Thanks Penz, Anzac, Cinque & Betsy for your good wishes.

Penz, yes, the Aussie names do explain what you’re looking at/for. The White Cockatoo. The Wattle Bird. We won’t be getting a ‘forever’ home anytime soon. We have a little bucket list adventure to take care of first. More on that later.

Betsy, have you considered Thailand for your crown (should you need it)? I had one done in February there and can highly recommend the BIDC which we’ve visited several times now for various procedures including an implant. Just a thought, not for everyone of course but worth googling if you want quality dental work at reasonable prices. Hope you feel better soon.

The posts aren’t coming as thick and fast as a few weeks ago. I can almost keep up.

Last day before weigh-in. It’s school holidays over here so my kids don’t have swimming lessons like they normally do so I’m pondering a solo visit to the pool to make up for the lanes that I usually swim when the kids are in their lessons, either that or a second gym session.

Betsylee – Nadal is through to the quarters along with Federer and Djokovic. I always hope that someone knocks him out of tournaments because I really can’t stand Nadal at all. I find him arrogant and bad tempered. He always seems to find something to complain about and always has an excuse when he does get beaten. If you look at his press conferences he’ll never just say that his opponent was better than him. He’ll always say that he was recovering from an injury, or an illness, or he didn’t have a good enough buildup, etc.

I’m really disappointed that Barty went out last night because I really like her as a player. I’m really impressed with her temperament. She doesn’t seem to get flustered when things aren’t going her way, she doesn’t seem to fire up and yell at officials like some of the other spoiled brats on tour, she doesn’t do that stupid grunting and shrieking, she was also humble in defeat, unlike many of the other players

“Overall I didn’t play a poor match. When I needed to, when the big moments were there, Alison played better today. Tough one to swallow but I lost to a better player.”

Hopefully she will be a force for the future. At just 23 she has plenty of time.

Sorry for all the tennis talk, but I’ve been playing since I was 8 years old and its a real passion of mine.

Lost my post! Should have known better as I’m never ‘signed in’ these days, don’t know why. It was only to say Anzac, I am sorry to read that this job is still causing you anxiety. I bet you’ll be a star. I found that you need to lose quite a lot of weight before anyone says anything. But now that Cinque has made her comments, I suspect she’s right too. Oh no, the heater drama drags on – could you buy a little oil heater to plug in? And, the gorillas will have to wait until DD can join us. Slept in to 5am, yay. Klond, how’s your adventure going? LJ, haven’t seen a post from you lately, hope all is well.

Quick check in as I’m on the computer early. Spoke to the dental receptionist, and from a check of my records, it looks like I might have actually lost a small filling from the side of the tooth, rather than part of the tooth. I hadn’t realised there was another filling there. So, probably not an expensive dental cost after all, thankfully, just a filling replacement, and not too urgent provided I keep the area free of food, so will go next week when I hope to have much less of a cough.

However, the sagas continue – woke this morning with a black eye! How? Must have scratched my eye during the night and broken a blood vessel. It’s not too bad – looks rather like I have kohl lining around half the eyelid – but still noticeable. Sigh!

Thin, good suggestion re Thailand had I needed a crown, except that for me, adding the cost of accommodation and airfare would negate the gain in cheaper dental work. It would work if I had to get a lot of work done, though. A friend of mine from work went to Malaysia to get tooth implants done, due to cost. Worked well for him.

Neilithicman, I’m also a tennis enthusiast, just didn’t want to write too much and maybe bore others who didin’t share my interest. Yes, great respect for Barty’s gallantry in defeat, and her general court demeanour. Maybe mean of me, but I was not unhappy to see Bernard Tomic out in the first round and Nick Kyrios in the second.

Anzac65, hope the presentation goes well. I agree with Cinque about your friends, and remember that cameras are known to add about 5 kg to apparent size. That’s why models have to be so skinny.

Cinque – whew, so glad you caught the maintenance guy at the right time, but what a nuisance with the heater! I hope they give you a new one soon, and one which works more efficiently and effectively.

Despite my sagas, so glad to be feeling generally much better and looking forward to further weight loss. Somehow despite the “extra” eating and the cortisone, I’m now 0.3 kg down on the start of July. Hmmm! Might have something to do with my NFDs in my usual eating pattern? Might have to look at that.

Onward and downwards everyone.

