So, what have I been up to this week?
It feels as though it’s been a fairly quiet one, although that’s probably because my mum has been having radiotherapy at our local hospital every day this week. I’ve been on standby for several of the appointments, ready to step in as driver and chaperone if needed. As it turned out, my services weren’t required, but on three of the days we invited Mum and whoever had accompanied her back to ours afterwards for tea and cake – and lunch on one occasion. We’re ideally placed, as our house is only a 10-minute walk or five-minute drive from the hospital, so it made a nice little pit stop after her treatment.
It was my way of trying to make the whole experience just a little more enjoyable and bearable – and it seemed to work rather well. There aren’t many things in life that can’t be improved by tea and cake! And of course, the chance for my Mum to see us (she lives about a 30-minute drive away).
The only real excitement this week was a trip to the cinema.
My other half loves his music, particularly New Order, The Cars and Talking Heads. He also has a rather large soft spot for Bryan Ferry and can frequently be heard crooning along whenever one of his songs comes on the radio or Apple Music. Somehow, all of Mike’s “favourites” seem to have mysteriously repopulated my music playlists too. I can’t imagine how that happened!
While checking what was showing at our local cinema, I spotted a one-off screening of David Byrne’s American Utopia, a filmed stage performance featuring the former Talking Heads frontman.
I asked Mike if he fancied going.
He wasn’t particularly bothered.
This is fairly typical of him — he hates me organising too many things (even when they’re things I’ve arranged with him in mind), although he nearly always ends up enjoying himself once I’ve managed to persuade him to actually go!
Another attraction was that I have a CEA Card, which means that when I buy a cinema ticket, the person accompanying me can go in free. So, essentially, two of us get to see the film for the price of one.
Eventually, I talked him into it – and, my goodness, I’m glad I did.
It was showing on one of the smaller screens at our local Showcase Cinema and was absolutely packed, except for two or three wheelchair spaces left. In fact, I had no choice but to stay in my wheelchair because those were the only spaces left.
That actually suited me perfectly. I don’t find those enormous reclining cinema seats particularly comfortable anyway – they’re certainly not designed with my rather unique physique in mind!
Before long, Mike was thoroughly engrossed and singing along, much to my embarrassment. He absolutely loved it, so I felt happy that I’d persevered and booked the tickets.
We’re apparently heading into another spell of very hot weather over the coming days, so I’m preparing accordingly.
I’ve bought some ready-made kebabs from Waitrose, which we’ll have with simple tomato and cucumber salads. We’re also harvesting our autumn raspberries at the moment, so plenty of those are being eaten.
And I’ve continued making batches of my green bean salad with mustard vinaigrette. It’s absolutely delicious and contains a generous helping of garlic, which, let’s face it, improves almost everything!
When it’s really hot, the last thing I want to do is spend ages preparing food or standing over a hot hob, so having tasty things ready to go makes life much easier.
And Wegovy?
Absolutely no change.
No noticeable appetite suppression and, unfortunately, the food noise continues to be a real menace.
After giving Wegovy a fair try, it’s become pretty clear it simply isn’t having the same effect on me that Mounjaro did. I know everyone responds differently to these medications, but for me there really has been no comparison.
So I’m now counting down the couple of weeks until my Mounjaro arrives. My plan is to restart cautiously, see how I respond, and adjust from there.
I’m actually looking forward to finding out whether returning to Mounjaro restores the appetite suppression and freedom from food noise I had before. I certainly hope so!
And finally, after another week of managing my appetite largely under my own steam, here’s my weight update…
Weight this week: 56.10kg (8st 11.6lbs)
Weight last week: 55.75kg (8st 11lbs)
Weekly loss/gain: +0.35kg (+1lb)
100% – 5 months 28 days in weight maintenance range (54 – 57kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)
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.
So this week I’m making a conscious effort to rein it in. I’ll be sticking to my 
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.
This is another go-to recipe that I make often, and it always goes down well when I serve it for lunch with friends. It’s also ideal for preparing in advance, as it transports easily and keeps well in the fridge for several days in a sealed container.
I mentioned in my last blog post that I’d be sharing some salad ideas. Over the coming weeks, I plan to share some of my favourite salad recipes. From quick everyday lunches to more substantial salads that make a complete meal, these are the kinds of dishes I never seem to tire of.