Yep JJ….Slendier noodles are great in stir fries.. Heat them up in the hot water just prior to adding them to the stir fry at the end… There is also the Slendier ‘rice’ noodles … But I prefer the noodles in stir fries!
This topic contains 27,928 replies, has 832 voices, and was last updated by Lindsay L. 6 hours, 2 minutes ago.
Hi all. HUGE favour to ask & sorry to post here. We’re trying anything. Lost golden Cocker Spaniel in Ballarat area, maybe heading towards Melbourne. Angel is a rescue baby. Spent her life in a puppy farm. Just found her loving forever home & she got out yesterday. People searching all night & need help getting the message out. Here’s is the Facebook page we’ve created. Please share with everyone you can. Thanks so much. Prayers appreciated, she will be terrified. https://www.facebook.com/bringangelcockerspanielhome
Good Morning everyone,
Interesting reading all the posts and everyone’s news. I find it a challenge to keep up with who’se doing what, but I do read all your posts, and think of you in the moment and wish you well:-)
Just checking in today. Nothing new to report. OH and I have been looking after sick grandchildren for a week, ages 2 and 4. Still did my 2 fast days, though probably added about 200 cals to each day. I still find not eating till the evening meal on FDs works best for me. It was not the easiest of times for me to be able to just prepare our own food etc, as we were there to help relieve the pressure on our daughter and SIL. OH ate earlier than me on FD’s, and my little grandson did say once, ” You eating Nanny?” Being all day with the littlie’s does bring up the conundrum of handling fasting around impressionable children though. How do Fasters work this around their children?
Home again now, and FD today. Fasting Mon and Thurs as I like the more even spread of days between FDs.
Week 36 for me, and 11kg lost. This might seem slow to others, but I’m very happy! Another 10kg till my goal of 62kgs. Height 169 cm, and 64 yrs. Started at 83kg. I have ME/CFS, which makes adding exercise or HIT exercise impossible. On the good side, losing that 11 kg has made a big difference to my movement. I’m walking a little quicker, my balance is better, especially on stairs. Stairs and upward slopes are a challenge, but at home I go up 1 step more before the halfway stop to get my heartrate down a bit. My weekly rehab session is still slow, gentle, lots of stretches but I seem to be able to do a little more now than before. Just having a less tummy fat has made a big difference. I feel a normal weight now, even with some kg to go. My face looks more like my face! Love that.
Must go,
Onwards and Downwards!
Merry
Freya, sending you very gentle hugs. It sounds like you’ve had a nasty virus. Please take care not to push yourself while recovering from the virus. Recover gently. Post viral recovery is not the time to ‘fight’ an illness, just let your body adjust back to normal at it’s own pace, however long it takes. If you begin to feel physically tired or get brain fog, stop and rest. Pushing it, and fighting to get back can precipitate a decline that can take much longer to come back from, or can end up as a post viral syndrome. Type As seem to be more prone to this, maybe because we’re used to being on the go all the time. Hope your lunch goes well, and your situation at works has some resolution.
Merry
Dear Freya,
I truly feel for you, as I have been in the toxic work space, and it can bring your health down, as I did end up with shingles, and no it is not pleasant. Feel free to use us at any time that you wish to get something off your chest, that’s the other thing that we are all here for, that’s why we are such a supportive group, and goodness knows you guys have all carried me from time to time.
Finally a sunny day but just today, rain forecast again for the next three to four days. I know that we need it, I know that better than most being a farmer, but I just hate the cold weather, does my head in when I am trying to fast.
CM was it you that asked how much more I want to loose? Well at present I am size 18, and I used to be happy in my skin at the old size 16, which was around 70-75kg. Going by the sizes of today, that means probably about size 12-14. However the weight there is my long term goal, not going to happen quickly but that is what’s so great about this way of life. Will report Friday weigh in late as we are having a day away to catch up with friends. Charlie.
Thin, we eat kangaroo a lot. I was first introduced to Kangaroo by my husband. He grew up on a farm and a lot of their meat was either sheep or kangaroo. I started cooking kangaroo using some recipes I found but then years later my son in law, who is a chef, introduced me to one of his recipes and I have only ever used this one since. Is is simple and would probably be good for weight loss. I am going to work out the calories and see.
Today I bought the Slendier noodles, bonus as Woolworths had them 2 for $6, so bought 2 packs.I am now making a vegie soup and will add the noodles to the pot at the last minute. I have added up all the calories in the soup pot and with the noodles it is 490 in total. Not sure how many serves this will make though.
