Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

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  • Good morning everyone,
    Frosty mornings here this week. It is currently raining under my patio roof. I went outside at 8am to get some juice for my son from the garage fridge an d made a conscious effort to not wear sunglasses to do the get the sun on the face and eyes thing. I can’t recall who said it on here (GdaySA?) a while back but it did feel good, freezing cold except for the sunshine. I do see the morning sun all the time at work but I have sunny’s on and a hat to keep it out of the eyes.

    Great to see people reporting they are keeping this Way Of Eating up if not posting all the time and they are experiencing weight loss and or control over weight gain which is part of the secret isn’t it? All the other diets are much easier to fall off without being strict all day everyday.

    My suit order didn’t work out as after ordering the suit I received a response later that the manufacturer had changed and the style of the new manufacturer was much different upon receiving the pictures of the styles so I have gone my own way using a pair of cream cotton pants (that fit me again from 10 years ago) and I bought a royal blue jacket from the end of line, runout store we have here. It was the only “lary” colour the right size (the pink was too small). It will do just not as awesome as the previous idea and no pleats, maybe next time.

    Meals for the day:
    2 x white coffees 300kj, 500g minestrone soup 800kj, 50g kidney beans 200kj,
    60g mushrooms 70kj Total 1370kj or 327cals.
    I had 60g kidney beans 240kj and 50g of mushrooms 60kj on Thursday with all the other stuff Total 1400kj or 334 cals.

    The mushrooms on Tuesday were massive two for the 60g and on Thursday little ones about six for 50g, looked the same in the soup just not when weighing them the 6 mushrooms looked like more, answer, buy the little mushrooms for FD’s it visually helps.

    Please may I join this group of people below the “lapband”?! I live in Brisbane, am 69 years old and have been your classic yo-yo dieter all my life. My Dr has advised me to do the 5:2 WOL and I would really really like to get to my goal of 65 kgs in time for my 70th birthday in Dec.
    My challenges are that I love to cook, eat out, enjoy my wine and my arthritis restricts my exercise. I do do refirmer Pilates every fortnight and try to do a couple of short gym sessions a week.

    He he Cinque, you are so relaxed! I was considering placing a banner ad here for you yesterday to remind you to fast. I knew you’d think it was funny but I decided others might it find it a bit cheeky if they hadn’t been following our antics over the years. Anyway, you’re having a lovely time being bossed about by your little grandie instead.

    Good to hear from you Joffy and thanks for the update on the suit. How cool that you can get into pants from 10 years ago! I am considering letting a sports jacket see the light of day that hasn’t been out of the closet since the 80s. I saw some in the stores recently and then a friend was wearing one this week so I asked where she bought it – op shop. I’m sure my DD will tell me that I’ve been time travelling if I dare to wear it off the premises. BTW Cinque, did you get my photo of my op shop find and do you have any clues as to its origin? It was Minka suggesting the morning sunshine.

    Good job on the new PB, GDSA. Where do you buy the ketone strips?

    Welcome Strawplash, I wonder how you came up with your name. We love doctors who recommend 5:2 here. My own GP is very supportive. Your doctor has prescribed just the right medicine for you it seems – you can incorporate all those things you love most of the time! It’s a measly twice weekly sacrifice for masses of gains (well losses, actually). How much weight do you have to lose to get to your goal? Don’t worry about the restrictions on exercise – whatever you can manage will all help your general well-being, agility, strength and fitness but most of us have found exercise to have negligible effects on our weight loss. I have arthritic knees and all I’ve ever done since embarking on 5:2 nearly 3 years ago is a daily 5km minimum walk. Ask us anything – when is your first fast day? Or, having read your profile, are you returning to 5:2 after a long absence?

    Good morning all and welcome Strawplash. Whats is your current weight Strawplash if u dont mind me asking ?

    Thinatlast keto strips from the chemist. I thought they would be hard to find but they were at the first chemist i went to. $10 for a pack of 50. Oh and you inadvertently taught me something in your post when you mentioned looking at Strawplash’s profile. I was thinking what profile ? Then i clicked on the name and whalla up popped the profile. I always post from my phone so can be tedious at times scrolling through etc.

    Well its time to stir my bone broth which has been simmering away for 13 hours now….another 11 hours to go. Although I make stock regularly this is my first attempt at BB. Then spending the rest of the morning making pasties to re-stock the freezer. This arvo Miss D has a friend coming over so I will spend it out in the garden.

    Oh and I might just peek at my profile before I log out…..have absolutely no idea what I wrote in it !!

    What a boring profile. Have made a note to self to update asap. Happy sunday everyone.

    Hello everyone, just after I wrote yesterday I managed to knock the plug from the phoneline and therefore lose my internet connection. But didn’t realise until this morning when the nice man from technical support asked me to check it!
    No wonder turning it off and then turning it on again didn’t work!

    I am still a tired grandma, paying the price for underestimating how close the park was to the library, which involved about four blocks walking either way, and with CFS that means I have to suffer for several days. Brain acuity might be a fair way away yet.

    BUT YES! I am fasting today. Already hungry, but very happy to have that feeling and know I can eat lovely things tomorrow and I will enjoy every mouthful!

    Thin, I did get your opshop picture, but not only did I put off answering until I had a bit more headspace… I thought the email came from someone else (even though you let me know it was coming). Oh dear, I am going to do a lot of brain exercises and writing lists! Luckily you have let me know who I will be replying to! And I will reply stat!

    Just going to get another cuppa and answer some posts!

    Morning from sunny Perth. GDSA, I look forward to reading your profile update now that you’re nearly 6 months into 5:2; well done! I rely on the profiles to keep newbies straight when several join us at the same time. Thanks for the info about the strips. I’m interested but a bit confused about how long the body needs to be fasting before it goes into ketosis. How are you using them?

    Cinque, don’t worry about replying, please just take it easy! I had a good three NFDs with not too many indulgences but I’m welcoming today’s fast as the weight does creep up even after only three days. I’m going to make the OFMs a big carby spag bol.

    One more coffee and then it should be warm enough for a walk. I’m also planning to spend some time in the garden today.

    Slim, what’s happened to you? Hope everyone else is staying strong, Minka, Intesha, Merry, thinking of you.

    Back with a cup of licorice root tea.
    Thanks Thin, but I am pretty sure I can answer soon!
    And yes grandie is very bossy! She cried when her mum took her home, I think she can get away with a bit more bossiness with her doting grandma than home with a baby sister who has learned to crawl and messes up all her games!

    Ho Strawplash, welcome here. I feel like travelling up to meet you (it’s a cold Melbourne day!). I do hope that 5:2 and pilates are just what you need to get your health improved and make your 70th birthday a good one!
    I am just coming up to my 60th birthday (although I find it hard to believe!) and so glad to have been 5:2ing for a couple of years!
    Let us know how your fast day goes! Loving to cook is a great bonus for doing 5:2!

    Ha Gday, at least you have a profile! I do find them so useful too. Looking forward to your update.
    I hope your bonebroth works out delicious! I hear such good things about it!
    I also fancy making pasties. Tomorrow if I am up to it. I am going to make a Cypriot recipe with pumpkin and coarse bulgur filling. They are little ones and should freeze well. Never made them before!

