Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

This topic contains 27,857 replies, has 831 voices, and was last updated by  Neilithicman 1 day, 4 hours ago.

Viewing 50 posts - 22,851 through 22,900 (of 27,961 total)

  • Happy 1 year anniversary Neil

    Neil. Mine bounces around as well. I get weighed every day, which at least gives me a daily opportunity to think about what is happening. After today’s fast I expect to be about a kg down tomorrow. Sounds a lot for one day but it is only about 1% of what I weigh. As long as the overall trend is down I’ll live with the fluctuation.

    Just saw LJ’s which came in as I was typing. Happy First Anniversary.

    Good morning everyone,
    Lovely morning here, about to turn into a hot day.

    Such a lot of wonderful posts to respond to! My eye test yesterday (still borderline for glaucoma in my left eye, another check in 6 months) planning time with my sister, and some babysitting kept me too busy to write.

    Welcome home Anzac! Lovely to have you here. Good luck looking for that new job, best decision (I say from 1,000 k’s away 😉 ).
    Ooh what a contented Maxx.

    Hi Penz, lovely to see your post. Ra! Ra! Ra! You can do it! (That’s incase I don’t get back here this afternoon). All those nasty, gripey, desperate hunger signals are the sign that good things are happening in your body and brain! It is only one day. Hmmm, I wonder if you are even fasting today. Well, just in case.

    Gday, yours isn’t a wonderful post, but I am so glad you have let us know what is happening, even though it is so terribly frustrating. So glad you are getting your iron and B12 levels up and finding out how you can see another doctor. How I wish you weren’t having to worry about work at the same time, sending good wishes.

    Ooh dear Lindsay, that is how I swell up if a bee stings me. I hope it is going down now. (And DS’s too). Haha re Mr Lindsay’s temperament, I guess it is quite entrenched at this time of his life.
    Ooh, you have the best artwork for your logo! Just gorgeous.

    Hmm, maybe the problem is in the Health Checker quiz, and not in ourselves?
    Good point about the chickpeas, and I think chickpeas and eggplant go particularly well together.

    I didn’t manage any (extremely) gentle yoga yesterday, but I will today, with a bit of planking as I think my core is made of jelly. Haha Thin, you have to at least lie down on the floor for 5 minutes and and stretch at least one limb!

    Say hello to Spain from me! Especially if you happen on Peniscola, where I stayed for a happy week in 1978!

    Penguin, is this another flood? So glad you are high on a hill. The hailstorms have been dreadful, everything is so extreme.

    And yikes, on the TV they are just now talking about Storm Gloria in Spain, I hope that is not where you are Thin!

    As for cycling up and down big hills, good grief, leave it to Neil! 😀 😀

    Neil, that research sounds interesting (even if we already knew). If the article is easy to find, could add the link when you next post?

    There was some interesting research on Intermittent Fasting posted on this forum https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/related-science-articles-people-might-be-interested-to-read/page/20/#post-304149 An overall look at all the research and coming out very positively for helping with obesity, cholesterol levels, insulin, hypertension, inflammation and some cognitive markers.
    (But still studied mostly in animals and not longterm yet).

    Well, the cosmos doesn’t like us to make things neat (like getting exactly to 86.5kg) so it has sent you a curve ball. But never mind, you know you are doing all the right things and it will show in the long run.
    And the last few kilos are always the trickiest!

    LJoyce, sympathy for a frustrating day yesterday, I hope today is a gentle one.

    Time for coffee. Day before fast day. Best wishes all.

    thanks all. Had a busy afternoon which was good (and distracting) but given I’d already said I needed you fellow SHers to help with accountability I thought I better check in.

    Sadly I can’t check those pic links on my work computer but I can only imagine what kind of welcome you got from Maxx. Bet he’s so pleased to have his pack back together. And what kind of pooch is Rosey?

    I’ll have to introduce you to my two – 12 yo cattle dog Musket, and crazy manic 7 mth old Friday (also a cattle dog). A lot of fun but the energy levels of that pup are sometimes hard to deal with!

    Lots of posts here these past few days! Anzac, welcome back. Maxx certainly looks happy to have you back. Good to hear that you’re looking into finding a dIfferent job. Your present one seems so chaotic and stressful.

    Thin, great to see you posting here more regularly. Have a wonderful time in Spain!

    Gday, I’m sorry to hear that your blood tests looked so confusing. Low iron and B12 are easy to supplement, but it sounds like you need a doctor that’s willing to go over everything in detail and maybe order further tests. A couple people mentioned going to a larger city nearby to find a better doctor. Even if you had to go a long distance, you could probably have that doctor order tests close to home and only visit him occasionally. Some doctors around here do video calls which could be a good thing in your case. Are you eating any probiotic foods? We keep reading so many good things about the benefits. Kefir seems to have a lot of different strains of good bacteria, especially the homemade kefir. It’s kind of a pain to keep it going because it’s done in 24 hours or less, but refrigerating it helps to slow it down once it’s finished. Anyway, I hope you feel better.

    Welcome to the new people and welcome back to Penz. 5:2 is a great way to lose weight.

    LJ, sorry to hear about your mixup on the massage therapist but it sounds like you got in a nice walk while waiting to see your GP. Walking is such good exercise. Cinque, I keep threatening to take up yoga and one of these days I will. I’ve only read good things about it. Since I have a few books on it and Netflix and other streaming TV channels have guided programs, I don’t have many good excuses.

    Penguin, it’s good to see you back here posting again. I hope the doctors get a plan going for Mrs. P’s foot. That’s been going on for too long.

    Neil, happy 1 year anniversary of 5:2 and fasting. All this talk about eggplant got me cooking an eggplant concoction of my own imagination tonight with cubed eggplant, onions, garlic, tinned diced tomatoes, chickpeas, chopped red capsicum, coconut milk, curry powders, cumin and fresh chopped cilantro. It turned out so well. I was hoping to have it last 2 days but the 3 of us didn’t leave a lot for tomorrow. Chickpeas and eggplant are a great combination in a curry. I should have written down exactly what I added so I could recreate it. But I guess I could come pretty close.

    Lindsay, those bee stings sound painful! Do antihistamines help with the swelling? I love those honey labels.

    Post FD report. Down 3 lb/1.36kg. Weight now 220 lb/100 kg, BMI 25.7. That leaves me 11 lb/5 kg heavier than my best since I started 5:2.

    Lots of posts overnight, or my overnight. I’ll read them in detail later – OH and I are going into town. My spices are getting low and whilst I can buy small quantities of expensive ones locally, in town there is a Bangladeshi shop where I can get the real things cheaply. I prefer to buy the seed and roast/grind my own. Doing it in the coffee grinder does wonders for the coffee. There is also a good book shop. OH needs no excuse to come with me.

