Hi all

Betsy. When I first retired, OH was still working and I would stay up playing on my iPad till all hours then sleep in well into the morning, very decadent. I follow a better pattern now as I have a few commitments during the week which have got me back into a much better pattern although I still put the light out quite late some days. Look after yourself.

Neil. It’s quite presumptuous of me to give advice from over the Tasman but can you go further up the ladder over your boss’s head to get some satisfaction. Love the description of boss, by the way. Or just do a days work and go home , leaving a backlog. When I was in a similar situation the bosses just tut tutted and let me keep doing it and it burnt me out and I had to retire early, which actually was great. Well done on the new numbers, you will need to find some more clothes in the cupboard soon. Interesting that you feel the cold more, I’ve been wondering if I would be affected too and I already feel the cold more than others hence the trip north during winter.

Lindsay. You are certainly have some dinner party stories to tell from your holiday. No wonder there was plenty left in the bottle, you lost interest after your margarita splurge,maybe your not headed for AA after all. As others have said, we seem to have a weird link on this forum, accidents now illness. I’ve had my turn so I’ll skip this time around, if you don’t mind.

Anzac. Great that you are getting over your bug, sounds like a pretty serious bout, glad that Maxx was kind even if it did lead to a bad joke. At least with a smaller stomach you will have a positive outcome. Clearly OH is a keeper with all that cooking even if he did time his grump badly. Maxx wouldn’t have known who to protect from whom and obviously didn’t want anyone yelling at all. Maybe it was a change from everyone yelling at him. We are having a run of warm days in Melbourne and it certainly lifts the spirits.

Cinque. Aren’t we having a overly warm spell here, last of the lovely autumn weather I imagine. Having worked In a hospital, I can see how hand washing is a very simple way of avoiding germs, a study showed that infections went down a huge amount when this simple step was rigorously followed. Thanks for the tip, I’ll do that now. You are being very good with your ‘fess up’ entries. You certainly have a varied diet and it all sounds so tasty, has your accountability worked yet, do you think? How is the search for a school for Miss J going, any decisions yet? Cars do have a way of costing money but so essential to our lives, just have to suck it up, I’m afraid.

Thin. I have a new product for you, beetroot latte mix, no kidding. Wasn’t tempted, they also had turmeric latte, maybe could try that one. I’m looking forward to eating some locally caught seafood on our trip, we will be able to buy it straight from the wharf in some places. Those robo calls would certainly turn me off, nothing worse than late night calls. We voted early, didn’t need an excuse and no queues. The pay for working on the election is only about $400 now so hasn’t exactly kept up with inflation. Well done on the gardening, and being able to get rid of the result.

LJ. Another sick one, at least you got your infusion done. Glad you are recovering,. One minute you are struggling to make soup, then you make three, while you are sick. No wonder you are such an amazing cook when you are well. The more I hear about bridge the more I understand why it has such a reputation and the people who play it well are considered high achievers. Hats off to you for having a go. I’ll catch up with that TV program, didn’t realise it was Australian, thought it was only UK.

Quakka. One of the nicest feelings from this WOL is that you no longer have that really uncomfortable bloated feeling. You do feel lighter because you check in with yourself throughout the meal to see if you have had enough and it is surprising when you can leave food on the plate because you have are satisfied. You are obviously looking after yourself if the scales are going down. 65’s sounds like magic to me.

Gday. Whoa. Those chillies, something would have died with that onslaught. Quite possibly a good tactic, apparently hot, spicy food actually raises the body temperature for a couple of hours so that makes it a hostile environment for germs. Glad I wasn’t in the room with you and the doctor, they certainly don’t know it all. Another mad soup maker, I feel quite exhausted just reading about it and I’m one of the well ones. It does inspire me though as I have a cauliflower and a pumpkin in the fridge but not much room in the freezer, so will only make one at a time and eat it fresh. It does make it easier to have a well organised cooking space.

Calif. What a day you had, lucky you had a specialist who could give Isabella proper treatment. Best of luck with the 10 days of treatment. You might find you have a few wounds yourself before you are finished. There is a very funny piece about giving tablets to a cat which is probably on the Internet. Worth looking for it. Another 500g, you are nailing it.

Rosy. Sounds like a good idea to wean yourself back onto a more solid diet for when you are on maintenance. Let’s all hope the flu shot does the trick, I’m impressed that the free one for us senior cits is the super one with 4 strains. The government is obviously taking the risk very seriously. Your son sounds like a very nice young man, what a lovely lunch.

Minka. Are you still increasing the fat content in your diet or have you decided to keep to a level which doesn’t make you feel ill. Your approach to your health is so much more informed than mine and it is interesting to see how you work out what is best for you. Re the La Zuppa soups. The very low calorie ones seem to have gone off the market. I bought a lot when they were heavily discounted and I haven’t seen them for ages. A great pity, they are great.

Merry. You are so impressive, continuing to look after yourself when, no doubt, you have so many more things to deal with. Great result, that will help inspire you. I must admit, using MFP to record my food has become a bit addictive and I feel a bit panicky if I get behind. Recording your food should become easier. Where do I find Dr M’s update?

