Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

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  • Afternoon all from a beautiful Sydney spring day. Thank you all for your support this week and happy to report I’m back on track after giving myself a decent talking to!!
    No visitors on the horizon for the next few months either so no excuses to gorge and if I feel like a cooking frenzy… There’s a million heathy combinations to experiment with. Living alone can be a bit of a double edged sword – no one to stop you having a bag of potato chips and a bottle of wine for dinner! But on the plus side, no need to feed anyone but myself.. That’s what I need to focus on!!

    Spent the morning sitting in the sun planing the weeks menu and stocking up on groceries… Nothing naughty managed to sneak into the trolley either! After reading thru all your posts I’ve decided to have my first go at making miso soup too. All my Asian broths so far have been Chinese or Thai inspired so time to change things up!!

    Have a lovely weekend folks.

    Intesha….wow you are just so much closer to the 75 mark!! Wish I could say I lost weight when I weighed this morning bus alas I am still the same 78kg as yesterday. Just have to focus more on the foods I am eating although they seem to be ok. I truly believe that a wine keeps me from loosing weight for a few days after. Even if I am really good and watch what I eat!!

    GL 5.5kg loss for the month is fantastic, congratulations to you.

    CKiwi, what a great idea to plan the meals. I used to do that too and then only buy what was needed from the supermarket. Found I saved heaps and did not impulse buy. Dont know why I stopped doing that!!!!

    Great effort GL – that’s huge for a month!! speaking of saving, I’ve found since OH and I started fasting our grocery bill has gone down heaps, I think it’s so awesome to be doing something positive that doesn’t cost you money, and actually saves it.

    Took OH out for a jog today, he has been off running for a bit (yr or more) with dodgy knees, but I made him run behind me at my slow pace, and he survived a 31min trek, but it’ll be tomorrow before we see if any bad effects – I didn’t want him crippling himself before our holiday!!!

    I spoilt myself this weekend and had my lovely homemade soup with a piece of smoked salmon for lunch, to try and stay away from bread and get some protein in.. just need to while away another hour before tea without snacking, so came here for some inspiration – so thanks everyone 🙂

    Afternoon all you wonderful losers! Wow, congratulations to everyone…you are all doing incredibly well with soooo many kilos lost, and gone forever! Keep going!!

    Have just finished making your pumpkin soup, Thin. Yummo…so nice to have something warm in your tum on cold-rainy days like this. Also added some curry spices to it which turned out well, then a dollop of yoghurt on top to serve.

    Welcome back Intesha. Glad you had such a great time with your family. Excellent to have you back on the forum again. You’ve been missed.

    So, just a quick check-in from me today. I’ve been really busy cooking food for step-daughter’s birthday tomorrow and I’ve been “trying” not to pick! Also pleased that I’m finally back to my weight from last Friday…that carb-fest took a week to get rid of!! Just about to make a no/low-carb cracker from nuts, seeds, coconut & spices. Apparently, good for dips, pate, cheese, etc. or just to nibble on their own. Will let you know how it goes and if its worth making.

    Anyway, have a wonderful weekend everyone, wherever you are. Onwards & downwards!! CM xx

    Hi everyone new and old! It’s been a long tIme since I was here but as it is a year today since I started this WOL I thought I would log in and say hi and let you know I’m still a devotee 🙂
    I reached my goal of 59kgs in January ( down from 68 kg) and am still maintaining at around 58/59kgs. I no longer fast every week as I have found the weight drops a bit low but this WOL has taught me so much about calorie intake and portion control that I can slip in a couple of lightish days whenever I need them and a fast day every couple of weeks. I’m still not doing any real exercise and I’m still talking about trying to change that.
    This is such an inspiring and helpful place, there is no way I could have made it through those first fast days without the support I got from here. I have just read through the last few pages of posts and it’s so lovely to see new people getting that support too.

