This topic contains 27,925 replies, has 832 voices, and was last updated by Neilithicman 3 days, 13 hours ago.
Good morning all and welcome jen and Lisa.
Busy weekend so have just skimmed through posts to catch up. MissD had a sleepover at a friends so was lovely to have a weekend with OH.
Weight is still surprisingly steady this morning considering my meals out last week, plus Chinese takeaway Saturday night, lunch at pub on Sunday with OH, OH’s granddaughters bday party Saturday lunchtime and I drank 4 beers yesterday (unusual for me).
Got to go get ready for work and school now.
Good morning everyone
Haven’t had time to catch up on posts – will do later today. It’s a gorgeous sunny Monday morning here in Gloucester NSW – will be 35’C later on. Just did a home yoga session – now ready for a FD. After earlier reading of posts about legumes, I’m going to look for beans & also legume flours today. Checked out the SH recipe forum – very interesting, copied a few & looking forward to trying them.
Did see your shirt JustJulie – very nice, gorgeous colours.
Hope you all have a happy, relaxing day & enjoy whatever you will be doing. Bye for now!
YoungLisa, pleased you had a successful first FD. I’m sure you’ll be fine this week, I find it useful to plan ahead exactly what I’ll be having for a FD and don’t let anything pass my lips that isn’t on that list. I’m also responsible for meals for OFMs. Sometimes I adapt my FD meal for them (extra portions, add rice, more veggies, bread rolls, etc) and at other times I serve them dishes that I no longer eat – pasta based, and so on. I’m SoR. When is your triathalon?
Arelkade, enjoy the recipes. Let us know which ones you try. Here is the link if you’re looking for ideas, YoungLisa: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/southern-hemispherites-fd-recipes/
JJ kindly removed all my duplicate posts from yesterday and explained there’d been a glitch.
JJulie, thanks for posting the shirt photo. Very Japanesey! I like the colours.
LJ, I know what you mean about the quirks of paint. I’d tried to touch up a couple of spots in a high traffic area and was left with three small but annoying brush strokes in a slightly different shade which bugged me for ten years. The only way to get rid of them was to re-paint the entire walls – which was that project I finally undertook a few weeks ago. I do love the immediate gratification of painting though.
Cinque, are your PJs still falling off this morning after the croissant? I didn’t make 60.2kg but a stubborn 60.6kg so I shall have to pick wisely from that seafood platter at today’s lunch.
I finally caught up on all the posts here! Still Sunday afternoon in CA and a warm 28 degrees here today. We are having unseasonably warm weather here for the end of October. But it does cool down at night. The trees in front of our house are just starting to turn colors. It’s a pretty time of the year.
Welcome Jen and Lisa! 5:2 is a good dependable way to lose weight. I’ve been doing it since the early part of May this year and am about 2 – 3 kg from my goal weight. I’ve been a little crazy on NFD’s lately but have never missed 2 fasts per week. It’s the only sustainable weight loss plan I’ve ever been on. I hope it suits both of you as well as it does me.
Julie, I love your new top! The colors are gorgeous and it looks great on you.
LJoyce, your choice of wall paint color is one I really like. It will go with just about everything. Good idea checking samples in all of your rooms. Paint colors can look a lot different under different lights. I rarely go with the first color I like in the store because they all look so different in this house.
Gday, your anniversary celebration and roses sound so romantic. It sounds like you found a good man!
Thin, not realizing a package is 2 servings rather than 1 happens to me sometimes too. But those noodles are so low anyway that it probably didn’t make that much difference. I hope you won’t limit your posts to once a day because I really like reading them. I’m happy to see this thread busy with lots of posts, even though I don’t always have time to read them all before I reply. I’m still reading your link about resistant starches. Love the PP to pdf format because it’s easy to read.
Cinque, thanks for posting to vid about sprouting Adzukis. I haven’t sprouted legumes in ages. I think I need to try it again. I like that sprouting dome they used in one of the following vids.
Merry, good to see your post and glad you are making it through this year of obstacles. You’ll get the extra weight off again. It won’t take long.
Hi Arel. Sounds like you have some really nice weather there!
Good morning everyone,
Cali – glad you are home again. I hope the trip was kind to your waist line.
JJulie- lovely top, I particularly like the sparkly centres in some of the flowers.
GDSA – glad you got away with those extra meals out. I suspect you are still being careful with choices and portions (apart from the beers) despite eating out.
Thin – at least lunch is seafood (as long as it isn’t crumbed & deep fried), it’s a good meal when trying to have a more controlled day. I’m sure you’ll get under your trigger weight very soon – you always do.
Arelkade – A few of us find legumes/pulses are a very helpful part of our diet. They help both my digestion and my appetite controlling. Although I don’t avoid grains, there are some whose digestive system really doesn’t behave well with some grains and legumes can be a helpful alternative. There is a recipe thread on this forum for legume & pulse recipes that Cinque started that might be useful: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/beans-and-lentils-recipes-tips-and-information/
Cinque – Did your FD end OK? – personally I think I would have ended up with an overeating day if I’d started with croissants.
I need to start calling tradesmen now, I have issues with both my roof and drains.
Hello everyone,
suddenly it is Monday afternoon and I only have an hour to rest before going to pick up my granddaughter.
I did end my fast day fine, my body didn’t seem to acknowledge the croissant and the rest of the fast day was just as usual. As was the lovely feeling waking up empty and thinking about breakfast! But I’d be lucky to have the day under 800calories so I will call it a half fast day.
Hi Cali, lovely to have you home again!
My old pj’s went out ages ago, and the new ones are comfy thanks Thin, even after the croissant! But I am being very sensible eating today, and looking forward to my proper fast on Thursday.
It sounds like you have a wonderful fast day Arelkade. Where does your username come from? I have been wondering since you first posted!
Cheers all
Good afternoon all,
I am late posting again today. Busy this morning again. Had my morning walk, then went to Telstra shop to change my daughter’s phone plan, buy her a new phone and organise some discounts for international usage for when OH is travelling again.