My good news, despite what I posted last week, is that OH has taken that bad blood test result to heart and has decided to start 5-2. He hasn’t had a FD yet, he will join me on Monday, but he has been consciously eating a little less. I’ll have to put some work into calculating 600 calories as I keep mine about 350 calories and I don’t think he will come at miso soup for lunch. I think he will have good results quickly as he will be cutting out a lot of empty calories by not drinking on FD. Ideally, he should lose about 20kg but like Neil, getting his weight to double figures is probably a worthwhile goal. I’m really pleased as he will get so many benefits if he persists. I know you all wish him luck.

Hello all, Saturday afternoon 3.30pm. It was 23 in Sydney today with clear skies and little wind.

I am feeling normal for the first time today and I believe it was the collective positiveness from this forum that killed that lurgy dead! Thank you all so much.

I had my hair done this morning then came home and immediately changed and went for a hilly walk that including voting. I must have timed it well (about 11.30) as there was not one person in line! Hooray! However they were 4 deep in line for their democracy sausages 🙂 I forewent mine for a big swig of water from my water bottle. It was such a beautiful day that I was very hot and sweaty when I came home. I now have a jumper, trackies and ugh boots on as it soon chills down when the sun moves over. Hubby and Maxx are cuddled up on the couch watching the footy….Awwww. In fact I can hear Maxx snoring loudly

HA HA HA HA HA Thin, I will vote for that beautiful boy in a heartbeat! Mandatory belly rubs and more off leash areas indeed. I’m with you about the ID; I was halfway to the primary school when I thought ‘damn, I forgot my licence’ only then to remember I didn’t need it. I also forgot my glasses so goodness knows who I voted for HA HA. No, seriously, I could just read enough to hopefully get it right but anyway, given the choice it probably wouldn’t matter who it was.

Cinque, I don’t think I would enjoy giving up coffee for any amount of time. I only have one, maximum two, each day but gosh I enjoy them SO much. I didn’t have any for 4 days while I was sick but I had a headache from the lurgy so I couldn’t tell the difference. I so enjoyed the first one I had – Friday I think it was.

Friday evening was a nightmare as there was a meltdown on our train line. I left work at 4.15 and arrived home at 6.10. Ugh. It normally takes around an hour. I’m just so thankful that as I was leaving work I thought ‘hmmm should go to the loo…oh no, I’ll be right’ then changing my mind and actually stopping for a visit. I wouldn’t have made it without serious discomfort or even an accident. Note to self ALWAYS go before getting on a train!

LJ, yay for your success at bridge! It sounds so complicated so good on you for persisting. You’ll be as good as Thin in no time. OH’s soup won’t go to waste as we have a long winter ahead where I’m sure he will be making a few more batches as we plough through it. Thanks for all your health and healing tips, they really helped. Glad you were feeling better yesterday, how are you feeling today?

Klondi we try very hard never to yell at Maxx. There’s no point as he doesn’t understand and it just stresses everyone. I am successful at this and mostly so is OH but he is a LOT less patient than me and does occasionally lose it, especially when they are out walking and Maxx is completely ignoring him. We did a training practice just before, out on our side deck, and I couldn’t believe how incredibly well he is doing. His heeling, even without the leash is perfect and their turn is also pretty perfect. The best thing is he keeps ‘checking in’ and looking at OH as he walks which is something we have struggled with for a year. I also taught him ‘paws on’ while I was sick which is where he sits and I put a lid or something on the floor and I point to it and say brightly ‘paws on’ and he runs to it and taps it with his paw. Now these things are easy here at home but our problem is out and about with distractions. We will get there. I’m so so happy that your hubby is going to give 5:2 a try and with you beside him encouraging him there is no doubt he will succeed. I look forward to hearing updates

Cali, yay to that 500g loss! I am in awe that those of you who are already so slim can lose such a substantial amount on a FD. I think Isabella is a perfect name for a macaw and I do hope you are still friends after the treatment is finished. I’m sure you will, animals are very forgiving (mostly)

Lindsay, fingers crossed your post reappears (it hasn’t yet) and safe travels home

Betsy, I have had the full-on flu just once and I swore never again. I’ve religiously had a flu shot ever since and have avoided it. How are you feeling today?

I’m supposed to be doing trip planning as when I arrived home from my hair appointment, darling OH had done ALL the housework including the kitchen! When we are planning a big trip we go with our strengths when it comes to planning. He does flights, logistics, money and memorises (or records) exactly how the public transport works and which metro/bus/tram we need to take to get us from place to place. I have a terrible problem with…not sure what the word is…orientation? Direction? Ability to get from A to B without becoming lost/turned around? Whereas he has it inbuilt. On the other paw, he has no patience with carefully reading about places and what to see and where to go. That’s where my analytical brain comes in. But every weekend I get caught up in chores and never get around to it. So he is well on top of his ‘work’ so he did my chores so I could get stuck into trip stuff. Win win!

Have a lovely rest of the weekend everyone, hi to everyone I didn’t mention

Anzac, I did the same thing. I went for a one hour walk and voted on the way home. It was a good thing I had my phone (and google maps) as I misplaced the polling booth. I took a wrong turn!
This is the first day I’ve felt well enough to do a proper walk. Good to be getting back to normal.

