What a beautiful setting LJ.
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That really is a lovely setting LJoyce and thanks for the tip about mindfulness. I just tried it with a mandarin and it was amazing!
Lindsay – renovations, welcome to my world. We took a lifestyle decision 7 years ago that my OH would quit work and look after the house and renovate it. We had to adjust our budget of course, but he suffered terrible anxiety about his job so it was worth it. He is an architectural draftsman so able to do his own design work and drawings etc; plus he is incredibly handy. So as he is a one-man-band it has/is taking a long time but I’ve learnt to live in a building site with dust etc. He has done an incredible job; our older, renovators dream of a house is slowly turning into a modern, architecturally designed home. The backyard was first and he turned that from mostly impenetrable rock and bush into a lovely area with a built-in pool, two decks and an outdoor kitchen. His back and knees are rubbish now from manually digging out several tonnes of earth etc but WOW. It will be worth it, I promise
thinatlast – how funny your annoying beastie was also called Max! I can’t imagine how frustrating that must have been. Poor little thing, it’s too long to leave a dog who suffers separation anxiety.
Cinque, glad you enjoyed the grandkids and I echo others – housework is NOT a priority; health is everything. Hope the yoga really helps
My FD is going really well, go to 11.00am and had a mandarin then lunch at 12.30 was a salad with a small amount of lean beef plus another mandarin. Dinner tonight is a small oven baked chicken breast that is marinating in lots of spices plus my usual stir-fried veges. Lots of water and two cups of black coffee with Natvia. Yay!
Lindsay & Anzac, I hope not to have to deal with renovations for at least 2 decades – I’ll be ready to replace the kitchen and bathrooms about then. Until this house, I’d only even bought old houses requiring lots of work and I never want to do it again.
I hope your renos are fruitful, enjoyable and result in the finish you are after. I also hope for no injuries along the way – that I found was unavoidable!
For those of you who expressed interest in my veggie patch, I now have a series of weekly photos taken over the last 4 weeks which show modest growth in the seedlings and seeds that I planted: https://imgur.com/a/lvEFxRZ
The star performer has actually been the dill plant, which has quadrupled in size. The tomatoes and lettuce have also grown noticeably. The spinach, eggplant, cucumber and zucchini are growing very slowly. All of the beans and peas are mostly up. I have needed to replant seed each week to fill in gaps. When I burrowed under the straw much to see how high the plants were I found quite a few had sprouted and had a stem, but their first pair of leave had been eaten off before the plants managed to get their heads above ground. Not sure which hungry little beast ate them – millipedes, worms, slugs are all possible culprits. However the replanting seems to have provided enough plants to fill the gaps – there are just few more bean seeds that I replanted late last week that still need to come up now.
I plan to chart the progress with weekly photos and I’ll continue to post once I have another batch ready.
Good morning all
After a difficult but successful FD yesterday I had decided I was not going to do B2B this week and instead fast tomorrow (Wednesday). This morning I have woken up not hungry at all so I am going to stick to B2B. It is going to be a warm day here today and I always find it easier in the warmer weather anyway. Yesterday I was so cold and I was not very active at work having spent most of the day doing computer work, I think that’s why I found it difficult.
Hope everyone is doing well x
7:49am Tues on a cold drizzly Adelaide day.
Quacka, I’m glad you got through your FD. I think cold weather is harder as we rely on calories to provide warmth. I hope you have a better FD today.
I hope you also get some good feedback on the 800cal question.
My FD went pretty much to plan yesterday. I ended up having a small apple early afternoon, 4 rice crackers late afternoon and a bowl of pumpkin soup for my evening meal. I’m certain it was under 500cal, which is a bit of a relief. I was concerned about breaking the fasting pattern. That’s a habit I want to feel permanent.
I’m just starting my day with my favourite breakfast tea blend “morning red”. Then it’s grocery shopping time, as I didn’t get it done yesterday.
I have house guests until Thursday, so the laptop will be packed away from it’s usual spot on the dining table. My posts will be very brief while I’m relying on the iphone. Also no likelihood of a FD while they are here, so I’m glad yesterday worked out ok.
Hope you all have a great day.
Glad your FD went well Quacka and LJoyce. Mine did too! So happy. The scales are up 300g though, due to my overeating on the weekend. I see it as a learning experience – to stop my brain from thinking ‘it’s an NFD so I can eat what I want’ and rather ‘it’s an NFD so I can eat normally, but healthily’ or similar.
I will be healthy today and do another FD tomorrow and hopefully the scales will head south. Still aiming for a dress size down and new outfit by 24 November (big family get together) or if not by Christmas
Have a great day all.
Hi Anzac 🙂
Don’t worry about the scales too much. Last week my reading went up after a FD too. Then after next FD (the failed one) it went back to the weight I was before the first FD!
The next day (after a normal day of eating) it went down about half a kg.
The scales make me laugh sometimes as they don’t reflect how I feel or what I have been doing. I also know that sometimes it takes my body a couple of days to show up (naughtiness or being good!)
I will still weigh every day though as I like to see what is happening.
Perth 6.30am sunny 28C
Well done Monday fasters. I’m a fanatic weigher but, looking back over my weight loss recordings, I see that I highlighted one weekly reading in red on Monday mornings after my Sunday FD. That gave me the daily feedback I seek but allowed for minor fluctuations during the week while showing a downward trend.
LJ, your good wishes arrived thank you and my partner and I came 1st in bridge yesterday. It’s not that we’re particularly competitive (we often come 5th) but it’s so satisfying to thrash the stuffy people who take it all so seriously and who’ve been playing several years! he he.
Good morning from warm cloudy Melbourne. 9:36am
I love the total disregard for housework, ironing and dustbunnies, on this thread! Good priorities. It is true that breathing is my highest priority!
Anzac, that all or nothing attitude is very tricky when it comes to eating. I do need to give myself permission at times to have the satisfaction of a good binge. The rest of the time I play with that quaint notion ‘restraint’. (Luckily it has its pleasures too).
