1:25pm Mon, Adelaide

Hi everyone, I’ve been AWOL since Saturday. Have some posts to catch up on.
Yesterday was a busy social day that involved rather a bit too much food!

Suz, sending you best wishes for your procedure. I hope all goes well.

Anzac and Quacka, I am joining you in a FD today. So far for me I’m onto my third cup cup of tea and I’ve just eaten 1/2 a banana. Dinner will be a omelette with homegrown veg & herbs and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Punks, Doing food prep for the week is a great idea, especially when combining work and study – I did that for so many years and remember how tiring the days can be and how easy it is to rely on take away when you are exhasted.

Thin & Punks, I have a bit of catching up to do on the travel front. But I do have lots of future plans, once my remaining mortgage is paid off. There’s one thing I can guarantee – I will not be hitch hiking!

Cinque, glad to hear you had a lovely break “concentrating” on your grand daughters.

Arel, happy for you to vent. I’m also happy for you to stay and chat, it doesn’t matter if you aren’t up to 5:2 at the moment – we will not be fair weather friends.

GDSA, sounds like the abusive forums were worth dropping. I don’t see the point in not being supportive on forums like.

Cali, those who named our towns seemed to have an obsession with names with a “OO” in them – I have no idea why. There are quite a few farming towns in my state that fit the bill: Alawoona, Pinnaroo, Karoonda, Lameroo, Coomandook, Punyelroo – all towns in the Mallee farming region where my mother grew up and 1-2 hours drive from where I grew up.
Haha – I like the comment about politicians and hot air – ours are rather good at that too! 😀

Maria, I’m not the person to ask about water fasting. I follow 5:2 as written – which means 500 calories per fast day. I don’t anyone else on this forum thread does water fasts either.
It might be worth searching the forum for threads where water fasting is discussed. We don’t have a working search function on this site at present, but if you go to https://www.google.com/advanced_search and put https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/ in the section that says “site or domain”, then choose search parameters like “water fast”, or anything else you are looking for, it will search the 5:2 forum for those search words.

I had to do a bit of juggling with my FDs this week as my rheumatoid infusion appoints was moved to Friday – which means I need to fast Thursday. So I decided on today as well. Good thing I ate so “well” yesterday as I normally don’t like having just one NFD between FDs. However after yesterday’s excesses it should be a fairly simple FD.

I’m struggling a bit with excess joint inflammation at present. It’s part of the rheumatoid symptoms, but sometimes it’s worse than others. I can only manage a maximum 45 minute walk before my pain level becomes a problem. If I persevere it should improve. Oddly enough, being reasonably active helps my joint pain and inflammation – it’s too little and too much that’s the problem.
I walked to the shopping centre this morning and bought a wide brimmed hat from the Cancer Council shop – trying to keep the sun off the back of my neck and my face while walking. I’d noticed I was getting quite tanned around my neckline, even with sunblock.

Hello to anyone I’ve missed, or those who are reading and not posting.
Have a good day everyone.

Lindsay, so sweet of the little one to read to grandad. Hoping the next lot of surgery brings a better outcome for Mr L. Thanks for keeping us up to date.

LJ, I hope you find the right balance. I know exactly what it’s like as I was diagnosed with stage IV OA knees at age 27 and could no longer run or do any jumping things like aerobics. I stacked on the weight. Since getting the weight off, I am now pain-free and my joints love me. Are you still going to the gym that you joined earlier?

Anzac, visiting the gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda is high on my list. We wanted to take DD for her graduation present but it’s hard to make plans not knowing when the graduation ceremony will be held (up to three months after the end of the course and yet to be announced) or where and when she will start work. My friend and I did make it to Zaire, as it was then, and then we hitch hiked from Nairobi to Cairo. So naive but lots of adventure! Punks, wow! Naturally, the Aussies would have outdone me on my list of countries! I have one of those scratch off maps of the world and there is still so much unscratched!

Anzac, Quacka: I’m sorry that you seem to struggle a bit with your FDs and have occasional thoughts of abandoning them. You should reach a point where you are rarely hungry on a FD because you have worked out how to get the most bang out of your 500 cals (or however many it is); when to eat them and what to eat. And, when you are hungry, you get to a point where you are able to embrace the hunger and just think, ‘so what?’ knowing that, with every breath, those fat cells are disappearing. I agree that having something available to eat is psychologically helpful even if you don’t eat it. That’s why I like to have enough calories in reserve for a boiled egg or a spoonful of cottage cheese. Just knowing it’s there eliminates the panic about going to bed hungry. I hope you can both get to the stage where you are saying hurray for fast days and enjoying the smug discipline that’s required to complete one. You can do it! For today, you’re almost there and you have each other – plus LJ.

