Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

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  • Good morning everyone

    That has happened to me a few times too Penguin. So annoying!

    Well after my low cal day yesterday I am back at 67.6kg. My weight is fluctuating a lot at the moment but as long as it is not on an upwards trend I am happy. After a huge blow out on Thursday night (think Chinese takeaway because I was so tired from work and feeling lazy) my weight was back in the 68kg range! Earlier in the week I hit the 66kg range but only just. That didn’t last long.

    Have a great day all x

    Oh Penguin, what a loss!

    Saturday morning in Melbourne, it is very warm and humid here, and has been all night, but it is better than the hot wind yesterday and relief is in sight.

    Anzac, thankyou, I enjoyed my rest and lull day. I loved the lab report! I do hope your ankle is healing quickly and that you rallied against the ‘everything is going wrong so I might as well be destructive to myself too’ feeling.
    You can sit like a queen through your birthday weekend, and let everyone look after you.

    Lindsay, your Margate holiday sounds like a wonderful treat!
    I agree with you about Thin’s DD’s graduation. I missed mine as I had got a job teaching in the NT and I didn’t think I minded, but I do a bit. It is a good ritual to finish off that time of life.

    Those sweet things are such a trap when they set off the munchies.

    I have realised (the 600th time this has happened) that I have been feeling hungry all the time lately because my brain switches off my thirst signal and sends a hungry one instead. This is the note I need to put on my fridge. ‘It is thirst, not hunger’. But I keep not noticing because it creeps up so slowly. If only there was a quicker trigger when I start thinking ‘why am I still hungry? I’ve eaten a good meal and haven’t had any sugar to set the munchies off’ to help me work it out.
    Hmm, generally because, at that stage, I think ‘I’m having plenty of fluids!’.
    Maybe next time I will work it out more quickly.

    Cali, glad to hear that the imaging test went well, and good luck with all you are doing to keep your blood pressure stable and lower.

    Quacka, the tomato net is excellent! But Oh dear, it sounds like you might have got the same cold I had. Glad to say I am over it, so I hope yours goes away quickly too.

    Hi Thin, and LJoyce and Minka and Intesha and everyone else. Now I am better it is time to tackle all the things I haven’t got dome this week. Sigh.

    But first, another big drink of water.
    Bye all.

    LJ, I’ve yet to see Bohemian Rhapsody. The reviews I heard on the radio weren’t very good but then GDSA said she really liked it & was seeing it again. We’ll get there eventually.

    CalifD, you’ve never mentioned whether you decided to retire but, it’s been some long time since you took those months off to decide – so has the decision been made? Yes, I know, I must get the tree and other things down. The one decoration I really like is the lighted reindeer for the roof with its turning head. It’s friendly oneupmanship because when the couple across the road put one up, I asked them where they got it. When we went to buy one, they were heavily discounted but only had the mechanical heads. So they joked they’d been outdone.

    Penguin, bad luck, it’s happened to us all. If you posted it before editing, JJ can recover it for you. It sounds like it didn’t make it that far though.

    Lindsay, it sounds a lovely break. Margate reminds me of England. Not that I’ve ever been to either. Thanks for the advice for DD’s graduation. If we’re here, we’ll attend. But if there’s a job o/seas, she wouldn’t wait around. Nor if the Ugandan gorillas are calling. (P.S. Morning Cinque, your feelings on this noted too, thank you. There is a vet registration ceremony lunch and a graduation dinner on the same day – not enough to mark the end in your view?). I hope you get all your chores done. If not, don’t worry!

    Quacka, those nets are very professional looking. And what a size, your tomato plants! Yes, love prawns. DD doesn’t like fish so we really only have it when she has a rare night out. There will be few upsides to the empty nest but that will be one of them! I’m not a confident cook so hosting Christmas isn’t something I’m looking forward to. However, these are really good friends and it won’t matter if I stuff something up. Two years ago, they said I ‘nailed it’ and it was the best ever. A nice confidence boost.

    Speaking of confidence building, someone has asked me to play bridge with them over on the ‘dark’ side next week. This is the novice group who always look a bit too stern to my thinking. You aren’t allowed any notes, not can you put your hand up for help with bidding. You must count your points, make your bids and play the hand all in 6.5 minutes. I’m very nervous and not really looking forward to it but I thought I’ll try it once. DD won’t be the only one studying this weekend although she would scoff at that analogy!

    So today, it’s the neighbour farewell morning tea and then the birthday dinner at the Italian restaurant. I cheated and bought some shortbread from Coles for the former. Lame I know. Intesha is probably tisking. Anyway, I mention this because I got a good laugh out of the packaging. “Delicious cookies for you to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve”. Best before: 20 December. Poor Santa.

    59.2kg this morning so NFDs have been a success so far.

    Sorry if I missed anyone on the previous page. I read them but had no time to comment yesterday, except for Anzac’s hilarity on the lab report.

    Sorry, not enough time to edit. “…..nor can you put your hand up…..”
    And not very well explained about the reindeer.

    Good morning SHs, from a finally cool (and damp) Adelaide

    Penguin, you aren’t the first to lose a post you’ve spent ages writing. We’ll take it on faith that you replied to us all!