    Hi, so good to hear your story and congratulations on not only your weight loss but maintaining too. You’ve an’s were a query as I’m hoping to maintain soon but wondered how the fasting 1 day a 6 would go. I love this approach and have only 1 problem about which I’ve just created a topic: I can’t seem to think straight! It’s weird and is not only on fast days but has definitely only started with this diet. …did you have any of this? Only having done it for a few weeks (didn’t have much to lose) I’m hoping it will go. What I did notice almost immediately was the wonderful redistribution of weight -my figure is so much improved though only lost about 50g.
    Well done again and keep posting.

    Back again, OH very busy today as the Cairns Festival starts today and he is in the parade along with our eldest daughter.
    I made another curry as he loved it so much and it will be easy to heat up for him when he gets back home.
    Dog training this morning so a fair bit of walking……the dog was worn out!!!
    It must be doing me some good too!
    NikT wish I could run even just a little while but always seem to get puffed very quickly and cough until(you dont want to know!) so I will stick to my walking.
    CM I too am finding it hard to get off what I did last weekend. You are doing better than me.
    catch you all later………JJxxx

    Hi 13 Maggie, yes I certainly did have brain fog on fasting days when I first started and was exhausted and ready for bed by about 7pm but this didn’t last and I think by a couple of months I started to notice my thinking was actually pretty sharp on fast days and the tiredness went away. It’s hard to believe but I actually started looking forward to fd’s and was a bit reluctant to reduce them to only one a week! Well done on committing to this WOL, your body will thank you for it 🙂

    I’m so happy to be overweight

    ….this morning at weigh in, I’d moved from obese to overweight on the BMI index…

    I’ve lost 8kg in 5 weeks.

    5:2 rocks!!!!

    Well done Big Col. What an achievement. This WOL is changing lives.

    Hi Jenklar, I remember you because we started 5:2 more or less at the same time last August AND you’re from Perth. Sounds like all’s going well for you and congratulations on maintaining goal weight. I still do 2 FDs mainly so I don’t have to think too hard about what I eat on the other 5. I’ll be joining the Monday fasters this week as my neighbour popped round to invite us to dinner tomorrow night, Sunday – too late for me to switch the FD to today as I’d already had breakfast. Jenklar, there are three of us fifty somethings from this forum meeting for coffee in the Fremantle-Perth corridor and we hope to meet the youthful EA soon (who’s gone AWOL this week). If you’re a cafe person and have any interest in joining us, please let us know. Along with any other Perth lurkers. We don’t only talk about food, or lack thereof. But as CM is about to say below (hey, how did I know that?), we’d love your tips on maintenance if you want to come and chat to us!

    BigCol, that was a bit mean of you not to check in with us these past few weeks. I was really disappointed as I was sure you’d stick to this but thought you must have gone back to the footy for the meat pie and beer diet. WELL DONE. Fantastic news. How did your brother and work mate fare? We’ll have to come up with up with a new name for you if you keep going like this!

    Well done all the other losers. Glad you liked the pumpkin soup CM. CK, I used to plan the whole month’s FDs when I started 5:2. Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone.

    Onya BigCol…we thought you’d deserted us! Huge congratulations on being “officially overweight” and booting that “obese” tag to the curb. Very happy for you. Keep up the good work.

    Jenklar, thank you for popping in to let us all know about your journey. A couple of us have recently reached maintenance, and we’re wondering how to proceed. I’m going to stick with 5:2 for a bit longer, just to drop a couple more kgs. I also would like to keep to at least one FD to continue the “other health benefits” attributed to fasting….maybe I’ll just go 16:8. I’m sure the others on this thread will be happy to hear about another success story. It really is so motivating, and like you, I wouldn’t be here without the support from these guys. Congrats.

    Hi 13Maggie, and welcome. Ask away and one of us will be happy to answer any of your questions. That’s what its all about…getting that support is what makes all the difference. Good luck.

    CM xx

    Hi Maggie13 I hope you are able to think nice and normally again soon! Maybe our brains are doing a lot of retraining as we fast, and it messes them up! Although I am finding the fast days help me to think clearly!