    Joffy, hello! So sorry the pleated trousers didn’t materialise (see what I did there 😉 ), you will look great in cream and royal blue, but I do hope you get the outfit for another occasion.
    Your posts always make me hungry for minestrone soup!
    I said hello to the sun this morning, shining through the cold! I will try to do a bit of gardening later so I get a bit more sunshine.

    Being without the internet for a day really makes me appreciate it !
    Cheers to everyone!

    Hi still hanging around haven’t posted for a while doing a FD today and catching up on posts.

    Hi all,

    Got back from the Riverland about an hour ago and decided to catch up on posts over a cup of tea. My Uncle’s funeral went well – a lot of people had very funny stories to tell – my uncle was a man who definitely lived life to the full. I caught up with many cousins that I rarely see and also got to spend several days with my sister, so despite the sadness of the occasion it was also good. It’s the end of an era for us – my mother was one of 7 siblings and with this uncle’s death that’s all 7 siblings plus all 7 of their spouses gone. Hard to believe all of that generation is gone now.

    Food wise I did fairly well for most of the time away, despite meals out. The exception was today – which is one of the reasons I decided to get back online so quickly. I had intended to leave mid-morning so I though I could make today a FD if I left without eating anything. This morning my sister wanted to go out for breakfast before I left, so we went to a cafe that has lovely views out over the River Murray. I had a steak sandwich. For me breakfast always seems to be a trigger to keep eating and it didn’t help that it ruined my hope of a FD. I found myself nibbling on dried peaches and almonds on the drive home and then I stopped at an Adelaide Hills bakery close to home and bought a huge vanilla slice – of which I’ve eaten the whole thing. Now that I’ve come clean about the day I’m hoping I can put the brakes on and face the rest of the day with more restraint – although I’m going to have to stop thinking about the pasties that everyone is making if I’m to have any hope of that. (It was a cornish pasty that I actually went into the bakery to buy – they didn’t have any and I somehow found myself leaving with a vanilla slice instead!)

    Welcome Strawplash – hope you find our group as supportive and helpful as I have.

    Joffy – I think your improvised outfit sounds rather suave, and there there is something rather special about fitting into clothes that haven’t done up for a decade.

    Hope everyone has had a nice weekend.

    Well the bone broth worked out a treat. I have 10 chinese takeaway containers in the freezer ready for use. It looked better than any stock I’ve ever made before and I put it down to the cooking time. A couple of hours on the gas stovetop to start with, 12 hours in a low oven overnight then back on the stovetop for another 7 hours. Normally i only simmer my chicken stock for 2-3 hours. The broth smelt and tasted gorgeous, was a beautiful golden colour and surprisingly hardly any fat settlement on the top.

    Also made 20 pasty slices (6 puff and the rest homemade pastry) but only 18 made it to the freezer as the smell of them baking was too much for Miss D and I to resist.

    Thinatlast I’m going to re-read Keto Clarity this week and jot down some notes which I should have done on the first read. My understanding is that everyone takes a different amount of time to reach Ketosis as it takes some time to work out an individuals threshold for carb and protein intake. Ive read it can take from 2-8 weeks on average by keeping carb intake low, fats high and proteins moderate. I dont think fasting alone without changing macronutrient intake levels can trigger Ketosis but I could be wrong. I cant recall the ‘magic number’ level for reaching Ketosis but assuming it is the highest one on the testing kit chart. Will confirm this when I find it during the re-read.

    Sunday night already…..ho hum

    …and another Sunday fast draws to close. At least for you eastern states dwellers. I hope it was a good one. Mine was great and I still have a frozen banana and a spoonful of cottage cheese to go. Man, I’m boring! I must try something different – perhaps some miso soup next FD. My OFMs are all fed and happy so the kitchen is closed. Good to have you fasting with us today FishingGran.

    Thanks for the info GDSA. I probably should start reading more on the subject myself. Must remember to watch that Insight with Dr M. too. Glad your cooking went well. BTW, we’ve had our heater on for weeks. The mornings are very chilly.

    LJ, you made me laugh. Vanilla slice! I haven’t had one for decades but they used to be my favourite as a child in the UK. In adult life, I haven’t really ever allowed myself to eat treats like that, even before 5:2. The only time I ever ate cake in a cafe was while breast-feeding when I seemed to get away with absolutely anything – trouble is, once I stopped breast-feeding, I carried on eating too much with dire consequences. Anyway, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it, I can almost imagine the taste of it now. It’s good that your trip was a great success, that you enjoyed spending time with your sister and yet a bit sad with the passing of the older generation. When your own parents pass through, it makes you confront your own mortality, doesn’t it? You must have enjoyed loads of compliments on your weight loss.

    Thanks for your email reply and your kind words, Cinque. Yes, I did eventually get that ‘op shop’ aroma out with lots of washing, soaking in vinegar and hanging in the sunshine – it took weeks! I hope you’ve had a great FD.

    Good morning to everyone,
    Another sad day in the war on terror-Vale the ones who were sacrificed in London. The sadness & horror of war in the U.K. is hard to bear. Wishing you all a safe day & & much kindness today.

    Good morning everyone, it is morning after fast day for me and I’m having my first cuppa and early breakfast.
    It is awful for London, Hedda. I’m listening to the morning news of the aftermath at the same time the heart warming concert is happening in Manchester. Poor fella, our world. So good to hear the acts of kindness and courage.

    I had a very fasty fast day yesterday, felt good. Loved my miso soup in the evening. 🍲
    I’m glad yours was a good day too Thin!

    Fishing gran so good to see your post! Are you still trying to catch up on all the old ones? Skip them and tell us how you are going!

    LJoyce, I’m glad you had such a good farewell for your uncle, and such precious family time at the end of an era. 🌷🌷🌷
    You described so well how a planned day turns into a crazy eating day. I do hope the vanilla slice was a good one! Were you able to put the brakes on? I occasionally can if I concentrate on cuppas and soup, but otherwise I am just grateful a day is only 24 hours long, and then there is a new one.

    G’day, cheers for the bone broth, it sounds absolutely wonderful. The pasties too. Hooray for home made pastry! (The readymade doesn’t agree with me). I wonder if I’ll manage to make mine today.
    I also want to make sausage and bean hotpot.

    But first I had better tidy up! Didn’t manage enough yesterday! Off to do that now. Best wishes everyone.
    🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

    Hi everyone, good morning,

    My apologies, I’m a bit out of the loop atm,, but I hope everyone is staying well and keeping warm and staying suitably 5:2 – ish.

    Welcome to any newbies – you’ve made a good decision . This works.

    Still plugging away here at 5:2 and capital L Life, sigh…. Thank goodness I’ve got 5:2 and all I’ve learnt about me+food since starting this way of life 2 1/2 yrs ago. It really keeps me grounded. This last week I thought I might be really losing the food plot, but returned home to find I hadn’t put on any extra weight. Our house is suffering a bit but not too badly, given we are constantly in and out on the run, well not so much on a run for me, and we have extras from DFIL here being dealt with. Never mind, ce la vie.

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

    Just filled in the forum tracker and my 5:2 diary graph at home, and for the last 6 weeks I have been a kg up – bouncing around in the 64’s where before that I was bouncing around in the 63’s. Back in end of January through Feb I was in the 62’s – so I need to be careful about this slow creep and stop it here. I’m reminding myself that 2- 2 1/2 kgs does not the end of the world make, but I don’t want it to go higher than this while we get through this rough patch of Life. But, this is all part of the nourney of life we all navigate with food. We all get these patches of “Life”. Some eat less through stress, and some eat more or the wrong stuff. Those of us here who came here to lose & normalise weight as well as health have the second response to Life and stress, so it’s interesting to me to see how 5:2 impacts the Life/stress journey.

