Welcome LJoyce! I’ve been a binger myself and have found that 5:2 has helped me immensely.

I’ve found 5:2 incredibly healing. You may find that after you’ve fasted for awhile that an ‘off’ switch suddenly kicks in and becomes operational!

I’m still a work in progress with regard to the bingeing but it is so much better than it used to be and not only that I reached my goal weight in September and have maintained ever since!

By the way, I binged yesterday and really needed to write about it therapeutically so did this on the ‘bingeing’ thread. If you’d like to have a look: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/i-am-a-binger-any-info-on-fasting-and-bingeing/page/57/#post-183517

Hi everyone Doing a FD today I think i have finally found something that helps my indigestion i have been making my own Kombucha had a glass yesterday and it seemed to ease it time will tell. Lael the fitness watch i have is a Garmen i just love gadgets it gives a beep if i sit to long and has move on it just reminds you to get up and do something.

Hi All,

Fishing Gran, I too make my own kombucha! I also make sauerkraut! It sounds like you’ve got the fitness gadget that doesn’t need to be recharged every week or so, yes? Is it the “Vevo” model? I ask because I was looking at those and the JB HiFi guy commented that they were difficult to use compared to the ‘Fitbit’. I realized that I wouldn’t be committed to charging another device regularly as he agreed the ‘easier to use’ Fitbit requires, so walked out of JB HiFi without either! I’m hoping the sales guy was wrong and that they are actually easy to use, since I’m still interested! I think the sleep tracking monitor on it is worthy on it’s own! I also like that it at least reminds one to get up out of a chair!

wwall, well done for besting your personal best and so soon after Christmas!!! I enjoy watching the tennis too!

Merry, I’m glad you are able to rest, even with all those commitments. I hope your DFIL is better soon and can be released from hospital. I know how it feels to need complete rest days. I had one of those yesterday, a total retreat day in which I didn’t even step out the door and only opened a couple of the window blinds!

I am now a my lowest weight since 1983. scales clicked over at 112.2 kgs today. 32 kgs to go. I have been as high as 135kg, but started on 5.2 at 125, I am wearing my smaller jeans because the others were slipping down and dragging on the ground and the crutch was halfway down to my knees. Feels good, good, good. Nothing like small successes to keep you motivated. Merry sorry you are unwell.
Lynn

There’s a lot of success being reported on this page – well done to you all – wwall, Lynn & Ladyfish.

Welcome LJoyce, I think when Merry gets back on her feet, she’ll shorten that to LJ so I’ll just do it now. I empathise with you about your tea. I have the same issues with my coffee to which I’m addicted. I just cannot deal with black coffee. Foregoing my frothy coffee made with my beloved Rancilio machine is the only thing that makes the start to a FD slightly difficult for me. However, I wouldn’t consider drinking precious calories on a FD so I have compromised by using coconut and almond milk. It doesn’t froth but it’s way better than skimmed milk and allows me two good cups at only 20 cals.

I’m not sure it would taste good in tea but I have found that there so many varieties of tea that I can amuse myself with lots of different tastes to try. One that I enjoy is Madame Flavour’s choc/orange tea. I can use the same tea bag for about 3 cups at only 5 cals and it smells and tastes just a little bit naughty.

So, I think your choice is between giving yourself one cup of milky tea and doing without those cals for meals or trying to acclimatise yourself to some of the other types of teas you’ve already tried. One way or another, you’re stuck with 500 cals or less so you have to decide what gets you through the FD the easiest. We have to keep in mind that some of these habits are what got us overweight to start with. All the best as you find your way.

Lael, I hope you’re over that horrid experience and that you limit the time spent with that ‘friend’ until she sorts herself out. That whole story says more about her than you. Surround yourself with positive supporters of 5:2! All the best to you and Merry. And now Cinque and Intesha have gone AWOL.

Hi everyone and thank you for all your good wishes,

Welcome to the newbies – Ladyfish and LJoyce, and Thin beat me to it, lol. LJ and Lady, hope you don’t mind, but in true Aussie fashion, and bit of Kiwi, all names get shortened on here when you become a Southern Hemisphaerie unless it’s already short.