Hi all.
I’ve been laying low for a few days as there’s been a battle of wills going on between the virus and my immune system. Every time I think I’m winning, the virus bounces back and brings new symptoms with it. The weirdest thing was the all over body aches that made my flesh feel like it was all completely bruised – it made finding a comfortable sleeping position rather difficult. Thankfully that symptom has gone this morning. It’s quite disconcerting to see a virus morphing into something new every few days – just when I think it’s over.

I had to cancel the planned Sunday family dinner as I couldn’t have manged all that cooking and would prefer to keep my germs to myself. Unfortunately I’ve also had to postpone my infusion, which was due today, as I can only have it when I’m completely well.

I’ve been skimming posts but not keeping up properly. I’m really struggling for energy at the moment. I will get back into things when I’m better.

Good morning everyone

I’m on an unusual Tuesday FD today thanks to a little yukky tummy bug and a day off work yesterday. I’m glad that I did eat yesterday though because it made me feel a lot better, even if it was boiled eggs and soldiers!

Betsy, I hope your run of sickness and injuries ends now.

Thin, great to hear you have sold your house and have some great adventures to look forward too. Love how you are keeping us all hanging and just giving out snippets of information lol 😉

Cinque, I am amazed at your attitude regarding your heating although I understand that getting worked up and cranky isn’t going to make it happen any more quickly (that would still be me though lol). I really hope it is sorted soon.

Anzac, I am soooooooo over winter. I am counting down the days now. Love your mantra and just keep going. People will notice very soon but as Cinque says they may be too polite to say so. I found out that people had noticed my weight loss a year after they had actually done so! They just didn’t want to say anything. I guess they also noticed when I had piled it on…..

Neil, I received my little package of Canterbury Biltong last week. I ordered a few different flavours in small 45g packs just to try. Yummo!!! It says on the packet that they should be eaten within three days (or stored in a paper bag), well no worries about that here. I really like the one with the coriander flavouring and the chilli is nice too but I like it hotter. I have also ordered some from a company in Western Australia that has just arrived at work today. I’ll take a photo so you can see how big the bag is!

Ok better go as it’s now afternoon. Take care all. Talk soon

https://i.imgur.com/2ofJIZD.jpg

LJ I hope you feel better soon, I am worried about you. Please let us know how you are going regularly if at all possible

On the train home, presentation went ok but have another avalanche of work now. Others stay until all hours of the night but I refuse. I’m 53 and I’ve been there and done that so much during my working life.

Quacka sorry to hear you weren’t well yesterday. Hope your FD went ok today. Hubby has made a fresh batch of Turkey
bolognaisee for me to have in cos leaves tonight and I’m very much looking forward to it. I had a small chicken salad for lunch.

Cali that no alcohol beer sounds nice. I’m not much of a beer drinker but, like you, enjoy one on a hot day

I love Ash Barty too and was sad she didn’t win. Tomic and the other idiot should just disappear and stop being such apalling role models

My train is running late so looks like I’ll miss the bus at the other end. Sigh. Hubby and Maxx will pick me up so I don’t have to wait 30 mins but it means a 15 minute drive to the station in the traffic and a 5 minute trip home. I’m sure Maxx keeps the driver behind amused by staring straight out the back window of the hatchback

Have a great evening

Just a quick one as I head off for work.
Cali, thank you for the information about the cataract surgery. The hospital rang yesterday for a postop checkup, and they said it would take two to three weeks, and although often people say the improved sight is immediate, it’s more common for it to take longer. I am sure it will settle.
Neil, congratulations on that amazing loss. It’s truly commendable you’ve done this with such commitment and in a relatively short time.
Betsy, hope you’re feeling better. What an awful time you’ve had.
Cinque, any warmth yet? Did you have a fun day with the little one? (of course you did 🙂
Thin, very pleased for you for the house sale, and with such a great result. But I’m also very sad that dreadful neighbours can make your life such hell that you sell up after 25 years. Looking forward to hearing more about the great adventures you have planned.
Anzac your work sounds like hell. Maybe after the holiday it will be time to look for another one?
How are you feeling now LJ? It’s good you know when to call halt on activities that will put more pressure on your health. Hope you are getting better.
I must say it’s only now that I’m improving than I realise how the ‘flu knocked me around. What an awful virus this year’s version is. I’m not feeling much like work today, but it’s my ‘usual’ job. From tomorrow, I get a load of new work that requires a lot of reading and getting my head around …and dealing with different people, which is always the challenge. I also am working at a new location on Tuesdays, which is lovely but it’s public transport or a significant parking fee. I am starting to agree with my dear DD, who asks in the kindest possible way whether it’s time to rethink work.
Quacka, I love the bottle for perspective in your pic. That is one sizeable package of Biltong.
To all the other tennis tragics, isn’t Ash Barty a classy young woman? ‘It’s only a tennis match. I’m disappointed but will be ok in an hour. The sun will come out tomorrow’. Her parents must glow with pride. (and don’t get me started on the screamers and grunters). I will have one final grumble. The commentary? I could scream when the commentators go on with their totally irrelevant chat, during points, instead of respecting the players and commenting only on the play or, here’s an idea, staying silent.
Hope all of you who aren’t well are feeling better, and those of you with tough work days ahead get through well.
I’m not across all of the posts, so sorry to those I’ve missed.