    Quacka, isn’t it so easy to go for a take away when you’ve had a long tiring day at work. Before I retired my drive home from work was along a road lined with take away options. I had to make a point of driving in the right hand lane so that it wasn’t easy to turn left and buy dinner. When I was tired I couldn’t be trusted not to take the easy option.
    That a very protective cage over your tomatoes. I hope it keeps all the other little beasties away from your crop.

    Thin, do you get up on the roof to put up the reindeer? I wouldn’t trust myself not to fall off – good balance is not one of my talents.
    Sending best wishes to DD, those final exams must be fast approaching.

    Anzac, hope that ankle is a bit better today.
    I saw a segment on tv last night where they were trying to train labradors to be ball boys/girls for a charity match. It was pretty funny and I thought of Maxx while I was watching it.

    Cinque, you sound chirpier today. I hope that means the cold is gone. I had a runny nose yesterday too, but it was accompanied by lots of sneezing – definitely hayfever. It’s much better today – probably because it’s been raining most of the morning.

    I’m in a bit of a quandary about what is happening within my body. My weight is up on what it was a few month ago, but my body measurements aren’t. I initially assumed the weight increase was extra fluid retained because it was hot weather. But it should still show up somewhere in my measurements. I’d like to think it’s all extra muscle, but I have definitely not been doing enough strength work for that to be true.

    Have a good weekend all.

    Penguin, most of us have had posts disappear when we were trying to proofread or go back. It’s especially maddening when it’s a long post that is lost. We’re just glad to see you back here!

    LJoyce, re your driving in the right hand lane to avoid all the take away options, that only works because you all drive on the wrong side of the street. 😁😎.
    With all of the digging and planting you’ve been doing, you probably did gain some muscle weight and maybe some water weight too. You also seem to be doing a lot more walking now that you have that mall nearby. Whatever it is, just keep doing it. Your med tests are showing it to be a positive thing!

    Thin, I’m still on medical leave and haven’t retired yet.
    Your reindeer probably just needs a mate for the roof. But maybe not one of these guys. 😁 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qota928VTXw
    Good luck on your bridge on the dark side game next week. 😎

    Cinque, good to hear that your cold is going away. Hopefully Quacka’s sore throat isn’t the beginning of one.

    Anzac, Maxx is one big dog at 43kg. And with his puppyish look, I wonder if he still has some growing to do?

    This morning after yesterday’s FD I was down to 59.5, just a little over thin.

    Cali, Now that’s a herd of reindeer that need 5:2!
    Yes, that’s the left lane to you.
    I hope you are right and there is more muscle. As long as my smaller clothing continues to fit well I won’t panic about the scales – might need to hide them again they always manage to confuse or annoy me.

    Well done on maintaining that weight in December.

    LJoyce, those reindeer remind me of the fat seals that overtook Pier 39 many years ago. The seals are a protected species that decided they wanted to hang out on some very expensive real estate, the boat docks on Pier 39 in San Francisco. Boat slips there were very expensive, in that prime tourist area. Not only were people not allowed to harass or chase the seals away, they can’t even look at them funny. They remind me of a bunch of fat men in t-shirts drinking beer and snarling at each other. They get into squabbles sometimes, snort and push each other off and into the water when they feel there space is being infringed upon. It’s hilarious. Of course I’m not a boat owner who used to dock there… 😁

    I wonder if throwing a few of MM’s 5:2 books at them would be considered harassment? 😏

    https://youtu.be/b1c4-rzRGCA

    Cali, I loved seeing those seals who took over Pier 39! Being from California and having lived in Sausalito for some years, I know Pier 39 and was shocked to see it covered in seal bodies as in the video! Looks like the City of San Francisco need to build a few more boat slips so the the seals aren’t so crowded!

    Ooooh, I can smell those seals from here!

    Minka, I didn’t realize you lived in Northern California, I thought you were only down south. Sausalito is beautiful! I also didn’t realize it was 1989 when the seals or sea lions started moving in. Time certainly does fly! Here’s an article about them if you’re interested: https://www.pier39.com/the-sea-lion-story/ They’re still there.

    LJ, I don’t get on the roof, no! That’s OH’s job although I don’t like him doing it either really. Thanks for the good wishes for DD. Final exams start on Monday. Yesterday she had a 13 hour stint in surgery, they didn’t cut them any slack for their final day of uni. This is the first day she’s ever missed work in 7 years, staying home to cram. Their work Xmas party is tonight and I’m pleased she’s going to that. Sorry I can’t offer any help with the weight vs. measurements issue. I expect you’re referring to a couple of kgs at most? If the clothes fit, and you like that method of assessment, stick with it.

    CalifD, thanks for the retirement update. And those reindeer on the roof. What a laugh. BTW, it’s you on the wrong side of the road. Just like the light switches being upside down. 😁 Have you seen, “Intelligence”? It’s quite old but I’m enjoying two episodes per night and on to Series 2. Oh dear, I can’t believe my life has been reduced to this. I’ll let you know how I do at bridge with the big kids. Just hoping not to come last.

    It was fun at the farewell morning tea as so many people from our street were there. I’m friends with all of them in varying degrees (had coffee with two of them yesterday). I got off to a smug start as I wasn’t motivated to eat any of the early items on offer. But then the excellent bakers of the street arrived and all bets were off. Oh well, I had no breakfast or lunch and have been holding out for the restaurant dinner tonight. Hopefully I’ll do better at that. If not, tomorrow’s a FD.