Firstly, I would like to say hello to Makdilks. Another newby is welcomed to the flock!! Glad you popped in to our little forum for help from some of the best 5:2ers I have had the pleasure to talk to. You will definitely get some great advice from the wise members here. Hope your first day is not to harsh on you.
Today is a FD (fast day) for me. It is 1.17pm and I have just had my soup for lunch. It was a nice asian soup I found that was only 16 calories per cup. An easy supermarket dried soup because I have been busy this morning.
Cinque, what a great question “Where does your username come from? I have been wondering since you first posted!” I often wonder where username originate from and the story behind them. Maybe we can share this with each other?
I am glad everyone likes my top. And yes very Japanesey. This brand often has a Japanese theme material somewhere in it’s collection, that is why I am attracted to the brand. That photo did not really give it justice as it looked much better on the big mirror yesterday morning. Last night I had to squeeze into the ensuite because I needed bright light to show the colours properly.
LJoyce, what a pity you dont live near me!! We have just had our roof revamped in readiness for our solar system to be installed. The guy was prompt and very reasonably priced. We are pleased and I would recommend him to anyone.
As far as the Chang noodles being 2 serves. I usually put the whole packet in to the dish and count the full calories. They are so low in calories in the first place so I dont worry, plus it really fills me up in a meal without the worry of too many extra calories being involved.
CalifD, your weather sounds lovely. Ours is getting hotter now and we turned on our airconditioner in the lounge room yesterday afternoon after our visit to the Zoo and Crocodile farm. It was really hot walking around the property as there was very little breeze the whole day. The beaches were wonderful though, and we stopped on the way home to show our homestay student. Cairns itself does not have beaches even though the city is right on the water. The area is mudflats and not very picturesque at low tide. But north of the city we have the “Northern Beaches” where there is sand and palm trees right up the coast to Port Douglas.
I have been doing really good on NFDs and watching what I eat. I had salad and crocodile skewers at the Zoo for lunch yesterday (did I post that before?) Last night I cooked a roast lamb dinner and weighed my meat, then only ate carrots and peas as the vegetables. I did not have any of the roasted vegies. Our oldest daughter came over for dinner and everyone had a beer or wine at dinner. I have fallen in love with the taste of my new low calorie drink that I am having instead of the wine. Soda water, ice and a slice of lime served in a large wine glass!!!
I am calling it my “Light and Easy Mock Wine”.
Tonight we are having kangaroo fillet with salad. The others will have potato royales with theirs as well.
I am feeling really good within myself so I think that I am doing something right even though I am not seeing the big weight losses at the moment. We will see when I weigh in on Friday.
Thats it for me today. I am off to make that salad for tonights dinner and have to pick some mizuna from the garden first.
Have a great day everyone.
Hi Everyone
Welcome Jen, Lisa and Makdilks.
You sound like you are doing very well on 5:2 julie. What is mizuna?
Have fun with the granddaughter this afternoon Cinque.
Hope you get those issues with roof and drains sorted quickly LJoyce.
G’day Im jealous of you being able to go out for dinner and it doesn’t show on the scales!
We had a lovely weekend away for a wedding in Echuca. Maybe some here might remember the old mini series “all the Rivers Run”? it was filmed there and we went on the same paddle steamer. I am happy to report I met my mini goal of fitting into a certain dress I wanted to wear to the wedding. I did as my weight was down to 58.2kg 🙂 Of course this morning it is 60.2 🙁 but I’m sure i will lose that quickly again. Th wedding was lovely, the weather fantastic and the bride was beaming all day.
The weather here is crap again today. We did have nice weather here yesterday and we left Echuca mid afternoon so hubby and I could mow our lawns before dark as rain was predicted.
Ill do a FD tomorrow and either Wednesday or Saturday. I should have done one today but i found my hubbys hidden stash of chocolate…he’s not allowed to bring it into this house!!!
Have a great day/evening all xx
Hi all. I’ve been lurking again, while trying to get over a lurgy. It’s been a bad winter for winter bugs, but I got this far without getting anything, so no complaints. My GP tells me to stay away from planes and kindy if I want to avoid the ‘flu….which given how much I see the little ones, and how often I fly, is pretty unlikely. Cinque glad to hear about your test outcome, and hope the wait to have it rechecked isn’t causing too much worry. Thanks too for the sprouting info. I put my beans in a flat pottery hedgehog we’ve had for yonks… when they sprout it looks so pretty. I just soak them, then add water when they look a bit dry. My SIL mocks me for the sprouts and beans and kefir (I’m a recent convert) but I notice he plucks a few from the hedgehog when he’s in the kitchen. FD today…I’ve just had a bowl of konjac and will have last night’s leftovers tonight. It’s a terrific easy dish from a Nigel Slater cookbook. About 800 g of ripe tomatoes (each chopped into six pieces) and half a kilo of capsicum, sliced, a good teaspoon of cumin, 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 75 mls of olive oil and S & P, roasted for 50 minutes, til just a little charred. Then onto the top of the stove with another 30 mls of olive oil, two cans of rinsed chick peas, and a teaspoon of harissa paste and a little preserved lemon, for 10 minutes, then off the stove and a handful of basil leaves stirred through. I served it with flat bread. Far too much olive oil of course – next time I’ll cut it right back – but I can avoid a lot of the sauce tonight, and skip the bread. So good, so fresh tasting.
Good afternoon SHs
Lisa – I don’t do B2B FDs – I tried it once and it was too much for me, I quickly realised I need a break between FDs. The person in our group who regularly does this is Penguin so hopefully he can give you some advice.
Lindsay – that dinner sounds lovely – all flavours I enjoy – harissa is by far my favourite spice blend. Hope the lurgy clears up soon.
Stay – well done fitting into that dress, good also that you had nice weather for the trip to Echuca. Like you we’ve had a change of weather again today – it feel like winter again – we had hail this morning.
