https://imgur.com/a/GqyNkhA

This was my dinner AFTER I had already eaten a big soup bowl. The whole pot was 534 calories and there is no way I ate half of it even though I did count the calories for half. I also had 100 calories grated Parmesan cheese to put on top. I am sitting at just over 400 cals for the day.

I’ve been researching low carb eating lately but my issue with that way of eating is the amount of unhealthy foods that is suggested. Things like bacon in everything and one recipe showed a ‘lasagne’ made with deli chicken slices as the ‘pasta’ sheets. What???? (Yes, four exclamation marks, thin. Lolol) Don’t they realise how much salt is in that food apart from how processed it is. Also so many veggies are cut out and then the allowed veggies are very limited in the volume of them you can eat.

So many posts! Trying to remember what folk have written.

Anzac65, so many folk have written advice, and I’m not going to add to it. I can understand the frustration and the feelings of depression, of wanting to lose enough weight to buy something really special, but the weight’s just not shifting. Please don’t give up on us, though. I remember the encouragement you gave me when I started this WOL last November, and how helpful that was, plus the joyous chuckles you’ve given us with your Maxx stories. We would miss you so much.
Maybe if you want to go the WWs route, CalifDreamer’s idea of 2 FD’s combined with WWs would mean you’re still with us. I know work is just so busy, but…. you are more than the work you do; you’re important too.

LindsayL, I’ve been fortunate with the glaucoma in that it’s had little effect on my eyes up till now. My doctor is Dr Faye Walker, but the info re generics came not just from her; it was also mentioned recently in the Glaucoma newsletter. That’s why I asked her about the generic I was using when the problem was detected, and she confirmed what was written. I’m not sure where the info came from originally.

LJoyce, and thinatlast, for the first several YEARS of playing bridge, I hated playing No Trumps, and would always try to manouevre the bidding so my partner would be the one playing the contract. BUT, in the end, I found I really enjoyed the challenge of a NT contract. It just took me a long time to get there!

Penguin, I think one of the ideas behind having a wide range of vegetables is to keep your gut biome populated with a wide range of gut bacteria. I’m really impressed by your 30 different types per week. I don’t think I come anywhere near that.

Can’t remember what other people wrote, sorry. Oh, my mojo is back, and I’m actually now below where I was at the start of the month instead of being over. The weight loss won’t be much, but maybe 1 kg is possible(?). Better than nothing.

Just keep on keeping on everyone – “never give up, never give up”

The problem with dipping into this site every couple of days and skimming all of the posts is that occasionally I miss something, or pick it up late. Anzac, you are not allowed to go – I need my Maxx updates. I will be babysitting one of the family dogs for a couple of days later this week but, good though he is, he isn’t a Lab.

A good day today. I spent the morning at the museum in an old airliner explaining the first commercial instrument landing system to a series of visitors. A 15 minute presentation given 12 times, by the end of which I was having trouble remembering what I had said to whom. Then home to prepare a barbecue for son and his family. The weather was not looking good so it turned into the sort of barbecue you can do indoors in the kitchen. Doing it indoors turned into the right decision when the heavens opened. At least I won’t have to water the veg patch. Day 1 of my new week’s fruit and veg score: Eleven so far. Barbies are good for that with lots of salads and sides of roasted peppers etc..

And, in moderation, red wine and cheese.

Good morning friends

Thanks again for lifting me out of the doldrums. I dropped 900g overnight so I must have been bloated yesterday. I should have known I couldn’t possibly have put on all that weight on a weekend where I was being mindful but the shock sent me over the edge.

It was a good thing though because it gave me a jolt of reality and you wonderful people have reinforced it. Cali, that wasn’t a rant, it was a lovely piece of advice that came from the heart and Thin, I can’t believe people would fire back at you when you are only trying to help them. Penguin, I will continue with my Maxx stories as I love to tell them as much as you love to hear them. Thanks Betsy too for your encouragement and I’m glad Maxx provides giggles. He is an awesome dog just a bit over-friendly outside the house but we are getting there. My Dad came home from visiting friends in the country and came as usual for Monday night dinner. While hubby was cooking I showed him Maxx’s new heel work where he walks tucked up next to the left leg of whoever is training and when I say ‘heel heel’ and start to turn he turns beautifully with us. You should see his little face full of concentration and he checks-in constantly now which is a good thing. Then we showed Dad the new party trick of ‘paws on’ where you put a small item on the floor a few feet away from him, point to it and say ‘paws on!’ in a bright voice and he runs up to it and taps it with his paw. Awwww. He is still a nightmare at training at the beginning of every session as he just wants to play with the other dogs and jump up on every human. Sigh.

