Hi and welcome Maxibaerchen (we are going to have to shorten that as it is really hard to type!). You have made a great choice starting this WOL (way of life)/WOE (way of eating) plus this forum is totally amazing and will really support and help you

Update on job search:
I am not destined to work at this bank. Shortest job interview in history. Here is how it played out:

Interviewer: So our project is looking for a technical BA…
Me: Technical BA?
Interviewer: Yes
Me: I’m here for a business BA role
Interviewer: No, we are definitely looking for a technical BA. You have SQL skills right?
Me: No. Not at all.
Awkward silence
Me: I will be calling the recruiter and he won’t enjoy the call
Interviewer: Awkward laugh

We shook hands and he escorted me back down to the foyer

So two train-wreck interviews at the same bank in one week. And this is why I normally don’t use recruiters. I haven’t called him because I will be impolite and I don’t like to do that. I’m not sure whether to just ignore his calls or confront him. Either way I will not be interested in any jobs he has in the future. I grilled him repeatedly to make sure it was NOT a technical role! He has got something very confused somewhere.

GAH!

Sorry for the rant friends…I’ll stop now

Hi Anzac, I tried to have ‘Maxi’ as my username but it was already taken. You can shorten it to Max if you like. Sorry to hear about your job interview, so frustrating when people don’t listen (recruiter).
Hi Quacka, I’m glad I’m not alone to fast today. So far so good, no tummy rumbling at all, just an empty stomach. I had my first meal around 12 o’clock after my workout. I am surprised how well it went. Made it all through Pilates class with strength and energy and could even do some exercises for knee rehabilitation afterwards. My goal is to go jogging again …. in a few months time. I’m working with a Physio to make it happen.

Hi guys, I am really intrigued about the health results when fasting as outlined in the fast diet book. Has anybody had a check up done yet (before and after) ? I had a check up done last November before I started on my health regime and all results came back in healthy range ( doesn’t mean optimum range though, I’m working towards that). I have started my first fast day today so I’m also wondering when I should go for another check up to see if there have been any improvements yet, any ideas?

Cinque. It wasn’t me, I don’t own a baseball bat, but I can picture it. The Forest was an isolated community for centuries and the people across the river make comments about marrying cousins and the dire results of inbreeding. No longer totally true, if it ever was, but I have been here for 17 years and to some of the locals I am still an in-comer.

Anzac. By now this comment will be too late, but there would be some stress on their side as well. I have interviewed people for jobs and I certainly wanted to get it right.

Quacka, the worst thing is that I had been very rude when my son in law stuck his finger in one of those stick blenders and took off the tip.

Up and about early today. Two of the grandchildren are with us and they have brought the dog, Dog and I were out in the fields whilst everyone else was still abed. There is still considerable confusion in the plan, but we may get two more grandchildren before the week is out.

And now it has given your posts back and deleted mine!!!!!.

Hi Maxibaerchen, Just wanted to add an extra comment to Rosy Posy’s. You may be expecting too much too soon. I’ve been on the 5:2 WOL since the end of November, as well as walking and exercising more rigorously since then.

In the past month, (so some weeks after starting) I’ve noticed for me that my resting heart rate has noticeably reduced, which is really good, and my blood pressure readings at the doctor’s, which are generally higher than when I measure at home, have been completely normal the last two visits (January and early Feb). I am crossing my fingers that my cholesterol will be lower when I get it checked next month. Generally, cholesterol could be checked about 3-monthly, but ONLY if you or your doctor are really concerned about it, otherwise no more than 6-monthly, and for routine maintenance (if you’re not a spring chicken), only yearly. Mine’s being checked next month as I am battling my doctor about going on statin medication. Next month I have to have a reduction in my November cholesterol or he’ll be insisting on statins to bring the readings down. Does any of that help?