JJulie – Thankfully I have a plumber I’ve used for years and a personal recommendation I trust for the roofing contractor so it should be ok. My username is based on a nickname that my mother was called within the family.
Madilks – welcome, the Southern Hemisphere groups is mostly Aussies at the moment,with a couple of ring-ins from the northern hemisphere who are also most welcome. We have a few “old timers” who’ve list their weight on 5:2 and have hung around for years after to help support those of us who came to 5:2 later. I found the weight loss was slow of 5:2 (not surprising when you are only actually cutting calories 2 days a week), but it is sustainable over the long term and now that I’m maintaining it’s enormously helpful in dealing with those overindulgent days.
Like you, most of us have experienced that mental message encouraging us to eat that has nothing to do with genuine hunger. I found it took me a long time to work out what was real appetite and what was not. There was an activity I found useful, in a Mindfulness book that my dietitian recommended, that had a list of hunger clues:
• an empty or even a painful gnawing feeling in the upper part of their stomach
• an empty or even a painful gnawing feeling in the lower part of their stomach
• a rumbling feeling in the stomach
• a cramping feeling in the stomach
• a hollow feeling in the stomach
• a feeling of nausea
• a feeling of weakness or lethargy
• feelings of lightheadedness or irritability
• difficulty in concentrating
• feeling a bit shaky
• decrease in energy levels
• headache
• no feelings in the stomach at all, but a desire to eat
• many other specific individual signals.
Hunger can be one or a combination of these things and just to confuse the issue, some of these symptoms may have nothing to do with hunger.
Lisa, I usually do my FDs on Monday and Thursday unless there is something going on one of those days. I only do B2B when I get frustrated about my progress, to get off a plateau or get back in control on NFDs. This may be one of those weeks. I’m fasting today and may do a second one tomorrow in addition to Thursday’s FD. I seem to be cancelling out the weight loss from with FDs with over the top eating on NFDs lately. I used to be able to eat a lot more on NFD but now that I’m within a couple kg’s of my goal, my TDEE is lowered enough that I have to do more than give lip service to “mindful eating”. I can maintain with what I’m doing now, but losing is extremely slow. I don’t really want 61.1 to be my final goal. I still want it to be 58.
Hope everyone is having a good day. (Although most of you will already be into tomorrow by the time you read this. 😁) I’m still struggling along on Monday.
Good morning. My granddaughter isn’t the best sleeper. I’ve been up so long I am on my third cup of tea!
Cali, I found the same thing! When I was getting down to the lower end of my healthy weight range, all of a sudden what I used to eat on a non fast day was too much and I had to concentrate much more on sensible portions and no snacks. It is a year later and I am still working on it, but I am getting there! You will too, and probably a lot more quickly!
Lisa I hope you had a good back to back. I’ve never done it, but it seems to have happened very naturally for you.
Makdilks, welcome! It’s about time we had another Kiwi! How do you feel after your first fast day? My favourite thing about it is waking up the next morning!
LJoyce and JJulie (and everyone), aren’t good plumbers, hairdressers, dentists, mechanics etc like gold. When you find a good one you hold them tight!
JJulie, you have been eating so well I am sure those pesky scales will show you are losing weight, when it is your weighing day. I think they just needed a break!
Well this has been an interrupted post! We’ve made things out of playdoh, watched Fireman Sam, and had a dolls picnic. Nearly 7 o’clock! Cheers all.
JJulie, you have a wonderfully positive attitude and I hope you suddenly enjoy a big, unexpected drop on the scales; you deserve it.
Cinque, enjoy the little one.
Welcome Mak, how did your first FD go for you?
Stay, it sounds like a wonderful weekend. I’ve never been tempted to leave a nice place early so that I could mow the lawn. Congratulations for getting down to 58.2kg and, yes, I bet the extra will come back off soon.
YoungLisa, B2B fasting isn’t in my bag of tricks, nor are 3FDs per week. For me, the former affords too many NFDs in a row which would enable me to slip back into bad habits and the latter would see me over-compensating on the NFDs and, from what I’ve read on these pages, doesn’t seem to yield its proponents any appreciable results. I stick to naked 5:2 with an emphasis on strict FDs and varying degrees of sensible eating on NFDs. Some find the loss too slow but I was always delighted with my steady half kilo per week loss. Everyone’s different and you’ll find what works best for you.
CalifD, nice to have you back. I didn’t really have a goal weight but I got stuck on a 60kg plateau for so long that it became my goal weight! I bet you’re all ready and decorated for a fun-filled Halloween night at your place! My DD looks back with fondness at her trick or treating days and how the neighbourhood children knew which were the best houses to call on! I bet yours is one of those.
After my walk yesterday, I dropped to 60.3kg so I was all ready for the seafood platter. As I’d woken at 5am and we weren’t eating until 1.30pm, I even had a very small breakfast just so I wouldn’t over-eat at lunch. But I did anyway. It was a very good seafood platter. Back up to 60.6kg this morning but still under my trigger weight and tomorrow’s another FD.
I think I will do my Silly Season Challenge again this year just to show that we can stay strong regardless of what’s happening around us. Here’s last year’s for those who hadn’t yet joined us: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/silly-season-challenge/
Granddaughter has been picked up, I’m going to have a morning nap!
So glad you could enjoy your seafood platter Thin!
Lindsay I forgot to write my commiserations for that dreaded lurgy you have. I hope you are over it quickly.
How wonderful your kitchen must be with all those good things going on in it.
The chickpea recipe sounds just wonderful! Do you mind if I cut and paste it over to the legumes thread?
Good morning all and welcome to the forum Mak.
Well I have a confession to make. I havent done a serious FD in quite a few weeks now and have stopped counting calories altogether and my weight has remained steady. Even meals out, takeaway and the odd alcoholic bevvy of late have had no direct effect on the scales – just the usual daily slight fluctuations.
