Lindsay, when I suggested 80g carb, it wasn’t friands I had in mind. 😀
I think choosing to use it for legumes is a really wise choice as they have a much more moderate carb content than grains, they are filling, they are great for fibre and great for your gut bugs and they also can be the main protein source for your meal. I also remember you saying that you missed them, so hopefully having some will help you feel less deprived on your current eating regime.
I would also suggest you look at using some of those extra carbs for things which are difficult to fit into a very low carb regime but are good healthy choices: fruit, soft dairy products and non-leafy veg.
As you are planning to build up to 80g carb slowly it would be good to keep an eye on your appetite. Ketosis suppresses appetite so use that as a guide to the carb level that keeps you in mild ketosis – unfortunately it’s different for everyone so there is no guaranteed level that everyone can follow. I was easily able to eat 80g and keep my appetite suppressed but I know others who couldn’t get above 50g a day without coming out of ketosis.
I have the same issue as many others when it comes to bread, I find it very hard to stop at one small piece. I use the freezer to get it out of easy reach and I also try not to have it every NFD.

I need to catch up on posting here! I’ve been busy melting this past week. The temperatures have ranged from highs of 36 to 40 during the day. Thankfully, humidity is low. And the nighttime temps are about 20 to 23. At about 10 or 11pm we turn off the air conditioning, open some windows, and turn on the whole house (attic) fan which cools everything down pretty quickly. Penguin, we could use some of that rain over here! A few big fires burning around the state. The firefighters have their hands full.

Lindsay, it’s hard for me to even imagine seeing a whole field full of sufhur crested cockatoos. I would have sat myself down at the edge of the field and stayed there as long as they did!

LJoyce, I’m surprised that cherries from here made it all the way to Aus. They always seem like a delicate fruit to ship so far. We have a bowl sitting on the kitchen counter right now too. The ones we have are sweet, and the ones most people prefer, but my favorite are the sour red cherries. The neighbors have a tree of them and several branches hang over the fence into our yard. Butte have to be quick to get a few before the birds get to them. They seem to know the exact day they are ready for eating.

LJ, I like wallpaper too and had in in serial rooms in past homes, but only one room here. It looks like it’s gotten MUCH more expensive than it was about 15 years ago. But it all seems to be “peel and stick” these days rather than the preposterous kind we used to dip in water and then apply. I wonder which is more forgiving when lining it up?

Thin, I’ve become much more suspicious of fish from Vietnam such as tilapia after reading your comments a while back about farmed fish from there. It’s kind of a dilemma though because even fish stores could mislabel the source. I have been trying to use more fish in our meals lately.

Good to hear from you CalifD, I was thinking about you while making coffee this morning – OH read out that 17 were missing in the wildfires. It must be frustrating having your BP dancing all over the place and needing to constantly check it. But at least you’re off the meds. Good that you’ve got your weight below 60 again. Are you enjoying ‘retirement’ mode and are you considering making it permanent?

This is only my second FD in over 4 weeks and I’m looking forward to it. I felt guilty not fasting on Wednesday. I’m still only 59.4kg this morning so I think 6:1 is the correct thing to do for a while. I’ve got the root & barley and cauliflower soups ready to go so there’s nothing to think about. DD will be heading back to her final week of prac and I’ve defrosted a small pork loin for OH.

Yesterday, I had a go at making a Sri Lankan eggplant curry. The aroma of the spices transported me straight back to our holiday. But sometimes I wonder whether people have actually tried the recipes they post. The only liquid was one third of a cup of coconut milk and a 1tbs vinegar. When they were added, the recipe read, ‘bring it to the boil’ but there was nothing to bring to the boil! I improvised and it turned out quite tasty.

Cinque, I hope you have lots of fun with the little ones today. Have a great day all.

@cate – thank you! to be really honest, I would not have thought it possible, and the weight loss started really slowly. In the beginning I noticed changing shape, without noticing weight loss. At the same time as starting 5:2 I also started walking for about an hour every morning – now the same distance only takes between 35-45 minutes – nothing too energetic, with occasional stops for taking nature photos. Also, in the beginning I counted calories on FDs just to get an idea of quantities, now I only do this when I try a new recipe. At this stage I am dropping around 1kg per week, but I am doing 4:3, and I am also doing 14 hours every day before eating, not just before FDs. Everything comes so naturally that I don’t even think about it. I realise every one of us is different, and we all arrive at our preferred variation of 5:2 in a different way.
I would so much love to live in Tassie, but after such a long time living in the tropics, I am not sure how I would handle the cold / wet weather!