Penguin, sounds like your waist measurement is currently fine. The rule of thumb doesn’t take into account variations in height. Plus, there’s a bit of disagreement about what’s needed. The CSIRO’s most recent book says under 88 cm for women and no more than 102 cms for men, UNLESS you are of Aboriginal, Asian or or Pacific heritage, where the recommended figures are 80 cms for women and 90 cms for men. That’s because the risk of type 2 diabetes in those particular ethnic groups tends to be higher. The book also states that using waist measurement and/or BMI can only be a guide. So….. 🙂

Morning everyone, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. Not only is it my weigh-in day, but it’s also the only international cricket game to be played in my city this year. I am taking the day off to hopefully watch the black caps thump Bangladesh in the ODI.

Good morning everyone,
Melbourne is continuing gentle weather, so there is one happy Cinque here.
Tuesday morning, 8:10.

Thinking of you Thin and sending best wishes!

Welcome Maxi and Trev!

I loved reading your profile Maxi, I hope you are now enjoying the lovely ‘morning after fast day feeling’. I love feeling light and empty and knowing I can have a normal eating day. No idea about check ups.

Trev, good luck finding shakes (I’m not a shakes person so I have no idea) (Lucky we have Rosy here).

Anzac, how frustrating re that interview. Hopefully you are calmer now and can let the recruiter know they made a mistake without slaughtering them.
Congratulations for managing not to comfort eat as much. That is a huge step. Hooray for you.

LJoyce, So sorry to hear how much pain you are suffering at the moment, and the resulting nausea and other horrible things, no doubt. Fingers crossed it settles down and you get a good long easy run. It seems too long until Friday.
It wasn’t a public holiday here. How interesting. The shops were quiet though, so maybe everyone had watched your news.

Oh dear Quacka, those fashionable heels sound scary. I love the soft, leather, ankle length part though.
Congratulations on finding a lovely bikini, you definitely are worth it! I hope you had an excellent fast day. What a delicious evening meal!

Betsy, exciting news, it is a great milestone to get under 80. 🙂 🙂 🙂 I suppose (scales being what they are) it will bounce around a bit, but soon it will be your normal.
Waists…. 🙁 🙁 🙁 Middle aged spread seems to be a real thing.
I do remember an ‘Ask Me I’m a Doctor’ episode where they showed that the group that did sit-ups every day lost a couple of inches off their waists, whereas the ‘just dieting groups didn’t.

Penguin, Ha, Forest of Dean would have to watch out if you got near naked and wielded a baseball bat. They’d recognise you by the bandaids on your finger.
Have fun with the grandchildren.

Neil, hoping it is a happy weigh in. Enjoy the game!

Gday, oops. Lucky 5:2 is so flexible. Hope you can stay away from delicious smells next fast day.

Well, time for me to go and get ready for visitors. Best wishes to you all.

Good Morning everyone

Welcome Trev. I have no idea about the shakes in NZ but you could maybe try googling some or asking at the pharmacy? Also have you read the 5:2 book? It’s a good place to start.

Very successful FD yesterday clocking in at around 400 calories. The fish was delicious just baked in some baking paper and foil with lemon slices and a new spice mix I found online. I made some veggie patties to go with it using cottage cheese and a big mixture of cooked veggies. I make them often and always change what I put in them but it is a yummy way to get a big serve of veggies with lots of variety and low calories, and very tasty to boot!

I woke up at 4am feeling very hungry but I went back to sleep and then woke up again with no hunger! I don’t understand how that can happen but I am waiting until I feel hungry to eat. For now I’m having a cup of tea.

Just wondering, does anyone have any tips for dealing with other people’s negativity? I went home from work yesterday so worn out from all the negativity at work and I still feel very drained today. I used to try and help them with their problems but I have realised that if they won’t help themselves, there is nothing I can say or do to help them. So I am practising just listening and nodding my head. Trying to be understanding without offering advice or trying to help. The problem is it still wearing me down. I don’t want to be a biarch but I just feel like saying “stop coming and complaining to me all the time. I am trying to work!” HELP!!

11am, Tues, Adelaide
Good morning everyone.