    I wonder if you are drinking plenty of water? Slight dehydration can cause brain fog, as well as exhaustion and headaches.

    The other thing that might help is a trick taught to me by a teacher mentor. Lie down with your feet up for half an hour. It is very rejuvenating. She suggested to do it after work each day. I hope you have time in your life for something like that!

    Hello everyone! I am new here, but I am up to my 8th week of 5:2 and I am delighted to find it suits me very well.

    Crikey Cinque, just read your profile, that’s amazing. No scales, eating carbs at night, milk in coffee, no calorie counting and still losing weight. Impressive. Welcome to you – you’re not in Perth, are you? We need a few more on this side of the continent.

    Welcome Maggie13, I forgot to say that on FDs, I find I am totally slow to grasp things. Reading recipes is quite a challenge! I was hoping for the opposite effect as I posted a few days ago. I’m fine on the other days but it hasn’t improved my performance either! I use to be very tired when I first started fasting but that went away.

    13Maggie, also try a little (good quality) salt on your tongue. It often helped me when I was having a difficult FD.

    Hi Cinque…glad to have you here too and welcome! Yes, “legs up a wall” is a great yoga position and very relaxing. Glad you found 5:2 suits your lifestyle. How much do you have to lose? CM xx

    Thanks for the welcome Thinatlast and CharliesMum! I’m in Melbourne (wouldn’t mind being in the West to escape the cold here!).
    I think I have between 5 to 10 kilos to lose. I lost a lot of weight over the last few years by cutting out sugar altogether (20kg), and that was a big lifestyle change, but I felt MUCH better as well as losing the weight.
    I plateaued the last year or so, and it has been frustrating, so I am delighted to find this 5:2 thing makes me feel so good and makes me feel better on the non fast days too, and yes, my clothes are looking better on me! So I hope I continue.
    I’m not in a hurry, so that makes it all more pleasurable too. And I do have a chronic illness that makes life hard, so that is why I am going easy on myself and not cutting out my cuppas!

    Grrr, just lost my post. Sorry to hear of your chronic illness Cinque; there are a few others on here with chronic health issues to cope with but they’re all doing well with 5:2. I read the book, “I Quit Sugar” by Sarah Wilson but I’m not that brave. I have made some positive changes to my diet but I’ve never felt deprived so, one year on, this is a WOL for me now. I’m going to miss my Sunday fast tomorrow – this will be only the third time I’ve changed it.

    Thanks Thinatlast,
    WOL = Way Of Life? I think it will be mine too. It is not feeling deprived that makes me like this 5:2 plan so much. Every non fast day feels like a treat, and there are 5 of them every week!
    The sugar thing was quite hard, but I felt so crook: poisoned, hungover, – and not feeling pain is a great incentive to keep going with it! But luckily there are lots of delicious things left in the world!
    Are you changing your fast day to Monday this week? It is going to be my next one.
    Off to sleep now! Good night!

    Good morning all, beautiful day here in Sydney, spring is in the air.

    Another FD for me today. When my daughter arrived on the 22/7 I weighed 77.4, this morning 76.3. Although I watched what I ate and still managed most FDs, I indulged in all sorts of treats, cakes, chocolate, wine etc etc. I am still in awe as to how this WOL works.

    Have a great Sunday everyone ?

    Hi Everyone

    I’m new to this forum, very envious of you all basking in the sun, been very cold here iin the South Island of NZ hence the need shove high fat, high sugar crabs down my big fat mouth!

    Just an excuse really, after weeks for trying to cut back I have decided to do the fast diet combined with healthy eating taken from the UK slimming world on non fast days. Yestaday was my first fasting day and it went really well.

    Love the blogs and look forward to reading all your comments.

    Talk Soon
    Oggie

    Hey Oggie I’m a south islander too! Where abouts are you?

    Good morning, There is a little bit of sun here in Melbourne. Ok it is behind clouds, but it is enough to make shadows!
    I’m fasting tomorrow. Already organised with soup for the evening so planning done! (Pumpkin soup. I made it last week so it has been in the freezer).
    I’ll need to make more soup in readiness for my next fasting day (probably Thursday). What do you think I should make?