Thin,
I’m glad you and your daughter had a successful trip to the op shops. Those here also charge $15-25 for things they consider “designer or high quality or overcoats” (basically anything that probably cost over $150 new). I object less to that price, than I do them charging $8-10 for a Kmart top that I could buy new for $5-6. I hope your hubby liked his jumper. I once found an unworn RM Williams black woolen jumper for my Dad. He liked it so much he kept insisting I go back and get another one for him in green or red. I tried explaining the concept of an op shop and that it was very unlikey that someone else would donate the same style and size in another colour. But all he’s say was that it was worth looking because they might have. Needless to say he was always disappointed that I failed to find one. I learned there is no point arguing the point on these things with someone with dementia.

I won’t be joining you in a FD tomorrow. I seem to be fasting Fridays at present so Sunday is just too close. While the bridge lessons are happening my FDs seem to have fallen into a Mon & Fri pattern. Which I’ve discovered I quite like actually.

Thanks for your comments about my weight concerns. I do think feeling stable is more important right now as every time I try to get my weight down lately I seem to end up going the other way. It just means that I need to confine myself to my 2 pairs of looser jeans.

MFD Fess up update – I also had an apple for dessert at dinner time.

Thin, beetroot latte doesn’t sound appealing to you? And it would go so well with some sourdough toast and Vegemite. Tsk tsk. 😉 Sounds like a successful op shop trip. Perfect place for DD to find a dress for the Eurovision party. Could you post pictures? Love looking at op shop finds. I stopped briefly in the one near here but only bought a pair of jeans. I have quite a few, but I pretty much live in jeans these days so can always use them.

Anzac, my usual loss on FD’s is about 500 grams to a kg. And I can easily gain that back the following day by even slightly overeating. I think I just retain water easily.
So glad you’re feeling back to normal. That lurgy or whatever it was really had you down and out. It sounds like even those few classes have made a big difference for Maxx. I bet now that he has the idea of how it works, he will catch on to new commands more quickly.

6-1/2 more days of meds for Isabella. I think the pain med may be making her a little woozy. She seems to eat more later in the day after it’s probably wearing off. Then we have to give it to her again. I’m surprised she hasn’t managed it to rip the bandage off her foot. She doesn’t seem to be spending too much time picking at it. Here’s a picture of it and another of her foot while we were waiting for her vet appointment time: https://imgur.com/a/T8Ng5f5 It may not look too bad in the photo, but it was between her toes and deep enough to produce a really scary amount of blood. I had blood all over both arms and on the floor. It was hard not to completely panic. It was pretty much coagulated and dry by the time the picture was taken.

Klondi, so happy to hear that OH is joining you on 5:2. It will make FD meal planning so much easier!

It’s hard to believe that an ID isn’t needed to vote there. So if I were visiting and showed up on Election Day, I could just walk in and get a ballot? Here, we have to be registered ahead of time and our name and address is on a list and is checked off when we pick up the ballot and show an ID. I hope you all get the results you wanted. I would have gone for the black Lab too!

Morning all from Macau. My last post hasn’t arrived, but it’s outdated now so I’ll move on. I wonder if it’s because I posted pics? I’ll try again when I get home later.
We are in Macau on the last couple of days of the hols. We are staying at a Sofitel hotel here – OH says it’s like being inside a pinball machine. I guess that’s because of the casino in the foyer. Fortunately the rooms are quiet and restrained. We watched the election outcome on TV last night. My OH flicked the TV on this morning – and we were taken completely by surprise to see my journalist daughter reporting live to air.
Betsy I love the HK ferry – it is a must, whenever we are there (although the trip is so much shorter now with the reclamation of land. The PO used to be almost on the waterfront when we first started going to HK. Now it’s a 5-10 minute walk from the ferry terminal).
I am so over food – I can’t wait to get home to a ‘normal’ diet. And FDs. It’s not that we are eating so much – it’s just that the food is different and richer. The scales are going up and up, for us both.
My usually quite slim OH is going to try TRE for a little while to see if he can get his slightly elevated BP down, and get rid of the tummy he’s developed on holiday. He only has one kidney (part of one, actually after two bouts of primary kidney cancer) and can’t afford to have fat build up around his organs, or even slightly high BP. One of the things I love about being on holiday is the opportunity it gives, with just the two of us and no interruptions, to plan our lives when we get home. Now, will he eat his 7 serves of fruit and veg Cinque? I wonder.

Thin, then voting is like here. Actually, I’m not sure we do have to show an ID at the polling place, maybe just verify our address. OH and DS think just verify address, but they can’t remember for sure either. I see that the election results are already in. You are so lucky to have the campaign over within 6 weeks. He who twitters has been holding rallies for months already. They’re already into it here for the presidential election which isn’t until Nov 2020. But at least the robo calls don’t start until a couple months before the election.

Good morning from a slow Sunday for me in Melbourne. Full moon last night, and sun this morning.

I stayed up very late last night watching the election coverage, finally enjoying ABC’s late night episode of The Drum, before I got to sleep. As a result I have had a coffee this morning. Pity, as the second I finished I wanted another one, so not really any point! Haha.

I might have caught your daughter this morning Lindsay! I remember someone talking from Queensland, but I didn’t concentrate enough to remember more.

Merry, I managed to read your post on the Dr Mosley thread before I read your post here: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/january-2019-update-from-michael/#post-286703 So glad to hear the 800 a day is working so well for you. It is an impressive tool for many situations.

Glad to hear others find the handwashing a good technique for avoiding those bugs being brought into the house.