Thanks for the encouragement guys, I treated myself with food. I know it’s not advised to use food as a reward, but mine isn’t junk. It’s roasted macadamia nuts. I love them but they’re prohibitively expensive over here (between $70 and $90 per kilo) So today I got myself a little bag of them as a treat.

Hi everyone. Still feeling unreasonably exhausted and needing afternoon naps, but I think (hope) that is the last hurdle to getting back to normal.
Now that I have a normal temperature and clear lungs the nurse is happy to go ahead with my infusion tomorrow. I would normally do a FD before an infusion but I did one on Monday and it felt too soon for another so I’m just doing a tightly CD today and hope I get away with that.

Quacka, good for you sticking to your FD. You also learned that the biltong is both tasty and filling. Now that you’ve had that first taste hopefully rationing might work.

Cinque, so glad that heater is finally fixed. Given the comedy of errors that have occurred so far, I’m betting that if “Joe” puts in his report, you are likely to have another contractor show up with a new heater at some point.
I saw the full clip of the dancing cockatoo on the ABC news this morning – very entertaining.

Neil, what a wonderful outcome. Well deserved result. How lovely to have some new goals that would have felt like such a distant prospect when you first started this journey. I have no doubt that you will knock these new goals for six too. (Cali that’s a cricket reference, in case you are wondering.)

Lindsay, it sounds like you are barely well enough to be back at work. It is the blessing of retirement – you recover at your own pace and not when you start worrying about how much sick leave you’ve taken or the backlog you’ll be returning to or because you feel guilty about colleagues doing your work. Much less stressful when your body gets to dictate when it’s ready.
I think we all know when it’s time to retire and I’m sure you will too. There may also be a part-time option available if you prefer the idea of easing out gradually. I worked part time for a decade before I was ready to accept that I’d be better off retired and was ready to face up to all that entailed.

Betsy, you really have been in the wars lately. Good to hear you are feeling better though and I hope you can get that tooth fixed easily without it breaking the bank. If you are worried about the cough then ask the dental receptionist – I had to do that for my last appointment. Mine said that because the dentist & nurse are wearing masks that they don’t mind, as long as you can control the coughing enough to allow the procedure to be done.

Anzac, it sounds to me like you have the right attitude to the madness at your current place of work. We do get more pragmatic as we get older – it’s one of the benefits. It’s times like this you must be grateful to be a contractor rather than a permanent employ who feels stuck there for years.

Cali, I don’t recall “Years and Years” being shown here yet. We do get a lot of BBC series on either our ABC or SBS networks (the government funded channels) so we may get it eventually.

Did anyone see the last episode of “Medicine or Myth”. They did a trial of fermented foods/drinks on people with gut issues. Everyone consumed either 100g of fermented food (eg kimchi) or 100ml fermented drink (eg kefir) daily. They had excellent results with improvement in gut symptoms within 2 weeks.

A week ago there was a house across the street from mine. Now there’s a vacant building plot. These photos are from Friday and this morning. https://imgur.com/a/s3lEpQc The house was old, dilapidated and ugly so it was always going to become a development site at some point. I hope they choose a nice design for the houses that are built there.

I’m feeling in need of my afternoon nap now. Have a good day.

Hi all, what a lot of positive news to celebrate.

Yay Neilithicman on such successful weight loss. You are (maybe?) inspiring me to push myself a little harder with it for me, too. Over the past months, I’ve just been enjoying the process, knowing that the trend is DOWN!

Actually, on that note – while my weight is about stable, my waist measurement has decreased slightly, more than 1 cm, so all I can say to that is – it’s about time!