    Cinque, The most famous soup on this forum has been the cauliflower soup. Really low in calories and very filling. There is a recipe a few pages back I will try to find the page number for you.
    When I make soup these days I try to keep it simple. Cauliflower and onion or leek with chicken stock, cook till soft then I use a stickmixer to blend it. Dont add any dairy or salt, maybe some pepper for taste.
    Pumpkin soup was just pumpkin with leek and chicken stock and blend as well. Simple and tasty.
    I am going to try broccoli next. or a mixture of broccoli and cauliflower. I also have a recipe for tomato soup which I think I can adapt for 5:2.
    Have a great day……JJxxx

    Found the Cauliflower Soup recipe from Thin,

    CAULIFLOWER SOUP (103 cals per serve) Serves 2 (2 cups each).

    400g cauliflower, chopped (100)
    2 cloves garlic (8)
    1 medium onion (38)
    2 cups chicken stock (15)
    2 tbs light sour cream (44)
    ½ tsp pepper
    pinch nutmeg
    ¼ tsp cayenne

    Dice onion and garlic, sauté in a little hot water on very low heat until soft.
    Add cauliflower, pepper, stock, bring to a low boil.
    Cook 10-15 mins until cauliflower is soft. Blend.
    Return to pan, add nutmeg, extra water and seasoning as necessary.
    Warm up and stir through sour cream.

    I dont like nutmeg so dont use it. I also dont put in the sour cream or cayenne. But that is up to you and your taste.

    Hope you enjoy!!

    Ha ha that’s great Julie (I JUST TRAWLED THROUGH 15 PAGES AND FOUND IT MYSELF!!!!!!!!!!! and came here to post it!) Story of my life.
    But I REALLY appreciate that you trawled through those same 15 pages on my behalf, and Cauliflower Soup is what I will make!
    It looks like an excellent recipe! I don’t like sour cream either, so I will see, I might like a bit of Greek yoghurt to make it creamy, or a little milk. I never seem to make a recipe without fiddling with it, and with this one I am tempted to use some turmeric instead of nutmeg. Not sure …
    I am making a copy so I can’t lose it!

    My favourite pumpkin soup recipe has red capsicum and some red lentils in it, and chili pepper, but it is also very simple and delicious. (Only problem is the texture changes when it is thawed after freezing, damn).

    Thanks for re-posting JJulie. Cinque, maybe try less cayenne in the recipe above – there’s a sweet cayenne which must be what I have but some people who tried this recipe said it was too peppery to eat so use caution if yours is more potent. I was using yoghurt in mine – I freeze the soup in portions and have got out of the habit of adding the dairy now.

    Welcome Ogglenz. Isn’t is odd how most of the NZers on here seem to be from southland? And Kate from ChCh.

    It feels strange not to be fasting today. OH took full advantage and made himself the complete heart attack fry-up. It’s as if he thinks he’s deprived when I’M fasting. Yes Cinque, I’ll be fasting with you tomorrow. WOL/WOE = way of life/eating, yes.

    Am I the only NI-lander?

    Thanks Thinatlast, I will taste as I go. Probably the more sour cream is in it, the more cayenne can go in.
    Cheers for tomorrow’s fast.

    Another Newbie query GoGal, what are the 4 “P’S” ? Trying to guess: Patience, Perfection, Prettiness and Punctuality? Nope, I have a feeling at least three of them don’t fit!

    Congratulations Barata, the only NI-Lander in the village!

    Hi Barata, I forgot you’re in the windy city. Blows my theory, ha ha. But there are a lot in the Dunedin, Invercargill area. Wonder what happened to our only South African, Avent?

    Hi Anglebob2

    I’m from Lincoln near ChCh. How you doing with the fast diet?

    I’m in rangiora. OK thanks first few fast days were really hard. This week I’m going to start looking at what I’m eating every other day. How about you?