OH ended up spending two nights in Coober Pedy as, can you believe it, it was bucketing with rain when they arrived on Saturday night and they couldn’t get any fuel on Sunday morning. I’m not really an opal fan so declined his offer to buy me one but he enjoyed educating himself on them.

First in bridge again today. It’s not that I’m competitive but it’s such a confidence builder to beat these veterans who’ve been playing for several years and who take it (and themselves) so seriously. My partner and I had a celebratory coffee! She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.

Just a quick hello as it’s late and I fell asleep on the sofa after coming back from dinner. It’s my DS’s birthday today and we had 2 meals out, sushi for lunch after op-shopping and then shoe shopping. Tonight the 3 of us went to our favorite Italian restaurant. DS and I decided we wouldn’t weigh in tomorrow, but wait until Tuesday morning after tomorrow’s FD. The scale tomorrow wouldn’t be pretty!

Lindsay, I’ll be sending prayers and positive thoughts for your OS for your OS’s followup procedure. I hope this one will get his sight back.

Cinque, your holiday with the Little Miss’s sounds delightful. I’m glad you were able to concentrate on them properly! 😁

LJ, I hope your joint inflammation gets back under control this week. It sounds like it’s a fine line between too little or too much exercise. You’ve been doing a lot for the past several months getting your last house ready to sell and your new one the way you like it. Your gym membership may come in handy after everything is done. (Although houses seem like bottomless pits when it comes to work to be done on them.

Thin, good advice for Anzac and Quacka on getting through FD’s. After a while they become so routine that you wonder why you ever worried about them. Try to get over fearing the hungry feelings. They pass and they won’t kill you. Honest! And once you commit to a FD, you have to follow through. It’s non-negotiable. It’s easy to find reasons to not follow through, so don’t even go there. Just do it,

Punks, it sounds like you’re off to a good start for your week with the meal prep. Making sure you have healthy food availabile is half the battle.

Hope all of you have a great week and that Suz is back to normal after her procedure. Please keep an eye on the world now, while I sleep. 😴

Hello and congrats to all who completed their FD today! Think that would be you Quacka and Anzac.

And Cinque, so happy to know you had a lovely time with the grands–what a wonderful treat for you and for them!

Thin, congrats on the bridge win . . . and thanks for asking how I’m going with 5:2. There has been a downward trend on the scales, and I’m grateful for that.

Lindsay, still wishing the best for you and OH. How sweet and kind of your grand to bring books and read to him! Precious.

LJoyce, glad to know that the walking offers some pain relief. I agree with Cali, though: figuring out the right amount is a matter of trial and error; hope you can find that balance soon.

Cali, procedure is over and things are good! Thanks to all of you for the supportive and kind comments. After pathology, doc will let me know whether I will need to go through it again in 3 years or in 5. Here’s hoping for the 5!! He was very encouraging, though, and said things look healthy. Hooray!!

Best part of the day was the beautiful cuppa they brought me once I was out of the recovery area. I don’t believe plain old black tea ever tasted so delightful!

Cheers!

Good morning (or good afternoon Cali)

I didn’t abandon my FD but I did end up having about 800 calories. On top of a not-so-good weekend the scales are up 500g. GAH.

I realise I have a pathological fear of being hungry. Some of my FD’s I easily get through it but sometimes not. So I have written the following on a piece of paper folded up under my keyboard at work for constant sneaky peeks on FD’s:

1. Fast Days are NOT negotiable
2. It’s just one day
3. The hunger will wane
4. Fast Days will get easier and will eventually be a breeze
5. Imagine going clothes shopping and thinking ‘wow that looks great!’ when looking in the dressing room mirror instead of cringing and quietly crying

The first four are from your wise words friends – and totally true. The last one really resonated with me when I thought about it this morning. I honestly HATE clothes shopping and wait until my clothes are rags before going.

