Smart Tech, Crumpet Pizzas and a Birthday Surprise! ⭐

flidfit Disability, Fakeaways, Recipes, Technology, Wegovy, Weightloss Medication, YouTube

Fitting in a quick blog post this week before a few days away celebrating my wonderful partner Mike’s 70th birthday! It’s all a surprise, so to avoid giving the game away, I’ll tell you all about it in next week’s blog. We’re travelling about an hour and a half from home and, rather mysteriously, I’ve instructed Mike that we’ll need to pack a load of firewood… and his swimming trunks! That should keep him guessing.

This week started with a bit of disruption as we replaced both my cooker hood and induction hob with new models that can be connected to the internet.

“Why on earth does a cooker hood need to be connected to the internet?” I hear you ask!

Well… my previous cooker hood looked very smart and worked perfectly well, but there was one rather significant problem. I couldn’t actually operate it! The touch controls were completely inaccessible to me – something I hadn’t considered when I bought it around ten years ago. I tried everything I could think of: a stylus attached to a stick, touchscreen gloves… nothing worked. Every time I wanted to use the extractor fan, I had to ask someone else to switch it on.

The new Neff hob and extractor use Home Connect, which allows them to communicate with each other. Simply turning on the hob automatically starts the extractor fan. Better still, I can control everything using my voice.

“Alexa, switch on the hood.”

“Alexa, turn the hood to full power.”

“Alexa, switch on the hood light.”

You get the picture!

If you’d like a tour of my adapted kitchen and to see some of the many little changes I’ve made to enable me to cook safely and independently, there’s a video I made a few years ago here

Whilst voice-activated smart technology offers an extra level of convenience for many people, for those of us with physical impairments it can provide something far more valuable – genuine independence.

Alexa now controls much of my home, including the lighting, speakers, window blinds and every radiator. I also have a rather clever (and admittedly rather expensive!) Geberit bidet toilet. I haven’t yet explored whether it can be voice-controlled too, but it automatically opens and closes the lid, washes, dries, extracts odours, and even warms the seat. I have to admit, on a cold winter’s morning, a heated toilet seat is one of life’s little luxuries!

My culinary discovery of the week has been crumpet pizzas.

I’d made a batch of pizza topping mixture previously and frozen it in portions, so using that, a couple of slices of pepperoni and a sprinkling of grated mozzarella and Cheddar, I popped them into the air fryer for just two minutes.

The result? A delicious, surprisingly filling little pizza for only 186 calories each. They’re quick, easy and will definitely become a regular lunch in this house.

As for Wegovy, this week I took my first increased dose of 0.5 mg, having moved up from 0.25 mg.

So far… very little appears to have changed.

I’m still finding that I have to work quite hard to keep both my appetite and my sweet tooth under control. I know it’s still very early days, so I’m hoping the increased dose simply needs a little time to build up before I notice any real difference.

Weight

Whilst I’d have loved the increased dose to have taken the edge off my appetite immediately, I’m reminding myself that these medications don’t work overnight. Patience has served me well throughout this journey, so I’ll give it a little more time before drawing any conclusions.  BUT I am getting dangerously close to the top of my maintenance range!  I also remind myself of how far I’ve come on this journey in 14 years….

Weight this week: 56.15kg (8st 11.8lbs)
Weight last week: 55.95kg (8st 11.3lbs)

Weekly loss/gain: -0.2kg (-7.5ozs)
100% – 5 months 14

days in weight maintenance range (54 – 57kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)

 

Good Food, Good Friends… and a Little More Patience

flidfit Eating Out, Fish, Maintenance, Salads, Salads, Wegovy, Weightloss Medication

Thank goodness this week has been a little cooler! The sunshine has been enjoyable again rather than unbearable.

On Monday I met some girlfriends for lunch at our regular venue – a lovely pub that serves really tasty, beautifully presented food. It’s a little more expensive than your average pub meal, but the chef there clearly knows what they’re doing. I chose a guilt-head bream fillet, served with a delicious potato terrine, samphire, and a courgette and asparagus side with heritage tomatoes and – rather unexpectedly – cubes of grilled feta. It seemed like a very odd combination, but it actually worked incredibly well!  The meal certainly didn’t disappoint!

Later in the week, I invited a friend over for lunch. We’ve known each other since primary school and also went to the same secondary school, so we’ve probably been friends since we were about nine years old! Although we don’t see each other very often because life gets busy, whenever we do meet up, we always have plenty to chat about as we catch up on family news and everything that’s happened since our last get-together.

With Sam’s support, I prepared a homemade pizza topped with mozzarella, olives, sliced courgette, peppers and grated cheese. The pizza base is made from a simple mixture of Greek yoghurt and self-raising flour – no oil or water required. Having shortened arms, rolling out dough is quite a challenge for me, and I usually end up wearing as much of it as actually makes it onto the baking tray.

My right-hand woman, Sam, is off on holiday for the next couple of weeks, so I plan to keep my meals a little simpler while she’s away. It will be a good opportunity to remind myself that healthy eating doesn’t have to involve complicated recipes or a lot of food prep.

Indeed, this weather certainly means plenty of salads, and as my other half (Mike) is harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans from our garden at present, I’ve been making a regular delicious cucumber, red onion and tomato salad dressed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, as well as a green bean salad with a garlic mustard vinaigrette dressing.