When I weighed this morning I had put on .3Kg from yesterday morning. Not worrying about it as yesterday was not a FD, but then it made me wonder. How often should you weigh yourself? Usually I do every morning like clockwork, but then thought that if I did and found I was not loosing something everyday I might be disappointed. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Hi JJ, I weigh twice daily (sometimes even more if I didn’t like the naked morning weight, I do it again after my 5km walk; if I don’t like that, I weigh again after a hot shower). Jumping up and down on the scales doesn’t help much I’ve found. I usually gain weight in between FDs – thinking about that, it seems logical because of food in transit, etc. Despite all the obsessive weighing, I only record the weight after the second FD of the week.
Merry, I don’t think that’s a particularly slow weight loss. As long as it’s a downward trend, you’re doing very well. I’ve decided 63kg will be my red alert weight. I’d like to be 60kg but happy to stay in the 62s if that’s what it’s going to be.
As far as explaining fasting to children, I can appreciate that’s a dilemma. But at ages 2 and 4, it probably doesn’t take much to satisfy the curiosity. For older children I think I’d be explaining that fasting is a way of healing the body that’s been fed too much fuel and that it’s not appropriate for growing children’s bodies. I’d try and avoid any mention of the word ‘diet’. It’s a shame this is called the ‘Fast Diet’, it’s the only aspect of the entire WOL that I don’t like much.
It’s a strange conundrum isn’t it? We think of skinny people as having efficient metabolisms when in fact the opposite is true. A body that requires more fuel to maintain a weight actually has an INefficient metabolism. Weird facts that confuse our thinking.
Bella, I started with recipes found here:
http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/538311/5-2-diet-meal-plans-what-to-eat-for-500-calorie-fast-days
There are also recipes in Dr Mosley’s 5:2 book, Mimi Spencer has a complete recipe book and while browsing bookshops in Fremantle today (hi CM), I saw several other 5:2 recipe & lifestyle books.
Bella, I forgot to mention that Slendier’s website has some great recipes too:
http://www.slendierslim.com.au/recipes/top-10-recipes
Try the Spanish Fideos for a really filling dinner. To answer your other question, I don’t snack at all. I don’t know when it happened but somewhere along the way, I stopped the evening snacking on the couch on non-FDs too. I break my calorie allowance into two ‘meals’ allowing a few extra cals for almond & coconut milk in coffee (22 cals for 80mls) or herbals teas 5 cals for several uses of one teabag and reserving 80 cals for an optional egg before bed because hunger and sleeping don’t mix. This leaves no room for snacking because my TDEE has dropped considerably along with my 21kg weight loss.
My preferred ‘dinner’ is the one that feeds the whole family – I plan their meals around my FD meals rather than the other way round. If it serves 4, I take my quarter and feed them the rest (we’re a family of three). Sometimes I add rice, pasta, bread or extra veg. to what I’m having to bulk theirs out.
Good luck and let us know how you go. If anyone has new recipes, I would love to add to my repertoire – which I have in documents ‘meals under 100 cals’; ‘meals between 100-200cals’, etc.
And I definitely keep exercising on FDs, there are great benefits to exercising in the fasted state.
Bellajss – I keep up my usual routine on fast days, which usually includes a 4.5 km walk. If I feel the need to snack after dinner, I usually have some calories left over for a carrot or some cauliflower florets. I generally have a cup of tea (I take mine with about 15 mls of light blue milk) if I am hungry.
Tonight I’ve enjoyed a yummy dinner of 150g grilled Portobello mushrooms (4 medium sized ones) with 5 grams of grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled over their tops, a handful of rocket with a tsp of fat-free dressing and a large egg scrambled in the microwave with 2 tsps light blue milk – total 144 calories.
Haven’t caught up yet today….been helping out online with the lost pup in Ballarat.
LOL Thin, I just don’t understand why jumping up and down on the scales doesn’t make you weigh any less…..its bizzare! JJ, I’m not as fanatical & weigh once each morning, starkers…if I weigh again, its always more. Don’t quite know how Thin manipulates the scales the way she does? I would’ve though you’d be heavier after a hot shower (eg. water absorption on dry skin)…unless you were trying to steam the fat off Thin! After a walk – now I can understand that one.
Bella, not a snacker either, although if I do get the munchies, I try a cup of tea first, maybe a carrot, and then when I’m ready to eat my arm I’ll have one square of Lindt 70% and another glass of water. Always fixes me…and I’d rather chocolate than a hard boiled egg!
Tonight, its Thin’s wonderful cauliflower soup and some grilled mushrooms (thanks for the idea Hilary!).
CM xx
Is it a bit perverse to be watching Masterchef on a FD? I don’t watch many cooking shows but usually watch a few episodes at the end of a series.
Answers to newbie questions:
Weighing- I do the starkers 1st thing in the morning after a loo trip weigh. I keep a record in the back of my diary, and at the bottom of my daily diary page. I also graph whatever is my weight on Monday, i.e. At the beginning of my 1st FD for the week. That’s doing it the ‘hard’ way, but it works for me. My weight will go up a bit between FDs. I’ve had the frustrating plateau. My personal bugbear is I can’t eat any starchy foods of any sort, vegetable or grain, and lose weight. Somehow it just stops it. I’m also gluten and grain intolerant, and GF starches also halt my weight loss. Occasionally I give in, yes I have birthday cake.
