Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

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  • Thin, I still have about 30 minutes of 2018 to go. Youthful traditions included the tallest bloke (therefore me) knocking on the neighbour’s door shortly after midnight whilst carrying a piece of coal, accepting a drink and something to eat then legging it home to entertain whoever was at your door, and so on until the gathering found themselves assembled in one place. At some stage it was compulsory to sing Auld Lang Syne. We all burn oil or wood, so the coal is out. Most of our neighbours are away so it could be a fairly quiet one. So far the fast is still reasonably intact.

    Happy new Year,
    I do hope it is an easy, healthful, peaceful and fun one.

    I had a late night babysitting. Gorgeous, but I’m glad to have a recovery day or two.

    Merry, so glad to see your posts, but I realise things have been very hard. I am just so glad there have been wonderful times too, with precious family and delicious food.

    I do so hope you get more chances now to sit and draw breath. Many good wishes to you and Mr Merry.

    You have done brilliantly over this chaotic time, to keep your weight so stable, and then to lose 1.5kg without even trying. Congratulations!

    LJoyce, I agree with you about the intermittent dieting. I imagine it would suit young working women most, I can imagine it being a good rhythm around a busy working and social life. It would keep people maintaining a healthy weight by living the modern life for a couple of weeks, and then resisting the excesses. On and off, but hopefully not too extremely.

    I must say I rolled my eyes at Dr Mosley’s ‘experiment on himself’. I don’t mind him being a media tart, but I get more irritated with him when he strays from good science methods.

    Also peeped at the website, thanks for the link. It looks like there is no public forum.

    And Cali, I agree with what you say about 800 vs 500. Infact when I was losing weight, fast days were more like 300 and that really felt like they were doing something. I still love to have those fasty fast days.

    Anzac I think I might try that tomato and meatball dish too!

    Gday, enjoy your gym!

    Rosy Posy, scales are evil goblins. Don’t take them seriously! Especially at such a chaotic time of year.

    Chaotic is clearly my word of the day. Or of yesterday! Peace, today I hope!

    Fascinating about the ham. So glad you didn’t eat it when it wasn’t the pleasure you anticipated.

    Quacka, your sauce looks magnificent. The Camembert saga continues. How will it end? I’m keeping tuned to find out.

    Thin, congratulations for a great year: Bridge success and that lost kilo. As well as everything else, and extending to DD.

    Rosy Posy, how nice to be in that final third of your weight loss journey.

    Penguin I hope you enjoyed those New Year rituals.

    And Lindsay, yay, a wonderful catch up. What a holiday! And surely good food for you all at that wonderful farmhouse too.

    I am so glad Mr L is managing so well and so philosophically. There must be grieving and frustration, but isn’t it amazing what we can get used to, and work around, and still appreciate.
    I am SO sorry about the swimming though. I’d have thought the ocean would be salty enough to be okay. At least he lucked out swimming for the last 26 years!

    My first on last off areas are my upper arms, my jowly cheeks and my tum. I’m not an apple, more a potato.

    Arelkade, thanks for your lovely message, and hoping we get to chat more now.

    Best wishes everyone.

    Happy New Year everyone!!

    It is 2.00pm on…Tuesday (had to think hard what day of the week it was!) and very hot. I just checked the Foxtel weather channel and it is 32.7 and heading to 35. Poor Maxx is passed out on the loungeroom floor with the air-con on.

    We had a fabulous day/night with two of our closest friends. They are a lovely couple with very similar likes and dislikes to us and they love our dog despite his craziness so what more can you ask? My friend has Cystic Fibrosis but despite that is the most positive person you could ever meet. She was told that she wouldn’t live past 15, then not past 22, then not past 30 and guess what? She turned 53 a month ago – three weeks before I did! She was lucky enough to be part of a trial for a new drug and it turned out to literally be a life saver. So she treats every day as precious and has taught me to try to do the same.

    However we all also share a love of food but they are terrible cooks so hubby and I love to cook for them as they appreciate every morsel. We had chicken satay and Korean chilli chicken wings as nibbles during the afternoon then hubby did his mouth watering slow cooked lamb for dinner. In between there were of course nuts and chips and so the scales nearly made me scream this morning. I don’t regret it – much – and I won’t make my SSC challenge but (a) I normally put on 2-3 kilos at this time of year and this year it is less than half a kilo and (b) I am just under 10 kilos lighter now than I was this time last year.

    Thin, so glad the tomatoes were a hit at your picnic. Yes, Kongs only give 20 minutes peace and quiet and we have finally decided to bite the bullet and take him to a training school. We are rubbish at training him and for his own safety and our sanity we need to get serious. Unfortunately they are closed until the beginning of February so we can’t start until then. We met a nice couple on our morning walk yesterday and they have two calm, well behaved Labradors. Maxx was jumping around like a mad flea and they recommended a group training school nearby and that’s where we will be going.

    Cinque, glad you enjoyed baby sitting but I imagine it is exhausting. Glad you have some down time now.

    Penguin – that tradition is amazing! I read a book recently, set in England, where they did exactly what you said with the coal and I thought the author must have made it up. I was glad to see it actually is true. How nice that some traditions are still maintained.

    Hi Arelkade, thanks for your message. I’m looking forward to chatting with you this year

    That house sounds really lovely Lindsay and so glad the little ones finally had a good nights sleep. So sorry to hear your hubby can no longer swim, what a blow for him on top of everything else. He sounds stoic indeed, not complaining and even saying it was a good year. Enjoy the rest of your holiday

    LJ, I am so happy for you dropping your BMI from 50 to under 30. What an achievement and so motivating.

    How lovely that you and your OH are in the kitchen together Quacka. The tomato sauce looks and sounds amazing – I love a good, home-cooked sauce. When I make my traditional Moroccan chicken curry it takes me all day but the flavor is out of this world – so it is worth it.

    Hi to everyone else, hope you are having a lovely day. Stay warm/cool depending where you are 🙂

    Hi Guys thanks for all your fascinating comments and advice, I really appreciate and enjoy it. As for yesterday, I’ll start with the positives, my friends all commented how great I looked due to my weight loss. The event was at the Sorrento Quay in Hillarys and had a casino theme so everyone dressed up. The 3 course meal and drinks package was very nice and of course we all ate and drank too much but had a fantastic time seeing in the new year looking over the ocean. This morning I feel yucky and bloated and can’t bring myself to step on the scales. I’m back on the horse literally, riding my re lining ex bike and have 2 days before we have a dinner date with friends so I’ll make them 2 fast days and hopefully be able to get below my previous low. When I think back to NYE last year, at leastI am 2 dress sizes smaller. It was a fun night but not sure it was worth it today.

    Penguin, you may have told us of that tradition before. The logical me finds too many possibilities for things to go wrong: the potential for lots of tall people with dirty hands arriving at your house; the tallest blokes getting completely plastered; only the tall blokes out and about with the resultant difficulty in getting everyone else together in one place. Clearly, I don’t have any understanding of it at all. I would need a plan and a map! Maybe this is one of the reasons that your neighbours all decided to go away at this time of year – as non-Hanger Monkeys, they just don’t get it?

    Cinque, good to know that at least Rose had a big night out. Thank you for your accolades although I don’t feel worthy. I will pass them on to Dr. DD thank you.

    Anzac, I lost my earlier post by pressing X for ALL the windows I had open. There’s no coming back from that. In it, I had rambled on about your amazing friend and what an inspiration she must be. Even if you don’t meet your SSC, you have much to celebrate with a significant weight loss over this time last year and only gaining a minimal amount over the SS. Thank you for helping make it fun.