There’s something very satisfying about growing your own fruit and vegetables. Picked fresh and eaten at their best, they’re packed with flavour in a way that supermarket produce rarely manages to match.

Wegovy update: I’ve now taken my fourth and final 0.25mg dose and… let’s just say I’m really looking forward to moving up to the next dose next week! At the moment, I’m still having to make a conscious effort to keep my appetite under control, so I’m hoping the increase will provide a little more support

As for my weight, the good news is that I’m still within my maintenance range.

I’m quietly hoping with Wegovy’s assistance, next week I hope to be moving back towards the middle of that range rather than teetering towards the top of it!

As always, one week at a time…

Weight this week: 55.95kg (8st 11.3lbs)
Weight last week: 56.1kg (8st 11.6lbs)

Weekly loss/gain: -0.15kg (-5.3ozs)
100% – 5 months 7 days in weight maintenance range (54 – 57kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)

 

Chocolate, Snacking and the Wegovy Waiting Game

flidfit Maintenance, Recipes, Sweet Treats, Wegovy, Weightloss Medication

This week feels as though it’s been rather uneventful, but in reality we’ve simply been trying to keep as cool as possible, which has meant spending much of our time indoors. The hot weather has certainly dictated the pace of life.

I’ve used the time to make some lovely batches of fresh salads, which we’ve been enjoying for lunch, along with a seafood rice dish that I’ve shared the recipe for here on the blog. Finding meals that don’t involve using the oven, hob or stove has been a bit of a challenge. As much as I enjoy a good salad, I do like a bit of variety too!

I suspect the main thing you’re wondering about, though, is how I’m getting on with Wegovy.

The good news is that I’ve experienced absolutely no side effects so far. The less exciting news is that I haven’t noticed any dramatic appetite suppression either. That said, I tried to think back to my first few weeks on Mounjaro and whether I felt much difference then. I even went back through my food diary from those early weeks to remind myself how easy – or otherwise – I found it to stick to my calorie allowance at the time.

Looking back through my food diary from last June and July, I can see one really noticeable difference. There was virtually no snacking, and very few sweet treats. I’m beginning to realise that this is probably my biggest downfall when it comes to maintaining my weight.

One thing this exercise has really reinforced for me is just how valuable it is to keep a food diary. I’ve logged everything I’ve eaten for over 14 years now, and while it can sometimes feel a little tedious, it’s an incredibly useful tool. When something changes – whether that’s weight loss slowing down, hunger increasing or old habits creeping back in – you don’t have to rely on memory. You can look back at the evidence and spot patterns that you might otherwise have missed. It’s amazing how quickly we forget what was actually happening when things were going well.

What also struck me was that it wasn’t just a case of me having more willpower or feeling less hungry. My taste genuinely seemed to change. Sweet foods simply didn’t appeal to me in the same way. Even if chocolate or biscuits were sitting in plain sight, I just wasn’t interested. I didn’t have to fight the temptation because the temptation simply wasn’t there. I’d gone right off the taste of sugary foods and chocolate, and that made sticking to my calorie allowance feel almost effortless. Looking back now, it’s clear just how much that change in food preference contributed to my success. Sometimes the answers we’re looking for really are there, written down in black and white.

It’s also important to remember that this is only the loading dose. With each weekly injection, the amount of medication in my body gradually builds up, rather than reaching its full effect immediately, as shown in the chart below.

I’ve been using an app called Shotzy to keep track of everything. It allows me to log each injection, record the dose and injection site, reminds me when my next injection is due, and even provides a helpful graph showing how the medication accumulates in my body over time. I actually find it quite reassuring to see that visual reminder that, even if I can’t feel much difference yet, the medication is steadily building to a therapeutic level.

Looking back through my food diary from last June and July, I can see one really noticeable difference. There was virtually no snacking, and very few sweet treats. I’m beginning to realise that this is probably my biggest downfall when it comes to maintaining my weight.  Sadly, that effect has definitely disappeared. Chocolate has once again become rather tempting… even in this heat when it melts almost as soon as you unwrap it!

Let’s be honest – most of us enjoy a sweet treat now and then. My problem is that if it’s in the house, it will eventually get eaten! That’s “food noise” for you.

The reality is that I don’t really need those sweet treats. They’re not satisfying genuine hunger – they’re simply something I enjoy for the pleasure they bring. There’s nothing wrong with that in moderation, but it’s very easy for those little extras to creep back into my daily routine. That’s something I really need to get back under control.

So this week I’m making a conscious effort to rein it in. I’ll be sticking to my homemade chia seed raspberry dessert, which I genuinely look forward to most evenings, rather than reaching for chocolate or other snacks. Hopefully that one simple change will be enough to make a noticeable difference.

Another possibility is that the Mounjaro has now completely left my system. It makes perfect sense. I know I made the right decision to intervene now, rather than waiting until the weight started creeping back on pound by pound or kilogram by kilogram. Maintaining a healthy weight is so much easier than trying to lose it all over again.