LJ I looked up the carbs in a friand and they ranged from 4 (I don’t think so!) to 32 for a recipe including flour. These ones were made from almond meal, so I’m guessing fewer, but it was a once off for me. I’d much rather get my carbs from healthy foods, and save the ‘treats’ for the day I’m safely below my target. I made a lamb stir fry last night, for a break from the grills and green veges, and put some fresh corn in. It was a nice change.
Actually my OH, the most supportive person on the planet, asked me this morning how long it would be before I could eat ‘normally’ again. Funny question. ‘Never’, I was about to say, but then realised he was actually asking about our old routine of sitting down to breakfast together. So I was able to reassure him that I’m only doing 16:8 til we go on holidays, then it will be back to 5:2. He was happy. My weight may not be moving as quickly as I’d hoped, but I got a double-dose of motivation this morning when I was going through the cupboard looking for an outfit to wear to a live performance later in the week. I found a black dress I’d bought ages ago which fitted like a dream, so with a red scarf and a pair of red heels (rescued from the big box lost under the house) I’m ready to go. Whoo hoo.
I had a funny moment shopping yesterday. I ran into an old acquaintance, who commented how much weight I’d lost and asked how I’d done it. 5:2, I said. Intermittent fasting. ‘Oh that will never work’, she said. In the face of evidence to the contrary, it was a perplexing comment, no?
Thin and Calif. Under 60. Congratulations both. You must both look amazing. And Sybs, thanks for the tips on how you are doing it. As you say, we each reach our own version of what works. Mine still needs tweaking, but I’m on my way.

After my walk I’ve spent some time trolling through legume recipes and I came across this. It appeals to me and though it might appeal to others also. I have not tested it yet:
https://www.glnc.org.au/recipes/legume-recipes/adai-mixed-lentil-indian-bread/
The main thing that appealed (apart from the fact that it’s a bread and it contains legumes) was that you can freely substitute any other legumes proving you keep the proportions the same. That definitely suits the way I tend to cook.

Oh, and I also congratulated Calif and Thin for being under 60 kilos, and Sybs for having a target and being nearly there.
And Penguin, I suspect our multi-multi millionaire PM has never tasted a pie in his life, except possibly in a French retaurant and called something quite different. Good for him for having a go though – even if he didn’t know how to tackle it.

Cali. Once again we worry about you. There seem to be wildfires everywhere this year. Stay safe.

I am trying to eat more fish but the source can be a problem. I try to buy individual fish from a someone I trust but the standby stock in my freezer is an anonymous bag of “cod loins”.

Sybs. 18K? It took me forever to lose that much.

LJ. I feel as though we have nearly had an Australian summer. For over a month the temp was in the high 20s/30s and there was no rain. A month of sandals in the dust and in spite of a nightly scrubbing my feet are never going to be clean again. All changed on Friday night. It has been raining pretty steadily for us since then. We got off lightly – some parts have had serious storms and a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours. Temp now is 16C and after a month of shorts and T shirts I am in long pants and a T under a long sleeved polo. Normally I am in shorts all summer, but I am feeling the change.

Lindsay L. I never thought I would say this, I am sorry for your multi-millionaire PM. To reach that age without eating a good pie is serious deprivation.

Such great stories Quacka and Lindsay (and I’m sorry that I keep spelling both your names incorrectly). Shame you can’t post photos of yourselves in your killer outfits. Lindsay, what a ridiculous response from that acquaintance. I suppose she means that you won’t be able to sustain it. Well, you’ll show her! I received silly comments about two years into this WOL from people I didn’t see often – “oh, you haven’t gained all the weight back yet then” is one I recall. My doctor says it’s because we have challenged people’s notion of ‘normality’. They just don’t know how to deal with a major change.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed my root and barley soup! It’s one sixth of a batch for 259 cals, about so filling and warming. And, it looked a whole lot better than OH’s pork loin!

