Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

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LJoyce

12:38 am
1 Nov 18
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10:30am Thurs, Adelaide

Anzac, very glad to hear that you had a much better FD. You will eventually get to a routine that’s much easier, you just need to get past those annoying little voices that try to undermine the new pattern you are trying to set.

Minka, I don’t practice mindfulness as often as I should either!

Quacka & Cali, thank you for the zucchini ideas. I’ve just picked 5 that were at risk of getting too big. I couldn’t resist taking a photo: https://imgur.com/B6qqH4X I’m afraid I’m behaving like a proud parent photographing her babies repeatedly!
Cali, I am trying to avoid the zucchini bread/cake option, although I may try it if I have guests to eat it. It’s a FD for me and I already have dinner in the fridge so I have until to morrow to think about how to handle this little crop.

Cinque, I’m excited too, my current fridge is over 20 years old and it’s a lot of money to spend so I wanted to make a good choice. Good freezer sizes are hard to find in small to medium fridges. I was looking for a medium fridge of about 500 litres and I wanted half freezer, but most only had 150-160 litre freezers. After lots of online hunting and looking up specifications, I have found just three 500ish litre fridges that have freezers in the 200-250 litre range:
https://www.appliancesonline.com.au/fisher-paykel-523l-french-door-fridge-rf523gdx1/ (this is almost identical to the one I’m buying – I’m getting the version that had a single fridge door instead of the french doors (it will save $300 but otherwise it’s identical)
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/lg-594l-french-door-refrigerator-gf-b590pl
https://www.appliancesonline.com.au/inalto-i4df545x-545l-french-door-fridge/
Would these work for you or are they still too large?
I also cam across this under bench model that I really liked as it has equal allocation to freezer and fridge, although it wouldn’t work in the space I have to work with: https://www.appliancesonline.com.au/156l-airflo-fridge-freezer-combo-af156/

Those who have been here a while know my obsession with a good cup of tea. For those of you who are newer I took this photo to illustrate the key to getting through a FD for me: https://imgur.com/GuMJJkz I find that with the tea tray and a couple of cups of good tea, made with milk and enjoyed slowly I can happily forgo a meal without feeling deprived. I think preparing it this way (rather than a random tea bag dangling in a mug) makes it look like a special treat too, which really helps. It is a sacrifice because I have to give up FD food to have the milk, but for me it is absolutely worth the trade.
I’m hoping that those of you who are new to 5:2 can find something that also helps you get through the day on a FD. Once I found this it helped me relax a bit more about FDs. I realise a pot of tea won’t be the answer for most others, but there will be something that helps that doesn’t require too much of a calorie investment.

Merryme

1:32 am
1 Nov 18
Permalink

Hi everyone,

Hope all are well and challenges being kinder to those under the hammer. Still to catch up on the last page’s posts.

Lindsay- still praying for you and you OH and family. Will catch up on your posts first.

FD today. Check-in tmrw after e ercise physiologist weigh in, my weekly weigh in atm.Did a FD last Monday.

Onwards and Downwards, Merry

GdayfromSA

1:38 am
1 Nov 18
Permalink

Hello all. I haven’t caught up on posts as I’m too far behind but quickly skimmed through to see if anything jumped out at me. It’s 33 deg at the mo heading for a top of 41 today…yuk.

OH and I took MissD trick or treating last night and yes I dressed up….as a witch. OH was chauffeur as there’s only a select few houses that welcome Halloween so walking isn’t an option as they are few and far between. Plus it was 35 deg so OH was happy to stay in the car with the air conditioning running and drive us around searching for Halloween houses.

MissD looked at her couldren full of lollies when we arrived home and said ‘I don’t want these mum, lollies are bad for me’. I was really happy with that comment. I’ve noticed since my eating habits have changed in the last few years that hers are slowly changing too. She’s not liking a lot of processed food, won’t touch KFC, Maccas etc and is slowly trying new fresh foods. OH absolutely loves eating what I cook as he relied on takeaways and lots of processed food when he became a widower and struggled being on his own.

No luck selling OH’s house so we are going to rent it out. As I write OH is packing up furniture and moving gear out to my house. Although renovations at mine are still a work in progress we will just live with the disarray for awhile. It got to the point where OH was living at mine anyway…..albeit out of a suitcase…so we thought he might as well move permanently and at least we can make some $$ from renting.

Must dash….lunchbreak is over and I have a meeting to attend.

Quacka

4:22 am
1 Nov 18
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Hi Merry & Gday 🙂

So here is a question for everyone. Will exercising help with my weight loss while practicing 5:2?

I have been reading other threads on here in the exercise part and now I am thoroughly confused.

I know I can lose weight doing 5:2 while NOT exercising. I have proved it to myself.

What I want to know is will exercise help (or hinder as some posters say) my weight loss? I know it helps fitness and mental health etc.

I understand it may be different for everyone but I am interested in your opinions 🙂

Cinque

5:42 am
1 Nov 18
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Hi Quacka,

My understanding is that, while exercising is always great for your health, some people get into a bind when they are doing it for weight loss because after doing the wonderful exercise they get good and hungry and eat more calories than they have just burned off.

So the trick will be to watch out for that.

CalifDreamer

5:55 am
1 Nov 18
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Quacka, exercise isn’t necessary to lose weight on the 5:2 but I think it might help. One thing to keep in mind is that as you gain muscle, you may see that on the scales. If you do a lot of weight bearing exercises you may see more. But it takes more calories to maintain muscle mass than it does fat. So more of the calories you eat will go to support that lean mass instead of flab. Muscle makes you look leaner, so your clothes will probably fit better. I did little exercise while I was losing, but that wasn’t very good for me, especially because I was feeling very stressed with my job and traveling for work. Exercise is definitely a good thing, even if it’s only walking.

I wonder if getting more exercise would eliminate some of the jiggly bits, the skin that used to contain fat but now is just there all by it’s lonesome? Most people say you’re just stuck with it, especially as you age and your skin gets less elastic, but I wonder if some of that can be tightened by exercise? I’m thinking the jiggly upper arms and the empty skin around my waist. I don’t notice it in other places. What do you all think?

Well, only 2 little trick or treaters came to the door tonight, so glad there isn’t much candy. 😁

LJoyce

6:06 am
1 Nov 18
Permalink

Quacka, I agree with the other advice.
From personal experience, activity that uses more calories but does little to build muscle helps a little bit with weight loss providing I don’t eat any more, and that can be hard to judge.
Exercise that builds muscle, for me means weight gain but size loss – ie my measurements go down, my dress size goes down, but my weight goes up. This means I lose body fat but gain muscle – which weighs more than the body fat did.
If you are more focused on getting smaller rather than weighing less this is fine, but if what the scales say matters to you it usually makes you disheartened. The comments about not eating more also apply to this type of exercise.

The other factor that can kick in is a compensation factor, not just with food but with movement – eg because you’ve gone to the gym and exercised for an hour it’s an excuse to sit on the sofa for longer instead of being active.

If you are going to add exercise I strongly recommend you start taking body measurements in addition to weighing – it will give you feedback that may be more positive.

Cinque

6:43 am
1 Nov 18
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I had my restful day for a couple of hours, and then decided I needed to go op shopping. I visited three big ones I haven’t been to for ages. I didn’t come away with a lot, but Oh there were some near misses: gorgeous unworn leather shoes that fitted and were cool colours but not quite the design to suit my feet. A wool and silk mix fine knitted dress, but too large. A green silk and cashmere cardigan, that did fit, but not quite my style and a linen and silk top that just had the wrong neckline.
I did score a cotton summer dress with fancy silk trim, and a sleeveless silk top with gorgeous butterflies and beetles all over it (not sure what my granddaughter will think!).
Can you tell I love silk?

