Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

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  • LJ, I think you’re right about the 800 diet being a good option for those 3 groups. But would be very challenging for me. I remember when I used to lose weight, years ago, and would go on 1000 calorie per day diets for a few months. I was usually trying to lose about 20 pounds or so. As soon as the diet was “over”, I would pile the food back on because of feeling so deprived from sticking to 1000 calories. I’d gain back everything plus a little more. Low cal, low carb, all fruit, no fruit, WW, Atkins…they were all the same. None were sustainable.

    Another insomniac here. I’m more likely to eat when I’m up alone. I do like to stay up late, but used to sleep later too. Now I am lucky if I can sleep later than 5am, no matter what time I go to sleep. My brain is too busy, often going over the same old things over and over again. It’s usually something I’m worried about. I do need to learn to meditate. But it’s hard to think about nothing. How many people here are able to meditate and do it regularly?

    Good afternoon….it WAS extremely hot in Sydney but a Southerly has hit and it is glorious. The car showed 35 degrees when we hopped back in after our off-lead beach walk this morning with Maxx….and it was 8.50am. But now a lovely breeze is blowing, I’m in the dining room with the big sliding door open and loving the air flow

    My sister Jacki was the one who actually introduced 5:2 to me. She is restarting after a period off for travelling and becoming a new Grandmother to my nieces gorgeous little girl. Jack is disciplined (unlike me) so I have no fear that she will not succeed. Hope you are reading Jack, if so we are all here to support each other and do it darn well

    As dog parents we are in disgrace. Maxx had his annual vet visit and the first thing of course it to get weighed. Now last October he was 43.4 kilos, too heavy, and we put him on a diet. I was confident he would be lighter. I was wrong. So very very wrong. He is…..I can’t even type it….47.6 kilos! I said ‘OH MY GOD’ very loudly and OH laughed….nervously…not out of any amusement believe me. The vet said my response was the correct one. Honestly, he does not look that big! Even the vet was amazed as he isn’t obese but looks aside it is too heavy for his joints so he is now on the diet to end all diets….poor thing.
    Here is a picture taken a week ago https://imgur.com/a/416rkJV
    And here is one from October. https://imgur.com/a/i8bLkWl

    I honestly can’t see another 4 kilos. Sigh

    So sorry, I’ve spent so long talking about Maxx and uploading photo’s I have to run now! Will come back tomorrow with a nice chatty post

    Just want to say I’m having a great controlled weekend and the scales dipped ever so slightly this morning. Yay!

    Hope everyone is having a great day 🙂

    Anzac, I suspect you didn’t count all those extra calories from shoe leather and remote controls! Did the vet give you a diet for Maxx?
    I remember watching a documentary where they were trying to get some pet owned to put their overweight dogs on a diet. They found that owners were really bad at estimating the volume or weight of food they were giving their dog – they needed to weight it to get it right. If your vet can tell you the appropriate amount then that might help.
    He looks cute in both photos.

    Cali, I found the same thing. I used to be able to lose weight but not keep it off, 5:2 has been such a good maintenance tool for me.

    I’m quite pleased with my choices today. I skipped breakfast and then went to lunch in the hills with a friend. I ordered the “green green bowl” and a pot of chai tea. Lunch was a green salad with a pea and avocado puree an some grilled asparagus and grilled haloumi. The flavours were fabulous. We both decided to forgo dessert and went for a walk instead. When I got home I decided to have an afternoon treat of a fresh peach – delicious. Providing I can make some good choices for dinner it will be a good day and I can fast tomorrow. Hopefully that will deal with yesterday’s excesses – I just didn’t want to add to the damage today.

    Anzac that storm is just about to hit Campbelltown but that breeze is a lifesaver. I’ve just been so drained lately haven’t felt like doing anything and with Dad in the house walking around in next to nothing has not been an option.

    FD today, 7 days of controlled eating and fasting so I hope the scales won’t disappoint me in the morning. I am another one that will move the scales until I get a number I like 😳

    Just about all sorted for my trip. Packing too much as usual but a girls got to have choices, especially with the type of ship it is. I’ve been spoilt by the late departures of Emirates and have to get up at 4.30am on Wednesday to get to the station to catch the 6.30 train. Flight leaves at 9.50. Luckily because it is only to NZ we only need to be at the airport 2 hours before.

    We should arrive at the ship just in time for afternoon tea. It leaves port at 7pm.

    I’m not excited 🍷🛳🥳

    Crikey Intesha, I just looked at the radar and there’s black in that there storm! Hope it isn’t too bad. We do live in a country of extremes don’t we? We are now getting lots of thunder and strong rain and the wind is incredible (AND COOL!)….I can’t imagine what it’s like in the apex

    I’m so excited about your cruise so I can’t imagine how excited you are! Gosh you deserve to have the best best time. I can’t wait to hear all about it. I always pack to much and I’m supposedly a seasoned traveler too. I can’t help it because YES a girl needs options 🙂

    Cali – how is that 15 degrees? I assume it worked because that is exactly what the temperature dropped when the cool change hit 🙂

    LJ – your outing sounded lovely and well done on the choices. I know I wouldn’t be able to be so disciplined.

    Storm past more wind than anything else. Torrential rain for about 10 minutes and now drizzling.

    I’m a seasoned traveller also and have become very good at packing but this is something special. I will post but you might not like what I have to say 😱

    I usually see your posts as emails and go onto the site for my own entries. This morning was very quiet, until I checked the spam box. For the last 24 hours you have all been junk mail. I’ll read more thoroughly when I get back.

    Last night was uneventful and the foreshore mostly cleaned up by the time we went for our walk this morning. Glad you had a nice day LJ.

    FM, good luck with your colonoscopy. Plenty of stories from friends but no personal experience, so I’ll just stay quiet.

    Anzac, Maxx is in for a lot of changes this coming month. Hopefully the vet explained exactly how much food to weigh out. 5:2 for Maxx! Or at least Lindsay’s 16:8!