P.S. Posts are coming thick and fast this evening. Penguin, we’ve had a great deal of rain this week too. But it is winter. I can hardly keep on top of the weeds since getting home.

.

Penguin, the only danger we’re in from the wildfires right now are to our lungs. The smoke is blowing in this direction and it’s a little overcast, so we’re smelling a lot of smoke. Trying to stay indoors. Prayers for everyone who lives in those areas and have lost homes or have had to evacuate.

Lindsay, it’s always nice to discover unworn clothes that were too small before, but now fit. I love the idea of the little black dress with a red scarf and red heels. That’s a great combo.

Quacka, isn’t it nice to see a new thinner you in family photos? Congrats to both you and Lindsay!

Thin, it’s almost like people we haven’t seen in a while expect us to fail. This is the only way of eating that I know of that keeps the kg’s off without a lot of effort.

Quacka, your post was very moving. I doubt there’s even one of us who didn’t recognise the feeling, of seeing ourselves in a photo and hating it. (I’ve spent years behind the camera, so I don’t have to be in front of it). There’s a lightness (not just physical) that comes with mastering this weight bugbear that has plagued us for so long, and stepping out looking our best. And with killer heels? What can I say? I bet you looked amazing.

Thin I don’t mind how you spell my name – I’m just happy to see your comments.

Penguin the accepted wisdom (?) here in Australia is that the further west you go (ie out of the east coast cities and into the bush), the better the pie. I’ll leave it to other, thinner people to test that theory.

Calif thank you for the congratulations – I have a way to go yet, but I am focussed and will get there.

It’s a lovely sunny mild day here in the north, after some light rain overnight, so I’m in the garden this morning, planting some spring annuals and giving a couple of bushes a haircut while OH is out of the way.

Where are you this morning Cinque?

Well Cinque, that was a long post and handy for catching up on everyone else’s events – but nothing of you! How was your day with the little ones? I agree with you about trying to bridge the gap between what’s eaten on FDs and NFDs. At the same time, I do believe in fasting for the food discipline it requires as well as its health benefits other than weight loss. It’s taken some years for me but I do believe that I am finally eating to sustain a size 10 body. I am currently at 58.8kgs with little or no effort. Hurray for 5:2. To Lindsay’s acquaintance and all the other nay-sayers: Oh yes, it DOES work! Monday fasters, have a great day! Ignore the noise.

CalifD, hoping you soon get some good quality air to breathe.

Lindsay, I used to look at photos of myself and not really believe I looked like that i.e. it was just a ‘bad’ photo. But what eventually did it for me was sitting naked on the bed in the spare bedroom which has mirrors on the cupboards. An unpleasant reality.

Cinque-No, it’s a friendly forum but does get LOTS of spam. I love being able to just get rid of it(& the people who put it there).
Until I find the Konjac block I think I will buy more of the noodles from Woolworths. I am fasting today & my stomach is making one heck of a lot of noise, but that’s ok. As Thin said, “Ignore the noise.” I made a delicious smelling soup yesterday in preparation for today (only 172 cals) & I’ll wait as long as I can before I have any. Happy fasting. You are all an inspiration to me & it’s great to hear your success stories & how you deal with maintenance.

Good Morning everyone,
Sorry to be absent – I’ve been in a weird food space for a little while. I managed to burn the very back of my throat, which meant eating only having very cold drink/food for awhile. Eat icecream, was part of the medical advice. Also no spices. I had no idea how long it would take to recover, and there was a possibility of infection.

What to do. Bit of a dilemma how to keep my weight from ballooning, and to keep this low cal. There are asian milky iceblocks, redbean, taro, green tea, tea with little jelly balls, that are much lower calories than normal iceblocks and icecreams, so I’ve lived on those, and my throat is improving. Cold bland vegetable and chicken soup with ice cubes has come next, and last night had warm fish and soft vegies for first time.

Doing well now, so going to do a FD today with with just iced water or very weak tea/decaf coffee with icecubes.

Hope everyone is doing well. Will catch up with posts later today.

Check in: Starting FD at 65.8kgs, 3.8kgs over goal weight.

