sanks51

Hello from a fellow saffa!! Living in the UK now. Not single, but just saying howzit!! Good luck with your sleeve journey

Wow Jane, your results are amazing. Thank you for sharing the pictures with us. It hardly looks like you have any swelling.. Absolutely fantastic!

Made me laugh!! Great recipes for us nut lovers. Thank you for sharing.

I was a day post op and still hospitalised on my birthday this year. My surgeon came in that morning to check on me... I thanked him over and over and over (morphine) for the BEST birthday present. My family visited me and brought balloons, flowers and my cards!! I'll never forget my 33rd birthday and I'm looking even more forward to my 34th!! Cheer up Hun, life could be A LOT worse!!

Wow! You look absolutely AMAZING.

The picture really doesn't do the soup much justice... It's delicious... Made a HUGE pot. It's got 4 carrots, 1 leek, 1 courgette, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, half a bulb of fennel, 2 huge mushrooms, a baby cauliflower, 1 chilli, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and just spices!! It's super filling!! Didn't feel like any protein tonight so I indulged in a bowl of the soup. Thank you again for the inspiration

So you inspired me to make a big pot of vegetable soup.. Here it is!!

I'm also going to join the November challenge. My goals are: 1. Complete 150miles on cross trainer / treadmill / bike / rower. 2. Increase my Kettlebell weights from 12/14 to 14/16kgs 3. Improve my 1 rep personal best on the deadlift. Currently 240lbs

You look great!! Well done!

I just ate as normal, don't usually eat before exercise anyway cause I like to push myself without feeling like I'm going to vomit. I went back to exercise at 7 weeks. I started my Kettlebell classes again and at 10 weeks started strength and mobility training with a personal trainer. Now I exercise about 5 times a week. I have noticed that if I'm going to the gym at 14.00 then I won't tend to eat after 12.00. A good two hours!! Good luck with your exercise!

Looks like the trusty amazon has it

Thanks so much. I'll have to check it out and see if I can find some...

So ladies... What is this pumpkin spice, and where does one acquire it (in the UK)?

Depending on the amount of veggies I'm making (sometimes I batch cook) I put a spoonful on the tray, stick it in the oven till its melted, then I coat the veggies in the oil and roast till they are tender.

A soup celebration for all the lovely vegetables out there... And a toast (with a cup of soup) for helping us to feel full!!

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I love your idea of choosing a 'theme' and using spices to produce the flavour. I've lost the food plot the last couple of days. This is going to be very helpful.

Gamergirl, can I ask what vegetables you use in your soup? And excuse my ignorance but is butternut considered starchy?

Lots of people I know add a teaspoon to a good cup of fine roasted coffee. Personally, tried it once but not for me. I also trued to add it to a shake but it congealed and as I drank the congealed clumps, it made me absolutely the gag.. not the taste, just the thought!! Guess you could add it to like a Thai soup made with coconut milk.. could be quite nice. If I was making soup, I would sauté my garlic onions etc in the coconut oil rather than just adding it to the soup..

I love HIIT, I do it on the cross trainer and the treadmill.. Makes the time fly by. The other protocol I enjoy training with is tabata.. A 4 min set and you work for 20 secs, completely rest for 10 secs.. Works out at 8 rounds.. You can do this on the rower, cycling, plank and a whole lot of other things.. The idea is to really push yourself to max in those 20 secs. Keep running

I enjoy cooking with coconut oil. My favourite recipe is roasting vegetables.. Butternut especially in a teaspoon of coconut oil sprinkled with smoked paprika!! Mushrooms really soak up the flavour of the coconut...

How are all the newly sleeved UK peeps doing??? You've all gone MIA!!

Think it's the way we are built. I've resigned myself to the fact I will never have cute little shapely legs.. Just not made that way. My personal trainer always tells me you can't spot train. But obviously exercises that work the muscles in your legs are squats, sumo squats for the insides, box stepping, hill walking always hurts my butt and hamstrings the next day etc. As you loose weight they will decrease.. I've lost about 114lbs but in comparison they're still big, bumpy, wrinkly.. But now they have muscle underneath all that!!! Roll off the next 100lbs!!