Exercise on FD’s: no, can’t on non FD either, LOL, but I do keep occupied. I will watch an iView show or 2, listen to talking books on CD’s or MP3 s from library. Sometimes OH and I will go to the movies and have a cup of tea or skinny flat white instead of choctops or popcorn. OH walks most days and sometimes if he’s done a longer than usual walk on FDs he may get a bit of nauseas
Snacks: a couple of nuts, a dried apricot or a prune, a small apple or 1/2 of one, carrot or celery sticks, small piece of cheese, a few grape tomatoes, and the weird one is a sheet of nori i.e, dried seaweed sheet tha’s used to wrap sushi.
Recipes: ummm…. we mostly just do the lean meat/fish/chicken no skin and 3 veg thing or salads with sliced lean pork or canned salman or tuna. Breakfast is boiled egg and an orange. I rarely drink calories. Might have a skinny flat white maybe 1 per week. Drink peppermint tea, weak black Earl Grey tea, sparkling water. Soups with stock, lots of low cal low GI veggies, and various seasonings/flavourings. Zucchini ‘pasta’.
This is the time of night when I have another hot drink and tell myself I can eat whatever it is I want tomorrow. Tonight it’s cheese!
Have fun with this, enjoy the forum:-)
Cheers,
Merry
Hey Freya, that’s what we are here for. Life is too short to spend it stressed out when changes can be made. Have a wonderful lunch today and I hope it gives you the inspiration you are looking for.
Thin – my friend eats kangaroo and she is English so I cannot use her being Australian as an excuse lol. I can’t seem to get past that it is Skippy so haven’t managed to go there yet. I wish I could. Maybe one day!
So proud of myself, I stuck to my FD yesterday even though I had my four grandchildren, daughter, son and his wife here. They all had Maccas for lunch and i stuck to my protein shake and had soup and wrap for dinner.
Weigh in this morning, drum roll, 75.8. Well now I’ve seen it but don’t hold out much hope of maintaining it for 5 weeks. My daughter didn’t say anything and I had to bring it to her attention this morning that I was 700grms off losing 12kg. Your children just see you as Mum.
Merry my daughter bought seaweed yesterday, that’s one of the things she snacks on but I just couldn’t face it. Too fishy for my taste. She said it is very expensive in the UK.
EA, I agree, it’s a bit confronting. I tried it at our friends’ house because I didn’t want to be rude. It was cooked perfectly. Mentioned it to some other people and they revealed that it’s on the weekly menu. I think it does have a ‘gamey’ strong taste. But I’ve eaten more bizarre things – monkey in Zaire, alligator in New Orleans, fried crickets in Thailand, to name a few. There used to be a restaurant in East Perth serving only Australian meats, grubs and bush tucker – we had the sample platter which had some interesting offerings. Merry, enjoy your cheese today!
Intesha! Fab news, well done. Maybe you need some new clothes to show off your new shape so people notice. Don’t blow it over the coming 5 weeks, remember how hard you had to work to get here. Keep in mind what it was like when you thought you’d never get below 80kg.
Hello everyone and good day to you all……I have had a not so good morning, mainly work related and tax related!!!! but now everything seems in order.
I found that late yesterday I had a bad headache. Went to rest after picking my daughter up from school and it seemed to subside for awhile. After dinner found it was back with a vengeance so went back to bed. This mornings problems had not helped so it is still niggling there although not so bad.
I am weighing myself every morning after toilet stop and find this is the best for me. If I weigh later in the day I seem to weigh more. When I weighed this morning I was .1Kg lighter than yesterday. At this rate it is going to be a long slow road!!!
Today is not a FD but so far have not felt like anything to eat at all….probably the fact that I was stressed out with work all morning!
I am still determined to stick to this and am hoping to get below the 80kg in the next few weeks.
thanks for listening to me!!
Thanks for reporting in JJulie. I haven’t experienced headaches while fasting (in fact my migraines have lessened in frequency and intensity since losing weight) but several others have mentioned this and I believe they said it passed after a few fasts. Personally, I would put it down to caffeine withdrawal but others say this isn’t so and that lack of salt could be the reason.
The FAQs above state:
—– start —-
The commonest side effect is feeling hungry, particularly when you first start.
Some people find it hard to sleep on a relatively empty stomach. If so I recommend keeping calories aside for a late night glass of milk or snack.
Some people report headaches or constipation. This is often the result of not drinking enough water during the day.
There is evidence that the side effects you experience are the ones you expect, so it is best to approach Intermittent Fasting with the expectation that it will be fine.