    Mad Maxx will probably enjoy puppy training. You do realise that the courses are for training the owners though, right? haha! I hope he enjoys the rest of his school holidays before the serious stuff begins in February. So, that’s OH’s job, then as you’ll be back at work?

    I know what you mean about making those curries from scratch. It is time-consuming but the depth of flavour is amazing and worth the effort. I gave OH a Moroccan cooking class a couple of years back and later, we (I) made all the recipes sent home with him for some of our friends. It was an impressive banquet.

    Rosy, I forgot to answer your question yesterday. I am 5’6″ in the old money. That would have been great at Hillarys last night, I think they have their own fireworks too – but you can perhaps see the city’s effort from there anyway? It sounds like you had a great night and it’s why we practice this WOL, so we can enjoy the things we love and have the occasional blowout. No regrets. You earned it after that marathon fast. And how nice that your friends noticed the weight loss, very encouraging.

    After my walk, I’m now down to a weight that I can say out loud, 60.1kg, but not happy with myself as I was greedy last night when the unexpected treats were put in front of me. Today is a very careful salads day and tomorrow a 350 cal FD. Wednesday will see me back under 60kg but I’ll then have to get with CalifD to get back down to the low end of the 59s. See Rosy, take my advice – I’m not using it!

    Happy new Year to all – it must even be getting close to NY for Cali too.

    Arel, lovely to hear from you, I hope you are doing well. As Thin said – you are missed.

    Penguin, I have never heard of the coal tradition – some English traditions seemed to emigrate to Australia, but that was probably one that didn’t translate well to the Aussie climate.

    Lindsay, sounds like you and the family are having a lovely time and doing very different things to a normal christmas. Lots of lovely memories for the children to have of this special christmas.

    Thin, I’m sure you aren’t panicking, you know a FD or two will sort out your excesses from last night.

    Rosy, how nice to have comments on how good you look. It will make it easier to keep up that pedaling.

    Anzac, the menu for your new years eve sounds divine. It had my mouth watering just reading about the satay chicken and slow roasted lamb – yum.
    It sounds like you had a good December – you enjoyed yourself and got the end of it with negligible weight gain. That sounds like a successful month to me (did I ever tell you that I managed to gain 9kg one December – that’s what initially brought me to the 5:2 forum).
    The puppy training school sounds like a good idea. It may make it safer for you at the dog park too so you aren’t as worried about him running off to greet friends rather than obeying you.

    Cinque, really, a potato? Funny how we always seem to describe our bodies in terms of fruit & veg! I had a friend who described herself as an avocado with legs – she was a pear shape, but though an avocado was a better analogy due to the higher fat content!

    I spent last night baking chocolate cakes and this morning layering and decorating them into a black forest cake. I’ve now delivered it to my nephew’s wife whose birthday it is today. https://imgur.com/J6togog As you can see I had trouble getting the shaved chocolate to stick to sides, most of it ended up on the plate!

    I’ve really felt like something sweet and baked this afternoon (probably due to all the cake handling this morning). I decided to try making a zucchini bread. It was very much a “make it up as you go along” effort as none of the recipes I found really appealed – I wanted one that was less like cake and they were all laden with sugar and oil. Don’t get me wrong this one will be sweet, but mostly from an orange, dried currants and stevia. I used only wholemeal flour and also added very little oil as I thought this was one of those breads that would be nice as thick toasted slice and I can always add butter or ricotta or cream cheese to the toast. It’s still in the oven baking so I’ll have to wait a while before it can be cut. I’m hoping it will freeze well in slices for those days when I feel like a treat but not one I’ll be paying for for days.

    Have a nice new years day everyone.

    A few weeks ago there was a discussion about the hot cross buns appearing in shops here in January. I seem to remember that some of our Northern Hemisphere friends were surprised that we didn’t just have them for easter. Well I just opened the advertising catalogue for a local supermarket, delivered on 1st January and saw this: https://imgur.com/stCx5Nn Oh dear.

    This is more interesting for most of us. The advertising catalogue for Big W showed that they are offering all of Dr MMs books at a discounted price (including the new one which is $19 instead of the RRP of $30): https://imgur.com/aCv60Ul

    I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know I didn’t fall on the zucchini bread the moment it was out of the oven. I am allowing it to cool before I slice it.

    Hi to all my 5:2 friends: ‘old and new’ – hope you are all enjoying/enjoyed New Year’s Day, and the start of a new outlook for 2019.

    I’m looking forward to getting back into 5:2 after just cruising for the last 3 months, after a difficult year! I started this WOL in October 2017, doing what felt right for me, and taking in all the wonderful advice and guidance from this very supportive, friendly group.

    I’ve been lurking but not commenting lately. I may not comment every day, but I’ll certainly be enjoying reading all your interesting and informative posts – they give me encouragement and inspiration!

    I’ve lost 5.4kg in the last year (was 7.7kg but some crept back in the last 3 months), so, happily a member of the Club Tortoise Club – it works for me 😉!

    This year, I’m hoping to exercise & move more! I very easily find excuses not to exercise, but that has to change. I seem to do better without breakfast on my FD, and try to go as long as I can before I eat anything – coffee with milk (can’t drink it black), herbal tea, water and miso soup gets me by!

    Weight – done! measurements – done! Motivation in check! So let’s see what this new year brings!

    We’ll, that’s all from me. Hope you all enjoy whatever you are getting up to and bye for now xx

    Good morning from Northern Ireland.. Happy New Year to you all. May 2019 be a good, fasty, healthy and happy year.
    Interesting to read your new year traditions Penguin. The Scots do something similar….they call it ‘first footing”. A tall dark man brings a lump of coal, some shortbread and a dram of whisky to the door at midnight, for warmth, good food and a safe year. A blond man can’t first foot – A throwback to the Viking invasion, when a tall blond man arriving at the door spelled trouble! It was always a moveable feast, too, when my Oh lived in Glasgow. But then, it was only a step or two from one tenement to another. My very Scottish Oh (although he has lived more of his life in Australia, and barracks for Australia in international sporting comps) still nostalgically keeps a piece of coal tucked in a cupboard at home. And LJ, I think the distance would make first footing a quite dangerous activity in Australia…all those dark haired men, all those wee drams, all that driving…yikes!
    Cinque, here’s something I didn’t know. Apparently the sea is even more dangerous than pools, germ wise. As the doctor said, if a germ can live in the surf, it will necessarily be pretty robust. Funny, because when we were kids we were always told to jump in the surf, if we had any sign of a cut or infection ( which we often did, running around barefoot, as we did in summer).
    It is freezing here, but I’m off for a walk nevertheless. I don’t have scales, but I do have my Fitbit, and I’m keeping those steps up around the 15,000.
    My DD is in the kitchen, the house is filled with the smells of lamb and onion and cumin gently cooking, and the children are a little stir-crazy so we’ll head into the fields to startle the sheep.

    Thin, not me, must have been some other northerner. I say northerner because it doesn’t happen here – I think we are talking Scotland and the far north of England. Far north in our terms starts about 250 miles from here. We are a small country but some regional variations survive. One of my neighbours is in London for the New Year and one is in Spain for the winter so it is fairly quiet around here; last night I think I was the only one still out of bed at midnight. It wasn’t like that in the towns. There were extra Police and ambulances on duty to cope with the now traditional excessive drinking and debauchery. My own contribution was a glass of red. Over the year the weight is down. Not by much, which is OK because a lot had already gone and this is Day 1 of the next phase. As Merry says “Onwards and downwards”.

    LJ, I have every confidence that when I go into town there will be hot-cross buns in the shops. Those small chocolate Easter Eggs seem to be available all year.