Thanks for your encouragement Quacka and I echo your thoughts that without this forum I would almost certainly have given up. Congrats on your successful FD

Lindsay I am so sorry things are still not going well. I am sending positive thoughts and prayers

So glad your procedure went well Suz and that there is a downward trend

Punks – I agree, the gorillas were life changing for me. I was so far out of my comfort zone I almost fell off the planet but as soon as I saw them I stopped being afraid and just watched in awe. We had about an hour with them but were lucky to have the largest family with lots of little juveniles and babies. We were also lucky to be in the group that had the shortest trek. I was overweight (but still about 8 kilos lighter than now), my hubby had a crook back and the other 6 folk were either older or had injuries to contend with. The trackers are very good at putting everyone into groups depending on how far they think they can climb. The young very athletic groups had to trek for up to 6 hours to find their family but ours was only one hour. I did a LOT of training before hand and was fitter than I’ve ever been (despite the excess weight) and the hour trek was hard but not too bad. I hear the cost has skyrocketed sadly – ours was $500 USD each back in 2010. I believe it is now $1500 USD. I know the money goes back in to protecting these awesome creatures but that is now out of range for most people. I did read that you can get a 30% discount if you visit one of the other nature parks in Rwanda

here’s a picture – and a bit of a look at your future adventure hopefully thin :). Congrats on winning bridge and thank you so much for your encouraging words.
https://imgur.com/a/djBB9sp

LJoyce, sorry to hear about your joint inflammatory pain. I hope you continue to work out the balance between being over and under activity-wise.

Cali, how nice that your DS is doing 5:2 on your encouragement – is she doing really well? Glad you found some nice clothes at the op shop.

Have a great day all

Hi Anzac, our posts crossed.
Well done sticking with an 800cal FD – much better than abandoning it. This helps to set up a good pattern.
We all understand that fear of hunger. It was so strong when I first started 5:2 and it did take time to get comfortable with the idea that it was ok to feel hungry sometimes. I had my own mantra in the early days of 5:2 on FDs. Every time I wanted to eat something I’d tell myself “Yes you can have it tomorrow”. Somehow giving myself a yes rather than a no helped with the mental battle. If I said no my stubbornness would kick in and argue back. Of course when tomorrow’s NFD arrived I’d moved on and felt like other things.
Love the gorilla pic.

Good Morning everyone

I love your FD list Anzac and I am going to write one out for myself. I understand exactly how you feel about clothes shopping. I used to hate it also. Since losing the weight that I have, I really enjoy it again. I admit I have actually bought too many clothes just because they fit and looked nice and now I am starting to shrink out of them also!

A couple of months ago I bought myself a pair of jeans and shorts for when I lose more weight. I wore the jeans last Friday and the shorts on the weekend.
Happy days 🙂

Scales. Funny little things. So I weighed myself today, day after FD number 1. Then I went for my walk and just out of curiosity (thin has mentioned it before) I weighed myself again after the walk. Yep, another 200g down.

I made a salad for lunch with the rest of the chicken from last night and some of the ruby grapefruit. Oh my goodness, I love those grapefruit!! I have never tried them before but they are amazing. I hope it is not just because they are locally grown as I have a feeling I may be purchasing some from the shops when these run out.

I hope you all have a lovely day. Thinking of you Lindsay and glad you are all good Suz 🙂

I’m going now to write my list.
Take care x

Lindsay, you’re not being self-absorbed. We’re with you. I appreciate the pop-ins to keep us up to date on Mr L.

Anzac, thanks for the gorillas and the lovely account! Not jealous at all. Friends of ours have been on that trek and told us all about it. I have heard about the rapidly increasing price. It was $700 when we first started looking. As you say, there are cheaper options such as in Uganda.

I still dislike clothes shopping even though I am now size 10. But, last week, I was successful in finding a dress for DD’s graduation dinner. She’d shown me the photos from last year’s event so I could get an idea of what parents were wearing. OMG! I could have pulled something out of the closet and been fine. Visible panty lines, bulging stomachs in tight ball dresses, enormous cleavages (one of my pet hates for people my age) and way to many bingo wings.

I decided I would try and be a bit more classy yet find a dress I could wear again. So happy to find a Wayne Cooper frill and pleat dress in a 40% off sale. It fit perfectly and the sales assistant promised me I wouldn’t be mutton dressed up as lamb. Well, she would say that. I will get a black bolero cardigan to hide my bingo wings. I couldn’t believe that my wedding bustier fits again (who knows why I’d kept it all these years) so I’m spared the $60 for a strapless bra. Now I just need a pair of Lindsay’s or Quacka’s shoes. Dress met with approval from both DD and OH so I’m happy. DD remarked, “Mum, you do realise that this is MY graduation, right?”! She has no time to shop.

Anzac, I like your list. I wish we lived closer so I could meet you for a coffee and a good chat!

Quacka, would you possibly be able to post a photo of the packet of that konjac meal you mentioned? is it from the Slendier range?

