Hi again!

This must be a recent record of mine posting so often! Admittedly, I’ve joined over on the September challenge thread and so I can’t post there and not peek in and post a bit here too since this thread was my original 5:2 ‘home’! This means you’ll be hearing from me a bit more this month!

Cinque, yes, how delicious it would be to share all the home made delicacies! Syb makes home made tempeh!?!? I’m impressed. I did try that once and failed! I was better at soy milk, yuba and tofu!

Hi Calif!

Thin, your post about the simplicity of 5:2 is to me what allows me to continue long term too!

LJ, interesting to read your experience with calorie counting and the 500 limit as opposed to simply eating what your innate sense guides you to consume optimal for you on FDs and realizing that the amount equals 25% of your TDEE. I also like the idea of the ‘controlled’ NFDs that you said you add in from time to time. The High Tea presentation looked delicious and inviting. I totally understand sampling and enjoying selections in such a celebratory setting!

My admission is that I’ve had a spate of NFDs in which my stomach felt very uncomfortable from over eating. I’ve been delving deep to go into why I chose to continue to eat even when the discomfort began to arise. My recent FD was very helpful in enabling me to bring more awareness into this area and this day after my fast has thankfully been relatively free of cravings.

I’ve continued to flip through Dr. Varaday’s book for fun and Dr. V’s maintenance is to practice every other day fasting maintenance for life by simply increasing FD calorie counts to 1,000 instead of the weight loss phase FD count of 500 (or 1/4 of TDEE). Like you Thin, I appreciate the simplicity and do-ability of 5:2 and realize that if I have been able to continue with 5:2 for 2 years through thick and thin, then why not 20+?

Hi everyone, wow, so many posts, and long ones. Good to read everyone’s progress and news.

Hi Minka good to here from you!

Just got back from a couple of days away, and I have a couple of eating out meal wins to share.

1. Sweet and sour miso soup with veggies, a couple of pork dumplings and some noodles in a local club dining room, which was amazing – like a Tom Yum flavour.

2. A burger at Darling Harbour called a Bare Betty – a no-bun burger – meat patty, various vegies, a mustardy sauce, wrapped in a couple of lettuce leaves. It was yummy, and the lettuce leaves were a variety I didn’t recognise, strong so they didn’t tear, dark green, but still easy to bite through. It was more satisfying than I thought it would be, and I noticed quite a few people checking it out. The burgers were abit cheaper because you bought the bits separately, even the sauces were individualy priced at $1 or $2.

More 5:2 travel tips:

Drinks –
*tea instead of coffee made on milk
*water
*sparkling water has no calories but makes a more festive drink than plain water
*alternate other drinks with water if you drink alcohol, juice, soft drinks, and you’ll end up halving your drinks calories.

Food-
*have a clear soup instead of a cream soup

* if pasta have a tomato based sauce instead of a cream based sauce

Dessert –

*strawberries, rockmelon (cantaloupe) are about as low as you can go calorie wise.

*share a dessert if you must have dessert, or have very small portions.
On a river cruise OH and I were on, the dessert chef always made a new icecream or 2 for every evening, sometimes unusual ones. He served them himself, and was very happy when I asked for tiny portions, no problem for him to have people to eat sensibly but still enjoy his creations. His focus was on flavour not quantity. He served beautifully rounded tiny balls of ice-cream.

* coffee and dessert in 1 – affogato
I’ve had to show a couple of venues how to do this – again very small ball of vanilla ice-cream, with a shot of coffee poured over it. If you decide to go for this ask how they serve it. Sometimes they come with a shot of liquer which I don’t want, and the last one I had served a giant serve of 3 large balls of ice cream which ended up shared around several people.

Onwards and Downwards,
Merry

PS I know there’s heaps of things I meant to say but doing a blank right now. Maybe tomorrow.

LJ, that high tea and the house looked absolutely gorgeous.I can’t imagine passing up any of those beautiful creations. I would have done the same. There were probably less calories involved than you imagine. Like thin said, don’t worry, FD tomorrow. That’s why we do this, so we can indulge occasionally and not have to feel guilty. That did not look all that bad to me. And knowing how much you love tea, I imagine a lot of that fullness you felt afterwards was water weight. Just loved the table decor and the pictures of the grounds. Thank you for posting them.

Cate, I’m sure it wasn’t thin’s intention to make you or whomever she thought she was replying to sound stupid. Thin is one of the most thoughtful and helpful friends on this forum. It’s just that we see a lot of people come and go around here and it’s often because they are overlooking small bunches of calories here and there which can add up quickly and easily negate the benefits of a FD. Then they disappear because they figure 5:2 isn’t working for them. Thin wants 5:2 to work for everyone, because it’s been such a positive part of her life. She and other regulars here helped me through many a plateau (or outright binge) while I was getting to my goal weight. I don’t know that I would have gotten there without them. It seems like you’re doing well with 5:2. It can be slow going sometimes but it always seems to work if you stick with it. And you seem enthusiastic which is a big part of succeding. If you think your metabolism is slowing you down, your doctor can check your thyroid values with a simple blood test.