    Arelkade. Nothing wrong with reading the posts and popping up to say something occasionally. Some mornings there are so may posts that if I have a busy day ahead I just skim them, which is why I don’t always respond. That weight loss is respectable.

    Rosy, stay with those positives. As a bloke I have no clear mental image of what two dress sizes actually means, but it sounds impressive.

    Anzac, my old Lab would have been jealous. In the summer he would find the sunniest spot and sleep in it. In the winter he would get so close to the wood burner that I checked him for fur damage.

    Cinque, I have obviously missed something, I didn’t get the self experimentation reference. I will have to have a look at the new one. I did buy the 8-week blood sugar and fast exercise books but didn’t think they added greatly to what the original 5:2 gave me. I also bought “The Longevity Diet” which we were all talking about last year and Tim Spector’s “The Diet Myth”. Longo considered me too old to benefit from his research, although I have implemented some of his advice. After the original 5:2 the one I found most interesting was Spector’s. MM’s recent TV programmes I thought were interesting as entertainment but somewhat superficial in their treatment of the subjects – too many topics squeezed into a short time.

    I agree about the extra flavour of a curry made from scratch. There are two shelves of spices in my kitchen. In town we have a Bangladeshi shop where they sell all kinds of desirable things that are not widely available. The conversation can be interesting – every time I buy it we solemnly agree that the mustard oil is for external use only and not for cooking because it does not have European Union approval as a food stuff. It must be OK – Madhur Jaffrey recommends it.

    The New Year has started quietly but promisingly. Outside it is dry and the sky is clear. The sourdough starter I began yesterday is already looking very lively. I shall go out and be unkind to the moles under my lawn.

    Have a good year everyone

    Lindsay. I took so long writing my post that I missed yours. The first footing is what we call it as well. It was so quiet here that we have a large tin of shortbread untouched! I don’t know how long ago your OH left Glasgow, but it has changed enormously. I always liked it but it has been improved by change.

    A few years ago parts of Northern Ireland were not a healthy place for an English visitor but the most dangerous thing I encountered was the”Ulster Fry” – a large breakfast containing absolutely everything it is possible to fry, accompanied by toast and tea. A day’s TDEE on one plate.

    Penguin, I suspect that “Ulster Fry” may be your TDEE on a plate – probably 2 x mine! I never did get the appeal of a big fry up as breakfast – now serve it to me at dinner time and I’ll be interested.

    Lindsay, I had no idea that bacteria lived in the sea either – I also would have thought the salt would make that very difficult.
    Do you think that wearing swimming goggles might give your husband enough eye protection for him to continue swimming?

    Arel, I think that’s a very respectable loss given the year that you had.
    I shudder to think how much I’d gain if I coasted and didn’t stick with 5:2.

    I finally got a slice of the zucchini bread after dinner. Despite the low level of sweetness it was very nice. I’ve cut it into thick slices and frozen it for those those days when I feel the need.

    Baking the zucchini bread got me thinking that I should be making more recipes so I can add more of my home grown veg to the freezer. So I’ve spent the last couple of hours trawling through the internet looking through endless zucchini/courgette recipes. Too many to try, but there are a few that also use lots of cherry tomatoes that I need to make, as I can’t keep up to the current supply of those either.
    Not sure if I mentioned that I made 2 dozen oven baked pakoras (zucchini, squash, onion, sorrel & pea) a few days ago – most of which I froze. I finally got the spicing right this time (Note to self – you can never have too much cumin!).

    LJ we asked the specialist about goggles…his view was that any infection would be, to quote, ‘catastrophic’. My Oh is only sighted in one eye, so too risky. We will however get goggles for the pool, where he can at least cool down (we swim most nights before bed, during summer). It’s very private and we usually don’t bother with swimsuits.. My Oh stark naked, wearing goggles, is something to look forward to.
    Penguin I agree about Glasgow. Once they’d banned the coal fired stoves, and cleaned the sandstone, it took on a totally different look. And it’s been reinvented from a shipbuilding city, to one of art and culture. Always something interesting happening there.
    Nice to know you are around Arel. You’ve been missed.
    Kind, Cinque, to look after your little girls while Rose celebrated. I would have happily been on babysitting duty too, had we not all been quite relaxed and enjoying the fire, and not a pub for miles, so I cooked a tasty boned and stuffed roast chicken with baked vegetables, and a bread and butter pudding, with a nice bottle of Australian red wine (okay, two) and we were all in bed well before midnight. An unusual New Year’s for us, but a memorable one.

    I have just had a late Christmas present. Nearly five years ago when I started 5:2 I entered my height on the profile in feet and inches instead of cm because I was working in pounds. In a moment of idleness I have just asked the computer to do that conversion. It seems that I cheated myself of an inch. The practical impact of this is that my TDEE is a couple of hundred more generous than I have been working on and I have a BMI of 25! Not that I believe in BMI for reasons I have stated before, but even so….

    Mind, if LindsayL gets me thinking about bread and butter pudding I could relapse.

    Hi guys, very tired today after rising at 5.00 am to take visiting rellies to the airport and then going to bed at 2.00am after NYE function.
    I have been tres virtuous today after my sinful , albeit prepaid behaviour of NYE. My friends greeted me with the comment, you ve lost another kg haven’t you? They hadn’t seen me since Dec 8/, so it was true . They didn’t ask me about my recent transgressions. I did influence a friend struggling with her weight over to the FD WOL and have been coaching her today. I haven’t had anything to eat today bar bouillon and Metamucil and unlimited dtinks of ice, mint and lemon slices. Not feeling so bloated, the excesses of NYE were hardly worth it in retrospect. I may jump on the scales tomorrow morning if all the boat has disapated.
    @ Cinque, love your positive comments, especially the one re evil scales!
    Thin and L Joyce, love your supportive comments too.

    Question: I belong to a profession where I have a police clearance and working with children check and are unable to post personal details, photos etc. on a public website. Is there a personal msg facility with this forum ? How can I email members or is this not possible ?

    @penguin. Thanks for your encouraging comments. To answer your question re losing 2 dress sizes, it would be akin to a guy going from a jeans waist 38 to a 34.

    @Thin , I am 5 feet 7 and two thirds in the old money (171cm in the new). We couldn’t see the fireworks from the boat harbour. It was terribly hot and humid upstairs at the Akoya restaurant as a result from all the people. Didn’t get any relief till we went outside. Had to shower again when we got home at 1.30 am as I was so sticky. Thanks for all your amazing support and advice. I didn’t realise that I have got used to this wol till I was coaching my friend today and said I didn’t use natural appetite suppressants anymore as I am accustomed to fasting. I went all day on fluids. Fasting day tomorrow as we have nothing on. I won’t do 3 liquid only days in a row again due to your advice and lack of results. If I am feeling bony tomorrow, ( I was the opposite this morning), I will jump on the scales and let you know. We have a dinner with friends on Thurs so that will be a nfd.

    Happy New Year everyone!! I’m pleased to have lost 2.5kg during December – not as much as I’d hoped for, but …. Christmas? Not realistic to lose stacks. It’s probably easier for me to lose weight at the moment, as I’m so far above my maintenance weight.

    @anzac65, puppy training sounds like a wonderful idea for Maxx; maybe any new soft toys will last a bit longer?!! 🙂

    @LindsayL, I think the idea of infections and the sea is the effect of the salty water, rather than bacteria not being there.

    @ljoyce, very pleased to read that MMs new book will be out in BigW – 5/1 seemed to be the date, or did I misread that? I looked up his forum; seems like there is no public forum, and the online support may be from professionals – think it’s something that has to be paid for. I think I prefer being on these ones!