    Strange day yesterday. I had an early start and went into town with OH to do the last, or nearly last, Christmas shopping. Saw a bus on one side of which, where the ads normally go, it said in large letters “It is never too soon to complain about Christmas”. After the same sentimental pseudo carols being pumped out in all of the shops I agreed. We got back early and I decided to wash the car. In this hemisphere that is a rain making ceremony and it rained. Being very wet I decided I deserved a whisky. Not the whole bottle, just enough to make me eat everything in sight and then go looking for more, which is what whisky does to me. So, the FD didn’t happen but I don’t seem to have done any harm.

    I have a very old jacket that really needs replacing. Whenever I put it on I think of those sea lions in San Francisco because that is where I bought it. As a paddler I buy the occasional canoe/kayak mag. I was reading lately that the sea lions and the seals have become a hazard to paddlers because they are so accustomed to tourists feeding them that they very aggressively demand that paddlers do the same. When I worked in London we had the same problem with squirrels in the parks. An vicious and unexpected attack by a grey squirrel ensures that you are awake by the time you get to work.

    Hi LJ, Maybe the extra muscle is from the extra inulin you’ve been providing in your diet? I didn’t focus much on muscle building when I saw the drop in fat percentage and visceral? I haven’t checked recently, though the gardening you’ve mentioned doing as well as adding in walking (I think it was you who said you’d been meeting your exercise goals?) …Perhaps you’ve been gaining muscle and shedding fat after all?

    Thin, sounds like you did fine to me at the neighborhood gathering! You waited till the best stuff arrived, the best of the home baked deliciousness and didn’t waste calories on unworthy mouthfuls! I would have done the same!

    Penguin, After christmas shopping and getting wet in an English winter I think you deserved that whisky. I don’t need whisky as an excuse to eat everything in sight.

    Minka & Thin, I really don’t understand what’s happening with my measurements. There’s a 4 kg difference between my current weight and my weight the last time I had these measurements. It doesn’t matter how I try to reconcile it I can’t find a rational explanation. Maybe the scales need a new battery?

    Cali, if you aren’t allowed to look at the seals funny, throwing books at them would definitely be harassment.
    It really is an odd sight seeing them all crammed on to those docks.

    5.45am Saturday in Sydney. Lovely and sunny and 27 top today

    Just a quick check-in as I’m on the Maxx early shift which involved getting up when he does (5.20am) and keeping him quiet while OH sleeps in. My turn tomorrow! So I only have a minute before he realises I’m not paying him attention and starts crying to go downstairs to jump on hubby!

    Had our big girls lunch yesterday and it was lots of fun and lovely to catch up. I ate badly (not much choice) but a small quantity. Weight is the same today – 87.4

    There goes Maxx, I will catch up on your posts sometime today

    Cool and rainy in Melbourne, which is even more welcome than sunniness today!
    It is my Sunday fast day.

    Oooh Thin, playing Bridge with the serious ones! A big compliment. I do hope you find they are surprisingly lovely, and funny, and that you remember all the things.

    I hope the Italian restaurant had a wonderful dish for you.

    Good luck, Mr Thin, getting the reindeer on the roof.
    I put up my Christmas lights this year (my living room window looks out to the road) and the craft Christmas tree, that my dear old neighbour made for me years ago, is hanging on the door. That is the Christmasiest I have got for a while!

    LJoyce, isn’t that 4kg weird. But if your clothes fit…

    Oh Penguin, Whisky. Not very fast day compatible. Well it is that time of year. I hope an easy day for fasting comes round soon.

    Anzac good luck with Maxx. I am already imagining when he is an old dog and sleeps all day, and these demanding mornings will be a sweet memory.

    Time to go and soak mushrooms. And I am out of yuba, so I am going to have fish in my soup this evening. No whisky for me, so fast day is go.

    12:30pm Sunday, Adelaide

    Lovely mild weather here at the moment, and that is also mostly the forecast for the coming week. I’m very pleased about that.

    Cinque, well done on getting those christmas decs up. It prompted me to rescue my little christmas tree (60cm tall) from the top of the spare wardrobe and put it on the lounge room cabinet. Enjoy your fishy miso soup.

    Anzac, I don’t envy you the very early morning wake up from Maxx. But as Cinque says, the day will come when he wants to sleep in – I’m sure that feels a very long way off at the moment.

    I picked my first pile of podded peas this morning https://imgur.com/fLMgIS6 I plan to add them to the paella that I’m making for tonight’s dinner. As I was picking them I also noticed that I finally have beans that are almost ready to pick. The only plants that are still moving slowly are the eggplant and capsicum. They both have either flowers and tiny fruit but are a long way from bearing anything I can pick – I suspect it will be autumn before I have anything to harvest.

    I rarely do well on a day like today as I snack a lot as I’m preparing food for family dinner. Thankfully I made the chocolate mousse last night so it’s largely healthy foods that I need to prepare today so I can’t do much damage with that. I’m making a cheese, dip & raw veg platter for starters then paella, baked lemon chicken and a salad for main and chocolate mousse and a fruit platter for dessert.