    I’ve decided that, for now, to just check in on Mondays; fill in the tracker and post and read what I can when I can. I’m not going anywhere; absolutely staying with 5:2, and I’ll be back more regularly later on.

    Good luck everyone,
    Onwards and downwards,
    Merry

    Oh, being accountable – 64.4kgs this morning. Goal weight reached mid Nov 2016 was 62 kgs after 21kg loss over 2 yrs. FD today.

    Happy FD to the Monday fasters. Well done to the Sunday fasters

    I was really hoping for a sleep in this morning – as I didn’t sleep well in my sister’s spare bedroom. But it appears that today is the day my neighbours have decided to begin the extension to their business premises – so I was rudely awakened by unseemly banging at 7:30am.

    However, early start aside, I am sticking to a FD today – just having my second cup of tea for the day.

    Cinque – Now you have me dreaming of sausage and bean hotpot as well as pasties.
    Yes the vanilla slice was delicious, but I definitely didn’t need to scoff the whole thing – I tried to eat half but that lasted all of 10 minutes before I was back in the kitchen for the other half! I did manage to put the breaks on after coming clean online – it’s amazing to me how that helps. I pulled some mushroom soup out of the freezer and had a small bowl of soup with a slice of rye toast for dinner. My rough weight guide is always my tight jeans – if I can do them up easily without having to breathe in then everything is OK – this morning it was ok.

    Merry – hope the hectic pace calms down a bit soon. I think it’s wonderful that despite the challenges you keep your weight stable.

    Thin – yes I did get plenty of comments about how good I looked. I was actually a similar weight at my father’s funeral 2 years ago, so my cousins had seen me looking like this then, but they are so used to my weight fluctuating wildly that I’m sure they expected me to be obese again the next time they saw me. What was surprising to me is that of my 25 cousins I was the only fat one as a child and young adult, but that has now reversed – I’m one of the very few that isn’t considerably overweight these days. That felt a bit surreal. I remember when I was young feeling so bad about the way I looked at family gatherings and I tried to fade into the background. It saddened me that I noticed a couple of cousins who are now very overweight behaving with that same quiet reticence. It reminds me that some of our confidence unfortunately always seems to be tied to how we look.

    GDSA – well done on the pasties. I haven’t made them for a while but I remember the amount of work involved. It was pasty slices that featured often on my mother’s menu when I was growing up and I still hanker for pasties made with a good shortcrust (like my mum used to make) rather than the more usual flaky pastry. My sister or I always had the job of using the old hand crank mincer to mince all the veggies. Thank goodness for modern kitchen appliances!

    I’m determined to get back into my usual rhythm and have a good FD. I hope you all have a good FD or NFD too.

    Ive just updated my profile to be a tad more interesting.

    Ljoyce those sweet pastries have a habit of making one go back for more until its all gone.

    I make pasty slices as I find it too fiddly to do the round/half moon shapes my mum used to make. I ran out of homemake pastry so used the packet of puff in the freezer for the rest of the filling. I prefer homemade and Miss D prefers puff. And yes up until 2 years ago i used my mums old hand crank mincer to make them (its still in the shed in storage – will never part with it) but i saved up and bought a magi-mix which i use for the pastry and the mixture now.

    Hi all it’s been a bit hectic here for the last couple weeks, I’ve been reading but not posting. Cinque I’m sorry your premises didn’t work out and I know something else will be just around the corner. Joffy well done on fitting into pants 10 years old that’s a fantastic effort. LJoyce I too have problems once I start eating and I love sweet things, I also had a few bad NFD’s over the weekend, I traveled 5 hrs each way down to Cinque’s part of the world looking at a vehicle and of course ate takeaway! I am Ok until I start eating so am trying to eat later in the day, I also think my evening bingeing is a habit from giving up smoking so need to change that habit! I started to not eat on my fasting days last week, so Mon & Thus I had 2 skim cappuccino’s, 1 Jarrah hot choc made with hot water and 1 skim hot choc so came in under 500 cals for the first time since restarting 5:2 and I slept as I didn’t have a rumbling stomach! I have done the same today but am feeling slightly hungry tonight but am off to bed shortly. Welcome to Strawplash and good luck on your first FD. Merry well done on being stable with your weight and also well done on your original loss of 21kgs WTG! LJoyce I’m glad you enjoyed the visit with your sister although it wasn’t for a happy reason.I’m off to bed and hoping to keep calorie intake reasonable tomorrow. Hope everyone has an enjoyable day tomorrow either FD or NFD!

    Good morning from the north 🌞 . Just back from my jog/waddle/ old bones rattling down the street:). My husband is a bit puzzled as to why I’m getting up at 5ish but I reckon if I’m awake then I should really enjoy the cool dry weather. Had my first ocean swim since before Cyclone Debbie on Sunday , I made an executive decision & wore Lycra on my Sunday run 🏃. Perfect I was just hot enough for a dip & the water was very clean after months of mud & polluted chemicals, sewage and the rest. I am counting on the 5:2 because I am just a bit over my goal weight 1.5 k. I eat bulk green veg or any other foods each meal always go back for seconds….!!! So I am clinging onto this solution – otherwise I’ll become the biggest fatty.
    Really inspiring to read your tips, recipes & overall supportive banter. Off to work soon so I’d better enjoy my milk tea- second fast day today.😬

    Good morning all. Well it seems confessions are carthitic so maybe I’ll join the line.

    Still struggling with everything. Not looking for sympathy but sometimes getting things out there helps the mental state or so I’m told. My weight is bouncing all over the place and if I wasn’t still determined to do my FD’s I dread to think what the outcome would be. Today is an FD and weight is 68.7. My lowest at the beginning of March was 65.5.

    I am so tired and feel like the world has forgotten me. I would love to run away and leave it all behind. A friend has asked me to go on a trip overseas next year but all I can think about is who would look after Dad. He is still able to look after himself in the way of personal care but that’s as far as it goes. It’s all starting to weigh me down. I never thought my life would end up like this, my life is not my own anymore and I’m not getting any younger.

    Anyway we are all struggling with something, some more than others, and I should be thankful that I have my health, food on the table and a roof over my head and live in a relatively safe country.

    Thank you all for your continued posts and insights into your daily lives. We are winners because we are doing something to improve ourselves.

    Hope you all have a good day.

    Good morning everyone from cold old Melbourne. Hooray for heaters and hot cuppas!

    Intesha I am so sorry you are having a hard time. I hope you can find a way to do that travel. I understand it would mean finding a good solution for your dad for that time, but fingers crossed there is a way. Talk to the council. Can you talk to your dad about it?

    I remember how resentful I was as I understood how bad my CFS was and the restrictions it put on me. It took years to accept it. Come to think of it, I still have resentful times. And yes, I know how lucky I am to be living in Australia with our health and our welfare system, and that I have my education and my daughter. But I still managed to be bitter and resentful!
    So do feel it, the responsibility to your dad is a huge burden, no matter how willingly you took it on.
    Just try not to respond by eating all the icing you’ve been playing with 😉

    Are you doing the mentoring? What is it like?
    Please keep talking here, share and whinge!