    By the way, I was thinking about my shape, and probably would best describe myself as gourd-shaped as I’m not equal top and bottom; my hips and thighs carry a lot of my excess weight, but my waist is my smallest measurement. But with the hips being bigger, I’m not an hourglass, either. It can be a real pain trying to buy dresses, and I usually wear tops and slacks/jeans, because I can then buy 2 sizes bigger for the bottoms, but if they don’t have elasticised waists, the waists are too small. Oh, I just HAVE to lose weight!!

    That’ll teach me. Just finished a response to Rosy when the email pinged. I went to Betsylee’s post, came back and mine was gone.

    Rosy, that comparison I understand. In the time I have been at the 5:2 I have gone from a 42 waist to a 38, it just took me longer. My excuse for being that wide is that I am 10 inches taller than you.

    Betsylee. The sizing issue isn’t just female. When I was first grown up (admittedly a long time ago) the makers assumed that a guy’s chest would be, at my height, ten inches more than his waist. Now they seem to assume they will be the same. Mine is 10 inches more than my waist, which means that any jacket/shirt that will go round my chest will have space for two of us at the waist. A strange thing for someone who knows he needs to lose more weight to say, but I have to buy the difficult to find XL tailored fit or slim line, and then it will probably be too short as XL tailored is shorter than the standard XL.

    Hi penguin, how frustrating! I guess it shows how guys’ shapes have changed over the years, and with the obesity crisis, probably not for the better. In my situation – My mother was the same shape as me when young, but lost weight in her sixties, and became a much more standard shape, with much smaller hips. I live in hope!!! 🙂

    Penguin, if you Google a recipe from David Herbert for B & B pudding, you will be transported. (Although it certainly won’t fit on the recipe page of this site).

    Betsy that wasn’t what the opthalmic surgeon said – his view was that the bacteria that survive in the ocean are more robust because they’ve survived the pounding they get. I heard the same thing from the son of my friend, who has an infection he can’t get rid of. I offered him our island house, thinking the salt water would help. But his son (a marine scientist) warned of the potential of more infection from bacteria in the ocean water. Certainly not something we were brought up to believe, so I looked at some of the research online, and it seems to be so. Congratulations on the 2.5 kilo loss during December. A great achievement, particularly for this time of the year.

    Lindsay, If I have found the right recipe the ingredients are pretty standard, but the result certainly isn’t. It is a pud I have loved for years and I make different versions of it but mine Is comfort food, not fine dining.

    Good morning everyone, what a lovely lot of chat has been happening yesterday and overnight.

    Anzac how lovely to cook for dear friends who appreciate good food. I’m so glad it has been such a wonderful time in spite of the heat.
    Hooray for the serious dog training course, Maxx clearly needs extremely well trained people to look after him. It will make you all so happy, including Maxx.

    Yes, I did lots of recovery yesterday, and still managed to potter around and do a few things, so it was a lovely day. Except I made my new recipe for Mexican beans and rice and I am sad to say I made it oily and gluggy. Tasty though, and brown rice so it isn’t mush. I am going to invent ways to use it. I hope.

    Rosy Posy, nice feedback about your weightloss, and a lovely evening. I hope the bloat has gone. You will feel so good after a fast day.

    Thin, I’m so glad your walk worked its magic on your scales.

    LJoyce, yes a potato. At my worst I am a whole sack of potatoes, but at my best I am a nice smooth one!

    What a beautiful black forest cake!
    And I am glad your zucchini loaf turned out nicely. I’m enjoying savoury zucchini slice at the moment, and making zucchini soup next, followed by zucchini and meatballs. Yep, they are prolific!

    Arelkade, it must be a relief to see the end of 2018, it was such a hard year for your family. Hoping that 2019 is a kind year and full of good things. It is excellent to be starting it weighing over 5 kg less than last year.

    Lindsay, I’m so disappointed to hear of the dangerous bacteria surviving in the salty ocean, but it does make sense. Sigh.
    Ooh do you mind if I pop through my screen and come out yours. I want some of that farm kitchen food (and wouldn’t mind saying hello to you all at the same time!). That was a lovely NYE.

    Penguin, Dr Mosley purposefully put on 4 or 5 kg so he could lose it on his new diet. that was his scientific experiment. Ah well, it will give him things to chat about when being interviewed.
    Congratulations on that extra inch!

    Rosy Posy, if you are like me, coaching your friend will make you follow your own rules extra well. 😉 I hope you have a very gentle day, including naps, after your late nights and early mornings.

    I’m fasting too! (I hope I feel bony tomorrow too).

    Betsylee, congratulations on that 2.5kg loss over December. It is a win. A 2 litre container of milk, and 500gm of butter you are no longer carrying around!

    I’m another one with a big range of spices in my pantry. And a spice grinder! I love Indian cooking (and Moroccan and Middle Eastern etc…) and my recipes use all different spices.

    And it is a rare person who can easily buy clothes to fit. I sometimes complain about the variety in sizes and fit from different clothes makers, but hooray for that. It is a treasure hunt and a wonderful prize when we do find things that fit well.

    Speaking of which, op shops will be heaven over the next few weeks as so many people offload stuff!

    Well, I had better finish and see if any posts have come through while I have been writing. Best wishes all.

    Tuesday, Jan 1 – 1:00pm

    Happy New Year to all my 5:2 friends! We had lasagne, salad, garlic & parmesan toast and tiramisu last night which DS bought in the afternoon. We watched the Season 4, episode 9 “Outlander” and a movie called “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” that won Frances McDormand an academy award for Best Actress. It was a very different kind of movie, but she was amazing and we enjoyed it. The language, however, was not for children or the faint of heart! 😮 OH went to bed about 11pm and DS and I stayed up until around 2am watching the ball drop in NY and the other festivities. (And eating). The scales did not look pretty this morning!

    LJ, your Black Forest cake looks professional. It’s just beautiful! I bet your nephew’s wife was delighted. Even the candle looked chocolate.

    Penguin, the Ulster Fry definitely looks like 3 NFD breakfasts rolled into one. I had to look it up: https://i1.wp.com/palatablepastime.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ulster-fry-wide.jpg?ssl=1 Yikes!

    Arel, it’s good to see your post. You’ve been missed.

    Anzac, a training class for Maxx might make life easier and safer for all of you. A dog his size can too easily get distracted and run into the road or other unsafe place. It would be good for him to learn to listen a little better.

    Thin, we’ll have to sort out the weigh-ins on Jan 3. I will be lucky to get back into the 59’s again after the past week of eating. FD this week will be Wed and Fri for me again. I’ll be happy to get back to my normal Mon/Thurs FD’s next week.

    Cinque, how nice of you to babysit so DD could celebrate. I’m sure Miss 2 and Miss 4 were delighted.

    Betsy, congrats on your weight loss. Rosy, you did well over this last year.

    Lindsay, I love reading your posts of your holiday. It sounds like you’re all having a wonderful time. (Although it’s probably even colder than here,)

    Hi and Happy New Year to Quacka and Intesha and anyone else I’ve missed.

    Wow, that lot took me half an hour to read. Hoping I can reply without losing my post today.

    Rosy, there’s no personal messaging system available here. The way I first made contact with others from this thread was to meet them for coffee or for a walk (neutral territory as I’d never contributed to a forum before, let alone met total strangers from one!). I’ve had the pleasure of making friends with 7 Perth losers that way. You can also contact the site manager, JJ, at the ‘contact us’ link below. Give her your username and that of the person you wish to contact and she will send your registered email address to them. If they want to make contact, they can then contact you directly. I’ve done this with several of the ‘regulars’ here because we didn’t want to lose contact should anyone stop posting or the forum disappear for some reason. It may take a few days as JJ told me recently that she’s got behind with managing things.

