Hi

Thanks Gypsy, nice to have my selflessness appreciated.

Didn’t intend to report just yet, but today was a disaster, and I blame the booze!

All went well, intended third fast day, been doing 20:4 and though I say it myself, on for a brilliant end to a great week!

Shared a bottle of wine last night, but walked 4 miles first, nibbled for dinner, but did well.

Started today with no food till 5 pm, boiled eggs for light tea. Just one on wholemeal bread.

Then opened the wine – planning half a glass – somehow I’ve had olives, nuts, samosas, duck rolls dipped in hoi sin, having a beak halfway through second bottle, in Macdonalds having a McFlurry.

One fast day gone tits up!!

I may have to blame the wine!

Haw! Milena, we appreciate your sacrifice! Now none of us would dooo that, would we girls ‘n’ boys?……..(so where R the boys???)

Fit, I already said it, you’ll soak up the pain for everybody, and they’ll be fine while you pay the price of the tender hearted. And NOBODY digs the grief pit as deep as the IRISH, nor, I believe, does any other race commit as loyally to their own – so division in the ranks is no light matter.

It sounds as though you have trouble alright, and please don’t think any of my comments are taking it lightly. In the end, my friend, it comes down to emotional survival and you need to be proactive in that. A wake is one thing, to wail is to heal faster, that’s why the tradition was born, as an emotional release. Thus it passes, as it must, or else becomes a destructive force. (grudges, revenge, hate, blame, pain and misery are born of such).

History proves ongoing emotional pressure is disastrous for the Irish psyche. It lead to the division of country, creeds and continents and ongoing family feuds that last for centuries. Try to insulate yourself from the constant intensity of group discussions (where everybody loads you up, but you don’t get the hearing you need, maybe, or where you are forced to keep tragedy as the main focus). It is not disloyal to change the subject, or take time out from it. If you find yourself on automatic drive with daily chores while your mind is on replay you are in depression zone. Talk to somebody who can be neutral. Or at least objective. Do things that require your concentration (thus displace the misery) even a jigsaw puzzle can refocus one, be active and get out into the sunshine. And stay in touch with us. just a line or two sends some of your pain to the other side of the world! Better out than in. We are here. Find your sense of humour and look for the silver lining there always is one – ie You will know who your friends are when you’re down. Find one whose speciality is caring for the carers. I am not yet retired in that department. We will develop the cruise idea, I reckon. that’ll be one hell of a group therapy session! Love and hugs xxx Gyps

Taco! Ta, I’ll take it under advisement!(busily looking up lyme’s
disease!) I was more watching the fever symptoms for scrub typhus and will be wary for the next few weeks (or incubation period for such) if I get worse rather than better, but think I’m fine. Have had lots of tick bites in the past, but hadn’t considered Lyme’s disease. However, warned is armed. Thanks love, hope all is well in your world. xx gyps

Hmmm….Alone in the dark the mushroom said……”Oh, dear, oh dear, lost me thread…”

HI Team been off the grid as not well. Had a UTI creep up on me unsuspectingly & got pretty bad after I’d been & got antibiotics. So not at all well though improving today. Have slept so many hours it’s unbelievable! Taking it quiet today & afraid 5:2 is taking a back seat as OH is on kitchen duties. We’ve had Osso Bucco last night (I was down & out so OH had to follow a recipe on his own poor thing!!). Will be back in the swing either Mon or Tues for a FD again.
CG so good to hear that you’re free of pain AND that you’re also going to follow all the advice you’ve been given & avoid lifting/animals/working etc etc. Now I know it’s not fun when you probably feel so bloomin’ brilliant but it has to be. I remember a nurse who went in and had a bladder repair (similar time as me but probably 30 years older ie in her 60’s) & she went home and rearranged all her furniture. And of course……..ended up back in again a few years later having the repeat op. So please….don’t go there!!! But you must be so thrilled CG.
Fit so sorry to hear that your family troubles will be long-term in nature so obviously not an easy fix. Gyps has had some good advice for you so I’ll leave it there. But just know that we’re here for you & always ready to support you if you need lifting up or encouragement. And yes please protect yourself emotionally when you can. I’ve learning to do that slowly & it’s making my life a lot easier – the pain is still there of course but you’re not dwelling on it so much.
Doggy don’t jeopardise the hard work you’ve put into 5:2 and the weight you’ve lost. I’ve always found your long-term outlook and lack of pressure on yourself to be a real strength, so don’t chuck it in. I think we’re all finding it much harder to lose much over the winter (I certainly am) but I’m content with maintaining…as that’s most certainly NOT what I usually do over winter. So even that is a win for me!!! Imagine where you would be now without 5:2…inevitably you would weigh more.
Ooh Milena the dreaded wine and its capacity to render us helpless with food choices and portion sizes etc! However remember it was only one day & it will come off easily. We’ve all had days like that where our resolve is just clean disappeared off the planet. On another thought…maybe no food till 5pm is not the way for you?