    So far today I was happy to make it to lunch time without eating. Although I only just made it to noon – then had boiled eggs and toast.
    I will be fasting Tuesday and Friday this week and I am hoping for some controlled days as well. There is a family birthday Thursday which is likely to involve cake.

    Good luck Sunday fasters.

    Morning all, I’ve made my confession on the SSC thread so I won’t bore everyone with it again here other than to say I didn’t do well yesterday at all.

    Maxx, Maxx, Maxx …….

    LJ, I don’t know how to comment about your 4Kg weight discrepancy because we are very different wrt scales. If it were me, I would be fearful that I was on a runaway train because I do worry that one day I will wake up and not want to fast any more and suddenly find myself back where I was. But you are more pragmatic about the scales and rely less on them to be your guide and more on your clothes and other factors. If you’re stable and not seeing a slow increase, I wouldn’t be too concerned.

    Penguin, commiserations. I blame the wine for my excesses yesterday. Although that excuse doesn’t hold any water for the morning tea overdose.

    Cinque, your Christmas decorations sound lovely. We passed a very colourfully lit up house on the way home last night. I envy your rain. It’s feeling hot here this morning despite only forecast for 32C.

    Smoked salmon, asparagus and a poached egg for me today. One of my FD faves.

    Gosh, I am delirious. I honestly thought it was Saturday when I wrote my post this morning! Of course it isn’t – it is Sunday!

    OH was going to take me out to lunch today but I told him I actually preferred not to go. I had lunch out yesterday (the ‘real’ Saturday!) and a big dinner tomorrow night with my Sister, BIL and Dad here so I really don’t need another outing. He was actually relieved as he is in the middle of digging up the courtyard outside our new room downstairs and wanted to get on with it.

    I haven’t read the SSC thread yet Thin, so I don’t yet know what you have been up to but I’m sure a good FD today and some controlled days ahead and you will not even notice any excess. I’m so glad I had a really controlled day on Friday; I was way under my TDEE and that compensated for the bad food yesterday. It really works! As we all know. Thankyou for laughing at my silly jokes….I thought the ‘lab report’ was pretty funny but then again I do tend to laugh at my own terrible jokes while everyone around me rolls their eyes. I don’t care, I love to laugh even if it is over a bit of silliness. Hubby is the same. I laughed at the ‘cat scan’ and I certainly would have had one if my cat Oscar was still with us.

    Your garden is coming along so nicely LJ! Wow, you won’t need to go to the shops at all soon for your veges. Can I come to your place for dinner? Everything you are making is on the top of my ‘yum’ list! I don’t know what to think about that 4kg either, except to wonder if your scales are broken?

    Glad it is a bit cooler down there today Cinque…it’s 30 here right now, hotter than predicted and not very nice. Enjoy your FD

    Cali, Minka, I saw the seals in San Fran when we were there last year. They were fascinating and we loved watching them interact with each other and push each other off the pier. So funny and lovely…if a bit smelly 🙂

    Oops penguin, sorry to hear about your whisky induced EFS. I don’t drink whisky but I love wine and yes I have too much too often and yes it tends to lead to over-eating. Sorry about your post too; the last time it happened to me I decided that in future I would copy and paste my post into word or into a new email from time to time in case it vanished. I do that everytime now . Oops, better do it now

    Quacka, thankyou for the chilli jam recipe and I’m so sorry you are not feeling well and that work is stressing you out. Do you have any time off over Christmas to look forward to? I hope you are feeling better and that a good nights sleep happens tonight

    I have more I would like to chat about but I’m making a GOAN pork curry to have tomorrow night and I need to get started on it. Where does the time go on weekends? Hi to everyone I haven’t mentioned….

    Hope the rest of the weekend is great for everyone, will chat tomorrow

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANZAC!!

    Hope you have a wonderful day x

    Good morning,
    What a lovely day. 16c Monday Morning. 7:10

    Happy Birthday Anzac! https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c9/fb/16/c9fb160aa7ad0c22fdc2da234809f9ec.jpg
    I hope your Goan curry came out well, surely it did. Yum!

    Ooh LJoyce, fresh peas. What a delicious treat.
    All power to you getting through your tricky days.

    Thin, tricky days indeed. I hope you had a lovely reset fast day.
    And happy morning-after-fast-day to you. Mine is very happy.

    Hi Quacka.

    Best wishes to everyone.

    I’m off to make a veggie filled, post fast day, breakfast. Latkes with added radish and zucchini and lots of herbs.

    Happy Birthday To You!
    Happy Birthday To You!
    Happy Birthday dear Anzac!
    Happy Birthday To You!

    Good morning Cinque! Yes, a sunny post FD morning. Weekend damage mitigated somewhat and another FD before the next event. Enjoy your breakfast. Happy fasting Monday fasters.

    Thanks for the birthday wishes! I had a gorgeous sleep-in, until 7.30 which is 2 hours later than normal. I feel like a new person after 10 hours good sleep!!

    Glad you weekend damage has been mostly reversed Thin and enjoy your post FD brekkie Cinque.

    I’m WFH today so no nasty commute. Perfect! I ended up eating a LOT yesterday so the scales are now in danger of being thrown through the bathroom window but after today I will have two FD’s and very light NFD’s to hopefully make up for it.

