Can anyone recommend good scales that do body fat percentage as well? I’ve been looking online but most of the comparisons are from the USA and often the ones they recommend aren’t available here.

PerthGirl, hey, I saw you cycling one day! Said to OH, that looked like you but I couldn’t be sure without your trademark hat! And you’ve just reminded me that I forgot to record my dolphin sightings from yesterday on the River Guardians’ website. Two mother/baby pairs!

Friday is great for me. Sprolo it is then. How about you Lady Salsa?

Hi thinatlast, Sprolo is fine for me 🙂 , I can find my way there quite easily – who is going to wear a rose so I know who I am looking for ??!! Does anyone need me to bring some Kefir grains ? Look forward to meeting you ladies :O)

Craftgirl – I use Fitbit Aria Scales. Expensive though – the cheapest I found online was $145. They wifi to my Fitbit App. My Fitbit Tracker Watch bluetooths to my Fitbit App also so the scale cost for me was worth it as these 3 items combined have been my saviour for keeping me on track, motivated and I love the data I they provide.

Oh how wonderful for those of you in Perth to be able to meet up for coffee. Makes me want to move States! Im very jealous indeed – ‘happy for you’ kind of jealous that is. What a lovely time you will have catching up face to face. 😃😄😆

Hi,

Lady_Salsa I will be wearing my aqua-coloured Macpac baseball hat (goes everywhere with me except on bike) – and carrying a jar of kefir grains! See you then.

GDay, congratulations, I will do a happy dance for you – when I get out of bed😊 We will grant you honorary Perth status and you can be with us virtually at 12.30pm, what shall we order for you?

Good morning everyone, it’s Sunday Fast Day.

I hope you survived the dreaded cup cake fast day LJ!
Especially trying to cook with bruised arm and feet!

Gday woot woot! Hooray to health! Congratulations on a BMI of 25!
Sorry I didn’t manage to respond when I first saw your post. My granddaughter kept me busy, and once I had got her home I just snuggled on the couch and didn’t move for the rest of the day!

LadySalsa, woot woot for your loss too! And how nice to be looking forward to yoga, it is my favourite exercise (now I can’t bushwalk).

So exciting to read of this Perth get together! I think t will be a particularly fun one!

Well I made the mung bean stew on Friday night. I was tired from shopping and had already taken my little 2 year old granddaughter to the playground and was chopping etc while getting her meal, bathing her, and getting her ready for bed. So this involved a bit of turning the pot off for a while, and then on again. Hard work for someone with CFS.

When I finally got to eat a bowlful I was a bit disappointed as it had turned to a very thick stew (and huge! my biggest saucepan was full to the top!). A lot of the beans had burst, and the potato had cooked very soft. That was a result of me turning it on and off and having to do everything in stages.

The spices and and flavours were good, but it had got a bit stodgy. It was a good ‘meal in a bowl’ meal but I wasn’t exactly looking forward to having another ten such meals!

I thought I would make it again, but with half the potato (I did use two big potatoes) and one cup of mung beans in stead of two, so the ratio of the other veggies (capsicum, spinach, tomato) was bigger. I also thought I would get the mung beans just starting to sprout so they would cook quicker, and I would cook it so they stayed whole.

On the tram ride, after dropping the little one home, I decided to try making some of it into a soup and see how I went. Well, it was DELICIOUS! It was like the most wonderful, lightly spiced, vegetarian version of pea soup. I just added water (and correspondingly more salt) I had forgotten to add the lime juice the night before, and it gave it a wonderful lift. Such a delicious, comforting soup!

I am so looking forward to the rest of it! (Frozen half of it though!) And to making it again as per my ideas above. So I do recommend it, but I want to play with it a bit. I’m even going to have a small bowl of it for my fast day soup today. Looking forward to it!

My Saturday FD went well, considering the temptation of baking – managed to taste just 1/2 tsp of each batter to make sure the flavour was OK before baking. The cup cakes turned out quite well – I’m more a baker than a decorator, so it was the frosting and decorating that had me a bit worried but they looked OK and the flavour was really good, so I’ll definitely use those cake batter recipies again (I’d never made strawberry flavoured cakes before). I made sure every single one left the house with me. I did get a bit carried away with the party food this afternoon – my cousin takes over-catering to a whole new level – there were home made sausage rolls and mini meat pies, 3 different types of meatballs, sandwiches, dips, cheese platters – and that was just the savouries. In addition to my cup cakes there was fairy bread, cake pops, chocolate crackles, honey joys, slices and a huge “Trolls” birthday cake. I didn’t try everything on the food tables but I certainly had a good go at it and am feeling the after effects now. I already feel a bit seedy – I think my body’s complaining about the task I’ve just set it.
I’ve come home to a kitchen that looks like a tornado went through it – now I have to clean up the mess!