I’m not worried that Wegovy isn’t working. I’m only on the loading dose, and lots of people don’t notice a dramatic reduction in appetite until the higher doses. At the moment, what I’m really noticing is the absence of the effects I had on Mounjaro—particularly that complete lack of interest in sweet foods. I’m hoping that as Wegovy builds up in my system over the next few weeks, those changes will gradually return.

For now, I’m just plodding along. I’m finding it a little more challenging than I’d like, but I’m determined to get back on top of the snacking.

I’d love to know whether I’m alone in this. Does everyone have that one food that’s their weakness? If you’re taking weight loss medication, have you found it changes your cravings? And if you’re not, how do you keep your own temptations under control? Let me know in the comments—I’m always interested to hear what works for other people.

Weight this week: 56.1kg (8st 11.6lbs)
Weight last week: 56.5kg (8st 12.5lbs)

Weekly loss/gain: -0.4kg (-⅞lb)
100% – 5 months in weight maintenance range (54-57kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)

Mediterranean Seafood & Chorizo Rice – 552 calories

flidfit Fish, Recipes, Wegovy, Weightloss Medication

I made this dish using Arborio rice simply because I had some that needed using up. Although Arborio rice is traditionally associated with risotto rather than Spanish rice dishes, it worked brilliantly. The Arborio rice absorbed all the wonderful flavours while creating a deliciously creamy texture that complemented the smoky chorizo and tender seafood perfectly. It just goes to show that you don’t always need the “correct” ingredient to create something absolutely delicious!

My own Mediterranean-style one-pan rice dish is packed with colourful vegetables, succulent seafood and smoky chorizo.

One of the things I love most about cooking is creating meals that don’t feel like “diet food”. After losing a significant amount of weight and maintaining it, I’ve discovered that healthy eating doesn’t have to mean missing out. By filling the pan with plenty of vegetables, lean seafood and just enough chorizo to add a delicious smoky richness, this dish is hearty, satisfying and bursting with flavour.

Using Arborio rice makes it wonderfully creamy and forgiving to cook, while a squeeze of fresh lemon and a scattering of fresh parsley at the end bring everything to life. It’s a complete one-pan meal that’s simple enough for a weeknight but special enough to serve to family or friends. It certainly earned Mike’s seal of approval!

Arborio Risotto Rice, Tesco                      –  150g

Avocado Oil                                                  –  2 Tsps/10ml

Onions                                                            –  50g

Carrots                                                            –  35g

Garlic                                                              –  3 Cloves/9g

Tomato Puree                                                –  10g

Courgette                                                        –  60g

Green Beans                                                  –  40g

Red Pepper                                                    –  70g

Water (boiling)                                             –   600ml

White Wine Stock Pot                                –  1 Pot/28g

Chorizo, Spicy Spanish Ring                     –  45g

Seafood Selection, Cooked
(mussels, squid, prawns)                          –  1 Pack/250g

Paprika                                                         –  1 Tsp/2g

Parsley, Fresh, chopped                           –  1 Tbsp/3.8g

Lemon                                                          –   half – cut into wedges

Preparation

Peel and finely dice the carrot and onion. Slice the courgette into rounds. Top and tail the green beans, then cut them into approximately 3cm lengths. Core and deseed the red pepper before slicing into thin strips. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Slice the chorizo into rounds.

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan with a lid over a medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook gently for around 5 minutes until softened and translucent.

Add the green beans, chorizo, garlic, paprika and red pepper. Cook for a further 2–3 minutes, allowing the chorizo to release its richly flavoured oils.

Stir in the courgette and tomato purée, followed by a splash of the water and the Arborio rice. Mix well so that the rice is coated in all the flavours.

Add the stock pot and the remaining water, stirring well until everything is thoroughly combined.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover with the lid and cook for around 15 minutes, checking occasionally to ensure there is sufficient liquid. If the rice begins to dry out before it is cooked, simply add a splash more hot water.

Once the rice is tender, remove the lid. If any excess liquid remains, increase the heat for a minute or two until it has reduced. The finished dish should be creamy with a slight oozy consistency rather than dry.

Finally, gently stir through the cooked seafood and fresh parsley, allowing the seafood to heat through without overcooking.

Serve immediately with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)        552.0

Protein (g)                28.7

Carbohydrate (g)    75.9

Fat (g)                       14.7

Fibre (g)                    4.2

Fruit & Veg                1.7

 

 

Maintenance Isn’t About Being Perfect: A Weekend Away, Wegovy and Keeping Things in Perspective

flidfit Disability, Eating Out, Eating Out, Emotional well being, Travel, Travel & Holidays, Wegovy, Weightloss Medication

Hello all,

Apologies for the delayed update. Usually I plan and draft my blog post over the weekend, but as I mentioned last week, I’ve just returned from a lovely weekend away in Cambridge with some girlfriends.

We had a wonderful time. The hotel (Ibis, Cambridge Central Station) was accessible (the most important factor), perfectly located with nearby parking, and the staff were welcoming and helpful. Trying to find a hotel that meets all the access requirements for three wheelchair users with very different impairments is quite a challenge! It had taken us several weeks to find somewhere suitable, but when we finally arrived and saw our rooms, we knew the search had been worthwhile.

Of course, all the accessibility features in the world don’t mean a thing if the staff attitude isn’t positive, friendly and proactive in providing the little bits of assistance we all need, particularly in the restaurant. Thankfully, they couldn’t have been more accommodating.