    Penguin, no need to be envious; I spoke too soon! On Monday, we drove south to Cabo de Gata National Park, totally oblivious to the storm sweeping much of Spain including Mojacar where we’re staying. We returned to witness a lot of wind devastation and the news that Alicante (where we’d spent our first week) was covered in snow! Hard to believe we’d been strolling the beachfront in the sun just days before.

    Cinque, what were you doing here in 1978? Was it the Aussie obligatory two year working visa tour of Europe?

    Sorry for all those experiencing health problems. CalifD, I concur with the use of kefir, handed down grains preferably. Healthy gut = happy body. Sadly, I had to give mine away when I left Perth but pleased to have found more grains while pet-sitting over Christmas. I look forward to harvesting them when we return to the boat. Kefir might not be the answer to everything but it’s a good place to start.

    Anzac, what a trip you’ve had! I laughed at your zero motivation comment. I bet you and OH made so many wonderful memories. Maxx must be in heaven. I agree with the hats, gloves, scarves on/off rituals. I’ve never worn a beannie before and it’s great for covering up a bad hair day – but then you have to remove it!

    Penz couldn’t agree more about the craziness of pups. Rosy is an Irish Setter, so her puppy stage will last a long long time. Love to see pics of your two.

    Maxx looked so happy to be home Anzac. And you too, after such an amazing holiday. The business of getting in and out of cold weather gear can be a trial if you’re not used to it. We found that in Ireland and Scotland last January, coupled with battling a 5 year old and a 2 year old into coats, scarfs, boots etc. The 2 year old didn’t understand why she had to wear a coat because she was very warm. It got to the stage where her parents had to dress her outside, so she’d know it was cold out there.
    Cali I take an antihistamine as soon as possible after I’m stung but of course it can take a while to get up from the hive and make sure there are no bees still trying to get in. The effects are after the antihistamine, so I guess it would be much worse without. But it’s minor, if unattractive – I hope you are going okay and feeling more your usual self.

    G’day do you have a plan to tackle your test issues? You have so much stress in your life at the
    moment, which isn’t good.

    Ooh Penguin your trip to town sounds just the ticket. Fresh spice…mmm…..I can almost smell them being roasted and ground.

    How are you this morning Cinque? Unusual for me to post before you.

    I’ve been doing a different version of 16:8 5:2. I felt a bit off after the last sting, so didn’t eat dinner on Sunday night. Wow, good result. So I’ve avoided dinner each night since, eating my first (and only) meal at around 11, and finishing eating by nibbling a small handful of nuts at around 2pm. It’s resulted in a 1.8 kilo drop, which has put me in a nice place. Nowhere near my goal, but back to a point where I can see it. Onwards and downwards, as Merry says.

    Good morning and happy Thursday

    It’s going to be very hot today in Sydney – 41 degrees. Thank goodness for air-con

    I’m spending this week getting used to smaller portions before I start 5:2 with earnest next week. It isn’t going particularly well as I’m out of practice managing supposed hunger that is actually boredom/stress food cravings. I also need to figure out a way to get more exercise and I think I need to get up a bit earlier (although it’s already early enough at 5.30am!) and get on the exercise bike. It’s just too hot to walk at lunch time although I do go for a wander around the underground shopping centre under the train station where it is air conditioned. The only problem is everyone else in Sydney seems to have the same idea and it is so crowded you can’t really get a good stride going. I always say ‘I’ll do some exercise when I get home from work’ but it never eventuates. By the time I have a play with Maxx, have a swim, help OH with dinner prep etc I’m too tired. I miss walking walking walking all day like we did for 6 weeks.

    Welcome back Penz. Your pooches sound lovely, if a little energetic! Our Maxx is a large Labrador and tends to wilt in the heat and it saps his energy – but not his enthusiasm for his food of course.

    Thin, that storm must have been something to behold. Glad you have a ‘normal’ place to stay for a while where you can cook and freeze portions. It sounds like your DD is enjoying her time over there and enjoying her job

    How did your bathroom renovations end up Cali? I hope you are feeling more yourself soon

    That is a great drop Lindsay! Awesome

    Maxx is showing signs of anxiety any time OH isn’t within sight. He went to the shops as soon as I got home on Tuesday and Maxx wouldn’t budge from the front door. I was even putting washing away which is normally fun for him as he tries to nick socks and undies but nope, he just wanted to wait for OH to come home. Also this morning OH and I were downstairs and Maxx was upstairs and couldn’t get past the baby gate. He started barking and whining until OH started back up the stairs again. I hope this is just a short-lived thing as a result of us being away for so long.

    Time to do some work. Hi to everyone else and also to our missing posters – I hope you are all ok.

    Good morning from a muddy Melbourne as so much precious topsoil came down in the hours of rain we have had. My garden will appreciate it, but oh dear, the waste.

    Great accountability Penz! Hooray for distractions. Welcome Musket and Friday! (Miso my cat is very glad I only know you virtually).

    Cali, lovely to see your post. I do hope things are getting a bit better for your health and work and renovation wise. It will be a nice day when you can go and do some yoga. Your eggplant dish sounds superdelicious!

    Penguin, nice accountability from you too. Congratulations!
    A good spice shop is a wondrous thing! I bet you had a delightful trip. But good grief! I keep my coffee grinding completely separate from my spices! (although cardamom and coffee are a combination I do love).

    Thin, mad weather everywhere.
    In 1978 I had a friend studying one Architecture class at RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) and as a result we both joined Op Job 1978 (Operation Joe Bradley, lecturer who organised super cheap bulk trip to make sure ignorant little Melbournite would-be architects got to see some cities that were older than 150 years).
    So with a group of 120 mostly young men who still lived at home and spent the whole time a) complaining about their mothers who still cared for them, b) getting very drunk on cheap wine and c) going to discos, I travelled around Northern Europe for a couple of months, apart from one week when three of us took off to Spain and spent a week at Peniscola. (And at the end of the trip my friend and I went and stayed for a wonderful couple of weeks with her relatives in Switzerland).
    Lots of good memories, and likely to be my only trip abroad, so very precious.

    Well, it is my fast day today, but it isn’t going to be super fasty. An 800 calories day I think. It might be my turn to pop back for encouragement this afternoon, I am not feeling very robust.

    Cheers to you all, dogs, cats, parrots and bees included.

