VDU, how did the scales treat you this morning? Following your report, I tried the Slendier rice for the first time this evening. I’d tried all the noodle/fettucine/spaghetti versions but the rice had never appealed to me. My instincts were correct. From a distance and without my glasses it sort of looked like rice but that’s as far as the similarities go. I’ll just stick to my tiny portions of rice or go without. I wish they hadn’t stopped selling the angel hair variety as that was my favourite.

You OK Cinque? Hope everyone’s having a great week. Winter has arrived in the west.

Hey Thin we are never too old to look good. Such a shame it comes now but I for one am going to embrace it with arms open what a wonderful feeling.

Weigh in this morning 68.1. That’s a 2kg loss since my FD on Tuesday. I’m seeing but I don’t believe.

Hey there

I am in SA and also saw the program on foxtel, it has changed my whole way of thinking and eating… I have been doing it for 2 weeks now and I have lost about 1.5kg, so am happy with that.
I fast on Mon and Thursdays and on my fast days I only have a cup of soup for lunch and then a 400 – 500 calorie dinner and then some diet jelly.
I think this is a fantastic way of eating and losing weight as I know I can have yummy food and still lose weight… and it doesn’t cost me anything…. awesome……

That’s interesting, isn’t it, Judy, that on FDs you’re in the mindset that biscuits, etc, don’t tempt, but at other times they do. I find similar myself. It’s accepting I’m just not having those things that day makes it easier as my mind doesn’t debate whether I want it or not, just a blanket “no”. Psychologically thought provoking, I find it!

I had a good FD yesterday, thanks, Thin. Yes, weighed myself first thing before the fasting, and just has been happening the last few weeks that’s when the weight loss had shown up on the scales, so down another .5 to 75.1 kilos, which I’m very happy about.

So you didn’t like the rice Slendier. I didn’t really mind it taste wise (well, there is none, but mixed with what I was having), but it’s really the slightly heavy uncomfortable feeling in the tummy after that seems to have put me off, though I will try out the fettucine at some point. I know you can still get the angel hair one online if you wanted to order some. I also think I’ve seen it at my local IGA, but I may have imagined that. I’ll have a look out next time I go, and grab one for you if I see it.

I’m sure those jeans look fabulous on you, and why not enjoy your new skinny body and show it off if it looks that good. For myself I refuse to buy “old lady jeans” – anything I feel comfortable in and I like the look of are good enough for me 🙂

Cinque, I hope you’re able to do the thing that you’re struggling with. May the force be with you!

I think re buying new clothes, op shops are a great thing anyway, and especially if you’re still in weight-losing transition. For myself I didn’t buy any larger clothes as my body was expanding (managed to get by with my looser, baggier styles), and used the inspiration to get back into the clothes I already have to help spur me on. I’m very happy with the 2 new pairs of jeans, though, and when I lose the last 3 kilos or so they’ll still fit fine, just be a bit looser, which will still be okay.

And a hi and welcome to Missy if you’re new to the forum. It’s lovely on FDs to know there’s others doing it with you. It helps!

Thanks so much Vego and Judy, it was an acquittal for a grant I got last year. Done!
As much as I can for the moment. Down to the wire as it has to be in on Monday and the Finance officer hasn’t sent me the work he has done (he is very busy), hopefully we will work it out on Monday, after my coffee with Merry!

Fast day tomorrow.

I minded my granddaughter overnight and when we went for a little walk we came to a big long muddle puddle . What fun she had! First stamping., then running through it, then collecting leaves and pushing them under the water. She wore her gorgeous gumboots but still came home very wet! But she couldn’t have had more fun if we had flown to Water World! Oh the joys of being 20 months old.

Best wishes all!

Good luck tomorrow Judy!

Good morning,
It is Sunday Fast Day!
Off to my daughters to help her prepare for her housewarming and gender reveal party (yes, it should be sex reveal, but they called it that last time and got a whole lot of unwelcome comments).
It is mostly friends her age, so I won’t hang around, and hence didn’t change my fast day.

I had to look up that pie Thin, it looks delicious! http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/535183/hairy-biker-s-cottage-pie

And hmm, I don’t think mounding my granddaughter would be a good thing! ‘Minded’ is a funny word once you point it out!

Best wishes all for a lovely day. It is a chilly one here, and this is what happened in the middle of the night. It might have been the longest, loudest thunderclap have ever heard! https://gfycat.com/GloomyConsciousInexpectatumpleco
5 minutes per frame, each white cross represents a strike in the last 5-minute window. Notice that the peak strike count (in the top right) gets up to about 2600 strikes per 5-minute window — that’s 9 strikes/second across the map area.