Onwards and Downwards,
Merry

Back again to respond properly to the multitude of posts. My infusion went well – I always hold my breath while the drip needle is going in and hope they get it first time. Since I lost weight this is a much easier process thankfully.

Thin, I’m pleased to hear that your single FD has eliminated the slight weight increase you noted over the week. It does sound like 6:1 will work unless your food choices or portion sizes change or you become less active.
I hope I’ve removed all of the kefir decoration as like all dairy it will start to smell soon if I’ve missed any.
Enjoy your bridge morning.

Cate, in addition to the Slendier noodles, which all supermarkets seem to carry, there is a cheaper option. Changs make konjac noodles too, but they are labelled “Super Lo-Cal Wok-Ready Noodles” – no mention of konjac until you read the ingredients. Unlike all other brands, these are shelved with the other Asian noodles and usually on the top shelf. I’ve also only ever seen them in Coles supermarkets. The packets contain a little less than the Slendier packets but are about half the price. Changs don’t have a variety of noodle shapes just one size (about the diameter of fairly thin spaghetti). The blocks of Konjac that Thin mentioned would be much cheaper again, but harder to find.
I see you’ve caught the FD soup bug. It’s just the most convenient FD food, especially in cold weather.

Quacka, If we can call you Q does that mean you are now inventing gadgets for 007?
I think Cinque’s description of why konjac noodles can cause digestive issues was spot on. The reason konjac has so few calories is because it’s almost entirely plant fibre. I also had a similar reaction to legumes/pulses when I first started to increase the amount I was eating. It took about 3 weeks for it to stop and I assume that meant my gut finally had a big enough population of the right bugs to deal with the change of diet. I find every time I take antibiotics I have similar problems for a few weeks until my gut bug population recovers.
Your book purchasing reminds me of myself a bit. Although with ebooks it’s so easy to hide from the book hoarding these days.
Not being scared of the camera is a wonderful improvement. I envy you those high heels – I always think it so much easier to look elegant (and taller) in heels.

Lindsay, that outfit sounds perfect, especially the red suede shoes. I love suede shoes (I used to have a treasured purple pair). How wonderful to find unworn treasures in the wardrobe that now look good.
I hope the 50g of carbs works well for you. I think adding a higher carb veg that you’ve been missing, like corn, is an excellent way to take your carb levels from very low to moderate. I think the carb foods that convert slowly into energy (like veg) are much better for you (and your blood sugar levels) than those that convert quickly into sugars (like sugar and white flour).
I think the better meat pie tends to be produced by small or local bakeries rather than the large commercial ones that supply the cities. I don’t much care for the efforts of our biggest commercial bakeries here in S.A. but there are smaller local bakeries (especially in the Adelaide Hills) that make excellent pies. Not something I’ve bought in quite some time though.

Cali, I’m still praying for rain for California and hoping you get cleaner air and less heat soon.
Cali (and anyone else familiar with Canada), my best friend’s daughter is moving to Canada to do her Masters degree in Music. I’ve promised to make Canadian themed goodies for her going away party. I’m at a bit of a loss to think of things that I identify as Canadian, maple syrup (perhaps in a cheesecake) and a lumberjack cake were the only things I could come up with. Do you have any other ideas of foods that Canada is famous for?

Penguin, can I assume there is much celebrating just across the border in Wales with the Tour de France win. Or do they not bother with any sport other than rubgy.
Yes it does sound like you’ve had an Australian summer to me too. Even your description of a downpour after weeks of heat is also what happens here. By the time the rain arrives the ground is so parched and hard it can’t absorb the water so it runs off and causes flooding in low lying areas.
I’ve heard of cod, but not cod loins – dare I ask what they are? Is it similar to a pork or lamb loin chop?

Cinque, you comment “hoopee Fast Day is over, what shall I eat?” rang far too many bells for me. The only time I seem to get past this is when I do 3 NFDs in a row – by the time I get to the third day I’m ready for some moderation.
I too have writing in many of my recipe books where I changed quantities or cooking times or ingredients and liked the result.

Merry, that sounds like a very painful injury, glad to hear it’s finally recovering. Hope you are back to normal soon.

