Afternoon AD’s
Welcome to all our new members …. hope you find AUSSIE DETERMINATION helpful in your quest to better health and the bonus of weight loss.

CG – how wonderful for you…. GO YEE TO THE CHEMIST AND GET NICOTINE PATCHES .. better still, your GP for a script … they are cheaper on script . You need to stop the cigs for 6 weeks pre op…AND…. do not wear the patch at night they cause nightmares.
Foxy – hope all is well … stay safe xxxxxx

LOTUS-You may not see weight loss on the scales…. The loss is happening on the inside as we speak.With exercise and weight loss over time you can reverse the effects of INSULIN RESISTENCE. Taking Metformin is helping to reduce your risk of developing TYPE 2 DIABETIES.
The causes of IR are: obesity, smoking, age, sleep problems (sleep apnea)hormones and certain diseases.
Continue to exercise daily and make wise food choices during your 5:2 journey…. Try to limit foods loaded with sugar .Have the occasional treat by all means.
ALWAYS BE ADVISED BY YOUR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE DOING OR CHANGING ANY DIET OR MEDICATION.Hope this helps.
Hope fast day is going well for you all ….its nearly over……..GO GAL

Hello everyone. Hope you are all having a great day…… 🙂

Countrygal. Let’s be honest , quitting smoking is not easy but oh so worth it. Get the patches as another AD suggests. I gave up many years ago. It was the best thing I ever did for myself. Wow 20 kilos weight loss is fantastic. All round applause please. Yes I did not want to be the patient lying on the table either but I too was desperate. It’s sounds to me like you have had all your work up done and hot to trot. Let’s hope they don’t stuff you around anymore.
Yip I know where Leongatha is. When we lived in Gisborne we also had koalas in the garden. Kangaroos about too. Here we have wallabies that get into people’s gardens and as you would know can do an awful lot of damage. Lovely though. We also have possums. They frightened one of my overseas rellies big time as they make a really weird noise at night. She thought it was a Tassie Devil. Poor things with that dreadful facial tumour.
DS XX

LOL about the Possums Dogsabie. We had a guest from overseas who thought we had ghosts as they could hear the Possums and / other beasties playing on the roof at night and thought it was a poltergeist 🙂

Well here we are drawing the end of another FD for many of us. My new electronic digital sales arrived today. Weight watchers ones. I’ve set up the weight bit but they measure fat, bone density & supposidly
Other stuff too. Will have to read the instruction book. Hmm not sure about the bone density. I thought that was done by a radiographer. Anyhow I’m now officially .25 K’s heavier than I though but can now have accurate weigh ins.
The diet day went OK and I’m defiantly not as hungry as I was when I first started.
Goof luck with the quitting smoking Countrygal. We will support and encourage you all the way.
Yes idiots who throw cigarette buts out of their car windows are needing serious discipline. The trouble is no one ever sees them doing it or is prepared to dob them in.
OK over and out.

DS

Thank you everyone who was concerned about us being in danger of bush fire that was near us. The fire is contained and controlled, lots of smoke and a bit of ash. We had a small thunder storm and a lot of rain in arvo, so that has eased things a bit. Feel so sorry for the poor folks of Northcliffe and Windy Harbour though….they have to get out or they wont survive, fire is still out of control..

Wonderful news about your op CG, all the best for your appointment. And good luck with giving up smoking, which is hard to do…..speaking from experience here….I gave up 30 years ago and have never looked back YOU CAN DO IT! 🙂

Our chop suey was delicious….I served with cauli rice….hubby wants it fried next FAST day, so I might use your recipe CG….only thing is I’ve had that Cathartic experience…..must be the amount of vegies I ate today…

HI to all. Now tell me are you really all from Australia? I started last week and I’m from Western Australia – Margaret River to be exact. Looks like quite a few of you have been doing 5:2 since last September or so? I haven’t read back over ALL the pages but how have you all been doing? And what results have you had so far?

And……where are you all from ? Good advice and friendship sounds pretty good to me!

suejen

Hi all, I am from NZ, but live in Melbourne. I’m re-igniting my fasting, after a year break. I’ve done my Monday Thursday fast and am excited to see the forums still going. Be great to share the journey with you all.

Weigh in day today three weeks into the 5:2- down 2.9kg since start, neck the same, waste 7cm down, hips 4cm down bust 2 cm down. Total of 13cm all over. So am a happy chappy today. Hope you all have a successful week as well.

CG, thanks for the concern, luckily it’s powdery snow and no slush in sight yet. It’ll warm up a bit by Saturday (yay above freezing temperatures!) so the snow will be gone by then. But I did choose not to ride my bike today. I have a long tradition of falling off my bike on snowy days. You should see me. My tram service was absolutely perfect today (no snow trouble, yay!) so I was perfectly happy walking and tramming everywhere.