Thin, that is a lovely candidate you voted for.
Woohoo, good finds in the op shop! Congratulations.
Yes, I am fasting today. Soup things soaking. All good.

Klondi my daughter has found the school she wants, she is very happy after their tour of it. And she said they had an excellent sausage sizzle for voting day yesterday. 😉
My accountability is really helping me, although it is a work in progress. Planning, then doing it is the reality check, and then adjusting to make it work better, I feel a sense of relief after muddling around without such clarity.
Hooray for Mr Klondi making such a good decision for his health. I do hope he gets great early results to make him enthusiastic, and that he finds it sustainable too.

Anzac, over the bug, and gorgeous hair, and space for trip-planning. Life is good! Cheers to Mr Anzac for being such a help.
(that yelling certainly worked wonders 😉 )

LJoyce, what you said about the accountability process is spot on. Good decision to concentrate on stability.

Cali, what magnificent pets you have. It must be a stressful time for you all, but it sounds like it is going fine, and will be over soon. Good to see the pics.

And Mr Lindsay is making good decisions for his health too. There is nothing like too long a run of rich food to make us yearn for simple fare. The TRE should cut out excess and good luck to him getting in lots of veg! Have a lovely trip home both of you!

Accountabilty: My breakfast yesterday took a long time so I skipped having my frittata or anything else at midday, but had the last veggie muffin with my mid afternoon soup, then the frittata (with pumpkin, eggplant and chard in it) accompanied by lettuce, olives and the last of the avocado, for my evening meal. But then I did have peanuts again at midnight when I should have been asleep instead.
Risotto tomorrow!
A pretty good day, but I need my fast day.
Hooray, it is here.

Cheers all. Intesha, do pop in and let us know how you are going. x

Good evening everyone. The day turned to rain and thunderstorms today to announce either the end of the election or the eurovision winner – depending on which you think of more interest.

I manged to get in a walk in the hills with my best friend this morning just before the rain started. Then we discussed her and her OHs trip to Japan this week. Thinking of Anzac I asked whether she and OH took on different tasks in the planning. She said that for organising the necessary paperwork, bookings, schedules etc she did a better job, but her OH actually learned some Japanese for the trip – I’d be volunteering for the planning every time I think!

The rain was coming down heavily by the time I got home so I had an enjoyable afternoon watching the Eurovision broadcast that I’d recorded this morning. I do prefer to watch it without knowing the outcome – which I managed.

The thing that surprised me in the election – apart from the actual result – was the high number of informal votes. Before I went to bed last night I looked at the AECs results for Boothby (my electorate). Both of the main candidates had around 8000 votes each and there were already 4000 informal votes – if they were a party they’d be running third. I was astounded that this many people either don’t know how to fill out a ballot paper or deliberately spoil them.

Cinque, If I’d stayed up as late as you watching election coverage I think I’d have needed peanuts too! After being inspired by your menu I am making a barley risotto for dinner. There was a time when I would have had a large bowl and would have been dinner. In an effort to reduce the portion and raise the veggie content I have grated carrot ans zucchini into the risotto and I am also roasting large wedges of pumpkin to have with it.

Anzac, enjoy the walk as I doubt the spring like weather will last. You’ll get sick of muddy paw prints all over the house soon enough!

Thin, I also found myself questioning the lack of ID for the first time. I think we should have to prove who we are.
I haven’t found it difficult to play bridge on FDs. I do have my banana just before I head into class, so maybe that’s just enough brain food.

Lindsay, I hope you have a good time in Macau.
I hope the TRE helps your OH get his BP back to normal. I had not realised his kidney issues were so serious.

Cali, Isabella is lovely, but I can see why she needs to be well wrapped before you try and administer medication – That’s quite a beak. I hope she is on the mend now.

NFD Fess Up:
Breakfast: pot of tea
Lunch: bowl of butternut & pesto soup, toasted rye sourdough, 2 boiled eggs and one small plum.
Afternoon tea: pot of tea and a small banana
Dinner (which is still cooking): barley risotto (pancetta, broad beans, carrot, zucchini). Served with a little grilled lemon chicken and large wedge of roasted Kent pumpkin.
Supper will be a hot drink of some kind.

Today is the closest I think I’ve come to eating almost all food at meal times and not in between. I had quite a lot of lunch and I think it helped me get through the afternoon – the silliness of Eurovision might have helped too!

Good morning,
It is still early. I think there was enough rain here to water the garden.
Melbourne Monday 7:30am

Anzac, a gorgeous Sunday!

LJoyce, oh woe! I hope your risotto only tasted a tiny bit smoky, that would be quite nice, I think. Good luck getting your pot scrubbed.

Well so much for trialling no coffee to have a better sleep. I had my best sleep for years! (I hope it doesn’t mean I need 5 days without coffee, followed by one with, to get that sleep).

Accountability. A good fast day.
Nearly breakfast time! B Toast and spreads.
L. Sauteed veggies and fish cakes.
S (now stands for Soup rather than snack) Chickpea and veggie.
D That pumpkin risotto and dressed lettuce with olives. Hot chocolate drink.
(I am using up everything in my vegetable drawer)

Good morning, 8.00am and yet another sunny, warm day

FD for me today and I need it. The scales remain high – 87.0 this morning – despite my illness. I don’t understand it but I have to accept it and go down from there

Sorry that you burnt your risotto LJ, but it sounds as though you were able to salvage it ok. I hope it was delicious! Glad you were able to get a nice walk in with your friend before the rain started in earnest.