My journey to Cambridge took around three hours in total, including an hour’s break halfway. It meant tackling the M4, around the M25 and then up the A1(M) – hardly the most relaxing route, especially as those roads are usually very busy.

Thankfully, I’d planned well. I’d packed my lunch in a cool bag and stopped at South Mimms Services to use the loo, stretch my legs (well… as much as I can!) and found a peaceful shady spot under a tree to enjoy my lunch. Inside, the services were absolutely heaving, but the toilets were clean and spacious, which was the main reason for venturing inside in the first place.

Friday evening was spent at La Maison du Steak. Unsurprisingly, the menu featured a lot of steak in every imaginable cut and size! I opted for the quarter chicken… which turned out to be about the size of half a chicken!

On Saturday we visited the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. I’d been there once before, about six years ago, but remembered very little. I don’t think we’d had enough time to appreciate it properly on that visit. This time we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around most of the gardens, taking in the beautiful planting before stopping for lunch.

The café deserves a special mention. The food was delicious, healthy and excellent value for money. You all know my views on eating out, so you’ll know I don’t hand out compliments to cafés and restaurants unless they’ve genuinely earned them!

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On Saturday evening we treated ourselves to dinner at The Ivy in Cambridge. If you’ve never had an Ivy experience, I’d certainly recommend it if you have one nearby.

I must admit, I felt slightly alarmed when we arrived and found three steps leading up to the front entrance. Fortunately, a member of staff quickly came outside and escorted us around to the rear of the building, up a side alley, through the refuse area and into the restaurant, where we received a warm welcome and were shown straight to our table.

Sadly, older buildings often have to be preserved without being able to create ideal wheelchair access, so entering through the “back door” is something I’ve experienced several times over the years. As long as staff do everything they can to make you feel welcome rather than like an inconvenience, I’m more than happy to forgive the less-than-glamorous entrance!

The food was amazing. I chose the three-course menu for £50, which even included a glass of champagne, so I thought it represented very good value. The only problem was that three courses turned out to be far too much for me, and I finished the evening feeling uncomfortably full.

It wasn’t helped by the fact that our dining experience lasted about three and a half hours, as the restaurant was incredibly busy. I’d completely forgotten that Cambridge would be in the middle of graduation celebrations, so they were dealing with a huge number of diners.

Thankfully, my journey home on Sunday around lunchtime was much more straightforward. I’d picked up one of Sainsbury’s Kitchen Deli Japanese Style Teriyaki Chicken & Sushi Rice bowls, which I enjoyed sitting in the car before setting off again. No loo stop required this time, so I was soon back home unpacking.

So… how’s the Wegovy going?

At this stage I’d honestly say I’m not noticing any effects whatsoever. However, 0.25mg is only the loading dose, designed to allow the body to adjust gradually to the medication. From everything I’ve read, many people don’t notice much appetite suppression or reduction in food noise at this stage, so I’m not concerned. In another fortnight I’ll increase to 0.5mg and, hopefully, that’s when I’ll begin to notice the benefits.

Looking back over the weekend, it would be easy to criticise myself for some of the food choices I made. But it’s important to keep things in perspective.

Weekends away like this are rare for me. I limited myself to just two meals a day (even sitting watching people eat breakfast whilst I sipped a coffee!), planned ahead by packing lunches for both journeys, and made choices that undoubtedly saved me a good number of calories.  I also did my best to log my meals and estimate my calorie intake (about 500 over one day and 700 another!)

I also have to remember that I spent two full days sitting in either my wheelchair or my car, rather than moving around my home as I normally would. My energy expenditure was probably even lower than usual.

Could I have skipped the desserts? Absolutely.

In fact, I rather wish I had because they tipped me from feeling pleasantly satisfied to feeling over-full and stuffed. But then I reminded myself that this feeling used to be my normal. Before losing weight, feeling over-full after meals was something I experienced regularly without giving it a second thought.

Not surprisingly, the scales are showing almost a 1kg gain this week. But I’ve been here before. I know it’s almost certainly a combination of extra food, restaurant meals, a little more salt than usual and less movement over the weekend.

I’m confident that most, if not all, of it will have disappeared again before the weekend. In fact, it needs to be gone because I’m now just half a pound from the top of my maintenance range… eeek! 😬 That’s the reality of maintenance though – sometimes you brush right up against the edge of your comfort zone before reining things back in again.

Sometimes maintaining your weight isn’t about having a perfect week. It’s about enjoying life’s special occasions, accepting the temporary blips on the scales, and simply getting back to your usual routine afterwards.

That’s exactly what I’m planning to do

Weight this week:  56.5kg (8st 12.5lbs)
Weight last week: 55.7kg (8st 11lbs)

Weekly loss/gain: +0.8kg (+1.5lb)
100% – 4 months, 25 days in weight maintenance range (54-57kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)

 

All Change!!! Wegovy swap

flidfit Wegovy, Weightloss Medication

Talk about changing my mind!

My blog post last week was all about my decision to move to Wegovy pills as a way of maintaining my weight without having to battle the increasing food noise and appetite that has become a real nuisance recently.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that my circumstances are a little different from those of many people considering these medications. I’m not trying to lose any more weight. In fact, I’m very happy with where I am. My challenge is maintaining my weight whilst keeping the hunger and food noise at a manageable level.