Welcome to Maxi and trevandsandinz. I hope 5:2 goes well for you.
trevandsandinz, if you are asking about shakes can I assume you are going to take the 800cal every day approach, like Neil is?
I don’t use shakes on 5:2, however I did successfully lose a lot of weight using them on 800cals a day, before I started 5:2. I used Optifast for full meal replacement (i.e. no normal meals just 3 shakes and 2 cups the lowest cal veg). I chose this product because it has full micro-nutrient replacement which is important if you aren’t consuming normal food. Once I went from replacing all 3 meals with shakes, to 2 shakes plus dinner I also switched products. I then used Isowhey – they have a normal and a diabetic option depending on your health issues. The Isowhey product is not designed for full meal replacement, you are expected to have at least one normal meal in addition to the shakes when using their products. Although they contain a lot of micro-nutrients it is not full replacement for daily needs, you need one balanced healthy meal as well. The optifast has higher calories but is mixed with water, the isowhey shakes have fewer calories but are intended to be mixed with cows or plant milk – so they end up about the same. (I found I could get away with half milk and half water or low cal almond milk and it still tasted fine and had less calories that way). Personally I preferred the Isowhey shake flavours, although I did really enjoy the Optifast coffee shake. Optifast also do meal replacement soups, bars and desserts that are an equivalent substitute to using their shakes.
When mixing the shakes up I found the colder they were the better they tasted. My preferred method was to use either a blender or a tall jug with a stick blender and add the powder, the water/milk and lots of ice and blend. This creates a very large and very thick shake that takes a while to consume and is filling.
I’m not in NZ so I can’t be sure what’s available there – look online and search for the brands. I found the cheapest way to purchase them was from online pharmacies. I started with a box of mixed flavours so I could work out which ones I liked before buying more. Optifast only comes in individual sachets but Isowhey can be bought in a plastic tub which is much more cost effective.

Anzac, sounds like you’d do better without that recruitment “expert”! I used to use SQL in my old job – I had to be able to write code to extract and interrogate data.

Quacka, not sure how to handle your work colleagues. Not contributing to the conversation is a good start as it doesn’t encourage them to keep going. If the issues aren’t about work (or at least not things you have any roles in fixing) then my only suggestion is that you say something like “I’m sorry, but I really need to get this finished, do you think we could finish this conversation later, maybe at afternoon tea time.” Then at afternoon tea you can end the discussion after 10-15 minutes by saying you have to get back to work. You won’t change negative people, so I guess I’m trying to think of a way of corralling the disruption to defined periods that you have a good excuse to walk away from after a certain number of minutes. If you do it regularly they may slowly shift the behaviour.

Neil, enjoy the cricket. I hope it’s worth the day off.

My hip joints are still being annoying but I thought I’d share something from yesterday that was revealing. Despite the discomfort I went for a 45min walk in the morning. I was pretty sore when I got home so had a bit of rest and a cup of tea. An hour or so later I discovered my hips were less painful than they’d been before the walk. I even managed to do half an hour of weeding that afternoon. It confirms what I already know, that avoiding movement in an attempt to avoid pain always backfires and it’s better to include some exercise even when in pain – it can be gentle and shorter than usual but I really do benefit from it.

Hope everyone’s food day is going as planned. I’m trying to keep mine on the rails, it’s a little wobbly at this point, but still upright!

Quick check-in – wow! What an impressive explanation of the shakes situation, LJoyce – you really know your stuff.

Anzac65, yes, it’s encouraging to have a 7 in the front, but remember from whence we’ve both come. I’ve only lost about 7 kg, so I am in awe of your achievements!!!!

Cinque – appreciate your comment about doing sit-ups – unfortunately, I’ve been doing 20 every morning for the past 3 months, thinking that would help with the shape, but …. still waiting! I do sit-ups, leg raises, a bit of weight work, etc. I think my core muscles are doing okay, but there’s such a lot of unmoving flab covering them. I may need to be more careful with things like ice-cream, but with the 5:2, I thought you were supposed to be able to indulge a bit on your NFDs??? Any other suggestions anyone? Another thing I want to try soon is simply a series of WFDs, but I have to work up to that. Not ready yet.

Good news and bad news.