Thank you to all the well-wishers. Yes, finally feeling much better. More post-flu weariness now more than anything else, with a residual cough. LJoyce, the dental receptionist made my appointment for next Tuesday because she felt I would be more comfortable, with less coughing by then, especially as it turned out to be a lost filling rather than anything more serious. They’d have seen me earlier had it been urgent. But – good news for you, that your infection has finally lifted, and I do hope the infusion goes well tomorrow.

LindsayL, glad you’re also recovering well from the flu. Nasty one around this year, with it mutating after they’d made this year’s vaccine.

Neilithicman and Quacka, bought some Bilitong, just 45 gms. Have to say, though it’s probably much more healthy for me, I probably won’t buy it again. Prefer my protein bars, if I need a protein lift, and will mainly avoid beef jerky.

Cinque, yay for a working heater, plus carbon monoxide monitor. What a relief to get someone who knew what he was doing.

CalifDreamer, yes, I wondered if the bleed around the eye could have been caused by the cortisone, but equally likely to be due to me accidentally rubbing it or something as I slept. I took a photo of it, so will show the doc next time I see him, good idea.

Anzac65, glad the presentation went well, and lovely for you to have the fortitude to leave work behind you at the office!

Penz, chuckled at your “things come in threes” – not superstitious, but I’ll take it.

Thin, where will your “bucket list” of places be taking you? Wherever, have fun!

GDayfromSA, any updates on the work you’ve been doing with the veranda?

Intesha, hope you’re coping okay, and adjusting to the life changes that have occurred.

Let’s keep on keeping on, downwards!

Morning all. Leaving in a few minutes for work. New stuff today, and new buildings to find, so quite stressful. The upside is that I’ll cover a lot more steps than usual, getting from one to the other.
LJ hope the infusion goes well and you continue to feel better. Afternoon naps are just the ticket til you are back on your feet.
Cinque what a saga with the heater – hope it’s now warm and safe, and keeping you toasty. I do love your second tradesman’s critique of the first. Hard to disagree with him isn’t it?
LJ after work yesterday I had to agree that I’d gone back too early. I had retired (sort of). I gave up my career work a decade ago, but then worked overseas for a few years, before coming back, finishing my PhD (finally) and starting what was to be part-time work. But it’s grown and grown (in volume and intensity) and I need to rethink why I am doing it. My OH has had some pretty serious health issues and who knows what the future brings.
Glad you’re feeling better Betsy – yes, nasty flu, which hangs around for a long time. It was the mutated version I had (my doctor loves showing me Health Department stats, just to prove it was good I had the flu shot and it wouldn’t have stopped this strain). And so good to say goodbye to 1 cm off your waist. How lovely to have some wriggle room in your waistbands.
I had my first FD since I got sick, yesterday. I’m not doing without carbs yet though – I feel I need them. But soup lunch and grilled chicken and steamed veggies last night, and I was a comfortable 400, so had a square of my old friend, Mr Lindt, and an early night. This morning I was .9 kilo down, so feeing pretty happy with that. Another FD today, so another two or three hundred grams would be a good outcome I think.
Have a good day all.

Hi all

Have been lurking and then lost a post but hopefully I’ll be more successful this time.

Quakka. I’m liking biltong too and great that you checked the calories so that you didn’t lose your FD. You are sounding so focused. You seem to have found a new resolve. Well done

LJoyce. Really sorry to hear how unwell you have been. Thank goodness that you have been able to have your infusion. You wouldn’t want to be dealing with viruses and inflammation at the same time. You are right that retirement allows us to set our own rhythms. It is one of the blessings.

Neil. I don’t know how to congratulate you without repeating myself. You must be so healthy these days, and looking so good. A little food treat, you know how to manage that. Onwards and downwards, we can achieve our goals together, I’m also hoping to be at goal for my big birthday in October, including running a 10k fun run a few days before. Its not far now.

Lindsay. Glad that you are over the acute stage of your flu/pneumonia. It must have been quite worrying to lose your sight so quickly, the people I know who have had cataracts had a slow development and were able to plan surgery. All had brilliant outcomes although my sister who had her first one done this year has such good sight out of that eye that she wants to get the other one done straight away so that they match. Good that OH had a good result, reducing any medication is a bonus. I have to put in a vote for retirement, there is nothing quite like it as long as you can fund your chosen lifestyle. I hope you don’t take too long to get your energy back.