Merry, good tips for eating away from home. That always seems to be the biggest challenge, particularly when you aren’t the one choosing the restaurant.

Minka, good seeing you here more often.

I was down 100 grams this morning, even after all the nuts yesterday. But because of the snacking I didn’t eat dinner so I suppose that helped. Squeezed in at 59.9, just under the line.

Cinque, I thought I would plan some ‘family’ fast day meals as they seem useful for making fasting days feel normal. I compiled so many recipes when I first started this WOL but came to rely on just a handful. I’m going to try to expand my repertoire. Planning separate meals does also have its uses because it’s a way for OFMs to enjoy food that I no longer eat, such as pasta, while I tuck into a bowl of miso soup with shiitake mushrooms & savoy cabbage which they wouldn’t eat. You are very adventurous with your culinary efforts. I’m no beetroot fan but I can definitely appreciate the depth of its colour. As long as I don’t have to smell it. And Minka is amazing making the bean curd skins and all the other things. What has happened to Sybs?

We’re not celebrating Fathers’ Day until tomorrow as DD has a 10 hour shift in the emergency hospital at uni today. So, I’m cleared for normal Sunday fasting and proud to be one of the three musketeers.

Minka, I think I will see if the library has Dr V’s book. You seem to be deriving a lot of good affirmation from it. Good luck with the September challenge. It is a weigh in?

CalifD, thank you for what you wrote. Summed up perfectly. I definitely didn’t sit down to write all that with any ill intention! I’m not very good at expressing myself it seems so thank you for doing it for me. And apologies for any offence caused. I’m very glad that you’re managing to see the 59s on the scales. I look forward to getting comfortably back there with you. I love nuts. Shame they’re so expensive. Or perhaps it’s a good thing. Cashews, hazelnuts & brazil nuts are my favourites.

Hi everyone, just checking in!

Thank you to LJoyce, CateAus, Calif, Thin & Cinque for your kind thoughts and special wishes – much appreciated.

I’ve truly missed this thread and all the inspiration and learning from everyone’s posts. All your easy banter and conversations are interesting and a joy to read – thank you!

LJoyce – I’m really enjoying my Dad today, he’s always a bright spot in my life and his big smile is just delightful. Loving the photos of your food intake – the high tea looked just gorgeous and the surrounding ambiance sensational!

Calif – no pacemaker for OH as yet; Specialist is trialling medications for 3 months to reduce weird arrythmias; may need an ablation if meds don’t work – OH just wants to feel normal again!

I hope you all have a very good week and enjoy whatever you are getting up to. Bye for now! xx

Good evening all

Firstly I just want to say to LJoyce please don’t stress so much about the high tea. It looked beautiful and I hope you really enjoyed it. Don’t forget the aim of 5:2 is to do the FDs 2 days a week only. You were not on a FD. I agree with Cali, the calories were probably not quite as much as you imagine. The guilt seems to blow it out of proportion and you should NOT have to feel that way! We are still ‘allowed’ to enjoy our food. I know if I couldn’t enjoy food on NFDs then I could never stick to this.

My shopping day was a success. I was feeling quite terrible all day but still managed to find some really nice clothes to buy. I know I have said this before, but I am actually starting to like shopping for clothes again. Before 5:2 I couldnt stand to see myself in the mirror, no matter how nice the clothes. I bought a lovely pink jacket to go with my navy and white race day dress, in case it is cold. I also bought a long wrap around hippy skirt. Something I would usually never think about wearing but I really liked it so I bought it at only $29.95. I also bought a denim skirt and another skirt. I bought a pair of size 10 jeans for jeans West . They had a deal on. Buy three things and get 40% off. The size 10 is slightly too tight although I can do them up as they are so stretchy. I could still wear them now as long as I didn’t have to eat lol. I am looking forward to wearing them as everyday jeans.
On my next free day off I am going to get all my bigger clothes together and donate them. I don’t see the need to keep them anymore. I will be sticking to 5:2 and when I get to my goal weight I will go on maintenance. If my weight creeps up I will 5:2 again. I can see myself doing that before holidays or Christmas etc

Cate, I hope you don’t let a misunderstanding throw you off 5:2. Weight loss is the strangest thing. There is no logic to it except that if you continue to do 5:2 it will happen. I have also been at many plateaus, I have gone off it on my birthday and at Christmas and I regret it. Last year I stopped 5:2 about two weeks before my birthday, 28th November. I didn’t pick it up again until end of January. I’m glad I went back to it. I thought I could just do what I like for a while and go back to it and of course I can. But in terms of weight loss it would have been better if I at least did maintenance during that period instead of putting weight on. This year that is not happening.