    Morning all

    I’m trying a new tact. I’m going to go back to tracking my food over the next few weeks. I think a lot of the issues I’ve been having recently is that I’m not eating enough on non-fast days and then I get cravings for sugary and salty carb-filled snacks. I tracked my eating yesterday where I ate what I normally eat on non fast days and it came to just over 1600 calories, that’s not enough. I’m going to aim for somewhere about halfway between my BMR of 1,800 calories per day and my TDEE of 2,800 calories per day. I also weighed myself again this morning as a special weigh in because it’s my actual anniversary today (a year is 52 weeks + 1 day) I had dropped half a kilo to sit at 88.1.

    I cooked the eggplant/lentil curry last night and again that went down a treat. There were actually leftovers this morning since I cooked a huge pot of it, so I got to take some for lunch today.

    Congrats on a big drop Lindsay, 1.8 kilos is a huge drop.

    Penguin, there’s nothing like some decent spices in your cooking. We have an Indian shop that sells the whole spices as well, and they have a lot of spices that you just can’t get at the supermarkets.

    Cinque, I’m not sure where the research came from, they just listed the details of the main findings in the news story. The study has apparently been run using twins over the last 25 years.

    Hi to everyone else and welcome back Penz. I hope everyone has a great day today.

    Good morning everyone

    I’ve been trying to write a quick post all morning and I just can’t seem to finish it.

    Welcome back Anzac! You will get back into the swing of 5:2, just keep at it.

    Sorry you aren’t well G’day and I really hope that you can find a doctor who will be able to help you get to the bottom of the problem. All the best.

    Just wanted to say that I successfully completed my Monday and Wednesday FD this week and the scales are showing a good drop for me. I was not well on Monday so had to do a FD at home (which I usually have no success at) and even though the afternoon was difficult, I did make it. Yay!

    Better go, work is still crazy at the moment. Thinking of you all 🙂

    Quacka, good to see you here again.

    Cinque, it sounds like you had some great adventures traveling around Europe when you were studying. It sounds like you had a great time. We have finally decide on granite patterns for the two bathrooms and the fabricator has ordered the slabs. The date for removing the old tiles and sinks is 4 Feb, and installation of the new is one week later. All that is left to purchase are new sinks and faucets which are badly needed. That should be easy. So I feel excited about that rather than stressed. All the construction will finally be over in less than 3 weeks.

    Look what I found at the op shop today. https://imgur.com/a/uFbUPJs I will find him a silk rose or a heart shaped box to hold for my Valentines Day decorations. I hadn’t been to the op shop in weeks, mainly because after packing some clothes away so we could move a cupboard while they tore our bathroom apart, I realized just how many clothes I have that I rarely wore. I donated a bunch. I will follow the example of LJ and others here who get rid of something when they buy something new.

    Morning all. I’m putting in the miles on the bike this week. The kids go back to school next week so I probably won’t be able to ride every day. I’ve taken to getting up early and taking the scenic route to work. I’ve done 93 kilometers so far this week and I’m hoping to hit around 130 by the end of the weekend.

    I’m in a happy place today. We had a grassfire across from our office yesterday (no substantial property damage but I fear a local farmer lost his hayshed). Impressively quick response to the firies and air crew (three helicopters!) – thanks to all our firies out there, volunteer and paid. However, our office building lost power. Which is still not restored, so we’ve all been told to stay home today. So this Australia Day long weekend has just got one day longer! Yay!!

    My grandmother used to breed Irish Setters (tho I’ve always known them as Red Setters), LindsayL. Beautiful dogs. Took manic pup out last night for an hour’s walk (well I walked for an hour; he ran) which included a 10 min swim for him. And it still didn’t wear him out. He came home and had to do manic puppy runs around the house; you know the sort, where a dog tucks his tail up under himself, throws his head in the air, and runs, skidding on floor rugs, bouncing off the tv cabinet etc, but does so joyfully. Greyhound owners call this zoomies. I just call it manic puppy. So with unexpected day off, I might head out soon to take him for an even longer run before it gets too hot.

    Ah, Anzac, Maxx being a Lab helps explain his sock fetish!

    Happy anniversary Neil!

    And have a great weekend everyone (and happy Aus Day for my fellow Aussies)

    Good morning from a hot, smoky, dusty Sydney. The overnight dust storm has left my blue car a lovely shade of brown. Ugh.

    How truly sad about the firefighting plane that crashed, killing the three American pilots who were here helping us in our time of need. These fires are relentless and just horrendous. I can’t imagine what it was like while we were away

    Penz, i use the term zoomies as it describes the action so clearly. Maxx doesn’t do zoomies that often but when he does it is so funny and, as you said, so joyful. Lucky you with an extra day off! Where in Australia do you live if you don’t mind me asking?

    Neil, just thinking about those KM’s are making me tired! Good for you

    Cali, your koala is so cute. Please take a photo of your completed valentines day decorations.

    Whoo hoo Quacka for successful FD’s. I look forward (with trepidation) to doing the same next week

    Have a great Friday all

    Good afternoon,
    Lindsay and Anzac had posts that snuck in before I submitted mine yesterday, lovely to read this good chat.

    Such a nasty hot day for you yesterday Anzac, and your turn to get precious topsoil all over the city, with the rain.
    A good pre 5:2 prep week for you!
    So sorry to hear how anxious Max is, I hope he settles. It would be good if he could know you aren’t planning such long holidays ever again, but how to tell him?

    Lindsay, I was too slow writing yesterday, and even slower today.
    I am really interested in how you are starting your evening fast so much earlier. I think that would suit me too, but I have such ingrained fear of going to bed hungry. I am going to try though. I am usually hungriest around 4pm and should try having my last meal for the day then. I’ll think about it!
    Anyway, hooray that it is working so well for you. Nearly 2 kg gone already! Lovely.

    Neil, a food intake audit every now and then, is such a good idea. Especially checking it against your energy output. You will enjoy fitting in more high nutrition food if it is called for.
    Thanks re the research. As you say, what we know already.

    Quacka, woot! Hope you are feeling well after Monday’s illness, and ready for the weekend.

    Cali, hooray the decision is made, and the granite pattern will look beautiful. What a dear little koala you found, they are so much in our minds at the moment.
    All of Australia is mourning your countrymen who so sadly died while helping us fight our terrible fires. They were in an air tanker spraying retardant, so this response touched me so much: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EO9dayDUEAE_EIg?format=jpg&name=small

    Penz, hooray for your long, long weekend, and won’t the dogs be happy too.

    Sending good wishes for everyone’s day.

    Good afternoon

    Cali, I love your koala. What an unusual find in a Californian op shop.
    I second Cinque’s comment, we were horrified to hear that US fire fighters lost their lives, and so close to when they were all about to head home.