Today I start with no starchy carbs at all during the week. I had a good chat to hubby and he is going to do stir fries or meat + salad or I can have FD meals from the freezer with a bit of extra meat perhaps on NFD’s. I am going to get some mountain bread (thanks LJ) and have one piece per day on the weekend as my carb ‘treat’. I’m not giving up fruit yet but will see what the results are like with the above.

FD today and I’ve already had two black coffees and a big glass of water with Metamucil. Not hungry so that’s good

I’m on my work laptop so I can’t access Imgur so I will post some photo’s in a separate post from my phone. I can’t remember if I mentioned that we decided very early on that we wouldn’t let Maxx on the couch. Well that has gone out the window and we are actually loving having him cuddle up with us after dinner. It is a big three-seater leather couch and he is very good and knows he can’t get up unless the big towel is down. However, if the towel is there and we haven’t sat down het, he now likes to jump up into MY chair and seems to expect me to sit somewhere else! You should see the look of utter disdain when we move him into the middle when I’m ready to sit down.

Have a great day all

Yay!! I’m so happy you have managed to turn it around, Anzac, and have decided to keep going. There is nothing like the support and advice that we get on here and as others have said, we would miss you so much. So good on you! (love the Maxx photos by the way)

Intesha, still thinking of you x

Well done, Betsy, for getting your mojo back. Sometimes we just have to keep going through the tough patches and eventually our bodies catch up to where they should be.

LJ, I agree with you about the low carb. I am from a Mediterranean background so it is a natural way for me to eat. I am lucky that I love all the fresh foods like veggies, seafood and meat, and I love cheese especially.
I divided the rest remaining soup from yesterday’s FD into two portions and I am going to have that for lunch. I think overall that the big soup made three (big) serves so I probably overestimated my calories for yesterday. A third of the soup is 178 calories but 23.4g of carbs.
I also have a lot of snacks with me ‘just in case’. I have some turkey cold meat, a punnet of Qukes, 375ml almond & coconut milk and 25g raw almonds. It’s a NFD obviously.
Tonight we are having spaghetti bologanise but I will be having zoodles and konjac noodles instead of pasta. I will be having parmesan cheese with it as well so I’m not going to have any with the soup for lunch. All up 48g carbs, 987 calories. That is a lot of food! I think that counts as low carb but not very low carb. I would be interested to get my body into ketosis so that I can see the effect but I’m not sure I can go that low carb…..
Well, yesterday’s light FD paid off today on the scales. I was praying that I would get a good reading before I stepped on and then I almost cried when it showed 65.7kg. I had to get off and on again to make sure but yep, 65.7kg. Finally! I have been on this 66kg plateau for what seems like forever. I almost gave up believing that I could lose more weight and thought I would just be maintaining at 66kg while still doing 2 FDs per week. Just goes to show how strange our bodies can be.

I have to go do some work now. I hope you all have a lovely day. Just keep going x

Good morning,
Anzac, I missed your post yesterday while writing my responses to everyone else. When I saw Thin’s response I went back and read it. Poor Anzac.
(Thin I’d fly you over to co-run the support group if I could).
I could see that I was completely the wrong person to give advice (I know nothing about Weight Watchers, I don’t do deadlines for weight loss, I don’t weigh or chart myself in any way, I don’t count calories or weigh or chart my food either, and I would have kept going with 5:2 for the heath benefits even if I didn’t lose weight on it). (Plus the issues of working full time, negotiating food with a hubby and not into veggies).
Omg, I’m reverse-Anzac, what do you think would happen if we met?

Luckily a) everyone else had relatable advice and b) your scales pulled their socks up this morning. Hip pip hooray!