Hi Thin and everyone,
I was being more obscure than I knew! Yes I did gain a son. I have a one and only daughter, and she has just revealed to the world that her second child will be her second daughter!
That makes clothing easy!

Enjoy that cottage pie! I have just had my big bowl of chicken and vegetable miso soup, and I have got a portion of the beef, spinach and mushroom lasagne that I made last week, out of the freezer to have tomorrow. Yummy yummy!

End of another lovely fast day!

Hi all
Cinque, it was quite a storm. We had no power for 19 hours! My eldest daughter has a 3 year old girl and a 3and 1/2 month old girl. I’m loving being a nana to them! Well done on your fast day. I was good today and will do a fast tomorrow, although I’m not looking forward to my weekly weigh in tomorrow Thin, your pie looks delicious and I will definately try that 🙂

So glad your power is back on Jade! What a long 19 hours they must have been!

Hi Thin, I love the days when the freezer is sorted and full of delicious things!

I had a great morning catching up with MerryMe. If we didn’t both have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I think we would still be there chatting about everything under the sun!
Hi Merry! I hope you weren’t too exhausted afterwards. I had an afternoon nap, and then got that acquittal thing done and sent off (they might send it back for improvements though!).

I hope everyone is going well. Do pop in and say hello!

That’s great to hear ladies! So pleased you had a lovely time together. 😆

Hi Everyone
How nice that you girls were able to meet up!
I did put on 600grams this week and am back to my weight of 2 weeks ago but I had a good fast day yesterday. Today I did have morning tea with some friends but just soup for lunch. Tonight we are having SiL & BiL over for dinner so Im sure a bottle of wine will be opened 🙂 Ill fast again on Thursday.

Hi Intesha, I remember Darwin’s torrential rain! I hope you get to see more things today!
Say hello to the Arafura Sea, and the wonderful cliffs, from me.

The wind has gone from here and it is one of those lovely clear sunny Autumn mornings.

Yesterday I had a lovely time shopping. I bought all the veggies for the things I plan to make, and then extra eggplant and red capsicum because they were so wonderful and so cheap. Then my sister turned up with gifts from her farm: eggs, butternut, green capsicum, zucchini and even a couple of granny smith apples (that are too sweet for me, but she thought I might be able to use them in something, and Oh dear, it is very tempting). So now I have piles of veggies and it is Fast Day tomorrow!

I will make a huge pot of soup, another poha stirfry, and grill zucchini (ridge grill), eggplant and red capsicum so they keep for longer.
Anyone want a couple of lovely home grown granny smiths?

I think I have done the last step to get back in the nice rut of 5:2 fasting, by concentrating on eating my portion of food and then nothing until the next meal. My litte “Ooo but I just need something more” voice in my head seems to have quietened now!
(Touch wood and whistle, I have a tendency to make these claims and then immediately prove myself wrong!. We’ll see.)

I hope everyone is having a good day, fasting or non fasting!

Hi Thin, enjoy your light fast, and I hope the minestrone soup is absolutely delicious.
The one I am making has black beans and loads of veggies, and *secret ingredient* whey (from when I made ricotta last! It has been in the freezer.)

But ofcourse I won’t be having it on my fast day! No, I will have my chicken and miso!

Eggplants were $2.99 a kilo. Red capsicum $1.99 a kilo. 🙂

Just about to turn up the hems on the lovely fine wool trousers I found at the Op Shop we passed yesterday. I have short legs! Sigh. The trousers are very nice but if I lost that last bit of tummy they would be too big, so I must turn them up today and wear them like mad, while I can!

‘Keep Calm And Carry On Fasting!’ It might not be on my coffee mug, but it is on my computer screen! 😉

Hello everyone this side of the equator, and the other side too! 😉

It is a beautiful morning, I had a great fast day yesterday. I had grated (and squeezed out) zucchini in my miso soup for an exciting change! My chard leaves are growing very slowly at the moment.

Thin did you enjoy your minestrone?

Happy Birthday to your grandson, Vego!

Well I am having trouble with my trousers. I have had to give ALL my winter trousers to the opshop as they are too big for me. And the ones I bought the other day… I have decided they are too big too. Pity I cut the hems off them. But luckily I found another pair in a different op shop that are a tiny bit too small (I can do them up, but they aren’t comfortable) so I think they will do me through winter. Oh the trials and tribulations of 5:2 fasting!

Now it is a non fast day for me. What a treat! What will I have for breakfast?

Best wishes for your day!

Hi everyone
Fantastic, sunny day here again!
Cinque, the ladies in the opp shop must love you, lol. Ive decided I have too many clothes anyway and Im trying to declutter my wardrobe. Sounds like a lovely holiday Intesha.
Hmm … no talk of 5:2 by me. I failed again on Thursday. Im finding the 2nd fast in the week a lot more difficult. Didn’t fast yesterday but was sensible. I might fast today (not eaten yet at 11.23am) Ill see what hubby plans to do today.