GG, you can’t imagine how excited I am that I introduced you to Romeo Santos. I wasn’t going to mention him at first (thought it was a bit silly) but am so glad I did in the end.

Catherine00, I have found that for me pigging out these days is more in the neihbourhood of what I used to eat on any given day. I have no idea how my body coped with the sheer volumes of food I put in my mouth. I was just discussing this with my mother. People always ask me how I deal with the discomfort of being hungry on FDs, but people never seem to realise the discomfort of structurally overeating. We just take it as an unchangeable fact. When I have a lot of food and start feeling full and a bit bloated, I remember that that used to be my standard evening settings back int he day. And I feel so uncomfortable all night. I used to think the bloat and fullness were just normal. But they’re not. I’d take a slight hunger pang twice a week over feeling bloated and lethargic every night any day.

Wow, Bali, 16kg, that’s crazy! That’s more than 3kg/month. Congrats! You must be drowning in your clothing 🙂

Hi suejen, welcome. I’m actually not from Australia, I’m from Belgium. Our beautiful CG found me in another thread and invited me to come join this wonderful group of people. I actually started in April 2013, did it all very slowly and have lost almost 24kg since. I’ve lost 6kg since September. I was already at a healthy weight at that point so my losses aren’t so big, I’m basically vain-losing now. The people here are lovely and positive. I have found that I’m a lot more disciplined (without it being an effort or sacrifice) since joining the group because they keep me accountable for my choices on non-FDs. The weigh-ins on Friday are a great way to keep yourself aware of what you do, without any judgement or critique if you put on a it (everyone fluctuates anyway). So I hope you’ll find a nice little place to nestle into here. If you have any questions, don’t be scared to ask, chances are, we have asked ourselves the same questions. So don’t hold back.

Foxy, glad you’re okay, you had us all worried there for a bit 🙂

Wow FB, 3 FDs done this week and it’s only Thursday (here at least lol). That’s impressive!

Dogsabie, I recently got some body analysis scales as well. I love them but I’m not sure how accurate they are. they tend to put me in the 20-23% body fat range but I don’t think that’s realistic. I’m pretty svelte these days but I def don’t have the toned body of a person with 20% body fat. I also don’t work out enough for that. When I look up pictures of body fat ranges online (like this one: http://i.imgur.com/zxOE5L7.jpg), I can assure you I look nothing like the 20-22%, or even the 25% in this particular example. But I do love them. At least the weight seems incredibly accurate and I like seeing my water content for some reason.

I calculated the average calories I had this week, 1307kcal/day, not shabby at all. Hopefully it’ll show up on my weigh-in tomorrow morning. But I weighed 62.2 this morning so probably not.

HAve a great weigh-in tomorrow (or Saturday) everyone! Wishing you all good news!

Thanks FC I did look on the internet but got more confused as I went on. So is the percentage a measurement of body fat or something else. My head says it has to be a percentage of ‘something’ wondered what the something was. Is it that I have 53% of my total weight is body fat – half of me is plain old fat?

How I understand it (and I am not an expert), is that it’s the difference between your height and the circumference of your waist.

For instance, I am 164.5cm (5’5) and my waist is 65cm. 65/164.5= 0.3952

So my waist circumference is about 39% of my height. It basically calculates how much fat you have around your tummy area in proportion to your height, which is the part that has the most unhealthy fat storage (the visceral fat that’s found around the organs). This is obviously only an estimation because people are built differently. But measuring the waist is now seen as a more accurate way to determine health because BMI is almost redundant at this point (I still use it religiously though).

I hope this made sense?

Lotus, I don’t think it’s necessary to always weight everything (who wants to live that way?) but I have found that if I do it for a week every few months, I reset my instinct of how much something really is. Even when you make an effort to use the real portions sizes we’re supposed to eat, slowly they creep up again and I find myself piling on the pasta or throwing around the olive oil again. Every once in a while, I like weighing my food religiously (even though it’s annoying) just to give myself the knowledge of what a portion size (and its caloric content) is. I realised how much more I was eating than I thought, even when logging. Wow 3.5kg in less than 2 months, that’s astounding! You’re going to love getting to 65kg, btw 🙂 I started at 85.5 (I actually weighed more but I only plucked up the courage to weigh myself 2 weeks into the WOL) and hitting 65 last October/November felt like a small miracle. Yes, the fear of hunger, I know it well. My mother is very typically as she always suffered from getting hangry (angry from hunger). since going 5:2, she doesn’t have it at all anymore. Seriously, being peckish is no reason to panic (and it used to be with me). So in short, don’t bore yourself to death with the measuring, you have to find it . I can imagine it’s not for everyone (and definitely not for all the time). My mother never measures anything out. That’s why I cook for my parents on FDs, my mother hates being precise with food. Or anything for that matter, bless her cottons 😉 Having to weigh all her food would probably mean the end of 5:2 for her. So try it out, see if you can manage. don’t beat yourself up if it’s not for you.