Run out of time (rambling on about the dress purchase) so will have to return later. Hello LJ, Cinque, califD, Arel, Suz, Punks, Merry, et al.

https://shop.coles.com.au/wcsstore/Coles-CAS/images/3/1/3/3134885.jpg

Thanks for the noodle link, Quacka. Are they available in the major grocery stores? I like making my own FD meals as it helps me ‘normalise’ them but I also like the idea of known calories in something like this or CalifD’s salmon in a tin for times when I’m not at home.

Here is the dress, you have to zoom in on the photo to see the pleats at the bottom. As a non-shopper, I thought it was a lot of money for a dress until I remembered your race day expenditure! https://www.myer.com.au/p/wayne-cooper-purple-daze-print-frill-and-pleat-dress

One of my favourites from this website is, “Nothing tastes as good as being slim feels”.

Cinque, you are getting a lot of GD time, how wonderful. Who’d have thought you could add rhubarb to a savoury dish?

Suz, good to know there’s a downward trend. That’s all you need.

Visited our tax accountant this morning and she has lost 9kgs on 5:2. Earlier in the year, she’d emailed me to ask for ‘the name of that diet’ that I do. She loves it and looks good. And the lady I introduced to 5:2 at bridge is down a size since she started and also very happy.

CalifD, you and Crickets are having fun op shopping. Happy Birthday (belated) to her. Sorry you had a weekend blowout. Is a weekend FD an option or is that too restrictive for you and the OFMs? Maybe your weekend eating was due to DS’s birthday celebrations so it’s just a one-off.

The other day there was some talk of doughy desserts here which I tried to ignore but it reminded that I had a tin of Gulab Jamun in the pantry. No idea why I bought it. But it needed to get out of the pantry and I opened it last night after a vegetarian dinner because OH still looked hungry. It is so sweet. And yet, I managed to stuff four down before I realised what a dumb idea it was.

As much as I love this WOL and intend to continue until they carry me out in a box, I do often wonder why I can’t just eat normally every day. Is the promise of being able to eat whatever we want MOST of the time too much of a licence to overeat? And, if so, does it matter? Like you, CalifD, and LJ and probably others in maintenance, I use it to counter my over indulgences. Is what we’re doing some kind of eating disorder in itself? Despite my bad choice last night, I’m at 59.6kgs so I’m definitely not complaining but just wondering …. and doubting … and thinking ….

12:30 pm Tuesday California

Thin and LJoyce, I’ve only ever had Gulab Jamun in Indian restaurants but you can indeed buy them in a tin. You can buy them in tins in the US on Amazon and in a mix on the Aussie Amazon site. LJ, here’s what the tin looks like for one of the brands:
https://www.amazon.com/Haldirams-Classic-Indian-Gulab-Jamun/dp/6548525868/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1540925892&sr=1-4&keywords=Gulab+Jamun

Thin, the weekend blowout was because of DS’s Birthday for the most part. Too much sushi after op shopping and shoe shopping for her. Then dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant in the evening with the 3 of us. And we didn’t forgo Saturday movie and pizza night in anticipation of Sunday’s eating. I was 60.1 this morning after yesterday’s FD.

LJ, I’m not sure if it’s the colder weather or what, but my NFD eating seems more erratic since I decided to lose a kilo or two just like you. It seems like it should be a simple thing since it’s only a couple of kilos, but I’m fighting it on some level too. On the other hand, I don’t want my weight to slowly creep up. I’m more often in the 60’s than the 59’s lately.

Lindsay, thank you for checking in. Thinking of you and OH and hoping he will be seeing some progress soon.

Cinque, hooray for Miss 4 for sleeping all night at your place! I hope you gave her lots of praise and reinforcement. She’s likely growing out of the old erratic sleep patterns. It will be so much easier for her to sleep over when she sleeps through the night.

Thin, I love your new dress. It’s a versatile stile that you’ll be able to wear for a lot of occasions, so worth the money I think. When is DD’s graduation party?

Hi Anzac. You should be waking up soon.

Quacka, congrats on being able to wear the jeans and shorts that you bought in anticipation of weight loss. Now it’s time to buy some that are even smaller, which you’ll be wearing soon.

Good morning from cool grey Melbourne, getting its strength up ready for a burst of heat tomorrow.

I have a short time to write as I am going up to visit my friend in central Victoria again, such a pity as I am longing to do one of my mammoth posts and reply to everyone.

But needs must! Dot points.

Thin, I love that dress!

Anzac, a good list of Fast Day mantras.

Lindsay, not sure whether to say with the others that you are not being self-absorbed, or to say OF COURSE you are being self-absorbed, you have to be, and keep being it for as long as it takes.
Just know we are keen to hear updates, even when they are disappointing. Can’t light a candle this morning, but I will when I get home again. Surely candle light will start helping eventually!