Got home absolutely exhausted but made a good lunch and put henna on my hair (getting urgent).
Then I rested properly, and caught up on ‘The Diet Testers’ (strange episode, all the dieters cheated badly, and Dr Xand followed up placenta pills) and ‘Ask the Doctor’ which was about stress and interesting stuff about how chronic stress makes cortisol (which makes you NOT want to eat in ‘fight or flight’ stress) lead us to comfort eating high fat and sugar foods.

I think I will write this and then go back to rest mode!

LJoyce, thanks for the fridge pictures. Your one looks wonderful, but it is too big for me. I REALLY like the little one, but it is too small! My current fridge is very old (probably last century, I bought it reconditioned second hand) and 340 litres capacity. I think I need 250 litres at least, and preferably 300.

I hope you eventually get around to taking in your gorgeous skirts.

I love what you wrote about drinking the beautiful cup of tea with a tray. It makes it a lovely tea ceremony that tells you how special you are.

I’m going to have one next (even though it is a NFD).

Anzac, well done! Floaty clothes are so good at airbrushing our wobbly bits, as well as feeling so kind to our skin when it is stretched (mine was always uncomfortable).

Before I stopped sugar altogether I bought a Snowy icecream maker https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTM3MFgxNjAw/z/GWAAAOSwCnVbpAiM/$_58.JPG and only ate icecream I made myself. I have some lovely recipes and it was so much more delicious than anything I could buy. It makes a fairly small quantity (which I thought was a good thing) and it was a bit more trouble, so it became a ‘sometimes’ food. I’d recommend that as a way of enjoying icecream and eating healthier! And deliciouser! (I made Italian vanilla gelato, mango icecream, a gorgeous coconut one and even redbean icecream, which was fab).

I’m still trying to think of my third zucchini recipe. Cali, that mince one sounds yum, and Quacka, I want to try your crumbed zucchini.
I think my third one had cubes of zucchini cooked until glistening. maybe it was a pasta recipe. Google has been no help, I need to go through my recipe books! LJoyce, wonderful harvest already! Mine are growing bigger quickly but they are way behind yours.

Minka, haha about all the overweight people eating normally in the modern way.
Weren’t you impressive by mindfully NOT eating your piece of chocolate!
I am so keen to read your inulin post!

Merry, did you need a rest after catching up on the last pages posts? Hello and I hope it is being a good Fast Day.

Gday, keep cool. What an interesting time sorting two houses into one. It must be quite stressful too, so I hope you are making as much fun out of it as you can. And fingers crossed for excellent tenants.
What will Miss D do with all those lollies? I am glad she had time collecting them though!

Just saw two more responses to Quacka’s question. Isn’t it interesting!

Best wishes to everyone! I’m off to have beautiful tea on a try.

LJoyce

11:13 am
1 Nov 18
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Cinque, the tea tray is something I initially started once a day shortly after my mother died. My mother thought any problem could be solved by sitting down at the kitchen table and talking it through over a cup of tea. She was also fussy about using tea leaves, brewing in a teapot and drinking from a cup and saucer. My afternoon tea ritual helped me feel connected to her – it helped my grief process in a gentle way that reminded me I would always be connected to her.
On retirement I had more time but still just did the tea tray in the afternoon. However it only took one week on 5:2 before I quickly realised that it might help on a FD.
Glad you found some nice op shop finds – and well done for not giving in to things that were not quite right.

Time I turned the aircon on to cool down the bedroom. It’s still very hot here but a cool change is expected through the night.

thinatlast

11:43 am
1 Nov 18
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Whoa, I read the posts this morning but didn’t have time to comment. Now look how far behind I am. Right, you’re all in bed so I have a chance to catch up before any more appear.

Minka, I loved those snippets from Dr M. Thank you for posting them. And what you wrote about my dress was so lovely. Was that chocolate exercise carried out on a FD or NFD? I’m afraid I’d have inhaled it long before.

LJ, ha ha, we are soul mates not wanting other people to waste their little freebie biscuits! We haven’t had any trick or treaters for a couple of years. There were dozens on our street last night (over a hundred I would guess) but we are set back from the road a bit and they apparently don’t want to make the extra effort to get to our door. One of DD’s primary school friend’s mum is a dentist and she was handing out sample tubes of toothpaste. That made me laugh. Not that our children didn’t fully embrace the whole Halloween experience for many years. DD would make her booty last all year.

Quacka, I totally agree about sharks. They are not Australia’s sharks to cull but part of a worldwide food chain. We are entering their territory when we enter the ocean. Unless they find a way to get on the beaches, I am in no danger.

CalifD, Cinque, you may be right about that friend. She may have had the eating disorder before I met her and have been ‘managing’ it in some form during the time I knew her. I have personally known two people with anorexia. One was a boarding school mate so I did come to know quite a lot about it. It was awful. I still have an image of her checking herself in the mirror as she was safety pinning her skirt to accommodate the continued weight loss. And of course, she did not see the skeleton looking back at her. She did nearly die. Her periods stopped, she was hospitalised for ages being drip fed, missed her O level exams. She survived but was told she would never have children. The other was a high school friend of DD. Both sufferers were very high achievers academically. The latter’s mum told me that although she has ‘recovered’ from the acute danger, aspects of her illness will remain with her for life.

That’s this page. I shall now start on page 361 in a new post.

thinatlast

11:59 am
1 Nov 18
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I have had to skim these later posts as I still have other things to do tonight. So, quickly:

LJ your tea tray looks lovely and I’m sorry to admit to being a tea bag dangler on FDs because I can’t afford any milk on mine so one tea bag is used several times between the almond & coconut milk coffees and my first feeding.

GDSA, imagine driving in that heat to get to the Halloween-friendly homes. What will DD do with her haul?

All the talk of air-con on the eastern side and we’re still experiencing temps of 22C. Rain for the weekend.

What a lot of zucc. recipes! I like them best simply steamed with a teeny sprinkling of sea salt & cracked pepper. And I like spiralising them too.

Cinque, you must report back on GD’s reaction to the dress with beetles on it. I bet she won’t sit on your lap when you’re wearing it!

Hi Merry. Hi Anzac.

I expect I forgot to comment on some things about which I have read. But I must go. Night all.

Quacka

7:40 pm
1 Nov 18
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Good morning everyone

It’s 6:30 am and I have just returned from my walk. No running today, thought I would give my muscles a bit of recovery time. I am going to post quickly as I need to go water the garden before we get 36 degree heat today with hot norwesters.

Thank you Cinque, LJ and Cali on your response to my question. I have exercised in the past and lost weight without changing my eating habits so I am certain that it will help me. I don’t eat any extra when I have exercised as I don’t feel any more hungry, especially now that I have learned what real hunger is as opposed to just feeling like eating something. I also agree LJ that it will change my body shape and I may put on weight. You asked do I want to be smaller or lighter, well I want to be both actually. I understand that muscles are heavier so that’s ok. Cali I’m not sure about the loose skin thing but I think that building up a muscle underneath that loose skin would help to fill out that area so it would maybe tighten the skin? Only problem is places like our necks, no muscle to build there lol

So this week no weight loss and actually I am up today. Muscle building already? I think not. I did have a NFD yesterday so maybe that is it. I don’t know but I am going to eat healthily on the weekend and try to not have so many beers. It is hard when it is hot weather but I have some sparkling water to put in the fridge. Maybe I will make mojitos instead! Naughty Quacka 😉

Anyway, hope you all have a great day. I am off shopping today with my work friend so will check for your posts later this afternoon.

Take care and enjoy your FDs or NFDs, whatever it may be. X

Cinque

9:07 pm
1 Nov 18
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Tea and memories LJoyce. Precious.
I had my tea on the tray I inherited from my Great Aunty Nora and my little two cup teapot, an art nouveau cup and saucer (orange with an iris on it) I bought when I lived in Bendigo, milk in my loveliest little jug, and the lovely T2 tea strainer my daughter gave me.
I might just add that my mum preferred a teabag in a mug, but it made me think fondly of her anyway!