Good news is that this weeks’ weigh-in was a success. Another 1.4 kilograms gone. That makes almost 9 kilograms gone in just 4 weeks. Just 2.6 kilograms away from my first goal of recumbent bike weight 😁

Bad news is I was laying some paving stones last night and I managed to smack my finger with a hammer. It split the finger open like a tomato. I spent a couple of hours at A&E where they stitched it up and drilled a hole in the nail to release some some of the pressure and then gave me a tetanus shot. They said it’s probably broken too but they didn’t bother X-raying it because there’s nothing they can do if you break the bone on the end of your finger. I’m not a happy camper. 😢

Neil, congrats on your continuing weight loss! Those are some great numbers. But what is it with the self mutilation of fingers and wrists and arms on this forum? Ouch! Time to stop with all the injuries!

Anzac, I din’t think you should just let that job recruiter off the hook without a complaint. There is no excuse for wasting everyone’s time on a mismatch. If you don’t want to confront him/her verbally, I would definitely do it in writing. If you don’t, other job hunters will end up in the same situation. Some employers don’t like using recruiters for exactly that reason.

LJ, glad the morning walk helped with the joint pain. I’ve had similar happen a few times. You just have to be careful not to overdo it I guess.

Welcome to Maxi and trev! I hope your experience with 5:2 is as positive and many of the rest of us here.

Good morning from beautiful Melbourne. Stunning moon last night. Having a lovely time with my sisters. 8:50am

Quacka, music is a great antidote to negativity. Seems you have two problems 1. Interruptions. I’ve never had a job where they didn’t drive me up the wall. Sometimes life is the interruptions. Keep up the music.
2. Negative comments from people who don’t want your help or advice. I’d just say, be as kind as you can. Some people have awful lives, that you can’t see from the surface, and little comments of care and understanding can make a huge difference. And when you don’t feel caring and understanding… hooray for music.

LJoyce, wonderful that exercise is a help with the pain, even when it is hard to do it. I hope today is a good one.

Betsy, such frustration that the sit ups haven’t given you a trimmer waist, but how wonderfully fit you must be. Pity the bit of flab on the outside is what you see, instead of the wonderful core fitness in the middle.
Re the icecream. Might need to make the feast days a little bit further apart. I found that the more weight I lost, the more sensible I had to be re healthy eating. Sigh. But hooray that occasional feasts are still ok.

Maxi, cheers for your first fast day. They will start to feel a normal part of your week before long. (I have early evening meals too!)

Neil, wonderful weight in! Terrible accident. Penguin’s right, I’d better watch out for my digits! It will be interesting having your check up today for comparisons.

Hi Cali, best wishes for a good day. Hope your BP is behaving itself.

RosyPosy I hope your wrist is settling down and that you are getting used to the cast. Haha, just read your advice to Quacka, a great no nonsense approach.

Off to have breakfast with my sisters, at a cafe with GREAT coffee. Well, I hope it is as good as last time. Still trying to work out whether to have breakfast with them, or to keep today as my fast day. It will depend on the menu!

Time to get organised. Bye all.

Good Morning everyone

Its FD for me today and so far so good. I am just about to have a black coffee and thought I would check in.

Thanks LJ, Anzac, Rosy and Cinque re: negativity. I am usually such a positive person and I really can’t handle the negative vibes. It’s completely different if a person is having real problems – I have no trouble at all being compassionate and kind as I genuinely feel for them. I feel for them so much that I rack my brains trying to think of ways to help them or make them feel better, even though I am aware that mostly they just need to talk about it. The negativity is just whingy, whiny stuff that the staff here feel they need to include me in. It’s difficult to walk away as they come into my work area and I am usually at my desk but I have been practising acting disinterested (which I am) and just focusing on my work. Today has been great.

Ouch, ouch, ouch Neil! Poor finger! Hope it heals up quickly for you.

Well done Maxi on your first FD. The afternoon is sometimes hard for me too and I am ready to eat as soon as I get home. I try and plan something that is quick and easy, yummy and all within the 500 calories (as I try to eat just dinner on FDs).

Yay, Anzac for the extension. Breathing room is sometimes all it takes and I am sure the perfect job will come up. Good luck

Today’s weight is 66.5kg. I am hoping to break into the 65’s this week. Weight loss is so slow at the moment but I am not giving up. The alternative is something I just can’t consider. Ever. Again.