Hi Quacka, well done getting through yesterday’s difficult Fast Day. I hope today’s one is as warm and easy as it has begun.
Lindsay, it is all happening at your house! How lovely it will be when it is all done.
LJoyce, the wedding looks and sounds wonderful. So glad the shoes were as comfy as you hoped. I do hope you managed to both rest and clean yesterday. Rest and recovery sounds the higher priority.
Your garden is just fabulous! So happy and healthy.
Ooh, your post has just come through (and Anzac’s and Quackas). I’m so glad you had a good Fast Day yesterday. Enjoy those house guests.
Anzac, what a pleasure to have an skilled designer and renovator as OH! Have a lovely healthy day. Yes, it is the longterm trends that count, not the daily up and downs. I bet you get to that next dress size down, the way you are going. All power to you.
I’ve just decanted another brew of beetroot kvass. I added a couple of cloves this time and it is very nice!
I’ve not got to the shops for a while and have been inventive in eating out my fridge and freezer. Luckily (as I am a bit chancy when inventing things) this has resulted in some delicious meals. Last night I had panfried polenta fingers with tasty chickpea and carrot mash (in an elegant mound), silverbeet from my garden, arabbiata sauce and toasted pepitas. It was such a delicious meal.
All I have in the fridge now is some cabbage and several carrots. So I will make Slow Carrot Soup (thanks Gordon Ramsey) and will try Cabbage Gratin, that I have just seen a recipe for.
Okay fasters, if reading about food was difficult, remember you can have some tomorrow!
Ooh, lovely, an early post from Thin
Congratulations on your Bridge win, Thin!
Shout out to Merry who must be recovering after the school holidays grandma duties.
Cheers for your day, everyone.
Morning Cinque. I wish my fridge was almost empty. Mine has bits and pieces of things that I don’t want to throw out but need to somehow bring together. My neighbour came round with 6 huge fresh free range eggs so there’s a perfect opportunity for frittata tonight and for using up some of those odds and ends.
LJ, we also had pumpkin soup last night. I made a double batch so will have it for my FD dinner tomorrow also. It’s normally deep orange in colour but somehow doubling the quantities of the leek and celery made it come out green this time.
Anzac, that sounds like a perfect solution for your OH. We made a similar decision about 17 years ago when work was very lean for my OH. We decided to extend our house as a way of ‘working for wages’ by adding value to our home. OH gave new meaning to the term ‘owner-builder’ with the owner building absolutely everything. First we built a large garage which served as his workshop which he filled with power tools. He went to TAFE to learn brick-laying and I took a course on lead lighting. Between us, we replicated our 1930s home in every detail, hardwood floors, 11′ ceilings, cornices, ceiling roses, etc. It took YEARS! The new laundry was first my kitchen for a whole year. If it couldn’t be made in an electric wok or a microwave, it couldn’t be made! So many bricks to demolish, clean and recycle. So much dust! But we tripled the size of our home and, by the end of it, there was plenty of aviation work available to him again so it all worked out well.
It looks a bit stark with no greenery but the first picture shows the lead light windows in the original part of our home and the second shows my attempt to replicate. I made this bank of four windows twice. It was perhaps an ambitious project for a first effort but I became pretty good at it by the 8th window! OH built the window frames. I’m exhausted just thinking back to those days and like you, LJ, never again!
https://imgur.com/cGvKqeP
https://imgur.com/bA3Sy7e
Wow thinatlast, what a coincidence that we both have similar stories. Your windows are absolutely beautiful and how clever you are. I’m afraid I am relegated to making coffee and cooking nice meals as I don’t have a creative bone in my body. OH used to tell me about his plans and even draw them for me but I could never picture them so imagine the happy surprises I’ve been getting for so many years 🙂
The pool is very special to us. My darling Mum and I wanted one when I was growing up but Dad always said no. So when she died she had never experienced life with a pool so my OH and I decided life was short and what the heck we’re going to do it come hell or high water. It took 4 years as OH had to dig out a very large hole and then we had a pool company come and put the shell in and tile it etc. We live in it in summer now. The outdoor kitchen and decks were completely built by OH (can you tell I’m proud??)
Here are some pics of the backyard. I don’t have any before shots, but picture a sloping yard with mostly impenetrable busy
Outdoor Kitchen
https://imgur.com/lVZxf0J
Pool looking back towards the kitchen
https://imgur.com/w1GzjQv
Pool from the deck above the outdoor kitchen looking out
https://imgur.com/qLbgYXj
Monday night 10:00 pm northern California
I wrote a long post last night and then either forgot to hit the Submit button or it disappeared after I did. I’ll try to remember some of what I wrote.
LJ, your dress for the wedding was stunning, as were the two new pairs of sandals. I think they look plenty dressy enough and so glad to hear that they were comfortable. You’ll have those for years. Nice colors too! Your garden is coming along nicely and you should be reaping the benefits with some nice meals from it soon. The wedding venue and flowers and desserts were beautiful. I bet the desserts outnumbered the other dishes 5 to 1! Such a gorgeous spread and the location had an amazing view.
Anzac, your husband did a beautiful job on your deck and outside kitchen. Your home is beautiful. I love outdoor kitchens.
Thin, I never realized you were so talented. Those leaded glass windows look professionally made. What an amazing job you did on them! Windows like that are one of my favorite things about craftsman style houses, that and the wood grams and baseboards around windows and doors. It sounds like your home is no longer a bungalow (which I equate with small and cozy) if you tripled the size. Well, bigbcan still be cozy I guess. And being able to do it yourselves means getting things exactly the way you want them. And congrats on another bridge win!
Lindsay, Cate and Quacka, good to see you again.
Cinque, I also hate housework and look forward to the day when robots are advanced enough and cheap enough that I could get one to do it all. 😁 The closest so far in this house is the Roomba for vacuuming. It does a pretty decent job and goes back to its charger when finished. Of course I do have to empty it into the garbage. Yoga sounds like a good excuse to put off the housework. (I’ve use much less original ones.😊)
I put out most of the (indoor Halloween decorations this weekend. Just a few things to finish.