    Penz, Anzac & Lindsay, I am enjoying the dog antics stories, they always make me smile – and grateful I’m not chasing after a puppy.

    Quacka, I am glad to hear you are back in the swing of 5:2 again.

    Neil, writing down what you eat can be a really useful exercise. Although I don’t count calories I do keep a food diary, and have done that for years (in an excel spreadsheet). It can be such a useful record for working out what might be connected to weight changes or health symptoms.

    I tried to apply for a new passport a few days ago only to find that my birth certificate is not acceptable for passport applications. So this morning I took the train to the city to go to the state registry as I needed to apply to have my birth record & certificate corrected. In addition to things missing (such as where and when my parents were born), my mother’s name is written incorrectly – her christian names are around the wrong way and spelt incorrectly. Luckily I had the necessary original documents to prove my case, so they took copies of everything and now I just wait. They said it would take a few weeks as there are only 2 senior people who are permitted to alter original birth records.

    What this morning highlighted was how easily you add steps to your day if you use public transport regularly. Just getting to and from the train station at either end was nearly 6000 steps.

    I have just picked a big bundle of rhubarb stems from the garden and cooked them up with strawberries, an apple and some stevia. (I discovered some time ago that strawberries go particularly well with rhubarb.) I’m looking forward to having some with greek yoghurt.

    Tomorrow is baking day as I am going to a buffet lunch and a BBQ dinner on Sunday and have offered to take desserts to both. I’m making 2 types of pavlova and key lime pies (yes I know that’s not very Australian). You see I needed something to make that would use up all the leftover egg yolks and a key lime pie requires lots of them (in addition to a horrifying amount of condensed milk).

    I’ve been giving some thought to how I will handle Sunday food wise. My plan is to have a lowish carb day but with no calorie restriction. That means lot of meat and salads. While there will be lots of lovely desserts on offer I won’t be eating any. If there is something I really want to try, I will ask if I can take piece of home with me and I’ll freeze it. It will be waiting for me when I finish doing Fast 800. I think this will allow me to resist temptation as I won’t feel like I’m missing out. It is important that I don’t ease up on the carb restriction on Sunday as it’s so hard to go back into Fast800 if I do and it’s been going very well for nearly a fortnight now.
    I feel calm about having a food challenge day now that I have a plan.

    Hope you are all having a good day.

    Good morning

    A quick post before I start the baking.

    I had my weekly weigh-in today. A more modest loss this week, but still a loss – 0.5kg.

    Have a nice long weekend everyone.

    Sunday morning, a beautiful, still, pearly grey morning. Melbourne just after 8am.

    I had my Sunday fast yesterday because I’m having a picnic today at my granddaughter’s school, including checking out their school kitchen garden.

    Yesterday was busy too, haircut and having Miss 5 with me for a couple of hours. Then I stopped at the veggie shop on the way home (the fridge is groaning again).
    But I wanted to tell you that I bought watermelon on the way home and then just lost it and over the afternoon I ate the entire piece. Ooh it tasted so good and made me feel so good. Apparently it is very good at hydrating us, so no wonder I love it so much. And then I was nicely replete and didn’t need to eat anything for the rest of the day. I braved google to find out whether I had wrecked my fast day, but no! Even though I might have eaten a kilogram. And I felt so much better than I usually do on a fast day. No ill effects from eating it.
    So I will replicate my experiment (not eating quite so much watermelon!) next fast day.

    LJoyce, I do hope your social eating plan goes well today. It is such an excellent plan, it should work.
    I hope the cooking went well, and the passport hassle is sorted out with no further hiccups. .5kg seems to me like an excellent loss for a week.

    There is a new episode up of my favourite podcast, The History of the English Language. https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/ He discusses mealtime and how breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper evolved. I was interested that breakfast isn’t breaking the fast, ending the nighttime fast. Instead it was a ‘break in the fast’ as at the time the main meal of the day was eaten around noon, and workers would have a little break in their fast, eating a little something in the morning (eg a piece of bread dipped in beer), to get them through to their midday meal. Previously it was considered rude and gluttonous to eat anything before this midday meal. (Previous to that, they ate a small morning meal and then the main meal at the ninth hour of daylight, ie in the mid afternoon)

    My haircut was cutting off the ends and also my clever hairdresser manages to cut a lot of bulk out of my ridiculously thick hair, so I do feel very good this morning. Off to have an early coffee and a break in my fast because I need to do hard work before my midday meal (nudge nudge wink wink say no more).

    Hoping everyone is having a good weekend. Especially you Gday, are you feeling any better? I am so hoping that all that iron and B12 makes a difference. Intesha, Minka, Klondi, are you still lurking? Cheers all.

    It has been a busy couple of days. The trip into town was successful on the spice front. That shop is the only place I know where I can buy Mustard Oil. We have the same conversation every time. I am informed that it is for external massage only because it has not been approved as a food stuff by Europe and I solemnly agree that I know this. Then we smile, because we both know that I am going to cook with it. The book shopping was unsuccessful. I have added Norwegian to my studies and wanted a phrase book, but they didn’t have one. I also wanted a Portuguese book but discounted the one they had. Given my advanced age, marital status and that Portugal is a largely Catholic country, I am unlikely to ask “Do you have any condoms?” The weather has changed it is now about 7 deg C by day and foggy. Foggy enough that I came home at 20 mph and cursed those idiots who thought it OK to drive a grey car in thick fog without turning on the lights.

    Art group on Thursday morning, but I worked at home in the afternoon. The fog was too thick to shoot clays. No gym Friday, we had a tonne of fire wood delivered. It only took 90 minutes to move it undercover from where it was delivered but I spent the morning hanging around waiting for it. Today the fog was patchy – fairly thick on my way to work at the aircraft museum but clear enough there for lots of flying. The floods have gone. Being at the bottom end of a river that rises in the Welsh Mountains, there will be more the next time it rains heavily in Wales, which it will.

    Cinque. I grind more spice than coffee, so I am more worried about coffee in my spices.

    LJ. Getting government documents corrected can be a pain. In 1939 at the age of 16 years my father claimed to be 18 to get into the army. in his 80s there were still two different ages on his documents.

    Penz. Some years ago a rather flakey colleague (lots of style, limited common sense) was summed up as “a human red setter”.

    Cinque. It had to be dipped in beer – you couldn’t trust the water. I still don’t in London, its contaminated with Cocaine by products.

    Thats me about up to date. The weight I lost on FD seems to be staying off, so I’ll give it another good go on Monday and Tuesday.