    Happy Monday fasters to those who are fasting. I will be doing Tuesday and Thursday this week.

    Good morning everyone.

    I am at work today and it is a FD. I hope I am really busy as it makes the day go so much quicker but at the moment it looks like I will be having a lull day. I have had so much going on at work the last few weeks so in one way it will be welcome.

    Anzac, I finish work on the 20th December and don’t come back until the 14th January. I am really excited about the time off and even more so because OH will also have most of that time off too. Hopefully he will do lots of surfing (and I can go for long walks) and we will both be fishing as much as possible. I also just love to go for picnic lunches although it is very busy with tourists at that time of year.

    Hope you all have a lovely day today. Is anyone else fasting with me?

    Happy birthday Anzac. Hope your birthday dinner is lovely and then you get your reset days. If you got to sleep in, I’m assuming you were not on Maxx duty this morning. Is your ankle feeling better now?

    Quacka, sounds like you have relaxing fun plans for your holiday. I’m assuming from your comments, that you and your husband often don’t get to take work breaks that coincide. I hope you get great weather for surfing while you are on leave – and no sharks!

    Cinque, enjoy those yummy latkes.
    Isn’t it interesting that you can have a mainly plant based diet yet still struggle to do 5 serves of veg a day. I find that I meet the 5 veg more easily in winter with all the veggie soups. I also think it’s harder in summer with increased salad intake, because a serve of veg is 1/2 cup of cooked veg but 1 cup of raw salad veg. I also eat a lot more fruit in summer than I do in winter as there are so many more choices and that tends to reduce the veg I have room for.
    My dietitian said that it was fine if my intake varied a bit between the seasons. In summer I probably have 3 serves of fruit and 3-4 of veg, but in winter it’s usually just one serve of fruit and 6 of veg.

    Thin, you sound chirpy this morning, is it a bridge Monday?

    Hi all. Too far behind on posts to catch up so hope everyone is well. I had a non planned FD yesterday (Sunday) which is very unusual for me to fast on a weekend but I missed brekky and planned lunch didn’t go ahead so just had a plate of veggies for tea. So decided to fast again today and again on Wed before MissD and I head off for 5 days away together on Thurs. Happy Monday everyone

    Quacka, I’m fasting on Monday but it isn’t Monday here yet. 😁

    Anzac, Happy Birthday! It sounds like it’s off to a good start with the extra sleep time!
    https://veldkampsflowers.imgix.net/images/item/FunNFestiveLarge-15110650221.jpg?w=950&auto=format
    Don’t throw those scales out the window, Anzac. You may need them tomorrow if there’s Birthday cake involved.

    We spent the evening with friends yesterday and had a lovely time. Good thing tomorrow is a FD! Thin, it sounds like you had a similar evening. It’s difficult to resist overeating when celebrating with friends.

    It’s been around 5 – 13C here today and probably colder last night so lot of fleece and layers of clothing. I don’t like being cold 🥶.

    Cinque, latkes with radishes and zucchini sounds yummy. Savory. Good alternative to applesauce and sour cream.

    LJoyce, your pea pods look so good! That garden will keep you eating all summer long. And it’s so healthy and fresh because you know exactly how they were grown.

    Gday, where are you and MissD running off to for 5 days?

    LJ, our posts crossed because I took so long to finish. I bought a huge wood salad bowl a few years back, enough space to feed salads to 8-10 people. I just fill it up so the 3 of us probably get about 3 servings each.

    Cali, the wooden salad bowl you described sounds a lot like mine. I only use it when all the family come for dinner. When it’s just me I tend to just put the salad veg directly onto my plate as a lot of salads don’t keep well so I rarely want leftovers. The only exception is grain based salads which I think are often better the next day once the grains have had time to absorb more of the dressing.
    Cali I’m fasting Tuesday, which will be your Monday!

    2PM

    The hunger worms have started. Luckily I have plenty of stock that needs to be processed.
    I was just telling one of the work girls that I am making a thai beef salad for dinner tonight. I am going to use konjac noodles instead of rice noodles. I can’t wait!
    I think that is why I am hungry because I started to think about food 🙁

    Roll on 5pm

    Cali were off to Adelaide for some mum and daughter time together. I booked our accommodation far enough ahead and got a great deal on an apartment suite in a high rise right in the heart of the CBD. I stayed there many years ago and it’s quite swish.

    OH and some great news…I’m 1kg down since my last post (Not today’s post…lol) hence being motivated to have a few extra FD’s this week.

    We only have 2 restaurant meals planned while in Adelaide – Cafe Fellini (italian) in North Adelaide and the Strathmore (stonegrill steak) in the CBD. On arrival we will stock up with delicious produce at the Adelaide Central Market as the apartment has an amazing kitchen I could only dream about having at home so I’m more than happy to cook our meals to save our money for other holiday treats.

    Oops hit send too soon. My first batch of homemade kumbucha finally brewed last week and I love it. Have another batch brewing which should be ready when we return from holiday.

    Back to work I guess….ho hum

    Happy birthday Anzac. I can only dream of 10 hrs sleep 😴😴😴

    Weight this morning after yesterday’s FD 68.3.

    Feeling a bit down lately after my brother informed me he and SIL are going on a cruise Xmas/new year. Flying to WA and catching the ship there back to Sydney. I haven’t seen him since last Xmas and I don’t know why I let it upset me but it does.