I’m debating if i should try to lose the last 2 kg to get down to my second goal weight of 60kg or just remain as is. Im more than happy with how i feel and look now and really would just like to tone a few areas (upper arms, thighs and bottom) through weights and training.
I havent done any serious exercise for about 3 months now either.
Perhaps my body/weight has reached a natural point of where it should be which is why I’m maintaining with no effort?
As ljoyce mentioned my portion sizes are small to medium and i choose healthy options the majority of time.
Im also mindful of becoming complacent so will still weigh daily and monitor clothes fit.
Heres a bonus….OHs second eldest daughter is a personal trainer with her own gym set up at home….yay for me.
Well, there I was yesterday talking about moving FDs and that is exactly what I have had to do. I started off yesterday with a FD and all went well until the presentation last night which did not finish till after 7pm. After such a late night on Sunday preparing Sunday’s dinner and not eating until 8.30 I could not think of another night of late cooking and eating, plus we had such a busy weekend that I was really tired. We ended up staying at the pub where the presentation was and had dinner there. We had never eaten at this pub before so did not know what to expect from the menu. There were lots of fried options that I did not want of course. I chose a baked chicken breast which said it came with spinach, mushrooms etc and kipfler potatoes. I thought I could leave the potatoes to one side. But no these vegies were all mixed up together. Hence today is a FD for me and also tomorrow.
My positive attitude is starting to wane, I feel. I dont like to get on those scales again.
I am going to take a hard stand and go vegetarian again!!!!!!!
That is when I seem to loose the weight.
Morning all. Feeling much better today – thanks for the warm wishes. I’m giving a special little nod of admiration today to those of you who’ve hit your goals and are managing to stay there. My scales are still stuck…but I’ll get there. I’m off to the beach cottage for a week on Thursday… the extra walking and cleaning up after the renovation should make a difference. Thin I am very amused by your ‘naked 5-2’. That’s quite a mental picture! Cinque by all means post the chick pea recipe – sorry, I should have thought to do that. I love your stories about your GD. She and my eldest GD sound like a matched pair. Oli doesn’t sleep either, and nor does her little sister. My daughter hasn’t had an unbroken night’s sleep since O was born over 4 years ago. We have Oli to stay from time to time to give my daughter a break. Often sometime after midnight O will turn up at the side of our bed and crawl in with us. My husband is pretty patient – but one night she chatted until after 2 am – at which point he said sternly ‘Oli, go to sleep’…and she did. I’m enchanted by her and the things that shoot into her head. (eg Why don’t men grow breasts like ours?).
GDay it sounds like your body has made a decision about where it wants to be …isn’t that just what we all are aiming for? A new set point, at a good weight. Congratulations.
OK housework calls. After a few days on the sofa feeling rotten, it really needs it.
GDSA – After a few months deliberating and sitting on a plateau I decided to let my body choose its own set point rather than trying to force the issue and feeling frustrated. Only you can know whether you have met your health goals other then the weight number you were originally aiming for.
Cali – I also found that the amount of food that supported weight loss on 5:2 quickly turned into a plateau when I was close to my goal. I think this is a common battle that many of us have.
Cinque – enjoy your nap, sounds like you earned it.
Thin – given that I came to 5:2 in January after gaining 9kg over Christmas last year I think your Christmas challenge is a good idea. I definitely do not want to gain weight again this December. I already have extra social events to deal with in November and am looking at how to plan for those without overdoing it.
The plumber came yesterday afternoon and put the electric eel through the drains to remove the tree roots. They need to be cleared every 3-4 years, and because I’m on a septic system I can’t use the chemicals that would stop them regrowing as it would kill the microbes that make the septic system work. The roofing contractor is coming on Saturday morning to discuss the repairs I need and what it might cost. I’m glad to be getting these things fixed, but the budget takes a hit.
The weather has been cold and wet for a couple of days, but looking nicer today – definitely weather for walking.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I must say I have been a member of a few forums for various things and already I feel like this is a very friendly and supportive group. Do you all just chat in this thread? I haven’t even really looked at the other conversations yet. I don’t want to be that annoying person who asks all the usual questions in the wrong place!
So after two FDs I could not sleep last night. I was hungry and grumpy and crampy. So I think 2 separate days will work best for me. Although I do have that nice flat stomach feeling this morning(not actually flat, just not feeling bloated).
Have a great day!
Thin, I am interested in your Silly Season Challenge. I clicked onto the link from last year. It is going to be hard work to loose weight between now and January 1 with a holiday and christmas in the middle!!
Lindsay, thanks for reminding me about the jeans……..that is more positive thinking. I really thought I had changed my mindset this time round because I was finding myself looking at the healthy options on menus and I have sourced the more healthier foods to eat while in Japan, even to the point of writing down the restaurants in each city we are going to so I dont forget them. One Vegetarian/Gluten free restaurant in Kyoto is Samurai themed and I have worked out which bus to catch from our accommodation to get there.
There will be no eating of Tonkatsu (deep fried crumbed pork cutlet) on this next trip!!!
Lisa
You are not alone in having issues with that night time hunger after a FD – lots of people have discussed this on the forum. In the beginning of 5:2 I saved enough calories on FDs so that I could have a late night hot drink made from low cal almond milk, cocoa and stevia if I needed it. I don’t do that anymore as I’m eating no calories until late afternoon on FDs now, so I have enough to eat at the end of the day. I found that by allocating most of my FD calories to dinner, means I go bed having eaten a similar volume of food at dinner time as I usually would (although it’s mostly veg). This stops any hunger issues at night as my body is still happily trying to digest all the fibre in those vegetables.
As to what we chat about on this forum – anything and everything. I think when we all joined, we started out just discussing 5:2, but after to getting to know the others the subjects broadened rather to just about anything. We mostly stay away from contentious subjects, although even they get an airing once in a while.
Feel free to ask what ever you want to, I found this group pretty easy going.