    Good morning everyone!!!!
    How was your weekend?????
    I tried very hard to be a good girl, I watched everything I ate yesterday, which was not a lot as I spent 5 hours on a panel interviewing Cairns high school students for a scholarship to Japan!!! We were offered sushi for lunch, but I was prepared and took mardarins with me so I could keep away from the carbohydrates.

    Dinner last night I adapted a Japanese recipe called Yakisoba into a 5:2 recipe. Yakisoba usually has pork and noodles in it so instead I put chicken breast and konnyaku instead. Here is the recipe:

    200 grams skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces (I used tenderlions)
    3 spring onions chopped
    1/4 small cabbage cut into small wedges and separated
    200 grams mushrooms quartered
    2 sticks celery
    1/2 bunch English spinach chopped
    1 packet konnyaku noodles, drained and rinsed
    50ml Kikkoman RoastedGarlic and Soy (Japanese Yaki-niku style) stir fry sauce

    In a big fry pan brown the chicken, then add all the vegetables and simmer until vegeies are softened. Add noodles and stir fry sauce and heat through.

    OH and 16 year old loved it. I bulked it up with the vegies. You can really add any vegies you want. Grated Carrot and sliced capsicum would work too. Use what ever you have in the fridge.

    Weight this morning was back to 77.7kg so very happy. Today and tomorrow are FDs for me so I am really looking forward to being that little bit lighter for my birthday!!!

    Look forward to reading everyone’s posts later today………catch up then…..JJxxx

    Ha, reading back at everyone’s posts and have to spend a bit of time trying to understand the shorthand!!!
    NI-lander????? Took me awhile but now I know!!
    ChCh – Thought long and hard but then realised it was Christchurch!!!

    My husband always says I am a bit slow especially with jokes!!!

    Good Morning All,

    Beautiful day today. Am Away visiting for a few days and eating differently, but did a FD on the travel day and a couple of 16:8 days( not eating till 12 noon then not eating after 8pm) .Another travel day tomorrow so switching today’s usual FD to tomorrow and doing a 16:8 day today instead. Yesterday was 2 birthdays so brunch out then baked dinner and birthday cake decorated by grandchildren later. Have been eating starchy carbs in bread biscuits cake potatoes etc so just hoping it’s counteracted by the 16:8 not too much has gone on. Will be a Wednesday weigh in for me instead of Monday. Our other FD is Thursday, and was going to switch it to Friday, but have a funeral on Friday, and a little bit of comfort eating may take place, so sticking to Thursday FD. I still get amazed at how flexible 5:2 is and how I don’t feel at all deprived.

    Coast, you asked me about starchy carbs a bit back. I’m actually intolerant of all grains except corn, but I’m not coeliac. Had all the tests and full elimination diet. I have less stress in my life now so my intolerance threshold is higher, which means I can get away with eating some of my intolerance foods occasionally, and the repercussions are not too severe. E.g. Grains give me inflammation in the joints especially my hands and wrists. Anyhoo………eating any starchy carbs I.e. Grains or starchy veggies stops me frm losing weight even if the calories are within the guidelines. While testing out the starchy carb connection I pretty much plateaued, and ditto for gluten free carbs. I don’t know if the weight loss is altered because I’m intolerant, but I don’t think so. If I eat potatoes, pumpkin, the same thing happens.

    Big Col – well done!!! So pleased to read your post and to celebrate with you!

    Intesha -brilliant!!! This really works!

    Onwards and Downwards everyone,
    Happy FD to the Monday casters,
    Cheers,
    Merry

    Morning Monday fasters. When’s your birthday JJulie? It took us a good while to work out all the acronyms when we first came to Australia. When we first started looking for a place to live, we had trouble with retic, BIR, and other abbrevs. specific to Oz.

    Another lovely weekend with the greyhound who’s on her way back to university now. What a clever dog.