Hi Cinque
Good luck with your first aid course. I usually do my 1st fast on a Monday and my 2nd fast on a Thursday. I have my granddaughter on Fridays and don’t want to fast then. I’m thinking I’m not eating enough on a non fast day and by Thursday I’m too hungry? You mentioned bread and black beans. I don’t eat bread very often and not much pasta/rice either. I’m going to use MFP for non fast days and see how many calories I’m actually eating.
Good luck to those fasting today xx

Morning all, here’s a little maintenance progress report. Since around September, I’d been maintaining my goal weight on 6:1 until it eventually crept up to my ‘trigger’ weight in April. I immediately returned to 5:2 which, after 5 weeks, has re-set my portion control and food choices as well as helped me get back under 60kgs. It’s tempting to return to 6:1 but I think I’ll keep going until we leave for hols next month.

For any lurkers out there, those of us who’ve made this work believe that this is a way of life and definitely not a diet. Whilst we tend to focus on the numbers, and of course the weight loss is so motivating, we must also pay attention to how our food habits are changing for life.

5:2 is so flexible and so forgiving – we really can have it all. But it does require constant vigilance and commitment. The longer we stay on it, the more we learn. The odd blow-out doesn’t mean we’ve failed. A few indulgences on holiday can be balanced by returning to 5:2 on return. And, hey, we can even celebrate Mother’s Day without food – right Cinque? Happy Fast Day to you! More later.

Well done Cinque. I hope your daughter’s driving lesson went well – pregnancy notwithstanding! The minestrone was awful, it tasted like a cup of tinned tomatoes. I’m back to my homemade cauliflower today.

VDU your weight is falling off. Pleased that you had fun with the little one. Looking forward to our next coffee in a week or so. Anyone else in WA like to join us?

Intesha, I hope you’ve had a marvellous week in Darwin and wish you a safe trip home.

Judyf, it will be interesting to discover if you’re not eating enough on nonFDs. I believe the feast is as important as the famine to enjoy the full benefits of fasting. Let us know what you discover. Perhaps you’re not yet ready to go long periods without eating on FDs? I used to eat three small meals on a FD mainly so that OH (who was doing 5:2 with me) wouldn’t feel hungry as he’s a constant craver. One of the things that filled us up in the morning was 30g oats made with water and with half a tsp honey. Good luck with your next FD.

Have a great Mother’s Day all, we’re off to the movies now.

Hi Everyone,

Judyf, I’m fasting today too, and I also fast on Thursdays. Nothing for me today till 6pm. If I eat before then it will awaken The Hunger Dragon! It’s 2.50pm and I’m a little hungry now, but I’ll have a hot drink, probably peppermint tea, and keep my mind occupied. My husband often has his calories split between breakfast (cooked rolled oats) and dinner, but also sometimes just dinner.

Mothers’ Day meant a lovely Thai lunch out, which came with those lovely Thai sauces and rice. I enjoyed it immensely and the scales jumped a little for the joy of it too, this morning. So, today’s FD is particularly important to reset myself back into 5:2 mode. This is our 3rd celebratory meal in 2 weeks, so super important I stick to 5:2 guidelines for FDs and non FDs this week . My adjusted TDEE for my present weight is 1500 calories so a 1/4 of that is 375 cals. If I adjust my FD cals down to 375 that will help and I’ll be calorie counting this week to make sure I’m at 1500 or under for the other 5 days.

I’ve been a bit absent from the list lately, having been away a bit, and because I’m having a bit of a health challenge at the moment, but I will get through it. Just a nuisance I’d rather not have right now,and it’s meant getting on line has been very haphazard.

Happy FD to all the Monday fasters,
Onwards and Downwads!
Merry

Hey Judy, yep, it makes a difference shifting to 1/4 of you present TDEE. As you say TDEE differs with different sources. I use the calculator on this forum website. I began with the suggested 500cals/ FD and my TDEE was quite a bit more. Some 5:2ers use their goal weight to work out their TDEE and 1/4 for FDs, and they found it a great way to do it. Me, I just calculate mine down as I lose weight. I just love how flexible 5:2 is, and how well it fits into our lives regardless of our individual differences in lifestyle, food choices, family style, religious or cultural food choices, physical exertion and training. Awesome WOL!

It amuses me that we could do this on any sort of rubbish food and drink just by counting calories, but of course, that’s not what happens. Instead, we make better and better food choices as we go along. I still look on in wonder as 5:2 trains me back to a normal weight with healthy food choices.!