Happy Halloween for when you wake up Cali, and right now for everyone else celebrating it.

Boo!

Anzac, it is very hard when your grandchildren (or great-nieces) are far away (mine was in Sydney at first). I am so glad to have them close now.

Today is my Fast Day which is good because, in spite of sleeping through the night, I was exhausted when my granddaughter went home and oops, there were cashews. I can’t believe how many I ate. Thank goodness for fast days for a digestive rest and reset.

Hope your day is a good one. 🙂

Hello Wednesday fasters! Cinque, Anzac, Punks, me – and you Quacka? Great, we will sail through the day together. And it’s a perfect day to hold a FD as we won’t be able to eat any Halloween nasties.

Thanks all for your kind comments about the dress. Yes, my friend urged me to choose something that I could get some future use from. Anzac, what do you mean? That IS me in the pictures! The graduation dinner is on 21 December, CalifD. That’s the day they finish final exams.

Cinque, you seem to be doing so much these days. Is your condition finally allowing you accomplish more?

Anzac, LJ thanks for adding your thoughts on this WOL. It works so I must content myself with that and stop questioning it. CalifD, good job getting those weekend kgs off so quickly! Careful with the Halloween candy!

LJ, a caution about the Gulab Jamon! Mine came in a tin of 16 balls similar to what CalifD posted with instructions to consume them all on the same day the tin is opened! Bad enough for three of us but deadly if you’re living alone.

Oops took so long two more posts came in

All the best to thin and Punks as well for your FD 🙂 🙂

10am, Wen, Adelaide

Cali, thanks for the pic. The description puts me off as it says the syrup is cardamon flavoured – for me it absolutely has to be rosewater flavour.

Thin, 16 at once? I don’t think even I could manage that, they are too sweet.
You dress looks like a floaty fabric that might do well on the dance floor. Do you think you could convince Mr Thin to take you dancing?

Cinque, enjoy your visit.

Anzac, you will have a very good FD today. You have planned and you have mentally prepared. I have full confidence in you.

Punks, I hope your first FD goes very well. You too have planned well, so I’m sure you’ll be fine.

Lindsay, thanks for keeping us updated. Hope the next procedure helps.

Quacka, I agree with your assessment. For me 5:2 does mean the difference between maintaining or gaining. I really struggled to maintain my weight loss before I found 5:2.

NFD for me today. Hopefully one with a little more restraint than I showed yesterday. I feel in a better frame of mind today, so I’m not expecting trouble. Looking back over my food diary I have noticed three things that connect to the NFDs where I over eat:
– I’ve mentioned this before, but a sleepless night almost always results in a NFD where I eat too much.
– NFD where I overeat almost always occur immediately following a FD and are rarely the second or third NFD in a row.
– The only exception seems to be NFDs which involve a social occasion involving lots of food. But these are the ones I worry about least as they are planned.

I’ve also been thinking about why I seem to be fighting my decision to lose another couple of kilos. I think it’s because I’m questioning everything I eat on NFDs and I’m trying to stay near my TDEE. It’s making me feel like I’m on a diet every day and normally I don’t feel like that with maintenance 5:2. I’m not sure what to do about this. I might need to just return to my usual eating pattern and focus a little more on the “good food” that Quacka described. Let my body find its own level and be content with that.

For those of you who have a pile of clothing with the tags still on. You will fit into it and then you may also enjoy finding someone else’s unworn donations in op shops. About a third of the clothing I buy at op shops still has its tags on. Clearly there are many of us who buy things in the hope that we’ll lose weight. Because most people donate clothing as they gain weight there is so much to choose from in the smaller sizes. It’s a shopping expedition I always enjoy because I find things I like that fit and it’s not a big financial commitment.

I’m heading out to look at fridges now before the day gets any hotter.

I hope all the fasters have an excellent day.

Just a quick check-in to say FD is going brilliantly! The power of the mind just boggles. It’s nearly lunch time and I am not struggling at all – and the only difference is the little voice previously saying ‘if you get REALLY hungry you’d better eat a few crackers’ and instead it now says all those things on the mantra list

Lindsay – so so glad there is some hope. Surely the collective power of positivity on this forum will help somehow

Hope your FD’s are going just as well Cinque, thin, punks and Quacka (sorry if I missed someone)

I’m so grateful for the above posts Quacka, LJ and Lindsay. I’ve read them twice. Thank you all for putting everything back into perspective. FD going well on this side of the continent too thanks Anzac; it’s a very busy day and I’ve just taken a break to make a peppermint tea and read the posts. You are all brilliant. Fabulous news Lindsay – a wonderful glimmer of hope.