Quick word to the newbies – Cinque and I have the same chronic health condition, Myalgic Encephalomyeliti commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, both of us for many years. We are usually well practiced at managing our energy deficits, but occasionally life gets in the way with something a bit unexpected, or we push ourselves a little bit too hard for a special reason, and we have to go AWOL for abit while we rest up and recuperate. Lael also has a similar situation, but a different medical cause. So this list is perhaps a little unusual having the 3 of us on here. We all met on the CFS thread, but it is not a very active thread, and so for regular purposes, and because we try to live as normal a life as possible,and as we’re all in Oz, we live over here. So….. you don’t have to tippytoe around us, we’re fine, and all just very, very, very, very, did I say very, happy to have discovered, after all taking a flying leap into the medical unknown, that 5:2, minus any exercise, has given us a healthy way to normalise our weight – all 3 of us!!! Huge thankyou’s to Dr Mosely! The man is worth his weight in gold.⭐️

Check -in, 62.9kgs this morning after a disastrous, halo slipping NYEve night, and NYDay. NYE I thought was going to be 5:2, friendly but turned out to be the opposite. NYDay went from 1 function to 3! My FD on NYE maybe wasn’t such a good idea after all as I blithely turned up not having eaten anything all day. The tireder I got closer to midnight, the less fortitude I had, and there were lots and lots of wheat and sugary tempting things.

DFIL is as OK as someone at 99 with considerable dementia and multiple health challenges can be, but quick trips to hospital are becoming more frequent. Unfortunately he is his own worst enemy, and cannot accept he is ageing or that there is anything wrong with him. It’s a sad and somewhat complicated situation that keeps my OH (other half) on his toes. Anyway, enough of that, as everything that can be done is being done. Thank you for your kind wishes Lael.

Joffy and I have been in touch and will be getting together one morning this coming week, which will be great. Intesha will be away unfortunately.

LJ – I don’t waste calories on drinks on FDs. I drink peppermint tea, very weak Earl Grey tea, and a decaf coffee with a little light milk. Also water, sparkling water, and a drink my OH invented – about 3 cm of diet ginger beer in a tall glass topped up with sparkling water and a little lime juice or a couple of lime slices, and ice cubes. Re the tea, could you weaken the tea a bit so you might not need quite so much milk, or just gradually cut back the milk little bit by little bit to wean yourself off the quantity a bit.

OH made dinner tonight -a bolognaise where he had pasta with it and I had Konjac noodles. For the newbies, Konjac/Konyakku noodles are Japanese and made from a root vegetable. They are a bit weird but have 0-10 calories per packet.

Have been doing this lying down, but must get to sleep so…
Onwards and Downwards,
Merry

Merry, sounds like you’re doing well now – is 62kg your PB? It’s fun to think of you meeting Joffy. Is he still on holiday? I found some commercial konjac, in the form of Slendier Angel Hair, in the back of the pantry so I’ll have my Spanish Fideos, 142 cals for my next FD.

GL502, just re-read your profile. Truly inspirational. You have lost more than half your one-time body weight! Planning for the holidays was why I started the Silly Season Challenge thread. It seemed to work for most people by keeping it all in perspective. Next week, our DD turns 21, there will be a big chocolate gateau from our local deli. I have to mentally prepare for this. She and OH would happily eat it until it’s gone. I like to freeze some for another time if I’m permitted.

Hi Fishing Gran, have fun doing all that moving about.

Looking forward to my FD tomorrow. Last night we had home made sushi for the first time in years (I know this because the staples were all of out date). It’s easy to consume too much rice when it’s parcelled up like that. I hardly ever have rice these days, and only in very small quantities and I’m paying for it this morning.

Hello everyone,

Hi LJoyce, I have to stop eating anything sweet (including fruit 🙁 ) to stop the bingeing mechanism. As I am relearning yet again! Sigh.

Hiding from the heat today and recovering from the pleasures of having kids here.

Fast day tomorrow!

Hi fellow Antipodeans!