    Morning all. I had a good ride yesterday, I rode over 37 kilometres around the harbour and back. Unfortunately none of the coffee shops out at the town I rode to were open so I had to hold on until I was back in the city before I got my morning coffee and newspaper. Anyway, that ride took me to just over 130 kilometres for the week so I’m happy with that.

    I agree that the fires really are sad. It’s even more sad to see some politicians are still denying it has anything to do with climate change and are refusing to reduce coal exports saying that “it won’t make any difference” British comedian Russell Howard said it’s like the people of Pompeii looking up at the ash and lava coming down and saying “don’t worry, it’s just a little rain”

    Cinque, if you like language podcasts you may enjoy “The Allusionist” podcast. It’s a podcast based around the history, eccentricities and uses of language.

    Penguin, I needed mustard oil for a recipe I was making one time, the Indian shop I get my spices from had some, but they only sell it in 2 litre bottles, so now I have tons of it lying around that so hardly ever use.

    Well the calorie counting is going ok, I’m averaging between 2000 and 2600 calories per day. I don’t know how my weight is tracking, but I actually feel better than I was when I was only eating what turned out to be 1600-1800 calories. It’s no wonder I was having a day or two per week when I was having a carb/sugar binge and undoing all the good work. Well I’ll find out in a few days what impact it has on my weight.

    Oh and before I go, my latest blood tests showed I was quite dehydrated, probably from sweating lots with all my biking. So I found a good recipe for a home-made electrolyte drink rather than drink those horrible sugary fake flavour/colour ones like Powerade when exercising. It’s 3 cups of coconut water, 1 cup of 100% fruit juice, 4 cups of water, a tablespoon or 2 of honey and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt, all mixed together until the salt and honey are dissolved.

    Have a great day everyone.

    Good morning. I am flat out, getting ready to head over to the Island for some R & R, but felt compelled to reply to Penguin’s colleague’s take on red setters. They do have a reputation for being, ehem, flighty, Penguin, but really the smartest dog I ever knew was our first setter, Kelly, who was adept at opening every gate, handle, lock. She was also agile. If we left a rake leaning against our 2 metre fences, she would shoot up it and over, then go to the side gate and let the other two dogs out, before sitting calmly on the front step waiting for us to get home, while the other two ran amok. Our Rosy unfortunately is a long way from being that calm adult dog we are hoping for.

    The first image shows the damage as we were ignoring her while sitting on the edge of our chairs watching Kygrios playing Simon. She saw a leaf and jumped for it, bringing down the whole shebang.
    https://imgur.com/ElzxLme

    Not content with that, and banned to her bed, she took OH’s hat to keep her company https://imgur.com/U0mQ9OW

    And this morning we woke to this ….
    https://imgur.com/VmEub55

    In between, she is loving and gentle.

    Cinque, I have had 6 days now of substituting 16:8 with 20:4, and it’s been successful, but this morning my weight had stalled, so I went back to 16:8 (and very happy to do so). I also know I find it hard to maintain while packing up and travelling, so am relaxing my intake today, and back to it tomorrow.

    Neil I think your strategy sounds good – you are at goal, so it’s a time to test different options to find which one suits best for good health, energy, and maintenance.

    Thanks both of you for the links to the podcasts – I am going to love them both.

    How lovely and lucky you are, Cinque, to have thick hair. Good too to have a hairdresser who can manage it for you.

    Hope you are all (in Oz) enjoying your long weekend

    Happy Australia Day everyone. It’s my first one and I only found out on Friday that it means I have tomorrow off work as well. Yippee.

    LJoyce – I read the Fast Diet book just after Christmas and I found it very interesting. My TDEE is quite generous at 2422 calories (10135 kJ) because although I’m overweight I do a fair bit of exercise. My downfall is emotional eating particularly when I’m stressed and moving home is very stressful so you can imagine how that played out. I am seeing someone to help me with this and she is also an advocate of intermittent fasting so it’s going well and I’m finding it easier to tell the “hungry ghost” to eff off.

    Neilinthicman – Maybe I should have moved to Dunedin. I’m struggling a bit in the Perth heat which is not helped by the fact I am renting somewhere without air con!! Every evening I get home from work, strip down to my pants and stand in front of a large fan. Too much info I know.

    thinatlast – It’s a shame you’re not in Perth anymore or I’d have liked to have met up for a coffee. I have found another 5:2 faster at work though.

    Cinque – I really think intermittent fasting is a way of life. As I said earlier, I found Alevere (keto based diet with meal replacement) really effective. For some people keto is a way of life but for me it’s too restrictive. You have to be so careful about what you eat because one false move and you knock yourself out of ketosis and then have to spend up to a week trying to get yourself back into it. You also have to be very careful about your salt levels. There’s a channel on YouTube called “Alevere Nick” and he’s on his 3rd round of the diet. Fair play to him for sticking to it and losing the weight 3 times now but it can’t be sustainable if he’s had to go back 3 times now. Plus Alevere is really expensive to do. I may as well have flushed about £6000 down the toilet, yes that’s right, £6000.

    Good morning/afternoon all.

    Cinque, a picnic with the grandies sounds lovely. I’m glad you got away with that watermelon binge. Thanks for the podcast – that sounds interesting, but will have to wait until tomorrow.

    Penguin, will mustard oil become edible after 31 January when European rules no longer apply? There was a time when olive oil (warmed) was only considered useful for cleaning out ear wax!
    I’m sure the records will get sorted, but red tape always slows things down. I’m just glad that I ended up with all the original documents that my parents had for them and their parents, otherwise I would not have been able to prove a thing. (It was lucky I had gotten them from Mum in the 1990s when I was thinking of applying for British patriality, as my dad had a big clear out of his bureau later on and a lot of important documents were thrown away.)
    Moving firewood sounds like a good substitute for the gym.

    Neil, I agree with Lindsay. It’s time to find the right diet balance moving forward.

    Lindsay, I don’t know what to say – babyproofing the house doesn’t appear to be adequate! The drama of not knowing what damage you are going to wake up to will add excitement to your mornings.
    Have a lovely time on the island. I bet Rosy enjoys playing in the water.

    WeeAmy, enjoy that unexpected public holiday

    I did finish the baking yesterday and this morning have added cream to the lemon-lime tarts (I can’t call it a key lime pie anymore as mine has as much lemon as lime in it). The pavlovas will be decorated with passionfruit cream and fruits at the last minute, as pavs don’t stay crunchy otherwise. https://imgur.com/a/tPbFpJA I made mini pavlovas as well for the kids – these will just have cream and strawberries as there are a few of the kids who won’t eat any other fruit on a pav.