P.S. How annoying Punks, could you just build something with the lego instead?

Punks, I’m still giggling about that lego! Glad you found a ready made alternative lunch. It might be worth finding a prepackaged option to keep in the drawer at work for emergencies (eg the little tin of salmon that Cali uses on FDs).
I used to work in the CBD and we had fruit vendors nearby, so my go to item on a diet day was a punnet of strawberries – only 65 calories for the whole 250g punnet and it takes a while to eat that much fruit. Also one of the lowest sugar fruits so it won’t cause the sort of insulin spike (and hunger) that some other fruits will.

Despite the lego dilemma, I’m glad to hear that all the FDs are going well.

My shopping trip to look at fridges was well worth it. I wasn’t confident about making a decision by solely looking online. I could really see the differences in quality and functionality by opening all the doors and drawers. I’ve decided it’s worth buying one of the better made brands, but not worth paying extra for a french door model – the single door version has more door storage for $3-400 less. I’ve found that in the size fridge I need, most manufacturers skimp on the freezer and try to make the fridge area larger – not what I need. I want a larger freezer which really reduces my options. I’m happy with the one I’ve decided on. The shop that has it in stock goes on sale for 2 weeks starting tomorrow, so I need to get my current freezer emptied quickly.

Punks, I like thin’s suggestion of building the yellow submarine for lunch instead. 😁 But the naked burrito sounds like a good choice.

Anzac, your comment, “if you get REALLY hungry you’d better eat a few crackers..”
I don’t think we get REALLY hungry in a single day. I propose that what we’re feeling is more like habit or want or boredom or fear of being hungry. It could also be a craving of food. But I think it takes longer than a day to experience real hunger. I think it could also be thirst. Or sometimes the lack of salt seems to play a part in making us feel a headache or weakness. That’s just my opinion, but after doing the 5:2 for about a year and a half, I think a fear of hunger is much more likely.

I’m also not sure my body has a weight it wants to be, but rather an amount that I like to eat. And that can be changed. The 5:2 changed it for me, at least for the 2 FD. My knees certainly like the weight loss. I used to feel knee pain going up the stairs before I lost weight. Now, even a kg or two makes a difference in joint pain. My BP has also been a little more irregular in the last week or so, and I wonder if that is because of the increased eating? I think that muscle aches and pains would likely improve greatly if I could get down about 3 kg. But I don’t want to add another FD, so it’s back to managing the NFDs better. Rather than counting calories on NFD I suspect that eating all whole unprocessed foods would make a big difference, simply because of the bulk and fiber of them.

Lindsay, I’m so glad to hear that there is a little progress on OH’s vision. Was he able to have any procedure this last week? Or is he just waiting for the last to heal? I will light a candle here too.

Cinque, that recipe for the Persian lamb/beef and rhubarb looks really good. It’s an unlikely combination, but one that I’m almost sure I will like, just from reading it.

LJ, eating 16 of those Gulab Jamun at once would probaby be too many even for me, too. But given all the sugar in them, and the syrup, I don’t why they wouldn’t keep for several days in an airtight plastic container in the frig. I guess it would be something to serve for several guests so they all get used.

Thin, it sounds like your very skinny friend has an eating disorder. It doesn’t sound like normal dieting behavior. 5:2 may be like feast and famine once we get to maintenance, but isn’t that the way our long ago ancestors ate? The fact that 5:2 works so well isn’t entirely logical to me, but it does work. And it seems to work over a variety of age groups and food choices. So who are we to argue? We found a good thing! And the support we provide each other here is a big part of it.

CalifD, I thought that friend had anorexia when I first met her. But, after several years of exhibiting that food behaviour, she would surely have been dead if that had been the case. Then again, there are so many variations on eating disorders that perhaps something else was going on behind closed doors. I lost touch with her about four years ago and don’t know how she is now – but she was always way too skinny and constantly working out.

Quacka, I can’t believe you didn’t mention sharks as a reason for not going surfing. If you want to ramble on, I will be happy to read it. Good job resisting the beer and enjoying a successful FD. I’m looking forward to three days of sensible eating and a bit of nut snacking. It’s almost dinner time for me – another freezer portion of something I made in colder weather but it will be good.

Poking my head into the ‘river’ of posts…

Thin I love your new dress! What a perfect and sophisticated reflection of spring and I love the diagonal cut, particularly how the top is cut in an opposite diagonal to the hemline. I also really like the under netting softness that is a flurry of fun around the hemline. I can see you getting a lot of wear out of the dress since it could be worn both formally as well as for a more casual outing!