Fishing Gran, that’s good to read how easy it is to use and charge your Garmin! I’ll reconsider! …Yes I do make sauerkraut year round. In fact I have a jar on my bench that I dated 10 June 2016, which is when I made it and it looks perfect! I’ll be harvesting it next week. I don’t find that the heat affects sauerkraut when it is gestating except that it does slow down the fermentation process, so instead of taking a few weeks to ferment, it might take a couple months. That said, that batch with the 10 June date was made in winter! We haven’t used it because we’ve been using previous jars! By the way, only after I open the jar and break the seal does the kraut become vulnerable to going mouldy, so I store it in the fridge from that point onward. I’ve been making sauerkraut for about 5 years and it has been trial and error for sure! I remember one huge batch I simply had to dump because mould grew not only on top, but infiltrated down to the bottom of each jar and smelled horrible! I now use ‘Piklit’ jars that have a one way valve to let gas escape but no air back inside, which has completely liberated my sauerkraut making process by freeing me from any possibility of mould growth!

Merry, I wondered how the NY celebration turned out and I too would have done the same had I been in your shoes at that gathering. We are so fortunate to know about these ‘reset’ days! I don’t know how I coped pre-5:2? I think I just kept on the same pattern of snacking unhealthily through January! …How wonderful to be meeting up with Joffy! …I still have visions of a SH ‘reunion’! I mean we can hardly call it that, given few of us have ever met in person! But I feel like I know so many of you that it would feel that way! I really did feel like I was meeting a long time friend when I met up with Cinque and turned out to feel so during our whole time together!

By the way, Mr. L. and I visit Melbourne twice a year, once in June and once around Christmas if that works for a meeting place, given Cinque will be there too!?

Lol Thin! How fun to be celebrating DD’s 21st! The gateau sounds delicious and your freezer technique sounds perfect for leftovers! I’m actually employing the freezer technique for these ‘fat bombs’ I’m making today, which I’ll mete out for one per day. I did sweeten with stevia drops, but the raw cacao overpowers and they’re more bitter than sweet! Hey, I just had am image of sushi made with cauliflower rice! I wonder if that could even work?

GL, I too was inspired when I read your profile post! I agree that losing more than half of one’s own weight and maintaining is quite a feat!

LJ, great that your FDs have been going well and that you are finding your way with the tea and milk. I especially liked reading about your tea break as truly being a pause and time for becoming more aware or ‘mindful’ as you say. I chuckle that when I’m served tea, I usually wait for it to reach room temp and then guzzle! In my case, the mindfulness is definitely worth considering!

I’m fasting today! It is going well! I spent 20 minutes out in the sun to get my vitamin D, 10 minutes each side!

Messed up big time today, made the mistake of hot smoking some chicken on a fd. Then just had to eat it,the aroma was phenomenal. oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Pintinlin -your smoked chicken sounds yummy.
Like you say – tomorrow is another day and we all have hiccups, I certainly have and still am having ‘messed up’ Fast Days.
Good luck for your next FD 😀😀

Hi again! I know I wrote a ‘book’ length post again before, but couldn’t resist writing again!

Debjd, regarding the fermentation jars, I originally bought my original 2 x ‘Pikilit’ jars when I visited California 4 years ago and transported them back to Australia in my carry on luggage, since postage to Australia was absolutely out of the question (the jars are heavy!). Thankfully, ‘Kitsa’s Kitchen’ now sells them in Australia for quite a reasonable price given that they are made in Europe and transit the states before arriving here! I was happy to see that and bought a couple more from Kitsa! That said, I have now seen less expensive, smaller jars designed based the same principle at the ‘Pikilit’ jars, that Pete Evans now sells online. …In all honesty, I probably wouldn’t have continued to make sauerkraut after all these years, had I not found the air lock jars. I had to deal with mould growing on just about every batch and though only the one batch became fully infiltrated, I got tired of wiping the insides of jars and spooning off floating mould ‘lillypads’ from the top of the brine and I was always concerned that my efforts would be wasted via infiltration.

Thin, I too once made milk kefir and it also felt very healthy to consume! Like you, mine died while I was overseas once! I thought I did the correct thing by feeding the grains a lot of extra milk and putting them in hibernation in the fridge, since I’d read of this method. Unfortunately, maybe I left them there just a bit too long! They too died! I had a number of friends who used to make the kefir and they’ve all let theirs go! I know one can buy the grains online, though one day I know I’ll come across someone to offer grains again!