Team we need to just hang in there over winter & just take any small losses that come as a benefit I reckon. And if we maintain that’s wonderful. If you feel you need to go back to MFP & just check your food intake to make sure it hasn’t crept up with the cold weather. Enjoy your last feed day team & get prepared for FD too. suejen XXX

Hi team!
Fit – just read about your troubles, I think I can’t add much more than Gypsy’s very remarkable post(s). We are here for you, and sending you prayers. {{{hugs}}} xoxo
Gypsy – lurve yer posts. So much wisdom in those humorous word…
CG – getting papered is the best side effect of falling ill, make full use of it 🙂
Dawg – take care , be gentle with yourself, give yourself a big hug. It’s from us, we all think you’ve come a long way, so don’t despair yet. I think overall 5:2 works beautifully, we can use other protocols (LCHF, 4:3, ADF etc) to supplement the base, but replacing the intermittent fasts itself may not result in the long term health benefits for our bodies. We have to remind ourselves that there is much more to fix in our bodies than just weight, isn’t it? 🙂

For all of us, in various ways, it’s a some sort of blues this month. Let’s use this thread as an “Island of peace” – let’s refuel here to fight our battles back in our homelands. Let’s replace “comfort foods” with a comfort post or read some one else’s words to get encouraged. Looking back, I gained weight by eating to comfort myself as I could not express my anger or negative emotions in a new marriage. It’s an easy, slippery slope to go down again. Who loses? We do.

So I am going to post here – silly piece of “research”, something shallow about new clothes, or sometimes something deep and meaningful. Sometimes, just think about you all. But I am not going to reach for that chip packet or chocolate bar…
And am happy to have this safe harbour. Thanks CG. Very grateful that you started this thread, and for all long term members (family) who have looked after us so well…

Suejen, a lot of sense in your post.
Milena, I have never had a successful fast day if I eat later in the day, I know it’s recommended, but personally do better if I have a high protein breakfast in the late morning (10 or 11 am), and early dinner – say 6 pm?

Suejen, Uti’s are generally eased by reducing urinary acidity. Back off high protein for a bit, drink cranberry juice, lots of water and see your chemist for over the counter sachets of a powder based fizzy drink called ‘ural’. plus take a probiotic to replace natural flora after the antibiotic course. Keep sleeping. You obviously need it and remember that stress increases acidity via the nervous system. So pee on that! xxx

We could all do with getting plastered too 😉

Buddhist saying for you all today –
” even a strong person may stumble when walking alone on an even path, but when he is held by good friends, even a weak person will not stumble on the roughest path”.

Good friends in Buddhism are those who lead us to our self development, evil friends are those who lead us away from our self development / growth. Sometimes even well meaning family or friends can be evil friends ( as they stop pur growth and let us live in our comfort zones) and strict friends / family / enemies ( as they challenge us) can be our good friends.

Deep and meaningful stuff 🙂

Oh dear, sorry to hear so many people are struggling with various issues at the moment. Life is hard sometimes, that’s for sure.

Other people on here are much better at supporting others than me, on this forum, but I agree with Lotus, it is OK to debrief on here. This is one place that you don’t need to “put on a front”. It is all about support and it is great that it has turned out to be not just for 5/2 when required. And it is swings and roundabouts, when one is down, another is up, whether it is weight, health or emotions. We all have our turns!

So, I have been back for a few days now and am finally ready to start fasting today. I weighed in this morning and the weight has normalised a bit and I am now 66.6 which is OK but I was 65.3 before my last stint in Europe. The gain isn’t nearly as depressing as I thought it would be and I have a sense of power/control now, knowing that I haven’t lost much ground at all in the scheme of things. It helps that my husband is dead keen to keep up the 5/2 low carb thing!

We basically do Monday and Thursday fasts yet he invariably asks “are we fasting today?” on those days as if he has no clue. In fact it echoed around the house this morning. My daughter has her own fast days although she will probably fall into line with ours now. So this morning she asked him, “Are you fasting today? and he answered “I don’t know” and to me, “Are we fasting today?”
I of course answered, “Yes, it’s Monday”. I think we’ve got this straight now, until Thursday, when we will go through it all again!

Well, I hope everyone’s issues resolve/improve or stabilise depending on who you are. Fit, I am sure we all understand about not feeling like posting as you did before. Maybe in time, you will feel more like it. I hope you can still get something from being part of the group and stick with us because you are definitely a big part of the gang! So yes, lurk if you like! And yes, Gypsy is amazing!

