if that's what it takes!!
I'm also making dinner early. Then I won't be distracted by hunger so I can do more things. The craving might catch up with me later but I will tackle it then!
Oh, CrimsonMama, I really feel for you, being cold in the middle of this is just so awful.
Have you got an electric kettle? hot drinks, hot water bottles? Sounds to me like a time to get back in bed with the TV or a good book, or one of those puzzle books.
Haha I haven't a hot water bottle! Plus getting into bed and watching TV is just what my mind is crying out for! But it wants to bring peanut butter toasties with it! Lol
I am currently cooking dinner an hour early! Then will see if I can warm up and distract myself long enough to last to bedtime!
Oh, no. I meant a hot water bottle for bedtime. I can cope pretty well will a cold house, but getting into a cold bed in a cold house, I'm not getting to sleep until it warms up, if it warms up.
Do they help non-council tenants? I've contacted my landlady but she hasn't replied. The heating stopped working days ago but the hot water stopped yesterday which is worse! And there are reports of snow hitting the UK next weekend...
I was thinking they'd be coordinating help for everyone - here in Torrox (Spain) there's a helpline (altho I don't know specifically if repairs are covered) - I'd have thought being front-line and having kids would make you "eligible" - it's not about it being free, more who might be authorised to visit? I may be barking up a wrong tree here!
Best of luck -another thought is maybe someone at work can help?
Do you have the boiler manual? On ours there is a reset button and my boiler stops all the time with the hot water, we keep resetting it. Or, could be there's not enough pressure. You should be able to see this under your boiler. If it is lower than 1.5 bar pressure your boiler clicks off. You might be able to find an online tutorial for your own model or one by the same company. Just turn taps slowly. If you have already done these things, apologies.
Do you have a gas cooker? I had no heating over winter one time and used the cooker to heat up some of the house. We use hot water bottles all the time here. I am cold a lot of the time even in summer!
oh mercy Crimson M - I am so sorry, what a time to have your heating and water break! My oven is broken and I thought that was bad enough, having no heat would be absolutely dreadful. I second everything everyone else has said about layers etc and trying to get an electric blanket delivered and so on. Also agree with Cherritorrox that some one maybe at the council should be co-ordinating emergency help. It is not good enough for your landlord just to leave the situation. There has to be some provision for emergencies.
At least you will warm up at work tomorrow.
I think the early meal is a good idea. We need food when we are cold, you could even have an extra soup or something else warm later. I know it is really the desire for comfort food though, I am craving that too. I guess we just have to pick the healthiest comfort food we can under the circumstances.
We have an apple crumble in the freezer (a favourite comfort food of mine) and I thought to myself, 'sod it, 'm going to have that crumble' even though it's not on my menu being lchf normally. Got it out the freezer, then I remembered about my broken oven!!!! no crumble for me then!!!
Oh no poor you! A broken oven definitely trumps broken boiler! Its not convenient but I can boil kettles to wash up and have a wash. And wear layers and buy a heater! But without an oven you are definitely limited! Not everything can be microwaved!! Do you know what you can do about it????
well thankfully, although the oven is broken the hob is working so I can use the hob. If the hob was out I just couldn't bear it. It's funny though, until it broke I didn't realise just how much I used the actual oven, I am really missing it.
I thought about ordering one from Argos or somewhere but it needs disconnecting and reconnecting by an electrician and I guessed that would be problematical just now.
Have you considered toaster ovens? A lot of people swear by them as additions to the main oven, and on will get you roasting again as soon as you plug it in.
good suggestion as it just plugs in.Funnily enough we do have a wee oven thing (I suppose it would be a toaster oven, not that it would make toast as it doesn't grill) that belonged to my late aunt. You can heat simple things in it, like say warm up a scone or a sausage roll, but it isn't powerful enough to actually cook things properly or heat up something from frozen. It might be worth looking at more powerful models though if such a thing exists. I will look in to it.
Btw I promise I am keeping away from the scones and sausage rolls
We've not had an oven for 9 months (due to an extended house renovation) and we bought one of those microwaves that doubles up as an oven. It's got it's limitations, but it mostly does the job. I also use the slow cooker for bigger jobs, such as roasts.
Yeah, it takes a bit of time and you can only do what would fit on a microwave tray, but it's not bad. I did roasted carrot and sweet potato yesterday.
Ha! Well between talking on here, looking into heaters, then going to get one I was excellently distracted enough that I didn't eat my dinner until normal time after all!
I would eat if you are hungry as food is fuel . Could you do an exercise video - maybe with your daughters ? I would contact Citizens Advise tomorrow .
Eat what you have to you can go back to your diet when this is over with. Look after yourself and the children. Paul
Sorry to see that heating problem Crimsonmama. I cook with eectricity & once when I was in your situation I turned on the oven to a hogh temp & left the door open..might not be the safest thing to do, but it really heated up the kitchen & we all huddled there til boiler fixed.
It's just a thought but I believe in some areas the local council have a list of "emergency tradesmen " for electrical, gas, and plumbing problems. My plumber friend in Wilts is on call for such things. You could try asking?
oh dear, is that cos theyre busy for 3 weeks or because of the 3 week isolation? if its the latter they are allowed to come out for emergencies and this seems like one to me. contact them again and say got children in family and your a key worker (saw that in another repy) and that alone may help also keep pestering your landlord
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Failing at weightloss
Need some serious motivation
Motivation or lack of.
Help! How to unwind without food?