We’re getting the heat you sent on this way LJoyce and all you other SAers. Luckily it hasn’t been long enough for my flat to heat up, and fingers crossed we get some good rain today for my garden.

Thin, lovely to read your night time catch ups.
So sad to hear those stories of anorexia. My niece was hospitalised because of it too, many years ago when the treatment was pretty awful.
I’d like some of your 22C thanks!

I’ll talk to my granddaughter about my bug clothing. I wonder if her love for butterflies can balance out her fear of beetles. I am taking the ‘educate her’ response to her phobia, so every time she screams because there is a bug I get to look at it and tell her as much as I know about that particular creature (ant, slater, bee, fly etc).
Do you think she will end up with a grandma phobia, if I keep at it?

You’ll love getting that exercise into your day Quacka!
Have fun shopping with your friend, such a lovely thing to do.

Lull day for me. 🙂

Sending good wishes to everyone.

Intesha

9:58 pm
1 Nov 18
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Good morning all. To all the newbies you would not know me but I have been doing this WOL since February 2015.

I just wanted to pop in and comment on the overeating and excercise.

I am a binge eater and food is my go to when I am depressed and feel lonely, which seems to be most of the time. For those who are new. My Mum is in a nursing home with dementia and I am a carer for my Dad. Both are in their nineties. My life obviously revolves around them. I have just turned 68 and feel like my life is over and just live a day to day existence.

Having said all that I have stuck to 5:2. My original weight was 87.1. December 2016 I was 65.1. My FD’s are Tuesday/Thursday and most Sunday’s. My weight is like a yo yo and I bounce between 68-70. This morning I was 68.1. I would like to lose more but at this stage my body is holding all the cards.

I got out all my summer clothes this week and was fearful of trying them (mind games). They all fit the same or even better.

So that comes to the excercise part. 2010 I started at Curves with a weight of 91.4. Did that until December 2014, weight 85.5, lowest was 77.6. Continued with Curves but started 5:2. Curves closed June 2016, weight 69.3. Signed up with a gym and now do two Pilates classes and some strength training. My point being that although I would like to weigh less, I have built muscle, don’t have many jiggly bits, bat wings but not too bad. Excercise has toned my body and I still wear size 10/12.

I had a fall back in August and fractured my elbow. Have since had a bone scan and was devasted to find out I have osteoporosis. Had my first injection this week, which is a six monthly procedure so hopefully will bulk up the bones over time.

Anyway I didn’t mean to make this so long but just wanted to encourage all those who are struggling that to continue with 5:2 no matter what the scales say or what life throws at us that it is so worth it. I don’t go out much but when I do and dress up I get huge pleasure out of seeing the person in the mirror.

Hello to all my old supporters and forum buddies. I read the forum daily and enjoy the banter. Cinque I hope to catch up with you sometime soon.

thinatlast

10:50 pm
1 Nov 18
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Cinque, I expect there are children’s story or picture books that make bugs seem cute. Not that she’d appreciate it as a gift but, if you found a suitable one, you could hide it and say you think you have a funny book about bugs somewhere in your flat and she could help you look for it. Does she know where butterflies come from? Perhaps that’s a good place to start?

Quacka, I wasn’t ignoring you about your exercise question. I just didn’t know what to say. I was hoping LJ would give her previously explained analogy about how much exercise would be required to match a FD in terms of calories in/out. I know that I spent thousands of dollars on gym memberships over decades in a quest to lose weight. It never worked. I accept that it probably gave me a higher level of fitness and built muscle strength and endurance but it did nothing for my weight. The only exercise I do now is a 5km walk, rain or shine, every morning. Some days, we walk 12km but 5km is the absolute minimum. This just gives me a sense of well-being and lifts my mood. I need to do more – in particular I keep talking of muscle building and yoga but I never seem to get around to it.

As for the beer drinking, can you alternate a beer with a glass of water? I don’t know how many calories the beer is adding to your weekly intake but it doesn’t seem worth it. You’re so lucky that you are young enough to make lasting and worthwhile changes to your lifestyle that can impact your longevity and future health. I wish I’d known of 5:2 at 40 instead of closer to 60.

Hello Intesha! So sorry to read that you feel depressed and lonely most of the time. That’s awful. But how wonderful that you continue with 5:2 and feel good when you look in the mirror. Happy belated Birthday.

Time for me to press on with the day.

LJoyce

1:02 am
2 Nov 18
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11am, Fri, Adelaide

Late posting today as the nurse has just left after doing my infusion. I have a different nurse now and am happier as she has a lot more skill getting the jelco into the veins.

Intesha, it’s good to have a catch up from you but I am sorry to hear that you are battling loneliness and depression. Is a period of respite an option? It sounds to me that, like most carers, you really need this. You an always come and talk to us too. Sometimes a burden shared helps.
I don’t think a weight that moves around within a 2kg range is problem, I think mine is larger than that and it’s still what I’d consider to be stable. If you weigh the same as a year ago that’s a stable weight.

Thin, handing out toothpaste for halloween is hilarious!

Thin & Quacka, I do remember making that analogy before, I think we burn 1-200 calories an hour for most endurance exercise (eg walking or cycling) and more for intensive workouts (although most of us can’t sustain that pace for long). When you think that our calorie deficit on a FD is usually 1000-1500 calories, replacing that with exercise is really only possible for people with a manual job who are working physically hard for a solid 8 hours a day. Exercise can help but I worry when people expect it to make the same sort of difference that diet does. If you can view it as an extra thing that will help the diet along that’s fine.

Quacka, if you have had a good weight loss experience with exercise in the past then it might be a useful thing to add back into your lifestyle. Toning muscles does help a bit with loose skin – especially if you are still young – not so much when you are over 50 I’ve found.

Cinque, sorry about the weather that’s heading over. If it’s similar to here there’s 2 hot days followed by a thunder storm (we had that last night).
I hope you find some ways to mitigate that bug phobia. Find a cute one, a lady bug maybe.

I am currently looking at the bowl of zucchini (which I added to this morning) wondering what to cook. Some I’m thinking I’ll make into pakoras as I have curry taken from the freezer for dinner tonight. I think I’ll do a zucchini-carrot slice for lunch.

I went for an early walk this morning and was sad to find two baby birds sitting on the verges that had probably been knocked out of their nests in the storm last night. Both were still alive, but as they were clearly too young to be flying they can’t get back into the nest so they won’t last long. I would have put them back myself, but neither nest was within reach.

LJoyce

2:08 am
2 Nov 18
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I just had to take photos of the first zucchini dishes.
https://imgur.com/a/Tkfk6LG
A little zucchini slice that will be enough for 2-3 lunches and 6 pakoras to go with curry for the next 2 nights. The pakoras also contain some onion and some homegrown spinach and coriander.
I didn’t want to deep fry the pakoras, so I made a lot less batter than would be usual and I made it much thicker. I’m going to bake them for 20 minutes which will hopefully set them. Then I can finish them off in the air fryer at dinner time which should get them nice and crisp. I’m hoping this works, as the thing that puts me off of foods like pakoras and tempura is the amount of oil.

Hope everyone else has a nice lunch waiting too. Time for a cuppa while I wait for it to cook.

thinatlast

4:19 am
2 Nov 18
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Nice looking dishes, LJ! No lunch for me, I’ve just had my breakfast (12.15pm). I doubt those baby birds would survive even if you had put them back in the nest – the parents usually abandon them after human intervention. I think your previous analogy involved the number of running marathons required per year to equal our FDs.

Anzac65

5:57 am
2 Nov 18
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Hello friends, busy day so I haven’t had time to post until now

It is currently 38 degrees in Sydney and I am very grateful that I could work from home. The thought of getting on a crowded train in this heat makes me feel sick

Weigh in today and I’m down 400g so have hit 3kg loss and have crept into the 88’s. Yay [happy dance].