For all of us. Just keep at it. Eat the healthiest way we can and remember to enjoy your food. I think it’s so important to us to remember this. So LJoyce and all of us who sometimes have a ‘blow out’ (all of us), enjoy the food, get rid of the guilt and as merry (I think) says, get back on that horse tomorrow.

Oh btw we went to our fav Japanese restaurant for lunch on Saturday. I had agedashi tofu and octopus balls. Both entrees and both times I made OH have some lol. He had a mixed dish with rice and miso and spicy chicken as well. I was quite satisfied after my two entrees even tho I didn’t eat them all to myself. Oh, I also tried a umeshi or umeshu wine. I don’t drink wine usually but I like to try different cultures drinks. It was amazing. Try it sometime if you get the chance

FD for me tomorrow. I will be back then I am sure. Take care everyone. Xxxxxx

Hi there!

It’s been great reading all the welcome back messages!

Merry, those naked burgers sounded delicious! I’ve had one of those before, at, can you believe it? …McDonalds, when I was in a place traveling with no where else to eat, but thankfully there was the ‘Create Your Taste’ menu which offered a burger wrapped in lettuce, though yours sounds much more tasty!

Cinque, I was interested to read that you added sugar to the beet kvass. My recipe simply calls for beetroot, salt and whey. My experience is that the beetroot is so sweet no extra sugar is required. I suppose it is a cultural thing and I suppose some prefer their kvass sweeter? I actually prefer my kvass tasting with perfect balance of natural sweetness and tartness, though not vinegary. I find the taste sublime and have been able to strike that delicious balance. Interesting that even though salt is added, I never taste the salt and I find that the case for the purple cabbage sauerkraut that I also make. In any case, perhaps you’ve already run across this, though here is the recipe I’ve always followed…

http://thenourishingcook.com/how-to-make-fermented-beet-kvass/

Also Cinque, I hadn’t mentioned the adai you make because I didn’t know what it was. I just looked it up and how delicious it would be to dine on that as an accompaniment to the tempeh and yuba! The process of making the adai looks time consuming, though so is that of making tofu! That said there is nothing sold in the stores like the taste of freshly made tofu, and I would guess that is the same with the adai, that no store bought chapati, tortilla or pita bread would even come close!

Thin, I’m very much enjoying reading the Dr. V book even though I’m a died in the wool 5:2’er! I enjoyed perusing the science and I really like some of the recipes in the back of the book, especially some of the 100 calorie snack recipes. Here is a sample of one:

*Chocolate Stack8
10 grams reduced-fat peanut butter
10 grams dark chocolate
4 strawberries hulled

Spread the peanut butter over the chocolate. Slice one of the strawberries and place the slices on top of the chocolate. Serve with the remaining whole strawberries.

Dr. V’s comment on recipe: we have used full fat foods where it didn’t exceed the calorie count because my research shows that people who eat high-fat foods actually lose more weight on the EOD Diet, as long as they don’t eat too many calories. Where full-fat foods did exceed the calorie count, the recipe calls for reduced-fat variety.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen reduced fat peanut butter in Australia! …Though I rarely buy it, so is maybe why and I haven’t searched for it.

Thin you asked about the September challenge… it includes optional registration onto a spreadsheet of starting weights and measurements and then to again add those same statistics at the end of September. At the end the moderator adds up the total amount of weight the group collectively shed. I find that a fun and interesting statistic! I reported my start weight onto the spreadsheet though didn’t measure so left those fields blank. Since I’m within my goal weight envelope, I’m mainly using that challenge as a way of supporting more conscious and mindful eating on NFDs. I’m also using it as a support to reckon with those dragons or ‘devils’ that sit on the shoulder that you mention LJ! Those little devils can sure ignite my cravings and emotional hunger.

Speaking of devils, dragons and emotional hunger cravings, my sister recently guided me to consider using a therapeutic she’s successfully utilized.

Recently at a time in which I was at my wits end with regard to a bout of relentless compulsive and emotional eating, I gave the exercise a ‘go’ and I found it helpful. Since then when I’ve practiced this a couple more times and find it most useful when I’m lying in bed comfortably at night. Here is the exercise (which many of you may have already practiced) as my sister related it to me:

Lie down with eyes closed and imagine descending a staircase. Slowly slowly step down going down further and further till you come to a door. Slowly open the door and discover what is there on the other side of the door.

I know the above visualization might sound ‘hokey’ or ‘woo, woo’, though I’ve found it truly has helped shed light on the emotional origins of my gnawing hungers and cravings. In other words it helped release a lot of unconscious pressure. I just thought to mention in case there are others who feel thrown by bouts of over eating and sense that perhaps there are emotional origins to the cravings. Maybe can help some like has for me.

Minka and Arel, I posted on the monthly challenges for a long time until a few months after I reached my goal. Since I’m usually on this SH thread and like the long posts and smaller group, I stopped posting on the other several months ago. This one is enough to keep up with. But I did find the other very helpful too.