—end —
Wouldn’t drinking a lot of water deplete your salt? Just saying. I’m sure others will comment.
Don’t worry about the 100gms loss – this sometimes happened to me and then a day later, I’d drop 500gms. I found my daily weight to be very erratic and although I still record daily, I only ‘count’ the once weekly weigh-in on Thursdays, the day after my second FD. You’ll be fine.
Also, the longer you go before eating after a FD, the longer your ‘fasting window’. All the better for your body’s healing process – so good job!
Hi JJulie. I was a headache sufferer as well in the beginning and I am not prone to headaches usually (maybe one a month if that). So I did feel it hard to deal with. In fact, hunger was never an issue for me – it was the headaches. But I carried on and they did go eventually (after a few weeks or so). So don’t give up. It will get better. I can’t really give you any tips because nothing worked for me in getting rid of them. Even the next day after a fast it would linger and I would feel a bit foggy brained.
I don’t know why. All I can say is that it went away and now fast days are a breeze.
Hope this helps.
EA
Hi Everyone.
You’ve come a long way CharlieG, and it doesn’t matter if it’s fast or slow because it’s making you healthier every day.
Hi Merry, Hoot, EA.…….and Freya, vent away. It really helps to offload sometimes and workplace problems can be such a pain. Glad to hear you’re up and around too.
JJulie, sorry you’ve got the headaches, I had them too for about a week (maybe less) and yes they eventually pass.
Intesha – 75.8… I think you might just be a “believer” now!! As Thin said, be strong while the relies are here.
Thin, you’ve eaten monkey, really? What did it taste like? Enjoyed your cauliflower soup again last night….I think it was even better on day 2. Grated some parmesan into it as well. Delish….that one is a keeper. Thanks!
Same weight for me as last week, but that’s ok. I still feel great and it will move when it feels like it. Have a lovely Friday everyone. CM xx
You have a great attitude to this CM, always positive. I’m sure your body is re-adjusting itself even if the weight isn’t shifting all the time. Glad you like the cauliflower soup – someone that I introduced to 5:2 gave me that one. Parmesan’s a great idea.
As for monkey, not my favourite but that’s all we had to eat in the remote part of Congo. I watched the woman cook it too, holding it over the open fire by its tail to singe (‘singe’ is also French for monkey) all the hair off before skinning and chopping it up and making a stew. Heavily disguised with tomato paste and spices as its very strong tasting and sinewy.
Did you find the dog? We’ve got the rescue greyhound for the weekend. Seems a really sweet dog.
Thanks everyone for the support.
Years ago when I was a lot younger, I did a diet that was a meal replacement type of diet. Shake for breakfast and soup for lunch, then a calorie controlled evening meal. I got headaches in the beginning then too. I also have not been drinking coffee like I usually do, but I only have two cups a day max. I have been having salt and pepper on my tomatoes, cucumbers and mushrooms etc….
I also have not had any wine since starting this on Monday and my body may also not like that too!!! I have decided not to drink wine until I have reached 75kg and then I can celebrate, then no more wine until my next goal is reached.
I think it also could have a bit to do with not so much water intake, so will work on trying to remember to drink more water.
Thin, have not eaten monkey but my husband has at some stage when he was in the Navy and traveling in the Asian countries. He told me he had “monkey on a stick” I believe it is like a monkey bamboo skewer. He did not think much of it though.
Tonight had chicken marinated in my coriander,garlic,onion,chilli and lime juice marinade, then grilled with mushrooms and a salad of tomato and cucumber. I am growing tomatoes at the moment and they are just starting to ripen so am enjoying the nice flavours of fresh vine ripened tomatoes.
I am enjoying fruit at the moment so just wondered if it is ok to eat fruit say for lunch instead of soup?
No Thin, I think I’ll give the chimp a wide berth…..sounds delightful though & I guess when you’re hungry…!! Enjoy your time with the greyhound…what’s its name? Hopefully not Speedy, Flash or Zoom!
Thanks for asking. but no, they’re out there still looking for her – this is the 3rd night. They’ve got a good handle on the area she’s in & have seen her several times, but she’s really fast and absolutely terrified – won’t let anyone approach. Its only a very short time since she was rescued from the puppy farm by RSPCA. Bloody rangers won’t help either…just like giving people fines!! They’ve got 31 people from cocker spaniel & dog community, driving into Ballarat tomorrow morning to help search. More people going out tonight too. They’re going to set up a BBQ to try and lure her out with bacon….that’d do the trick for me! She must be thirsty, hungry & exhausted…..poor baby. It amazing what a wonderful Australia-wide (& intl) group we have & everyone is trying to help in some way. Restores your faith….Sorry to waffle on, but for an animal lover its tough. Prayers please 5:2ers! CM xxxxxxoooo
JJ – Dinner sounds delish!! Mouth watering stuff. Vine-ripened home-grown tomatoes are yum – not like the plastic stuff we have to buy. I think fruit for lunch would be fine, but will allow wiser-ones to answer.