Also, I feel remiss for not remembering who posted the wedding photo a few pages back! I love wedding photos and was lovely to see such a passionate kiss between bride and groom and again, I also love dresses and so admired the bridal gown! …Such a handsome couple too!

Interesting to view the Gulabs. They look enticing. Cardamom is a favorite flavor of mine.

I was reading a recent interview with Dr M. He said that though he still practices 5:2 (or actually I’m pretty sure that he pulls off 6:1), that none of his family are practicing intermittent fasting! He says none of them need to because they all take after his wife who naturally eats sensibly. I love how human Dr. Mosely is! Maybe I’ve posted these quotes previously so apologies to anyone who has already read them. I just see them as classics and good reminders, and since I need to be reminded, I’m posting them again…

Dr. M says, ‘I have a confession to make. I am addicted to chocolate. I have tried giving it up many times, and failed. My daughter has never forgiven me for eating her Easter egg when she was just eight years old.

The trouble is, it was lying there on the kitchen table, already open, calling to me. I thought I would just take a small nibble, and she would never notice. Then I took another, bigger nibble. Then the egg was gone and I was caught with chocolate-y smears around my mouth. I felt guilty. I was guilty.’

He also gives me hope that there is light at the end of my own addictive tunnel.

Dr. M says the hardest part in conquering a craving is the first little while, thanks to the microbes in your gut.

Dr. M says “Some [microbes] thrive on sugar, others love fat. The more sugar you feed the sugar eaters, the more they want,” he writes in The Clever Guts Diet.

“They are not like a friendly dog, hanging around waiting gratefully for whatever comes their way. They are fighting for life. They will do anything to give themselves the edge.

“All you have to do (and I don’t underestimate how tough this can be) is keep away from the thing you crave and hopefully the cravings will reduce as those microbes die off.”

“I think there’s pretty good evidence some of those cravings are driven by the bacteria in your gut, the microbes in your gut, that basically like the stuff.

Junky food is more likely to produce a biome that wants more junky food. And we know that a lot of processed food have emulsifiers in them, and some emulsifiers seem to be pretty damn bad for your gut bacteria.

“So one way of countering that is kind of starving them out a bit.”

The above Dr. M quotes are from these web links:

https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2017/05/30/michael-mosleys-plan-killing-your-cravings

and

https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2017/05/30/michael-mosleys-plan-killing-your-cravings

Cheers!

Good morning, grey and still and the heat is coming.

Punks, have you woken up with the lovely empty, light ‘morning after Fast Day’ feeling?
I hope so. It feels so good.

Bright Beltane greetings!

Happy morning after Fast Day to you too Thin. My health has been very good! (touch wood and whistle) although today will be a very quiet day in case it all catches up with me and I crash. (But no sign of that yet).

Such interesting talk about normal eating (reminds me of that cartoon where the little girl asks “What’s normal mum?” and the mum says “It’s a setting on the washing machine, dear.”)
I have always been impressed (and SO relieved) that my daughter just seems to eat when she is hungry and stop when she is full. And her full is more ‘nicely sated’ rather than ‘full to bursting’

But I laughed to myself on our little holiday as being more social and busy I was eating smaller healthier meals and feeling very good, and just when I thought I was eating like my daughter I realised she was making a jam sandwich in between, or grabbing a snickers bar. (mind you, she uses a lot more energy than I do, and is still breastfeeding a bit).

I agree with all the talk about veggies, it seems that the best food advice to almost anyone is simply ‘eat more veggies’.

Lindsay, such good news! All it needs now, is for it to continue. Big flood of good wishes for Mr L today.

I had such a big wooden chest full of clothes I couldn’t fit into! It was such fun, as I lost weight, to try things on and see what I might fit into next! In fact it was my main distraction through those hungry Fast Day afternoons!
The saddest part was fitting into something I absolutely adored and then losing more weight so I couldn’t wear it any more. The bitter-sweet of 5:2.
But as I lost weight my tastes changed too. I went through a stage (after years of loose hanging clothes) of wanting everything to be extremely fitted. I’m not so extreme with it now, but I do still love emphasising the bit of shape I now have.

And now, after several years since I started losing weight, I only have clothes I can fit into! Oooh but they are gorgeous ones.

I’m just going to post this and get a cup of coffee and post again. What a lovely relaxed morning!