I successfully made the fat bombs while I’m fasting! I’ve filled a container that is in the freezer! My mother always taught me to clean a bowl so that there is nothing left to lick, which served me well today! I did have a taste, just. I’m happy to report that the taste didn’t start any cravings for more. This whole exercise is an experiment to see if stevia, in reasonable quantities in a home made treat is something I can tolerate without triggering hunger dragons and cravings.

What I appreciate about the Southern Hemispherites is like you said, Merry, we are all here experimenting to find what works for us as individuals and we acknowledge that there isn’t a one size fits all approach. We are an eclectic group of individuals which keeps this thread lively, interesting, buoyant and educational!

Oops, sorry about the errors but it was a quick reply on my mobile.

Lael, it would have been okay, but it goes so well with creamy potato salad.
Look at nadialim.com for recipe for turmeric latte.

Ps Lael if you are in Perth you are also more than welcome to some milk kefir grains 😀😀

Good morning,
Sending best wishes Intesha,
It is such a big thing to drop everything and go to help your Aunt. Especially when you should be recovering from the hard time you have just been through with your parents.
She is so fortunate to have you! And your dad will be so glad that you are able to help her.
I just hope all her other nieces and nephews appreciate what a big thing you are doing.
You will be such a good person for her to have with her.

At least you can make this week about yourself re food! And really look after yourself!

I am feeling so much better, and relieved I worked out I had to be super strict about super low sugar (since nearly all foods contain some level of sugars). Fast day today and I am enjoying my first cuppa. The chicken is thawing, dried mushrooms are soaking and my zucchini plants are producing madly so I will have zucchini in my miso soup this evening too!

Our heatwave should end this afternoon. Looking forward to it!

So sorry Intesha. I can’t believe it’s all down to you again. You’re a very caring person. Don’t forget to look after yourself. I hope your Dad will be OK by himself. It’s good to know that your mum is getting the appropriate level of care although I’m sure it’s distressing for you & your Dad to accept her decline. Have a safe trip and, if you need some light relief while you’re up there, we’re here.

Morning Cinque. Your heatwave is coming our way. It’s been so cool, I’ve loved it but tomorrow will be very hot, continuing for 3 days. I’m enjoying my FD so far. That sushi did me in and was a big mistake. Lael, that’s an interesting thought about using cauliflower rice to make it – I don’t suppose it would stick together?

I’m looking forward to smugly making this cheesecake without licking anything.

Deb, thanks for the info on the turmeric latte. I understand that turmeric has many health benefits. Thanks also for the offer of some kefir grains. I’ll take you up on that some time please. Lael, I have successfully hibernated them in the fridge before too but you’re right, there is a time limit. I can’t recall what it is but we were away for 7 weeks and that was too long. Someone on the MC thread suggested freezing but it didn’t work.

Hello everyone,
Thin, the Japanese sushi dresses the rice with a sugar and vinegar mixture, I wonder if that contributed?
I plan to try it the Korean way, that uses sesame oil instead, next time I make it.
Good luck in your heatwave!

Good luck with your mowing Ladyfish!

Have a good trip Intesha!

I’m off to do my exercise…. henna my hair!

Ah, ok. Well, it’s a good thing that now you know, but sigh, another one off your eatable list!

Have fun if you decorate your hands! I love the look of the pretty henna decorations!
I henna my hair every couple of weeks. It’s a hassle, but I like the colour and I started going grey when I was at my fattest and I looked so washed out and awful, that it was a relief to turn it reddish. I think I will stop when my hair is all white and see how that looks.

At least it is rather a nice thing to do on a hot day when I want to be inside.

When I wash it off it will be time for miso soup! 🙂

Cinque – thanks. Your mention of miso soup reminded me I had some miso sachets in the pantry that I hadn’t tried yet. Today is a fast day (I’m trying to do 3 this week), and I had enough calories left in my plan to try the miso. It was surprisingly good – much saltier and flavourful than I expected. I followed the directions, but next time I think I’ll dilute it more in a much larger mug. I think it might be a good option as a stock base for soups this winter too.

It’s a lovely cool Melbourne morning and I have the lovely ‘morning after a fast day’ feeling.
Hope you feel the same Joffy! What a fasty-mc-fast-day you had!