Today was a FD and an easy one. I was feeling kind of off because I had a couple BP spikes for some unknown reason. I didn’t feel hungry all day. I have a doctors appt in the morning.
Doing another FD today as I woke up not hungry & thought “Why not?”
I’ll try to do a quick catch up.
Cinque-Isn’t time with the GK’s the best? Thank you. I did enjoy the bacon, but once a week will do.
“I love the total disregard for housework, ironing and dustbunnies, on this thread! Good priorities. It is true that breathing is my highest priority!”
Me too! I also LOVE your positivity! I also love the sound of your food. I’ll just pretend I’m eating some of it 🙂
Thin- Well done on your success with the scales. Mine was a little overdue but very welcome. It has spurred me on to do another FD today.
I love frittata too. It is the best way to use up odds & sods in the fridge.
WOW- at the windows. You did how many? Amazing!
Congrats on the bridge win!
LindsayL- Thank you. I am definitely going to stick with 5:2. I knew I had been losing fat, but am happy that the scales are starting to reflect that.
LJ- That looks like a magnificent wedding- venue, desserts & your very slender looking knees in that pretty purple skirt. The bacon & egg brekkie was delicious. I tried eating it slowly! Glad you managed to squeeze in a FD before your visitors.
Anzac- glad your FD went well. I lowered my cals on NFD too & have found that has made a difference. It takes a while to get into the swing of things with 5:2, but isn’t it great that it is so flexible?
Re: your house & your OH doing the renos & the pool- WOWSERS! That looks fantastic!
My stomach is rumbling so loudly. It’s that fat just trying to get out!
Hello SuzDownUnder, welcome! I am a newby too – I’m in Sydney and joined about 2 weeks ago. The people here will give you amazing advice and support. This way of eating (WOE) really works
I’m sorry to hear about your BP spike Cali, I hope all goes well at the docs. I can’t believe it is nearly Halloween already. We don’t really celebrate it here although I’ve noticed kids trick or treating a bit over the last few years
Cate I absolutely love ‘My stomach is rumbling so loudly. It’s that fat just trying to get out!’ I’m doing a FD today and my tummy is already rumbling and now instead of thinking of it as a bad thing I will celebrate all that fat running away!
Thanks for your nice feedback about our backyard. It’s been there for 3 years now and I’m still in awe. I wish this horrible cold front would go away so we can properly start spring and get the pool warmed up for our first swim! We have solar heating but you need the sun for that and right now it is cloudy, rainy, windy and chilly every day. Pfffft.
Have an awesome Wednesday everyone 🙂
Welcome SuzDownUnder!
Lovely to have you here.
I’m in Melbourne too (Darebin).
Good morning everyone. Cool and breezy and sunny here after rain yesterday. 9am.
It is a Fast Day for me, and I am hoping to have a slow, easy day; listening to my tummy telling me how pleased it will be to have my big bowl of miso soup this evening.
Thin, those stained glass windows are so beautiful! They look just stunning. You are a woman of many talents!
Anzac, making coffee might be the most important skill of all! 😉
I love your pics. What a wonderful home. And including the lovely, palmy, Sydney ambience.
Cali, Halloween coming around again! Enjoy your decorating. I do hope your doctors appt is helpful. That pesky blood pressure, if only it would just stay stable at a nice healthy level. Sending good wishes.
Haha Cate, I laughed at the ‘fat trying to get out’. I hope your spur-of-the-moment fast day went well.
I had a less successful food journey yesterday. The cabbage gratin recipe was basically one of those ‘impossible quiche’ mixes with lots of parboiled cabbage in it. I would rather make a frittata (aren’t they the best).
But I was glad of the instructions to parboil the cabbage and then squeeze as much water out as possible. I must have squeezed out 3 cups! A good step.
Anyway I made a big dish of it so, while I won’t bother making it again, I won’t mind eating it up. I’ve got it in portions in fridge and freezer. Hope it comes out of the freezer okay.
Who was it who noted that a less fasty Fast Day means you don’t get that lovely light ‘morning after a Fast Day feeling’?
That is so true, and I have missed that feeling when I have an 800 calorie maintenance Fast Day. So even though afternoons are harder, I am going to put up with them for the pleasure of the morning after.
Off to do my breathing exercises and enjoy the day.
Best wishes to everyone!
Thanks for the welcome, Anzac and Cinque! I’m happy to join you!
Just a bit about myself: An American who has lived in the Melbourne area for just over 3 years–loving life here! Married to my husband for 34 years; one son, 31yo, living in Taiwan.
My goal for being here is to give and receive encouragement and motivation. I’ve just recommitted to a 5:2 lifestyle, and I’m certain that being part of a community will bring life and joy to the journey.
Looking forward to getting to know you! Cheers!
Welcome Suz (I’m shortening your name because, if I don’t, Merry will when she returns). Thanks for telling us a bit about yourself. There’s a profile section under your name where you can do this. I love it when newbies complete that so I can keep referring to it. From which part of the US did you migrate? We have CalifD here, I won’t need to tell you where’s she’s from. We also have Minka who is from California and now lives in NSW. And me, I’m English but moved to Perth from California 25 years ago.
CalifD, I bet your Halloween decoration looks magnificent. Careful with the Halloween candy – remember last year! All the best for your doc appt. today.
Lindsay, I will say now, I will be thinking of you and OH and wishing you all the best for for tomorrow. By the time I wake up and post, it would be likely be over and too late. An anxious time for you both I’m sure but I bet it will have a positive outcome or they wouldn’t be contemplating it.
Cinque, great having your early morning posts to wake to again. Isn’t it funny how we often come back to what we know – naked 5:2? Sorry about the cabbage. Sadly I had to put half of one in the compost yesterday as I just couldn’t make further use of it. But lots of odds and ends went in the frittata including some truly delicious mushrooms. My neighbour’s free range eggs were huge.