Second verse 😉

LJoyce, I have wondered about that “Ooh, it will be good to lose just another kilo of weight that is hanging around here” followed by “munch, munch, munch”.
I am wondering if, in my case, it is a bit like the way Quacka talked about ‘normal’. It isn’t so much undermining myself, as trying to set something rigid when rigidity won’t work. I think I need to be like the old Arlo Guthrie song when he chats a bit and then goes to sing the chorus and says “I just have to wait until it comes around again on the guitar”.
i.e. I just need to keep on practising all the good things, and then take advantage of an easy time for losing that last little bulgey bit “when it comes around on the guitar”.

I’m excited about your fridge! I want a small fridge with a comparatively big freezer, and they just don’t seem to make them. You can get huge fridges that have about 50% freezer space. As the size of the fridge goes down the proportion of freezer space goes down, and the little fridges only have about 20% freezer space, until they turn into bar fridges and lose the freezer all together.

I am also excited about the zucchini recipes you find. I had three favourites I didn’t get sick of last time I grew them. One was zucchini slice, next was zucchini and meatballs in a curry sauce (although I often made an African style tomato and peanut sauce) and Oh dear! I can’t remember the third one!
I also have a great, extraordinarily simple, zucchini soup recipe.

Thin, I also think it is likely your skinny friend suffers with an eating disorder, and she is probably still suffering with it. Like other mental health illnesses it tends to be ongoing and even when people have recovered greatly and are managing well, there are still likely to be some symptoms and always the chance of a relapse. I think it is common to manage to eat better at home, social situations are the most problematic.

Cali, I get REALLY hungry on Fast Day! lol. You are right though, I am not going to die of starvation and I am secure in the knowledge I’ve got my big bowl of miso soup coming up, and breakfast the next morning.

That is interesting that your BP being unstable correlates with some increased eating. It will be interesting to work out if that keeps happening. Oh well, eat more veggies! 😉

I’m glad you like the sound of the meat stew with rhubarb, the rhubarb mostly melts into the sauce and it is so delicious. My sister is sending me a recipe she has for a rhubarb and chicken dish. I am keen to try it too.

Your Halloween decorations look wonderful! It seems you are having a Halloween this year that will be much easier to recover from than last year’s one! Happy All Hallows day today, to you and Crickets.

Minka, lovely to see your post. Yes that wedding picture of Anzac was just gorgeous! Love the Dr M quotes!

I keep hoping my very sugar free diet will kill off the gut bugs that set off my munchies, but I have been trying that for about 5 years now!

Sigh.

Off to keep trying to remember the other zucchini recipe!

Big shout out to Cate and Rainbow, Arelkade and Sybs if you are still listening in, and always you Intesha, and there are others whose names I am trying to remember, and others who have been gone longer, or shorter, than I am sure of. (blame my CFS brain fog).

Cheers all.

Best wishes everyone.

Good morning everyone

Just a quick post today as I seem to be hogging the forum a bit lately!!

thin, I don’t really think about sharks when I am out there. I do like the water to be nice and clear so I can see what is around me though. Having said that, it is rare you will actually see a shark. My OH says the shark you see is the one that is already attacking you!! I am quite passionate (and so is OH) about protecting them. They are such an important part of the food chain. Also we are going into their territory – they don’t jump out on land and bite us 😉

Scales are being stubborn evil things today. So I am just ignoring what they say. I feel good after my FD and I went for my walk/run this morning so I guess they are just a little slow to catch up. It is showing the same weight as I was yesterday. Not to worry.

LJ, I love to make zucchini fritters and also crumbed zucchini fingers. Most recipes will say to fry them both but I always just bake them in the oven with spray oil. If I want to fry the fritters I will spray them with oil, quickly brown them in the pan then transfer to oven carefully. They are quite delicate at this stage as they are not fully cooked yet.

Anyway best go before my short post turns into a long one again. All the best to the fasters and non-fasters alike.

Hope you all have a happy day x

LJ, one of my favorite ways to have zucchini is so simple, but lots gets eaten when I prepare it this way in our home. I chop up an onion and some garlic and sauté it in a little olive oil and water til it’s translucent. Then I slice the zucchini and mince a few slices of red capsicum (Or other red pepper if you like, it’s mostly for decoration) and add them to the pan. Cook until they are just al dente and the edges are browned, and season with salt and pepper. I sometimes add basil or tarragon or dill, depending on the mood. It’s so simple, but so good. My other favorite is zucchini bread which may as well be called zucchini cake. 😊 I don’t have a particular recipe, I just look one up on the Internet when I need it.

Quacka, we love people hogging the forum because it makes the rest of us look 👀 like we aren’t. 😆