I cooked last night and we had tandoori chicken on pappadums with a yoghurt raita (paprika, cumin and honey) followed by a smoked salmon sushi timbale for OH (with prawns and a wasabi/coriander dressing) and for myself I made a stir fry with chicken, lots of crunchy veges and just a few noodles. I resisted the ice cream afterwards as I have a policy that I am allowed ice cream two nights per week (Friday and Saturday) only. OH had a boysenberry ripple cone and Maxx and I just had to watch on 

Cinque, LJ, I am jealous of your rain. I believe they are about to enforce water restrictions as it is so dry here. We did have some rain on election night and hubby, who was staying up late to watch taped footy as well as the election, apparently went and stood out in it as it was glorious. But none on the radar now for at least the next 10 days. Glad you had a good FD yesterday Cinque and enjoy your post FD brekky

I was very surprised at the election result. Personally, as an above-average income earner and who will be a self-funded retiree in the next few years, I feel the Liberals will be better for me financially. But other than that I am fairly Apolicitical. I didn’t like how the labour campaign was all about trying to divide Australia into the ‘haves’ and have-nots’. That is ridiculous in these days as there is a strong middle class of course. And while there is a time and place for Trade Unions, I don’t want them running the country.

Lindsay, your holiday continues to sound amazing but I do understand your longing for a ‘normal’ diet. I always do too when I travel. I also agree that one of the best things about travel is the ability to forcus 100% on your partner without the normal distractions of daily life. I hope your hubby enjoys TRE and I was sad to hear about his kidney cancer

Cali, Isabella is just gorgeous! But oh boy, what a beak! Rather you than me trying to give her the medicine

Dog training wasn’t on yesterday as they had a big competition, so we went for an absolutely gorgeous walk around Como playing fields and the river in the sunshine. There were a lot of people around and Maxx was really really good after some initial pulling. It is days like this that we think ‘yes! We can do this’. Everyone was walking around in t-shirts with 12 days until winter. Unbelievable. However you are correct LJ, winter will hit soon enough with lots of rain and lots of muddy pawprints everywhere.

Your op shopping sounds like lots of fun Thin and that jumper sounds awesome. I bought OH a gorgeous wool jumper when I was in Florence on a business trip about 25 years ago and he loved it so much but it is long gone now. We will get him another one when we are there at the end of the year. I bet your DD looked beautiful in her Eurovision outfit

LJ are you fasting with me today? Anyone else?

Hi to everyone I’ve missed, must get to work. Have an awesome day all 

Hi all, has anyone else experienced a complete loss of appetite when fasting? The last 2 days I’ve only eaten because I felt I should rather than because I was hungry. Yesterday I ate just 1/3 of a chicken breast and some blue cheese for lunch and nothing for dinner. Today I’ve had a little bit of sausage for lunch but nothing else and I don’t feel like eating. I ate quite a bit on Saturday and I’ve had a bit of a head cold for the last couple of days, but do you think the loss of appetite is something I should be concerned about?

LJ, I made kombucha for 3 or 4 years. I grew my scoby from a couple cups of a commercial kombucha that should have been pasteurized enough to kill the culture. I added it to a gallon (about 4 liters) of tea and a cup of sugar. It took over a month to get a small weak looking scoby, but then I used that in another batch and it only took a week or so to make the kombucha. I never added fruit or flavorings to the first ferment. I put the kombucha in bottles when it was sour enough for my tastes and added a small amount of fruit and/or spices to the bottle. Some batches were fizzy, some not. They always tasted good.

The scoby grows to cover the top of the wide mouthed jar you are using. A new one grows on top of the older one. You end up with a stack after a few batches that you can pull apart and save in a scoby “hotel”, a jar where you can save several. If you can find anyone nearby that makes kombucha, they will have many. They end up getting thrown out or composted after a while because you end up with a new one each week. Ask around at a health food store or just ask friends if they know anyone who brews it. I stopped making it when I started on 5:2 because it’s hard to know how much sugar is still in the kombucha after brewing. I like it sour so I brewed it longer, but there’s still sweetness there. If you let it go long enough you have vinegar. That was when I was still in the losing phase. It would have been fine for NFD’s in maintenance. I did tend to drink quite a bit of it in the summer because it’s so refreshing. Once you have a scoby, it’s pretty much foolproof to make.

Neil, I agree with what LJoyce said about the probable reasons you aren’t hungry. Your hunger will probably return soon, so take advantage of the absence of it while you can!

Anzac, that smoked salmon sushi timbale that you made for OH sounds delightful. Do you have a recipe that you could share?

My NFD reform hasn’t been going that well this past week. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s FD. I need to get my NFD’s back on track.

We just started watching a couple episodes of “The Crown” on Netflix today. I think several of you here watch it. Seems really good so far.

Hope you are all having a good Monday.

I’ve been doing the Mediterranean diet for most of the time which puts you in ketosis. This felt different, I just didn’t feel like eating. It’s probably a combination of all the things you guys mentioned. Well hopefully it will show on the scale in a couple of days. It’s not something I want to be doing long term though, I only ate like 200-300 calories the last couple of days. It’s not enough.