My sister has a pumpkin decorating contest at work each year for Halloween. She was going to do a Yoda pumpkin with a green/blue colored pumpkin that she bought but decided instead to do this one. She wasn’t sure about it since she said it wasn’t really a pumpkin, but a squash. I told her, “It’s a pumpkin in Australia!” Here are two pictures of it that I took of it tonight. (She spent hours trying to get it just right.) Tomorrow morning she’ll take it in to work.
Cali – tell your sister her halloween pumpkin is fabulous – it looks like it’s ready to take flight off the table. (It’s definitely a pumpkin in Australia – a variety that we often refer to as trombone).
I notice that a few of the green grocers here have had crates of traditional American pumpkins for the last few weeks for those who want to try their hand at carving.
Welcome to the 5:2 forum, Makdilks! Great to have you here. It does get easier both physically and mentally, to avoid hunger after a while. You’ll get so accustomed to doing the 2 weekly FDs that only occasionally will you feel hungry. I had a busy day today on my Monday FD and didn’t eat a thing until 6:30 pm. I had calorie free drinks and 2 cups of coffee in the morning with a tablespoon of non-dairy creamer in each, but that’s it. I didn’t feel hungry at all. It took months to get to this point, but everyone here was right, it does happen.
Lisa, we love questions! We do get off topic and discuss all sorts of interesting things, but that’s because we sometimes run out of 5:2 things to talk about. We love it when someone new joins us so we can talk about what brought us here to begin with! I’ve only been here since May of this year but several of the members have been practicing the 5:2 way of life for a couple years or more and are maintaining their goal weights. They have a wealth of information and experience and are a great affirmation about how well this way of eating actally works. So don’t ever be afraid to ask questions.
Lindsay, what is a “flat pottery hedgehog”? I did a Google search and came up with hedgehog statues, hedgehog planters, plates with pictures of hedgehogs painted on them and even stuffed hedgehogs. Please tell me this is some kind of exotic Aussie sprouting device.😁😆
Thin, I’m definitely up for your Silly Season Challenge. I didn’t lose all this weight this year to get sidetracked by the holidays. Our holidays start with Thanksgiving on November 23rd this year and go through New Years Day. Do you have a Thanksgiving equivalent in Aus?
Cinque, I think you’re having way too much fun with Play Doh, Fireman Sam shows and dolls picnics all in the same day! 😁🤗 No wonder you needed a nap! 😁
Julie, don’t get discouraged with the weight loss. Are you maybe stringing too many FDs together or too many in a week where it’s starting to seem like drudgery? I do that very occasionally when I get stuck, but it isn’t very enjoyable and sometimes seems like punishment for eating too much on NFD. It wouldn’t be sustainable for me to make a habit of it. I’m with thin on the “naked 5:2” 😊 It might be slow sometimes but it’s effective.
GDSA, maybe you’re getting by with maintaining because you’re happy with your new OH and busy so you aren’t really eating as much as you did before. I can’t remember how much you lost on the 5:2, but if it was a fair amount, there’s always the danger of it creeping back up again when you’re not paying attention. It’s the Wild West out there in hungryland! 😂 Doing at least a 6:1 would keep you aware. You know yourself, so only you can decide. But regardless, we want you to stick with us here!
LJoyce, I read your comment amount my sister’s pumpkin to her and she says, “Thank you! “ She liked that her first compliment on it came from Australia. ☺️
She posted a picture of it on her FB page with this comment:
“I decided to do an exotic bird for the pumpkin decorating contest at work tomorrow. My sister tells me that a gourd is called a pumpkin in Australia – so that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!”
I have finally found a smoked salmon that I really enjoy. Normally I have to take smoked salmon in very small doses – because of the cold smoking method it still has the soft texture of raw fish and a intensely strong flavour – neither of which really appeal to me. This week I was able to buy salmon fillets (on sale) that were encrusted with cracked pepper and then hot smoked. The resulting fish was lovely. A cooked texture, which I liked, and a much more complex flavour. The flavour reminded me of the local redgum smoked leg ham I buy occasionally. As with all salmon the calorie count was rather high – over 250cal for a 125g fillet. I removed the fatty skin, which I don’t care for and flaked the fillet it into a simple green salad then added basil leaves, cucumber and cherry tomatoes and dressed it with aioli. I’m not much of a salad fan but this was delicious. I will definitely be including this more often this summer (on NFDs).
I’m really trying to have at least one fish meal each week and it’s a challenge because I don’t really like fish (especially the oily fish). Always good to find an option that I actually enjoy.
Hope you all have a tasty dinner too.
CalifD, I love the imagination!! For your sister to look at that pumpkin and see, I hope I have picked the right bird, Ostrich!! Anyhow does not matter what type of bird, it is just lovely. She has a wonderful imagination and I bet she is very artistic too.
We dont have anything in Australia that is like thanksgiving. Although we traditionally cook Turkey for Christmas lunch, which flows from the British influence. My mother always had a very traditional Christmas lunch with Turkey, ham, roast lamb and roast pork with mashed swede, cauliflower with cheese sauce, broccoli, roast potatoes, carrots, peas and apple and cranberry sauce and gravey.
We all had to have an afternoon nap after all the food. Then at night time we alternated going to my aunty’s houses where we took leftovers to share. We had big family gatherings back then, but now it is just me up here in Cairns so usually I invite my Japanese friends over to celebrate with us and make it feel like it should be. It is a time for family and friends.
LJoyce, I havent heard the word trombone for such a long time. Everyone up here just says pumpkin no matter what shape or colour it is. And yes Coles and Woolworths up here have had big orange pumpkins for sale @$2.90 per Kg so you can carve your own. I thought about it once but it was going to be so expensive to buy one.
I have always wondered how much they would cost in the US as so many people have them in their decorations. Maybe some of our US friends can answer that question.
So, a couple of days ago I suggested we explain where we got our forum names from. Mine being JustJulie. That started because my birth name is Julie-Anne and people always want to call me that if they see my name on official documents. I was always brought us being called just Julie…..so you see where this is going? Yes I would say to people who called me Julie-Anne, “Please Just Julie is fine” So when trying to think of a name it was the first thing that came into my head. It is also my name on Tripadvisor, where I am usually posting things about Japan.