Intesha I am so glad Merry came and had some precious time with you. What is up with your friends? It is like they are from the 1950’s when people were scared to connect to anyone in grief. Ha, maybe they are. Unless you want to (understandably) write them off, might it be a good time to give them a nudge? Tell them you are feeling low and need to be taken out for a coffee.
Here is you and me having a virtual coffee, yes a big pot is called for! https://previews.123rf.com/images/file404/file4041502/file404150200170/36068115-man-drinking-coffee-with-a-friend-illustration.jpg

Quacka, wonderful soup, love that tasty looking stock/broth/soup-juice.
My youngest granddaughter has a very expressive face, and yesterday, when her mum told her they were coming to my place for lunch she said, with her brows showing, that she hoped I wasn’t going to make soup for her! Haha.

Penguin, great plant food count. Do grains get counted?

Haha Neil, but I have a feeling you will still look impressive at goal weight!

Sorry to skip everyone else, my sister arrives soon and much to do! Ooh and we are going to see ‘Top End Wedding’ this afternoon.

I’ve been lax with accountability here, and need to start again, even though I have been managing quite well. It wears off!
My daughter gave me some pulled pork so I made my tortilla dough and rolled out a big one, spread half with pulled pork, ajvar, chopped parsley and some cheese, folded it over and grilled it on each side. Oh so delicious. And simply because I want to do that again tomorrow morning, I am shifting my fast day to Thursday again. Sorry Thin, priorities, you understand 😉

Lunch will be a vegetable pie and in the evening my sisters and I will go to Noodle Kingdom. Hmm, I will be lucky to get 5 vegetables in today. Tomorrow I had better have ten.

PS I just had a pot of coffee. Bliss.

Good morning all. What a lovely place this is and I’m greatly relieved that Anzac is still here (and still talking to me). Maxx looks very comfortable.

Firstly, Merry you are so kind and thoughtful to do that for Intesha, especially with so much going on in your own life.

Penguin, I loved your museum story.

Neil, how amusing!

Betsy, good that you’re feeling better. Interesting about NT. In the big kids’ group, I’ve sometimes manipulated the bidding so I wouldn’t have to play it! I understand how depressing that weight cycle can be. You’re a lot lower in weight than I’d imagined from your earlier posts though.

CalifD, good to know about the chocolate!

Quacka, that sounds a really great trip especially as you are planning activities that include your love of the water. It’s especially good that you don’t seem at all anxious about the flights so well done overcoming your fear! Just read your post about hitting 65kg, yay! Good job. I love that soup. The fact that you mention counting up all the calories leads me to more to say to Anzac.

Anzac, make yourself a coffee, I’m back again with more unsolicited advice! You mentioned hubby’s stir-fry dishes. As soon as I hear the word ‘fry’, I find it hard to reconcile with being FD fare. It is possible, of course, if everything is measured. Does he weigh all the ingredients and work out the calories? If he does, do you then apportion all the servings before commencing eating or do you just estimate that you’ve taken one fourth, if it serves four, for example? I think the latter approach is fine for NFDs but the FD fare can’t be estimated – and definitely not by someone else!

So I agree with others’ advice that it needs to be planned and prepared under your direction, perhaps prepared at weekends together at first or at least point OH in a new recipes direction such as the Med. style that LJ has suggested, if he can be trusted with weighing and measuring absolutely everything.

From what you’ve written, my take is this. You obviously have a fabulous, close and loving relationship and, in his mind, he’s doing something kind for you. You’re the bread winner and he wants to do his part. You come home tired and grateful and don’t want to hurt his feelings. But, being a skinny person, he doesn’t understand the effect that food/exercise have on you. I think you need to take total control of your FD fare. On top of all your other duties, aaah!

Much of yesterday I wanted to add something else. I was thinking of all the times you’ve made me laugh out loud with your posts. As you wrote most of them before work, I doubt you were drinking at the time. So, what I’m getting at is, that you’re a very funny, engaging person with a great sense of humour. As you’ve read, you’re well-loved here and no-one wants you to go. My walking buddy has often said to me over the years, “I don’t need alcohol to have fun”. You also “don’t need alcohol to have fun” or to make others laugh. You might argue that you enjoy the taste of it, it relaxes you, etc but there are many alternatives that fit the bill. Like a cup of tea, ha ha. So, just two weeks without it?

Now, on to mindless stuff about me. Yesterday, my temporary partner and I scored 72.9% at bridge, Betsy & LJ! That’s my highest ever although I attribute it mostly to her. Also, you’ll be interested to know that, because I hadn’t planned it properly and went grabbing things at Coles last minute, I had a turkish roll with a home made burger for dinner. (Take my advice, I’m not using it). I cannot believe that I didn’t at least cut it in half. I knew I was full, but kept going anyway. Immediately afterwards, I hated myself, felt bloated, guilty and disgusting. But, presumably because it’s a one-off, I got away with it on the scales today.