Hope you all had a good weekend.

Hi Minka, yes the 4y.o is a girl, but there were little boys at the party as well, and because a lot of family was invited as well as her playmates and their parents, there were nearly 40 adults as well as all the kids. I decided to base the decoration on the fruit in the cakes rather than go for mainly lolly decoration. So I dipped strawberries in white chocolate and slices of banana in milk chocolate. The strawberry cakes were topped with a frosting made from cream, mascarpone and white chocolate, then I put the strawberry in the centre and couple of mini flowers made from wafer and I sprinkled over some chunky pink sugar crystals. The banana cakes had a cream cheese frosting with the banana slice in the centre and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips. That way nobody had to ask what flavour they were – it was obvious. Actually the adults ate a lot more of the food than the kids did because they were too busy having fun in the bouncy castle and the new play house that the 4y.o.’s daddy just built for her & her little brother.

Wow sounds like everyone has been busy and productive moving wood great exercise.congrats for the weight losses must read more of the posts later FD today for me you’re an inspiring lot.

Cinque, I’ve just looked up Chicken Adobo thinking it might be Spanish or Portuguese and discovered the recipe is Filipino. Looks delicious and so simple. I’m also enjoying that Monday morning post-fast day feeling with a cup of hot, frothy coffee.

Hi everyone🙂 And good morning. Winter is on it’s way!

Thin and Cinque – not gone or going anywhere! I read everyday or do a catch up read 2nd daily, but life is still very full and it’s a challenge to get the time to post, so I’ve been trying to do a weekly ish short post.

I’m enjoying reading everyone’s posts and the fast-friendly food ideas. The non-fast food things I skip as I need to keep away from those things. When life is full-on and a bit stressful I’m a bit too inclined to head for sugar and starches, so I need to keep away from them in supermarkets and cafes etc and not be read about them. The last week has been really full and due to circumstances I instituted my “eat starches but do it gluten free” regime I have perviously worked out to get me through those periods. My current challenge with food has been raisins. I’ve been having a little polenta porridge with a bit of psyllium husk added, and put a few raisins in the other day. Big mistake! That 2nd apostrophe is an invisible one Thin, lol. In the last 2 days I think I’ve gone on to eat about 1/2 a cupfull.

On the home front DFIL is moving into s dementia specific locked unit soon. It’s so sad to see his deterioration. Behind the scenes it’s still pretty full-on, wrapping up the threads of his and my late DMIL’s life and the challenges memories that come with it.

Today is a FD which I really need. Last week was a stressful one and I simply ate too much and too much of the things that put weight on me, hence the gluten free strategy I need to get through those times. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s day-after-fast-day feeling! It’s a rest day for me too as I’m having to be mindful not to put myself into an energy deficit when there’s so much going on and so much to do.

That said, my ‘reading to get a bit of time away from it all’ has been starting Dr Moseley’s Fast Exercise book. Despite being medically unfit to exercise I still want to understand how it works and see if I can tweak my physicalness in some way. I’ve only just started but it’s very interesting. In my pre ME/CFS life I would have been on to doing Fast Exercise like a shot.

Onwards and downwards and if you fall off the horse get back on the horse,
Merry

Here I go! First fast day is tomorrow. I’m a healthy 53-year-old who would like to drop 20 lbs. I’ve been eating 1,200 calories and day for the past 3 months and exercising a lot (as I always have). How much have I lost? 0!! I’ve tried gluten free eating and many other diet programs, but none have worked. Not sure what’s left for me but to fast, so here goes!

Hello everybody – hard to believe it’s 2 days off a month gone and we’re back after an amazing trip via Hong Kong and Paris to the Netherlands and Belgium and back. Everything from the beautiful spring gardens at Keukenhof outside of Amsterdam to the emotion of finding the resting place of my husband’s great uncle at Ypres in Flanders fields on ANZAC day. And a 29th wedding anniversary thrown in. (Couldn’t work out how to post a photo.) Feeling very grateful.