That got me looking more closely at Wegovy injections rather than the newly licensed Wegovy tablets. Whilst the tablets are certainly convenient, I began to wonder whether the injections might offer more flexibility in fine-tuning a maintenance dose.

As a result, I completely changed my mind!  This decision was driven in part by the fact that I didn’t have a firm date for the delivery of the Wegovy pills (I don’t want to be waiting months…) and I continued make cost comparisons.

I cancelled my order for the Wegovy pills and instead went back to my original supplier, Voy, who were running a special offer on Wegovy injections for returning customers.  After an online assessment process of my weight loass medication history, my weightloss goals and how I was coping on my present medication dosage, they recommended that I start on a 0.25mg dose, and I’ve now taken delivery of my first order.

The cost was £84.00 for the first month, which I felt was a reasonable price to pay if it helps me maintain the weight loss I’ve worked so hard to achieve.

One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed since reducing my Mounjaro dose to 2.5mg is that I’m now feeling genuinely hungry again, just three hours after eating a main meal.

That might sound perfectly normal to many people, but after spending many months on higher doses of Mounjaro, it’s become very noticeable. During my weight loss journey, I could eat a meal and simply not think about food again for hours. Hunger and food noise had largely disappeared. It was such a relief.

Now, however, things are changing.

I think there are several reasons for this. Firstly, the appetite suppression simply isn’t as strong on the lower dose. My stomach feels as though it’s emptying more quickly, and my brain is no longer receiving those powerful “I’m full” signals that I had become accustomed to.

The other important factor is my very low-calorie allowance. At just 4ft 8in, 63 years old and with limited mobility because of my disability, I only need around 1,100 calories a day to maintain my weight. That really isn’t very much food spread across an entire day. Even when I eat balanced meals with plenty of protein and fibre, I’m finding that genuine physical hunger returns much sooner than it did on the higher doses.

Alongside the hunger has come something I’d almost forgotten about – food noise. I’m thinking about food more often again. It’s not that I want to binge or eat unhealthy foods, but I’m becoming much more aware of my next meal and having to rely on willpower once again.

Reducing my Mounjaro dose has been a useful experiment because it has reminded me exactly what life was like before I started taking it. The return of food noise hasn’t been dramatic, but it’s definitely been noticeable. I’m finding myself thinking about food more often, feeling hungrier between meals and having to rely much more heavily on willpower.

In many ways, this has been quite an eye-opener. It has reminded me just how much Mounjaro was doing in the background. It wasn’t simply helping me lose weight; it was making it feel effortless to stick to my calorie allowance because I wasn’t constantly battling hunger.

It’s this realisation that has led me to decide to continue with GLP-1 medication. My goal isn’t to lose any more weight. It’s simply to maintain the weight I’ve worked so hard to achieve whilst remaining comfortable, mobile, independent and, hopefully, not feeling hungry just a few hours after every meal.

Anyone who has followed my journey for any length of time will know that I’m a determined person. Throughout my life, I’ve overcome countless challenges and battles, and I’ve rarely shied away from hard work or perseverance. But this is one battle I’ve realised I don’t have to fight alone. If there is a safe, effective medication that can quieten the hunger and food noise, allowing me to maintain my weight, mobility and independence, then I’m happy to accept that help. For me, that’s not giving in – it’s making a sensible decision that gives me the best chance of protecting the health and quality of life I’ve worked so hard to achieve.

I took my first dose on 26th June – I will keep you posted about its effect on my appetite.  In the meantime, I made a little YouTube video about this decision.

Weight this week:  55.7kg (8st 11lbs)

Weight last week: 55.7kg (8st 11lbs)

Weekly loss/gain: no change
100% – 4 months, 17 days in weight maintenance range (54-56kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)

Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Orzo – 526 calories

flidfit Recipes , , , ,

This Creamy Chicken and Chorizo One-Pan Orzo has become a recent favourite in our house. I originally made it as a way of using up a packet of orzo that had been sitting in the cupboard for far too long, but it was such a success that it’s already earned a place on my regular meal rotation.

Packed with tender chicken, smoky chorizo, plenty of vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes and finished with grated Parmesan cheese, it’s one of those dishes that feels wonderfully indulgent whilst actually being surprisingly sensible. The orzo absorbs all the flavours as it cooks, creating a rich, creamy texture without the need for lots of extra ingredients. Best of all, everything cooks in one pan, making it quick to prepare and keeping the washing up to a minimum – always a bonus in my book!

Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Orzo – 526 calories

Extra Virgin Olive Oil                                                                            –     10ml
Onions, Raw                                                                                            –     100g
Carrots                                                                                                      –     60g
Celery                                                                                                        –     36g
Red Pepper                                                                                              –    120g
White Wine Stock Pot                                                                            –     1 Pot/28g
Chorizo, Spicy Spanish Ring                                                                 –     45g
Tomatoes, Sun-dried, Drained                                                            –     45g
Courgette                                                                                                  –     250g
Garlic, Raw                                                                                               –     4 Cloves/12g
Paprika                                                                                                      –     2 Tsps/4g
Thyme, Dried                                                                                           –     1 Tsp/1g
Water                                                                                                         –     400ml
Orzo Pasta                                                                                                –     150g
Chicken Breast, Roast, cooked without skin                                     –     260g
Parmesan Cheese                                                                                    –     30g

Preparation:

Peel and finely dice the onion. De-seed and cut the red pepper into bite-sized chunks. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Trim the courgette and cut into 1cm chunks. Peel and finely dice the carrot.  Wash anf finely dice the celery.