Anzac, your husband is a gem. I love the outdoor kitchen area. Thanks so much for your nice comments about my lead lighting Anzac, Cate, Cinque and CalifD. CalifD, I had a similar style home in San Diego, I’d forgotten that they’d called it a ‘craftsman’ there. Here, it’s called a ‘California Bungalow’! You’re right, not really a bungalow any longer.
FD for me. Both soups are ready. Second almond & coconut milk coffee underway. Thunderstorm forecast.
7:30 pm starry evening in California
We had a sunny warm day today with a high of 27 but a low of about 14 when I woke up. Wonderful morning after FD feeling. My BP decided to spike when I got to the doctor’s office but dropped about 50 points while we were sitting and talking. White coat syndrome, I guess. Stress clearly plays a big part. Got some suggestions on the medication and using that one I weaned off of in July as an emergency med, just not to often or it can have rebound effects. I need to get more serious about trying to meditate. I don’t know why I get so stressed, especially when I’ve been off of work.
Cinque, it sounds like your cabbage quiche was a lot of trouble for a not great outcome. I like cabbage boiled in just enough water to cover it til along with salt,
caraway seed and a little pepper, or added in with corned beef and potatoes. It does contain a lot of water which is what makes it so nice for fermenting into sauerkraut. I never have to add water as long as the cabbage is fresh. After mixing with salt there’s plenty of water to cover it.
Lindsay, I’ll be sending a lot of positive thoughts your husband’s way tomorrow and praying for the best possible outcome. I’m also sending some of the good luck I had with my cataract surgery last month.
Suz, welcome to the forum. What part of the US are you from? I’m a “virtual Aussie immigrant” from Northern California. 😁 What brought you to Australia? This is such a nice group of people on this thread. I owe a lot of my success with the 5:2 plan to the regulars here who kept up with the encouragement and advice when I reached plateaus or things weren’t moving quickly enough for me.
How much are you going to lose? How did you hear about 5:2? We’ve heard that some doctors are starting to recommend it to their patients. I must have tried every diet there was over the years. I lost weight on most, but never maintained it for long. I’ve been on maintenance since the beginning of this year, still doing two 500 calorie FD per week, but eating a little more on NFD. This is the one diet I can stick with easily because it doesn’t feel like a diet, but a way of life. I hope you will have similar success with it.
Hello, CalifDreamer! We’re Californians, too, from Orange County–SE of Los Angeles proper. We came when my husband was hired as a lecturer at Melbourne School of Theology, located in the Eastern suburbs of Melbs. We love it here and will stay as long as the Australian government will grant us a visa.
Sorry to read you’re having BP issues and trust that your visit to the doctor will give you a clear way forward.
Tell me more about being a “virtual Aussie immigrant” . . . do you mean you’re in CA but living the Oz life vicariously? It’s a good life to live, no doubt!
Really appreciating this community already and its warm, family feel. Thanks for welcoming this newbie so kindly!
Suz, yes I live in California, a ways east of Sacramento and live vicariously in Australia via this little group. Many of them who have been around here for a while have become dear friends although we’ve never met in person. Australia seems like a wonderful place to live and I would probably seriously think about it if Medicare from the US would transfer there. (Of course I would have to convince my family to move there too.) You are lucky to have the opportunity to live there. Of course, we’ve yet to even visit but from what I’ve read and seen in pictures, etc., and of course from everyone here, it seems like a wonderful place to live.
Hi everyone
Warm welcome to Suz 🙂 You will be so glad you found this forum as the people here are awesome 🙂 🙂
I am on a NFD today. I did a successful Monday FD and then decided I wasn’t going to do a B2B this week. Tuesday morning I changed my mind and decided to fast. I started to get hungry about 11am on tuesday and had a miso soup, just miso nothing else. That was the beginning of the end. By about 2pm I was so hungry I was starting to get really cranky and about 4pm I had to eat. I bought some cold (luncheon) meat and ate some then ate some more and then some more. Then I felt sick 🙁
I had some salad for dinner as I couldn’t stomach any more meat.
Today NFD woke up hungry and had breakfast. I usually don’t have breakfast but today I really felt like it. Strangely I didn’t feel hungry for the rest of the morning even though I ate breakfast about 6am. I had a mixed salad for lunch including cauliflower rice, fresh pineapple, tomatoes, cucumber and pickled red cabbage. I also added my small steak (sliced up finely) that I didn’t eat for dinner last night.
Four dried apricots,30g almonds and an apple this afternoon. Feeling better today
I don’t know why I have been struggling so much the last couple of weeks. I really want to do a FD tomorrow but I am concerned about failing again. I’m thinking of just leaving it to next week and doing naked 5:2 again. That will be my second week in a row with only one real FD. I am maintaining my weight but not really losing any at the moment.
Has anyone else been like this for no real reason like me? What did you do?
Hello Quacka, it’s good that you’ve shared this as I’m sure others might have had similar experiences. As you know, I’ve never tried B2B and don’t fancy it at all. It sounds as if you might have been at work when you felt that you ‘had to eat’ and then there was nothing available so, driven by hunger, you made an impulse purchase that perhaps wasn’t the best choice. Would it help if you had something on hand that wouldn’t blow your entire FD such as a boiled egg? That’s an easy calorie count to subtract from whatever you might have been planning later.
What’s your reason for doing the B2B fasting? Why do you feel that you would be likely to fail tomorrow? You have many successful fasts under your belt so you know you can do it! So, you had a little luncheon meat binge; that’s not going to happen again so get back on the horse as Merry says!
One reason I don’t fancy B2B (and wasn’t able to seriously contemplate 5 day fasting) is because one of the things that gets me through a FD so easily is knowing that tomorrow comes around so quickly when I will get that fabulous frothy coffee and anything else my mind thinks I may be missing out on today. The idea of waking to another day to do it all again just doesn’t appeal to me. Another is that I know I won’t actually be fasting for as many hours per week with B2B fasting so I question whether the added burden will yield the same benefits.
I know you’ll make the right decision!