After much dithering I finally chose a wallpaper to use behind the glass doors of my new dining room cabinets. The cheapest options was to order it from the UK and have it shipped, even with the shipping cost it’s still cheaper than buying it here. They say delivery is by courier within 2 weeks – that was also faster than ordering it through a store here. I ended up choosing a fairly simple leafy pattern in mostly grey https://www.wallpaperdirect.com/au/products/albany/isla/149626 It’s a safe rather choice rather than an exciting choice. I figure if I get bored with it, I can always replace it in a few years. Once I have the rest of the furniture in place I may also be more confident to choose a paper with some colour in it.

It’s probably time for me to go for a walk now as the sun has emerged from behind the ever present cloud cover.

LJ- I’ll have to make a list of the variations available in the konjac noodles, for when I’m out & about. I’ll just buy some Slendier ones from Woolworths until then. My soup was yummy & I have only had 1/3 of it(57 cals), followed by 15 g of jerky & 1/2 a mandarin. I have put aside 1/3 of it to have tomorrow. I may go B2B tomorrow but will see if I wake up really hungry. It’s either that or Friday & Fri seems so far away!
Thin- That food looks gross. We’re thinking of going to Canada next year but haven’t decided 100%. I don’t think I would be eating much of that stuff.

When I saw that list, the poutine reminded me of Porto’s famous Francesinha in Portugal.

Merry, how did you burn your throat? Ouch. I hope it feels better soon. Bad luck being prescribed a remedy of ice cream! 😆

@julie – good to hear from you. Just text me when you are ready to walk again

Good evening,

So good to see your post JJulie! But sorry about the bad health things. This year has been a rotten run for you. Looking forward to when you have time for another catch up. And hopefully soon you are able to walk easily again.

LJoyce, Canadian foods! I remember a friend who moved to Canada said that Caesar salad was the thing over there, with every family having their own recipe, just like we do with coleslaw. That inspired me to google Canadian salad and this one came up quite a lot and I thought you might like it: https://pulses.org/recipes/recipe/255-the-great-canadian-salad
I also looked up blueberries and found this: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/canadian-blueberry-dessert-135278

Thin, the poutine reminds me of the Halal Snack Pack.

Merry, how awful to burn your mouth that badly!
I understand exactly how it happened https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Axsnn_0to Your real name is Sasha the Gypsy. But no more! Ok? 😉
You did well finding things to eat while your throat healed.

I’ve just put a big veggie tray bake in to cook. I’m going back to read about wallpaper and spam and all the other things.

Ha LJoyce, google Canadian Caesar salad and you will have lots of options there!
Good luck with the Nanaimo bars. And the Bean stew!

I’m eating my yummy veggies now with some eggplant-tahini sauce. Very yummy.

Thin, the kids were lovely yesterday. Little Miss almost 2 was very keen to sit in the small dolly pusher, but after some negotiation I brought in the old umbrella style pusher I have and she sat in it (with the seatbelt bit done up) very happily for about 20 minutes, in the middle of the living room.

Merry, I hadn’t come across sourdough piecrust before, I think I will try one.

Yay for soup, especially on Fast Days.

Cali, I hope the air quality is improving.

Night all.

Piegate is funny. I think we can beat it. Our new Foreign Secretary, currently on a visit to China, told his hosts that his wife is Japanese, then remembered she is actually Chinese. So, first conversation of a diplomatic visit offends two nations and his wife. We thought his predecessor was the gaffe king. Perhaps not.

Quick post this one, I am on day one of an arts summer school. I rushed home to be here when a new oil tank arrived; which it did, two hours late. We got it into position, the delivery driver left and the installation technician said “That tank is no good. It will have to go back, you need a replacement.” Which leaves me in an excellent mood to do my on-line language courses. For some reason I thought it might me fun and keep my elderly brain active to learn French and Portuguese whilst keeping my German up to speed. It is quite entertaining, except for the frustration that the on-line courses all teach Brazilian Portuguese which differs slightly from the European which I need. Also that this week all three languages seem to have a food fixation.

Good morning,
I am cooking adai! But the first one stuck quite badly so I need to clean the pan and prepare it again. Probably a good thing as the mixture can mature a bit. The bits I could scrape off were so yummy.