Cut the chorizo into slices about 4mm thick and then halve the slices.

Drain the sundried tomatoes and cut them into small pieces. Dice the cooked chicken into bite-sized chunks. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese.

Method:

Pour the oil into a pre-heated heavy pan. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, then turn the heat down.  Cook until softened and translucent, then add the chorizo and fry until lightly browned. Add the garlic, red pepper, and courgette. Continue to fry for a few moments.

Add the paprika, the water (boiling) and the stock pot. Add the orzo and the dried thyme.

Cook on a low simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Add the chicken and stir over the heat for around 5 minutes, just long enough to warm through.

Finally, just before serving, stir through the grated Parmesan cheese. It melts into the sauce, giving the dish a wonderfully creamy texture and rich, indulgent flavour. It’s amazing how such a simple addition can transform the whole meal, making it feel like a real treat whilst still being a satisfying one-pot dish.

 

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)             516.0
Protein (g)                     37.8
Carbohydrate (g)           48.9
Fat (g)                           18.8
Fibre (g)                          4.6
Fruit & Veg                      2.0

Mounjaro Journey (Maintenance) – Week 55 (2.5mg every 5 days)

flidfit Healthy Swaps, Maintenance, Mounjaro, Sweet Treats, Titrating dose, Wegovy Pill

For those of you who didn’t see my blog post yesterday about my decision to try the Wegovy pill, do take a look.

This past week has felt particularly difficult when it comes to staying on track with my calories. It’s not so much about what I’m eating (I’m still making sensible choices) as the fact that I seem to feel hungry all the time. And, if I’m honest, I’m not enjoying it very much at all.

It’s taking a huge amount of willpower to stop myself from diving into the fridge and snuffling everything in sight. The return of hunger and food noise has really reminded me just how much Mounjaro was helping in the background.

What has become increasingly clear to me over the past few weeks is that the hunger isn’t easing as my dose reduces – if anything, it’s becoming more noticeable. Given that I’m continuing to taper down, I can only see this becoming more challenging over the coming months.

After spending a year enjoying the freedom from constant hunger and food noise, I’ve realised just how much mental energy it takes to battle those feelings day after day. While I have every intention of continuing with the healthy habits that have served me well for the past 14 years, I’m also realistic. I’m not prepared to spend the rest of my life feeling hungry all the time and relying solely on willpower to manage it.

That’s a big part of the reason I’ve decided to try the Wegovy pill. If it can provide even some of the appetite suppression and relief from food noise that I’ve experienced with Mounjaro, then it could prove to be a valuable long-term tool in helping me maintain both my weight and my quality of life.

The weather forecast certainly isn’t going to help matters. We’re expecting a very hot week ahead, and by Wednesday temperatures could be nudging 40°C. I don’t plan on moving very much at all. My intention is to stay indoors and keep as cool as possible. Thankfully, our house is quite old with lovely solid brick walls, so it stays surprisingly cool downstairs. We also have built-in air conditioning units in each of the two bedrooms, which is essential as they’re built into the roof space and can become unbearably hot during the summer.

I briefly considered driving down to the coast for the day, but the thought of sitting in a car, even one with air conditioning, just seems a little foolish in those sorts of temperatures. Instead, my sister is coming over to work this week, and I’ve hatched a plan to stay indoors. In exchange for keeping cool, I’m putting her to work painting part of the ceiling! She’s very practical and good at that sort of thing.

We’ll have all the fans running to keep the air circulating, and they actually do a pretty decent job. Another trick is to run both air conditioning units upstairs with the bedroom doors open, allowing the cooler air to drift down through the house. It usually knocks a few degrees off the temperature downstairs.

In food news, I’ve recently rediscovered orzo. I found a packet lurking in the back of the cupboard and have been making a delicious chicken-and-chorizo orzo dish. It includes sun-dried tomatoes, grated Parmesan cheese, plenty of vegetables, and, of course, the chicken and chorizo.  It’s one of those meals that tastes far more indulgent than it actually is. It’s wonderfully filling, so you don’t need a huge portion, and because it’s all cooked in one pot, it’s quick to prepare and creates very little washing up. Definitely a recipe that’s earned a place in my regular rotation and one that I plan to share later this week.

I’ve also been making good use of the fruit from the garden. I made two batches of fruit compote – one gooseberry and one blackcurrant. To keep the sugar content low, I used chia seeds to thicken the compotes rather than relying on lots of sugar. They worked brilliantly and created a lovely, thick texture. I had a little taste of both while washing up the saucepans; they were absolutely delicious.

Inspired by the success of the compotes, I came up with another little experiment. I filled some silicone muffin cases with 50g of Total 5% Greek yoghurt, then swirled a generous teaspoon of either gooseberry or blackcurrant compote through the yoghurt.