LJ, I love your new dining chairs and covers. They will go great in your new home. Being able to seat 12 people at your dining table will be wonderful for family gatherings. You mentioned getting 8 chairs. Will the extra 4 be chairs from other rooms? I can’t believe you got 8 into a hatchback. But I guess when they’re disassembled they’re a lot more compact. You already have your table assembled, right? I bet you could start those chairs yourself. It doesn’t look like there would be many pieces. I’d be anxious to see at least one all assembled.

Cinque’s post about beets and kvass reminded me of a recipe that I’ve made a few times that’s low calorie and lovely to look at. I don’t make it often because OH isn’t a big fan of beets, although he’ll eat them if I make something with them. You start with a bed of mixed greens. Add a cod or tilapia filet or two on top of the greens. Steam some red and gold beets and cut them into cubes. Keep them separate to keep the colors separate until the actual assembly. Then top the filets with a generous combination of the two. You can add a vinegret dressing if you like, or even a little crumbled feta. The plates look beautiful with all the colors.

Good morning, it is glorious here. I am going to sit in the sun later.
Is the sun shining on you in Tasmania, Cate?

LJoyce, it is nice to have a cat in the home, and you will love the pleasure of a mad kitten before it settles into quiet companion. It sounds like you have had cats before, a long time ago?

What a great Ikea spend. How nice to get the huge discounts! You will be so quick by the time you put the last chair together!

Arelkade, it sounds like your OH is going through a horrible rigmarole. Fingers crossed it isn’t too long before he can feel normal again.

Thin, first snakes, now beetroot! We are giving you a rough time here.
Best wishes for Father’s Day at your house today.

I had a good fasty fast day, and such a treat of a breakfast this morning. My homemade bread toasted, topped with avocado, sardines, tomato and parsley leaves. Now I am ready for the day. AND I have finished the sardines, so I can buy more kippers! Yay!

The next step on my cooking adventures is to master real (as opposed to canned) kippers and sardines. But it might be a long, slow adventure.
I think I became a fairly adventurous cook due to being a vegetarian in the 70’s and 80’s, which is a bit funny now that I am having fish and meat discoveries. But perfectly understandable that I am having beetroot kvass adventures. 😉

Quacka, gorgeous shopping! And bargains! I bet that when you get to your target weight, they will be the test jeans that you can use instead of scales to judge if you are gaining weight.

And umeshu wine sounds amazing.

Minka, thankyou so much for the info and link for the beetroot kvass. The recipes I saw had much more salt (tablespoons rather than teaspoons) and then I read an article by someone from a Russian background who was amazed that westerners used salt, as traditionally they used sugar. So I went a bit both ways, I figured the little fermenting bugs might eat up the sugar. But they didn’t. Not all of it anyway. So I will try it again with your recipe.

The adai is thanks to LJoyce. It is so yummy, very cross cultural if we were eating it with Japanese foods, but there you go. I am still perfecting my recipe, but even when I am thinking ‘hmm, these ones are less crunchy, I mightn’t put all the rice in next time’

I like that visualisation!

Cali, what a pretty dish that fish and beet one would be, and super healthy!

I must run, it is Monday and my neighbour will be down for our shared Monday coffee soon.

Who said something about long posts here! What!

Cheers all. have a lovely day.

Thank you for all the interesting posts that kept me entertained during my post-fast coffee. So many things to consider. I’ve a busy day planned though so will have to converse later. Have a great day everyone.

Good morning SHs,

My lack of hunger last night hasn’t lasted until this morning. I woke up feeling like breakfast – not something that happens often. https://imgur.com/KCNzWLJ So far, just a picture of brekkie: a pot of tea, a piece of rye toast and a boiled egg. I felt like more when I’d eaten it but I’m keeping myself distracted until that feeling goes away.
I think I was hungry because I just couldn’t face dinner last night, so despite heating the soup up, it ended up back in the fridge. I had a hot milk drink and a rye crispbread at 9pm. Then an early night.

Cate, wombats on the golf course? What happens if you lose a ball down a burrow? That’s an impressive number of steps you did yesterday. Good to see you are sticking with the new plan of not fasting immediately after a golf day. This week will show you whether your thinking about the need to swap that around works better for you.

Cali, I still have the old dining room suite in the house at present (which has 4 chairs) so until that leaves I will have 12. I have a great niece and the girlfriend of a great nephew trying to come to some agreement about who gets my old dining suite. I’ve left them to settle that argument themselves, but I don’t expect to have it for much longer. However in a few weeks I intend to buy my outdoor furniture. It will include 4 folding wooden chairs that I will be able to bring inside to add to my 8 dining chairs when I need the extra seating. The table is large enough (when fully extended) to seat 12, and 8 when not extended.
Actually I didn’t think they’d fit in the car either. But with the back seats folded down, and the chairs packed flat as they were I did just fit them in. The backup plan was that I’d take half of them home and my friend would wait with the trolley and I’d come back for the rest and her. Glad we didn’t have to do that.
No the table is still in boxes along with the cabinets and now the chairs. My niece and her husband have promised to come over one day this week and help me put it all together and get the cabinets securely attached to the wall.