Gday. No wonder you are losing weight and clothes are loose. You will have the shoulders of a weight lifter and no ‘wing flaps’ on your arms. You and Quakka both seem to have your mojo well and truly back. Congrats on achieving your aims and well done with appreciation the benefits of no alcohol. Too many people only see what they are missing and not noticing the positive gains.

Cinque. I have just followed the saga of the heater to its conclusion. Almost a miniseries. Glad it is finally good news and the extra bonus of the alarm as well. I thought of you on Sunday as I had a FD as well. OH and I had a lovely meal on Saturday night, fairly controlled but did include desert. It was OH who said let’s have a FD on Sunday instead of Monday to counteract it. I couldn’t disagree when he was being so proactive. I hope you felt better after your visitor left and Miso is back in her routine.

Anzac. What a great idea to have your mantra right where you need it most. Now we know why you need an outside bathroom, you just need a high pressure hose and a good mesh over the drain and you can clean up all that dog hair. He looks quite proud of his interior decorating. Well done on your in home shopping and the downward trend on the scales. You are sounding much more upbeat these days. Oh dear, just saw your last post, sorry that work is so hard but how nice to have such a loving family to come home to

Penz. How is ‘dry july’ going. Has it helped your sleep and also your scales. Not a drinker myself but so many people say that even a few drinks can sabotage their eating decisions. I hope your current dog is tolerant and copes with the new addition.

Aurorin. Welcome, you have made impressive progress and you will find this community is very helpful. I was also 90kg when I started in December 2018 and a real couch potato. I haven’t embraced exercise quite as well as you but I can now jog 7.5k and I try and do a Parkrun regularly. Do you have a local Parkrun you can join in, its good because you get an official time and can see your improvement. I am now down to 67kg and originally aimed for 65kg but feel confident I can easily get to 63kg and maintain there. Look forward to hearing more about your success.

Cali. Sounds like you are enjoying a nice mild summer so far. Cocky’s are renowned for their destructive habits. They can destroy wooden eaves and balustrades very easily. You have to wonder if it knew the purpose of the spikes and resented them. Glad that you weren’t affected by the quakes, they must be frightening for those who go through them.

Betsy. I hope your convalescence is short. Yes, three is the magic number so you should be right from here on. You have done well to even think of eating wisely and I hope that you get your reward on the scales soon. This must have thrown out your research schedule so hopefully that will be on track soon without too much stress for you.

Thin. I do get the prize. You must be going through all the emotions at the moment. So a major downsize is happening and you are dusting off the bucket list. It’s a pity that your neighbours drove you to do this but I get the impression you were already planning a move, just not necessarily now. At least, you have a deadline and once you have reached that and divested yourself of all unwanted baggage, you will feel emotionally lighter and maybe less inclined to be so strict on your eating. DD’s job couldn’t have happened at a better time.Looking forward to the next ‘teaser’ about your plans.

We finished up in Yeppoon today and now heading south. We had a lovely day at the beach yesterday. Bobby loves chasing the little birds and they led him way up the beach until we lost sight of him. I had to jog after him (unintentional HIIT)and eventually carry him back because as soon as I put him down he was off again. He has terrier in him so he is good for short bursts of speed. Back to Bargara near Bundaberg again. Enjoyed this area when we came through on the way up and looking forward to seeing more of it this time. OH made it to double figures on Friday but bounced back today. He is not like Neil and fully committed to modifying his NFD so this might be a pattern. I’m still on 67kg but that is fine. Considering I thought it would take me a year to lose 10kg as it did with WW and up to 3 years to get to goal then i am laughing all the way to the op shop. Best wishes to all with unwanted germs and other stresses, one month of winter down already.

Good Morning all

Lovely to read all your posts. Have I mentioned before how glad I am that you are all here and I am a part of this awesome group? 🙂 🙂 🙂

After missing my FD on Monday I have been all out of whack this week. I did my Biltong overloaded FD on Tuesday and then I was thinking of doing a FD today to make it two for the week. I can’t do proper FDs on the weekend (and that starts tomorrow for me) so today was my last chance. So I was having my cup of tea and thinking about food and I decided not to do a FD today. I will just have a nice CD and then get back to normal next week. I’m holding steady in the 66kgs and really want to get back to the 65s but not enough to try and force a FD when I really don’t feel like doing one. Next week will be two FDs and two CDs and also I am going to have a veggie packed weekend beforehand.
I am cooking a whole duck tomorrow night for dinner (quack quack) hahahaha. They were only $8.99 at our local supermarket which is a half price. Thinking of maybe doing a Asian cabbage salad to have with it but I’m not sure I can pass up the roast veggies especially when the weather is going to be so cold. At least I have a small portion of duck and just a couple of roast veggies I can pad out my plate with broccoli and cauliflower. Maybe the Asian salad will go with the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ok well stay warm everyone and get well or keep well if you have managed to stay away from the lurgies going around.
All the best xx

Hi all. Ljoyce I did watch the M or M show on ferments and I knew the outcome would be good. I recently made 2 x large batches of sauerkraut using wombok and last weekend 2 x large batches of fermented turmeric cauliflower and a jar of pickled capsicum. I can’t wait for the colli to be ready.