They’re currently sitting in the freezer, and I’m hoping the result will be a delicious homemade fruit ice cream. If it works, it could become one of my favourite summer treats. The combination of the creamy yoghurt and sharp fruit flavours sounds very promising indeed.

The best part is that each one works out at only around 70 calories, making them a refreshing and satisfying option for those moments when I fancy something sweet. I’ll report back once I’ve sampled them and let you know whether they’re a triumph or a complete disaster!  Hopefully, they will help cool us down during the coming heatwave.

There’s something especially satisfying about eating fruit that you’ve grown and harvested yourself.

Now, if I can just make it through this week without melting – or eating the contents of the fridge – I shall consider it a success!

Weight this week:  55.7kg (8st 11lbs)
Weight last week: 55.8kg (8st 11.2lbs)

Weekly loss/gain: -0.10kg (0.2lb)
100% – 4 months, 10 days in weight maintenance range (54-56kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)

Why I’m Going to Try the New Wegovy Pill

flidfit Disability, Maintenance, Mounjaro, Titrating dose, Wegovy Pill

After a lot of thought, I’ve signed up to try the new Wegovy weight-loss pill.

Many of you who regularly read or subscribe to my posts will know that I’ve been gradually reducing my Mounjaro dose since reaching my goal weight in January. The plan was always to see whether I could successfully maintain my weight on less medication, while continuing to rely on the habits and routines that have served me well for the past 14 years.

However, over the last few weeks I’ve noticed a definite change, and it’s been increasingly difficult to stick to my daily calorie allowance.

My appetite has increased considerably and, perhaps more significantly, the food noise has returned.

For those who have never experienced it, food noise is that constant chatter in your head about food. Thinking about what to eat, when to eat, whether to have a snack, counting down the time to the next meal and battling cravings that seem to appear out of nowhere. Mounjaro quietened all of that for me. As my dose has reduced, in the last 4 weeks, it has gradually started to creep back.

The reality is that my daily calorie allowance is incredibly low. At 4ft 8in, 63 years old and with very limited mobility due to my disability, my maintenance calories are only around 1,100 calories per day.  I don’t have the ability to earn additional calories through doing lots of calorie-burning activities or exercise.

What has surprised me is just how much I have come to appreciate the freedom that Mounjaro gave me. For the past seven or eight months, particularly when I was on the higher doses, sticking to my calorie allowance felt easy. The constant internal negotiation around food largely disappeared. I wasn’t fighting hunger all day, and I wasn’t endlessly thinking about what I could or couldn’t eat. Instead, I was able to eat sensible portions, stay within my calorie target and watch the weight come down gradually, week after week.

Looking back, I realise how much mental energy Mounjaro took out of the process. Weight loss still required planning, calorie awareness and making sensible choices, but it no longer felt like a daily battle against my own appetite. As the dose has reduced, I’ve become increasingly aware of just how much work the medication was doing behind the scenes.

In many ways, the return of hunger and food noise has been a reminder of what life was like before treatment. It has made me appreciate just how transformative Mounjaro has been for me, not simply in helping me lose weight, but in making it feel achievable and sustainable.

                         

What this experience has made me realise is that if I want to maintain my weight loss long-term and avoid regaining the weight, I may need some form of ongoing medical support. There is absolutely no shame in that.

I’ve joined the pre-order list with Pharmacy Online for the newly approved Wegovy pill and have paid £106 for 30 tablets at the 4mg dose. They’ve suggested that this is roughly equivalent to the level of appetite suppression I currently receive from my low-dose Mounjaro maintenance regime.

The tablets are expected to arrive sometime in July.

One of the attractions for me is the convenience. No injections, no sharps bin, no refrigeration and no travelling with injection pens. Instead, it’s simply one tablet first thing in the morning with a small amount of water, followed by a 30-minute wait before eating or drinking anything else. As someone who rarely eats breakfast anyway, that should fit quite easily into my daily routine.

Will it work as well as Mounjaro? I genuinely don’t know.

But I do know that the return of hunger and food noise has reminded me just how difficult life felt before I started treatment. It has also reinforced my belief that obesity and weight regain are not simply about willpower for many individuals.

For me, maintaining my weight isn’t about fitting into a particular dress size or about how I look in a bikini. It’s about preserving my mobility, reducing pain, protecting my independence and giving myself the best chance of remaining active and healthy as I get older.

I’ll continue documenting my experiences honestly and sharing exactly how I get on with the Wegovy pill, including any side effects, changes in appetite, effectiveness and, of course, whether it helps me maintain my weight.

If you’d like to hear more about why I’ve made this decision, I’ve also recorded a YouTube video where I talk through my reasoning in much more detail.

As always, I’d love to hear from anyone else considering the Wegovy pill or already planning to switch from Mounjaro.

Feel free to leave a comment and share your own experiences.

Mounjaro Journey (Maintenance) – Week 54 (2.75mg every 5 days)

flidfit Uncategorized

This week has been the culmination of several things coming together at once.

Firstly, my sister finally had her knee replacement surgery on Monday and is now on the road to recovery. It’s been a long-awaited operation, so we’re all relieved that it’s behind her and that she can now focus on healing, regaining her mobility and hopefully not limited by pain as she has been these past 8 or 9 months or so.