I admire you decision to stop wine, although I remember you saying that you really enjoy a glass. Don’t let it feel like you’re being forced to give up something you enjoy – that’s not what this is about. I have still enjoyed my wine on NFDs throughout this journey. But do whatever you feel is right for you. CM xx
JJ, I would like to back up CM, non fast days are so this does not feel like other diets, that are based on deprivation, as that’s the reason they don’t work and 5:2 does. OH and I still enjoy a wine or a cider from time to time, and also be careful reducing your coffee intake, coming off caffeine is like coming off other hard drugs, withdrawal can be terrible, for as the body craves caffeine you will get terrible headaches. I know was forced to give it up after serious illness twenty years ago, took two months to get over the symptoms. Now can only drink decaf or herbal teas.
Had lovely day out with OH and caught up with friends we had not seen for some time. One did not recognise me as he had not seen me for two years, then when I suggested that it may be that I was a bit smaller, he smiled hugely and said that I needed to have a word with his wife. She was not there today but we are planning to catch up in the next few months.
Weight In this morning, good week with two good fasts and loss of .35kg. Wasn’t Hungary so didn’t eat much until dinner tonight, just an apple for lunch.
Happy weekend everyone, Charlie
Way to go CharlieG!! Must be great catching up with your old buddies….especially if they don’t recognise you, for all the right reasons! What a buzz! Don’t you feel great with 2 good FD under your belt? I’ve missed that, and feeling so much better now I’m back on the straight and narrow!! Funny how it infiltrates your life, and when you go slightly off-course (or get slack!) you feel it? Thank you Dr M….. Go 5:2!!
Have a lovely weekend all you losers!!! CM xx
JJ – We are of a similar age and you are wanting to lose about the same amount as I did when I started in Feb – 10kg. Actually that was a distant dream of mine and I never believed it was possible. My goal was 2.5kg. To me that was huge..now it seems ridiculous! I’ve still got 3-4kg to go to get to my wriggle-room weight. That will be a loss of 11kg. During that time I’ve been on a 3-week carb-laden cruise/holiday (plus another week in Bris)…and have come out the other end! I can tell you new guys (JJ & Bella) that I’ve never felt better than in these last 5 or 6 months. You have now discovered the solution you’ve been searching for…just follow through, and you won’t look back. I can’t imagine life now without 5:2….and its thanks to all the support these great guys have given on this thread. Nite All. CM xx
Yes Thin.. I was one of those ones with shocking headaches for, JJ..I think the first few months from recollection….I now make sure I drink I up to my 800 ml of water on waking and this seems to control it.. I can now recognise when I haven’t had enough..as far as the salt goes. I do nibble on those Aldi rice crackers on FD and have the miso soup.. I also only weigh myself every week or two on average !( horses for courses I guess!) I find for me, jumping on the scales every few days doesn’t really work and only gives me anxiety! Especially as I’m now back into my running and plateaud for ages (‘muscle weighs more than fat blah blah) it’s sorting itself out now and tomorrow I’m doing the 10k Run Melbourne .. Yay! I’ll let you all know how I go
Is anyone using the recipes from “The 5:2 Lifestyle” by Charlotte Delphine & Debeugny De Montalier? I just got the ebook. There are dozens of meals close to 500/600 cals which I initially thought would only be useful for those of you having one evening meal on a FD. On closer inspection, I see they’re advocating making these healthy dishes and dividing them between two FD meals – seems like a good way to get in the habit of preparing fresh, healthy ingredients which can also be taken to work, on picnics or multiplied when cooking for other family members. Haven’t tried any yet but the photos look yummy. Not yet sure whether I want to eat the same thing twice on a FD but I do enjoy spending time in the kitchen preparing proper meals on a FD, even if the portions are minuscule proportionate to the labour.
Thin, just got the 5:2 Recipe Book (Mimi’s) from the library. Will be interested to look at the recipes, if its good I’ll buy it.
Onya Hoot!! Enjoy (is that the correct word??) your run today – I could no sooner run 10km, as fly to the moon…and have absolutely no desire to try either! I know some people adore running and it must feel like a real achievement to do something like that. Good luck and hope you do really well.
CM xx
Hi all, when I woke up this morning I had a big glass of water and I have not had any problems with headaches today.
Hoot thanks for the heads up with that!
Anyway, I weighed this morning too and my weight was 81.3 which means I have lost 3.1kg since starting this on Monday. My friend even said that my stomach is not so bloated. I have not been less than 82 for so long that it was a big shock to see the scales.