No prob, Ruxton, that’s what we’re all here for 🙂

10 lower food bills! Not only do I eat less, I’m better at planning ahead so I don’t let things go to waste.

11 My knees and feet don’t hurt anymore if I have to stand or walk a lot (although that’s a weight loss benefit).

12 Being in control of my food intake makes me feel more in control of my life in general.

13 I started paying more attention to details when it comes to food, so I’ve vastly expanded my use of herbs/spices and ingredients in general. Meaning that my meals on non-FDs have also become more varied and exciting.

I only started measuring my waist after 4 months so I don’t know where I started but in August 2013 my waist was 84cm. So that’s almost 20cm in 18 months. If that is any motivation for you.

Yes, thanks Flemish. That IS motivation for me.

Foxy – such a low RHR – wow! that’s just great. It shows your engine ( heart) is great shape.
My RHR is high, but supposed to be more a genetic/ individual thing than health thing.

Another benefit I remembered:

10. Food tastes so much better and vibrant!! The palate feels clean.
11. Teeth feel clean too (odd, and I am not sure everyone gets this but I do on a fast day).

Foxy, I just tried to do it manually about a fortnight ago, and I had the same thing. It was maybe 52? I was worried about that because I also suffer from low blood pressure (although my constant lightheadedness has all but gone away since starting 5:2) so I ignored it (how healthy of me lol). Kind of glad I’m not the only one. I have no answers for ou, sadly.

Hello.. yesterday’s fast went well.. ended up little lower than 500cal..!!! Feeling so much better and in control after the yesterday.. !! I know it is a tiny win.. but .. every small win in right direction counts hey…!!! Big big big thanks to you courtygal and foxycoxy, for you encouraging words..wouldnt have been able to do it without AUSSIE DETERMINATION. Thanks for being there.. Love and hugs… <3 <3 ..!!!
BTW,, went back to my post and couldn’t believe I actually wrote it and that too few hours ago…..!! sorry for being such a whiner…!!! good luck to all who are fasting..!!!
Weigh in tomorrow .. and even if the scale dont move I am not bothered.. I know I can do it..!!

You are more than welcome Pree! That is what we are here for, and we’ve all had those days that we regret after food wise! The best thing is that you got right back into it……I remember a post of countrygals early into our 5:2 journey when she said she felt proud of herself lying in bed after a successful fast day….those are the times that we can concentrate on because WE KNOW WE CAN DO IT!

Thanks Lotus & Flemmy…..I will keep an eye on it, I am due for the dreaded breast exam and mammogram this month (hate it more than a pap smear), so will mention to my doctor. Hopefully I’m just fit 😀

This is one HAPPY DIETER. My new wiz bang scales tell me that I’ve lost almost 4 kilos in just under a month. Oh I’m so chuffed.
FlemishCurves thanks for feedback on the scales.
Suejen Hi. I think most of us are Aussies. I’m in Tassie. Im sitting in my lounge room looking out over beautiful Binalong Bay. Last night we were watching the TV programme Coast. It featured WA & also Margaret River. It was very interesting and all those vineyards and wine! I
Bali2015. This is strictly tongue in cheek. I had a chuckle at your chook crowing laying it’s first egg of the day. Does it have a gender indentity problem? Just kidding right.
Have a good day all.
Oh and Coutrygal- how’s the nicotine withdrawal symptoms going ? I really feel for you as very addicted to nicotine. Just think about the lovely, pink lungs you are going to have. AND drastically reduce your risk of developing lung cancer or Emphysema. Good luck.
DS xx

Hi Tara,
“My fitness pal” is a great app if you have a smart phone to help you with your calories. It is also on computer if you don’t like apps on smart phones.
I love it, you can even scan bar codes. I find it is great for fast days- FD but also for you non-FD as it keeps you accountable.
Good luck with the rest of your fast day.
Boiled eggs are a great source of protein (very filling) with very few calories. 1 egg is usually around 80 calories.
Hope that helps… 🙂

When we were in our first home, and the children were just infants, we got some bantams – small eggs for small appetites. One of them took to crowing before dawn, I was always conscious of her disturbing the neighbours, and as fowl and vegie garden don’t mix, we ended up finding new homes for them.

Tara, there are lots of sites online that will give calorie content of anything. Just google it. When I started I had an mushroom omelette for breakfast, apple for lunch, another piece of fruit for afternoon tea, raw carrot when I got home from work, and a leafy salad with avocado (and maybe a little low-fat meat) for dinner. Now I find I can skip the breakfast, so have a boiled egg for lunch, and the rest as above. Don’t count the content, but I’m sure I am under 500. I don’t count on non-fast days, still enjoy the wine, dark chocolate etc, and that worked while I was losing.

cheers B

Thank you and hello to everyone here. I will definitely download that app 🙂 I work from home and my son has just started at primary school so I have the house to myself to prepare meals.

Looking forward to the journey and hearing about yours too.