    Merry, so glad to see your posts. It is hard times all around, and no clear space to really concentrate on all the things to help us have a healthy life. All power to you as 5:2 keeps you grounded and healthy.
    I am really looking forward to when things finally settle down and you have more time to chat, but it will be great to see your Monday stats and know 5:2 is doing you proud. And vice versa.

    Gday and LJoyce, I also prefer the simple pastry my mum made. She made enormous pasties, so one each was our dinner! The pumpkin pies I am making today (she says hopefully) are Greek and have olive oil pastry. My hotpot turned out SO well and made a delicious evening meal, and about four serves left. Yum.

    I am really concentrating on eating a lovely satisfying meal each mealtime (eat food, not too much, mostly plants) and nothing in between. It does make me feel good.
    If I can just keep track of the days for my fasts I’ll be apples!

    Lull day today!

    Were you up early again this morning LJoyce?

    Redmoonstar, lovely to see your post. Did you find a good vehicle?
    To tell the truth I was so relieved when we said no to the YamDaisy premises opportunity. I am meeting with someone this morning to talk about our new plan which will be a nice uncomplicated step! Yay!
    That giving up smoking can be tricky. I stopped years ago, and didn’t smoke heavily, but knitting was my trick. I hope you work out something that isn’t evening snacking!
    And HOORAY for sleeping after your fast day! Hope that sticks!
    I hope you are having a good morning-after-fast-day now.

    Hi Hedda, the swim sounds wonderful. Very impressed by the lycra! But Oh dear, doesn’t the poor ocean suffer for all our pollution!
    I agree with the ‘lots of greens’ philosophy. I think the basic health tip is more veggies, and of the veggies, more greens!

    Best wishes to everyone!

    PS Very nice profile update Gday!

    Intesha – sorry to hear of the issues with your dad. I had similar responsibilities in my Dad’s final years and even when we eventually had carers who helped with some daily tasks, it was still a burden than needed to be physically and emotionally managed. I found I needed to make sure I had some time for myself each week.
    I agree with the things Cinque mentioned. Some councils will provide cheap or free transport for the elderly to get to appointments. You may also find that he qualifies for a care package, and that support can help with a lot of the more mundane tasks like cleaning the house, doing the laundry etc. It doesn’t mean he won’t still rely on you a lot, but it can reduce the magnitude of the burden a bit. When my dad first started on a Care package it was for 5 hours per week and was solely focussed on housework, laundry & gardening. Once a care package is in place it is regularly reviewed and hours and tasks increased as needed. It’s not unusual for someone to start out not needing personal care but moving onto that eventually.
    If you haven’t had an ACAT assessment done, I would recommend it. From personal experience I would also recommend you talk to your dad about how you are feeling and needing the support that a carer can provide. I remember asking my dad what he would do if I was ill – we both needed a backup plan. It really helps if you have him onside with this process. I would also recommend that you be present for the assessment – they will allow you to contribute – which is particularly important if you think your dad is glossing over problems (mine certainly did).
    https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/eligibility-and-assessment/acat-assessments
    https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/help-home/home-care-packages

    Cinque – yes I was up early. My new routine seems to be: wake unwillingly at 7:30; spend 30 minutes feeling grumpy; get up and make a cup of tea and take it back to the warmth of my bed and watch the morning news until that gets too depressing; then get up at around 8:30 and get the slow combustion going as quickly as possible so I don’t freeze in the frosty morning air.
    One final word on the pasty slices – My mum used to make hers in large swiss roll trays, so each one was about 45x30cm. Once baked, it would get cut into 8 squares. They were always packed high and had a much larger proportion of filling to pastry than a normal pasty does. The filling contained a large variety of whichever veg were available and suitable (usually potato, pumpkin, swede, turnip, carrot, celery, and peas or beans) and always 500g beef mince. The only accompaniment they ever needed was tomato sauce. I still make them occasionally for family gatherings, but never just for me.

    Hedda – love your description of a jog-waddle. I can definitley relate to that.

    RedMoonStar – I find it interesting how those patterns we learn keep repeating – like the fact that long distance driving = the need for fast food. I do little long distance driving these days, but this connection definitely tries to dictate my behaviour when I do.

    Got through yesterday’s FD, with an eggwhite omelette filled with zucchini and tomato for dinner. I just looked back on my food diary and realised it was 6 days between FDs – that’s definitely too long and I need to get back to my usual FD pattern now.

    Thanks for the greetings. Pleased to be given a pat on the back for making an effort. I know how it is with elderly parents – a trip is possible with a respite placement but they are only 2 weeks. I adored my Mums company but when we were caring for her it was very hard. Her time in the hostel gave her a new social life & independence so we got together for fun meals, outings etc. Perhaps it is time to talk with your GP and assessing the whole situation- carers have to look after themselves too😃

    Greetings to all Southern Hemispherites! Tee, hee! Still behind by a couple pages. I know I could simply skip posts and begin to write again, though I don’t want to miss anything!

    GDSA, I know this is late, though my heart goes out to you with the loss of your dad. I still miss mine who passed in the 1990s.

    I’m thrilled reading of Yam Daisy prospects!

    As I logged onto this page I did happen to see your post Joffy, about the suit outcome. The combination you’ve ended up with sounds as debonair as the others you described, even minus the pleats!

    I had my Inbody scan which measured among other things, the square centimeters of visceral fat I’m carrying. I’m also now consuming the full 30 grams of inulin powder per day. I’ll write more about these when I’ve caught up with everything (both posts here and imminent TAFE assignments that are due this week and next).

    Thank you Cinque, resentful and angry is what I feel at times. Dad has been with me for 3 years and I just feel trapped.

    Gday & Ljoyce thank you for your input. Dad has a gold DVA card so I know I can get all the support I need when needed. My Dad is such a proud stubborn man and I don’t want to take that away from him. He still drives and visits Mum 6 days a week. I go on Mondays to wash her hair and do her nails. No ACAT as yet but I know it needs to get done sooner rather than later. I do have a brother who does ……. So at some stage I could ask him to do the deed and then Dad won’t think the worst of me 😈

    Yes Cinque I have been having too much of my own cake but admittedly not as much as I would have in my previous life. I give most away but still enjoy my little treats.

    FD going well just sitting down with a cuppa.

    Just listening to Michael Mosley live on fb (happened upon it at the right time for once) ahead of SBS Insight tonight. Here is the website for his new thing: https://cleverguts.com/
    Talking Mediterranean diet, fermented foods and cider vinegar I think!

    Intesha, I am 99% sure you will have gone through all of this, but I REALLY want you to go on the trip overseas, so I will ask questions that maybe dumb. Can’t you get travel insurance that will allow you to come straight home if your dad needs you? He won’t ever be any younger or healthier, so it seems like this is the time to buy your ticket.

    Cheers for your fast day today!

    PS to everyone: here is MM answering questions re the gut: https://www.facebook.com/InsightSBS/videos/vb.6038270901/10155347360710902/?type=2&theater

    Third post in a row! :O

    I started making the savoury pumpkin pies and discovered the filling needs to be mixed together (pumpkin, burghul, onion and spices) and left over night. So that bit is done!

    Cinque, I watched the Insight programme on SBS with Dr M and others speaking about gut biome last night. IF was found to enhance the relationship that we have with our gut microbiota. Nothing revealed that any of us here didn’t already know unless you haven’t been following the almost miraculous results on patients of faecal transplant. Interesting nonetheless. I’m not yet sure whether to buy the book.