    I don’t have far to travel for lunch – just next door, then down to my nephew’s for a BBQ dinner.

    Have a lovely day, whatever your plans are.

    WeeAmy, I just saw your second post. I grew up in rural S.A. without aircon. I remember my mum doing what you described with the fan!

    a quick post as OH packs the car.

    WeeAmy the heat is awful if you aren’t used to it. We don’t have air con either ….we may relent when we get batteries for the solar, but at the moment we content ourselves with a late night swim before bed, which cools us down for the night. Even Australians are suffering in the current weather. (BTW, what part of Scotland are you from?)

    Here’s my tip – freeze a hot water bottle (half full), wrap it in a towel, and pop it between your sheets an hour before you go to bed. You’ll sleep well in a very cool bed, with the added bonus of being able to give it a nudge during the night to judge the time, depending on its level of thawedness (which of course isn’t really a word, but does describe what happens).

    LJ fortunately Rosy sleeps on the back verandah so not much she can do there, now she’s destroyed her bed. A dog breeder friend responded to my pic on FB with ‘oh, the old exploding bed trick’, so I guess it’s not uncommon. She managed to bring down the plant stand and steal OH’s hat while we were sitting not 2 metres away, but absorbed in the tennis. The leaves were fluttering in the fan – what temptation!
    (Great pavs … I wished you could cook for me. You are stellar baker).

    Hello all

    Great cartoon @cinque to commemorate those wonderful American aircrew. Thanks for posting.

    Ha ha Penguin. That made me laugh. I once heard a supervisor nicknamed Epson (the salts variety) because he gave everyone the sh**ts!

    Mani puppy is miraculous asleep. He found a puddle this morning and wallowed in it like a pig, with predictable results. I’m impressed there’s still a puddle around.

    I’m in Canberra, Anzac, experiencing a rare smoke free day. Our poor neighbours have evaporative air conditioning which they can’t use on hazy days as it just floods the house with smoke. I feel for them when it’s really hot.

    Filled a trash pack with garden waste yesterday. As a friend said, it used to be called mulch, but is now called fuel load, and my native garden is full of it. Lots more work to be done.

    Thanks for the podcast links, Cinque and Neikl. I love that kind of stuff! I did a linguistics degree a few years ago purely for the indulgence of it.

    That’s one very innocent looking Rosy! Little Friday likes to hop into our raised vegie bed and help himself. He flattened the silverbeet, ate all the broadbeans and peas and rolled on the kale. He even pulled up some carrots and ate those too., About the only thing that he hasn’t touched are the string beans. At least he’s got a balanced diet! And yep, he’s also done the exploding bed trick (ate Musket’s bed, though, not his own).

    The first half of the year has lots of public holidays, WeeAmy. The second half seems to drag by comparison. And I reckon the next best thing after a long weekend is an unexpected one!

    Happy Australia Day! WeeAmy, if you’re located in an inner city suburb, you’ll no doubt be heading down to the foreshore to watch the fireworks. If you have children, you’ll be going earlier to take advantage of all the activities. And yes, a day off tomorrow. I think I once read that only Malaysia has more public holidays than Australia. Good that you have found a 5:2 colleague at work. Someone who ‘gets it’ is vital when you’re starting out.

    Cinque, that was a great trip – and lots of memories. After all that strange weather, we have 18C forecast today. Not bad for winter.

    Lindsay, I must scroll back and find the photo of Rosy.

    Hi LJ, Anzac, Neil, Penz, Quacka, Penguin, Merry, Betsy, CalifD, and everyone I’ve missed.

    It’s a FD for me. And all I had to do was pull out my frozen portions. I was behaving like a newbie last night and helped myself to a late night small portion of yogurt and cereal. I’d put it out of my mind for several hours and then it got the better of me when it was quite late. Still technically OK but I feel like a bit of a cheat this morning.

    Have a great day everyone.

    Neil. Dehydration can sneak up on you.I had a blood test last week and had to be stuck three times before they got any. Caused, apparently, by dehydration I hadn’t realised I had.

    Lindsay and Penz. I once worked for a guy we called “winter’s day”. He was short, wet and windy. At different times I had several names myself, starting with the inevitable “Tiny” because I was the tallest and widest. Actually I agree, a well trained setter can be a fast, agile worker. They just seem to have a mind of their own.

    Just arrived home and have got the kettle on for a very necessary cuppa.

    The desserts were well received at both the lunch and dinner I went to. I am very pleased to say I managed to eat heartily of the meats and raw veg salads and stay completely away from the bread and desserts. Although I will admit to licking my fingers after cutting up the tarts and cakes. I have a slice of the lemon-line tart and a piece of raspberry cake safely stashed in the freezer for when I’m finished with my low carb Fast800.

    Hope you have all had a very enjoyable day.

    LJ, that’s the way I’d do it too – the freezer is your friend. You’re not missing out if it’s stashed away for a more appropriate day.

    Another perfect Melbourne day,

    Penguin, coffee in your spices, yum 😉 . Norwegian, impressive! I hope you find a more useful resource though!
    Yes, I think most of non-aristocratic Northern Europe started the day with bread dipped in beer back then. (Small beer though, so more like kombuccha.)
    Eep re contaminated London water.

    It is the academic in me that puts in links (if I have any) to what I am talking about, I don’t expect anyone to feel they have to follow them. On the other hand, people who love history and linguistics will probably love that podcast as much as I do. It starts way back with the Proto-Indo-European language and has been gradually working forward. I started at episode one, and now I am going through for the second time, like rereading a great book. Linguistics is wonderful, Penz.

    Neil, I had never heard of Helen Zaltzman, that is an enjoyable podcast, I have it bookmarked now.

    Ooh yum, mustard oil! I wish you could send over a litre (just pop it through the monitor), I have run out. Luckily no warning when selling it here, since the health danger has been debunked. I do have to make a point of using it often to use it up, but I find it works with lots of dishes, stirfries etc.

    Congratulations on getting your calories right and all that fabulous cycling.
    So glad you are getting on top of that dehydration. Eat watermelon too!
    I think I let myself be chronically dehydrated most of my life, and worry that it contributed to my chronic illness. When I used to give blood to the red cross, they got so little out of me they finally said it wasn’t worth it.

    Lindsay, that pup! Yikes, she is trying to outdo Maxx. Well done with your 20:4, and good idea to give it a break to make life easier.
    I am lucky to have thick hair but it is different having it at 60, when it recedes up my temples and the white hair is so bristly. At some stage I will look wonderfully mad old witchy, I hope, but at the moment it is a weird inbetween stage. Very grateful for my hairdresser.