Quacka, here’s what I would do. Decide which two days will be your weekly FDs. Then stick to those days as non-negotiable except for the occasional holiday or trip which might fall on one of those days. If that’s the case, decide at the beginning of the week which day or days will be your alternate. If I left it to decide during the week, in the mornings, whether the day would be a FD, my procrastination mode would kick in and I’d likely put them off until I ended up with 2 B2B FDs at the end of the week which I wouldn’t want to do because of the weekend.
Pick your days and stick to them, no second guessing. If something comes up during the day, deal with it. You aren’t going to starve to death by having a sparse lunch or dinner that wasn’t planned for with friends or family. Have a salad and a pot of tea. That way, your FD get to be routine. Keep a supply of frozen vegetables and/or tinned of packaged soups or fish on hand so there is always something suitable if you don’t have ingredients to prepare a fresh meal.
Let your family know that these will always be your FD and decide ahead of time if you will have food prepared for them, if they will have takeaway, or if they’re on their own. If they happen to buy or prepare food for you on your FD, thank them profusely and tell them you’ll eat it the following day. Same with beverages. Or desserts.
Decide on your FDs. Non-negotiable. No excuses. This turns it into a routine. Routines are easier to stick with. Trust me, it works. 😊
Thin was posting at the same time I was. Totally agree with her about the B2B fast days. For exactly the same reasons.
Great advice CalifD. I totally agree about sticking to designated FDs. I know, I know, everyone says they love the flexibility. But I do wonder about the extent of excuses available. On another thread someone recently wrote, ‘have results of have excuses’. I know that I tend to take a hard line due to my more rigid personality and not being able to trust myself if it’s not ‘all or nothing’. A missed FD here, a few extra calories there just wouldn’t work for me. I rarely change my FDs but if I really have to, I bank a FD in advance, I’ve never skipped one deciding to do it later.
Others are more gentle with themselves and that’s all fine. But Quacka, I think you will come to find that if you stick to pre-designated FDs, your friends, work colleagues and, more importantly, your OH will come to know you mean business on those days. That way there won’t be a T-bone and a couple of cold beers awaiting! I know I’ve got my family and all my neighbours trained!
What do you think? As always you’re completely free to disregard anything I say. But, were we sitting in a cafe having a chat, that’s what I’d be saying! And you should respect your elders 🙂. BTW, thanks for bringing this up because I totally forgot about my 2pm soup!
A breezy Melbourne evening (good day for drying clothes). I’ve just had my lovely miso soup. 7:25pm
Quacka, what an interesting conversation.
Have you got in a bit of a phase of messing up a Fast Day, so trying to Fast again the next day? I can see the pitfalls in that, leading to you beating yourself up about not being good enough.
Would it help to just to let a bad Fast Day be a bad one, and move on? Before your next designated Fast Day you can have a think what made it fail, and see if there is a way to avoid it. It won’t matter, in the scheme of things, if you have a failed Fast Day here and there. What will matter is if you make yourself feel bad and end up throwing in the towel.
I find it useful to check a bad day (whether it is a bad Fast Day, or a bad Non Fast Day) as a really interesting learning opportunity, that is a gift for me, because I will learn things that help me for the rest of my life.
My suggestion is that two weeks in a row with only one ‘real’ Fast Day each, is fine. Be kind to yourself now with the best NFDs you can manage and see if you can score two ‘real’ Fast Days next week.
As Thin says, naked 5:2 is Go! (Haha she never says it quite like that). I hope what she and Cali have said resonates with you, because that style of 5:2ing makes it all very easy. But whatever, you can just keep trying things until you find a pattern that works for you and makes you feel good.
Best wishes.
Lindsay, I have a beautiful candle ready to light in the morning.
Hello and Best Wishes to everyone.
Thanks Cali and thin
I think I have been playing with fire the last few weeks. I started doing B2B because I felt empowered the day after my first FD and knew that if I put my mind to it I could just do the 2 days in a row and get it over with. Lately I haven’t been able to put my mind to it. I am going back to Monday Wednesday FD next week. It worked for the first several months and it will work again. Tomorrow I am doing a FD.
Like you said thin, why do I think I will fail. The answer is because I have failed before, a couple of times recently. It is a psychological thing.
Like you also said, I have done a FD before and I can do it again. It will not kill me.
Cali you are right too. I need to choose my days and stick to them. Not only will my OH know the days but I will too, I wish I could underline I. I think I am the best excuse maker in the world. If I know my days and stick to them then I will get through this hiccup I’m having at the moment
I have to tell you though, I am feeling very weak in my willpower at the moment. I remember many years ago when my mother was giving up smoking. She was doing a program and they told her that willpower is something that if exercised it will get stronger. I hope to give my will power some exercise tomorrow.
Please help me God.
The other thing, while we are on my crappy feelings about myself….
I can not get motivated to exercise. I have zero motivation, if I’m honest, less than zero. I know it’s only me that can change this and I will. I actually love walking, I live in a beautiful area with lots of water around. I have no excuse.
I’m sorry this post has been all about me me me. I don’t want to give it up. I know it works and it’s not that difficult really.
I hope you are all ok. I know there are people going through much more than my little dilemma of whether I have willpower to fast or not. I really hope things work out for you.
Thanks again Cali and thin xx
I will be back tomorrow 🙂
PS it’s the boss’ birthday today. At our work, everyone’s birthday is celebrated with a cake for the office. I have already told them all I won’t be having any as it will be my FD. It’s no big deal for me as I’m not a big sweet eater anyway. I think I had already made up my mind about the FD 🙂 take care all x
Good thinking Quacka! It’s no problem if today’s posts are all about YOU! You are not going to fail a single FD. Plan it. Do it. Report back. I can understand your motivation to ‘get the fasting over with for the week’. Perhaps B2B was too much to ask of yourself. Someone called me the fasting queen the other day – well, I’ve never been game to try it. Go and try on that lovely outfit you recently purchased and remember how great you felt when you told us about it.
Don’t worry about the exercise this week. Think of going for a nice walk in your beautiful area only if you feel like it – don’t consider it exercise. Big hug to you.