Minka, I always have at least one jar of peanut butter in the pantry. But I also have never seen a low fat version. Back in the 1990s they offered a whipped version that was the same amount of calories by weight, but because it was whipped a tablespoon of it weighed less than normal peanut butter. I don’t think it was popular because it went off the market fairly quickly. I look for 2 main things when I’m buying peanut butter. No ingredients other than nuts (and perhaps some salt). I also look at fibre content and tend to buy one that performs better in this regard.
Thankyou for posting that exercise in self discovery. It sounds like something I would do actually.

Cinque, yes I have had cats before, but not for some time. I decided against having one when I lived in the Adelaide Hills as there were so many birds in my garden and I was concerned about them being hunted. Growing up, every single family cat we had was a stray or an unwanted cat that begged to keep. I like dogs, but the family dog always felt like it belonged to the whole family. The cats always felt like mine because I was the one who’d fought to include them in our family. The biggest decision I need to make is whether the next cat will be totally indoors or whether I’ll let it out for most toileting (which will require a cat flap). I’ve been surprised by the number of birds that are still in this area, considering how built up it is. I don’t want to have a pet that’s responsible for killing them. And I definitely don’t want kills brought into the house.

Quacka, that sounds like weight loss progress to be starting at a low weight before a fast. I think, given you aren’t well, doing 2 separate FDs sounds wise.
I hope this cold clears up soon.

I’m heading out shortly to try and find table linen for the new dining table. Nothing fancy, just a dozen placemats so that I don’t get heat marks on the new table. I was hoping to get a table runner, but I’ve checked out the options online and everything is too short. I was hoping for something that fitted the extended table and draped over the ends when it was not extended. At this rate I’m going to have to set up the craft room (which is still half in boxes) and get the sewing machine out.

Have a nice NFD or FD everyone.

Long long time no post!
It is lovely to see so many names I recall from the monthly challenges. Hello to you all.
Sadly I have put ON 12 kgs ( don’t ask!!!!) since I started 5:2 having first lost 6 kgs quite easily.
It is NOT the 5:2 WOL to blame. I am entirely to blame and , yes, blame is indeed applicable in this instance.
I really just overate all the wrong kinds of foods as in 3 x TDEE at times quite wantonly and not really from stress or anything that immediately comes to mind .
It was simply because the food was there and I ate it.
So now I am seriously back on the wagon (Hanging on by my fingernails at present) as most of my clothes don’t fit and I am as unhealthy as I have ever been.
Not great for a health professional!!
The great irony is that I introduced my sister to 5:2 15 months ago. She started this WOL, lost 13 kgs and is happily and successfully maintaining. She looks great and has never felt better.
Anyway, the main reason I am lurking/ reading is for motivation and inspiration which I have received from many of you over the past 2 years. And to prevent me eating on a FD.
Also @minka I have tried low fat peanut paste here in Western Australia but it wasn’t very nice – can’t remember the brand and only bought it once.
I considered that if I was going to eat something it might as well be full fat and taste nice!

Good afternoon everyone,

Welcome MsEvieRaeMcTear! Lovely to have you here. Congratulations on your first 4 weeks of lovely weight loss, and yes, you are doing the right thing by just keeping on keeping on. Hooray for 5:2 being so sustainable that it just becomes part of life and your complicated body can sort out when it is going to lose the weight and the manner in which it loses it 😉

Lilymartin, lovely to see you here too, but commiserations about that 12kg. So glad you are back on the forum with your science information 101 updated in your brain! It seems you are like many of us, and have a lifetime of food issues to unravel.
Congrats to your sister, but isn’t it hard when someone else finds it so straightforward, and for you it is more complicated. (Especially when it is your sister.)

Cate, I could see the poor old mangey wombat, and your impressive number of steps! Great day! I talked about sitting in the sun, but when I went out I had to be in my duffel coat and my mittens. Brrr and cloudy. The sun is out now so I am typing quickly in the hope I can get out before another cloud gets in the way.

LJoyce, I wanted the cat to go outside for toileting, and she did come in everynight until I went to Sydney too many times and she broke her habit. It is almost impossible to get her in on summer nights (and when we put in a one way flap that neighbour cat came in, to Miso and my great distress. He has tried to come in again so the flap isn’t being used at all.) I just feel dreadful when I can’t get her in at night. Best wishes working out how you will manage it.

I am glad to say I buy my peanutbutter from a shop that makes it while I wait. Just peanuts, so no added oil.

Lindsay, I am envious of that hot stone massage! Enjoy!

Thin, I hope it has been a lovely busy day.

Mine has been busy too, nicely productive. I have sensibly planned the week’s food, which mostly consists of eating yummy things already cooked, that are in the fridge or freezer, with a little bit of herbs and greens from the garden to set them off!

Cheers all!