    Happy holiday Wee Amy! Stress is such a comfort eating trigger isn’t it. Or maybe just stuffing food down to stop us screaming! I am so glad you have someone helping you with that side of it, it will be so liberating.

    When I was teaching in the Northern Territory hot season, the shower was my best trick. The cold water wasn’t very cold, but beautifully refreshing. Just getting under for a couple of minutes cooled me down so well, and then the fan cools you down even more. A shower every hour between getting home from work, and bedtime!

    And hooray, isn’t it great that 5:2 costs nothing! (I borrowed the book from a friend and saw the documentary on free-to-air tv). And it is terribly understanding of false moves, exactly because it is for life, not for a limited, strict term. Ooh, this year you will save that money!

    LJoyce, so glad the strategy worked so well.

    Penz, oh no, your poor garden. (Ofcourse, I have a cat issue, she thinks my garden is a particularly grand litter box. Sigh.)
    I can understand you getting rid of flammable mulch, Canberra must feel so vulnerable at the moment. My son in law was caught up in the fire in Canberra in 2003, and my nephew is in Queanbeyan and had to go and stay with a colleague when things got scary the other day. PS I also hear the smoke has come back badly today. Hoping you can stay indoors.

    Thin, you will have had a great day in lovely 18C I bet. And a lovely fast day. Oh dear I still often do that noobie trick of eating a little extra the evening before fast day. So crazy.

    I’ve just remembered that when I did some research on electrolytes I found that a lot of the current drinks have way too much sugar (to make people love them) and all you need is to add a bit of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice to water to get your most important electrolytes, and if we have soup fairly often that will give us the rest.

    I’m off to test how many electrolytes I will get in my coffee 😉 haha.

    We had a lovely picnic at the school, a real community hub with kids playing, yarn bombing going on, and a cubby house being built. A lovely kitchen garden too.

    A quiet day for me (lull day, ie no fast day yesterday, today or tomorrow!)
    Best wishes all

    Morning all, wow we’ve all been busy, so many posts since my last one.

    I had an extra couple of kilometers to ride this morning. I got halfway down the hill from my house before I realized that I had left my keys and wallet at home, so I had to turn around and trudge back up the hill to get them. I had a good weekend, Saturday was relaxation, I went for my ride in the morning, took the kids shopping for back to school stuff at lunch, went out to the A&P show in the afternoon then kicked back with a movie in the evening. Sunday was work day. I got all my hedge clippings from last weekend mulched up, mowed the lawn, chopped and stacked all the firewood, and then picked our blueberries and red and black currants.

    Lindsay, I hop you enjoy your relaxation time on the island, I love getting away, but I hate the packing and travelling that comes before it.

    Penz, I agree on the holidays, after Queens Birthday in June it’s a real long haul until Labour weekend in October. I’ve always thought that someone needs to invent another stat day for August/September

    Penguin, yep, I am still drinking plenty at work (I usually have a couple of cups of herbal tea, a cup of coffee and a 1.5 litre bottle of water each day at work, but I’m guessing that the extra sweat from the bike riding is lowering my salt levels and reducing my capacity to hold fluid. Since I’ve been taking the electrolyte drink my skin in looking better and I don’t have such big hollows around my eyes. It’ll probably hit me on the scales this week carrying extra water around, but I’m certainly feeling better for it.

    Ljoyce, sometimes just a taste of something sweet is enough to satiate you. I read somewhere that eating something sweet after dinner can send a signal to your body that you’ve finished eating and it helps you control hunger in the evening. They recommended eating just a single square of chocolate, so licking your fingers after cutting up the desserts may actually help you.

    Thin, seems like you’re enjoying having access to a freezer again. I wouldn’t worry about a small portion of yoghurt and cereal, it’s hardly going to break the bank. 😉

    Cinque, the picnic sounds awesome, I got on to Helen Zaltzman because I listen to her Brother Andy’s podcast “The Bugle” which is a satirical news podcast and he mentioned his sister was a podcaster too so I looked her up. It’s a really good podcast.

    Well have a good day everyone and a nice easy fast day to those of you joining me in a Monday fast.

    Lindsay L, thanks for the tips. The block I’m staying in does have a swimming pool but it’s out of action at the moment. I’m going to give the cold water bottle a try tonight. I bought a pillow from IKEA that has a gel pad on one side that feels quite pleasant.

    thinatlast – I’m lucky in that I live close to the river so I got to see the fireworks without having to travel all the way into the city.

    Thanks for that link Cinque. I listed to the last 2 episodes of the podcast this afternoon. I was intrigued when he read some passages in the old English – it reminded me of the way some of the Scandinavian languages sound today.
    Very interesting programs.

    FD successfully completed, 700g shed. Neil, last week when I didn’t do that silly thing the night before, I shed 900g. So I blame myself.

    Cinque, white hair? Don’t you henna any longer? The decision to go grey was made for me 6 weeks ago when a hairdresser (and I use the term loosely) sheared me like a sheep, relieving me not only of hair but all remaining colour. I didn’t taken my beannie off throughout Christmas, it looked so terrible. Growing it back from ‘shaved’ has given me the opportunity to get used to seeing myself grey and it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. One less thing to think about when living aboard a boat. I’ve coloured my hair for over 20 years and often wondered what all those chemicals were doing to my head. Six week later and it’s still SO short!

    WeeAmy, glad you got to enjoy the fireworks. I remember once being so hot in a backpacker dorm in Calcutta that we would take a cold shower, wrap ourselves in a wet sarong and sit in front of the fan until dry and then repeat.

    Day 1 of 2 FDs. I have managed to put back on about half of what I lost last week, which for me is normal. As long as the overall trend is down I am relaxed. This morning I started physio for the knee I damaged in November and then came home and gave the fig tree a radical pruning. There is more of that to do, it grows very quickly.

    LJ. I added Norwegian to my list for a mixed bag of reasons (been there, liked it, going again, wife part Norwegian but doesn’t speak it) but mainly because it is reputed to be the easiest of the Scandinavian languages and works anywhere in Scandinavia. I am finding some of it difficult to hear but the meaning of the written is often very easy to guess. I had expected my German to help but so far there are more similarities with English as spoken by a northerner than with German. I find German word order very like old English. If I think Shakespeare and word it accordingly it works – “that pleases me not”. I play old music and early English has very Germanic / Nordic links.

    Grey hair? OH was born with a wide white streak and started to go grey in her late 20s. It has never bothered either of us. Also it makes her easier to find in a busy street! In my extreme age it is just starting to happen to me. The head is still mostly dark but I started to grow a beard and the contrasting black and white sections looked like a badger.