Hello Cinque, what’s a failed NFD? Ha ha, just kidding, I know only too well.
Hi, Suz & welcome to the 5:2 forum.
Anzac- It’s a worry that I have my fat talking, but it really does help me cope with hunger & I’m glad that you can use that too 🙂 I really, really loved your backyard!
Cinque- my unplanned FD went fairly well- maybe about 550 cals. I think I’ll do a 3rd. I really look forward to them now!
Thin- Your lead lighting is amazing!
Cali- I really stress too & my BP goes through the roof at the GP’s. I get so much more anxious these days than I ever did when I was younger & had much more reason to be stressed.
Quacka- I have done away with B2B FD’s for now as I felt they seemed to trigger unhealthy & obsessive thoughts about “dieting”, rather than the healthy balance of only doing 2 fasts a week & really feeling like I am not actually on a “diet”. I think feeling like I have failed is something I have done before on diets, but don’t feel that way on 5:2. I’m glad that I don’t. I try to schedule which days I will fast, but do like that I CAN change them if something comes up. It’s not a copping out, it’s an adjustment.
What a lovely support system this is!
Good morning Suz and everyone else
Thank you Cinque for your post too, I’m sorry I didn’t see it last night. You are right. I am going through a phase of failing FDs and then trying to make up for it by doing another one, leading me to feel like I have spent most of the last two weeks (weekdays) fasting. This is not good as like Cate said I don’t want to feel like I am on a diet.
I have woken up this morning feeling quite sick in the tummy. It’s probably all the **** I have eaten this week. I feel like I need to do a FD today and I think I will be ok at it. I have some miso at work and also another just add water soup. I forgot that I also have a can of salmon in my draw, which I should have eaten on Tuesday instead of that cold meat! I don’t feel like eating though as I feel heavy and yukky. I definitely won’t be having any cake as it makes me feel sick in the tummy at the best of times!
I am going to try a FD. If it gets too much I will have that salmon. Next week back to naked 5:2, 500 calorie dinners all planned and eating mindfully on NFDs. I have to remember that it worked so well for me, so if it ain’t broke why fix it. I think I got a bit cocky with myself doing B2B. That’s not to say that I won’t try it again in the future. Just at the moment, it is not right for me.
Thanks everyone for your support x
Sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well Quacka, I hope your tummy settles down soon.
The scales aren’t being very kind at the moment but I know it is due to the EFS (Epic Face Stuffing….thanks again for that LJoyce!) I did on the weekend. Normally that would have resulted in a big gain; but instead it was only 300g and my two FD’s this week have knocked that off. I hoped they would knock more off but I’ll take it anyway. Hoping to see a bigger loss next week. I’m down 2.5 kilos in three weeks so that’s ok.
Bit busy at work today so have to keep it short. I just want to say once again that this forum is so amazing and everyone is lovely :):):)
Have a great Thursday!
Quacka, it’s ok if some of the posts are just about you. That’s why we’re really here, to help each other. We talk about a whole lot of other things as well, but 5:2 is what brought us all here. And you might be the one who brought up the problem, but a lot of other people (lurkers) probably read these posts too, and there are probably some with exactly the same issues who can benefit from our discussions as well. And don’t forget that helping and giving advice helps us by reinforcing these ideas in the advice givers minds as well. We will all give ourselves a pat on the back for helping in your success when you get into those skinny jeans. 😁
B2B can seem more like a diet. The few times I’ve tried it because of traveling or holidays it was a real drag. It felt like a punishment. Knowing I only have to wait til tomorrow on a FD makes all the difference. Having 2 days between FDs is even better. It makes them seem more “occasional” and not a big deal.
Cate, I love the idea of a grumbling tummy being fat trying to escape. 😁😆😂
Good morning from gorgeous Melbourne,
Sun is pouring in through the kitchen window (another few weeks and I’ll hook up a curtain to keep it out, but at the moment it is glorious).
It is morning-after-Fast-Day. Lovely.
Suz, best wishes for an excellent FD! Is it your first?
Lindsay, I have a candle lit that will last this morning, and I’ll light another one for this afternoon.
Quacka, so sorry you have woken up with a crook tum. A light eating day with miso soup, and maybe some salmon, sounds like a good idea.
And whatever happens today you know you have a few NFD’s to follow, and a ‘naked 5:2’ happening next week.
I am fascinated by the B2B. Twice it felt great for me, and the third time it didn’t. I’ll need to have a strong feeling that it feels right, to try it again.
Re exercise, you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that it can work better NOT to get into serious exercise while losing weight. It can be counter productive because it makes people hungry and they eat more than they burnt off. So you can tell yourself you are just being sensible, for the moment. Just try to be active when it is easy, and have a think about the best way you can improve your fitness when the time comes.
You are like me, I think, and use that ‘should’ word as a scold. It’s so counter productive! (As I keep relearning).
You have time to think what would be pleasurable, and what suits you. Walking, dancing, skipping, in the water, or in a gym. Something in a group, something competitive, something gentle and solitary. HIIT or long rambles.
(I have always needed to start slowly and build up gently.)
Cali, I’m so glad your BP settled down. I hope it stays there. Maybe we can do yoga together, you for your BP and me for my diaphragm breathing.
I’m also glad you are over on the Western side of the U.S. I’m thinking of all the people affected by Cyclone Michael.
Cate, I love how you explained that self destructive mindset we can get into.
Anzac, congrats on undoing that EFS weekend. (Failed NFD’s Thin 😉 )
Onwards and downwards as Merry says. And yes, 2.5kg is just wonderful in three weeks.
Hello to everyone else, especially those struggling with their health. I do hope today is a good day.
Maybe I am posting early enough today to wish Mr Lindsay a great outcome with his surgery (again). Thinking of you Lindsay. Look after yourself too.
Cinque, I missed that you were fasting with me yesterday. But now we have the ‘day after fast’ together. No sun here. I’ve woken early to fog. I try to never use the ‘should’ word. Especially the phrase ‘should have’. My walking buddy likes to tell me what I ‘should have’ done or said.