The workmen have completed the new verandah over the new shed entrance sliding door and have also extended the newly extended verandah even further – the new bit is only framework as we intend to cover it with shade cloth top and sides to make a sheltered area with filtered light for my herbs etc. The new landing and back steps are in construction as I type. Once this is done the kitchen that was removed and replaced as part of internal house renos will be installed outside so we will have a full outdoor kitchen….I can’t wait.

Looking forward to measuring body measurements tonight. My jeans definitely feel and look baggy when not so long ago they were snug and uncomfortable. Must go do some work

My OH and I often say we’re so bad for each other, so I can well understand Mrs Neil’s apology for making you fat! But you’re doing so well now.

Um, thanks for asking @Klondi, but I’m embarrassed to say my Dry July did not survive its first Friday night test. I have been good in being dry during the working week tho, so if I can stick to that then it’s not a complete bust. Perhaps I should have done it as a charity drive – if I knew people had pledged money to support me and the cause that might have provided the extra accountability I needed to keep me on the straight and narrow.

I love duck Quacka – which supermarket did you get yours from? Nine bucks is a bargain.

Cinque, I just saw your a’good angel’ message, from last Thursday. What a lovely, kind woman you are. I am sorry I missed it on the morning of the op.

Thankyou Lindsay, 🙂
I hope today is a good one.

Klondi, a lovely lot of news. Lucky you are so good at running now, to keep up with little Bobby. Ooh I could do with a day on the beach, but I’d like the ‘sleeping on warm sand in the shade of trees’ sort, rather than the ‘madly chasing a small dog’ adventure. Bargara sounds lovely.

Quacka, well done getting through your out-of-whack week. I hope today is easy. Eating sensibly through the day and enjoying your duck tonight.

Gday, it is all go at your place. Enjoy your measurements this morning!
I agree with Quacka, the fermented turmeric cauliflower sounds delish! I’d love to try it.

Thin, wow, it does sound full on. Your excellent planning skills will be standing you in good stead. Good morning!

Ha Penz, that was a short Dry July. Next year and a charity commitment woud be brilliant.

I didn’t visit my friend as she wasn’t well, my daughter and the littlies visited me instead, so I am just as tired, haha. And I might have eaten too many macadamians when they left. But it was a lovely day. I’ll take today quietly though. Except I really want to make more little pies with LJoyce’s grated veggie crusts. But I’d need to shop first. Maybe I’ll work out all the steps and just go through them one by one. (They will end up being cooked in the middle of my fast day, sigh).

Cheers all for your day.

Good morning everyone.

It’s a bit gloomy here – I missed the good weather while I was sick.

The nurse and I got out messages mixed up – turns out she’s coming tonight not last night to do my infusion. It means my usual FD system is in a complete jumble.

Lindsay, after a day like that it’s hard to have enough energy left to fight temptation. I agree about the flavoured dark chocolate – although my weakness is the raspberry flavoured one – I daren’t buy it, just plain dark.
I love the description of your 6yo grand-daughter – definitely an organiser!

Quacka, I don’t think I’ve ever cooked a duck. I’ve eaten it occasionally in restaurants but that’s it. I’ve heard that roasted potatoes cooked in either duck or goose fat are the best – that’s what the British tv cooks keep saying. I’ll take their word for it as I’ve never tried them. If you do indulge in some let us know how they are.

Cinque, if you roughly calculate the calories you may find that you can have a little veggie pie for dinner on your FD. I am sometimes surprised by the normal meals that I can fit into a FD as long as I’m careful about portion size and add some veggies on the side.

Anzac, You can feel really pleased that you kept to your goal of staying in the 84s during such a difficult week. I think getting through this week without taking your stress out on food is a real breakthrough for you. Ingrained habits like that are persistent and incredibly hard to break. As I mentioned in my reply to Lindsay, when stress is high and we are physically tired, we just don’t have the mental energy left to fight those old food habits that we used to soothe ourselves with. Well done.