    GDSA, reading your updated profile made me realise that, besides 5:2, we have in common our maternal age and being the mothers of a single female offspring. I was a few months short of my 40th birthday when our DD was born.

    LJ, it’s interesting what you wrote about the overweight family members hiding in the corner. I, too, have experienced this turnaround whereby I was always the one in my friendship groups battling my weight but now find myself the slimmest of the lot as others have allowed the pounds to creep on with the passing decades. I do find it very empowering to be able to maintain a healthy weight. It’s given me a lot more confidence.

    Intesha and Merry, I hope you’re able to keep the faith and not allow what life throws at you to weaken your resolve wrt maintaining all your fantastic achievements. You know that you’re in a stronger position from which to deal with these things when you feel and look good. This is one aspect of your life that you now know you can control. Please put yourselves first and don’t let it all slip away. Merry, thanks for your email. Intesha, I’m with the others, make that holiday happen. You need something to look forward to. It sounds like you’re doing all the heavy lifting regarding your parents. Is it time for your brother to step up and give you a break? Driving is a high level cognitive skill so, if your dad can still manage that, along with his desire & ability to manage his own activities of daily living, his supervision is surely not going to pose such a terrible burden on your brother for the few weeks you’d be away (stubbornness, pride, etc notwithstanding). It’s when you’re the permanent carer with no respite that it all becomes too much. What about your ex-husband, is he still willing to let your dad stay in order to give you a break or is that just a short-term option? Where does your friend want you to go and for how long? I hope it happens! It’s probably futile trying to offer solutions on a forum and without even knowing you or your dad, but I hope you know everyone here cares. So, keep posting, keep fasting and stop licking those icing bowls!

    Hi Minka, Redmoon, Hedda.

    Fasting Wednesday. It’s smoked salmon, asparagus and a poached egg for dinner. Then we’re going to a preview of ‘Churchill’ this evening.

    Good morning,
    Happy fast day Thin and anyone else who is fasting today.
    I am sitting in bed with my iPad while lovely homehelp is vacuuming.
    I enjoyed the gut thing last night and really appreciated the information that fast days seem to help the gut biome to interact well with the brain.
    I’d like to read the book, I think it has a lot more in it than was in that program, but I’ll wait til the library gets it.

    LJoyce, I also had that surprise last year, to be with my three sisters, and instead of me being the overweight one, I was the only one at a healthy weight. Absolutely mind blowing after nearly 50 years of the other way around. Since then, one sister has got back to her healthy weight, another is nearly there, but I am worried about the other dear sister who is coping with several health challenges at the moment.

    I’m trying to work out how I can make the pumpkin pies, mind my granddaughter overnight and fast tomorrow. I think I will try.

    It is cold and sunny here. Best wishes all 🌞🌞🌞

    I just spent a partly productive and partly frustrating morning at one of the large suburban shopping centres. Top of my list was to find some fleecy track pants that fit property – that was the frustrating part of the morning. I bought one pair in a larger size than I really need so that the legs are roomy enough to be comfortable – but I’ll have to take the top in, as it’s too big for my hips & waist. On the positive side I did find a couple of long sleeve tops (2 for $30), in colours that I really like. I also needed to buy tea leaves – the place I buy decaffeinated black tea leaves from finally had them back in stock, so I bought 1/2kg which should keep me going for a while. I also needed a bag of my favourite T2 tea, only to find that they still had no stock – so I bought a couple of the small boxes (an expensive way to purchase it) – they gave me a 3rd box of it for free, which was very nice of them and it brought the cost in line with the bags I usually buy. I am glad to be home – I find crowded places more stressful than enjoyable.

    I’m doing an unexpected FD today. It was meant to be tomorrow but my nurse asked to move my rheumatoid treatment from Friday to tomorrow (when I had planned to do a FD). I have learned the hard way that a FD and a treatment day do not go together, so I decided to try and do it today, even though I’ve only had one NFD break. As I’ve had a busy day so far it’s been fine – I haven’t had time to feel hungry yet. I’ll pull a pot of soup out of the freezer for dinner I think.

    I also watched the Insight program on gut health last night. Much of it was things I had already heard. Two things were mentioned that I know apply to me: Under-ripe bananas have better carbs – if I eat in the morning an under-ripe banana is usually my food choice and it never seems to trigger my appetite and it keeps me satisfied longer than other fruits – it’s a good thing I like my bananas before they are really ripe. The second thing that was mentioned was some Sydney research in mice about diets containing high carb and lower protein & fat. This is definitely not the currently fashionable approach but it is what I have always felt healthier on, and providing my carbs are high fibre it’s the only balance that seems to manage my IBS symptoms. I’ve tried high fat and I’ve tried high protein diets and I felt ill and had awful digestive reactions to both of them. I think my body has told me what food balance it needs. I have certainly come to believe that finding our “best” diet requires some tweaking to our unique needs. If I can identify problems with my current food choices it’s: not enough fish (pity I don’t like it more), and the second issue is occasional treats happening too often.

    I think what I want to focus on, is making sure the occasional discretionary foods are truly occasional and do not become regular. I find it all too easy to associate these foods with certain occasions: meals with friends, eating when travelling, family occasions, or eating anywhere but at home – all of these things seem to become an excuse to eat something I would not normally eat at home. When there are multiple events in a week I find myself expecting to have these things every time. I need to deconnect the mental link I have between these occasions and “treat” foods. I need it to become a truly conscious and careful decision not an expected behaviour.

    Since I saw the dietitian nearly 2 weeks ago, she left me with a challenging idea to contemplate. It’s been running around in my head since then as I debate with myself about whether to make the suggested change or not.
    The idea that she posed was that good health and not a specific goal weight or BMI is a much better measure of whether I’m a healthy weight – and can I perhaps be happy with that rather than hankering after a number on the scales that I haven’t yet reached.

    When I started fasting in January, my weight had risen to nearly 88kg and my blood pressure and inflammation levels had risen to the point that they had treatment consequences (and they were serious consequences for my inflammation levels). I started this with a goal of 75kg or maybe less, but have been stuck on 79kg for the last 3 months. However the health issues that brought me here have been resolved for 3 months now. So I am now in a place where my weight isn’t causing me health consequences anymore, and I feel well and am able to be active – for me I think this equates to good health. But can I let go of that ideal I had of stabilising my weight in the mid or low 70s?