Quacka, good luck with today. Perhaps we need to re-introduce the daily dance track here. I find dancing alone very liberating and presumably a good calorie burner. Consider it the HIIT of housework. Last week I did it to Tom Petty’s, ‘American Girl’. Anyone interested in getting back to this? CalifD is a good song picker.
LJ is missing in action. Hi to Cate.
Anzac, that’s a fantastic result. Here’s to a non-EFS weekend for you.
Suz, good luck with your first FD, if it is. I did send you a welcome message yesterday but I don’t know if you saw it what with Quacka hogging all the space. Ha ha Quacka, you know I’m just joshing hoping for a smile.
No-one else is up yet. Time for my second frothy coffee and the prospect of three NFDs. Quacka, this will be you tomorrow…
P.S. Suz, Naked 5:2 is a phrase I coined to describe the original 5:2 method as outlined in Dr M’s book. I highly recommend reading the book before embarking on this WOL because, on these pages, newbies will read as many variations on the theme as there are posters. This can become very confusing if you don’t understand the basics and the scientific premise for fasting. B2B is a case in point. Naked 5:2 means two FDs per week sticking to 500/600 cals for women/men and 5 days of eating anything you want (but not as much as you want). Over time, the two separate FDs per week help to shape our appetite, portion control and, incredibly, what we desire to eat without our even consciously thinking about it. It works, why mess with it?
Good explanation Thin and Quacka.
I bet naked 5:2 is exactly what you are doing, Suz.
We have such an instinct to dress up everything! We start doing 5:2 and then decide to add in another fast day, or do them all in a block, or cut out all sugar, or go paleo, or 16:8 window eating, or do HIIT every morning, or make kefir….
Each (or all) of these can be wonderful additions, but we can load down 5:2 with so many accessories, and when it gets hard we think it is 5:2 that is impossible.
Hence the call for Naked 5:2. Back to basics. It is designed to be simple and easy so it is worth resisting that instinct to complicate everything. (Says Ms No-sugar, off to do her yoga, 😉 )
Thin, I am still dithering about whether Wednesday is my new Thursday Fast Day. I think it might be.
Enjoy that frothy coffee!
Suz, you’ll have your first 5:2 week done after today. Lovely. I’m trying to think what other shortcuts we use. You might have them worked out already.
FD Fast Day
NFD Non Fast Day,
B2B Back to back,
WOE Way of Eating
WOL Way of Life
Then all the familial ones
OH Other Half (not Other Husband 😉 )
DD Dear Daughter,
and guess the rest!
Good morning, SH’ers. It’s a beautiful, sunny day here in Tassie too. Ahhh…Spring!
I survived chairing a very feisty meeting yesterday without then having an EFS. I’m new to this President caper, but almost everyone present came up to me afterwards & told me that I did a great job & that would probably be the worst meeting I would ever have to chair. I felt like I had been through a mincer. I could have buried my head in an ice cream bucket when I got home, but didn’t. I did have wine though but stopped myself. No damage was done as I had played 18 holes of golf.
On a much brighter note, we have booked a holiday to Greece next April. The tour is for 23 days, travelling North to South. I am so excited about it! We made a snap decision when my OH got back from his week away & had booked within 2 hours of his return. I will turn 66 in Santorini, towards the end of the tour. It’s with Bunniks, who we went to Sri Lanka with.
I am happier with my body after almost 3 months on 5:2, but in 6 months time, I will feel even better. I am not so focussed on the scales as I was.
I won’t try to keep up with everyone today but will come back later after I have done something physical- gardening maybe.
9:17am Thurs Adelaide
Good morning SHs,
My house guests have departed so I am catching up with everyone here now that I’ve pulled my laptop out of the drawer again.
Suz, welcome. It sounds like you’ve done 5:2 before as you mentioned recommitting to 5:2. I hope you settle back into it easily. I came to 5:2 to lose some post Christmas weight gain a couple of years ago and stayed as it’s made maintenance much easier.
Quacka, I hope your tummy settles down soon. I also hope this is an easier FD than you’ve had lately. I’ll be joining you in a FD today. Soup for me too.
I agree with Thin’s advice on the exercise. Focus on getting comfortable with 5:2 again before you worry about exercise – one thing at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed. There are several people on this forum with chronic illness who lost all the weight they wanted with 5:2 without exercising. While it’s healthy for us to be as active as we can manage, 5:2 will work regardless.
Thin, well done on the bridge win.
Those 1930s leadlight windows were just lovely. What an amazing job you did.
Your comments on getting family and neighbours trained about your set FDs made it clear to me why I seem to cope better with a flexible system than most of the rest of you – I don’t have family at home sticking tempting food and drink under my nose on a FD – I’m in total control of the food on FDs.
Anzac, that backyard deserves a magazine cover. I hope it makes up for the absence of a pool when you were growing up. It looks like a place you could happily spend most of your time in summer.
I know that not losing after an EFS weekend is frustrating while you are trying to reduce your weight. But view this as an example of how useful 5:2 will be when you get to maintenance.
Lindsay, I hope your hubby’s surgery goes very well today and that he recovers quickly.
Cate, if having a chat with your fat helps, then go for it. Whatever gets you through a FD. That holiday sounds like something to look forward to.
Rainbow, I just saw the news of the hurricane in Florida, I hope you either live in a safe place or have moved to safety. Wishing you well.
A catch up on my news:
The verandah blinds are being installed as I’m writing, so I’ll be able to post some pics of that later.
My B-I-L had an appointment with the oncologist yesterday and is still in the clear, 4 years after his bowel cancer diagnosis. He was looking a lot less anxious last night.
My lung infection has picked up pace and I’ll need to start the next packet of antibiotics today. This one is proving a bit persistent.
I had a “failed NFD” yesterday. Definitely not mindful eating – it included icecream, biscuits and a custard bun. Like Quacka I’m feeling a bit seedy today. I am hopeful I can get my eating back to a sensible balance now that I’m not feeding house guests. I find I tend to have foods in the house when there are people here that normally never come into my kitchen.