Have a lovely days losers!

P.S. Cinque, loved your post, read it twice – even if you are abandoning me again tomorrow.

Good afternoon all.

I’m just home from a busy day in the hills. It was a bit hair-raising getting there this morning as I took the road that goes around the side of the mountain from the foothills and it has a very steep drop of the side on the way up. Normally I’m fine with it but there was thick fog this morning so I drove really slowly and annoyed the other drivers.
It was nice to have a day in the hills even if it was bitterly cold – should have worn my thermals! I got to visit family and go to my favourite cafes in between appointments. I now feel so tired I can’t stop yawning and it not even 5pm!

My shameless theft of Cinque’s NFD accountability has worked wonders. I not only got into my tight jeans this morning they were comfortable enough to wear all day.

Today has involved food at cafes at odd times as I had a busy day in the hills.
NFD Fess Up:
Breakfast: one quick cup of tea
Early lunch: grilled haloumi on sourdough with tomato, cucumber, capsicum and parsley salad.
Early Afternoon: 2 slices of sprouted grain raisin toast, buttered and one cup of tea. (I really should have found a green grocer and bought some fruit but I was cold and hungry and I wanted to stay in a warm cafe for a while. I consoled myself with the idea that I don’t get to my favourite hills cafe very often – a big fat rationalisation to eat more starchy carbs if ever I heard one!)
Late Afternoon: a small banana and a cup of tea
Dinner: the plan is 2 salmon veggie patties with garlic yoghurt sauce. Grilled king oyster mushrooms, mixed veg mash and steamed cauliflower.
Supper: NAS cocoa with skim milk

Try again.

Without re-reading all of the posts I can’t remember who said it, but yes a very varied intake of unprocessed fruit and veg is good for the gut biome and therefore our general health and feeling of wellbeing.

Cinque, I don’t know about grain, I’ll have to re-read the book. I eat them but haven’t been counting them, but I do count root veg.

Neil. I didn’t realise how intimidating some people found my 6’5″ and 100 kg until we started to produce people bigger than me. Quite illogically I find I have to adjust to their presence.

Anzac, they can be weird. When I had two Labs, if the young lad was asleep the old girl would hide his favourite toy, then give me the doggy equivalent of a grin. I would claim to have trained her as a retriever, but the truth is that she came from a line of working dogs and the instinct for it was strong. She was two different dogs. With her collar on she was a domestic pet: gentle, playful and a total piglet. With it off she was a working girl: very focussed, determined and not to be distracted by the offer of one of my sandwiches. I have usually had dogs, just the one bitch, and the relationships were different. Dogs were mates and working partners. The hard one ( a rescue Dobie cross with a bad reputation when we got him) would challenge me for pack leadership about every six months, but loved OH and was her protector. When he wasn’t trying for promotion the morning routine was that I would sit on the floor and he would tuck his head under my arm for a cuddle. The relationship with the bitch was certainly a male/female thing. She would flirt with me (only word for it) and on a working day I had to be teased with the first retrieve – you can have it, no you can’t, yes you can, several times. After that she was perfect. One of the family dogs is coming to stay on Thursday. A small curly haired rescue Cockerpoo but a good lad. Very intelligent, it took us one walk through the field for him to learn that sheep are not for chasing. They now know him and ignore him, but he does find it a little confusing when the lambs don’t recognise him as a threat and want to play.

Neil, That is more than a Yay. That is really impressive.

That really is a yah and more Neil – well done! (what was the protest about?)

Penguin I really enjoyed your posts ….hope you drop in more often. Your family BBQ sounded delightful, particularly after a morning of presentations. How on earth did you keep track?

re intimidation…..My son is a 6 footer, and in his late teens, shaved his head for a cause. It was surprising to see people move away from him in queues…he’s such a gentle man but I guess he did look pretty intimidating. He still has a shaved his head, but with two little ones climbing over him, doesn’t seem to intimidate at all.

Down another 300 grams this morning after a good FD yesterday. I’m working today, so will do another.