    I found I was asking myself some questions that I needed to think through:
    Q-Why did I choose 75kg as a goal (and why did I secretly hope to get even lower)? When I lost most of my excess weight a few years ago I was aiming to get to 78kg (a BMI of 30 for me), but the lowest weight I actually got to was 75kg. I chose 75kg as my goal for fasting because I knew I felt well when I was that weight before and I thought I could get down to that level again. As to why I secretly wanted to weigh even less than 75kg is more complex and I think more dangerous – it adds the risk that, regardless of what I weigh, I’ll never be truly happy and will always think I should weigh less – it’s like continually pushing the goal that bit further out reach and delaying my right to happiness.
    Q-I did feel healthy when I weighted 75kg last year, but do I feel any less healthy now at 79kg? No. I certainly felt less healthy at 88kg but not at 79kg. Being a bit lighter than I currently am doesn’t add to my healthiness, but it does give me a “health buffer” – which means I can more easily deal with weight fluctuations without my health being affected. Whether this is a problem will partly depend on how stable my current weight truly is.
    Q-If the number on the scale should not be allowed to dictate whether I decide I’m healthy and happy, does that mean I should not use scales? Oddly, of all the questions this was the most frightening to me. Cutting back from daily to weekly weigh-ins and then again to just monthly was a big deal for me. Whether I could stop weighing completely or maybe just stop weighing regularly was challenging. I used to get stressed and frustrated with my scales when I weighed often – they damaged my motivation more than they helped. Moving to monthly weigh-ins helped, but I have noticed that I start to get stressed about what that number is going to be about a week before the end of the month when I know a weigh-in day is fast approaching. My thinking at the moment is that a fixed date for weigh-ins should go, but the scales can stay in the house as long as they are used rarely and don’t start featuring in my thoughts. If I find they start to cause stress or obsession then I can always change my mind and pack them away. If my clothes seem either looser or tighter than usual I find myself wondering if it’s weight change, inflammation, fluid retention or something else that’s responsible – this may be an appropriate time to weigh myself. Most days my clothes fit very predictably.
    Q-If good health is to be my guide, how do I know when I’m not healthy? (If a particular weight isn’t a trigger for change then what should be?) My blood pressure and inflammation levels are checked at least monthly so I can use those as a guide. How well I’m managing the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms – especially fatigue and activity levels could also be a guide as they definitely deteriorate when I’m heavier.
    Q-What does that mean for my dietary approach, including fasting? I have been following a 2NFD:1FD cycle which is roughly 5 FDs per fortnight. I have decided to change this to a true 5:2 approach – as these fasts have been helping me keep my weight stable I don’t think it wise to cut them back any further than this for now. However some of my dietitian’s other advice is also worth attention: eat a balanced diet most days; eat whole foods and not processed where possible; be as active as I can manage; eat mindfully and slowly with awareness of both my appetite and what it is I feel like eating; discretionary foods should be occasional and in modest portions. I have also not been counting calories at all for a couple of months and I think this is a good approach for me, as I make poorer food choices when I’m driven by calorie content rather than the healthiness of the food (eg when driven by calorie content I’d rarely eat foods like avocado or nuts).

    I have accepted that this is a sensible approach that is probably better for my confidence and body image in the long run. Hopefully it will also be better for my health generally. It also doesn’t have to be absolute, if something doesn’t work I can change it.

    So I have just gone into my tracker on this website and changed my goals accordingly. I’m now moving to 5:2 with the aim of maintenance and will attempt to also improve my daily food choices and activity levels. I feel a bit like I’m jumping into the abyss, but if I don’t try I won’t know.

    Good morning all,
    I am having my Thursday FD just finishing my morning coffee. I have a big hard day coming up at work today so with fasting and extra hard work I might dip a bit more. Progress has slowed but it is still going down. My heavy day weight is 112kg, my low is 110kg, pretty good 17kg since October but like I said it has slowed due to my not giving up alcohol and foods that don’t help. This is OK as long as I keep up patience instead of worrying about seeing the same numbers for a few weeks in a row.

    LJoyce if you keep up with this way of eating, that last 4kg (to 75kg) may take another year but it will happen just slowly. The last part of the weight loss will be slower (as mentioned by others) and your body will choose its own final weight when balanced (my thoughts only). You said your symptoms had disappeared in the difference of 9kg, I would imagine a 4kg buffer would help your with other things you probably have gotten used to. I haven’t suffered from swollen knee’s or ankles since Christmas for the first time in many years and yet I thought I would forever.
    Meals for the day:
    1 x white coffee 150kj, 500g minestrone soup 800kj, 100g kidney beans 400kj, 150g mushrooms 175kj Total 1525kj or 364cals.
    Someone said to me why do you have less calories than you are permitted on a FD? I answered because it must be better for me, to which they replied is it? Thus extra mushrooms and kidney beans.

    LJoyce, your post certainly hit a cord with me. We are our own worst enemies and our minds don’t give us a minutes peace. I’m sure most of us are caring compassionate people and wouldn’t treat others the same way we treat ourselves.

    We all set goals and sometimes these are unreasonable given our circumstances of age, situation etc. why do we set such tough goals, do we subconsciously ser ourselves up for failure just so we can say, we failed again.

    I know that personally that is my thinking, always beating myself up for not being good enough or strong enough and when I stuff that chocolate, cake or biscuit into my mouth I think who cares anyway.

    FD today, weight 67.8. I still look good, my clothes still fit and for my age I think I look pretty good. So let’s pat ourselves on the back. We did something great for our bodies by losing that excess and giving ourselves a better chance of a healthy old age 😉😉

    Good morning everyone,
    Fast day for me too! Cuppas are go!

    Hi Intesha, A nice morning post to set you up for a good day, may it continue!

    Best wishes for your hard work day Joffy! Are you out in the cold? Mushrooms and kidney beans will be welcome at the end of the day!

    I made the pasties yesterday. Not completely happy with the pastry, I needed a lighter hand (if I’d added the right amount of water at the start it would have worked beautifully!). But even so they are great little savoury pumpkin pasties, which meant I ate too many, so I managed to put them in the freezer and planning a fasty fast day today to balance it out.
    Note to self: get them out of the freezer one at a time as a special treat.

    But if I am going to eat too much, it is much better if it is home made pasties than, say, timtams.

    LJoyce, what you write is very interesting. I agree with what you are thinking. It is fascinating to think about what a healthy weight is, what healthy eating is, what a healthy mindset is! All the different aspects work like the different factors that make up a climate. That’s my thinking (at the moment).

    How do we make good decisions without beating ourselves up if we can’t keep to them? How do we manage exercise? What leeway do we give ourselves for stress? How much control do we need over our food? What is our gut flora? Which foods react badly with us, in what ways? How do we assess our body when it is still changing, looks better (but still not like a filmstar 😉 ) What size and weight is healthy for us? What size and weight are natural for us?

    At the moment these questions are kind of floating above me as I plod along doing the best I can. I can’t make judgments (yet) so I am just noticing and gathering data. If we are feeling healthy and in the healthy weight range, we can give ourselves the pleasure of just playing with these concepts and see how they settle, while to all intents and purposes we are living healthy(ish) lives day to day.

    PS Yay re the partly successful shopping trip.
    Yes re the bananas, makes me think of all the cultures that use unripe bananas and plantains in curries etc.
    And also tweaking things to suit myself.
    Worried about the resistant starch til I remembered that when I cook rice or pasta or potatoes I only eat one serve straight away and the other serves are always reheated.

    Good morning all,
    Ljoyce – I hear you. Cinque has done all her fasting and weightloss period on the fit and feel of her clothes with excellant results which is very encouraging for those who have challenges with scales. I’m seconding Joffy’s advice re thinking of those last 4 kgs as longer term loss rather than an imperitive one. Sitting in that sweet spot of feeling a healthy weight you’re happy with is a big improvement you’ve achieved and congratulate and celebrate that. You’ve done really well and you did it. Peace of mind is a blessed thing, and if this is the weight that gives that to you, as well as physical health improvements that were your goal, then you have achieved what you set out to do. When faced with multiple challenges that peace of mind is very important.

    Well done Ljoyce,
    Merry

    Hi all

    Thanks for the feedback Merry, Cinque, Intesha & Joffy, I really appreciate the support. It’s taken me a while to work these thoughts through and I do feel fairly comfortable with the conclusion I’ve finally come to.