Have a good day everyone. Sorry if I’ve missed commenting on a post, I tried to read everything that was posted over the last 3 days but I’ve probably missed something.
Suz, Quacka and anyone else fasting – hope you have an easy fast day.
Just a quick post to thank you Cinque, Thin, LJ, Quacka, Calif, and anyone else I’ve missed who sent good thoughts our way. My apologies if I’ve missed you. My OH has had his surgery but we won’t know the outcome until he sees the opthalmic surgeon tomorrow. The wait is tough, but it is what it is. I am pleased to have him home. He’s a funny,lovely, brave man. He only has sight in the one eye, so with the operation is virtually blind until they remove the dressings. Didn’t stop him making jokes though. As we were manouvering out of the hospital discharge area, I thanked the nurse profusely. ‘Yes, thank you’, said my OH. ‘Best dentist I’ve ever been to’. (Did I mention he’s Glaswegian?).
I’ll catch up with the other posts as I can – or perhaps I’ll need to start the slate clean.
best wishes friends
Lindsay, glad to here your husband came through the surgery ok – sounds like he’s in good spirits. I’ll keep everything crossed that his vision will be good when those dressings come off.
The verandah blinds are on: https://imgur.com/a/nhxTvFK Now I’m going to have to wash that tiled verandah floor so it looks more like a useful outdoor room.
Hi All,
I’ve just returned to read your responses to my reports on Dr V’s ‘Every Other Day’ diet book and Nancy Makin’s book (the woman who lost over 500 lbs. Reflecting on both make me grateful for 5:2 and how much it continues to enable me live, quite literally!
Tonight Mr M sat me down to show me something special he thought I’d like that he’d come across on ABC iview! We sat down on the couch together and I expected to view some archeology program (since he really likes those). Instead, he showed me an interview between Jane Hutchins and Michael Mosley that aired on the show ‘One Plus One’ originally on News 24. I loved Dr. M’s messages in the interview, especially the story of his father’s failing health and eventual death at age 74 that Dr. M is of the view that his father’s decline was directly related to his high blood sugar levels. Dr. M even went so far as to say that his father was developing dementia before his death and even felt that the diabetes played a big part in that and said that dementia is now becoming known as ‘diabetes type 3’.
Dr. M also explained that 5:2 lowered his blood sugar back down into healthy range from a diabetic prognosis and that it has remained there ever since without the need for any medication to keep it there. He also went onto explain why he continued on to write the ‘Blood Sugar Diet’ book and promote the Mediterranean diet.
Here’s the link for any Aussies who would like to take a look (I think the link is only accessible from within this continent):
http://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/one-plus-one/2018-08-23/one-plus-one:-michael-mosley/10157550
Did Mr. M suddenly become motivated to take up 5:2, the Blood Sugar Diet or Mediterranean Diet? What do you think!?!? As we talked afterward, I could see that he agreed theoretically about how good it is and at the same time is happy to do what his doctor advises since the doctor is taking blood tests and following up, etc. …At least he has a doctor who once sent Mr M to a pretty good dietician, who at least urged Mr. M to switch from drinking 350 ml of orange juice each morning to the same of tomato juice. (That’s 29 grams of sugar or 7 1/4 teaspoons in the orange juice and only 11.5 grams or 3 teaspoons in the Coles tomato juice. That’s something at least!).
…And as for me? …The interview provided even more inspiration for my Friday Fast Day which has already started on this Thursday evening!
Cheers!
Hi again,
I think it was you Calif who mentioned the pressure that Nancy Makin would have been under pressure from having gained a level of fame from so broadly publicizing her story of shedding the 500+ pounds. I sure would have felt that and knowing me, at some point I may have developed a level of anxiety about it all and perhaps rebounded.
Secretly, I do have a hidden fear that I could rebound some time down the track, even though I say I’m practicing 5:2 for life. …Again, why is so important I do check in with all you good people from time to time. You are all a touchstone for me in ways that no one else out there in my life understands.
Cinque, everything your wrote about the making of the beet kvass sounded perfect and your result proved that with the great success of your batch! In fact I applaud you for so successfully reaping the liquid of a second ferment since my second ferment results actually tasted so bland that I’ve given up on them! Well done and I love the photo of the kvass in the wine decanter! Like you, I don’t actually like alcohol so the kvass and a balanced batch of kombucha are for me! I say ‘balanced’ because I have left my kombucha ferment a tad too long before to the point of it passing even a vinegary tart taste and morphing into a a drink with a sharp alcoholic taste, which I don’t fancy.
Thin, since I didn’t participate very fully with the September challenge, I decided to give the October challenge a miss. I realize what I’ve needed more is to practice more of the exercises in my ‘Neuroslimming’ book. I’ve been sitting down from time to time practicing that exercise which steers my attention and focus on my senses by instructing me to sit with a piece of chocolate the size of my thumb nail, an almond or small piece of food that size and to in a particular order, view, smell, taste and chew the morsel over a 5-10 minute time span. Even practicing that brief exercise once or twice a week ends up having a dramatic effect on how I eat at other times. The book is full of many mindful eating type exercises and practices and for me at this time, I really need to spend more time with those. Maybe down the track I will participate in another challenge, though for me a the moment mindfulness is a way of ‘herding’ me in the direction of eating more sanely without having to use extra rules and discipline. I was using the September Challenge as a way of implementing extra discipline and it just didn’t work for me very well past the first week! …So I eventually turned back to the mindfulness practice which has been rewarding.
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Michael is touring Australia this September! Here's a link to dates and tickets. Hope to see you there.
Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
Michael looks at the Horizon special, "What's the Right Diet for You" and tells us which diet they say is best for him.
in Weight loss • updated 8 minutes ago by hedgehogs
in Welcome to The Fast Diet and Exercise forums • updated 2 hours, 3 minutes ago by stitchincarol
in Welcome to The Fast Diet and Exercise forums • updated 5 hours, 9 minutes ago by rawiyafarran
1:28 am
8 Oct 18