All my grand plans for a measured eating response were out the window by Day 3. Something interesting happened though. I’d normally run an ongoing barrage of internal criticism – but instead I felt completely at peace with the decision to let it go. I knew I’d just climb back on the IF wagon with this supportive community in behind me and I didn’t need to worry about returning to continual deprivation. We walked for miles as you do – and the net effect was a 2.8 kilo increase in a month. Not ideal but not as catastrophic as it could have been considering the French cheese, Dutch liquorice and Belgian chocolate! (Not to mention the hearty fish and beef stews – with the wee drink on the side).

Got back Saturday evening and first FD today – not as bad as I expected. I was actually looking forward to it (how totally weird is that??!) I’m going to try and make it through to lunchtime tomorrow. I have the dentist first thing so that should be sufficiently diverting :/

I haven’t caught up with all the posts – so if you
• Lost some – congratulations
• Gained some – commiserations
• Stayed the same – hang on in there!

..and if you’re new – Welcome.

Hi you lovely bunch of Southern Hemispherite Beauties!!

Just had to post another massive goal achieved today since my happy hip operation. Today I returned to my one-on-one yoga session since before my surgery and it felt absolutely AMAZING!!! My yoga teacher was so delighted to see the difference from pre-surgery, she really thought things would not be as good as they are. It felt like I returned ‘home’, my body is so grateful and it was a joy to see how much more I could move!!

A little bit of background is I started doing private yoga and therapy yoga on 4 Jan 2016, same time I started my 5:2 journey. I was 146 kgs, hardly able to walk because of zero cartilage in my hip joint and I made the decision to put off surgery for a year so that I could lose some weight. What a year, faced a lot of demons, yoga was almost like counselling for my body! I have now lost 32 kgs and am excited for this next part of my journey to lose the rest of the excess weight. What a gift it is to be able to move without pain, to be able to bend, and to feel safe on my feet.

I am a very grateful 5:2 participant and I am very much looking forward to meeting the Perth ladies on Friday and being inspired by their 5:2 journey stories too!

Having a great NFD today, and had a really good FD yesterday. Next FD for me is Wednesday. Hope you are all having a happy Monday 🙂 x

Yes, you do have plenty to contribute Intesha, and we miss you. So there. But I’m glad you are out there lurking at least. I know what you mean when people come and then go just as fast, it gets hard keeping up but don’t feel obligated to reply to everyone’s posts. Just mine. 😆 he he.

Hey Slimmerella! That went fast. Sounds wonderful. Welcome back. You have adopted the ‘Intesha’ approach to holidays and there’s nothing wrong with that. As Merry says, you are back on the horse now.

Cinque, I love the idea of that Adobo with coconut milk. I’ll be trying that one. And what a great tip to add the kimchi to soups – I hadn’t thought of that.

Lady Salsa, with 32kg lost, I believe you’ll be the one doing the inspiring on Friday. My next FD is also Wednesday. I have an awards ceremony for DD to tackle tomorrow night. The invitation says, ‘light refreshments’ so my dilemma is whether or not to skip dinner. I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. Some of you might know what I mean. At least Wednesday is the next day.

P.S. GDSA, I’ve been meaning to ask how Moggy is going?

LJ, What tasteful decorations on the cupcakes (pun intended)! I loved reading your descriptions! I’m not usually a frosting fan since most types simply taste like sweet nothing to me (in other words I might as well eat spoons of white sugar instead)! However, the cream cheese and white chocolate variety and the cream and marscapone variation sounded delectable and I completely understand the adults devouring the batches!

Wow! I hadn’t realized the statistics your doctor quoted with regard to obesity in his patients and the correlation between the extra weight and the resultant wear and tear on joint replacements. …I bet it feels wonderful being one of his success stories with regard to having shed the extra fat and kept it off. What a great pay-off for doing so, …getting long life out of your replacement!

P.S. thank you for the suggestions on the scales. 👍

End of FD check in: 388cals- a bit over my usual 360 but not much.

Merry

Good morning,
Lovely Moggy news!

Cold grey and wet here, but I am feeling pretty good. I even did some yoga stretches yesterday (inspired by you Lady Salsa!).

Lady Salsa, so delighted to read about your return to yoga, and aren’t you exactly right to delight in the precious gift of movement. What fun you’ll have now with more movement range and less weight!