Anzac good to know you’ve dropped almost a kilo and are back on track. This WOL works – maybe not at the speed or predictability we expect, but it works. re WW …. I have books dating back to my 20s. When I went the first time I barely even made the 10lbs overweight I needed to be able to join. …I had to put on my jacket, to make the limit. And look where I am now. Certainly not at my WW goal weight. I found it worked – short-term. I just don’t think WW is a plan for life, like 5:2 is. And it doesn’t have a group like this one. Anyway, happy to have your happy, funny presence with us still. And adored the pics of Maxx.

Calif we got the bees before we went away, but they needed a month to settle in (they’d been taken from inside a building wall in a town about 40 kilometres away, after they had swarmed…that is, left their original hive when it got overcrowded). The beekeeper came last weekend to check them, and make sure I knew what I had to do. Next step? Register as a biosecurity site. Truly!

Thin laughed at the little girl and her ‘mermaid’ comment. They are adorable. My 3 year old had to dress as a farmer at kindy yesterday. Overalls, straw hat, boots and a bucket. Then lay on the floor and sobbed and sobbed because her mother wouldn’t fill the bucket with milk. DD compromised by filling Miss 3’s sippy cup with milk, and popping it in the bucket. But it was touch and go. We have the girls all weekend, for the first time, while the parents are in Melbourne for a wedding. I don’t think I’ll be able to give them my soup either Cinque.

More posts I’ve missed, but if I go back, I’ll lose my post so I’ll check in later.

Have a good Wednesday all.

Thanks for the encouragement over my weight loss.

They were climate change protestors at a minerals forum that was being held in the town hall. It’s funny because their cause is actually one that I support, but I don’t support being manhandled when I had nothing to do with the forum and was just trying to get into work. The protestors tried to claim that the police were “brutal” when they removed them, and that they were non violently protesting, but plenty of my workmates as well as some delegates at the forum can attest that they were very much the aggressors.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/injured-protester-slams-brutal-police-3-arrested

Anzac, that sounds great that you’ve got the wine under control for weekends only and the stir-fry all measured and calculated. Do those of you that allow Anzac’s 80cals for oil find it’s satiating on a FD? I’m just looking at my ‘oil slick’ of a FD coffee and wishing I didn’t need to blow calories on A&C milk. Too bad about all the junk supplied at the all day workshop. Hopefully you can come to ignore it with increasing levels of smugness! Good job with the salad – even on a NFD, that would have been a preferable strategy. As you say, the cost of constantly eating and drinking out is prohibitive, let alone the lack of healthy choice. You’re on your way, my friend!

Neil, great job on the weight loss to date. It doesn’t sound as though those protestors got much sympathy if the comments below are anything to go by. Supergluing ones hands to anything doesn’t show a very high level of intelligence.

Cinque, thanks for reminding us that we can continue 5:2 just for the health benefits and that weight loss is only a side effect. And what a wonderful side effect! An elderly neighbour passed me in the street yesterday, saying she’d barely recognised me as we approached. I’ve known her for 25 years but we don’t see each other often so, although she’s seen me at this weight, she probably hasn’t got used to it being a permanent thing. Out of the blue she declared, “Nothing tastes as good as being slim feels” and that being slim “is very empowering”. Keep that in mind, Anzac.

LJ, it’s very frightening driving in fog. Not recommended at all. I remember being a passenger in a VW bug in England about 40 years ago coming home from a party when dense fog descended. The driver was relying on my ability to see the curb while leaning out of the window, a strategy that seemed to be working quite well in the small hours with no other traffic. We hadn’t gone far when, suddenly, there were headlights right in front of us. We all stopped and got out and the other driver explained that we were going the wrong way around a roundabout. We headed straight back to the party and crashed there instead (excuse the pun). You’ll be pleased to learn that I’m a lot wiser now. I’d rather pull over and freeze to death.

Penguin, nice to get your regular posts again.

Lindsay, have you seen British comedian James Acaster on Netflix? I think it’s ep. 3 of 4 where he talks of his honey business. I thought of you. He just has one bee.

So, am I all alone today for fasting? Other than Rosy Posy, of course, who’s on day 3 of hers!

Noooooo thin, I’m with you today 🙂

Quacka, good to know that you’re over there fasting away with me! I agree, a downward trend is all you need. I missed Anzac’s video that you refer to so I’ll scroll back now.

