reflections on the week that was

Weigh in today showed minimal loss, less than half a pound, however the waist measurement showed satisfactory movement downwards so progress as far as I am concerned.

I managed all my runs and also played badminton.

I fell off the wagon and bounced back on it the following day.

I am also struggling with a difficult situation at home with a friend staying. Her marriage is in serious difficulties and she has no money and the only way she feels she can contribute to the household is by baking every day. Treats for us, she says. She knows I am on a diet but struggles with the reality of the diet, i.e. that I am not freely participating of the baking and consequently she is feeling a bit sensitive because she says baking is all she can do to show thanks and appreciation.

Not easy for anybody is it?

mietjie

[Hidden]

And, in fact, stress alters your hormones and makes it more difficult to lose weight.

Perhaps, you could get her onto 'lower calorie' cakes. The Hairy Dieters had a trick with a lower calorie fairy cake that might be a way forward. Oh and a lower calorie meat pie too. There are tricks out there to be found.

Get some people around to share her baking efforts.

And if she has the culinary skills to do decent baking - which I think is one of the harder cooking tasks to master - she could probably do a bit of research on the web and find ways of doing other lower calorie dishes too.

Good luck.

(And if she discovers a way of making a chocolate and fresh cream eclair that comes in under 100 kcal and isn't the size of a thumbnail ..... let me know!)

[TheEditor]

Can she bake savoury stuff? Could be an interesting challenge for her. That way the food would be part of the meal. You could just take a smaller portion and fill the rest of your plate with veggies?

[Hidden]

Curiously she is very resistent to the idea of replacing high calorie items like butter with lower calorie items. I have suggested making a granary loaf of bread instead of something sweet and she is keen to pursue that. I find it increasingly difficult saying no to home baked items, not because I want it but because the list of 'no thanks' has grown long in a short period of time and she is becoming embarassed by it, and it makes us both feel awkward.

And no Doikosp, that miraculous eclair is elusive! She is a marvellous baker and so far I said yes to a muffin, no to fruit scones, cherry tart, banana bread and a crumpet.

Fortunately I haven't had to deal with an apple tart yet because saying no to that is going to be impossible.

Mietjie

[LadyJazz]

Hi, sounds like a real tricky situation. Do you think your friend would respond if you suggested something other than baking. Is there anything else that YOU would prefer her to do as a token of her appreciation and thanks.

[Hidden]

It is an very sad situation, and if truth be told I would just want to pamper her so that she feels loved and protected but I do understand that she wants to contribute in an area where she has expertise and feels confident about.

I want to say thanks to all of your for your understanding and kind suggestions, I am sure from that I will find a good solution.

[bizzyb]

hi mietjie,

why not ask her to help you with your weight loss program, say your getting bored doing it yourself then tell her you want chicken/pasta/veg for lunch and ask her to come up with something that uses those ingredients and comes in under the calorie count, some old slimming cookbooks from a charity shop could help - new interest for her and it would really be helping you - win win situation