    I was startled awake at 1.45 this morning to the sound of Dads vital call going off. I staggered out of bed and found him on the lounge room floor. He had fallen in the kitchen about 1am trying to make a cuppa. Dragged himself into the lounge room thinking he might get himself up on the furniture. He just won’t accept that it is beyond him but eventually had to admit defeat. The ambulance arrived at 2.30. He had a graze on his arm and head but would not go to the hospital as he had the appointment with the knee specialist today. They did try several times but he was adamant he was not going. When they did a test on his heart they said it was irregular and he should see his doctor immediately. They gave him a printout with some notes.

    The knee specialist thinks he may be able to do something and wants him back end of January and has asked for me to attend.

    These stresses play havoc with my eating patterns because all I want to do is eat for comfort. I’ve already eaten way too much. Penguin I already have a very large Jameson in my hand 😱😱

    Not looking for sympathy but just need an outlet to vent.

    Hi everyone.

    I live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney & am new to the site, & only started the diet last Thursday.

    Have insulin resistance as did my Mum, & my maternal grandmother had type 2 diabetes. I also have sleep apnoea & my cholesterol has been creeping up so have finally decided to bite the bullet (even though its coming up to Xmas!).

    Am trying to stick to 8oo cals/day with 2 fast days a la the 8-week blood sugar diet to kick things off. Have already lost 1.5kg & 1.5cms off my waist since I started so pretty happy with that, but know that’s just the beginning part.

    Woke this morning & have gotten through the day without a headache so another positive.

    Look forward to the support (& giving support to others) as time goes by.

    Just popping in to wish Anzac Happy Birthday. Hope your day has been great Anzac.
    Judy welcome to the site – you’ll find lots of very good people here. Some advice? Not that you’ve asked for it but feel free to ignore it – it’s meant well. 800 cals and 2 days of fasting, especially near Christmas, is a huge task. Maybe you are up for the challenge, but I’d be concerned that it becomes a chore instead of the gentle way of life 5:2 offers. That said, I practise intermittent fasting (16:8 every day), am low carb, and 5:2. But…..I’m finding it hard to get back into the swing since we got back from holidays in September and my OH faced a huge health issue. This WOL will sort out your blood sugar problems, almost guaranteed.
    Yesterday I made a huge lasagne for the family (DD working til post-news time, SIL working til 8 and little ones eating early), so hurrah, my OH can have leftovers for dinner. I don’t feel like much – it’s a FD, but I have a mouthful of grit from syphoning out the ponds (a 3 level water feature) which are full of mango leaves and pawpaws that the possums have been gnawing off the overhanging trees.
    We had the 5 year old for a sleepover last night, plus the little girl (2) and grandson (4) for the day, to decorate the Christmas tree. Usually when the 5 year old goes to bed, she has 3 books read to her, plus four stories ‘from your mouth’, ie, made up. She’d had her books when my son came back to pick up his phone. He chatted for a while and she came out and sat in my lap but dozed off. At one am, I heard a little voice beside my bed. “I didn’t have my four stories from your mouth.’ So in she crawled between us, and got variations on her favourite, the scary monster that wasn’t really scary.’ Fortunately the 2 year old, who was going to have her first sleepover, got a bit trembly lipped when her Dad went to leave after dinner, so went home with him. I wasn’t too sorry about it – as it was, I couldn’t have felt less like getting up for work this morning.
    Looking forward to the scales tomorrow. Night all
    Penguin, commiserations on your lost post. I’ve found that hitting the ‘forward’ key sometimes brings a post back on my Mac. Worth a try.

    Hi Intesha, How difficult those challenges sound to be! I’d be in shock to find a close loved one on the floor as you did! The last time I felt that type of shock, I felt ravenous afterwards. I’ve also had patterns of comfort eating and thank goodness for our weekly FDs!

    Hi Judy, lovely to have you here. I hope we can be a great support as you make the wonderful changes for your health. How nice to already be 1.5kg lighter!

    Oh dear Intesha, how can we not have sympathy. I hope you didn’t eat all the decorated biscuits that were still in the house! I’m afraid your brother is a bit of a dud (similar in my family) and so distressing to hear of your dad’s fall and stubbornness.

    I hope sipping (slowly?) at your Jameson helped.

    Anzac, 10 hours of refreshing sleep must be the best birthday present ever!

    My breakfast was delicious. The radish and zucchini were grated in with the potato, but I had some lettuce and ajvar (red pepper and eggplant relish) with it, so I must have got a couple of serves of veggies there!

    Yes, if I have toast and vegemite for breakfast and then a lunch with only one serve of veggies (which I often seem to do), I don’t get to 5 serves of veggies a day, and no fruit. (I count tomato, capsicum, eggplant, pumpkin, zucchini etc as fruit as needed but that means two more serves of veg!).

    Gday enjoy your special time with your daughter, AND being another kg lighter. Hooray for your kombucha too.

    Lindsay I hope you made it through the day alright. Those grandchildren that wake in the night! But what a little sweetie.

    Hello Thin and Minka and Quacka too. I’m heading off to bed, but my sister is here and we will breakfast with another sister (luckily I have got so many siblings they couldn’t ALL be duds!), so I mightn’t get to post in the morning.