Intesha, I also know what you mean about the thread being so busy. Infact I decided to stick to the Southern Hemispherites thread when I decided the Aussie Determination Thread (that was active when I first came here) was so busy it was like a game of skippy where the rope was turning too fast!
This one does skip fast now!
If it has been a couple of days (or even a busy couple of hours!) it is impossible to respond to everyone!

You are so busy and have so much responsibility! I’m glad the fast days are keeping your health going, but I do hope it comes round that you can eat normally on non fast days! Your time will come!

Hi Thin, the chicken Adobo is so delicious. I (accidentally) made it a bit hotter than I usually like hot food! But it was good to sweat a bit! 😉
Re the awards ceremony, my strong impulse is to yell out Don’t go there hungry!
I know I would try to eat something light so I could manage if there is nothing there worth eating, and have something little and delicious planned to eat when I get home, if needed, so that I only eat something if it looks wonderful and is nicer than what I have got waiting at home.

LJoyce, you are a champion! It is huge to be suffering pain and obesity and loss of mobility and manage to get to the point of being operable, and then to keep improving. So glad you are getting the rewards!

Hi Minka, so glad you could get a couple of posts in! Sending good wishes as always!

Craftgirl I love that description of Fast Days as ‘intellectually helpful’. That is exactly how I find them! So impressed by your back to back fast days!

Hi Redmoonstar, it must be so hard with those lollies there every day! Good luck with your strategies!

Excellent fast day Merry!

I’m off to make coffee, then it is hair cut day!

Well its 6pm and I’m toying with the idea of not having my evening meal tonight and fasting straight through until breakfast tomorrow morning – making it a 36 hour fast. Today was easier than expected and even though I had bouts of feeling hungry a cup of tea or water did the trick.

Unsure how I will go getting to sleep with an empty tum but I guess there’s only one way to find out.

Ive been curious about longer fasts since reading Jason Fungs book so perhaps today is as good a day as ever to give it a go – especially since I am in the right frame of mind for it.

So here goes, my minds made up now……will report in the morning.

GDSA you are amazing, I don’t sleep on my FD night without going 36 Hrs. Good luck and you are an inspiration as are all of you on here. Craftgirl well done on the BTB FD’s I struggle to get my eating under control on NFD after my FD without trying BTB! Hope everyone has a lovely day tomorrow be it FD or NFD.

Good morning everyone!
Day before fast day for me!

Gday, so glad the extra fast time was so positive!

Craft girl, I’m hoping that the lower TDEE will be easy to manage as we should feel satisfied with the lower amount of calories, and can savour every mouthful we have. Fingers crossed!

At the moment I am concentrating on lots of vegetables (like that mung bean soup/stew) as I can eat so much it feels like a feast, and it does fill me up wonderfully and is so good for my digestion.

I’m glad you are finding interesting things in the science articles thread! 🙂

I’m still having good days. Flu injection this morning and dentist tomorrow, and inbetween I am finally getting further along with my YamDaisy project too.

Redmoonstar, are you still having trouble sleeping at the end of a fast day? What have you tried? How badly does it affect you?

Sunshine outside! I might go and see my garden. Bye all!

Redmoonstar, that is so hard! You won’t be enjoying the delicious day-after-fast-day feeling as much if you aren’t getting your sleep.
Do you eat most of your fast day calories at the end of the day?

I hope you are enjoying your mungbean dal LJoyce!

I’ve just had a good big healthy non fast day midday meal and am putting it in writing that I won’t be having anything more until my evening meal! 😉

Cheers everyone

I’m a bit behind on making comments but I’ve been reading. Well done to those embarking on marathon fasts. It’s not something I want to contemplate but I applaud your ability to do so.

Redmoon Monica, Minka posted some info about exposure to sunlight in the morning for overcoming insomnia. If you go to her last post above, you can click on her profile and then her other contributions and find it that way.

Cinque, thanks for the advice on how I should have behaved last night. I’d skipped breakfast & lunch due to a morning tea (thankfully no damage there). It was too early for dinner. ‘Light refreshments’ turned out to be a lavish affair with an open bar and finger foods brought around the crowd. I tried at least one of everything, some were especially good, others not so great so I discreetly discarded the remainder. Overall, I’m not particularly happy with how much I ate and drank but I enjoyed the evening which was after all a celebration of DD’s academic achievements; today’s a FD so hoping to re-set my appetite as well as the scales.