Merry, posts crossed. Good job! Not that there was any doubt. I hope it’s happy news at the oncologist.

Merry, I really hope your OH had good news today.

I’ve had a mental battle with myself about food all afternoon. I think it’s because I knew my weight was in my lower target range again so on some level I see it an excuse to make idiotic food choices. I’ve spent the last 3 hours wanting on an unhealthy dinner (sausages, eggs and toast) then talking myself out of it when I realised I didn’t want to have to try and justify that choice here. Public accountability wins again, what a wonderful tool.

NFD Fess Up:
Breakfast: pot of tea
Lunch: small serve of chilli con carne + 1/2 extra beans with a sprinkle of parmesan, grilled king oyster mushroom and rye sourdough toast
Early Afternoon: stewed apples, rhubarb and sultanas (with about 1/2tsp added sugar per serve) and greek yoghurt
Late Afternoon: pot of tea, banana and 3 tsp peanut butter
Dinner: baked filo parcel of chicken, bacon, mushrooms and leek. Served with peas and mixed veg mash.
Supper: decaf lamington tea with almond-coconut milk

Good evening everyone (or should I write “good morning” as it’s after midnight here?). Have loved reading the posts.

Anzac65, enjoyed the video of Maxx, and glad you explained in a later post that there was a problem with the sound, because I thought I must be doing something wrong. By the way, excellent news that the scales have FINALLY shifted downwards. Looks like there are lots of positive changes happening in the OH cooking sphere, too, which will help.

Neilithicman, great weight loss and that you are now so close to your target weight. You have done so well!
I’d feel a bit green with envy, except that even if I have only lost 13 kg over 6 months, it’s still 13 kgs I can happily do without, and it’s not just the 4+ inches off the hips, I’ve also lost 3+ inches off both bust and waist.

Of course, I still look at myself in the mirror and think how much fat I still have to lose – still 2.1 kg to officially just be “overweight” instead of obese (neilithicman, it’s not fair being so short; you 6 ft plus guys have it much easier 🙂 ). I started at 86.4 kg, am currently around 73.2 kg, and to be in the middle of my BMI 20-25 range need to be 53 kg (i.e., halfway between 47-59), so I still have more than 20 kg to lose. Someone, thin?, commented that I wasn’t as big as my earlier posts sounded – well, maybe not, except that I’m so short. From my start weight to final destination the aim is to lose 33.4 kg, nearly 39% of my starting body weight, which is really a lot, so that’s why I write about how much I have to lose. I’m well on the way (nearly 40% lost), but this is a long haul effort.

Thinatlast, congrats on the excellent bridge result, well done!

Merryme, hope your OH has been coping well with his final stages of treatment.

To Quacka and all Melbournites – brr! It has been so cold here, and with the wind chill factor, equivalent to around 4 degrees most of today. Well we had a seasonally warm early May, so I guess this is just balancing out. Good for the snow fields. My FD became a NFD today, but I’ll be able to mainly stay home snug and warm tomorrow and will indulge in lots of hot, low calorie drinks.

Goodnight from one night owls to others 🙂

Don’t feel down about 13kg Betsy, proportionately it’s probably pretty close to what I’ve lost because I started at over 130 kilograms. Just think that you’re now carrying the equivalent of 26 blocks of butter less than when you started. Next time you’re in the supermarket, go and put 26 blocks of butter in your shopping trolley and marvel at how awesome you are 😉

Morning, Neil im impressed with your weight loss the teachers strike was yesterday wonder if they achieved anything …

If i said im losing my turkey neck, would you think i was really crazy, i dont normally look in the mirror, but i caught myself this morning lol my face is changing and my double chins are disappearing no one is noticing, this not weighing yourself does have down sides…

The vegetable soup was great made 24 serves came out to 243 cals per serve and thats me being generous so they are in the freezer now.. the fast days where im having nothing till dinner seem the norm now, but im pretty sure im overeating on the days between but as ive still got alot to lose im not too worried… im finding it hard to set goals like you all have, any suggestions would be helpful, having wheels does seem to stymie me on occasion

Having this forum is great your posts are great to read, i printed out anzacs stir fry im yet to give it a go, i have found capsicums dont like me, same as cucumbers so have to leave them out…

Fasting day today, not sure what i will be eating, will admit im not hungry so lots of water…

Thanks for being here, have a great day

Good morning fellow losers

I will be very glad to see the back of this week. It is the second week of all-day workshops with food everywhere and I’m mostly finding what they talk about complete gobblygook as I’m not up on the terms and acronyms. I can’t keep interrupting with questions as they are struggling to get through the massive amount of testing as it is. GAH! I’m also missing my WFH day(s) badly. Maxx called a family meeting to discuss why Mum is coming home so late and is so tired she can barely play with him.