Intesha, hello, we haven’t ‘met’ but I was sad to hear that you have been so down. Please remember we are here with broad shoulders any time you would like to chat.

Quacka, I am not a natural when it comes to exercise. My OH says I missed out on the exercise gene but I do love a good walk. I find if I do 10,000 steps every day and more on the weekend then it really helps to combat the odd splurge on food or wine. It also makes me feel better and happier.

LJoyce, so sad about the baby birds but that is how nature sadly works. So glad the new nurse is working out but I’m sorry you have to go through the infusion process at all. I did love reading about your tea ceremony in memory of your Mum. I lost my darling Mum 7 years ago and I miss her but have so many fond memories too. Thankfully I got my sense of fun from her; she had a wicked sense of humour, could tell a dirty joke that would make even me blush but most of all just loved life, loved her family and her friends…and her golf. OH and I lived next door to mum and dad when we came home from living in NZ and we were saving for a house so rented the little flat that used to be where my grandmother lived and was semi-detached to their place. We would have card parties instead of going out and Mum would wait until Dad was asleep and sneak in and have a few wines and play cards with us and our friends! She took all our money! (small change only of course:))

Thin, you share my love of walking. I have a hair appointment tomorrow and I will walk there. It’s about 40 minutes each way and it is through some nice bushy areas so I’m looking forward to it.

Your dress and silk top sound gorgeous Cinque, hope you can cure your Grand daughter of her bug terror.

Not having a great NFD but not too bad. I made chicken Caesar salad for lunch but only had a small portion. I’m making home-made pizzas for dinner and mine will have minimal cheese and my own home-made tomato sauce. Mine is going to be tandoori chicken and OH will have chorizo, bacon, onion, mushroom and capsicum. I’ve done at least 50 laps in the pool (it’s 8m long) and we went for a 1 hour walk with Maxx early this morning so I hope that will help counter the extra calories.

Anyway, another ramble from me, sorry! Hope everyone is having a great day and looking forward to an awesome weekend

LJoyce

6:09 am
2 Nov 18
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Anzac, you have confirmed what I’ve always believed. Those we love live on in our memories of them and the many things that remind us of them. It’s so nice when the grief has settled down and remembering can bring a smile to our faces instead of tears to our eyes.

CalifDreamer

8:19 am
2 Nov 18
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I had a busy day today and just wanted to say hi before heading off to bed. We only had 2 little girls come to the door for Halloween. The leftover candy survived. I only ate a couple pieces. Today (which is now yesterday) was a very easy FD.

Cinque, I went to the op shop again and found a couple Thanksgiving decorations and a pair of grey jeans for DS, and a necklace. It’s always fun to go there.

LJ, I like your choice of refrigerators. When will they deliver the new one?

Intesha, good to hear from you. Having to worry about and care for your dad, I’m not surprised that you feel depressed. Do you have anyone nearby that can help and give you some occasional free time? I hope to see you post more often here.

LJoyce

8:40 am
2 Nov 18
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Cali, I haven’t ordered the fridge yet. It’s on sale until 14th Nov, so I’ll go in late next week and order and pay for it. I’m waiting for one more pay day (my superannuation pension) before I commit that much money. Delivery includes removing my old fridge (and it has to be turned off so the motor has cooled. I need a week to get that freezer mostly emptied. Luckily I have my niece and nephew and their spouses, kids etc coming to dinner Sunday – I have planned the menu carefully to use as many things from the freezer as possible.
I am looking forward to the extra freezer space in the new fridge.

thinatlast

8:57 am
2 Nov 18
Permalink

The fridge business was one of the things I missed out on commenting on because there were so many posts that day. I had wondered why you had to empty the old freezer. When I bought my first house in California, the fridge was obscenely enormous. I sold it, the dog ate the $100 bill I got for it and had carelessly tossed on the bed, and I purchased a smaller fridge suitable for one person. Later, I had a lot of trouble renting out that house solely because the fridge was too small. I love my current fridge/freezer – the two deep freezer drawers are on the bottom, just where they should be. We bought this one prior to 5:2. Nowadays, I hardly need ‘door space’ as I don’t buy all that processed stuff in jars that we’ve been told we need to make food taste good. LJ, you’ve done well to get 20 years out of a fridge.

My weight has stayed at 59.7kg for nearly a week. We had ‘roo for dinner last night and it was a big hit with OH, slightly less so with DD but she ate it. 98% fat free protein. Do any/many of you eat it regularly? Tonight, we’re having fish as DD has a uni function where food is supplied.

Anzac, have fun walking to the hairdresser. Congrats on the loss this week.

Hello CalifD. You will need a bigger home to house all these op shop purchases!

LJoyce

9:40 am
2 Nov 18
Permalink

Thin,
I get a bit irate if I don’t get at least 15 years from any major appliance. I know they aren’t built to last but I still expect them to provide reasonable value. My record is the tumble which my parents gave me as a wedding present in 1988 – I still have it and it still works fine. T dry most things using good old fashioned sun and fresh air, so I only use the dryer about once a fortnight, so it hasn’t had a very hard life.

I too have a lot of space in the fridge door shelves. I decided to store all the unopened cartons of almond-coconut milk in one shelf (it holds 9 of them)- otherwise they take up a lot of pantry space (I stock up when it’s on sale). In most fridges, this is the shelf that would be full of soft drink bottles! My top shelf in the door has the eggs and a block of dark chocolate!

I rarely eat roo, not because I don’t like it, but because I just don’t eat a lot of red meat – about once a week. If it comes to a choice between lamb, beef or roo, I’m afraid lamb wins nearly every time! The only beef I ever buy is very lean mince or gravy beef. I’d happily use roo mince instead of beef.

Quacka

7:35 pm
2 Nov 18
Permalink

Good morning everyone

It’s still warm here this morning although not as bad as yesterday. We live out on the coast and although it may be hot in town we usually have a cool nor’easter out here. Not yesterday. Hot westerly winds and hot all night so I am a very tired duck this morning (no air con here)

I had a lovely day shopping with my friend yesterday. I needed some shorts for work so I bought some of those and a few other items of clothing. Spent $85 and got 8 items so I am happy with that. We also had sushi train for lunch. It was a new experience for me and I have never actually even seen a sushi train before. I love sashimi and sushi but I don’t really eat sushi anymore because of the white rice. Since starting 5:2 I have noticed that these empty white carbs (like pasta, bread, rice) must play havoc with my blood sugars and I feel hungry again too soon after the meal. It happened yesterday and also one other day last week. I was on a NFD so I had Salada crackers and with avocado, cheese and tomato for breakfast. It made me hungry all day.
Anyway the sashimi was nice and the sushi was good too. It was very interesting watching it all being made in front of us and the skill they have is amazing. Even just using one of those squirty sauce bottles from up high to put sauce patterns all over a tray of sushi, their accuracy was spot on.

Hi Intesha, hope things get better for you soon. Glad you could stick to your 5:2 🙂

thin, I know you weren’t ignoring me lol. I am not going to replace 5:2 with exercise, I just want to enhance it. It is a 6km walk around our village and it’s beautiful doing that early in the morning. I also love walking for the mental health benefits and that feel good feeling after I have been.
Beer…… yes I could replace a beer with a glass of water and I often do drink water in between as I know alcohol is quite dehydrating. I just love having a beer out on the deck with my OH. I won’t be giving it up any time soon just controlling the amount 😉

Anzac, well done on the weight loss. Keep up the good work 🙂

thin I have had roo several times and I don’t mind it at all. It’s quite a strong flavour and I remember one time when I tried to eat it, I just couldn’t. I think that I over thought about it, hahahahaha. It is a great low fat protein to eat and if it is cooked just right can be really yummy.