    Lindsay, yes, I’d always assumed the word was related to scrotums. How quickly you’ve discarded your holiday weight! “Cold As Ice” was a great song.

    We’re on a new page, I read that first, then came back here and, as usual, can’t remember a thing I read.

    I fasted today but perhaps I was the only one? Or were you with me, LJ? As I’m posting at night, I got confused with your date stamp asking who else was fasting. Anyway, I was hungry about half an hour before all my feedings but I stuck with the plan anyway. The black fungi mushrooms are a real FD favourite of mine now.

    No Thin I was fasting with you ! Hub and I had to do the final stage of cleaning out my mother in law’s house in a Mandurah. As you can imagine, with my fractured wrist, I was not much help. Poor hub had to do the lion’s share while I did some things one handed. The worst thing was that I got some grit between my skin, cotton wool and plaster. By the time, we got home in the late avo, I was homicidal ! I have just removed it all, washed and replaced dressing and plaster splint . Heaven ! My poor wrist is bluish , green, swollen and odd looking.

    Last night the Oz day celebrations were amazing and restored my faith in the day. We had a buffet dinner at a swish, riverside yacht club and the view of the city, river and fireworks were sensational and spectacular and, no ferals ! On our approach to the yacht club, we could see police patrols but everyone was respectful and responsible. Yay !
    I’m now hunkering down after my dietary transgressions and will attempt a return to work this week.

    Make that, the view WAS sensational ! Oops !

    Even by our standards it is a strange day. At some time in the night it was windy enough for heavy pots and bins to be scattered, then it froze. Then it rained. Now it is cold, clear and sunny. However, none of it as extreme as the SH.

    @fm , hub had a colonoscopy a couple of years ago, they are able to give you immediate info as to what could be happening down there. It is better to be safe than sorry. You will be in twilight zone and won’t care what is happening. The dr will be able to tell you immediately that there is nothing to worry about, blood in your faeces can be caused by , millions of harmless things. You will be so glad that you did the test.

    @ Cali ,agreed , John Denver and Steve Irwin had a similar look , wide eyed and innocent and died way too young!

    Good morning and what a lovely refreshing one it is. I love the smell after the rain. How did the storm treat you Anzac.

    Two more sleeps and this mornings weight in 66.5 hallelujah last Monday 69.8. That is the lowest I have been since 2017. This time last year I was 68.8. So once I get back from this mini holiday it will be straight back into it and getting ready for my Hong Kong trip.

    After 4 1/2 years I think I am finally starting to accept that this is my life at the moment with Mum and Dad and know matter how angry I’ve felt about this all falling on me nothing is going to change and I have to try to make time for me and enjoy life.

    Hope you all have a lovely day.

    Anzac, some of that 15 degrees dissipated on the way over, but we are getting some today. It’s supposed to get up to 19C, which is warmer than it’s been in a while. So thank you for that. 😊
    Maxx does look a little heavier in the second photo, but I agree that he’s cute in both. Our dog is spoiled too and it’s a good thing he’s a picky eater or he would be overweight as well. I think snacks of people food are the thing that puts weight on a lot of dogs. It’s hard to refuse those sad 👀 eyes.

    Rosy, you are brave to take off your own cast! I’m surprised you got it off without breaking it and could get it back on. But now everything is nice and clean underneath. I can only imagine what your hand and wrist looked like. Bruises usually get uglier before they get better.

    Intesha, congrats on getting into the 66’s! 🍾 That will be a good incentive to get quickly back to 5:2 after your trip.

    Thin, I almost did a Sunday FD with you today after all the steamed dumplings and other high carb foods over the past couple of days. But then I remembered that I have a fasting blood test tomorrow, and the earliest appointment was 1pm. Doing a walk-in can take forever and I’m not a very patient waiter in those places. So tomorrow and Thursday it will be, as usual. I’m going to need a big bounce or lot more discipline on my NFD’s this week!

    Beautiful morning with spotted doves calling. Melbourne. Public holiday Monday. 9:15

    Congratulations Thin, Intesha, Lindsay, on those scale numbers. Very nice. (And anyone I missed).

    Such good points about the chicken and egg of obesity and insomnia.

    LJoyce, I do hope the pain has settled. Yes, re the groups that would benefit from the 800 daily. But I would add in those who want to lose weight quickly: for a wedding or a holiday, and also those who just can’t bear to think of losing weight slowly (although I would rather they realise that a year down the track they will be perfectly happy with a steady loss and good habits in place for the rest of their life.). Hmm yes, I have a soapbox. Might step down from it.

    Anzac, how cool that Jacki introduced you to 5:2. Hi Jacki! How are you going?

    Oh dear, I hope you can be strict with Maxx’s diet. I know it is hard. I let 2 cats get fat. As the vet said, they are programmed to get all the food they can. (Ofcourse Miso has simply gone off and found someone else to feed her! But luckily she has not got too fat.)

    Intesha, so excited for you! And so glad that you are feeling that acceptance, it will make things so much easier and more pleasurable. Keep those trips coming!

    Another couple of days before we get any rain. Exhausted from watering can watering, but half the lettuces have survived and everything else is okay.

    Thin and Rosy I am glad it was good celebrations this year. Rose, that poor arm!

    Cali, 19c is bliss. Good luck with those tests.

    Mindful eating for me today. Breakfast was zucchini flower fritters and salad.
    Almost coffee time! Life is good.

    Best wishes all.

    This will be my 3rd colonoscopy [thanks for all your good wishes and commiseration about the Prep], but last time they found ‘a really big polyp’, as the Dr said in very technical terms. He kept repeating ‘BIG’. But they snipped it and the only consequence is that I have to go every 3 years now [instead of every 10]. So tomorrow will be a ‘water Fast day’ and that should be fine. Here, they put you completely asleep — no watching on a monitor. A friend says it was the best nap she ever had. Now, I cannot stand the saline junk nor do I like Gatorade, so I do my own mixture of cider-vinegar-honey mixed with clear juice. That and the Miralax [trademark], of course.