    It was treatment morning for me so the nurse only left about half an hour ago. I can never predict how I’ll feel by the end, but I have no side effects yet, so hopefully it will remain that way. I have noticed a bit of a pattern – if my FD is the day immediately prior to treatment day I have fewer side effects from the treatment drug – definitely something I plan to continue.

    Cinque – pumpkin pasties remind me of Harry Potter – wasn’t that what they always ate on the train? The only time I’ve made a pumpkin filling was for filo pastries that had a curried pumpkin filling.

    Joffy – I’m in awe that you can manage with just dinner when you have a very physical work day to deal with – my hunger goes into overdrive as soon as I add a bit more activity.

    Intesha – I absolutely agree. Those destructive thought patterns are the hardest part of healthy weight and healthy body image to deal with. I’ve come to the conclusion that they never actually go away they just need to be managed and I need to find another voice to counteract them with. This is (and probably always will be) a work in progress.

    Merry – I think you are right the clothes are always a good guide. Every day that I can put on my tightest jeans and do them up easily without breathing in, I feel happy. Why inflict the stress of the scales when I have that as an alternative?

    I’m just heating up a bowl of lentil soup and making some open sandwiches on wholemeal with baby spinach, tomato, mushrooms and swiss cheese for lunch. I’m looking forward to it – hope my gut likes the variety and the fibre.

    Have a good day everyone.

    Hello, it is nearly soup time.
    I am having a good fast day. Ran away to the big op shop in Sydney Rd to distract me from the afternoon hungries and found a long sleeved Peppa pig top for my granddaughter, a lovely towel that looks brand new, a very nice black cotton velvet jacket and some outrageously priced sandals but they were a) never worn, b) lovely design with covered toes (I get cold toes even in summer) c) light, comfy, d) leather upper. Was taken aback that they were asking $16, but came home and found them on the Just Bee website for $79 so I am glad I got them. Just need to wait for summer.

    LJoyce they did eat pumpkin pasties in Harry Potter! I wonder if they were Greek ones! Oooo I want one now. I might take one out of the freezer to eat tomorrow.

    I love this feeling when I am nearly at soup time on fast day. I feel nice and light, I know I am going to enjoy every mouthful of my soup, and soon it will be tomorrow! 🙂

    I did grocery shopping at a large shopping centre that’s a long way from my home this week and I came across a new vegetable – at least I’ve never seen it before. It’s called “kalettes” and is described as a cross-breed of kale and brussel sprouts. They basically look like open brussel sprouts with very frilly leaves and they have purple stems and dark green leaves. I have boiled and drained them and snacked on a few while I wait for the roast lamb to cook. They are reasonably nice actually – very little of the bitterness that usually deters me from eating brussel sprouts. Unlike brussel sprouts I didn’t need to trim them and unlike kale they didn’t have to be chopped up – so very quick to prepare – just add water. An alternative to the other dark green leafy veg that I’ll buy again – providing I can actually find them again without having to drive that far.

    Cinque – sorry to remind you of pasties on a FD – I should know better than that by now.

    Good morning everyone!

    Day after fast day! Just about to have my morning coffee.

    LJoyce, I wouldn’t worry about mentioning pasties, I managed to watch ‘The Chef’s Line’ part of Master Chef (for Yotam Ottolenghi) and the last part of Rick Stein in Sicily!

    Those Kalettes sound gorgeous! I hope they are at my shop next time I look at veggies!

    Best wishes to anyone fasting today.

    While I was watching all those other shows, I was taping Michael Pollan on SBS “In defense of food’. I have seen it before, but I am looking forward to seeing it again and recommend it (SBS On Demand) to anyone who hasn’t seen it. He is Mr ‘Eat food, Not too much, Mostly plants’
    Yes my life is television at the moment!

    Bye now!

    It’s been bitterly cold here today, probably because no sun has managed to peek through the gloom. It doesn’t seem to matter how many logs I add to the slow combustion I’m just not warm enough.

    I never cease to be surprised by just how much our mental mindset can affect behaviour. It’s now 2 days since I decided to stop trying to lose weight and aim instead for healthy maintenance using 5:2. Every time I have considered eating something discretionary (eg a square of chocolate or a biscuit), I’ve thought “I don’t need to eat that today, I can eat it any time – I’m not dieting anymore.” For many weeks now I’ve had a mental battle to avoid these foods on NFDs because I fear wanting it on a FD and not being able to have it – so I have to eat it on a NFD just in case. On a logical level this is crazy – I may be on maintenance but I still intend to do 2 FDs per week so there should be no difference. Yet somehow the idea that I am no longer on a diet has made a difference to the way I’m responding to temptation. This is just more evidence of how much impact my thought patterns have on my behaviour.

    On that note, I am actually doing a FD tomorrow and feel perfectly happy with the fresh navel orange I’m about to have for dessert – and I don’t feel tempted to add some chocolate to it. I certainly hope this helpful mindset continues. I get frustrated by the mental battles with food, and fewer of those internal fights would be very welcome.

    Hope you all have nice plans for the long weekend.

    Good morning from Melbourne. My first time writing a post. Feeling down that I did so well on FD two years ago. Reached my ideal weight. Met up with a girlfriend and she told me I looked haggard. Sigh. Mentally I just needed an excuse to pig out again. So I did and gained 8 kgs in a very short time. So hard to shake it off.

    Ok that’s the past…. I’m going to start again. Just bought two books including 8 week blood sugar diet and the clever guts diet. I was so desperate I went to dymocks. Arrg…so expensive. Less than half the price online at book depository for the blood sugar diet book. As for the guts diet one kmart is very much cheaper less than twenty dollars.

    Had a good morning yesterday but the stress and anxiety built up as the day progressed and out went the diet. I needed the carbs to calm my nerves. Had chocolates and ice cream and chips. Well today is a new day.

    Good morning everyone,

    Welcome Mayblossoms,
    Congratulations on your first go at 5:2. Commiserations on getting an insult and then putting an unwanted 8 kg back on. Sigh.
    Cheers for picking yourself up and trying again.

    When I got to the lower end of my healthy weight range I got comments about looking too thin. It really confused me and I wondered if I wasn’t seeing reality, but now I am sure it was just the shock others felt when they saw me. I even said to my doctor: “Calm down, you’ll get used to it and then I will look fine!” (And she has).

    So good luck for the 5:2 take two! You will probably not regret buying the books! I hope not anyway!

    Don’t jump into fast days without planning, if that leads to stress and icecream. Take your time, you are doing this for your long term health. Don’t even call it a diet if that undermines you, call it your new healthy way of eating! Baby steps are ok, you’ll get back into the swing of it!

    Well after that rah rah rahing I’ve talked myself into having a fast day today! I am looking after little Miss nearly-three-year-old tomorrow and I’d rather not be fasting then. It is a bit of a push to do fasts with only one day in between but I am up for it, and then I will have 4 non fast days in a row! Wo!

    LJoyce, what lovely non diet thoughts you are having! Isn’t it fascinating!
    We are fasting together today! Hooray for hot cuppas for warming us up, and I will have a big hot bath at some point.
    It is cold and there is fog outside my window.