CM, yes I wanted to loose 10 kg quickly as my doctor told me I had to, but my ideal weight should be about 58kg. I am only 5’2″ so this amount of weight now makes me look more like a barrel. I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease about 6 months ago when my hips were hurting and it caused so much pain when walking on my trips overseas. Lately I had been having pain in the shoulder which they relayed back to my neck and xrays show that vertebrae in my neck is also showing degeneration. Hence weight loss is going to take a lot of stress off of those areas.
I bought a book while in Adelaide at Christmas time which was a 5:2 recipe book by Angela Dowden, it was on special and only cost $9.95 and has some really nice recipes too. I also found this site online…..http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/538311/5-2-diet-meal-plans-what-to-eat-for-500-calorie-fast-days just in case you dont know about it.
CM I would be interested to find out if the book from the library is any good too.
well I think I’ve bored you all enough tonight …….
thanks again for all the posts with information.
thanks too for those who just tell us how they feel, and those who respond with help.
and thanks for letting me ramble on, then give me support.
catch you all again tomorrow!
Great job JJulie, I bet you’re thrilled with that. And I’m very happy for you too! I haven’t seen the Angela Dowden book, thanks for mentioning. Yes, the ‘Good To Know’ web site is one of two that I mentioned at the top of this thread page (the other is the Slendier website also worth a look). I have tried a lot of the recipes and can highly recommend many of them especially the following that I use regularly because I can share them with my family (cals indicated):
Japanese broth with udon noodles 250
Asparagus tortilla 255
Hearty root and barley soup 259
Hairy Bikers’ healthy cottage pie 240
Kale, prawn and chorizo stir-fry 270
Hairy Bikers’ Thai chicken and coconut curry 283
Chinese vegetable chow mein 170
Spiced butternut squash and veg tagine 150
Mediterranean veggie chilli 190
Poached egg, smoked salmon and asparagus 195
Butternut squash and spinach tortilla 199
Enjoy!
Hi CM, I haven’t read Mimi’s recipe book either – please let me know what you think. I wasn’t overly impressed with the recipes at the back of ‘the bible’ so didn’t buy Mimi’s recipe book. Pooch is called Molly but probably used to have a name like Speedy as you say! After a 5km walk this morning, she has slept all day long.
Well done, JJulie!! Woohoo! We’ve all been known to occasionally scream (whilst jumping up & down starkers!) in the bathroom when getting on the scales and seeing a big drop. OHs never seem to get used to it!! Quite funny! 5:2 has pretty well cured my chronic achilles issues that I’ve had for 7 years or more. So hope it helps your back as well. Oh, and ramble on as much as you want….we all do that too!
Thin, I like the sound of page 283. The library is still a great place to find stuff….love ours! Poor Molly – 5kms! That’s almost animal abuse! Apparently they become contented couch potatoes once they retire from racing! She’s in for a culture shock with you! Showing the hairy one tomorrow…..wish us luck.
Nite guys. CM xx
CM, those are the calorie counts, not the page numbers! The Hairy Bikers’ Healthy Cottage Pie is also great; I love making it – it was one of my very first FD meals and I couldn’t believe how tiny the portion sizes were because it serves EIGHT! Anyway, it’s great to have standby portions in the freezer. I learned to eat it really slowwwly and lick out the bowl.
Molly’s had another walk this evening but just to the local park with teen. Flaked out again now.
Thin – sorry I did not remember you mentioned that website before, I have been reading so much over the last week trying to find recipes and change my way of eating/thinking food. Thanks for your well wishes too. It’s great to have someone congratulate you and know what it is like to make this achievement. My OH would not say anything even if he noticed I had lost weight.
CM – thanks also for the congratulations. I wasnt actually jumping up and down starkers, I think I was in disbelief of what the scales were saying. It has been so long since I had seen anything less than 82!!! I am now just waiting for the scale to say I am under 80, then I will feel pleased with myself.
The book by Angela Dowden has some nice sounding recipes. I have not been able to try any yet as with OH away dont want to make anything that will make too many leftovers or I might be tempted to nibble more than my portion especially if it is yummy. I am into mushrooms and so have been having them grilled to bulk up my evening meal. The Hot and Sour Mushroom Soup in this book is only 23 calories per serve and sounds really nice. Also the baked field mushrooms sound good too and only 42 calories per serve. The one I think I would like to try the most is the mushroom crepes, they look delicious and only 112 calories per serve. there is also a recipe called Piri piri prawns which I have done before when I first tried 5:2 but did not stick to it. The marinade is also good for chicken. The prawns add up to 104 calories but the chicken works out to 288 calories with salad. One recipe that I would love to try is the Tea-infused duck with pak choi at only 148 calories per serve. Thai beef and pepper stir-fry sounds good too and only 255 calories per serve and Russian meatballs are only 154 calories (the recipe says could be served with mashed potato, but I think mashed cauliflower would be healthier) There are also some nice sounding desserts, but I am not much of a dessert eater and would rather just have fresh fruit and diet jelly.