I just love that quote Quacka and have it on a post-it on my work screen 🙂

Good job, Keep it up !

Well done neil on the blood pressure results. My OH amazed his Dr with his blood pressure and blood test results too. It’s a pity the majority of Dr’s fail to recognise the benefits of this WOL and hand out prescriptions instead of educating patients on healthy lifestyle changes.

Successful FD, just a tad over at 531 cal.

Looking forward to a good night’s sleep tonight (hopefully). Purchased a new firmer bed mattress which was delivered today. Have been waking up feeling achy and sleeping a bit resltlessly of late. Mattress was due to be replaced so hoping it was the cause.

Good morning everyone on Thursday Fast Day for me.

I’m starting with a cup of tea and a purring cat on my knee. And then heading up to Darraweit Gium to visit my friend, an hour away.

Hoping Stradbroke Island is not in the path of Cyclone Oma, Lindsay. And Brisbane.

Anzac, so happy you have the work extension, that will take the pressure off.

Quacka, I hope you get some good fasty fast days in to get those scales moving again.

Neil, excellent BP result! Congratulations. 800 a day is paying off.

Gday, I hope you are having the best morning after a night on your new mattress, and lovely day-after-fast-day.

Rosy, what an excellent doctor.

Best wishes to you all. I hope today is a good day.

Well done Quacka, you so deserve to be happy !
@ All the maintainance people, as I am getting down to my last 5 kg to lose, my thoughts are turning to how I will maintain my weight . I know you are supposed to do 6/1 but Thin still has 2 fast days. Can you explain why ? Obviously 1 day is not enough but how does she prevent herself from continuing to lose if 2 fast days were her previous weight loss method.

Good morning, 7.00am on a grey, drizzly cool day in Sydney

Normally this is my FD but I am unexpectedly working from home so I am going to have just have a very light eating day. We are heading down the coast for a long weekend with another couple (and Maxx of course) and I know it will not be a great eating weekend but we will have long walks on the beach to hopefully make up for it. Otherwise I will never get out of the 80’s!

Hope the new mattress fixes your sleeping problems Gday. And what an amazing result at the docs Neil! Whoo HOOOOO

Enjoy your trip to see your friend Cinque and I’d love to see a pic of lovely Miso the cat when you have a chance

Another awesome quote Quacka and I’m so happy for your lightest 5:2 weight ever. I do hope I get there some day

Hope you are feeling ok LJ and don’t worry about bad food choices. You’ve got recovery fully covered. Ugh, heat again. I think our summer is over as I am almost a bit cool today and the forecast for the next 10 days at least doesn’t get much above mid twenties. I would have loved one more hot weekend this weekend for our trip away but it is not to be so there is no need to complain. We will still have a lovely time and enjoy Maxx and our friends and not be in the stuff-to-do-around-the-house rut

Ok back to work, I will be thinking of you all on the weekend but doubt I will be able to post. Have a super duper weekend all, be happy, healthy and positive

I’ve been lurking and reading but not posting as I work through some issues up here, but seeing my name in your posts (thank you Cinque and LJ) made me want to reply. It has started to blow here but wind is likely to start in earnest tomorrow. My journalist daughter says the Bureau of Meteorology is quite concerned about the possibilities, and she’s on standby to work on Sunday (she produces the main evening television bulletin at the moment). Watch and wait, I guess. I am worried for Stradbroke Island – it’s a sand island and could be right in the path. Very high tides with this full moon too, so not a great combination.

Back to this wol. I’ve had two very good FDs, back to back, and am now at my lowest for a long while. Of course we are off to Bali next Thursday so I’ll have to be quite vigilant. I’ve swapped my nightly Lindt square for a good slug of Tanqueray gin with diet tonic, which seems to help with the sleeplessness I get when I’m anxious about something. It will be short term, so don’t worry I’m finding refuge in the bottle. I sit with my OH and chat with a pre-dinner drink, and it’s 80 cals well spent.