LJ, Anzac, thanks for your concern for OH. We’d come home from living overseas for a short break before I took a job in HK. He went to have some back pain checked…and the kidney cancer was an incidental finding when he had the tests. Six years later we were home from Vietnam and his GP reminded him he’d missed his 12 month checkup. Just as well, because he had another primary cancer in the remaining kidney. It was caught early, so the nephrologist did what OH calls ‘a short back and sides’ and fingers crossed, 5 years on, he’s still clear. Such a resilient man. Like one of those dolls with weights in the base….punch him over, but he springs back up again. Knock on wood and whistle.

Morning guys, 4.30 am Perth time .It’s amazing how liquids only fast days affect my time of waking when I am a sleeper inner by nature.

I have a question. Why do we say a new season starts on the first day of the month whereas the rest of the world follow the solstice system and start their new season on the 21st day ?

Anthony Albanese has put his hand up to be the new labor leader. One, he needs to get his missing tooth fixed, it is not a good look for a national leader.2. He is to far left to be appealing to voters. They need someone more centre left.

What are Julie Bishop’s plans? I’d love her to go into state politics as the head of our state opposition is so ineffective he is never seen.

Hello hello Tuesday is here, cold and grey, I can see why your yearly migration is calling you, Klondi.

Anzac, our rain was only a sprinkle, but at least that is something. Hoping you might get some soon. Hoping you had an excellent fast.

You too, LJoyce. Yes, I have always kept coffee drinking to the morning, preferably before ten am (except once a month, when I meet my friend who doesn’t start functioning til the afternoon and so I have coffee at 3pm). And tea up til 6pm. Hmm, I might cut that back earlier too
I had more coffee yesterday with a friend and another today with another friend so I will go back to no coffee tomorrow and keep seeing if I can correlate it with how I sleep.
I slept pretty well last night, I am wondering if there is a lag.

Hooray re the risotto. Mine was (less healthy) arborio rice, and utterly delicious, saffron and pumpkin. And plenty of left overs.

Haha re the bento boxes, I adore them, but completely agree it is a horrible expectation to put on mums, or whoever is making school lunches. I am glad my daughter was happy with a cheese and salad sandwich!

Rosy, the Bureau Of Meteorology says
“In Australia, the seasons are defined by grouping the calendar months in the following way:

Spring – the three transition months September, October and November.
Summer – the three hottest months December, January and February.
Autumn – the transition months March, April and May.
Winter – the three coldest months June, July and August.

These definitions reflect the lag in heating and cooling as the sun appears to move southward and northward across the equator. They are also useful for compiling and presenting climate-based statistics on time scales such as months and seasons.”

Very modern and scientific instead of those old natural rhythms. And since our seasons don’t follow the traditional European ones, I guess it doesn’t matter too much. We just don’t get to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes so much… That’s a pity.

I hope you manage your day well inspite of the early wakening (I would be wrecked).

Neil, how is your appetite today? All I know is that, if you are not underweight and you have no other worrying symptoms, you can manage on little food for quite a while. When I was 30kg overweight and first cut out sugar, I could go 24 hours easily not feeling hungry, and I didn’t eat when I wasn’t hungry. The weight dropped off. Hope that is what is happening for you.

Lindsay, have a good trip back. Aunty DD might be an even better candidate than the black lab.

Klondi, great news that Mr Klondi got through that first fast day and alcohol free day. And hooray that the car is sorted.

I’m off in mine today, up to Wallan to visit my dear friend.

Just saw your new post Crazy, big congratulations to your daughter! And that chicken soup sounds delicious. I do think we vary enormously with the amount we eat. My normal seems bigger than some others, and I still find it hard, ridiculous.

Finally, re the election, I am glad that some people do consider the have-nots when they vote. The government has the role of making sure rules are fair for all. Since Scomo has such powerful endorsement I am hoping his new government might see its way to address some of the things that make life so hard for the people at the bottom of the heap.

Accountability
Such a good day yesterday, I didn’t even need my afternoon soup, so I will take it on my trip today as I need something on my way home. Everything else, delicious. Oh yes, I had Miss 2 with me so I added pasta to our lunch.
Today I plan B: eggs on toast with ajvar and lettuce. L. Chickpea and veggie soup. Snack: peanuts. D. A risotto repeat. And hot cocoa repeat.

Good Morning everyone

Just a quick note to let you all know I am still here. I spent most of the day yesterday on and off catching up on all the posts and didn’t have time to post myself. I’m still doing 5:2 and I had a successful FD yesterday which makes me feel really good today.

My bosses are away for the next 6 weeks and I have some huge responsibilities added to my usual work load. I told my boss I would do that big order from last week on my own this week instead of rushing it last week, so I need to get started. I also have a rep coming to see me tomorrow for another very important order. These are all for our back to school period which is the biggest time of the year for us and of course all the orders need to be in by next month!

Hope you all have a great day. Thinking of you all x

Good morning all. A quick post from me too, as I’m heading in to the Central Market to do some produce shopping and then meet someone I used to work with for an early lunch. Then out to the southern suburbs for a GP appointment in the afternoon.

I haven’t been weighing lately, just using clothing to let me know how my weight and eating is going. I decided to risk disappointment and try on a pair of my tighter jeans this morning. They are still tighter than I’d like them to be, but definitely a lot easier to do up than they were a fortnight ago. That was a pleasant surprise as I didn’t think I was any smaller. So that’s a big thumbs up for the public accountability process. Thankyou again Cinque, brilliant idea.