LJ how did the pakoras turn out in the oven? I mostly bake things in the oven now instead of frying. Spray oil is a wonderful thing. It sometimes takes a bit of experimenting but I think most things can work.

Hi to everyone I haven’t mentioned. Time to get up. Have a great day everyone x

Cinque

9:29 pm
2 Nov 18
Permalink

Saturday morning, a lovely fresh 14C with sunshine. It is before 8am (when I am starting this) and I have hung a big load of washing out AND decided to make today a Fast Day. (It might be the only way to get my kitchen tidy 😉 ). Good start Cinque!

Hi Quacka, you might need a line in to rehydrate! I hope you can have an easy day, and I’m glad it is a bit cooler. Good shopping! You are ready for summer!
And what a whacka of a summer it is shaping up to be,.
The sushi train sounds wonderful.

So glad to see your post Intesha, although my heart goes out to you with your dear parents making your life as constrained as if you had a nasty disability.
Are you still doing cake decorating?
I know you want to be off traveling. It must be time to make plans for a trip next year and get your brother (I think?) on board to look after your parents while you are gone.
It sounds as if the trip to Melbourne is on, so that is something! Looking forward to catching up!

Great job keeping fit and healthy, you are a great example of 5:2 in practice. I hope you can keep the osteoporosis from worsening.

Bugs: Now little Miss Two is as scared as her big sister. Sigh. Good idea to find stories about their life cycles, Thin.
I think I need to tell them that flies are just like butterflies, but with smaller wings!

You are sitting nicely under 60 at the moment!
I am planning to get more roo in my diet, and less beef, after reading how beef is the worst for the environment, and roo is one of the best. I think I have only had it as mince in my daughters excellent meat sauce.

LJoyce, what a relief to have a better nurse finding your vein! I hope day-after-infusion is a good one.
Your horrid weather mostly went up to Quacka I think, so I won’t complain too much about the two hot days and a nasty night in between, we got off lightly and the worst was that hot north wind which I won’t blame you for! 😀

So sad to read about the little birds.

Your zucchini dishes look wonderful! I ended up going through my 4 exercise books of saved recipes and wrote down all the ones that use a lot of zucchini. 17 recipes! Most of them I have never made, but want to try. And those I have tried were great and I want to make them again. Summer will be fun.

Anzac, so glad you could stay home yesterday. I hope it is lovely weather for walking to your hairdresser today.
Your mum was such fun.
All that walking and swimming is just excellent for someone without the exercise gene! Congratulations for reaching the 88’s. Before long you will be ‘mid 80’s’

Cali, congratulations on a good Halloween and an excellent Fast Day. Not to mention more op shop finds. Fingers crossed your BP is behaving itself now.

Thinking of you Lindsay and Mr Lindsay.

Best wishes to everyone, I hope today is a good one. 8:34am.

thinatlast

11:43 pm
2 Nov 18
Permalink

Morning all. I’m up to date with post reading. Nothing much to contribute. Your various weather descriptions make me feel that I’m on a different continent. We had the heat on this morning!

I agree that ‘roo can have a strong gamey taste and this puts me off somewhat. But the other night, it didn’t. A friend who uses it regularly told me that it must be cooked on a very high heat for a short time only. Of course, while eating, DD had to educate us about the parasites kangaroos carry and satisfy herself that I’d cooked it long enough to destroy any zoonotic contamination. All was well. It was delicious. As was our baked fish last night.

Cinque, have a great FD! Who’s with me tomorrow?

LJoyce

12:16 am
3 Nov 18
Permalink

10:20am, Sat, Adelaide

If the weather is heading east (as it mostly does), the heat on the eastern seaboard will be short lived, so hang in there, the heat will hopefully get blown away soon. It’s only going to be 21C here today and looking at the forecast I have an entire week of cool-mild temperatures and rain to look forward to. Have you guessed yet that I’m not a fan of hot weather – I definitely prefer spring and autumn to either extreme.

Quacka, I also find white carbs early in the day can trigger cravings for more food. I don’t have the same problem with high fibre wholegrains though. It can be safer to have the starchy carbs at dinner time – it can’t trigger a whole day of cravings then. Although I think we are always better off choosing a higher fibre grain option.
I think walking is an excellent choice, low impact, and often enjoyable scenery too.
The pakoras were wonderful, thankyou for the idea of baking fritters, that gave me the confidence to try it with these. I had 3 pakoras with a 1/2 serve of chickpea curry and raita for dinner last night. I’m going to have the remaining 3 with raita today as lunch, so I’ll take some photos of what they look like after baking and then after 10 minutes in the airfrier so I can post the recipe on our legume recipe thread with pics. I found that they cooked and held together in the oven, but they didn’t crisp up the way they do when deep fried. The airfrier took care of that component – even though I add no oil, it’s just air swirling around the food, it went crisp and crunchy on the outside just the way I hoped. This is the sort of process that I prefer to make in bulk and then freeze after the oven stage. Then I can pull out 2-3 fritters at a time and airfry them from frozen for a very quick meal.

Cinque, sorry to hear that the bug phobia is contagious! I don’t know what to suggest other than a book or movie featuring bugs that makes them more interesting than frightening.
I too am looking forward to the summer produce options. I like the mediterranean veg that abounds, and I adore summer fruits, especially stone fruits.

Thin, thanks for the tip about cooking roo on a high heat to kill parasites!

I am planning a walk shortly. I decided I didn’t need to go early given the weather is so mild today. I have just pulled an enormous amount of food out of the freezer. Once things have thawed a little I will starting working on cubing and marinating meat and making the kofta mix. I want everything on skewers and in the fridge by tonight, then I know I’ll easily get everything else done tomorrow.

Have a good day everyone.

LJoyce

3:27 am
3 Nov 18
Permalink

Quacka, I posted the recipe: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/beans-and-lentils-recipes-tips-and-information/page/3/#post-270514

Intesha

3:55 am
3 Nov 18
Permalink

33 degrees here currently. Don’t have air con either Quaka, just ceiling fans and a window air con in the kitchen which is good for when I am baking.

Yes Cinque I still do some cake decorating but also into cookies. Unfortunately I don’t have LJoyce’s fortitude and throw things away, hence my binge eating. I am getting better. I recently made a birthday cake for my grandson and am currently decorating 350 cookies for Xmas presents. Sometimes I think I am my own worst enemy but it gives me an outlet. The downside is I have to stop and get meals for my Dad.
https://imgur.com/a/OTwRfQx.

My gym classes are also my outlet and some weeks we all have coffee together. I just get upset because I have lost the spontaneity of life. After being on my own for so long and now having to care for my parents I feel trapped.

I am going to Melbourne towards the end of the month to spend time with friends for a week or so but the drama I have to go through to do that sometimes makes me wonder if it’s worth it. Dad is extremely stubborn and will not admit he can’t cope so no respite or other carer. I have to make sure there is enough ready made meals easily accessible and I have a small microwave that fits on the kitchen bench that I bring in for him as he cannot access mine due to his mobility. I also have to put all other utensils within easy reach as he is also restricted in reaching cupboards.

Well tea break over, back to cookie decorating.

Quacka

4:30 am
3 Nov 18
Permalink

Thanks LJ for the recipe, pics and instructions. They look yummy!

Intesha, my father is 87 in December. My mother looks after him and although she is a lot younger it has still taken its toll. She has recently gotten him to agree to respite care. She did this by making him understand that it is hard on her and her health too. He now has a respite carer come in 3 days a week for a few hours a day. It gives mum a chance to do mundane things like go grocery shopping but also occasionally to have a couple hours to herself. He too, was totally against it at first and soooooo stubborn. They were both born in Europe and I think Dad thought it was like abandonment and Mum felt guilty about the whole thing. Now they both love it.