    Best wishes all.

    Welcome to you also Judy! Well done for shedding the 1.5 kg! You are off to a good start. I wasn’t sure by your post if you are following the 8-week blood sugar diet and consuming 800 calories every day or are fasting on 800 calories and following the Mediterranean diet on non-fasting days and refraining from tracking calories? …Or perhaps another way? In any case, I look forward to following your progress. I don’t often have time to post here, though I think of this as my ‘home thread’! I hope you also begin to feel the same since it is a great group and I wouldn’t have reached my goal 2 years + ago had I not remained a part of this group!

    PS Hello to my fellow Southern Hemispherites!

    Hi Judy,

    I’m also fairly new to this site. No problems for me re diabetes, but similarly to you, my weight has slowly crept way up and now my cholesterol is high. Rather than go on statins, I began the 5:2 WOL (way of life) on Thursday 29/11. Have only lost 1.5 kg in 10 days, but if I can keep losing a kilo a week for a while I’ll be happy. Also have sleep apnoea, and figure that if the weight goes down far enough, I’ll be able to stop using my CPAP machine. That would be SO nice!

    Anyway, good luck to you on the eight week sugar diet. I looked at it, and felt it was too extreme for me to cope with. On the other hand, 5:2 is going okay, just a bit slower. Alternate day fasting is another option, or fast days 3 times a week, if you find the 800-cal diet too hard. You’ll reach the same end point, just take a little longer. One thing I’m liking about 5:2 is that there’s no sense of deprivation, which I appreciate, as there’s always tomorrow.

    Anzac. A little late perhaps, but his side of the planet it is still your birthday. I hope it went well.

    I am just back from a trip to London to see my daughter, her OH and kids. More when I have time to reflect, relax, read all of the posts and possibly have a night’s sleep.

    Judy, welcome from us northern hemisphere interlopers.

    Good morning all, it is humid again today in Sydney but not as bad as yesterday. Only 23 today and mostly cloudy

    So, the two dreaded weekends are behind me and the damage recorded. 87.9 today so am going in the wrong direction! FD today and it will be a good one and a good week. No more social events planned until Christmas

    Hello JudyScho, welcome to the forum and this WOL (way of life) and WOE (way of eating). This forum is awesome! I am quite new too, have only been doing this for 10/11 weeks. I am struggling more than most but slowly going down (apart from the past two weeks) and will be sticking to it. My sister and BIL and two nieces live in the Blue Mountains and it is lovely up there. My hubby, myself and our crazy Labrador Maxx live in the Sutherland Shire.

    Intesha, I am so very sorry to hear about your Dad, how upsetting and worrying. Please vent on here anytime as it is a good stress relief. I’m a massive stress-eater so I totally understand that it sometimes is what you need to do.

    Quacka your holiday sounds perfect. Surfing, fishing, walking, picnics and all with your OH. And you live in my favourite part of the world! We have booked a long weekend away at my sisters place in Culburra for towards the end of Feb and I can’t wait.

    Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes, I had a fantastic weekend and last night was lovely spending time with my Sister, BIL and Dad. The Indian feast was ah-mazing except my naan bread was chewy. Bread bakers, what am I doing wrong? Too much flour when I roll them out maybe? Anyway, lots was eaten and wine was consumed and today is a new start. My ankle is healing quickly, thanks, and I hope to be back walking (rather than hobbling) by next weekend.

    I think I’m fasting with LJ and Cali today (Cali being Monday your time)? Anyone else?

    Thin, how did you go at Bridge-with-the-serious-kids or haven’t you been yet?

    Gday, have an awesome trip with your daughter and well done on the 1kg down. That puts you in a great place pre-holiday.

    Lindsay, how cute are your grandkids? I’m sure you didn’t enjoy being woken up at 1.00am but I can’t think of a better reason for it.

    Cinque, hope you have a lovely time with your sisters’. How lovely to have so many siblings! I have only one and I’m lucky she is nice – just very very different to me. I don’t normally see them much as we live an hour apart and have busy lives, but it was just so nice to see her for my birthday last night.

    Hi again BetsyLee, glad you are embracing this WOL and seeing the benefits already. Yay!

    Hi Penguin, thanks for the birthday wishes and your trip to London to see your daughter and family must have been nice. We are coming to Europe next Christmas (2019/2020) and are planning a few days in London. We’ve both been before but a very long time ago. I’m fearful of the cold as I am not used to it of course, but I also think it will be such a novelty to have a cold Christmas for a change.

    Hi Minka! Do you live in Australia? I can’t quite work out where in the world you are 

    Happy Tuesday all, must go and get some work done.

    Good morning everyone and welcome Judy. Nice to see you again Betsylee.

    Day after FD today so feeling quite light. Scales were quite disappointing considering how light I feel as they are only saying 300g down. I had a really good FD yesterday even though I thought I was going to go over because I was so hungry in the afternoon. I ended up eating about 100 cals in the afternoon and then the remainder in my Thai beef salad dinner. The konjac noodles were great in it!