    Belated congrats on Australia Day. Sounds as if the celebrations have become less raucous and that’s a good thing.

    Intesha, glad the weight is headed in the right direction. Hope your cruise will be every thing you want it to be.

    LJ, lovely lunch in the hills. You described the menu and your thought process so well.

    Anzac, sorry to hear about Maxx and his weight issues. He must have those soulful eyes as he begs for snacks. I know dogs here who snack on carrots and brussel sprouts — eat ’em like candy.

    Cali, and you other insomniacs, I use a Tincture of Motherwort [Leonuris cardiaca] daily to help me to sleep through the night. Go to a health food store — surely you can find it in California. 10-15 drops [NOT MORE] in 8 oz water daily. It works.

    A whole week of living and Fasting ahead of us. Enjoy it.

    @cinque , your breaky sounds divine ! Another liquids only fast day for me. I have just enjoyed 2 milky coffees ! My bloat is a little dissipated after yesterday’s stringent fast , but it usually takes 3 FDs at least to get back to where I was before partying. Feel so much better this morning but as usual after a fd, I can’t sleep in.

    @ Cali , there was no bravery I can assure, I was so aggravated by the trapped grit, I practically tore it off ! Hub helped me cut off the layers of cotton wool, then I peeled off the cotton sleeve and painfully wriggled out of the half cast. It doesn’t fully enclose my foreRm to allow for swelling . After removing the tiny but offending and excruciating bit of grit, my arm and hand was thoroughly washed for the first time in a week !! Then hub and I put the cotton sleeve back on, wrapped cotton wool around my forearm , wriggled the cast back on ( ouch) then applied a fresh , gauze bandage over the cast around my thumb and up to my elbow. I can’t way to see the specialist on Wed and all being well, they make you a removable plastic splint /cast to wear for the remaining 5 weeks. I’m going to ask what sort of fracture it is. I was too traumatised a week ago, to take anything in. I have googled all the type of fractures but am not a medico, so couldn’t Identify which one I have and Thin did ask me.
    @intesha , congrats re your reward on the scales ! Well done ! This will give you some wriggle room on your cruise. I missed the post where you said where you were going and how long for ? Would you mind repeating it please ?
    @ Anzac , I know you are planning to go to Italy, I’d like to recommend the Dolomite mountains north of Venice. We stayed in the most picturesque place called Val Gardena, it looked like the place where Mother Nature was born, it was quiet, quaint and adorable. No hustle, bustle or frenetic chaos like a lot of Italy.
    @lj your green green bowl lunch sounds lovely ! Are you going to try to recreate it at home ?

    noon, Monday, Adelaide

    Rosie, as I have zucchinis growing I think I might make that salad at home. I’m not sure what was in the dressing (definitely heavier on oil than acid). I probably wouldn’t bother with the puree as that was the least interesting part of the meal. Grilled asparagus and haloumi are things I already do regularly. I was surprised that I enjoyed the rocket as I usually find it a bit too peppery – I suspect it’s because it wasn’t the dominant ingredient.

    FM, those polyps are definitely safer removed so I’m glad to hear they are monitoring this regularly.

    Cali, 19C sounds pretty good for a winter’s day. Hopefully you won’t need so many cuddly duds layers today!

    Intesha, I think your current frame of mind is a good one. You are allowed to live your life too.

    Thin, I most definitely didn’t fast on Sunday, I went out to lunch. I did however manage to stick with a controlled NFD. Today I’m fasting. I’m also thinking I might do my second FD on Saturday this week – something I rarely do as leaving it to the final day of my week always feels risky. However I find I can usually get on a bit of a roll with CDs when I do a few in a row so I’ll try that. If I’m not managing to be controlled I can always move the FD to Thursday.
    By the way, I’m thinking about learning bridge. So far I’ve just been reading the basic rules – which reminds me of a game called 500 which I used to play. The SA bridge association offers 8 week courses for beginners that should be a god way to start. I think once I’ve done that I can join a club I my area. (It was someone I met at the Australia Day lunch who suggested it.)

    Anyway I’d better get going I have some chores to do that I’ve been avoiding all morning.

    Making progress with today’s planned chores.

    I found the climbing bean variety that I’d planted was a bit tougher than I like unless picked when only half grown. So I decided that I’d leave most of them to develop large bean seeds which I could harvest as a legume crop. Today I picked those I thought were large enough. I decided not to leave them there to dry out, but have picked, shelled and cooked them. Now they’ll go into the freezer so I have beans ready to add to a soup or stew at a moments notice.
    https://imgur.com/a/7xQSFn7 The flavour is really nice, and is less floury than a dry bean that I’ve soaked and boiled.

    Good afternoon from a 40C Perth. I read the posts before walking and bridge this morning, but can’t remember a thing as usual. I’ve just read the last couple and I’m excited to see that you might take up bridge, LJ. You will be brilliant at it (for those that didn’t know, LJ is a retired statistician!). I took a course of 8 beginner lessons on the recommendation of a friend at my cryptic crosswords class. They were conducted at a bridge club close to my home. I naively thought that I’d be able to play bridge at the end of that course! Little did I know that it takes 125 years to learn the confounded game. I’m completely addicted.

    I’d had no intention of joining a club but, of course, the lessons were a gateway into the club (as well as how they recruit new members) and it made perfect sense to start playing, being the only way to learn. I entered the ‘shark pool’ with several of my fellow classmates and we’ve now become good friends, playing together in the supervised classes and doing things outside bridge. One of my good friends is going to start lessons in a couple of weeks. Beware of reading too far ahead until you know which system you’ll be learning as there are as many different systems as players in the room and even you will probably only want to fill your head with one set of numbers! Chances are, they will teach you American Standard.

    Today’s FD has become a NFD – due to the previous heat, I think, I’m craving salt, and have given in to a bag of crisps. Feeling much better, but will be fasting for the rest of the week. Cinque, I agree that the hot days are NOT good for fasting!!!