Sam is always saying how varied her job is, and Tuesday certainly proved her point. That morning, we took part in a Zoom presentation, discussing why some people with Thalidomide impairments may be reluctant to seek support and services until a crisis arises.  That was precisely my own experience in 2002, following a head on car crash in France.  Besides being faced with recovery from surgery for a broken leg, I also needed emergency support because I was unable to do anything for myself.  You can read more about that here

I spoke about my own experiences and views on support, while Sam was able to contribute from a completely different perspective, talking about what it’s like working alongside me and supporting someone with a disability, sharing examples of the sorts of things I ask for her to assist me with. I recognised afterwards, how an important part of what she is able to do for me is to assist me in supporting others, such as taking part in the call, accompanying me when I do community litter picks that I am responsible for organising, fixing floors for the charity I’m a Trustee for

Having both viewpoints represented felt particularly valuable, as it highlighted not only the practical aspects of support but also the importance of understanding, trust and independence.

On Saturday, my partner Mike and I went to see the results of a project that I have been involved in curating over the past few months. The exhibition focuses on the history of the immediate area around Christchurch Green and brings together photographs, memories and stories spanning more than a century.

The exhibition formed part of the annual Whiteknights Studio Trail, a wonderful local event that showcases the talents of artists, makers and community groups across the area. Exhibitions and displays can be found in all sorts of locations, including people’s homes, schools, community buildings and gardens.

Our first stop was one of the trail venues before heading to a beautiful horticultural therapy garden that was also participating

in the event. Refreshments were available there, and I happily enjoyed a generous slice of homemade carrot cake accompanied by a lovely cup of tea. Much as I am aware that cake is rarely calorie-friendly, sometimes something is simply worth the calories, and this was definitely one of those occasions. The cake was delicious, the setting was beautiful, and it felt like the perfect treat for a lovely afternoon out.

Part of the day’s pleasure was the journey between venues. We walked through the stunning grounds of the University of Reading, which looked particularly beautiful in the sunshine. We are incredibly fortunate to live right next door to such a wonderful green space, and even more fortunate that the university is so welcoming in allowing the public to enjoy it.

Finally, we arrived at the venue hosting the Christchurch Green exhibition.

Seeing all the boards displayed together for the first time was quite a special moment. I have to say, it looked incredible. After all the planning, designing, editing and organising, it was immensely satisfying to see the finished result.

What was especially rewarding was watching visitors engage with the exhibition. People weren’t simply glancing at the displays as they walked past; they were stopping to read the memories, study the photographs and chat about their own connections to the area. Several people took the time to compliment us on the exhibition, which was lovely to hear and made all the hard work worthwhile.

Part of the exhibition was stickers in the various shop windows – showing the parade of shops as they were through the decades.

Projects like this involve a huge amount of effort behind the scenes, much of which visitors never see. There are countless hours spent researching, gathering material, designing displays, checking facts and coordinating contributors. Seeing people enjoy the exhibition and hearing their positive feedback made every minute worthwhile.

Although the exhibition finishes today, I suspect this won’t be the end of the story. There is already interest in finding other opportunities to display the exhibition to local groups and community organisations, allowing an even wider audience to enjoy the photographs and memories. It would be wonderful if the stories of Christchurch Green could continue to be shared long after the Studio Trail has ended.

Part of the day’s pleasure was the journey between venues. We walked through the stunning grounds of the University of Reading, which looked particularly beautiful in the sunshine. We are incredibly fortunate to live right next door to such a wonderful green space, which includes a lake.   The university is welcoming and allows the public to enjoy its campus.

One of the nicest things about the Studio Trail is that it feels like a real community event.
As we wandered between venues, we kept bumping into friends, neighbours and familiar faces, stopping for chats and catching up on news. It all added to the relaxed and friendly atmosphere, making the afternoon feel as much about community as it was about art.

So, have my cake indulgences affected my weight?

The short answer is no.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the past 14 years is that weight management is about patterns, not individual foods. A slice of homemade carrot cake enjoyed in a beautiful garden with good company is not what causes weight gain. Repeated overindulgence day after day is a different matter entirely.

My weight remains comfortably within the range I’ve set for myself during maintenance, despite a week that included cake, eating out, socialising, and plenty of opportunities to consume more calories than usual.

What has changed over the years is my relationship with food. There was a time when I might have declined the cake because I was “on a diet”, only to feel deprived and then raid the biscuit tin later. These days, I make a conscious choice. If something looks truly enjoyable and worth it, I have it, enjoy every mouthful and then move on.

For me, successful maintenance isn’t about perfection. It’s about finding a balance that allows me to enjoy life while keeping my weight where I want it to be. This week has been a good reminder that life’s memorable moments rarely revolve around calorie counts. They revolve around family milestones, helping others, contributing to your community, spending time with people you care about and occasionally enjoying a rather excellent slice of carrot cake.

Weight this week: 55.85kg (8st 11.1lb)
Weight last week: 55.05kg (8st 9.4lbs)

Weekly loss/gain: +0.8kg (1.7lb)
100% – 4 months, 4 days in weight maintenance range (54-56kg or 8st 8lb – 8st 11lbs)