    LJ, great cake. It is funny how our body shapes relate to food. Just like so many of our sayings. I have always been well-proportioned so assumed that, when and if I ever lost the weight, I would have the perfect shape. That might have been the case had I lost the weight a couple of decades earlier. Sadly, by the time I discovered IF and lost the weight, everything had dropped about 6 inches from when I’d last seen it.

    CalifD, there was a time when I’d have enjoyed that Ulster Fry. Your NYE sounds relaxed and fun.

    Cinque, I like the way Dr M. is prepared to put himself through the experiments but agree with you, that stunt seems self-destructive. I find it hard to reconcile that he’s moved on from the original 5:2 when it works so well. Thousands of people here are testament to that. It makes it feel like another passing fad. But that’s his job, he has to find new topics on which books can be sold. It feels like a weird sort of abandonment but, then again, he has left us with this fabulous forum for which I am very grateful.

    Penguin, I agree with you too. The TV shows (TMIAD) may be entertaining but don’t tell us much. The sample size is so small that the conclusions are meaningless.

    I didn’t get very far. It’s 6.30am and I want to get walking. So will have to return later.

    9am Wednesday, Adelaide

    Cinque, Like you I’m going to have the start the zucchini cooking production line too. I was quite pleased last night, I’d used the last of the zucchini & button squash from the crisper and I’d researched some recipes to tackle more as they grew. I think they heard me and decided to all grow overnight – I picked 11 this morning! I must have missed a couple of them for a few days as they were much larger than I normally let them get before picking.

    Cali, Glad you finally got to experience your own NYE – seeing the ball drop in Times Square is on my long bucket list – I’ll get to it one day hopefully.
    Hope your BP is staying stable now. I’m still hoping that the new doctor is a good fit for you.

    Penguin & Lindsay, I notice that the David Herbert recipe also includes orange marmalade – which I also normally and didn’t realise it was such a common addition. I do agree that it’s an ultimate comfort food – perfect for a cold day.

    Betsy, even being an hourglass doesn’t help when buying dresses. I find if they fit my hips and bust they are way too big around the waist – so I buy separates too as i can usually get a better fit that way. It’s not the fault of clothing manufacturers. When I compare the listed measurements that relate to a size I tend to cross 3 different sizes with my bust, hip and waist measurements. It was fine year ago when I was into dressmaking and happy to make things for myself. I have found certain styles and fabrics will usually accommodate my shape so I tend to stick to those.

    Rosy, the website doesn’t have a private messaging system. However if you want to converse privately to someone on the forum you need to send an email to: tech@thefastdiet.co.uk and ask them to forward your personal email address to that person. They will use the email address you provided when you signed up for the forum. It’s then up to that person whether they wish to reciprocate. Some of us have done this with people we have been talking to on this forum for a very long time where we wanted to discuss more personal or medical issues.

    I’m about to head out to do some grocery shopping – I’ve just used the last of the milk and a FD without cups of tea doesn’t bear thinking about!

    Hi Thin, as usual our posts crossed.

    Wednesday 10.30am. Top temp of 35 which I’m happy with considering we have another 47 degree day tomorrow.

    I go back to work next Monday (ho hum), OH went back to work today and MissD is spending a few day days with her dad and aunty so just me home during the day. Ahhh quiet bliss!!

    As usual was in bed at 10.30pm for new years after watching the Adelaide Strikers (Adelaide cricket team) on the tv – they won so that was a bonus.

    The last 2 mornings have been wonderful for me. Out of bed at 4.30am, coffee on the front verandah watching the moon and stars, then 40 minutes of yoga on the front verandah watching the sun rise over the beautiful Flinders Ranges then took the pooch for a 45 minute walk. All done by 6.30am by which time OH’s alarm had gone off and I bought him coffee in bed…..yeah a bit lush for OH eh !!

    Although I’m not one for new year’s resolutions I wanted to start out as I intend to go on. The mornings when it’s cooler doing yoga outside and taking tbe pooch for a walk and the arvos when I get home from work using the gym and treadmill in the new shed under the aircond.

    Yes thin we do have a pooch….always have, can’t be without a dog in my life. All our pooches have been rescue dogs from the vets or rspca. The one we have now is 7 years old, small to medium size called Mindy. She is so adorable but is a great guard dog at the same time despite her small stature. As they are rescue dogs they are bittsa’s….bits n pieces of everything so no specific breed but they have all been brilliant dogs and I wouldn’t have anything else.

    We also have 2 cats (one with 3 legs) and now (alas) 5 chooks and 2 ducks. We’ve always in the past kept 12 chooks at a time but as we don’t sell the eggs anymore we only keep enough for ourselves.

    If I remember later I will tell you about my previous dog Buster….there will never be another Buster…..absolute best dog ever.

    I’ve spent the morning cleaning all the gum tree leaves, yellow seed/flower pods and dirt from the shed gutters which is a 6 monthly chore. So off for a shower now and then meet OH in town for a coffee in his lunch break.

    GDSA, looking forward to hearing all about Buster. Mutts are the best dogs ever – rescue dogs are always so grateful and make perfect additions to the family. And, it’s a fact, mutts have far fewer health issues than ‘bred’ dogs. Can we have a photo of Mindy please? Your 2019 morning routine so far sounds perfect. I’m envious of your splendid view and our next house will definitely have one (I do have a view but it’s a streetscape). I wish I could get round to re-starting yoga. I used to do it on DD’s Wii but found the start-up procedure a hassle messing about with my avatar. It was useful having that feedback from the balance board. Maybe I should just do a few positions myself but I always worry that I’m not doing it properly and I’m too cheap to spend $16 per session. You haven’t mentioned an ex before; it’s good that DD can spend some time with her dad – which perhaps allows you some good quality time with your OH too. Is DD heading into high school this year? Year 7 is now high school in WA.

    Hi LJ – maybe we should take turns posting since we seem to post together and say the same thing! Rosy will definitely know what to do now – but which of us does she wish to contact? That’s the question! That zucchini sounds fabulous.

    Rosy, it is so satisfying to turn someone on to 5:2. I have introduced 14 people to it over the years with mixed results. It’s really great when your friends and neighbours are into it because they ‘get it’. Two people on my street practice it, both are doctors. She and I started independently but the same week back in 2014. Her OH began about a year later. They don’t do it all the time but it helps that they understand my FDs and we drink a lot of herbal tea at each others’ houses.

    Betsy, what a great result. Well done!

    Penguin and Lindsay, I enjoyed your conversation about the traditions. And how exciting to discover that you may enjoy a couple of hundred extra cals than previously thought. Does the same go for Mrs Penguin?

    Anzac, something has made me smile for the last 4 days. The neighbour wife and children have gone away! I have never heard the husband but she has a very loud voice. It has been bliss. We ate outside two evenings (plus the one at the river) which we haven’t done since before it became an airbnb house last summer. I even read a book in my hammock one afternoon – that was the first day they left and I kept thinking they would come back at any minute so couldn’t really concentrate. And then the marvellous reality set in that they were away! I wish I knew for how long because we are reluctant to go anywhere while we can soak up the sounds of silence in our own home. The birds have slowly returned and it is pure heaven.

    I went to the Brighton shopping centre this morning. A bit further away but the supermarket there is a Foodland (independent). So they stock a lot of better quality and locally produced foods. Pricier, but for some things it is worth it to me.
    On my way out of the centre I noticed 3 dogs all tied up by their leads and exhibiting completely different behaviours in the absence of their humans. All were either spaniels or spaniel x. The king charles spaniel was pacing up and down and glancing through the glass every few seconds, looking quite anxious – cleary worried it had been forgotten. A spoodle was sitting, with its face almost pressed up to the glass staring at a specific spot and not moving a muscle – I suspect the spot was the last place it saw its human and it wasn’t about to lose him/her. And the last was a cocker spaniel that was sprawled out on the paving having a nice long nap before the exertion of the walk home – not a care in the world. It was such a clear demonstration of how different temperaments can be even with similar breeds.