If anyone wants any recipes that I mentioned I am happy to send them through.
Thin – I also like the sound of both the Hairy Bikers recipes.
Sorry Thin…you know me, I’m hopeless. Never thought the numbers were calories. Duh!
JJ Love mushrooms too. Have been baking them this week a lot too, with a little o/oil & garlic and then a grating of parm at the end. OH has his on toast, but I like to steer clear of carbs at night now. Pre-5:2 I always though people were a bit odd that said they never ate carbs after 4pm. Now I get it…but for me its after 10am. Still like my little bit of toast in the morning & I get hungry earlier if I don’t have it.
Thanks for the offer of recipes guys and I’ll let you know what the book is like too. CM xx
No apologies necessary you two, there are lots of posts happening here and it’s hard to read everything and keep it all straight. Especially with me prattling on. Those recipes all sound great but Sunday’s a FD for me so I’ll have to put all that food talk on hold for a few hours now. I was the same about the carbs CM. JJulie, do you mind my asking why you didn’t stick with 5:2 before?
Thin – good morning, There are a few reasons why I did not stick to 5:2 before and now I have been on this forum I am realising what they were.
I was doing this with my husband and we were fasting together and he was eating the meals as well. My husband is really not overweight but could loose the bit of beer belly he has developed.(It is not much but he has noticed it and he has always been very fit in the past. His job these days means he spends more time sitting and eating on planes than at home with home cooked meals) Anyhow, We started and it lasted maybe two weeks. Then he went overseas again and I was trying to do on my own. I really did not understand what I was supposed to do and I think we went at it too hard and on FD we only had miso soup and water. I had not understood that on fast days it really did not mean to eat nothing, so really we were being too harsh on ourselves. Then we went back to Japan for 10 days and of course did not stay on the regime there. When we returned I had found I had put on more weight which amazed me as I had been walking so much everyday.
So I think the main reason probably is that I did not understand how it works and what to do and I had not found this forum to help with the questions I had. Other reasons would have been loving my wine too too much and also not having the right mind set to do this.
I have learnt so much more since talking to everyone here and I am thankful for all the advice given. I love the MyFitnessPal app as it helps me to keep control of my calorie input. I did not have an iphone before either so now with my upgrade I can have these special help aids.
There I go rambling on again!!!!
So my weigh in this morning came as another shock to me at 80.3kg. That means that I have lost 4.1 kg since Monday when I started this.
Does that sound unhealthy?
Good morning SHs I tried to join in the discussion yesterday and wrote a bit of a marathon which disappeared into the ether. I just couldn’t face redoing it then! Charlie G I hope you were successful yesterday in coaxing your cocker spaniel to safety. We had some terrifying experiences in Canberra with one or another of the dogs going on the trail of kangaroos. I was terrified they’d be ripped to shreds. One was Neville the cocker spaniel, so all seems very poignant.
JJulie, you’ve had lots of replies by now but you might find reading about “keto flu” helpful. Basically it’s your body protesting that it’s not getting the glucose top up it uses to fuel you, hence the headaches etc.
For those who are also going carb free I said I’d report back on using cauliflower as the basis for a pizza base. I was a bit sceptical but it was surprisingly good! It’s a bit fiddly so for when you’ve got a bit of time. You make cauliflower rice in the whizz and microwave for 8 mins. You then have to squeeze out all the fluid in a tea towel, which I found quite hard. My hands just aren’t strong enough. Next time I might put it in a low oven to dry out?? This is because you’re aiming for a crispy base. Anyway, you then mix the cauli with 60g grated mozarella, an egg, salt and pepper. Press out into disc shape on baking paper and bake 15 mins @180 degrees. I topped it with home made tomato sauce, artichokes, boconcini and a bit more mozarella and baked again for another 15 mins or so. The edge was really crispy but I did have to eat it with a knife and fork. It was yum. Hope you all have a great Sunday. X
Freya – sounds really interesting. Somewhere along the lines I have see recipes using whizzed cauli as a pasta or couscous substitute.
If wringing the teatowel is an issue for your poor hands, would it work to put the cauli in a sieve over a bowl and then top it with a similar shaped bowl to your sieve, then weight it down with something like a can of food? I think squeezing it out and drying it out with heat may produce very different results.
Hi Freya
Thanks for the interesting recipe. A hint for long posts is to Type them in your notes area (off line) and then Cut and Paste them into the 5:2 thread. Sometimes the 5:2 website logs you out if you take too long to write a post. If you Cut and Paste and you lose the post, it doesn’t matter. You still have your typing to try again.