GDSA, sounds like that new verandah will serve you well this coming summer. Having an outdoor cooking area in your climate is such a good idea – so too is some extra shade.

Klondi, Bobbi sounds just like a terrier. They don’t like giving up on their prey once they decided what it is. With all the weight you’ve lost at least you can keep up to him when he runs off now.

Hello to Cali, Pens, Betsy, Crazy, Thin, Neil, Penguin, Aurorin and anyone else reading.

I am fasting today.
For the now I will be continuing with Monday/Friday FDs. It seems to require less reorganising to accommodate regular social events. I like the way it book-ends my weekend as I try to confine any indulgent foods to those days.

I am going to bridge this afternoon – it will be my first time out of the house in the last fortnight.

Neil, a big congratulations on reaching the double digits! You’ve done an amazing job with both diet and exercise. And now your final weight goal is in sight. We’re all proud of you!

LJ, it looks like that house across the street came down quickly. I hope the replacement is pleasant to look at. Is your house a replacement for an older one? I know you said it was new and the neighborhood looks established. I’m glad to hear you’re feeling well enough to go play bridge.

Cinque, I love the video of Snow Ball. That bird is so smart. My birds like to dance when I sing to them but they have little sense of rhythm. Isabella will lift one foot up and down though. Thank goodness your heater is finally fixed! It truly felt like a soap opera getting it done. You must be relieved. Small space heaters are seldom as effective as a big one.

Today was my Thursday FD and it was an easy one since I was pretty busy. I spent a couple hours setting up a new streaming device for the TV. I also spent some time looking up info and reading about the Beyond Meat burgers and sausages. I bought some a couple days ago and made hamburgers for dinner. I was truly surprised at the texture and flavor. We were hard pressed to tell the difference between them and a real beef burger. I’ve eaten a lot of veggie burgers over the years, but none came close to tasting as close as this one. I understand they have them at some of the Coles in Australia now too. Has anyone here tried them? Here’s a picture of ours in the pan: https://imgur.com/a/EgpFEI4 I took a photo of the package also, so you could see the nutritional label. They have some beetroot juice which helps with the color, but I couldn’t taste it. The stock for the company more than doubled when they went public in May. Here’s their website: https://www.beyondmeat.com/products/ They aren’t a diet food for calories by any means, but they have 0 cholesterol. We love hamburgers but rarely eat them because of trying to cut down on red meat, so this is really exciting.

Quacka, the duck with Asian salad sounds good. It’s been a few years since I’ve made duck, usually around the holidays.

Lindsay, I like the idea of your Christmas in July. To me it seems more like Christmas since it’s cold there and you can prepare traditional European dishes without worrying about making the house too hot with the oven.

I need to get some sleep. My eyelids feel heavy. Have a great day everyone.

Hi all, good to be checking in again – and yes, thin, I know it’s really late, like REALLY late, but Wimbledon comes but once a year, and I’m trying to stay up to watch the men’s second semi-final between Federer and Nadal, which should be a great match (hope!), but likely to go till after 4 a.m., at a guess. Winner playing Djocovic in the final, so that will be another late evening on Sunday. I’ve some things to drop off to a friend tomorrow, and I warned her it would NOT be before the afternoon. She’s happy if it’s after 2:30 p.m., so that fits my timing well,

Klondikekween, sounds like you’re having a great time with your travels, and getting in a bit of HIIT here and there with your little buddy, too 🙂 . Like you and Neilithicman, I’ve an October birthday, the 10th – big 70 this year. I’d hoped to lose more than I have for then, but…. life happens. I’m now generally much better, so after the last cortisone tablet Monday, it will be back to more serious fasting.

Anzac65, hope you’re doing okay. Sounds like life is fairly stressful at the moment, but well done for maintaining the weight loss.

LJoyce, infusion mix-up – how frustrating. But you’re an old hand at 5:2, so will adjust easily.

LindsayL, great that you’ve managed to lose more than a kg even with the surgery and other health challenges.

Cinque, glad you had a lovely visit from DD and littlies.

GDayfromSA, good to read of the progress with the veranda, etc. Hope the measurements agreed with the clothes – and even if they didn’t, the clothes win. I’ve had periods of NO change in measurements, but my clothes just fitted better.