    GDSA, I know I personally couldn’t manage a 4:30am start, but in your climate I can really see the attraction. Yoga at sunrise does actually sound appealing.

    Hi Guys, even though I liquids on,y fasted yesterday, I still fell bloated though not as much. I stupidly got on the scales and was horrified to note that had put on a kg ! My night of decadence seems hardly worth it now ! To make matters worse, the friend who was at the same event who had her first day on Fast Diet yesterday lost 1.1 kg ! 😩 the only thing I can think of is that she is just starting her weight loss journey so it could be easier for her than I. The other thing that could be a factor , was when I am at work and have had a particularly naughty weekend of eating and drinking, it takes me till Thursday to get back to normal and until Friday or Saturday for me to register a loss. However at work I have a protein shake for breaky and lunch to sustain me and on this holidayI have been fasting more stringently. I.e 2 Coffees , 1bouillon lots of mint and lemon iced water. What do you experts think ?

    Thanks Cinque and Thin for your advice re emailing JJ, have done so.

    I have another friend who wants me to be her diet buddy/coach. She has lost 7kg with a personal coach and calorie controlled, low carb keto-ish eating. She can’t budge the last 2 kg so Im helping. She has noticed me ‘fading away’ (her kind words not mine ). Before the Fast Diet 14 kg ago, I was on the Keto and lost nothing. I have had 2 other friends fail with Keto like me. IMO , that’s because of too much meat.

    @ljoyce, the bacteria in the sea die does sound surprising as I had erroneously presumed that the salt water would kill the germs. Having said that, I know someone who got really sick from swimming at the beach in Bali.

    @penguin. Wow, you are tall! I thought my 30 year old son was tall at 6ft 4! He has a tiny 32 inch waist, works out so has huge shoulders. He buys specially sized shirts and he complains that shorts are always too short for him. With jeans my hub buys some that are stretchy so they fit better. Tailored trousers are difficult though.

    @ljoyce, ooh your early morning starts make me feel tired just thinking about them. I’m definitely not a morning person. Hub knows to give me space for a few minutes so I can wake myself up properly. I get cranky when woken suddenly. He, on the other hand, loves to wake up early ‘bright eyed and bushy tailed’.

    Ive noticed that people are either early morning people or night people. What type are you all?

    I’m making a massive pot of hubs favourite diet soup which I freeze in cups and he has it for lunch at work . His colleagues love the smell and many ask for the recipe.
    I sauté one large onion in a little oil , throw in a large pac of chopped,shortcut, fat trimmed bacon and wait till that has cooked. Then I add 2 large or 3 small to medium cauliflowers with 2 litres of chicken stock and cook it away until soft and mushy. Then I use a hand held stick blender to make it all smooth and creamy. Voila ! Delicious, filling and pretty healthy.

    @califdreamer I love Outlander ! I also love Frontier and Versailles!

    Hi everyone, it is 2.00pm on another hot day in Sydney.

    We booked the first leg of our European holiday this morning! We are avid frequent flyer collectors so have booked Sydney > Auckland in business class and then Auckland > Dubai > Lisbon in….wait for it….FIRST CLASS! It is on our bucket list to try first class just once. We’ll never do it again because it has taken us years and years to save up the points but too bad! The reason we are flying to Auckland is there are very few reward seats out of Sydney and none at a time when we want to fly. So white Christmas (or at least a very cold Christmas) here we come! So I have 11 months to get to my goal weight.

    GDay, your pooch sounds very cute! I don’t enjoy life without a dog in it either. We were so devastated when we lost our first lab (and my first ever dog) we waited 7 years before we got Maxx. So glad we did…most days 🙂

    Rosy Posy I love hearing about your success and FYI I am a morning person hugely. Luckily as Maxx is very much a morning dog so even if I wasn’t I would be getting up early anyway. I have an arrangement with the bank I work for to start early and finish early and it suits me really well.

    LJ we don’t mind paying extra for quality food. We try to be thrifty seeing that we only have one income but when it comes to food we go for quality almost all the time.

    Thin, so very happy that you finally have some peace and quiet. I hope they never come back but I realise that is not possible unless they actually pack up and move. Enjoy the solitude while it lasts

    Having a controlled NFD as I have yet another social event tomorrow. I am meeting my closest girlfriends in the city for lunch and drinks. I am honestly looking forward to going back to work…not to work but to get away from all this temptation and get back into 5:2 properly.

    Hi to everyone else, hope you are having a fab day

    Rosy, another Outlander fan! Thin is the one who first told me about it last year. We’re into season 4 here. The other two you mentioned aren’t available here, as far as I can tell.

    Gday, we have a rescue dog too. He’s a Havanese mix, a smallish size with a huge presence. I just happened to see this article about anew law in California, banning the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits in pet stores unless they are rescue animals:
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-to-become-first-state-to-ban-retail-sales-of-cats-and-dogs/

    I think that’s a good move since there are so many stray animals euthanased each year because they don’t have homes.

    Hi CalifDreamer, please excuse my stupidity in asking an obvious question but are you in California? Hub and I drove up and down the Californian coast in 2014 and loved it ! I think out of all the American states , the Californian character is closest to the Australian one. Could be due to climate , beaches, wine etc.

    Anzac what an adventure to look forward to. I presume you are flying Emirates. Until last year I had never flown any other airline but I had a few issues with them last year and have vowed never to fly with them again. I had been a customer for 17 years. Not trying to turn you off as I think they are one of the best around but my next long haul will be another carrier.

    They had a promotion when they were celebrating the first five years in Australia and I had enough points to fly return first class to Christchurch. I was the only one on the first leg and only three of us on the return. It was a trip of a lifetime just wasn’t long enough. I have also had several upgrades to business. You will have the best experience, I hope you like Dom Perignon and Godiva chocolates. The stand up bar is out of this world 😉😉

    Cali can’t wait for Season 4 of Outlander, have just finished binge watching the last 3 seasons. I’m in love with Jamie 😱

    Have also been watching Jack Taylor, Bad Blood and Archangel.

    Lots more posts which I haven’t yet read but just wanted to alert Rosy to our recipe page: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/southern-hemispherites-fd-recipes/

    Anzac, I scrolled past your post and you made me laugh, “I hope they never come back” – me too! I also saw that you have booked another holiday and haven’t time to read the details but will do so tonight. Not jealous at all.

    Glad you are all enjoying Outlander. CalifD, I remember recommending it to you and then, after getting it on Netflix, getting too confused to work out which episodes I’d seen myself – a problem with time travellers doing flashbacks!

    Anzac, congratulations. That sounds like travel to look forward to – first class and a white Christmas. You know we will expect you to post some photos of champagne sipping and whatever else happens in first class!
    The only time I’ve flown anything but economy was years ago when the airline upgraded me occasionally – I was flying regularly for work at the time which is probably why they offered it (only domestic flights though).

    Cali, there have been attempts made here to shut down or at least improve conditions in the “puppy farms” that supply the pet shops, but I don’t think banning sales has been considered here. All the pets we had growing up were either rescued from shelters or strays – mostly cats I brought home and begged to keep. I like dogs but wouldn’t have one here as there is no yard and I don’t think it would be fair to them.