    Had a lovely time at the neighbours’ last night. They served Raclette. For those that don’t know, this is a Swiss tradition which comprises as its foundation, potatoes covered in various cheeses which are melted at the table. I went easy on the potatoes (which the others literally covered their plates with) but I admit the array of beautiful cheeses were hard to resist especially as it’s fun to participate in the communal melting. I bulked mine up with a huge portions of salad and braced myself for this morning’s damage on the scales. Pleasantly surprised to see 61.4kgs. Only 400g from my PB so I seem to have got away with it. Happy to be fasting today to help undo the damage.

    We’re having Japanese broth with udon noodles for dinner tonight. I’ll be substituting my konnyaku ribbons for the udon so it should be well below its publicised 250 cals. How’s your day going?

    P.S. Morning Merry. Who’s going fishing?

    Thin – my birthday is on Wednesday, so I am totally committed to my two FDs of Monday and Tuesday. I really watched what I ate over the weekend, but just remembered that OH and I had camembert cheese and crackers after dinner last night with a wine. I still went down to 77.7kg so I am feeling really good at the moment. I am loving the idea that you can still enjoy things in moderation and not put on weight that you can not then get off!!!
    Strict FD today……… coffee and miso soup is all I have had so far!! Calorie intake is 20. I am going to make a diet jelly for late snack tonight as it is so low in calories.

    I will check in again later……….JJxx

    Hi JJ, I’m up to 22 cals but it’s only noon in the west so you’re doing even better. How will you celebrate your birthday? Where are all the Monday fasters?

    Thin – We are looking at a Japanese restaurant that specialises in Nabe. So should be really healthy for me!!!

    I’m normally a Monday faster, but this flu has really knocked me sideways. Woke up on both Friday and Sunday feeling as if my throat was full of razor-blades. Dragged myself off to work today (didn’t go in on Friday), but not in any mood to fast. Last Friday’s weigh in was a PB of 64.6 and although I bobbled around a bit in the weekend, I was back there this morning – simply through a combination of not much appetite and food having no flavour. Pork stir-fry for the family this evening with rice noodles, carrots and broccoli. Website lists the recipe at 411 cals per serve so that is fine for a NFD. My serves are usually a bit smaller than the rest of the family’s.

    I’m looking forward to cracking the 16kg loss – 100g to go!

    Thanks Merry. This morning 76.1. Tomorrow back to normal FDS Tuesday and Thursday. May throw in Sunday’s every now and then just to keep the body on its toes.

    Hilary you are amazing, what a weight loss. I have now been on this WOL for 7 months, 11kgs down and aiming to be 70 by the time I go to the UK mid December. I now feel like it is a real possibility.

    Great news ladies, well done. H4, go and do a wee and you’ll be there. Hope you feel better soon.

    Intesha, you have done so well and your aim is achievable with a weight loss of less than 2kg per month – you can do it!!

    Back to the gym today, I usually go 4 times a week but with the family here only managed 5 times all month. Went to book my monthly weigh and measure and she did it straight away. I was very apprehensive for various reasons also I usually do it on a morning after a fast day to get a good result.

    I was pleasantly surprised, so even when we think it’s not working something is definitely happening on the inside. I have lost 100gms, 3cm from bust (oh oh) 2cm from waist, 1 cm from hips and thighs.

    Very happy with that.

    Thanks Hilary, I’m on a mission now!!!

    Thanks Hilary, I too want to get to 70kg before my December holiday, so looking at it as 2kg per month loss would actually have me just under that. Then if I think about it further it is only 500g per week!!!!! This is definitely doable for me if I keep myself on track!!!

    Intesha…….WE CAN DO IT!!!!

    Good evening everyone,
    I have just had my soup and toast and I discovered that if I warm my pumpkin soup before stirring it, it goes to the right texture. Hooray! It was lovely. Such things make me very happy! That’s fast day done (well the eating part of it). Also found out I do 16:8! I had no idea! in fact I did 18:6 today! The things I learn on this forum!

    Hi Hilary, cheers for that milestone! Impressive! I hope that flu is gone quickly.

    No fasting tomorrow for me! What fun.

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