Lunch today is at Lucias, an Italian cafe in the market. I will probably order my usual – a large bowl of minestrone with a slice of crusty Italian bread, followed by a pot of tea. I think their minestrone is the nicest thing on the menu so it’s never a hardship to order that rather than pasta or pizza. I’ve tried making mine as tasty as theirs and I never manage it. I think they probably put a parmesan rind in the pot while they are cooking the soup and I never seem to have one of those to hand. They are also heavy handed with the veg and legumes and sparing with the pasta in the soup – which suits me just fine.

Must go, have a good day everyone.

Hi all

Rosy. How do you fill in your time when you wake up so early every day. I’m like Cinque, even though m retired I would find that hard.

Crazy. Well done for your daughter and hopes for a good result for you too. I have water porridge, miso soup and an omelette with tomato, mushroom and sometimes spinach for FD. That is about 350 calories. Now OH is joining me, I made him cauliflower soup for his lunch and I will be having grilled fish a lot more often to give him variety. He also can have 600 calories so he has more options.

Cinque. Hope you had a nice, not too tiring day with Miss 2, you must be feeling a bit better if you felt up to granny kinder. I had a lamb neck stew the other day, full of flavour, very cheap and yes, lots of bones but I was able to get most of them out before I served it. Whatever it is, it’s great that you are getting good sleep, hope you can keep it up.

Neil. Good that you are back to normal, at least with your appetite. Hope the other parts of your life are improving too.

Quakka. I hope your bosses appreciate you. Do you get a pay rise to match your extra responsibilities? Well done with keeping on. Will it be bikini weather for your holiday? You will be ready to wear yours if it is.

Anzac. I don’t think they are that vigilant in food courts so I’m sure you will get to enjoy your own lunch. I did comment on Maxx in my lost post. I bet you can see that he is having fun with all that attention and OH will also enjoy the positive feed back.

LJ. Sounds like my sort of soup. Happy dance for accountability, and snug jeans.

Successful shop at Savers today but very oddly, I found four warm tops, all in shades of rose, a colour I don’t normally see, and some very skinny pants. 18 items donated, that is a total of 43 garments gone. More to come.

Hi everyone, finally checking in again. So much happening. Election – as a friend said, she votes liberal and her husband votes labor, so they cancel each other out. I’m in a very safe labor electorate, so you have to wonder whether to even bother. But, speaking of informal votes, apparently my grandmother always voted informally, as she didn’t think women should have to vote (yes, that was LONG ago!).

CalifDreamer, as you’ll have gathered from the various posts, all Australians over the age of 18 are expected to vote, and can be fined if they don’t, with some exceptions. Not sure of them all (thin would know better than me), but I think the Indigenous Aussies can choose whether they want to vote or not, and the same for folk over 75. Of course, 18 year-olds still have to register once they turn 18, or they’re not on the electoral roll. But – no ID needed.
Also, hope Isabella’s foot is now healed.

Anzac65, so glad to see that Maxx is beginning to respond so well to training. He will be more settled.

Eating – has been a bit of a disaster lately. Still fighting to feel normally well. Still staying up too late. Tired and out of sorts = poor food choices.
Actually, I’m thinking that I can’t afford the NFD I allow myself on Saturdays. I do indulge in a few treats, way too many calories, and it seems to take a few days to settle back down again. I think I’m going to try to eat to my projected TDEE on my NFDs (which is around 1550 cals for my age and activity level) and keep to FD800 3 days a week as well. What I’ve been doing this month hasn’t been working, and I’m about 200 g higher than I was at the start of May, which is not satisfactory.
Okay, re-start! Tomorrow is another day!

Sorry, would love to write more, but it is too late in the evening.

Hi Klondi, the day just flies by when rising at 4.30 am although I will admit to getting tired by 9.00 pm. 1. I get time to read this forum while having 2 cappuccinos, 2.I get to work at about 6.30 and achieve a lot before the day starts officially. I like to be organised and my job is constantly increasing its demands, requirements and complexity. Also, I will respond to your comment re maintainance which I have only just discovered. I’m not ready for maintenance just yet. I put on a few kg over Easter and then for 3 weeks lost little or no weight as I kept snacking while cooking hub’s dinner at night.

I have finally got my liquids only fasting mojo back this week. There were 2 reasons why I managed to refocus. 1. My arthritic knee ( caused by long distance running over a 20 year period) started hurting more again. This knee pain was my original motivation for starting this wol. 2. I have got rid of all my size 12 and 14 clothes and my size tens and eights were starting to get tighter. There is no way I am going through the expense of a new wardrobe again. I have always given up when close to goal in the past. I am determined to keep going until I have lost any chubby bits.

Cinque thanks for your explanation of the seasons.

3rd btb fast day today for me, clinking coffee cups with Thin , my fast day friend, across the river!

Rosy, yes I’m sharing a FD coffee or two with you across the river! I enjoyed my root and barley soup so much for the past SIX FDs that I made another batch yesterday! 12 in a row! It’s so easy to transfer the ‘white’ things from the freezer to the fridge and line them up next to the portion of cottage cheese all ready for the FD. Tiny tupperware of A&C milk, portion of cauliflower soup, portion of barley and root veg. soup and 40g cottage cheese for a late snack to keep away the overnight hunger. Eating occurs between 2-8pm. If it’s not one of those planned items, it doesn’t pass my lips – EVER.