Hi all,

I had an expensive afternoon at Ikea. I went back to get the homewares that I didn’t have time to get yesterday and ended up impulse buying some extras that weren’t on the list!! I haven’t taken labels off yet, so if I think better of it I can take some back.

That meant lunch at Ikea. I had planned salmon as I like their salmon but they ran out and it was a 15 minute wait for the next batch so I had the chicken curry and they agreed to serve it with the veg that was meant to go with the salmon rather than the mound of rice.
So my full NFD food looks like this:
https://imgur.com/a/DPxWCyg
Breakfast: pot of tea, 1 slice kibbled rye toast and a boiled egg.
Lunch at Ikea: chicken curry with veg, raita and a cup of tea.
Afternoon tea: a pot of tea, a kiwifruit and a knackebrod (rye cripsbread) with a little feta.
Dinner: veggie lentil soup (the bowl I didn’t feel like last night) and 2 slices of kibbled rye toast.
Supper: decaf chai with almond milk

Lindsay – it never ceases to amaze me what you cram in the back of a hatchback.I’d never go back a sedan.
Your possum story reminds me of one of my worries about a catflap – I think it would need to be one of those coded for the cat’s microchip.
Enjoy that hot stone massage, I could do with one of those myself about now.

Lilly, Hopefully those fingernails will hold until you have a better grip. Things went off the rails for me for a few weeks when I moved house and was a bit scared that I wouldn’t halt weight gain. Thankfully I got back in control, I’m sure you will too. I found I had to focus short term – a day or sometimes even just a meal at a time. Planning to have a good week was too big a challenge to start with, but getting through one meal – I could see myself managing that. Once you manage one it’s easier to manage the next.

MsEvieRaeMcTear (Evie), Welcome to our forum. Plateaus are frustrating but most of us have dealt with them a few times. It sometimes just takes more patience that we think we have. Some people try to break the deadlock by adding extra FDs. I personally have to be careful with that approach as I tend to just eat more on the NFDs. I suspect the PCOS may also have an effect on the way you lose weight. Others that I know with this health issue found they lost weight slower than most others. I hope that doesn’t happen to you.

Cinque, I’ve always worried that having a cat that is indoors only would mean a smelly house. But my niece has several indoor cats and her house never smells of cat. Although she is a neat freak who vacuums every single day. I vacuum weekly and don’t particularly want that to change. I am also undecided about where I would put a cat flap. My preference would be the laundry, but the glass sliding door and the layout of the cabinets might make that impossible. I need to figure this stuff out before I bring a cat into the house permanently – these aren’t short term decisions, they have implications for 20 years if it’s a healthy cat.

I used to be able to get peanut paste made to order easily in the hills. There was one shop that made peanut, almond, and pistachio butters. I made the mistake of buying a jar of the pistachio butter once – it lasted just 4 days! I don’t think any of it made it onto a piece of bread, I ate it by the spoonful. Where I live now there are no such freshly made options, however the supermarkets carry Mayvers brand which I am always happy to buy – I particularly like their “superspread” which is a mixture of various nuts and seeds.

I am thinking that my next project needs to be the back garden. I don’t have to have it all sorted but I’d like to make a start. I have decided to use a side area as a veggie and herb patch initially. It may eventually become ornamental (or a bit of both),but I think I’ll start with it being productive. I need to remove the mulch, dig through lots of compost and then start planning and planting.

Time to heat up that bowl of lentil soup and make some toast.
have a good evening.

Hi Everyone! Just checking in to say ‘hi’ and that I’m fasting today! I had trepidation about doing so because I knew my day consisted of hours of physical activity and was demanding. The D-Ribose made all the difference and worth the 20 calories. I’d forgotten that it even existed and pulled out the old jar that has been there for months! I took it first thing in morning prior to departing for work and had unexpected energy on tap.

Good Morning SHs

Although I am not in the habit of being a daily blog poster, I enjoy this one and do plan to jump in sometimes. Today I have set aside time for a little longer post—which will likely not be my norm. But I hope short hellos are okay with you. I’m into my third week of this new diet and lifestyle. For me the beginning is the toughest because unexpected and challenging situations seem to show up immediately. That is when I have been most easily derailed. This time has been no different. Within ten days we traveled, and those few days could have been enough for me again to decide to give up. When we got home I had meetings and commitments that interfered with either eating or fasting. Again, in the past I would have decided I just could not figure it out. But this time I have not quit. I am going to keep at it. Reading your comments and the encouragement has been really helpful.