    Anzac & GDSA, despite the fact that I am often woken early by the noise in a built up suburb I refuse to get up early without a good reason. After spending decades rising early to get to work on time, I consider the luxury of a lie in one of the perks of retirement. My joints are also a bit stiff first thing, so gentle or slow start to the day is more of a necessity than a choice.

    Rosy, yes you certainly lose more when you first start a diet so don’t be alarmed by your friend’s initial weight loss. I find that sometimes a day of excess can take 2 or 3 FDs to deal with especially if I’m not cutting back on any of my NFDs.

    I’ve just had my FD afternoon snack – a handful each of cherries and strawberries. I have the remainder of the chicken noodle soup left that I made on Sunday that I’l have for dinner.
    Well time for another cup of tea now. Hopefully that’s all I’ll need before the soup.

    Hey Intesha, yes we are flying Emirates. Sorry to hear you had an issue with them. They have a lot more reward flights than Qantas and we just couldn’t go past having a shower on board! It sounds so silly even typing it as it doesn’t feel real. How exciting to hear that you have flown FC with them and it was amazing. Oh, and yes, I love Dom Perignon – all one time that I’ve had it LOL!

    Thin, book that next holiday asap – that is an order! Even if not the gorillas, find something amazing and just book it.

    LJ, your sleep-ins sound lovely but sorry to hear your joints are a bit stiff in the morning. I have issues with my feet, calves and knees and they too are stiff first thing in the morning. I’m hoping it will improve when I lose the weight.

    Cali – lovely that you have a rescue pooch too. We looked into a rescue lab but they are very rare plus labs can have a lot of joint issues so a good lineage helps. Maxx is really feeling the heat and is out of sorts, currently flat-out in front of the air con. It’s been low to high 30’s every day for our holiday break and poor Maxx is really feeling it. Our next electricity bill is going to be scary but too bad.

    Anzac, wow! How exciting. Does Maxx know about this? Maybe you will run into Mr and Mrs Penguin up there in Portugal. We spent Christmas in Spain and Portugal in 2014; it was cold in the latter but really lovely. We were further north though. Penguin says he goes there to get some winter warmth!

    In spite of being married to a pilot, I have never travelled first class. I don’t think OH has either! We once got upgraded by Qantas to business class but it was a short little flight from Auckland to Sydney and only because they had stuffed up something in a major way. The damage was already done, we have never flown with them since – that was 26 years ago – except OH when a company has sent him on a commercial flight & he had no control over the carrier. We’ve flown Emirates and Etihad numerous times, especially when OH worked in the UAE.

    And Intesha, sounds like you live the high life too. We were just speaking to someone who took a shower on a flight. DD made everyone laugh by asking what happens when the ‘return to seat’ light comes on!

    As for our holiday, I would have happily booked that gorilla trip for 22 December but DD put me off as she had no idea of her job search/interview plans and wanted to be available. Now she’s saying she wished we’d just gone and worried about all that later. I admit I’ve felt less motivated about overseas holidays in the last year for a few reasons. We’ll see what happens this year.

    CalifD, OH was reading me a news article the other day about the puppy selling ban in California that you mentioned today. Anzac, I was so devastated by the death of our dingo, I couldn’t consider another dog. We had dogs boarding with us for years after that so there were lots of breeds to learn about.

    LJ, sounds like your FD has gone well. I like the sound of your fruit but only have frozen bananas in the house. I’m still full from Spanish Fideos.

    Hoping I’m all caught up and there are no posts I’ve missed as OH keeps asking if I’m ‘still’ talking to my forum buddies as he calls you.

    Oh, P.S., short-lived bliss. Neighbours are back. Straight into the pool. Wonderful while it lasted. Today while the husband was pottering quietly in HIS back garden, I was sorely tempted to play on repeat on my Bose speaker the 20 minute audio of his feral children in their pool that I’d recorded last week. It would have been a perfect opportunity to let him have a taste of his own medicine – but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

    @ LJoyce,, thanks for your words of comfort re my weight loss stall due to NYE decadence. You have helped me stay strong today ,my 2nd , consecutive Fast day. I have been so virtuous and if I don’t get rewarded by my sinister scales tomorrow , I won’t be impressed. If I am rewarded, you will be able to sense my scream in Siuth Australia ! I am dreaming about scrambled eggs tomorrow on my non fast day. We are going out for dinner with friends to a SE Asian restaurant and I am going to resist my favourite KingPrawn Char Kway Teow.

    Day two of the new year started well as a NFD, but … over-indulgence this evening. Have to NOT buy my favourite ice-cream just because it’s on special!!!!

    @LindsayL, that’s very interesting about the seawater. I’d never looked at the research. It was when I was a child (50s) when it was something commonly believed – maybe the sea is much more polluted now??

    @cinque, it’s interesting about clothing sizes. Even now, I can buy things from sizes 10 up to 18 of various styles, brands and shops, all fitting. Mostly though I’m a size 14-16 or M top, 16-18 bottom.

    @ljoyce, that means I understand the challenges of sizes. I’m also very short – very relieved that nowadays they often have three-quarter length trousers which fit me perfectly as full length. 🙂

    @rosy Posy, I’m a night owl – I can’t imagine doing what @gdayfromsa does, getting up at 4:30 a.m. Admittedly, when my head is in a good book, or I’m watching Wimbledon, I might go to bed at that hour….. I agree with @ljoyce re the loss of weight depending on where a person is on their weight journey. Plus, personally, if I eat things that are more salty, it takes a couple of days to clear out from my system.

    @thinatlast, how lovely that you could enjoy even a few days of blissful quiet. Sorry it’s back to the noise again. Loved your comment “everything had dropped about 6 inches from when I’d last seen it” – I’m reluctantly accepting that will be the case when my weight drops more.
    By the way, re Dr M’s book – maybe it just adds more of the research? I had a look at the public website, and it seems to be promoting 800 cals for 12 weeks for the pre-diabetics and diabetics, 5:2 for others, or just Mediterranean-style eating for maintenance, which really seems a combination of the two books plus newer research on the fact that a higher fat, lower carb diet is actually more healthy than the higher carb diet which doctors have advocated for years. The CSIRO Low-Carb Diet book has a lot about that, too. I considered going on that diet, but liked the thought of 5:2 better. The other thing about the website is that there seems to be an online component to this 800-cal regime for which people can enrol (and pay), and get regular advice from professionals during the 12-week program. Actually, anyone who wants can do that with the CSIRO Low-Carb diet, too.

    @anzac65, wonderful, a trip booked to Europe and first class, wow! I’ve only ever travelled first class twice; once I was upgraded as there were no seats, and the other time was a medical evacuation from China to Melbourne due to a serious knee injury – and I can’t say I was able to enjoy that journey very much. Much better having it booked like this, and still 11 months to reach your goal weight. You can do it!!!

    Good morning, FD today, 69.6. My goals this year are to try and be positive even though I know with Mum and Dad there will be challenges and my life is going to continue to be one big roller coaster and to lose at least another 5kg. Last year was not good for me emotionally and I have to try and find more positives to keep me grounded.

    Anzac, I envy that shower in the sky. Airline travel has come such a long way in the past few years. Even though it’s 11 months away the build up will be so exciting.

    Watched a movie on Netflix last night Only The Brave, about American firefighters based on a true story, would recommend it.

    Have a good day everyone.

    Good morning,

    I’m a lark naturally (quite irritating to my owl friends) but chronic illness played havoc and I am only just getting back to having this nice early time of being up in the peace and quiet. Never 4:30am Gday, but how excellent you can do it through this hot summer.

    Cali, it sounds like you had a lovely greeting of the New Year. And now you will enjoy a few good days to coax the scales into giving you nice numbers again.