    Interesting comments about sleeping. Before I retired, with marking, study, etc., I often had 5-6 hours sleep, and the difference in (lack of!) self-control was notable. Now that I usually have no morning deadlines and can sleep longer, it’s made the 5:2 WOL much easier.

    Actually, I’m being treated for sleep apnoea and have a CPAP machine which I can’t wait to get rid of, but the specialist wants me at least another 16 kgs lighter before I can have another sleep test. It’s another strong reason to stick with 5:2, but with or without the machine, I usually sleep well and am very thankful for that. My cat wakes me around 5:30-6 a.m. to let him out, and I just stumble back to bed and sleep again for another few hours.

    thinatlast, Victoria Falls would be another beautiful falls to go see – more height but slightly less water volume than Niagara Falls, I think. Sorry to read that sleeping is a problem for you. Good you can avoid meds, though. Have you been tested for sleep apnoea, or are you close enough to a “good” weight that it’s not necessary? Same query for LindsayL & CalifDreamer???

    fasting_me, the heatwave in my part of Australia did test the power grid – several suburbs (houses and businesses) lost power for a while during the height of the heat, but my suburb fortunately not.

    LindsayL – HK’s humidity was uncomfortable to extreme at times during the 6 months I was there, but one of my favourite “things” was to travel across the Harbour on the Star Ferry. Then I’d wander around the shops through the air-conditioned arcades on Hong Kong Island. Always had to sleep with an AC on in the bedroom, too.

    fasting_me, hope you’re doing okay with the fasting, and that the colonoscopy tomorrow goes well. I’ve had 3 or 4 and never been awake for any of them. It’s good you’re being monitored carefully by the doctors.

    Trying for 4 b2b2b2b2b for the rest of this week – will let you know how it’s going.

    Good morning! 7.45am hot and sunny in Sydney today. 30 in the city and 32 where we live

    Ended up having a very bad day food and drink wise yesterday, but not too much damage on the scales. We had my Dad over for a late bbq lunch which was nice but we just seemed to keep on eating and drinking. FD today and Thursday and hopefully can get the weigh loss moving more quickly

    Good luck with the quadruple B2B BetsyLee.

    I hope it’s a bit cooler today Thin? 40. Ugh.

    Gosh your garden sounds amazing LJ! Every day I seem to read about something else that is growing 🙂 Glad you had some nice outings. I love playing 500! We used to play regularly with friends but the two couples who used to play with us have both broken up so we don’t have anyone to play with now. Boo.

    Ouch Rosy, your wrist sounds very painful indeed. I can’t imagine how annoying the grit was and I’m very glad you were able to get rid of it. And give your hand a nice wash at the same time. I hope it heals quickly. Thanks for the info about Van Gardena, it looks amazing. Sadly I don’t think we will have time as we only have 3 days in Venice plus all we will see in the mountains is snow as it will be winter.

    Good luck with the colonoscopy FM and yes, Maxx has eyes that you can drown in and he knows exactly how to look so neglected and starving that you wouldn’t be human to not share whatever you are eating. The advice from the Labrador friends forum is to ‘avoid eye contact at all costs’ when you have food around. It’s true!

    Cinque, we desperately need rain here too. We had a good storm on Sunday but need a lot more. I think Jacki realised that none of us use our real names but she was unable to change her profile name. Not sure what she is going to do or whether she will return.

    So glad you have warmed up a bit Cali! Ha ha – the heat sending missile worked!

    Intesha, the storm wasn’t too bad where we are. A few big bangs and some lightening then quite heavy rain but only for a short time. 66.5! You are well set to be able to have whatever you like on the cruise without worrying. ONE MORE SLEEP!!

    I think that weather sounds pretty extreme Penguin. And cold. Brrrrr

    OH just called to say Maxx chewed the plaster at the bottom of our stairs and also chewed a bit of the brand-new carpet. GAH! He was unsupervised for about 5 minutes maximum….sigh. Next Sunday can’t come soon enough (when he starts dog training). The vet nurse on Saturday last week tried to push us to another trainer that does much smaller groups because she thinks Maxx is too out of control when he meets new people/dogs. This is true but we have only heard good things about the bigger place from many people we meet on walks. In fact at the beach on Sunday we ran into someone local who took their lab there and they pooh-poohed the thought that the big group won’t work for Maxx. We are going to try it anyway as it is only $15 per year plus $3 per week to cover hiring the park. I don’t know what the other girl would cost but when I looked into training a few months back most of them are around the $600 mark! As a one-income family we need to try to save money where we can.

    Ok boss has arrived, time for work. Have a great day all

    I’m on my 3rd btb Fast day and heading into work today armed with 2 frozen shakes. I normally cook hub things that don’t tempt me to eat but last night I wanted to use up some low fat bacon and zucchinis . I used 2 onions, 1 carrot, 4 small zucchinis, cooked it up in 2 L chicken stock, added some light sour cream and blended it. The recipe said to add some flakes of shaved Parmesan before eating. Well I tried half a cup just to rest the seasoning and flavour. It was delicious and it took all my willpower to stop there and then. The tasty soup unleashed my uncontrolled side and I only just managed to walk away without eating more. This is why I stick to my rule of shakes only on fast days. With Delicious real food I would not be able to control myself. I am an all or nothing person. Not back down to my Abba party weight yet but Im getting there. Have a great day ! 😀💐

    Betsy, I can’t even fathom that many bs and 2s and would much rather have done without the potato crisps than contemplate all that. No, I haven’t had any sleep studies. Most of my insomnia problems revolve around my OH’s snoring and he’s had plenty of studies carried out. I wear ear plugs and he wears a mouth guard. It’s all very romantic!

    Anzac, I think it will be 31C today. A cool change! Good luck with the dog (people) training! You might have to change his name to ‘five minutes Maxx’.

    Ha, well, if I press ‘submit’ quickly, I shall be on top of today’s posts!