Also, a good personal pep talk is helpful. So, I am reminding myself that I have good, strong reasons and motivation to do this. First, for a while I have been carrying around about 20-25 pounds (in metric I think that is 11 kg, right?) It is enough to put me on the edge of the overweight/higher risk line, which is where Dr. Michael Morrow found himself when he did the BBC documentary. Second, most of my life I’ve generally been pretty athletic, but I became sedentary and lost muscle mass. It became strange to struggle to do physical things. I could tell it when I rose from a squatted position. My abdominal muscles weren’t doing their job. This is not acceptable. I am gradually wisely increasing my exercise, and I can already feel the benefits and see some new muscle definition. Third, (this may sound weird) but at this weight I feel like I don’t fit in my own skin, my body feels awkward when I move. I can’t wear my favorite clothes so my closet has different sizes. This un-healthful place is NOT a place I plan to stay!

So far, I’ve taken some good steps. I’ve joined this blog. Also, I have started a journal on what I am learning about my personal body-mind-health connection. I’ve also begun praying for guidance and help. Over the years I’ve benefitted from praying about everything I can think of but this—how odd. This journey is providing some unexpected personal discoveries. I’ve discovered I can now take vitamins and minerals and they do not upset my stomach. Speaking of stomach, I realized I had quit consciously holding in my abdominal muscles–how did that happen. Yet what a simple good idea! After 10 days I had lost a little weight, added some muscle, etc. However, I will weigh less frequently so the scales do not deter me, especially now. I think I was a perfectionist when it came to dieting and lifestyle changes. I’ve realized I do not have to do this right all the time, I just need to keep doing my best for the rest of my life.

Finally, I have a couple questions about using this blog. I notice some of you are posting photos and recipes. I saw one link that opened to a photo of a meal on a tray; is that a site you must sign up to use? Are these all linked to outside sites, or to other sections of this site? How do I find your recipes? How do I find your other photos? I occasionally might like to post to those as well, but I am certain I would enjoy seeing them. For my first health blog experience this is a delightful group to join. I appreciate the insights, transparency, and the happy friendly comradery from each of you!

Good morning, it is even brighter and sunnier (with a colder start) than yesterday. Lovely.

Rainbow Quill, so glad you could get a good long post in, it is lovely to get to know you more.

You are definitely one of the people whose busy life makes 5:2 a challenge. It is so hard to make it a lifelong habit when your life keeps getting interrupted. But hooray for keeping on with it, because once you have worked out all the tricks you need in different situations (changing days, travelling tips, best foods and eating times for each situation) you will be so set, and so happy.

I can really relate to what you said about not fitting in your skin. That is exactly how I felt when I was carrying excess kilos. It is such a relief now I am a healthy weight.

This forum isn’t really set up for photos, but we are managing to share some using https://imgur.com/upload . Last month Thin suggested we share what we eat on a Fast Day, and that was an interesting exercise. LJoyce has worked out that planning her days food, and then sharing a photo of it, is a good way for her to be accountable, as she had got into a tricky place with food, after moving house.

I’m afraid there isn’t a way to see all the photos apart from trawling back through the pages.

We do have a recipe thread that you can look through! https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/southern-hemispherites-fd-recipes/

Hi Penguin, nice to read your catch up and cheers for your two day fast. I bet you really enjoy it. Hello to your little robin. And lovely to read of the kitten, they are such fun.

I am going to teach my old cat new tricks. She is nearly 9 now and was my daughter’s cat (they both lived here when Miso was a kitten, so I got to enjoy that part) and she is used to having food out all the time, and oh her horror and distress if it isn’t! But I am going to put her bowl away at noon and not feed her until 7pm in the hope that she might learn to come in then. Oh, it will be a big battle of wills! (This is made even more difficult because someone else feeds her. No idea who.)

LJoyce, I feel just like you about the cat tray in the house, and this is such a small flat there really isn’t a place, even if I felt well enough to keep it cleaned out and the place vacuumed etc.

Lindsay, I dread Miso getting incontinent. 🙁

So much sympathy to you re the bursitis. My sister is also having trouble with it in the hip. She hasn’t mastered managing it yet but she says ice packs are wonderful. She is trying to walk without setting it off, but keeps overdoing it without realising, because it takes a day or so to show up. Such a horrible thing, I do wish there was better treatment.

Minka, I am so glad your D-Ribose helped you through the day. Happy morning after Fast Day!

I got out in the sun yesterday but only for a few breezey minutes, and it was so low in the sky the vitamin D mightn’t have come through. Today is a better bet. 19C forecast!

Thanks to yesterday’s excellent food planning I have worked out that tomorrow will be the best Fast Day for me, so I will enjoy this Day before Fast Day.

I hope you enjoy your day too! Best wishes.

*sorry for the annoying errors – not enough time to properly edit.

Good morning Thin, our posts crossed.