I do love eating though, so I go for bulk as much as anything, so I’m always looking for the food that has the lowest cal/100gms.
Tonight I had some cooked vegetables – 2 tomato halves cooked in a tiny bit of oil, steamed brussell sprouts, carrot and broccoli including the stem. Then I had some white miso soup with basa fish, a little calamari, and a nori seaweed sheet in it. I also had 1/2 a small mandarin, and a small amount of plain fatfree sugar free youghurt, sugar gree jelly and 1/2 a small canned apricot in pear juice. With only 7calories in my fluids today I’m coming in at 355cals, and I think I’m going to have another decaf coffee with a splash of light milk (7cals). We had some fresh salmon in the fridge which would have been yummy, but I use frozen basa on FDs, and that’s only 68cals/100gms. Salmon tomorrow night when it’s 202cals/100gms will be fine. My husband would have loved the salmon, but he can have up to 600cals/FD, much more than me.

Judy, thanks for your good wishes re my health. Hopefully in the next few weeks it will be sorted 🙂
Cheers,
Merry

Yay! I got on the scales this morning and found that I’ve cracked the 70kg barrier! 69.4! That means that I’ve lost nearly 5 kgs!
You may be able to tell that I’m a little pleased. 😉
Yesterday was probably my hardest fast so far. The weather has turned cool and rainy, and I was hungry. Chai without milk or sugar helped, as did some Three Ginger tea. And the soup that I had for lunch. But I took my current book, and went to bed early to read, so that the munchies wouldn’t win!
It’s great to read other’s stories and challenges. It really helps when it. all seems a bit hard.
What are your favourite winter recipes for Fast Days?

Woot Arvee! Congratulations! Cheers for getting into the the 60’s! 5kg is a good amount not to have to carry around any more!

And it is so wintery in Melbourne at the moment that Mexican Black Bean Chilli sounds just the thing!
I have been hungrier with the cold weather (and so has Miso the cat!). I’ve noticed I am eating a bit more calorie dense food, but I am pretty sure that is fair enough, and once I have adjusted to the cold, my appetite will too.

A big bowl of hot soup for lunch today.
Fast Day tomorrow, it might be harder than usual to get through! Like you, I will have lots of hot cuppas!

PS I obviously got distracted when I posted yesterday, and finished before I had said all I wanted.
My daughter had a good first driving lesson for a few years. She just went a few times around the block. That’s a good start.
And Oh dear Thin, it is a sad thing when soup tastes like tinned tomatoes!
Hooray for delicious cauliflower soup!

Oh, and the strategy of hitter it fast and hard aftermy Mother’s Day lunch quickling following on a couple of other celebratory meals worked really well. After a fast jump up on the scales, I’d gone down 1.5kgs yeserday morning, and up 100gm this morning so I’m very pleased with that. I don’t usually set a goal date but this time I’ going to have a go, and say my last 6 kgs gone by September. Whew! Said it!

Onwards and Downwards all of us below the international lapband!
Merry

Please would someone be good enough to post the Mexican Black Bean Chilli recipe on our recipe page here: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/southern-hemispherites-fd-recipes/

For anyone that wasn’t aware of this page, you will find some great recipes here. We try not to chat on that page to make it easier to find the recipes. Enjoy!

Brilliant Cinque, thanks – I have all the ingredients except frozen corn and I’m sure tinned would be alright. It sounds delicious and I think I’ll make it for dinner tonight. I hope you’re ticking along happily today.

Pleased that you had a relaxing time in the NT Intesha, yes, it has an interesting history. You made me laugh about the wet T-shirt! All the best for your FD tomorrow.

Merry, I hope you enjoy the cauliflower soup next time around. I have some pumpkin soup recipes that are low cal and really, really tasty. My OFMs love them. Or do you avoid pumpkin for other reasons? They’re not in a digital format which would enable me to post on the recipe thread but I’m sure Cinque wouldn’t mind relaying them to you via email if you were interested – and a range of other recipes by calories if you feel like a change anytime. Good luck with your last 6kgs off by September. We all know you can do it. What else have you been celebrating besides Mother’s Day?

Arvee, good job getting into the sixties, it’s a great feeling isn’t it? Back when I was depressed about being 24 kgs overweight, my GP used to always tell me to set small goals. In fact, he suggested I aim to lose one kg every year from that point on. Sensible advice for anyone overwhelmed about where to start. Fortunately, I discovered 5:2 and didn’t have to wait 24 years for the desired result! But realistically, aiming for 5kg at a time makes good sense.

I bought the Twinings Orange and Cinnamon tea yesterday; enjoying a mug of it now and it seems perfect for a wintry, fasting day. Almost time for my first feeding of the day.