So, back to being Cinderella now, and grey, rainy days do not help! Especially when I have a ton of washing to do and a garden to tidy etc. Makes me want to curl up with a book instead. That is one of the few downsides of being retired. You can continually put things off and achieve very little quite easily! And I am very good at that especially when the weather is bleak as I become bleak too.
Anyway, I will try to get my act together and I will post weigh in results on Friday. I am thinking of all of you with troubles right now, xx

HI All what a WONDERFUL bunch of people we have on here…sometimes I can’t believe it! Truly I mean it!! We are all here for each other in the ups and the downs of life, and are so supportive for a group of people who have never even met! Unbelievable.
Fit lurk around all you want without posting – I did that for quite some time when my crisis hit, didn’t have the emotional energy to post anything. But it was still an outlet for me to come on here & keep up with everyone’s news. On the other hand post your feelings if you need to get them out as YES we can take it and we can support you, even if it is only cyber hugs {{{}}}. There….there’s a few more for you.
Dawg so glad that you’ve decided to stick with 5:2 & plod on. I too cannot give up on the vino Doggy. And I reckon that yes, maybe it does slow my weight loss down but I really look forward to that at the end of a sensible eating day, so I’ve decided that it’s a trade-off I’m willing to accept. At least I have 2 no alcohol days & sometimes a 3rd in a good week, so that’s WAY better than before.
UT I have the exact same issues with OH. Get asked the same old question every FD….irritating isn’t it. He says Well how do you expect me to remember?! Duhh By the way you have done brilliantly to come back from hols at 66.6 when you were 65.3 before you left. Man…I would have come back with at least an extra 4 kilos. So please remember that you planned and persevered and persisted and came back a winner!
Lotus great words this morning for all of us and yes we are a strong group of “bloody minded” soldiers – gee, wonder who we got that from CG??? And sure liked the idea of the change from getting papered to plastered!!
Have a great FD all (Im feeling better so decided to stick with the routine) and do the very best you can. If we truly are “bloody minded” soldiers we should be able to beat this winter blues/plateau thing with our aussie determination. suejen XXXX

HI All interesting post I just found on another forum. In case anyone wants to have more contact with someone via email, without actually having to post it where others can see it? I guess JJ is admin/tech on this site.

“Yes, we met via the forum. It’s been fun getting to know someone else on the same journey. P and Mr P are the most amazing success stories for 5:2 and its health benefits. Inspiring!

Provided you have posted your real email address behind the scenes, when you joined the thread, then it is possible to ask JJ to send your email address with an invitation to correspond to another poster. Does that make sense?

AC, is your email address current? I tried to make contact via JJ when I was in Brisbane, and he asked me to confirm that your email address in your sign on info is correct.” suejen XX

Heh, heh…..

Slim Pickin’s….but oo! Sooo rich!
For a starvin’ bard with pen finger itch…(.Hmm? FD blues anyone?)

LETTUCE WOL(LOW) IN WOE…!!!

Oh, Woe is a mate sez our bloomin’ Lotus
Beware of the gypsy (she’s liable to quote us)
There’s wisdom in warts ‘n’ wrinkles ‘n’ such
Be grateful yore livin’ is hurtin’ so much
Your road is uneven but you’ve got a crutch
We get your drift ‘n’ it ain’t double dutch!

Just cut to the chase ‘n’ drop it onus
We’ll getcha’ sorted ‘n’ on the right bus
Are ya’ fat? Misshapen? Down on ya’ luck?
Park it up, mate, we don’t give a cluck!
Hell we bin there ‘n’ got the tee shirt
(Tho it’s shrunk ta’ hell) I’ll give ya’ the dirt

One’s on the morph (or should be, CG!)
There’s more up the creek or can’t even pee!
Papered ‘n’ plastered, plonked ‘n’ all
They’re soldierin’ on – heedin’ the call
From fatty ahh buckle to giggle or groan
Our journey ain’t over til we’re SKIN ‘N’ BONE!

Hi everyone

Just a quick post as have not had a chance to catch up on all posts as yet – So glad you are through the op CG and all went well, my how 5 days fly. Hope you will be fighting fit soon.

Same, same on my front, OH has been subscribed some pills but they proably won’t kick in for a couple of weeks, back to the counsellor today and some new strategies to help him cope.

Giving him all the suggestions you lovely people have offered.

My weight is basically the same and on FD today. Getting throught it

Keep on keeping on AD’s not long now until FD is over.

Will hopefully catch up on backlog of posts but am sure they will be old news now.