So glad you found the miso sachets LJoyce. I just love that savoury salty goodness on a fast day!

My miso soup was super yummy! 🙂 (as usual 😉 )

Best wishes to everyone, fast day or non fast day!

Lael, I’ve been researching the use of cauliflower rice for sushi. Thanks for the idea. Turns out I had a recipe in my, ‘I Quit Sugar’ book. I’ve added it to our recipe page even though it doesn’t include a calorie count/serving number which is annoying.

Wow, LJ! You’re powering along! 4.7 kg loss in one weeks is spectacular, even if includes water weight! The average per week is 1/2 kg. so you’re nearly 10 weeks ahead of the average!

Joffy, you may have only fasted one day this past week, but that one fast sounded like an extra effective one, given that you had just the coffee! Great that you felt as good the next morning as after any other FD.

Thin, Thanks for posting the cauliflower sushi recipe in the recipe forum thread! I’d really like to make it sometime! I’ll see if I can put the ingredients in myfitness pal to at least estimate roughly how many calories since the sushi could make for a perfect FD meal!…The fact that your daughter wants to spend her 21st with you and OH, to me speaks volumes about your parenting and what a good relationship you’ve developed with your daughter! At age 21 I wanted to be as far away from my parents as possible! …What fun, cycling around Rottnest! Did you see Quokka’s while on your ride? I’m sure you cycled off any white chocolate and berry cheesecake! I’m not fasting today, so it sounds good to me too!

I’m envisioning colorful fresh salad layers in your jars, Cinque!

eeeyuk Fishing Gran, sugar in coffee! You are as bad as my daughter! (Just a little bigotry in me there 😉 )
And oooohyum! Isn’t homemade hummus just so delicious!

I’m still feeling so happy that being superstrict about sugars is making me feel so good. Life is lovely.

Plus it is another day of my favourite weather.

Isn’t cauliflower sushi a great idea!

Fast day tomorrow, and lovely mindfulness of everything today! Best wishes all!

Thanks for the birthday wishes for DD Cinque – wow, three friends born on the same day! How long have you found that the salad jars last in the fridge? I’m trying to remember and thinking you said a week. So, no ingredients that have a tendency to go soggy like lettuce, cucumber and red pepper. More of the bean type ingredients? You haven’t mentioned the cafe for a while. Is everything going ahead now?

Thanks for the lovely words Lael. Like you, I was long gone by 21 and didn’t have the best relationship with my own mother so I’m very grateful that DD and I have a good relationship. Yes, we saw some Quokkas but we were cycling around the island most of the day and quokkas have come to know where they can get the most food. It’s sad to see that people still feed wild animals but uplifting that others are prepared to speak out to educate those who don’t know any better.

What I wasn’t bargaining for though was to be sitting on a white sandy beach just 2m from the water’s edge and sharing my towel with a SNAKE! That’s the first time in 25 years of living in Australia (including one year travelling in a camper van) that I’ve seen a live snake. Although I am utterly terrified, I kept surprisingly calm until it headed off up the beach and then I ran to the water to tell the OFMs who arrived just in time to identify it as a dugite.

Back to business in hand – it would be great if you could calculate the sushi ingredients for us Lael. Thanks also for the miso soup information. Cinque’s a big fan. I take the sachets as a 5:2 stand-by when travelling. Cinque, I also admire your self-restricted sugar intake. Unfortunately, I don’t seem motivated to do anything about it. I am reading, ‘I Quit Sugar’ again. Hopefully, some of it will rub off. I completely get that sugar’s addictive. But cutting it out seems daunting when it occurs in just about everything, or so it seems.

Hey, Cinque, are you on a Sun/Weds fasting regime now or this just a one-off? Other than foregoing breakfast again, I was useless at exercising any restraint yesterday so very much looking forward to tomorrow’s FD.

I’m with you though, added spoonfuls of sugar in tea/coffee are a thing of the past. FishingGran, I found it quite easy to cut this out by reducing it just a little at a time over a few weeks. I did so when my grandma was diagnosed with diabetes in support of her about 40 years ago. I know you’ll be successful too because you’re determined.