LJoyce, I have tried smoked salmon a few times but still just don’t seem to like it that much. I bought some recently when doing a platter for our Taiko group, most of them will eat it of course. Glad you found some that you like.
Well now it is time to start cooking dinner!!
good evening to all!!
Good morning to others.
JJulie
I always think of any pumpkin with a gooseneck as a trombone, although I don’t see it at the green grocer very often. My local green grocer had a giant one this winter that was about 1.5 metres long and was cut into dozens of portions for sale.
This is the hot smoked salmon I bought https://shop.coles.com.au/a/a-national/product/coles-salmon-hot-smoked-pepper Very expensive even on sale, but similar in price to fresh salmon and I liked this better. As I mentioned it reminded me more of a wood smoked ham than those thin smoked salmon slices that I’m used to avoiding. I think the difference between cold smoking (which cures & preserves but doesn’t cook) and hot smoking (which cooks as well) is an important one for me. I’ve normally only used cold smoked salmon as a flavour ingredient in a bigger dish – eg a roulade. I don’t like it as the main event as it’s too dominant. Now I’m usually in flavour of strong flavours, but I think that because I don’t really like fish, intensifying the fish flavour doesn’t help me like it any more. Oddly I do like a lot of seafood (especially squid and octopus), it’s just fish I have issues with. Unfortunately the benefits of oily fish don’t seem to apply to seafood, so it doesn’t help me meet those health benefits. I think I’m going to be taking liquid fish oil forever at this rate.
Hi everyone & a warm welcome to all the new SH’s.
Didn’t do too well on Monday FD – had all good intentions, but by late afternoon, the pantry seemed to be screaming out for attention, so I gave in & had 2 tim tams with full cream milk chai tea! Will definitely try harder next time!
Thin: so many recipes to choose from, have to try them all eventually – saved your link, thank you. Hope to buy Chang noodles this Thursday. Was overawed with choice of legumes at Woolies – have to give them more thought!
LJoyce: have fun sorting your new colour choice & also with impending repairs – always feels good to see results from improvements. I love smoked salmon esp with Eggs Benedict.
Cali: Happy Halloween – the pumpkin looks fantastic – enjoy the night
Cin: so pleased with your test result, a happy outcome. My username is my 1st & 2nd name initials & OH’s as well ie RL & KD – therefore unique! Enjoy your visits with granddaughter & catch up with lost sleep! Saved your legume thread, thank you. I now have many threads to explore.
JJulie: ‘stay away from the scales’ lol, & enjoy your loose clothes as they are telling the real story! Your ‘light & easy mock wine’ sounds so refreshing, I’ll have to try it
Stay: so glad you enjoyed the wedding. I’ve loved that area since watching ‘All the Rivers Run’ many years ago – when we visited the area, the river was too low for the paddle steamer to operate (so it didn’t really run)
Lindsay: get well real soon & enjoy your week at the beach house – sounds wonderful
Well it’s now 9pm Tuesday evening, been a big day.
Goodnight all (goodmorning some)
Bye for now
LJoyce, we can buy a similar hot smoked salmon, like the link you posted, but it’s expensive here too. I usually buy the thin filets at Costco which is a big warehouse store that has larger packages, but at a lower price than the regular supermarkets. I love your idea of adding it to a salad. I am going to try that, maybe with a lemon dill dressing with fresh dill.
Here’s a salmon tray that I put together last Christmas morning with salmon, fresh mozzarella slices, basil, onions, lemons and capers. https://imgur.com/a/tqKWd I may have posted this here before. If I did, sorry for the duplicate.
Julie, pumpkins of all sizes are on sale around Halloween. A typical price might be around $4.98 for a medium sized one or around $10 – $15 for a large one. We’ve seen a lot of different colored ones in the store this year too. https://benitolink.com/sites/default/files/uploads/IMG_1277.jpg
Good morning,
Gday, I think you have just moved onto the DIL eating plan (Deliriously In Love). It is an excellent way of eating, I need you to send that brother over so I can do it too! 😀
Come the day you get back to normal (and find yourself irritated by that little mannerism he has, or the stupid thing that suddenly comes out of his mouth 🙂 ), you can be assured that 5:2 is waiting ready for you, and it is time for a good strict fast day.
JJulie, 5:2 has to be able to cope with those times when our positive attitude dies, the days we are tired, and unprepared or simply blow out.
My take on it is that when we are motivated and strong we can do so much: extra fasty fast days, lots of exercise, trying new healthy things.
But each time we slump (and we all do) we find out whether, and how much, we have actually changed our basic habits. How badly do we eat? How much do we undermine our fast days? How long does it take us to get back on track again?
This is the best indication of how we are going at making the long term changes that 5:2 are all about.
I’m changing decades long eating habits and mindsets (since I have so many!) and (touch wood and whistle) I am seeing changes as I stay on 5:2 and tackle each disaster.
So if your positive attitude pops off for a while, come and share your negative attitude (I bet I will recognise it) and keep puddling along doing the best you can until the next bout of positive energy kicks in. You’ll still get there!
Cali, here’s a picture of a hedgehog sprouter, not sure if it is the same as Lindsay’s: https://www.happy-mills.com/images/thumbnail/produkte/xlarge/330-934.jpg. Cute isn’t it.
I just love your sisters creativity! What fun!
Lisa we love questions! They won’t be in the wrong place. You just need to be prepared that we might give you a variety of answers that hopefully don’t confuse you, but help you decide what suits you.
And we love hearing how 5:2 is working for you. It never gets boring. Everyone brings their own insights and issues and creative responses to the challenges of making 5:2 sustainable in your life. Or not!
What you discover will be really useful to someone who comes along in the future.