    P.S. Obviously not fast enough! Have a good fast day at work Rosy.

    Good morning, I am very slow after a couple of busy social days (lovely though!). That said, I’ve watered the garden and gone to the op shop (scored an excellent 2 litre pyrex measuring jug).

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    Sending more good wishes FM, glad they got that polyp!

    LJoyce, what a great idea re the beans, and they look wonderful!
    The bridge idea sounds a great one!

    Betsylee, hmm, I do so understand about the chips.
    My latest idea is to plan a haloumi and caper salad for the next fasting hot day, and then my miso soup as a second meal should cut it. I will also make up jugs of water with a little salt and lemon juice to be my electrolyte drink.

    Good luck with getting your weight down so you can stop using the CPAP machine. I think we should have a virtual celebration here at that milestone. All power to you.

    Your b2bx4 sounds like a great experiment, and very much in keeping with Dr Mosley’s new research. Will you be doing it at 800calorie max? It is comforting to know that you will just go back to 5:2 if it fails.

    Anzac, 36 and humid forecast here, I might fly to Sydney. Or Heard Island. No, I’ll go and visit Cali!
    Enjoy your FD, it might be a difficult one after overeating yesterday, but won’t you feel great tomorrow morning!

    Jacki can change her username. Minka had to do it when she started work. It involves contacting the excellent JJ who is the technical contact. Jacki, click on her (I think it is a her) right at the bottom of this page, and explain the situation in an email. I hope you do, we want you to be here!

    Thin, separate bedrooms! You can visit each other for cuddles!
    Ok, ok, none of my business. Tincture of motherwort! 🙂

    Day before fast day for me. Planning good food to eat! best wishes all.

    First weigh-in tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it. I started last Wednesday and the first 3 days were hell, then on Saturday things suddenly clicked. I had just 2 eggs and a slice of bacon for breakfast, I wasn’t hungry at lunch so I had nothing, I played 4 hours of tennis without feeling tired, and then had just a turkey salad for dinner.

    10am, Tues, Adelaide

    Good morning SHs, good luck Betsy, Anzac, Rosy and anyone else fasting today.

    Betsy, Like Thin, I also have trouble contemplating that many FDs in a row, although I know that Rosy and Penguin are also able to accomplish this. If they were 800cal FDs I could do it but not under 500.
    Betsy, I can’t be trusted near a packet of potato chips either. I won’t have them in the house because I know I’d eat the whole packet in a single sitting (regardless of the bag size). For me they are a “eat at other people’s parties only” food – my rule then is take a handful and walk away.

    Rosy, new ways of using up zucchini are always welcome, thank you.
    Hope returning to work with that broken arm will be ok.

    FM, good luck with the colonoscopy – was it today?

    Anzac, I absolutely agree with going with the low cost option. If it isn’t successful you can also do the pricey small group later. I actually think it will be good for Maxx to learn how to obey your commands despite all the distractions around him – that will really get tested in a bigger group.
    Things are definitely growing in the garden, despite being knocked around by the heat last week. The heat made some of the leaf cover shrivel and I’m finding large veg I didn’t know were hiding there. Yesterday I found 2 enormous cucumbers. This morning I found a giant yellow “button” squash. It’s no longer a button it’s the size of a large orange.

    Thin the SABA charge for beginners lessons here – the 8 week course is $80, but they are the only place that offer them. You can’t join a local bridge club unless you can play already so they direct people to the beginners courses. The lady I spoke to at the Australia day lunch who suggested I might enjoy bridge said she was in the Seacliff group which she assured me as friendly and not competitive. That sounds like the type of group that would suit me and it’s only about 4 suburbs away – unfortunately too far to walk though.

    Yesterday’s FD was fine – a bit hungry though, but I managed. Today is the the first of 2 planned CDs. I’m making a huge tray bake with veggies (broccoli, carrot, onion, potato, pumpkin and zucchini) and chicken flavoured with cumin tonight. There should be enough leftovers for a couple more meals and also to freeze. Lunch today and all days will be raw salad veg with some ricotta. Snacks will be fresh fruit or greek yoghurt.

    I’d better get going. I’m off to the gym this morning as it’s a bit hot here for walking.
    Have a good day everyone.

    As usual posts arrive while I was typing.
    Hi Cinque
    Welcome Neilithicman

    Hi everyone, FD today 67.2 this morning.

    I’m exhausted. Made a cake today for my neighbour’s partner. She had asked me prior to me booking this trip and wanted it for Feb 1. I told her I wasn’t a professional cake maker but she had seen some of my work and said she would rather give me the money than a cake shop. It’s not one of my best but it looks okay. Death by Chocolate 😈
    https://imgur.com/a/Q2YzbxY

    In between I washed and cleaned so that things were relatively tidy for Dad. Made sure there was enough food within easy reach and bought the small microwave in from the garage.

    It is such an effort to get everything organised and this heat doesn’t help.

    My bag is packed and I’ve checked in online. So it is becoming very real now.

    Rosy I am flying to Auckland in the morning to join the cruise ship Regatta. One stop at the Bay of Islands and then back to Sydney, arriving Sunday morning.

    LJ, having a rule that one can’t join a bridge club unless one plays bridge is hilarious!

    Cinque, OH won’t go for separate bedrooms but he is sometimes banished to the spare bedroom when things get too loud. But DD pleads, “Mum, please don’t send him down my end!”. And I’m definitely not leaving my luxurious bedroom having waited until I was nearly 50 to get one with an ensuite.

    Intesha, have a lovely trip.

    Neil – welcome. FDs get easier and easier until you barely think about them.

    Intesha, that is a beautiful cake! Thank you for posting the photo. I love looking at your and LJ’s baked creations. Have a wonderful time on your trip. It will be a nice break for you.