    Thin, I am so glad you got a few days break from those rowdy neighbours. Hopefully they will go away again through the holidays. I am finding it interesting watching Dr Mosley in action. To sell his new book he needs to stay on message about where he has got to after 5:2 and why his new plan is so good. That does feel a bit like he has left us behind, especially those of us who like fasty fast days, but I think it is just his current focus.
    Betsy, I like how you summed it up. I am looking forward to reading the new book to see what adds to the research.

    LJoyce, I’ve found a recipe for savoury zucchini loaf that I am going to try 🙂

    Rosy keep eating sensible things and that bloat should fade. Infact, I hope you wake up (slowly 😉 ) this morning and it is gone. I’m the expert that hasn’t got a pair of scales and so my advice is just keep doing the sensible things and take the long view!
    That soup is brilliant! It does belong on our recipe page.
    And yes, Cali is Californian. She heard us talking about parrots and joined in to tell us of her dear one, and we kept her!

    Anzac, exciting news, and won’t it make this year fun! Enjoy the social event today, it is nearly back to work time! Haha. But I know the feeling of pleasure, being back in our regular routines and being able to fast properly.

    Intesha, I do so hope this year is full of positive times for you.
    Thinking about the difficulties of living a restricted life and giving up so many things, I remember when I was struggling so much living with chronic illness, I read a book by a Buddhist nun (Cave in The Snow) who lived in an isolated cave in Tibet FOR 12 YEARS! I kept thinking, Good Grief! She chose this! https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/may/15/buddhist-retreat-religion-first-person
    Now you and I can think “Well at least I am not in cave in Tibet” Haha. or “What a hermit I am, how holy!” 😉

    I’m not being a hermit today though, it is my turn to go shopping for supplies (lots of veggies) and call into a few op shops!

    Lovely day after Fast Day, and thinking of all the veggies I will eat.

    Best wishes to every one of you. It is 2019. (Three days gone already!!!)

    Good morning 🙂 Cloudy and humid in Sydney today

    Just back from a nice walk with the boys. Maxx was an absolute disgrace yesterday, lunging and pulling and I honestly thought he had gone deaf. Today he was an angel, trotting along beside OH and fully listening. I think we actually have two dogs and we are never sure which one will come out with us (or with OH when I’m back at work) every morning

    Didn’t end up having a very controlled day and the scales have unsurprisingly crept up again. Four more days until rigid 5:2 starts

    Enjoy your shopping Cinque and I hope you come home with some nice things form the Op shops. I can’t believe we have already had three days in 2019

    Intesha, what a lovely goal for 2019. Being positive makes such a difference in your life; but I do understand that it is such a challenge for you with your carer responsibilities.

    BetsyLee, the only sweet thing I really enjoy is ice cream and we bought some of our favourite cornetto’s the other day and we shouldn’t have. I normally have low-fat-low-sugar options in the freezer but of course because the high-fat-high-sugar option was there I have been having one each night. No more.

    Thin, I think Maxx has been hiding under the table and listening to our plans. But he is excited to be going to a farm out near Darkes Forest where the dogs run free. We couldn’t put him in a kennel for 7 weeks

    RosyPosy, good luck with your scales. Sometimes they are your friend but often they are NOT your friend

    Hi Gday, Cali, LJ, Quacka, Arel, Lindsay, Penguin, Minka, Merry and anyone else I have missed. Have a great day

    Hi All. This is my first week on 5:2. I’ve struggled with weight all my life (now mid 50s – eerch!). In and out of Weight Watchers for years – with weight rising and falling like a seesaw. My dr had mentioned this diet a couple of years ago and I did some cursory research…. starving yourself?! (definitely not what WW recommends – “you’re not eating all your points” they say “eat more” they say).But then I watched Dr Mosley’s Horizon doc. Things really made sense – medical sense too. So here I am. This week I’ve done my first FD…..and surprisingly it was not as difficult as I thought. The other thing I noticed was that I didn’t wake up the next day famished. In fact, I really didn’t crave food very much the next day either. I’ve increased my activity and done a HIT session as well this week. So wish me luck. So far I’m doing ok. Let’s see what the scales say at the end of the week.

    Welcome Lucybron, I’m very glad to hear that your first FD went well. Once the FDs start to feel easy the rest falls into place too. Some on this forum as on the same weight loss journey as you and a few of us are here to maintain our weight loss.
    Like you I spent a few years at WW (in the 1980s I lost about 50kg at WW but put it all back on over the following 5 years). 5:2 is a wonder as a maintenance tool.

    Anzac65, Maxx certainly keeps you guessing.

    Cinque if that savoury zucchini loaf works out I’d like the recipe please. I actually found a vegetable flecked wholemeal loaf in the bread section of the “Enchanted Broccoli Forest” last night that contains zucchini. It’s too hot for me to contemplate bread baking at the moment but if the weather cools down I might try it. I also found a Mollie Katzen recipe online for a green minestrone. As I have peas, beans, spinach and sorrel to use up as well as the zucchini I think I’ll give that one a go. The other idea I saw from Mollie was a vegetable clafouti – it had never occurred to me to turn that dessert into a savoury dish.
    This will give you an idea of just how much the home grown veg had built up https://imgur.com/pM8Hzmo I seem to add at least twice as much to it each day as I can remove – and it doesn’t include the cherry tomatoes – they are in a huge overflowing bowl on the bench!

    Intesha, good luck with our 2109 goals. I think find the positives and feeling hopeful is an excellent approach, especially when you know your life will continue to contain many challenges. I hope this year is a little easier on you.

    Rosy, enjoy your meal out – that’s why we have FDs.

    Thin, it would usually be a banana for me too, but I had only just bought some and they were still too green yesterday – they were only just ripe enough to have one this morning. Has your DD started her job hunting yet – does she have preferences for where she’d like to work? I got the impression you thought she might head overseas – was that wrong?

    My 5:2 year in Review

    This morning I decided to check back on the last year. I am 1.3kg lower than a year ago, so I view that as a successful year of maintenance.
    Looking back on previous years I can also see that I am now 10.7kg lower than I was 2 years ago, when I first came to the 5:2 forum.
    I also looked back over my 31st of Dec weights – they go all the way back to 2012 and my current weight is the lowest for all of those years. Traditionally December has not been a good month for me (and for many of those years I was much heavier and still on my weight loss journey).
    It shows me that, not only that maintenance is getting easier, but even difficult times like the Christmas season don’t have to derail me. I was actually shocked by how easy December felt this year, despite the fact that I probably had more food events to deal with this year than I normally do. I guess that means a change of mindset for me.
    In 2018 I also learned some new things about myself and 5:2. I finally accepted that adding more FDs wasn’t a good solution for me as it just triggers more overeating on the remaining NFDs. The big task was to learn how to be more controlled on some (not all) of my NFDs. That learning curve will continue this year I think.
    I have also noticed a reduction in the fear I used to feel about my weight – or specifically my weight increasing back to its old morbidly obese levels. That fear or panic doesn’t seem to be there any more. I guess that’s reflected in recent my acceptance of my body finding it’s own healthy level even if that’s a lower weight that I previously felt confident about maintaining.
    This all feel like helpful progress to me. Although, as with all things I do, it was definitely a two steps forward and one back journey.

    Intesha’s goals got me thinking about what I’d like to focus on this year.
    I think it’s fitness. Maintaining the right level of activity is so good for my health, my mobility and my weight, so I think it’s the most important area for me. I have trouble finding balance with this as there are some things I physically can’t or shouldn’t do and a very limited number of things that I can actually say I like doing. I don’t have a plan yet, I need to work on that.

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