Lindsay I laughed to hear about your two grandchildren, they do seem to pair with mine. Yes, whenever I think I can’t bear another badly broken night, I think how glad I am to have it instead of my daughter. Josie is just about to get into the wonderful ‘but why?’ stage.
I’ve put your recipe up on the legumes thread. I can just bout taste it as I read it!
Arelkade, I am now pronouncing your name differently! oops with the timtams, use it as a learning experience. My trick is to have some good soup to heat up for such emergencies. Note to self: make some!
LJoyce, I am trying to eat more fish too. I’ve got a can of sardines sitting in the pantry I must use (another note t self). The basa fillets were good for me to practice on, but I know I need to move to oily fish. The only time I have tried salmon it had that wet texture and it freaked me out, so I am glad to know of a different way to try it.
Well, need to catch up on everything after a slow day yesterday. Cheers to everyone I haven’t mentioned.
Fast day tomorrow for me!
Hi again everyone.
Well its been a very weird week since I bought my new digital scales. As I expected there is a weight difference between my dodgy manual scales and the new ones. I now weigh 2.2 kgs heavier than before. Funny how new scales never seem to tell you that you actually weigh less!!
Over the weekend I usually gain a couple of kgs on the old scale. After last weekend I only gained 300 grams. I was surprised. I did my usual FD on Monday and was back to the 72.2kgs on Tuesday morning. So I thought I would try a B2B fast day. I was going great yesterday until I got home and the OH offered me a beer. Well that is my weakness and I ended up having two beers (pesky OH’s LOL). I still kept to 750 calories for the day, so a mini FD.
Now its Wednesday (my usual 2nd FD). I weighed again this morning and yep, still at 72.2 kgs.
I am doing another FD today. So, help those scales if they don’t show some weight loss tomorrow!!! 🙂 will let you know how I go
Hope everyone is going well. Welcome to our new people also 🙂
So far I’m sticking to my single post per day but, if I reply to all above, it will be a five mile long post.
My username was chosen when I was 83kg and reading posts on this thread from people who’d been practicing 5:2 for a couple of years. Those pioneers gave me confidence that this is no passing fad. It was a tongue in cheek name and I just wanted to lose 10kg. I never dreamed at that stage that I would eventually weigh and stay at 60kg. This WOL suits my personality and my relationship with food perfectly. I wish I’d known of it 30 years ago but I’m here now. Being in control of food instead of the other way has changed my life and I’m so grateful for all the support from the like-minded losers here.
Arelkade, I want to call you RL now! Do you have to buy timtams? Too tempting. But next time, just think, ‘they will still be there tomorrow”.
YoungLisa, ask away.
CalifD, your sister’s gourd is lots of fun but JJulie, surely it’s an emu! We had record numbers of trick or treaters down our street but not a single one could be bothered crossing the road to get to our nook in the road. So, OH is happy this morning …
Concur completely with CalifD’s last two paras date stamped 5:46 yesterday. Exactly what I’d been thinking. JJulie, go off and have a wonderful holiday but please come back to us and try again. You’ve made it work before and you can do it. I really want it to work for you. GDSA, you’re in a marvellously happy place right now and I know you’re weighing daily & keeping vigilant. In my own experience, I found I could ‘get away with’ this and that for some considerable time after losing lots of weight but it always caught up with me in the end and then the weight gain was like a runaway train. Of course, you can safely ignore all this and we’ll still love you but it wasn’t that long ago that you were touting 5:2 as a WOL not a diet. You’ve achieved so much – please be careful!
We’ll start the Silly Season Challenge sometime in December. CalifD, at least Thanksgiving is just a one day (and hopefully one meal) celebration. Christmas, on the other hand, has such a long build-up.
Quakka, you need your OH on board to support you. Have a little chat!
30C today so I must get my walk done before it gets too hot. I’d planned to have Chicken and Bacon casserole for a family FD meal, hope it’s not too hot for that type of dish.
JJulie I chose my name because most variations of the very common name Lisa were already in use. Plus I turn 50 next year and I feel really old. I had my last child at age 40 so I am usually at least 10 years older than the parents of my children’s friends. We went on holiday to Bali last year and we visited the water park. I was that lady who needed help to get out of the rubber ring at the end of the ride! My daughter pulling and this poor little Indonesian man pushing from behind! It was funny but it also made me think I need to lose some weight and get fit so I can keep up with my kids.
I’ve tried weight watchers and other calorie counting diets. I had heard about this but never thought I could fast. I now realise I can eat a little bit on FDs and the rest of the week not be so obsessed with what I’m eating. I am optimistic this could work for me. I’m 78kg and aiming for about 65KG.
Hi! Fasting today after having to end yesterday’s fast at around mid day, due to unforeseen circumstances. I tossed up whether or not to skip fasting today, since I’ll fast again day after tomorrow for my regular Friday fast. I find it best to leave more than on NFD between FDs. In any case, my body wanted to fast today, so here I am! Cheers to all others both fasting and non-fasters!
Hi SHs,
I’ve just walked into town, had a haircut, delivered a birthday present to my cousin, bought some fruit and veg and then walked home again. I bought more than intended at the green grocer and my bag was feeling extremely heavy by the time I got to my driveway.
Minka & Quacka, I’m joining you on a FD today, my usual FD cycle is completely muddled this week, but I should get back to normal next week. I usually don’t eat until late afternoon on a FD but when unpacking my fruit & veg I couldn’t resist a handful of cherry tomatoes and then a handful of strawberries – both were lovely but I need to stick to cups of tea from now until dinner, which is stir fry veg & konjac noodles in satay sauce that are leftovers from Monday night.
Hope you are both having an easy FD.
Hi Everyone
Thinatlast, please dont be concerned about too many or long posts. I love reading your posts
JJulie- my real name is Judith Ann and my mum always wanted me to be Judy-Ann uugghh. Only one of my previous elderly neighbors ever called me that!