Speaking of which, there’ve been some great clothing bargains around lately, as shops try to clear their winter stock, and I’ve picked up a few clothes that only just, just fit – they’ll look great with another couple of cms off, and I’m using that as motivation to inspire me on.

By the way, saw the doc today – he’s not concerned about the bleed around the eye, did say it could have been due to the cortisone or equally me rubbing the eye, but we had a really good discussion about asthma control. One thing I’ve never had is a nebuliser. In Emergency Rooms and from specialists, they’ve gone a bit into disfavour, but with the asthma tending to be more severe as I’ve become older, he thinks it’s a good idea for me to have one because it would lessen the need for oral cortisone. Apparently oral cortisone can partly block the immune response which helps fight an infection, and also can affect bones. Anyway, he filled in the appropriate form for me to buy one and claim it via my health fund Extras, plus prescribed the Ventolin for its use, so that was all very positive.

Macadamia nuts, yum! The posts made me hungry for some – not a good idea to snack at 1:30 a.m., so will limit the number. And that blows the TRE! Actually, I most prefer either completely natural, or honey-roasted, but I recently bought a packet of chocolate-coated caramel macadamias, which is what I’ve opened, but… they don’t really appeal, which is probably a good thing.

Goodness, I’m waffling away here. The players are only hitting up so far, so I’m killing a bit of time. Good to see Rod Laver in the Wimbledon stands. And play begins with an ace from Federer. Time for me to focus.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Betsy, hope you made it through the tennis. I was asleep on the couch (well futon now, sold the couch) at 8pm and woke at 11pm. Missed the entire movie I’d started watching. Then I couldn’t sleep of course.

Klond, yes the benefit of selling without an agent is that everything can be negotiated directly between fair-minded people and we we were able to get a longish settlement (not that it seems so whilst I’m in the midst of it all). What a fabulous trip you’re having. I bet you’re an expert in reversing into small spaces now.

Anzac, so pleased that the worst is behind you with that job.

Lindsay, when you put the tree up for your CIJ dinner, does it stay up or get taken down the next day? I couldn’t be bothered! I suppose if the grandies get so much pleasure, it would be worth the effort.

Cinque, I’m catching up with you – I’ve now reached 55.5kg. I’ve been described as ‘gaunt’ which is not a flattering term. I really want to maintain one FD each week so I have a dilemma now. I’m considering a FD tomorrow where I start my day with two frothy coffees, then have nothing to eat until my cauliflower soup at 2pm. I’m stumped by whether or not to plan a fasty dinner. Without you or LJ it seems!

Good afternoon everyone.

I’m having a cooking day – lots of soups, legumes and veggies. Although it will be broken up by a walk with my best friend.

Cinque, I’m making the Nigerian Bean stew that you shared with us. I’m using my homegrown dried shelled beans for it as they are similar in colour and just slightly smaller than the red kidney beans that the recipe calls for.
I’ve never been happy with dried mushrooms – except for porcini. With those I put them in a spice grinder and turn them into a coarse powder and use that to flavour soups and stews. If you have any of the dried oyster mushrooms left you might be able to try that method.

Thin, I have a few suggestions about your shrinking weight and wanting to stay in the FD routine. Could you do an 800cal FD instead of your usual, which from memory is around 350cals? This would allow you the milky coffees and perhaps also a wider range of choices for evening meal. As you will still just be eating one meal it should hopefully still feel like a FD.
The second option is to add extra calories to your NFDs – as you clearly are under-eating for the energy you are using. This can be difficult as you don’t want to add something that’s difficult to remove when you no longer need the extra calories. I’d suggest increasing the fat content, preferably good fats, because they are so calorie dense that you don’t need to add much to up the calorie content of a meal. Perhaps add extra nuts to your lunchtime cereal. For dinner use extra extra olive oil or a little more cheese where appropriate for the recipe. If you like avocado, you could add a small side salad that is heavy on the avocado and dressed with lemon and olive oil.
I think adding the calories this way keeps your diet healthy and it doesn’t add a lot of extra bulk – which is useful, because getting used to bigger portions can be difficult to reverse.

Neil, glad you are finding the walk so easy now. Did you get on ok at the optometrist – new glasses?

Penguin, hope you are heading off somewhere nice. Think of us all here in the cold and rain!

Betsy, did you manage to stay awake for the tennis – that would too late a finish for me. Good find with the clothing.

No I don’t wear glasses, it was a follow-up from my appointment a month or two ago when I had my vision problems. The general consensus from both the doctor and the optometrist is that I had a migraine.