Good morning from Legian beach, where the scales were kinder this morning after foregoing dinner (late breakfast, very late lunch, then two cocktails on the beach, watching the sun go down). Both my meals yesterday were simple and healthy, which compensated somewhat for the alcohol. My girl pal is quite interested in the 5:2 ..not to the point of starting yet, but perhaps when she gets home. Certainly she’s on board with the IF notion of leaving more than 12 hours between meals, which even here is quite easy…….at home I’ve found the 16:8 has become quite routine and as an added bonus, gets me out of the house faster on work days.
Thin snake warning. LJ re cat flap. We couldn’t put one in, so tend to leave the screens open to my old cat can wander in and out. But my DD emailed this morning to say her swimming coach (who lives very close to where I do) found a 3 metre python under her sofa yesterday. No more leaving the screens open!
Cinque has your sister tried a myotherapist for her bursitis? I’ve had some good relief in the past, although mine is so chronic (following an industrial accident years ago that’s affected my gait) that the treatment needs to be ongoing.

Good Morning Everyone

I have decided to have a NFD today as I woke up really hungry this morning, very unusual for me. I went out to the kitchen to make my morning cup of tea and there was OH’s loaf of bread from his lunch yesterday. It was multigrain ( this from a man who would eat nothing but white bread only! Aaaah my persistence has paid off!)
I very rarely eat bread now but I really felt like it so I made myself one toasted sandwich with cheese and some of the beef I cooked for his lunches. Before starting 5:2 I would easily have put on two sandwiches with extra cheese and whatever else I felt like so I was happy to only have one.
The problem is that now I have been hungry all morning. This has to be psychological. I started work a lot earlier than usual as I had so much stock delivered yesterday I just wanted to get it under control today. About 15 minutes ago I almost caved in and went to buy a snack. I wanted a piece of fruit and some nuts. Instead I made a cup of tea and came here. I think I am ok now. Its only an hour and a half until lunch time, I can wait.

I am feeling much better now thanks LJoyce. I had the worst nights sleep after waking up at 2am during a horrible nightmare and then not getting back to sleep until after 4am. Too many thoughts running through my head – even what we are going to eat for Christmas lunch!! Ummmm, there is plenty of time to plan that. I don’t know why I was thinking about it when I should have been asleep!

Rainbow (and this applies to everyone else as well) please feel free to post as long or short post as you like 🙂 I really hope 5:2 works out for you.

Best get back to work. Still so much to do and I am going to drink some more water before lunch. I am looking forward to my tuna salad and I may even go and buy a piece of fruit if I still feel like it.

Take care all x

Quacka and Lindsay – if I’m going to an event with ‘formal’ as a dress code, must I wear shoes with heels? Here in the west, there’s the joke that ‘formal’ means matching thongs.

Quacka, was that a nightmare involving snakes?

Speaking of challenges and Christmas meals, perhaps I will post the Third Annual Silly Season Challenge again this year.

Must stop loitering here and get out for a soggy walk.

I have today’s controlled NFD photo: https://imgur.com/zfT3lb9
Lunch is strawberries, blueberries, buckwheat groat cereal and greek yoghurt.
Afternoon tea (if I feel like it) is 2 rye crispbread, on which I will put either a little feta or peanut paste.
Dinner will be a piece of crumbed dory, cherry tomatoes and a slaw made from beetroot, broccoli stems and carrot (I’ll mix a little greek yoghurt through before serving).
As always there will be water and pots of tea with milk.

Thin, because of the arthritis I don’t wear heels (nothing higher than about an inch), as my foot joints can’t cope with them. Depending on the weather and what you wear, a nice pair of sandals can look appropriate, although in winter I wear a pair of court style shoes with a very low heel. No sneakers or thongs!

I don’t know why you didn’t ask me Thin!
You need to choose one of these, and definitely 4″ heels!
https://jamwomanclothing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/new3-777×446.jpg
Yours sincerely, your Formal Wear Guru.

Quacka, excellent Fast Day yesterday! I hope you are enjoying your lovely lunch now.

Lindsay, you are doing wonderfully! Eep re the python.

I laughed so much Thin, at the call for a return to beetroot!
And I am glad you were able to celebrate Father’s Day so wonderfully.

It does seem I am back to single fasts…. this week anyway.

Miso the cat now has a message sticky taped strongly to her collar asking that she not be fed as she is in training. I wonder if it will work. She is VERY reproachful at the disappearance of her food bowl this afternoon.

Lunchtime for me though 😉 Oh dear I will feel guilty if Miso comes in while I am enjoying my lunch (Mung bean soup I pulled out of the freezer).

Bye now

Sorry thin I thought you were just making a joke about the thongs LOL 😉

If I were invited to an occasion where it stated formal dress I would wear heels, although I would be sure that they were still comfortable. I don’t think it is a rule as such though so if you had some lovely blingy flatties or even a wedge I am sure that would be fine. Also I don’t think a full length dress is needed. I would go for something that would like good enough to stand up with my OH wearing a dinner suit and tie (or bow tie?) I think you should wear something that makes you feel beautiful and that is comfortable 🙂 🙂

OH by the way don’t take my word for any of this. As you can tell by how long it took me to get OH into a tie, I am not the dressy uppy type of girl. This weekend is our race day so I will be dressed up that day though and yes I am wearing heels. They are not very high and are more of a sandal heel than anything else. Will try and post a pic for you all to check it out 🙂