There’s been lots of chat about the health benefits of 5:2. Can I add my bit? My fasting blood sugar is near-normal. I test daily and it’s gone from the pre-diabetes 6 to 6-5 range, to the normal 5.5 pretty much every morning. I take a low dose blood pressure tablet (have for decades) because of family history mainly which has kept my BP at 120/75 for years. My BP is now routinely 110/59 and I’m going to have to have a discussion with my GP about cutting the medication. My other blood tests show my cholesterol is pretty good, and my HDL .. the good guy…, is climbing. All this has happened since I started this WOL. What a program!

Neil, great result on the BP.

And to the walking wounded …. be careful! We don’t want you injured. Rosy you will miss your red friend when it’s removed. But not long now.

GDay hope you slept well on your new mattress. What did you get?

I’ll check in later, and try to stay up with posts .

Rosy, I do 5:2 for maintenance because I like having more leeway on NFD’s, much the same as LJ mentioned. I don’t think I’d be able to easily maintain on a 6:1 plan. And I’m so used to 5:2, there just didn’t seem any reason to change, other than eating more on NFD’s than I did when losing.

Quacka, one of my favorite quotes has always been, “Bloom where you’re planted.”
Another is, “It is better to know how to learn than to know.” That one is from Dr. Seuss. I’ve always agreed with that. Knowing where to find the answers has always been important, but it has become so much easier in recent years withthe internet and YouTube.

Lindsay, I hope the cyclone misses you and Stradbroke Island. This certainly has been a year of weather extremes. Great news on your blood pressure and sugar levels since starting 5:2. Too bad all doctors aren’t like Rosy’s, suggesting lifestyle changes and diet rather than just handing out pills.

Hi everyone, posting on a FD. Had a CD and a FD Monday Tuesday, and then felt so weird yesterday that my CD turned into a TDEE day. But, no rise in the scales this morning, and I feel so much better, so I think my body needed the extra calories yesterday.

Rosy Posy, yes, I’ve been trying to add a third FD into the mix, but then weird things happen like yesterday which undoes it all. The weight is still slowly going down though, and I guess if I’m honest, there isn’t as much bulge as there was, just can’t understand why it doesn’t show on the tape measure. Anyway, glad there’s not much longer before you can get the wretched cast off your arm. It’s been a long haul for that.

Speaking in that vein – while Dr M. endorses mindfulness, might I just suggest that CAREFULNESS as another motto that could be noted, just for all of us who in the past month or so have fallen, broken, sprained, cut, split, or done whatever else?!! 🙂

Cinque, thanks for the comment re sit-ups. Yes, the core is nice and tight, but… it’s the outside which is unsightly. Sigh! Patience is a virtue I’d best practise more.

Quacka, great quote. Also, great result at 66.2 – now just need 0.2 more to reach that 66 goal.

GdayFromSA, good to read that the internal renos are finally starting next Weds. Crossing my fingers for you that nothing comes up to stop the workers from coming.

Neilithicman, great drop in BP. Hoping for the same for your bloods (and mine soon).

LJoyce, hope your blood tests today are okay so you can have the infusion.

Anzac65, great news that you can stay a bit longer at your current job. Hope your job situation clarifies soon.

LindsayL, wonderful results with the changes in your blood tests and BP. It really doesn’t look like you need to be on the BP meds any longer, with those readings, so here’s hoping your doc agrees when you discuss it with him/her. I’m also on a really low dose of BP meds – only 20 mg Micardis – and live in hope that my weight will drop enough that I can also stop my meds.

For everyone in the Sunshine State – stay safe and dry!!!

LJ. You have it right about grand kids. The museum I work in occasionally was trying to establish why our takings suddenly doubled. The answer – school half term and the kids being taken through our shop by their grandparents!

Betsy. When I started weight training I bought a book. One piece of advice was “You can do 300 sit-ups a day and have the best abs on the planet, but if you don’t lose weight you won’t see them.” Also, the abs are like every other muscle, they need a rest between training so don’t do it every day or you will join the sub-group of those of us with self inflicted injuries. Sit-ups are out of favour here as being a possible cause of injury. We are now encouraged to do crunches and an alternative exercise for the lower abs. (and to be clear, I don’t do 300 a time, two sets of 25 are my preference).