XX

Up your post struck a big chord with me … OH memorises reams of stuff for work but think he can remember when washing up to wipe over the induction stove glass top first while he has hot, clean water. Or not to grab hand/T towels to wipe down messes grrrrr. Seems to have a mental block with house stuff. Planning to put a LOT of post-it notes around when he retires later this year 🙂

So glad it is this end of FD (7:49pm) Come in 177 cals short of 500 so will have to eat something else soon or will be awake and hungry. Will post more tomorrow.

Wish I had a thumb emo for you CG (thumb up of course!) YY xx

YY, my OH has what I call “selective hearing and vision issues” – he chooses to see and hear what he likes too 🙂

Uptight. That’s just brilliant! I too prefer the public forum to private emailing (also because I can never seem to catch-up on private emails, work emails taking too much of space in my life currently…). But I do like the thinking behind having private emails available for people, in case they do want to get in touch. Will send you my deets. Thanks a lot for doing this.

Hi everyone. Such a cold night last night & I nearly caved in but yeah……I didn’t. OH had his dinner, then bread then chocolate then something else – by this stage I was over him! He was still saying he was hungry. Grrrrr….BUT I stuck with the program.
I usually weigh every day ( I know lots say you shouldn’t but have done for most of my life so hard to change) and what I’ve noticed is that despite sticking to my 500 cals or just over at maybe 520, I’m not losing as much on FD’s as I used to. Is it winter or what I wonder? So it makes it harder to actually have a loss as I seem to only take off what I’ve put on in between. Have been logging food every day for a week or so (apart from when sick) on MFP so have been sticking to my TDEE. MY UTI & the body fighting infection I suppose could account for some of it?
Anyway we soldier on with our bloomin’ aussie determination and wait for things to happen eh. Started today off with a yummy soy chai latte that I made at home with spices – with honey it’s really yummy.
UT good idea I’ll send my email through to you thanks. I also agree re not wanting it to have an impact on people posting on this vibrant thread – certainly don’t want to spoil that! But I thought it could be useful when maybe someone is going through something really tough & you just want to give them an extra bit of support, or someone is having the exact same problem with 5:2 or whatever.
YY & Lotus I do believe ALL males suffer from mental blocks with house issues. Mine is one of the worst but….you may want to disagree on that front!!
CG hope you’re still doing well & being spoilt rotten? So not used to not hearing from you early in the morning girl! It’s always something we really look forward to as you know.

Has anyone tried the Pumpkin Pie recipe yet???? You gotta try it. Gyps were the choc muffins calling you again today? I cooked some for OH mainly last week (did have one) but I always freeze mine after cooking so I can’t just grab them & they’re out of sight too! Does help I find.
Anyway have a lovely day team and enjoy your first feed day with some food choices you’ve been looking forward to, or dreaming about or planning to have. I have some vegie soup in the freezer for lunch, made from all the left-overs in the vegie crisper – made it moroccan with spices. Nice. Will have to add some chicken or meat of some sort for OH poor dear. suejen XXXX

Hi Milena BOY have you got a good one there & obviously your son has followed his lead. You are soo lucky! My old bestie from work has one just like him & we stay there a bit. He does all the cooking & looks after her like a queen. Buys her fantastic personalised gifts that he’s specially investigated eg had a portrait artist draw a portrait of her dad after he died from a photo. Had some jewellery engraved with her mum’s picture…I mean, where does a man find out about this stuff!
So no wonder your friends say they’re in love with him. You just make sure you hang on tight to him….he’s a treasure.
To give my OH some credit he does do a wonderful job of the garden & has created a beauty of native plants for us that draw all the birds in, which we enjoy. Also grows our own vegies. And that’s what he usually trots out when I say I’d like more help inside.
Don’t usually watch Top Gear but we do get it here, however not sure if we’re in sync with you. Will keep an eye out but I warn you it would need to be good to be about cars & keep me amused for an hour!! suejen XX have a good day Milena

Hi Fit good to see you dropping in again. Thank goodness that you too have an absolute rock of a hubby..just what you need right now Fit. I suspect that at your stage Fit you’re just getting through your days as best you can, and that’s all you can do in the beginning. But if you find it overwhelming take a break; go for a walk; meet a friend who either knows & can sympathise or doesn’t know & gives you a break from it all. Do something that you enjoy that takes your mind off the situation for a while. Arrange to go visit your old school friends that you’ve mentioned? Hang in there Fit & you’ll eventually be able to get a bit of distance from it all. Lotsahugs ((())) suejen

PS where is everyone?????? Calling all aussie determinators…even our fearless leader is MIA? CG do hope you’re OK. Let us know when you can.
I’m not getting email alerts either today – anyone else the same?