    Betsy, I don’t have most of the symptoms of sleep apnea and my BMI is about 21.9. OH would probably know if I snored or hesitated when breathing in my sleep since he’s a light sleeper. I sleep pretty soundly once I’m asleep, it’s just getting tired enough to fall asleep. And if I wake up any time after 3:30am, it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to fall back asleep again. My brain seems too active at night. Maybe it’s an age thing. I used to be able to sleep til noon if I didn’t have to get up for work. Thin, I had to laugh at your DD’s comments about not sending your noisy OH down to her side of the house.

    LJ, great to hear you’re thinking about taking up bridge. I know nothing about the game, but everyone who learns seems to like it. Thin certainly seems to have taken to the game. Your garden is really producing some great looking veggies and now the beans. Some of them look almost like kidney beans.

    Cinque, that haloumi and caper salad idea sounds like a good one for a FD. Today was a FD for me and by afternoon I was craving salt again. One nice thing about getting used to fasting is that my 1:00pm fasting blood test appointment today didn’t seem like a big deal. I rarely eat before noon on FD anyway, so an extra hour didn’t make much difference. Cinque, yes, come and visit me! It was a nice cool 14 here today. It would be a wonderful break from your heatwave.

    Rosy and Betsy, are you doing 800 calorie B2B FD’s or 500? I can’t imagine doing more than 2 B2B at 500. But 800 might be doable for me.

    Neil, welcome to the forum. As thin said, FD get much easier over time. Hope you have good results.

    Intesha, just in case I don’t post before you head off, have a fabulous trip. Try not to think about the calories in anything, just enjoy – it can all be dealt with by some FDs when you get back to real life!
    Fabulous cake, I bet the neighbours were pleased with it.

    Cali, when I was working I used to lay awake thinking (and sometimes worrying) about work. Then I’d start worrying about how late it was and how early I had to get up to be at work. It becomes a bit of a vicious cycle.
    I still sometimes have a worrying night, but they are much rarer since retirement.
    My cake creations are a bit more rustic than Intesha’s elegant efforts. My family don’t care as long as it tastes good.

    Neilithicman, are you doing 800cal days or “old fashioned” 5:2?

    Thin, I imagine the peace is lovely when your husband is away flying. Must be a rude shock when the snoring returns.

    Cinque, hope you enjoyed your slow day.

    The aroma coming from the oven is making me quite hungry, although it’s still at least 45 minutes away from being done so I have to be patient. There’s something about the aroma of cumin an other spices cooking that has me salivating.

    I know I post a lot of photos. Here’s one of the veggies for my dinner (still only half cooked). https://imgur.com/5aCtVnr When I look at this colourful tray it’s so inviting. I don’t feel at all tempted to have an unhealthy dinner when my veg looks like this.

    @ljoyce – I’m trying the fast 800. Eating only 800 calories a day for the first 2 weeks. I just finished week 1 so I’ll be weighing in tomorrow morning. I must say that the picture of that cake isn’t making things easier though 😉

    Thank you Cali and LJoyce for your lovely comments about my cake. The neighbour hasn’t seen it yet. I haven’t been able to catch her without her partner so I waylaid her son when he got home from work to tell him I was still making it and it would be in the outside fridge.

    I too have restless nights and most often a Monday after I have been to see Mum. Things just keep going round and round. Other times I wake up having a panic attack thinking about what is going to happen to me. I try to read for awhile to calm myself down.

    FD over and that will be it until next week.

    Neil, I gave been doing this for 4 years and it does get easier as everyone will tell you. I decorated that cake on an FD and did not even lick my fingers. Tempted, yes but I stayed strong.

    The next four days though I will make up for it.

    Intesha I hope you have a wonderful and worry free holiday. Enjoy every moment (and every meal). X

    Intesha, 3 gold stars for not even licking your fingers when you made the cake!!!! Amazing! I simply couldn’t do that, so these days I just don’t cook. If there are events needing a cake or biscuits, I buy them for the occasion.

    Well, day one of my four FDs just about over. A few have queried how I can do it (Anzac65, thinatlast, Cinque) – I don’t know, as this is my first attempt as part of the 5:2. Today was about 600 cals, and I’ll basically try to stay between 500 & 800 cals. I have simply hit a plateau, and I’m doing this to try to kick myself past it. I don’t want to become too discouraged and give up. Thanks Cinque for the encouragement to keep going and get the weight off so I can ditch the CPAP machine.

    Anzac65, we also desperately need rain here in Victoria. Melbourne has had almost no rain so far this January; maybe a little coming Thursday – too little too late! Oh, and good luck with the dog training for Maxx. I’d be going for the cheaper option, too. You can always change to the other school if there are any problems.

    thinatlast, sounds like your husband is the one who need a test for sleep apnoea, and maybe a CPAP machine. I’ve friends who both snore, and if one goes to sleep much before the other, the other can’t sleep, so moves to another bedroom.

    LJoyce, I couldn’t just stop at a handful, so at events, etc., I just keep away from the chips altogether. Have to. But, I normally don’t add salt to anything, so if it’s been really hot and I’ve been perspiring, I do crave salt. That’s when I mainly eat chips now.

    Anzac65, I remember many fun evenings in my late teens when my parents, brother and I would play 500 round the kitchen table. When he got a girlfriend and she visited, we’d play 5-handed, which can be quite challenging, as you never know who you’ll get as your partner. These days, I much prefer bridge though- even if I only play it as a computer game! LJoyce, good luck with taking up bridge. You and thinatlast may end up inspiring me to return to “real” play.

    Intesha, bon voyage. Have a wonderful trip!

    CalifDreamer, No, you certainly won’t have sleep apnoea. What did you mean about it being an age thing? I’m 69, and sleep really well. I will admit that if I go to bed too early (for me, that’s 10 p.m.), I’m likely to wake around 3-3:30 a.m., and find it hard to get back to sleep – until I let Wilbur out at 5-ish, then I go back to bed and sleep well for a few more hours. Being a retiree now (yay!), I can normally do that.

    Okay, onward and downward!

    Yes! Week 1 weigh in and 5.1 kilos gone!

