We’re back after our little trip away to celebrate Mike’s 70th birthday!
We headed down to the New Forest, about an hour and a half’s drive from home, where I’d booked us into a Finnish-style log cabin on the edge of the forest. The real selling point? A wood-fired hot tub!
Before checking into our accommodation, we stopped off at Highcliffe Castle on the coast. It’s really more of a stately home than a castle, but I’d discovered it had an accessible pathway leading all the way down to the beach, which immediately put it on my list of places to visit.
We’d kept lunch simple, taking a packed lunch from Waitrose, and enjoyed it sitting on the beach with wonderful views across to the Isle of Wight and The Needles.
Afterwards we treated ourselves to tea and cake at the castle before making our way through the New Forest to our cabin, passing ponies, cattle and beautiful heathland scenery along the way.
The journey wasn’t entirely relaxing, though! It included a couple of rather hairy junctions where we had to pull out onto a fast-moving dual carriageway. Thankfully we both survived!
When we arrived, the owner showed us around the cabin and pointed out all the important things, including where to find the water hose in the unlikely event of a fire. Given the exceptionally dry weather we’ve been having, it was a sensible precaution.
Once we’d settled in, Mike set about firing up the wood-fired hot tub. It eventually reached the recommended temperature of 40°C. Personally, I found that just a little too warm! Getting into the tub wasn’t exactly easy with my disability, but getting back out again was on a completely different level. Thankfully, by taking things slowly and carefully, I managed it safely.
The following day we visited Exbury Gardens before heading on to nearby Buckler’s Hard, a fascinating historic shipbuilding village on the banks of the River Beaulieu.
By chance, we arrived during a week-long archaeological excavation. Volunteers were carefully searching the mud and silt along the ancient slipway, uncovering artefacts that had lain hidden for centuries. It was fascinating to see the finds emerge from the mud.
That said, looking at the volunteers working all day in the blazing sunshine, covered from head to toe in mud, I have to admit I wasn’t tempted to swap places with them!
Back at the cabin we enjoyed a relaxed barbecue. I’d gone well prepared, taking several salads I’d made at home beforehand, so there was very little food preparation to do. That’s always a bonus because I find cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen much harder than in my own adapted one.
Our final morning was wonderfully relaxed. Mike had hoped to squeeze in one last soak in the hot tub, but despite being left overnight, the water was still over 43°C – far too hot to climb into! So we packed up instead, left at 10 o’clock, and were back home by midday, conveniently avoiding all the rush-hour traffic.
It was a lovely few days away and a wonderful way to celebrate a very special birthday. Sometimes you don’t need to travel hundreds of miles to feel as though you’ve had a proper break.
As for Wegovy, I have to admit I’m feeling rather disappointed.
I’ve now been taking it for five to six weeks and, if I’m honest, I don’t feel it’s really doing anything for me. Unlike Mounjaro, I’m finding that my appetite is much the same as it was before, and the food noise has never really gone away.
I’ve spoken to Voy, my provider, about switching back to Mounjaro. Their advice was that once I’ve finished this current 0.5 mg pen, I can move back to 5 mg of Mounjaro, which is exactly what I intend to do.
I know these medications affect everyone differently, and many people have fantastic results with Wegovy. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to be one of them. Whilst Wegovy is a little cheaper, any saving is quickly outweighed if it isn’t effectively controlling my appetite and food noise. For me, Mounjaro simply worked far better.
So… how did I get on with my weight this week?
Our little break away did include both cake and an ice cream. However, we tried to be sensible. Whenever we had cake, Mike and I shared a single slice, which immediately halved the calories without making us feel as though we were missing out. Apart from those little treats, we ate as we normally would, with packed lunches, prepared salads and a barbecue back at the cabin.
So, despite a few holiday indulgences, here’s where my weight stands today…
Weight this week: 55.75kg (8st 11lbs)
Weight last week: 56.1kg (8st 12lbs)
Weekly loss/gain: -0.35kg (-1lb)
100% – 5 months 21 days in weight maintenance range (54 – 57kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)