I really hope you can work towards that Intesha. Explain to your Dad that the ‘carer’ doesn’t need to do anything except come around and visit if that is what he wants. Yes, he/she can shower him or get his meals ready if he would like that, but mostly it’s just to have someone there. And also to give you a break and some time to attend to your own health and needs.

I’m not trying to tell you what to do but I really hope you can work this out so it works for both of you. It is a special thing to have a family member care for you in your old age, especially in this day and age, but it shouldn’t mean having to give up your life entirely. You matter too! The fact you have said that you get down and depressed and feel trapped mans something needs to be done.
These oldies don’t like change but once they have tried it they may find they don’t mind it, it’s not as bad as they first thought.
Tell your Dad you have organised a respite worker to come visit while you are away. It doesn’t even need to be every day if he doesn’t want that. You deserve to enjoy your break and not be stressing about if he is ok.
Intesha, I don’t mean to be carrying on but I’m worried about you. If you need any help organising a respite carer let me know. My brother in law is in this line of work and will be able to tell me exactly how you can do this smoothly. Hope you are ok x

CalifDreamer

5:45 am
3 Nov 18
Permalink

Intesha, those cookies are exquisite and the car cake is so cute, you are truly talented. I would have the same problem with eating the things I made, or eating the things that didn’t turn out or leftovers. I would be hesitant to eat the others and destroy them. They are so lovely. Maybe the key is to have someone to give the cakes to before you start making them.
I think that getting older and being reminded of our own mortality can be depressing. Having a health scare or watching those around us being ill can take a toll. I’m not sure what the answer is and often grapple with that too. I guess we just do the best we can and try to live in the moment, even though that can be difficult sometimes. Staying in shape with 5:2 can be a big help. Being thin isn’t just about looking better, it affects all sorts of heath issues.

Cinque, I found a couple of animations for Miss 2 and Miss 4. The first is about a caterpillar and many other bugs. It’s pretty cute: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tYa6OLQHrEc

The second is mostly about a caterpillar with a couple other bugs, but a word of caution because at the end when he turns into a beautiful butterfly, he gets snatched away by a big angry bird. Maybe you could stop the video just before that point. It’s a beautiful animation.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D0a0aNqTehM

LJ, thanks for posting that recipe. It looks good. I think you’re going to be eating zucchini for a long time. I’ve been picking bunches of my potted Thai basil and hanging it to dry. Our weather is always cool at night but has been warmer than normal for this time of year during the day. The basil keeps growing like crazy.

Thin, I was 59.7 this morning too after yesterday’s FD, but I probably ate too much to stay in the 59’s today. Mostly healthy things, but a bit too much of them. Tomorrow night we’re meeting friends for dinner at an Italian restaurant, but They have chicken piccata which isn’t too bad. I have a large cupboard of linens to sort through tomorrow that I’ve been putting off forever. Many things to go to the op shop that we don’t use anymore. That should keep me busy during the day and away from food.

Quacka, it sounds like you had a good shopping trip. You’re buying shorts when I’m buying warm sweaters. 😁

thinatlast

11:43 am
3 Nov 18
Permalink

CalifD, I meant to say thanks for the heads up on, ‘The Bodyguard’. I really enjoyed it. I see what you mean about it being tense. Good job getting back under 60kg quickly. I was 59.4kg this morning on day 3 of NFDs. We’ve had three days of healthy eating, the ‘roo, the fish and tonight’s mung bean stew. We walked into town today and took the ferry back so that’s about 9-10kms. That chicken piccata sounds very nice. I haven’t seen that on our Italian menus in Perth. Not that I’m much into restaurant eating these days. I agree with you – I feel so much better at this weight, almost invincible! Perhaps 60kg is our ‘zone’ to bob above and below? I like staying under though.

Intesha, those cookies are spectacular.

Cinque

8:35 pm
3 Nov 18
Permalink

Another beautiful Melbourne morning. Saturday 7:35am.
It was a good decision to have my Fast Day yesterday and I’m hoping today will be a lean eating day.

Heaps of tweeny weeny zucchini starting on my plants (one or two centimetres long at the moment).

Cali, thanks for finding those lovely insect youtube clips. The bird swooping in is a bit of a shock haha. I will keep them and hopefully be able to show the kiddies soon.

How wonderful to have so much Thai basil.

Intesha, I am so glad Quacka wrote what she did.
Your Dad’s care is important, but you are just as important. I think you have been caring for him, and making sure your mum is okay, as your life for years now. You live in a society that can help and it is time to think about what you need to live a good life, and draw on more of the services around. That can make both you and your dad’s life much happier. Sending lots of good wishes.

Those biscuits are exquisite! I just love the delicate detail! And how your grandson must have loved his wonderful cake!

I am going to make a soup today. I’ve got carrots and blackeyed beans, and heaps of silverbeet, a lovely stock and plenty of herbs!

LJoyce, what great pakoras!

Best wishes to the Fasters, I’m feeling a little mournful you are Fasting without me! What a pity I am not in the mood for a B2B.
Cheers to all who are not fasting today.

thinatlast

11:27 pm
3 Nov 18
Permalink

Cinque, I’m feeling a little mournful that you’ve abandoned me too! But how lovely for you, the day after FD to enjoy! I don’t suppose anyone else is with me today? I’m having an old standby, a microwaved poached egg, 80gm steamed asparagus and 50gm smoked salmon. I tbs plain yoghurt with fresh dill and lime juice on the side. If anyone feels like dropping in for a chat, please do! I shall check in, in between cleaning windows.

Intesha

11:43 pm
3 Nov 18
Permalink

Good morning, much cooler today thankfully. Already icing cookies 😳

Thank you Quaka and Cinque. I am aware of all that is available to help with Dad. He also has a gold card as he was in the Navy and saw action in Korea. I have also had an ACAT assessment which has rated him on one of the high scales due to his mobility but without going in depth unless you are living the situation it is hard to describe.

I guess the main thing with me is the loss of independence. Everything is regimented as you can imagine. Dad drives to see Mum 6 days a week, leaves here at 8.20 and arrives back at 12.30, like clockwork. I have lunch on the table for him and then dinner is around 5.30. So I have 4hours in the mornings to myself. We do have home help every fortnight for an hour and a half so that means I don’t have to do certain jobs on that week. Since the discussion on housework I have stepped back and am not as rigid as I was. I don’t have people around and basically the house is always tidy.

Thin I am with you today. My weight this morning was 69.6 which is has stayed regularly and then down into the 68’s after an FD. I just think my body has put itself into a maintenance pattern and I am not going to stress about it.

Cinque I will bring you some cookies but not sure of your dietary requirements. Do you like gingerbread. I am also doing some reindeers and gingerbread people, maybe your granddaughters might like them😏😏

Back to my cookies

LJoyce

1:30 am
4 Nov 18
Permalink

11:30am, Sunday, a lovely spring day in Adelaide

Good morning/afternoon Southern Hemispherites.

Thin, That’s an excellent weight after 3 NFDs. I haven’t been as restrained and I feel like I should be fasting today, but it will be tomorrow as I have the family coming to dinner tonight – enjoy your Sunday FD.
Take care cleaning lose lovely leadlight windows.

Intesha, I was the main support for my father in his final 5 years, so I do understand. I also understand how very set in their ways they are and unrealistic about how much support they think they don’t need. I know it takes a great deal of time and emotional energy to organise a proper break, but I’m glad you have the trip to Melbourne to look forward to. Getting away from the confines of your daily routine is important.
By the way I love your decorated biscuits, such pretty detailed work. They’ll make lovely gifts.