Cheers, Bay 🙂
Thanks for all the holiday wishes. 😉
Thanks for sharing that info JJulie because I am always interested to learn why people are unable to continue as I hope to be practising IF for the rest of my life. Your story will be very helpful to those starting out – to get informed & prepared. My primary concern is whether I’ll come unstuck when we go away. Until this year, we’ve always gone o/seas for about 6 weeks or so and I usually come back looking like a hippo. I admire those on this thread who’ve managed so well but pushing away from the table isn’t one of my strengths. I like the discipline that goes with planning ahead and that’s not always possible when you’re moving around. I suppose worst case scenario if I go off the rails is to just deal with it, as we all know how, when I get home. Not really a long-term strategy though is it? Where are you going Bay?
Fantastic news on the weight loss JJulie. It is quite a lot but it will give you a great kick-start mentally and physically. You might find the rate slows down as time goes on but all you need is a downward trend. If you don’t find giving up your wine too difficult, I’d support your decision because it’s empty calories and alcohol can lead to making poor and impulsive food choices, at least in my case. But as the others said, the whole point is to make this sustainable and not to feel like you’re being deprived so you have to find your own balance. I’ve changed from having a habitual drink every night to having one or two once a week at the most and I don’t feel my life is suffering. On the contrary, it’s more of a celebration when you’re not having it every day.
Freya, it’s frustrating losing posts, isn’t it? Thanks for the cauliflower pizza. I’ve read more and more about cauliflower and its many uses as a rice substitute, etc. And remember I told you that our fighting fish has the same name as your dog, Merlin? Well, our previous one was called Neville like your spaniel!
CM, I downloaded Mimi’s recipe e-book from our library today. What do you think? I like it a lot. The introduction is a great re-cap of 5:2. At the end of the book, she has the recipes indexed by calorie count which is what I’ve done with my collection so I can mix’n’match. I wish all the recipes had photos though.
Thanks Freya, I did look up Keto Flu and it was interesting reading because I did feel like I was coming down with something so this may have answered those questions. I did not have a headache today and felt so much better than yesterday and Friday.
Thin, I used to drink every night and of course more than I should have. It just became a habit I think. I have decided not to have a drink just yet because I am worried I wont be able to just have one, so best not to start in the first place. It does give me the incentive to keep going so I get to that 75 when I have promised myself a wine treat!
I am not really having trouble with sticking to the plan I have at this time but when my husband returns on Wednesday all may change, although I hope not! I do have a new plan though and I will cook more recipes from the 5:2 book so the rest of the family can enjoy the meals too.
Heres to having a good week everyone!!
Hello ladies – my first time at the forum, full of buzzing excitement. Looking for a slimming buddy (or two, or three … 🙂 from Southern Hemisphere to keep the motivation going.
My sister’s wedding is fast approaching (September the 5th, to be precise) so 5 weeks before I can fit into at least one of my evening dresses (new and never worn, due to wardrobe gremlins re-sizing my clothes whilst I sleep)
3-4 kg would be amazing to start with – do you think this is achievable in 5 weeks time?
Either way I’m determined and ready to give it a go 🙂
Weigh in day for me and 71.9kgs, down 0.4 over a 2 week period. Feels good to be rid of the 72’s! Tortoise pace, but it’s going down:-). My next short term goal is 69.9. 3 pairs of trousers heading for the Sallies today!
Usually I don’t put a date on my weight goals, but this time I am. In 6 weeks we’re going overseas for 5 weeks, this time to Europe. I will keep up my FDs though OH has decided he won’t. Some yrs ago I thought I would never be well enough to go overseas, but I’ve improved enough to do some slower travelling, and we’ve had a wonderful time. OH has a cardiac history and wants to travel now, while he’s well, and young enough, and now retired. This time our 1 st 2 weeks are on a guided tour, so I’m very much hoping that it’s one where the bus leaves at 8am not 6.30 am. One way of handling it is to simply skip breakfast each day to sleep another 1/2 hr. It will be interesting to see how I manage the trip with 11kgs well and truly gone. It will certainly help. I am quite used to not doing as much as others and simply sitting and enjoying the beautiful surroundings while others wander around, and I enjoy it immensely. I stop and smell the roses while others rush to cram in every last sight.
Today is Fd for me so I wish you all a happy FD. Thank you all for your encouragement:-)
Onwards and Downwards!
Cheers,
Merry
Hi Lotusgirl. I have been doing this for 2 weeks now and appear to have lost 1.5 kg on the scale so I am very impressed. I only need to lose a few kgs but from what I read on the forums, it looks to be very doable i.e. losing your 5 kgs in 5 weeks – good luck!
I had a fast day yesterday. No problem drinking black coffee and water until lunch time, then I have about 100 calories of raw almonds which I love and find very satisfying. Strawberries are a great snack for fast days too. Then at dinner, I have a small meal for my balance calories.
I haven’t posted in conversation before either so I am happy to be a “buddy”. Let’s do it. Take care.
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12:29 am
23 Jul 15