I think they might really suit for breakfast after fast day (when I have worked out how to cook them properly).

Cate, your scales are having an evil day. Ignore them, and concentrate on the lovely feeling of lightness. They will buckle down and catch up eventually!

Cali, I love the way you described LJoyce’s wallpaper choice.
And I am so glad you can head off and get your hair done. I hope it makes you feel like a million dollars. It should definitely make you feel you are getting back to normal.

Penguin, that is a shocking politician stuff up. Good grief.
I hope you get to enjoy your art day today.
Oh dear, I meant to get back to try learning a language, but my poor old brain hasn’t even been able to get me started.

Read up about sourdough pastry and gave up on trying to make it. Definitely one for someone with starter to use up.

Hope bridge was fun yesterday Thin.

Best wishes to everyone for a good day today.

Cate, I sometimes found that the weight loss was recorded the day after the day after the FD. Keep going. You’re doing your body a lot of favours in other ways and the weight loss will be an added bonus.

CalifD, nothing like a good cut and colour to make you feel renewed. I don’t much care for the process, especially if I have to listen to the cutter’s boyfriend woes for 2 hours. I’ve only experienced a caesar salad in the true sense of how I understand it should be made in one restaurant. It was a French restaurant called ‘Sommelier’ and was located in a basement in Tijuana. Waiters prepared it at your table which is the only possible way to get the egg served correctly. A bit far for you CalifD, but we used to cross the border to eat there regularly.

Cinque, have fun in the kitchen. Yes thanks, bridge was a success yesterday. It’s taken nearly 6 months for me to emerge from the fog. The more I learn, the less I realise I know.

I no longer listen to the news and my BP is much happier for it. In Australia, it’s preceded by very dramatic & serious sounding music after which one might expect a “we shall fight them on the beaches” speech. Instead you get some stupid non-story about a politician doing or saying something totally irrelevant.

Thank you, Cinque, Sybs, Thin & Merry. I got such a shock when I got on the scales & I think now that this happened when I first started 5:2 years ago. My body feels like it’s thanking me, even if the scales are being mean. I feel really good. Thanks for the encouragement 👍

Good morning all.

JJulie, good to hear from you. You sound very busy at present. Hope your health worries are behind you now.

Merry, I hope you throat is continuing to recover. Thanks for the cinnamon rolls. I might pass that idea along to my friend as she is not a baker, but I know we can get large bags of frozen cinnamon rolls from Ikea here and they just need a few minutes in the oven. I know this because I look longingly at them every time I go in to buy the rye crispbreads that they also sell.
Merry, the War on Waste reminded me how often I forget that each state has such different rules/laws. I take for granted what happens in S.A. and forget that it’s not necessarily the same elsewhere. I’m in my 50s and I can barely remember a time when we didn’t have a refundable deposit on all plastic/glass drink bottles and also aluminium soft drink cans. I think it was Don Dunstan who introduced it in the 1970s – he was a premier who was definitely ahead of the times and became infamous for showing up to parliament in pink shorts. He also decriminalised homosexuality, got rid of the death penalty, relaxed the hotel drinking laws and lowered the voting age to 18. Although not all of ideas were good – he tried to set up a satelite city at Monarto (an hour’s drive into the Adelaide Hills) – that didn’t work, the only ting there now is a zoo. He took us from being one of the more conservative states to the most progressive – it’s been a backward slide ever since I think.

Cate, I agree with Sybs comment. I find the tape measure or my clothing are a more reliable indicator of both effort and progress than the scales.

Cali, thankyou for your comments on my wallpaper. Despite them promising it within 10 business days I have already received a text from DHL couriers to tell me it’s left Gatwick and should be delivered to me this Friday.

Thin, lad to hear you are getting better at bridge.

Cinque, well done for trying the adai. When a regional cooking surface is specified I always worry whether my pans will be ok. If you can get them to not stick please share the secret.
I do find that for other Indian flatbread like roti and chappati, my cast iron skillet works very well but my normal frying pans do not.

Piegate – Oddly enough the only place I saw this was on the BBC new website, along with the forein minister’s gaff that Penguin described.