Cali, loved those videos, especially the Caterpillar’s Shoes.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

I thought I’d post an update on the garden progress
https://imgur.com/a/3ouYh36 These are photos from 8 Oct, 22 Oct and this morning 4 Nov. I can’t believe it’s grown so much in just 4 weeks. I had to get out there with the old panty hose yesterday and restrain the tomato plants. The only thing that doesn’t seem to have grown at all is the eggplants. Never mind, I think I’ll have enough produce to deal even if they fail. The climbing plants are just starting to make their way up the frames I built. The cucumber plants are covered in flowers and tiny cucumbers.
I have noticed a change in the bugs in the garden. When I lived in the hills it was tiny ants that moved the pollen around in my zucchini plants and here it’s bees. I went out with my cotton bud this morning, ready to manually transfer pollen to the newly opened zucchinis only to find a bee there already doing the job for me. It looks like I can retire the cotton bud now and just let the bees get on with it.

Time I get on with some more food prep for tonight’s dinner. I’m amazed by just how much food I’ve managed to get out of the freezer and incorporate into my menu.

Anzac65

4:18 am
4 Nov 18
Permalink

Good afternoon

Not a great day, I badly damaged my car trying to get out of the Aldi car park. Completely my fault, trying to hurry and misjudged a pylon. OH reckons 2-3k worth of damage and given our excess and the loss of no-claim-bonus it wont be worth claiming on insurance. I’m so mad at myself I could spit chips.

Food-wise not bad, not perfect but that’s how I like my weekends. My Dad is home from visiting friends and so I will have to move my FD’s to Tuesday and Thursday as he comes over on Monday’s. I have cooked a heap of meals for him ready for him to take home tomorrow night.

I have read all the posts but no time to reply to everyone. I’ll save that for tomorrow morning when I get to work. I get in early so can always spend the first little while doing that.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone

thinatlast

4:35 am
4 Nov 18
Permalink

Bad luck Anzac. It’s happened to us all. I’ve found that the best remedy for that disaster is to get it repaired it asap and put it behind you. The more you look at it, the more irritated you make yourself.

LJ, perhaps Cinque can draw on the value of bees as you’ve described when chatting to the little ones. Personally, after coming under attack in Sri Lanka by a huge swarm of them, I tend to agree with Cinque’s grandies!

Intesha, glad I have a fasting buddy today. How you can handle cookies, cakes, etc on any day and not be tempted, I have no idea – but on a FD? You must be some kind of a saint.

Window cleaning is going well thanks, LJ. It has led to having a big clean-out. My never-ending attempt at downsizing. I must make some cauliflower soup soon as I didn’t take any from the freezer for today.

Arelkade

11:05 am
4 Nov 18
Permalink

Hi friends – old and new!
10.00pm Sunday in NSW Australia

Enjoying reading all your posts – inspirational, informative, and can relate to so many.

It’s now 13 months since starting this WOL and I couldn’t be happier – down about 10kg, member of slow and steady Club Tortoise, it works for me!

2018 has not been my best year, but from here on, it will be better – I can’t change the past, it’s no good worrying about what might happen in the future, so I’ll just live for the here and now on a daily basis.

We are all stronger when we do this together, and I enjoy the non judgemental attitude from each of you – you are all an inspiration! I always feel good after reading each post.

It’s time for bed so no time to answer any posts! Have a great week!
Enjoy whatever you are getting up to and bye for now! xx

Quacka

7:49 pm
4 Nov 18
Permalink

Good morning everyone

Sorry about your car Anzac. Hope you can get it fixed really soon

Hi Arel, love the attitude to just live for the here and now.

I had a lovely weekend and I hope you all did too. Yesterday morning I had some time to myself so I had another go at making jam drops. Different recipe this time and they worked out perfectly. I even took a photo to show you. The recipe makes a huge batch of cookie dough (500g butter, 5 cups flour) so I have three portions in the freezer for another time (or three).

How did your family dinner go LJ?

The weekend was going really well food wise, mostly protein and salads, until last night. We had a unexpected visitor drop around at about 4pm and he didn’t leave until 8:30pm, and only then after some prompting from OH lol. We were both really hungry by then and as it was close to our bed time we ate some 2 minute noodles. Ugh!
Disgusting empty calorie things but at least we didn’t go to bed hungry. I feel ok today so no lasting effects either. Yay!

It’s FD for me today. Weight this morning was 100g up on Fridays weight. No big deal. I’m hoping to actually lose some this week.

It’s melbourne cup day tomorrow and we usually make a big snacking platter at work, full of all high calorie processed meats, dips, cheeses and crackers. Actually other years it has been me that has instigated it and prepared it so this year I am not doing it. Hopefully if I just keep quiet about it then my colleagues won’t remember. I will be on a NFD but I don’t need all those extra calories and I have no control when it comes to platters. If they insist I could always do a fruit platter.

Well I hope you all have a lovely day. All the best and take care everyone x

Quacka

8:03 pm
4 Nov 18
Permalink

I forgot how to do the imgur thing so hope it works.

Quacka

8:04 pm
4 Nov 18
Permalink

https://imgur.com/a/0gKTt83

Cinque

9:57 pm
4 Nov 18
Permalink

Nice jam drops Quacka, they look just like the ones my mum made. Yum.

Good call on the Melbourne Cup Day platter. A fruit platter would be a wonderful alternative.

Thin, enjoy your morning after Fast Day and clean windows.

Intesha, I can see you are all organised, but I still think you need a better quality of life. Maybe it is just a matter of starting to plan for your next trip every time you come back from one.

I am afraid my dietary requirements are no sugar 🙁 I am a hopeless recipient of your gorgeous icing work.
My granddaughters on the other hand….

LJoyce I hope you had a wonderful family dinner last night. I loved seeing your garden pictures! I do hope the eggplants take off soon, I seem to remember that they take ages, but don’t they have the most gorgeous flowers (not to mention their gorgeous fruit).

It is certainly bees with the zucchinis here, but I am usually out with a paintbrush, just to make sure! I think we are getting more bees each year: happy garden, unhappy grandkids).

Anzac, I hate it when that happens! And it is very hard when there is no one to blame but yourself. (Bl**dy pylon! What was it doing there!)
Thin has the best advice, and if you are going to have a horrible expensive accident, best to have one where no one gets hurt.
Today will be better!

Arelkade, so good to see a post from you. Yes, I am in the slow and steady race too, this month is the second anniversary of getting to my healthy weight at the lower end of my healthy weight range. Slow and steady won and is still winning for me. (Slow and steady maintenance!).
I am so glad your horrible year is coming to an end, and it seems to be cruising gently at the moment. Is Mr Arelkade’s health still good in response to his operation?
You are right, let us enjoy each precious day.

My precious day will be full of feedback for the first draft of the second incarnation of the YamDaisy Business Plan. If it doesn’t need too much work to get it to the 2nd draft stage I will soon be pestering a few of you to check it for me. Off to get it all in motion.

Best wishes lovely people.

Anzac65

9:58 pm
4 Nov 18
Permalink

Good morning everyone

Very foggy here in Sydney today.

My routine will be upset this week as we always take Melbourne Cup day off and go out either to the races at Randwick (which we are doing this year) or out for a nice lunch somewhere with a group of friends. So there will be chips and crackers etc all around me and I will just have to try and not overdo things. I’m taking a big fruit platter and carrot sticks to nibble on. I will only have one FD this week (Thursday) so will be happy if I can just maintain.

Those biscuits look divine Quacka! How do you not gobble the whole lot down? I admire your discipline 🙂

Hello Arelkade, congrats on the 10kg and I will join you as part of the slow loser team. I am not in any hurry and want to lose the weight in a healthy manner. Sorry to hear you haven’t had a very good year

LJ your garden looks very healthy and tasty! And it has grown so much in only 4 weeks. Our tomato plants have taken off like a rocket and are growing really quickly. The rest are a bit slower

Thin, you are correct about my car. I walked out this morning with Maxx and OH to get my lift to the station and the first thing I did was look at the damage and get cranky! I hope OH gets it fixed quickly

Intesha, those cookies sound amazing and I’m with thin – how do you resist on a FD? I admire your discipline too, alongside Quacka.