LJoyce- its great that you can walk to the shops. We can’t walk to any destination from our house except the bus stop. Im hoping the rain will hold off for me to go for a walk soon-dont want frizzy hair! 🙂
I called myself StayinThin because i have got to goal weight 3 times. WW, Dukan and 5:2. I have been hopeless at maintaining even tho every diet had a maintenance program. This nic name is to keep me on track!
I had a great FD yesterday and went to Pilates. I can’t do a FD tomorrow as we have our friend who is living in London here for a quick visit and have invited another couple for dinner as well. Not having wine isn’t an option. I was too hungry at lunchtime to do a FD today and the good news is that OHs chocolate is all gone but thats the bad news too because I ate it all 🙁 We are out at a small self-funded movie premier Friday night- hopefully I can forgo wine and nibbles there otherwise I will fast Saturday.
Dinner tonight is a Chicken and chickpea dish. I’m adding the legumes to our meals slowly 🙂
Have a great day/evening everyone xx
Hello everyone, I thought I posted something today, but can not see it so I must be going mad!!!
LJoyce,Gee that trombone was huge!!!! I looked for your salmon at the supermarket today and ended up buying a Tassie wood-cooked salmon that was on special. I will try it tonight.
I would like to thank everyone here who have been giving me encouragement and advice on why I dont seem to now be loosing any weight. I might make some changes from those suggestions, like not do B2B FDs next week and see how that goes. I have also scaled down my exercise a bit as I think that may have been some of the problem too.
All of a sudden I was walking everyday and sometimes twice a day as well as my Taiko lessons. Last weekend was full on for me too with a walk on Saturday morning, then about two hours of walking around Kuranda, then the walk through the rainforest to Barron Falls Lookout which is uphill and down. Maybe too much exercise turning things to muscle which I know is heavier.
Good morning everyone.
So after three fast days (one mini one as I call it), the scales have finally budged. I lost 400 grams. I am happy with that amount as I was worried I was going to stay on this plateau. Today I am tempted to do another fast day but have decided to just eat lightly as I don’t want to push my luck and then fail!
I am finding fast days easier as I do them more. I enjoy planning what I will eat and looking up new recipes and ideas. I stick to eating veggies and protein on my FDs and usually eat similar on NFDs but maybe a bit more protein I guess.
Thin at last, you are so right about getting the OH on board to support me. He is usually pretty good , though I have had one night when he said I am putting him on a diet too! So I replied, too right I am! LOL
Thank you LJoyce for wishing me an easy FD for yesterday and I hope yours went easy as well. To everyone who is on a FD today, I hope it’s easy and fast for you too!
Thank you all again for being here 😁😁
Good morning Quacka,
Congratulations on that nice loss. And that you are having such fun on the fast days with recipes and ideas.
It sounds like your new digital scales have settled down in their new home. It is annoying about the extra 2 kg but really you are the same as you ever were!
I think you are right about the salt!
Oh dear Thin, I can’t help but hope you change your mind about one post a day, But ofcourse I will get used to it if it is what suits you best.
I hope you had a lovely fast day yesterday and a yummy casserole for dinner.
So gad you are doing your silly season challenge again, just what is needed for the mad time of year.
Minka hello! How tricky it is for you to manage your fast days at the moment. I too have discovered that a half fast day is better than none. And I will pass the fasting baton to you at the end of today. Are you enjoying your busy life? Is the work what you wanted?
Lisa, lovely to know you are a real Lisa. And remember, you will never be so young again! Enjoy the end of your forties. Won’t it be nice to let 5:2 do its magic and enjoy being able to handle water parks more easily! If you can make it sustainable in your life I bet that when you turn fifty you will feel like forty again (without the pregnancy 😉 )
My user name was quickly plucked out of the air as I relate to number 5 (fifth child of seven, and one of 5 sisters) and I love the Italian version of it.
LJoyce what an excellent day. Is it a lovely haircut? I hope it was a good fast day yesterday and a lovely morning now.
And fancy us having a Julie-Anne and a Judith-Anne.
I’m glad you have got to 5:2 Stay, as it should be the one that ‘stays’ for longterm healthy weight and healthy life. Hooray for your last great fast day.
Oops re the chocolate, but since you ate it all, I hope you enjoyed every mouthful. Enjoy the wine today with your friends and good luck at having a fasty movie night. (Call it a scientific experiment to see if a movie night can still be enjoyable. Then you will know for next time 🙂 )
PS I love chicken and chickpeas together!
JJulie, I hope you enjoy taking it a bit easier. And also enjoy being so fit and gorgeous.
It is fast day for me and I am SO looking forward to having the first proper one for more than a week.
Hello to everyone, I hope it is a good day.
Good morning all. The reason I havent done a serious FD in awhile is because my mind is obviously elsewhere…..lol. But in saying that yesterday my food intake was under 500 cal without planning to do an actual FD. No need to count calories anymore as I now know what intake constitutes the FD limit. So even though I haven’t done a ‘planned’ FD in awhile I think I have become used to eating this way and it now happens without thinking about it….hope that makes sense.
Thin – yes I did sprook about this being a way of life and not a diet, hence why for me FDs occurring without thinking about them. But rest assured I will continue to weigh each day and jump back to the 2 planned FDs a week if I hit the 63kg mark.
Cali – I was 76kg and am now 62 so 14kg loss.
Cinque – DIL – that certainly gave me a chuckle 😃😃😃
I think my username is fairly obvious….Hello from South Australia !!
Have been busy this week tidying my car ready for sale. I have a large V8 4WD which is starting to get up in years and kilometers so time to offload while I can still get a reasonable price. Having a complete change and buying a 4 door ‘go fast’ sports sedan. Secondhand as new cars have never been in my budget. Have found one at a dealership about 2 hours drive from home, 5 years old and extremely low kms at a good price. They are holding it for me until Saturday when we go down for a test drive. OH is a Service Manager for a local dealership, an occupation he’s held for many, many years so his advice and insider knowledge has been invaluable.
Have a great day everyone
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29 Oct 17