Crazy, you can substitute lots of other veges in the stir-fry. I’m fussy when it comes to veges and don’t like many hot ones. I love salad but as Quacka and others pointed out salad veges don’t fill you up as much. Good luck with your goals, my only advice is to make them small and manageable so you can achieve them quickly and move onwards and downwards with more motivation

Betsy, I too despair sometimes when I think about how much I have to lose and now, how little time to do it before the big holiday. We will get there

So day three of no starchy carbs and I’m finding it a bit challenging but not too bad. It helps to be so busy but does not help to have junk food all around me. I discretely move it away as much as possible but honestly I’m not that tempted….just the odd moment of madness when I want to gobble it all then I tell myself how many calories or how much it will set me back and I ignore it. A bit like your reluctance to fess up LJ – I don’t want to have a non-result to report at tomorrow’s weigh-in.

Thin, I thought about your comment about the 2 tsp of olive oil being non-satiating but we have tried olive oil spray and it was just too dry. I think it helps make it more palatable so I’m happy to ‘spend’ the 80 cals.

What a lovely post Penguin and I am so envious of where you live (except for the cold). I am so over city living and would love to retire to a rural area where village life is so friendly and community minded. That’s why I love our little weekends away down the South Coast where people actually look you in the eye and say hello everywhere. Here, the mind-set is ‘don’t make eye contact under any circumstances’ and people are pushy and rude and any semblance of gentlemanly behaviour is long gone. My father, and others of his generation, would be genuinely shocked to see how many times men shoulder their way to the front of the queue to get on the train etc. Sad really.

Thin, you called me young the other day and I meant to say thankyou! At 53 and a half I certainly don’t feel young physically, but my brain sure still is. We are all young at heart right?

Ok time for work, have a great day everyone. Oh, and its a FD for me

Quacka, I hope it was a successful FD for you, as it was for me. I’m at an odd weight 58.8kg. Very happy with it though. My leftover bacon and chicken casserole was delicious, hard to believe it’s a FD meal. The OFMs wanted tacos, happy to oblige, mine was heaps better.

Betsy, that’s a lot of weight gone. Yes, it was me thinking you were much heavier from your earlier moaning! Keep it up, you must have gone through some clothes sizes, you’ll get there. I think I heard that yesterday was Melbourne’s coldest ever May day. Did I get that right? We have a 26C start to winter forecast for Saturday in Perth.

LJ, so funny having those internal battles but feeling that accountability here was the most important part. Three cheers for the forum!

Cinque, I expect you are still busy having fun with your sister.

GDSA, sorry to hear you re-gained all that weight back. I’m sure you’ll work it out though.

Anzac, misunderstanding – I didn’t mean to imply that the oil in a stir-fry wasn’t satiating. Just asking the question. I’m sorry that you have to endure such rude commuters every day. Is it city life? Or just a different era that we yearn for? I don’t know what’s happened to basic manners such as throwing up your hand when someone invites you to proceed in front of them. How hard can that be? Or not pushing your way inside a door when someone is exiting. Thankfully, I can still elicit a smile and a ‘good morning’ from most people when I’m on my daily walks. I think generally, people have become self-absorbed and pre-occupied with self-importance. There’s less emphasis on pulling together for the common good such as our parents experienced during ‘the war’. More emphasis on everyone’s a winner – it starts in primary school. And yes, you are young!

Penguin’s country life does sound idyllic. You have painted a marvellous picture for us, Penguin. In whatever medium you choose.

Rosy, it sounds like you’re operating at maintenance!

Crazy, nice to have only one chin.

Must get on with a very busy day. Have a great one all, especially CalifD, Cinque, Anzac and the other Thursday fasters.

Cinque, there you are! Congratulations on four years of 5:2! Here’s to smugness and continued improvement.

Challenging FD with stress and proximity of food. Hanging in there…..

Thinking of you, Anzac. Just a little while to go and think how good your FD dinner will taste. 🙂