    Good morning, cloudy and humid (AGAIN) in Sydney. 7.45am

    Just a quick one as I have a job interview at lunch time and we are flat-out at work.

    Neilithicman, that is a diabolical amount of weight to lose in one week! You must be very happy

    BetsyLee, I crave salty foods too, never sweet. And chips (crisps/hot chips any type!) are high on my list of unable to resist. Good luck with your B2B’s

    Intesha, you are at the airport or even in the air so you are not reading this but when you do remember we are all thinking of you and hoping you have a TOTALLY AWESOME holiday :):):) That cake looked amazing; you are truly gifted

    LJ, now you all know I am not a fan of hot veges but that tray bake even looked yummy to me! Take out the broccoli and maybe the squash and I’m there. I might try it next weekend. Would zucchinis work in there? Or are they too watery?

    Thin, my hubby snores too – not all the time and I wear earplugs, but when it is bad I retreat to our spare room. Maxx sometimes snores too but I just get up and gently move his head a bit and he seems to stop.

    Had a fab FD yesterday, they are getting easier just as you wise owls told me they would [happy dance]. Scales didn’t dip much but sometimes it takes an extra day. I’m still not quite back in the 86’s but a CD today should see me there

    Gosh I love this WOE/WOL and wish I’d found it years ago.

    Ok, will try and check in after the job interview as I need to have a rant about recruitement agencies. Take care!

    Good morning, I’m having a fast day and a slow day at the same time.

    Welcome Neilithicman, Congratulations on over 5 kg gone! That is a lot less to be carrying around! And great that you have got into the swing of your 800 a day.

    Intesha I hope you got a bit of a rest after all you had to do to get ready, including that brilliant cake! I hate starting a holiday exhausted. But you will have a nice resting seated position flight. Sending all the best wishes for a most wonderful time!

    Thin, you are kindly saving DD from sleepless nights. Respect.

    After being an excellent sleeper, I developed insomnia along with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Its like an overtired toddler who can’t get to sleep, but continual. I am constantly coaxing better sleep and then losing it again when something happens.

    Age takes us differently doesn’t it, and so does insomnia. I get the hard to go to sleep sort. The fall asleep and wake up WIDELY ten minutes later. Sleep and then hours awake in the middle of the night. Awake all night and fall asleep at dawn. Or get to bed late and then wake up dreadfully early but figure I might aswell just start the day. Hopefully I only get these one at a time. The worst is when you have a problem on your mind that is unsolvable, sympathy Intesha.
    Glad to say that right at the moment I am going pretty well.

    Cali, does your BP go up and down, and craving salt go with low BP?
    I remember you saying something about meditating. There are lots more ways to do it than try and think of nothing. I bet you can find a really lovely meditation technique that suits you. They often call it ‘mindfulness training’ now (but that might irritate you even more than ‘meditating’).

    Ooh I wish I could have visited you yesterday. Or today: 37 and a weird mixture of wind and humidity.

    LJoyce, what a beautiful pan of roasting veggies. A perfect meal.

    Betsy, Rosy and Neilithicman, it is good to have people doing a run of fast days. I hope it is going well for all of you.
    Hi Rosy, you might be too busy to write, but good wishes are heading your way.

    Well, I began today with a bowl of miso soup, as I know I didn’t have enough fluids yesterday evening. I’ve ingredients for halloumi salad if I need it, and more (sophisticated) miso soup this evening.

    Best wishes all.

    Whereabouts is everyone from on here? I’m from Dunedin in New Zealand. Any other New Zealanders around?

    I’m from Sydney Neilthicman but my hubby is from Wellington, thus the name Anzac 🙂 I met him when I lived there for two years and then imported him. Ha ha

    We did have one other New Zealander but he/she hasn’t posted for a while. But we are very happy to have someone from across the ditch

    I’ll let everyone else introduce themselves but the Aussies are spread across Sydney, NSW South Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide, Adelaide Hills and Perth plus we have some Northern Hemisphere ‘ring in’s’ who we love chatting to from the UK and Northern America!

    This really is a great forum and I can’t stress enough how much easier it is to get on here and chat, rant, vent and generally get support. I’m quite new to this WOL (way of life) / WOE (way of eating) and am so glad to have found it

    Good luck!

    Morning everyone, I am quite excited this morning because at 10.30 is my appt with the specialist to release my forearm from my plaster prison and swap it for a plastic, removable one, oh joy! I haven’t even had the strength/ ability to open a plastic zip lock bag ! I will then head into work for a few hours.
    Last night we saw Mary Queen of Scots. I love history and a Margot Robbie gave it a good crack but wasn’t as convincing as the Saoroise ( Queen Mary actress). Fascinating subject matter but still a little slow at times.
    @Anzac, Rey our trip to Italy, I highly recommend a visit to SAN Gimignano in Tuscany region which has a world heritage site which is the largest ,walled medieval city, just totally amazing.
    @neil , congrats re your 5 kg loss. MM writes about the powerful motivation of rapid weight loss. I’m from The pretty city of Perth , by the way and welcome! I have been on this diet since September 9 and have lost 16.5 kg and can fit into size ten, 5 to 6 kg to go. My Bmi is 23 point something which is still too high in my opinion, although is within the healthy weight range. Today is my 4 th btb fd. I have indulgent weekends and it takes me til Thurs usually to register a small loss on the scales and by sat a decent one. It’s not for everyone but it suits me. That is the beauty of this wol, you tweak it to suit yourself.
    So, none of you guys wake up early the day after a fast ? It’s totally out of character for me !
    @ Cali , I do a liquids only fast which would be way below 500 cals. Now that I am going into work I have gone back to work, I have 2 frozen protein shakes, 3 coffees with splashes of skim milk and 1 stock cube in boiling water. Yesterday I tried TRE so just had my favourite iced water and 2 coffees at breaky time and took my breaky and lunch shake into work. I didn’t have my breaky shake till 11.00 am and didn’t get round to having my lunch shake, so just had my stock cube in boiling water and at night my Metamucil which has 3 effervescent vitamin tabs ( calcium, vit D, Berocca B msm and glucosamine mixed into it . Tiny bit of weekend bloat still but should be gone by tomorrow.
    @ Betsy, I’m with you in that I don’t have cakes or other temptations in the house.
    @lj your veges look ambrosial ! I have been told to avoid potatoes .
    @ Intesha, bon voyage, enjoy doing something just for you! This wol will help when you return. I’m a firm believer in seizing the day and having fun, mainly because Iblost a precious friend to brain cancer in Nov. Wow, spectacular cake, you really are an artiste and sooooo strong !
    @ Fasting , I hope you have had good results by now from your colonoscopy.