Congratulations to all who are losing or maintaining so well. To those who aren’t, there’s little point doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Something has to change. I agree with Lindsay’s advice to cut down on carbs for a while but would take it a step further and recommend cutting out bread, rice, pasta altogether. See what happens.

Cinque, have a great day. I’ll look forward to your next Wednesday fast. I love my coffee but never have it after noon and only ever two cups per day. I limit tea drinking to very early afternoon and only one cup. If I want a hot drink later, I drink Nerada organic vanilla rooibos. Not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ but I love it.

To everyone who is not losing weight, I would just like to say, please don’t give up. We are all here for you to support you and help if that is what you need. Just don’t give up. xx

Good morning everyone.

Anzac, congrats on the loss. Looks like your body is finally getting its groove back after your illness. I found I could afford indulgent day during maintenance but not while I was trying to lose weight – if I did it was always a zero loss week. With just 2 days of dieting per week it doesn’t really cut you much slack – at least, it doesn’t for me. With a higher TDEE you may have a little more leeway.

Betsy, I suspect what I wrote to Anzac also applies to your situation. I found that it didn’t take much extra on a NFD to cancel out the impact of 1-2 FDs. This is fine for maintenance but not when you want steady weight loss. I must admit that I’ve found 5:2 much easier in maintenance because I can have some indulgence, within reason.

Quacka, glad the ordering is going well. I hope the busy days are helpful as a food distraction. Does bikini weather mean you are planning to wear one?
I think the reason lamb necks make a good stew is because of the amount of bone which adds a lot of flavour during the long slow simmering time.

Thin, I too have taken today’s food from the freezer, although it’s a NFD for me. I seem to be able to approach FDs in a similar way to you, with an iron will. It’s just a shame it’s not as easy find the rest of the week. I do also agree that if what we are doing isn’t working then change is required. For me it’s usually because old habits seems to creep back into my NFDs quite easily.

Cinque, I label my containers with a whiteboard marker and I find it sometimes rubs off in the freezer, leaving me guessing what it is. Luckily I store all soups together, so I at know that much about it, even if can’t discern the flavour until it’s thawed!
Sorry your sleep is unsettled again. I had trouble getting to sleep last night and found myself making cocoa at 12:30. Some nights just seem to be like that and I’m never sure why they vary.

Kloni & Cinque, it might be time for me to get to the op shops. Rose pink is the best shade of pink for my colouring so I’d better investigate. I have never been to one of the Saver stores. There are three huge Saver stores here, but they are all in outer suburbs that are a very long way from where I live.

Rosy, it looks like your body clock has just settled into an early routine. I used to find starting work early was really helpful as, like you, I could get a lot of work done before the office got busy. Avoiding the peak hour commute was also a big bonus.

I watched the Insight program on SBS about bariatric surgery last night and as always was concerned at how much the proportion of the population with a weight problem is growing. They said that 63% of Australians are either overweight or obese (70% of men, 57% of women and 25% of children). The gastric surgeons that were present were certainly pushing the surgical solution, but I think we also need new ideas to tackle this problem, especially the increasing obesity rates in children. I don’t know what we do about it, but the past approach of doing nothing is clearly not helpful. I remember what my weight was near 130kg being urged by my GP to consider lap band surgery. It was definitely a path I didn’t want to go down and eventually resolved to tackle it with diet. I know it’s in the tiny minority that succeeds this way but I think I have a much more normal life now than I would have had post surgery. I was really worried about complications, because I know 3 people who have had this surgery and all had complications, some very serious. One happened immediately after surgery (the surgeon accidentally cut the bowel and didn’t notice) and some happened months or years later with serious infection where the lap band was. Sadly, all three have also regained the weight despite the surgery.

The friend that I had lunch with yesterday is part of a diet trial being run at Adelaide University. He said they are testing the impact of eating almonds daily as part of a weight loss diet. He knows he’s on one of the control groups as he isn’t eating almonds. He on an 1800cal per day diet (sounds like a lot but he’s quite a tall chap) for 3 months with fortnightly support from a dietitian. He’s one month in and has lost 5kg. He said that the study continues until the end of the year as they are doing a 9 month trial with 3 months of diet followed by 6 months of maintenance. He also said they did a barrage of tests at the beginning of the study, including a visceral fat scan and bone density. In fact they found that his bone density was below average and advised he consult his doctor about it, which he’s done. As I hear more I’ll keep you all posted.

NFD Fess Up update: I ended up having both drinks last night. I had the chai about an hour after dinner, but couldn’t sleep despite feeling very tired so at 12:30 I got up and had a skim milk cocoa – I then fell asleep quite quickly. I felt quite happy yesterday that I avoided all of the usual treats that I head for at the market. In addition to the sweet bakery items that tempt me, there was also a new Turkish stall selling homemade Turkish sweets – including my favourite turkish delight. It took all my willpower to not buy some.
I do have a rough plan for today’s food, but I’ll post the final tally later once I’ve decided what I’m having with my dinner soup.

Have a good day all. Hoping the fasters have an easy day and the non-fasters can manage their many food choices to their liking.