    Anzac, you will be quite close to me when you come down to Culburra. OH surfs out there a lot so I may see you when you are down here!! I will know to look out for Mad Maxx going nuts on the beach!! lol
    Lovely to hear you enjoyed your birthday dinner. I know nothing about baking bread so I can’t help you there. My mother in law gave me sourdough starter once and I thought to make some but it kind of ended up a hard rock and was totally inedible. I gave up after that.

    I got to have a chat with one of the girls at work yesterday about 5:2. Her and her sister both have a fair bit of weight to lose and I have planted the seeds for 5:2. Her sister would benefit especially as she can’t exercise due to injury and has to lose weight before they will operate on it. The girl from work wants to lose weight before trying for another baby.

    I really have to hold back when I talk to people about 5:2 because I get so passionate about it and I worry I may come across as pushy. I really am not being pushy but it just works so well that I wish everyone would just try it and I think by telling them all about it that it may encourage them to try. Make any sense? lol

    Well I better go check in Silly Season challenge and then start work.

    Have a great day all x Good luck fasters x

    8:30am Tues, Adelaide (35C here today)

    Welcome JudyScho, well done on the early weight loss. I hope it encourages you to continue.

    BetsyLee, Glad to hear the your first few FDs have resulted in weight loss. I think the normal loss for 5:2 is about 0.5kg per week so you are doing very well.

    GDSA, have a nice time in Adelaide with your daughter.

    Penguin, sounds like you had a tiring time in London. Hope you had fun too.

    Intesha, I hope you dad is ok now and that he is going to see his GP about the irregular heart beat. From things you’ve said before it seems your brother is no support, so this latest decision of his continues that trend.

    Cinque, I’m not sure I’m ready for relish at breakfast time, even it it means more veg. Thanks for the reminder about eating enough veg as it’s reminded me that my intake could be better. I think an easy way to get another serve in is if I keep some home made hummus in the fridge and a container of suitable raw veg morsels to eat it with. Then I have a healthy afternoon snack too, instead of reaching for something baked.

    Quacka, hopefully the scales will give you a delayed result, they sometimes do that expecially in hot weather.

    Lindsay, I’m not sure that pond grit counts as FD food!

    Anzac, yes I am still fasting with you today.

    Hello to anyone I’ve missed.

    I need to walk over to the shopping centre before it gets any hotter.

    12:15pm, Tues, Adelaide

    I just started the christmas baking.
    I realise it’s madness to bake on such a hot day, but this was the easiest day this week to find a block of time. https://imgur.com/mJ1Lqhf Although I’ve made and shaped quite a lot of dough, I’m only baking these 2 trays today – so I can give a small bag of shortbread to each of the neighbours at Friday’s afternoon tea.
    The rest of the dough has been shaped in to either round or square logs and is well wrapped and in the fridge. Because it’s made with butter it spoils very quickly in hot weather, so I prefer to bake it close to when I need it as gifts. The alternative is to freeze the baked biscuits.

    Intesha & Cali, I just tried out my new scraper mixing blade in the kitchenaid mixer – it did an excellent job of making shortbread dough. It even handled a double batch which is 1/2kg of butter and nearly a kilo of flour. My previous mixer didn’t do this well. I’m happy to know I don’t have to try and mix this by hand – it’s very hard on the wrists.

    Time for a cuppa now.

    Morning all. It’s a day after fast, and I’ve just had my first meal. It’s a day of maintenance – OH has been to the dentist for a checkup, we are both getting new glasses today, and we both have medical appointments – I’m getting a shingles shot, which my GP strongly recommends, and OH an annual referral to his nephrologist. While OH was in the dentist I nipped over to the timber shop to get some panels to cover our ponds while we are away. I’ll thwart those wretched possums one way or another. I can’t be doing this syphoning out dirty water too often.
    Also a day for administration – getting all the paperwork sorted before our trip – and for continuing the great cupboard clear-out. I have 27 places to store things in my bedroom, including hanging space, baskets, dressing table drawers and compartment, bedside table and ensuite drawers and cupboards. Most are full. Ridiculous. Three pairs of black trousers have been consigned to the charity basket – two are too big, and one pair was the measure of how small my waist was, back in the day. I’ll never get there again, no matter how much I lose, so out they have gone.
    Intesha, sibling relationships are complex and there are those triggers that cause us pain for no real or logical reason. All from when we were growing up, I suspect. I was sorry to read about your Dad’s fall. It’s challenging, when you know he needs more support, but he’s not willing to give up his independence just yet. A difficult time for you.
    Anzac I really didn’t mind being woken – the 5 year old is just so entertaining. We had our stories, and by then Barbar was up to go to the bathroom so we all had a good chat before we went back to sleep. She sent her mother off with a pencil and paper this morning so she could record everything that happened at the 2 year old’s kindy Christmas party, and (oddly) for DD to draw a picture of little one singing carols. She didn’t want a photo – she wanted a drawing. As I said, odd.
    OK I hear another drawer calling to be cleaned. Enjoy your day all.
    (Thin, how did you go over on the dark side?)

    Thin, someone in my cookie group did these, thought of your DD

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/372904029531771?view=permalink&id=1148077922014374t

    Hi Intesha,
    I can’t open that link even when logged in to FB.
    Drat.
    So many posts to catch up with – I read a heap before breakfast this morning but had spent too long on the SSC thread and ran out of time.
    JudyS – welcome!
    Hope everyone’s had a great day.

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