    Welcome Mayblossoms, I hope you get back into the rhythm of 5:2 easily. I also started intermittent fasting to lose some regained weight and I’ve been happy with intermittent fasting as a way of losing and maintaining weight. After losing a few kgs, I’m aiming for maintenance now and am hoping 5:2 is the tool that will make that easier. Like you I also got comments from others – one told me I looked emaciated – it takes time to develop the self-talk you need to counteract the comments of others.

    Hope your FD is going well Cinque. I’ve just tried to distract myself from food by spending an hour wandering through the little forest next door to collect kindling for my slow combustion. Thankfully the sun has emerged here so it’s been a very pleasant day. Are you planning something nice for dinner? I have some chicken breast marinating and some veg for a stir fry – if I’m particularly hungry I’ll bulk it up with konjac noodles. For some reason I haven’t had much of an appetite today.

    I have lots of meals out to deal with this week – a family brunch tomorrow, afternoon tea with a friend Monday, lunch with my old work team Wednesday and lunch with my niece Friday. So I really need my FDs to go well this coming week as there will be plenty of temptation on the other days.

    Hi all thought i would quickly catch up on posts since i last logged in but too many to read thoroughly – which I like to do.

    Has been a busy week and miss D has another miss sleeping over for the long weekend so been a tad busy. Pizza bases are making in the bread maker as i speak and about to cut up all the toppings.

    Thinatlast yay we are of similar ilk.

    Hopefully will have some ‘me’ time tonight to read through posts…..not counting on it though as thinking by the time they go to sleep i will be ready to crash !!

    Hi Gday,
    I hope you and the girls have a lovely evening and a good sleep.

    I was just in the kitchen making my soup as the huge golden moon rose.

    LJoyce I am almost always completely boring on fast days. I love it because as well as getting a break from eating, a fast day gives me a break from thinking about food. As long as I have shi’itake mushrooms soaking and chicken tenderloin out of the freezer, and a vegetable, I am set. Cuppas all day and then miso chicken soup at night. I’ve just had my big bowlful. I just love it.
    However I did have boiled egg on vitawheat, with rocket garnish, for a late lunch as I was so cold and hungry.

    Your meal sounds lovely! And what a lovely day: gathering wood in the winter sun.

    Cheers to everyone!

    Cinque, I’m fasting with you tomorrow (and anyone else who is a Sunday Faster). This will be the first fast in over a week due to a number of issues including end of term assignments, other commitments and then feeling like I was coming down with a flu (like so many fellow students have been passing around). What really helped wipe out all those unwell symptoms was when that I chewed up a clove of raw garlic and then rubbed Frankincense oil on the soles of my feet before bed. After that I woke up feeling so rested and clear of any pathogen. However, I had to work my usual 9 hour Saturday shift and decided to move my Saturday FD to Sunday which is a day I can spend mostly at home. I’ve still got a couple of TAFE assignments to complete this week, though compared to what was on my plate last week, they feel like a walk in the park!

    I’m still back on page 239 so just found your beautiful bouquet of ‘Get Well’ flowers Cinque! Thank you for thinking of me! I’ll also view the bouquet and good wishes as also applying to my near miss with the flu this week!

    I’m usually a daily weigh-in person and track my numbers on an Excel spreadsheet. Admittedly, since I’ve missed over a week of FDs, I haven’t been able to bring myself to weighing in! I’ll have a look on Monday after my FD!

    Body Composition:

    Exactly a decade ago in 2007 I was 50 years old and underwent a full body DEXA scan. I weighed 66 kg and my body fat percentage was 29.1%. The ‘InBody 770’ scan that I underwent 2 weeks ago showed that I weighed 56.1 kg and my body fat percentage was 29.3%. Note that when I underwent the DEXA scan in 2007 I was seeing a personal trainer weekly for weight lifting sessions. I can no longer do weight lifting and have to be ever so careful about doing any exercise at all due to my adrenal insufficiency condition. So, I’m chuffed to see these comparisons and I credit 5:2 for what I regard as this excellent result. To think I’m the same percent fat as I was when I was 10 years younger and practicing regular heavy weight lifting is a wonderful surprise.

    Visceral Fat measurement: The 2007 DEXA scan equipment wasn’t sophisticated enough to measure visceral fat, so that is something I’ll be tracking henceforth. The ‘Inbody 770’ scan reported that I am carrying 69.2cm2 visceral fat, which is in the ‘healthy’ zone. Any number under 100 cm2 is considered zero health risk. Now that I’m on the full serving size of inulin powder daily, I’ll see if the visceral fat cm2 reduces. My plan is to remain taking the 30 grams inulin, that I’ve now worked up to, for 6 months and then get another ‘Inbody 770’ scan to compare.

    Inulin update: By the time I had worked up to taking 20 grams of inulin powder per day, I began feeling my digestion and hunger levels changing for the better. Similar to how I felt as I progressed with 5:2 with regard to how the underlying practice contributes has contributed to me making healthier food choices, inulin powder is having the same effect. I’ve found I have more of a ‘can take it or leave it’ attitude to a number of foods that were still triggers for me. In other words, I’m finding I’m less inclined to be all or nothing around certain foods meaning I either eat none or it triggers a binge. I’ve found myself in some situations in which I’ve been fed what would otherwise be a trigger food by some well meaning host and I was able to take it and leave it like the Zen monk who crossed the river carrying a young woman (if anyone else knows that story). This is new for me! The good thing is that how I take the inulin powder, it is so satisfying and filling and I find it like my new ‘comfort food’. At the same time I do really feel it is improving the balance of my gut biome by feeding the healthy bacteria their food of preference. I won’t go into the graphic evidence I’ve been noting with regard to my internal plumbing system, though you probably get what I mean, so I’ll leave it at that!

    Sunday has rolled around already. I’ve had three very good NFDs of healthy eating, remaining under 60.2kgs. Healthy eating happens for me when we eat at home and don’t go for restaurant meals. And this week, I seem to have contained the portions too. I did get a bit cocky and poured 200mls red wine last night but couldn’t finish it. Feeling very upbeat about 5:2.

    A big treat for me is chatting in one of several local cafes with a couple of my neighbours over one, maybe two, extra hot frothy coffees and a big bottle of water. We can make that scenario last for hours! If it’s a FD, they’ll sometimes wander down here for a herbal tea. I’ve learned that it’s the friends, not the food, that’s important to me.

    Minka, your perseverance with inulin has paid off. Our DD likes to eat a crushed garlic clove when she feels a cold coming on. Well done with your numbers a decade on. Good, I have a fasting buddy today now that Cinque has already put hers in the bag!

    Cinque, have you celebrated the big 6-0 yet? I, too, like to keep FDs simple. I’m still thinking of what to cook the OFMs tonight as it can’t be anything that smells too delicious or that I like too much, he he!

    Joffy, congratulations, fantastic results.

    Welcome Mayblossoms. I hope that friend has been scratched off your Xmas card list. I had a few comments like that when I first reached my goal weight. My GP said it’s because people can’t handle change and you’re challenging their perception of what ‘normal’ looks like. He also said it’s virtually impossible to have an accurate body image which makes such comments unnerving. Three years on, people still occasionally make comments like, ‘oh, still losing weight then’ or ‘oh, you haven’t it gained it back yet’. I do know that my face looks sort of haggard at the lower weight but it’s a price I’m willing to pay to have a waist. And speaking of that, I wonder what happened to ihaveawaist who used to post here.

    I hope everyone’s having a great weekend.

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