Hi to everyone else, hope you had a nice weekend (better than mine anyway) and have a great day today.

thinatlast

10:10 pm
4 Nov 18
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Morning all, an easy FD and nice that a couple of losers popped on here to visit. How did your FD go, Intesha?

Hey Arel, hoping all improves for you in the coming year and congratulations on the 10kg loss.

Lindsay, how were things for you and Mr L. this weekend? Improvements to report I’m hoping.

Quacka, your food thinking is gradually changing! A fruit platter would be a great substitute. No horse racing activities happening in our household these days so I resisted the bridge sweepstakes and won’t attend their event tomorrow even though I would otherwise have loved to have gone because it’s the one day of the year that newbies are accepted for a ‘friendly’ game of bridge with the big kids. I know this small action isn’t going to change the race that stops the nation but life wouldn’t be worth living if I didn’t take a stand. I haven’t totally redeemed myself though. I used to regularly win the best hat competition wherever I attended so I’ve given some friends some tips on how to do so.

Have a great day all. Handing the baton to the Monday fasters.

P.S. Two more posts. Very happy that Intesha & Cinque will get together. I know you’ve both met Merry but can’t recall if you’ve met each other. If you need each others’ email addresses, let me know. Cinque, now that the sun is up (I’ve been awake since 4am, grrr), the clean windows are a welcome change.

Anzac, enjoy your festivities with friends tomorrow. I have no wish to dampen others’ enjoyment of the nation’s big day, just keeping the peace in my own household. Fingers crossed for a quick car repair at a cheap price.

LJoyce

11:45 pm
4 Nov 18
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10am, Mon, Adelaide, mild and muggy and expecting more rain

Arel, what a positive attitude. I also hope for better things for you in coming months.

Quacka, they look like lovely jam drops, they should freeze really well too. I’m baking biscuits today too, so I can take them up to my aunt and uncle tomorrow. I find it’s handy doing this on a FD as I can’t eat any.

Anzac, I did the same thing to my car earlier this year – reversed into a stobie pole. It left a big dent and crack in the back panel that includes the bumper bar. I haven’t had it fixed yet, I’m just putting up with it for now. I did check with my nephew, who is a spray painter, that it was safe to leave it. I realised the same thing you did – with excess and losing the no claim bonus it’s not worth using the insurance for an accident that’s my fault. I have other things I want to spend money on now so it will have to wait a while. I hope you find a repairer who does a good job for a reasonable price.

Cinque, good luck with that business plan.
The family dinner went really well, all the food was eaten. The raspberry ganache tart was a big hit. It was a huge tart but there wasn’t a crumb of it left. My niece adores raspberries as much as I do. As I was trying to cut the tart into slices she kept pinching raspberries from the top. She got most irate when the piece I served her was the one with the missing raspberries!

Thin, I will be joining you in avoiding melbourne cup madness. I have hairdresser and dietitian appointments in the Adelaide Hills tomorrow afternoon instead. It’s usually a very quiet afternoon on the roads as everyone else is inside drinking and eating.

I had a call from my sister this morning asking if they could stay tomorrow night. I had to do a quick rethink of my menu plan for Tuesday night so it’s something my brother-in-law can eat – since his recovery from bowel cancer his diet is more limited as his gut seems to react badly to more foods than before.

FD for me. I have taken a tub of cauliflower cheese soup from the freezer for dinner. If I feel hungry this afternoon I’ll also have a banana. So far the cups of tea are hitting the spot nicely.

Lindsay L.

5:38 am
5 Nov 18
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Hi Thin and Merry. No, nothing to report unfortunately. We saw the surgeon again last Thursday and he is going to reassess my OH tomorrow, and probably there’ll be more surgery this Thursday. The progress is far too slow for someone with only one sighted eye, apparently. Waiting, waiting.
Hope you are all well and it’s good to read the posts, and though I try to remember what I’ve read, it just all flies out my brain before I can commit to the keyboard.
Intesha I felt really sad reading your first post….caring for an elderly parent is a struggle, there’s no two ways about it. Rewarding, and will leave good memories, but the day to day is a challenge. I don’t know what else to say that doesn’t sound trite – I hope things improve for you.
Anzac sorry about the car – but congratulations on the weight loss. So satisfying, to break into new territory.
I’m fasting today – well, giving it a shot. It’s the only way I can keep my weight at least stable. After the doctors’ appointments, we tend to go for lunch or coffee somewhere, mainly to keep OH’s spirits up by being out and about. I am doing my best, but my NFDs are erratic and I’ll just live with it, until I’m back on track.
Arel and Cinque I’m in the slow group too …though not particularly steady unfortunately. I think it’s been about 15 months – I’ll have to check my first posts I suppose. Anyway I’m 14 kilos down with another 10 or so to go…. probably more, but once I get those 10 kilos off I’ll reevaluate. I was hoping for better things by my milestone birthday next Friday … but I’ll settle for maintaining at the moment.
It’s hot hot hot here in Brisbane – cooler weather later in the week. Enjoy your day all.

CalifDreamer

5:35 pm
5 Nov 18
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LJoyce, you said something several posts back, that I missed at the time. Perhaps we were posting at the same time. You wrote: “It’s so nice when the grief has settled down and remembering can bring a smile to our faces instead of tears to our eyes.”
That is so true. I have said the same thing so many times over the years, sometimes in slightly different words.
Your garden is growing at an unbelievable rate. It’s a jungle out there!

Lindsay, I’ll keep you and your OH in my thoughts on Thursday. I hope the surgery will allow him more sight in his eye. Going for lunch or coffee after his doctor’s appointments is important. When my OH was going through some health issues many years back we went out for a lot of lunches and it helped to normalize things. It was also a good chance to talk without the inevitable interruptions at home. Just do the best you can with eating. This will all pass and be resolved, and NFDs will be easier.

Anzac, I’m so sorry to hear about your car. Most of us have done the same thing at one time or another. That pylon/post/barrier travels internationally and plants itself in the most inopportune places, entirely at its own discretion. It’s not your fault! It wasn’t there before! OH backed into one at a store a couple years back that was painted navy blue. Who paints a pylon navy blue, rather than yellow or orange?? I hope you can find a place to do the repair at a reasonable price. Why are those type of repairs so expensive? I think in our next lives we should all open up a body shop together for repairs. In Australia. 😁

Another trip to the op shop yesterday, this time with a boot full of donations. Thin, I don’t know if it could be counted as downsizing since things go in one door and out the other. But I only bought a single basic black top yesterday. The shop had their Christmas extravaganza sale going on, with heaps of home decorations and serveware as well as lots of ugly Christmas sweaters and sparkly pants. There were lots of really nice decor things but we have plenty of decorations that I’ve accumulated over the years. Still, it was fun to look.

Thin, I’m glad you enjoyed The Bodyguard on Netflix. We’ve only watched the first 2 and ended up watching a couple more episodes of The Americans which is on Amazon Prime streaming last night. That’s the one about the KGB spies posing as an American family. We keep saying it’s too violent but the characters and family dynamics are so interesting that we’re hooked. We watched that when we could have watched the first episode of Outlander, season 4. But it looks like they’re doling out one episode at a time, so we won’t be able to binge watch it like we did the first 3 seasons.

Today is my regular Monday FD which is Tues in Oz. It’s badly needed this week! 😮

CalifDreamer

5:54 pm
5 Nov 18
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Arel, good to see you here and congrats on the 10kg loss.

Quacka, those jam drops look just like the ones my mom used to make. She used to make those and chocolate chip cookies around Christmas. And those little hard round Italian anise cookies covered in powdered sugar.

Cinque, good luck with the second incarnation of the YamDaisy business plan. Hope it all comes together this time.