    Out of my Birkenstocks and into my heels. First day back at work. Sigh.
    Cooler and a bit of light rain in Brisbane, which matches my mood.
    My FD on Monday didn’t end well. Food wise it was great. But we went with my brothers and SILs to see The Favourite and ended in a bar. Just one (large) glass of red….but still, I busted 500 cal. BTW the movie was …mmm….interesting. No context, which for anyone who didn’t know who Queen Anne was, would have reduced the impact somewhat I think. (And I only knew just a little because OH is a history buff, and we saw the costumes and read about her in Kensington Palace a couple of weeks ago). And I think the film tried a little to hard to be avant garde, but it was too obvious. Not one to see with your mother, my OH’s friend commented. Nor with your children, I’d add.
    So FD today and so far so good, after having my last meal at around 3 pm. I’m not being virtuous. We went out for lunch for a last holiday hurrah, and I ended up with a dodgy tum.
    Rosy how free you’ll feel without that ‘orrible cast. Ditto on your travel advice to Italy.
    Welcome Neil – what a great start! Long may it continue.
    (Brisbane too, Anzac 🙂
    Cinque I have exactly the same issue with sleep. Dose off, then bam! Wide awake, and listening to OH sleep the sleep of the just (with mild to moderate sound effects most nights).
    OK my first client is here so I had better put on my professional face, and try to remember what it is exactly I do for a living.
    Have a good fasty (or not) day all.

    Thanks Rosy and well done on the weight loss so far.

    I don’t put too much stock in BMI because it doesn’t seem to take into account things like frame size or muscle mass. I’ve always been pretty sporty and I still am, despite my weight. Even when I was slim in my early 20s, the lightest I got was 80kg. To show how wrong it can be, former All-black Dan Carter is the same height as me and is 90 kilograms, which using BMI puts him as almost obese, the same guy who used to model Jockey underwear. I think a body fat measurement is a better indicator of whether you’ve reached a good weight or not.

    I look forward to getting to know you all.

    Good Morning everyone

    Welcome Neil. Amazing weight loss!! Well done.

    Just wanted to quickly check in and let you all know I am still alive! I have been reading all your posts but there is so much to catch up on. I’ve just come back to work after five days off and I have lots of work to do. I haven’t done my normal FDs but I am on one today and will also do another one tomorrow. I am getting some inspiration to try the 800 calorie a day thingy. Let me think about it a bit more first though. Lol

    One thing that just struck me Rosy. You said that you always wake up early after a FD. I remember reading something about not taking vitamins at night as they can affect your sleep. I’m wondering if that could be contributing to your early rising. Just an idea.

    Anyway I have to go do some more of this work. Will try and post some more later.

    All the best to everyone x

    Hello Cinque, my old fasting buddy. I’m having Spanish Fideos for my FD dinner tonight. What’s for dinner if you’ve already had miso soup? And how do you manage haloumi on a FD? I find the calories very high even for a NFD. All those variations on insomnia made me feel tired. Empathy. Most of the time I’m OK. Problems always seem a lot bigger than they really are when you’re going over and over them in the middle of the night, unable to sleep.

    Anzac, I hope the job interview goes/went well. Of course it will. With an extra bounce in your step from that easy FD yesterday. And you are not a newbie now by the way!

    Neil, that’s an enormous loss for one week. We’ve had several kiwis over the years, usually one at a time, but they have all moved on. I’m in Perth as is Rosy Posy. I had a visceral fat measurement taken early last year on Minka’s recommendation. The cheeky thing told me I was 2kg overweight (after I’d lost 23kg) so I set about losing that too.

    Betsy, my OH has spent plenty of nights in sleep clinics. Yes, the obvious solution is to get up and move to another bedroom. I’m too stubborn. I would end up sleeping there all the time and I’m not prepared to sacrifice my lovely bedroom which has several features that I waited many years to realise. Nope, I’m afraid the ‘offender’ has to be banished! He’s fine with getting a ‘move on’ order but he likes to start off in the same bed.

    Good to see you Quacka,, our posts crossed and I wondered what had happened to you.

    Off to enjoy my garden on a delightful 31C day. With the scrotes back in school, life has suddenly become a lot more pleasant and I can hear birds singing again. Tomorrow it’s back up to 37C for 2 days. Looking forward to April ……

    Oh I am as cranky as all get out. My long post has gone into the ether. I copied it before I edited it, than forgot to check before I copied a link to include in a work email and zip, off it went! It’s something to do with the editing, I am sure.
    It may come back (ever the optimist) so I won’t try to replicate what I said, except that I am back at work and having a FD after a failed one on Monday when I indulged in a quite large glass of red wine after the movies, which took my 500 calories quite over the limit.
    I’m fasting with you Cinque and Thin – I need to shift another 5 kilos pronto, because in a bit of a misery mood last night (end of holidays, going back to work) I booked up another one, and OH and I are off to Bali again on 28th Feb. Whoo hoo.
    It will be a fasty fasty day too – I brought a pretty dull old salad to work, thinking I’d spice it up with a tin of tuna in onion and salsa, and damn blast, the ring pull broke and we don’t have a can opener in the kitchen. Never mind.
    OK another client arriveth so I’ll finish. Good day all
    (and welcome and well done Neil – may it continue for you).

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