    Hi all, quick check in, as I’ve been AWOL so long that it took me nearly 2 hours to catch up on the posts I missed. It’s now after midnight, and my cat is agitating for me to go to bed, so “hi” for now, and more to come tomorrow. BTW, hasn’t the tennis been great?!!

    Hi all, I hope all the Aussies had a great long weekend. Mine was busy and I didn’t get to finish even one thing on my long list of things to do. Sigh.

    I’m doing one FD this week as an ease back into the WOL. That will be tomorrow. There is a farewell lunch today that I originally accepted and have now declined and I bought in a chicken salad instead. If I go I know I will have something very bad and to be honest I don’t care to socialise with the people here.

    I have a job interview already! I barely put half a fingernail up about looking for a new role when this one jumped into my lap. It’s at another large Australian Bank but I would be working with an ex-colleague with whom I have kept in close touch and who I admire and respect greatly. Fingers crossed!

    Great to hear from you BetsyLee! I have watched a couple of tennis matches and yes, enjoyed them very much.

    LJ, those desserts sound awesome – except the pavlova. I’m not a fan of meringue. I am getting a lot of inspiration from your current successful Fast800 and congrats on the 500g.

    Sorry to hear about your crook knee Penguin, I hope it gets better quickly. Good luck with the Norweigan. I spent months learning French before our recent holiday but didn’t need it as everyone spoke English. In fact, every time I said something in French the person would immediately answer me in English. I wonder why??? (LOL). I wish I could see a picture of you looking like a badger. My imagination will have to suffice 🙂

    Cinque, I have thin hair but a LOT of it so it actually looks thick. It means that humidity is a curse; I get regular calls from the bureau of meteorology asking me to tell them the humidity percentage based on how frizzy my hair is today. Ha ha. God bless whoever invested the GHD hair straigtener.

    Thin – glad you are warmer and wow – losing 700-900g when you are as slender as you are is amazing. I was horrified by your hairdresser story – what got into him/her? Honestly, how do they stay in their job if they do that to someone? I’m sure your hair looks lovely grey.

    This humidity is just so awful WeeAmy. We are used to it and still find it horrendous so I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to get used to it. And without air-con – I have lived here for most of my 50+ years and couldn’t do without ours so that just makes it harder for you. Good luck!

    Neil, i get dehydrated if I’m not very careful about my water intake and I’m relatively inactive (especially compared to you). Electrolytes is a great idea.

    Penz, i read about the smoke coming to Canberra again yesterday. I’m sorry and I hope it disperses soon.

    Lindsay, oh dear. Rosy is definitely trying to out-do Maxx in the naughty department. If it helps, at 2 and a quarter Maxx is finally starting to behave. A bit. Well, there are some signs of it. No, in all seriousness he has stopped constantly nicking tea-towels, socks, shoes etc for attention and has only done it about 3 or 4 times in the week we have been home. Previously it would be 3 or 4 times per day. There is hope for the future! I absolutely loved the look on Rosy’s face when she was in bed, in disgrace, with your hubby’s hat. The look said ‘who me?’ completely

    Have a superb and healthy day all

    Hi Anzac. Fingers and toes crossed.

    No badger pictures – OH was not at all keen so it didn’t last. I have that language problem in France and Portugal. I say my Hello/good morning/I’ll have a beer or whatever and they come straight back in English. It is going to be worse in Norway. Apparently every kid in the country starts to learn English at age 12. German was easier. We lived in a village and I went down to the pub every Friday night and stayed until it closed.

    Good morning.
    I awoke well before the alarm so have managed to do all of the out of house errands and now have the rest of the day home. It’s infusion time again this afternoon but I have time to get a bit of cleaning done before then.

    Anzac, good luck with that job interview I hope you find a better workplace. Life is too short to put up with the nonsense you did last year.

    Betsy, hello. Hope you’ve been well.

    Thin, well done on the weight loss.
    Next time you need to give specific instruction before that hairdresser comes near you with scissors. It’s good that you are getting used to the grey. I keep hoping I’ll reach the point where I’m happy to no longer douse my hair in colouring chemicals every month – not there yet.

    Penguin, I’ve heard a few advantages for grey/hair, but finding your OH in a crowded street is a new one.

    Cali & GDSA, some time ago I was trying to explain what a wheel of fresh ricotta looks like. I bought a wedge of it this morning and finally remembered to take a photo: https://imgur.com/k3davv2 You can see that it is fresh and soft but it also holds together sufficiently that you can cut it. This is the traditional lower fat one made from whey (they also sell one made from milk).

    Does anyone else have a fitbit? Do you know how to get it to count the steps you do during tasks like grocery shopping? Mine seems to think that if my arm isn’t swinging then I’m not walking, and of course if I’m pushing a shopping trolley I’m holding the handle. I make a special effort to lap every single isle at least once for the extra steps and today I did that in 2 separate supermarkets on the hunt for specific specials – only find it had counted virtually no steps. Not happy!

    Have a nice day everyone.

    Post FD 1 check in. I have lost all of the week’s regained weight and another pound/450 grammes. FD 2 underway. No solids until mid day when I will allow myself a small amount of home made leek and potato soup.

    Hello, in the early evening!
    I was out this morning, chauffeuring my daughter over to Victoria Uni to check out a librarianship course. Miss 3 came with me and we checked out Footscray Savers. (I scored a little jug, Miss 3 an Elsa dress, and 3 good tops for her sister). I always loved how my daughter called chocolate ‘shlokit’, when she was little, said with relish. But now my granddaughter calls it ‘yokiyet’ which just might be even cuter.

    Anyway, a quick catch up.

    Neil, I do know Andy Zaltzman’s work, aha!

    WeeAmy, back at work, but home now and getting cool, I hope.

    LJoyce, I am so happy someone else has enjoyed that podcast. I hope your infusion went well. You won’t be surprised to know that I am NO HELP with your fitbit. Such a lovely picture of the wedge of ricotta, it makes me want some.

    Ha, Thin, my white hair is still cunningly disguised with henna. Most of my hair is still dark and the henna makes it a deep auburn, but the badger stripes are bright orange and bristle like scrubbing brushes. Mind you henna is different to other hair dyes and it keeps my hair healthy and the bright orange parts catch the sunlight wonderfully, so that pleases me.

    Congratulations on the nice bit of excess weight lost, and your hair growing back becomingly. (Shame on the dreadful hairdresser!)

    Penguin, so glad your knee is getting some physio!
    My BIL has family members who were grey in their twenties, but such a becoming, smooth, silvery grey. I love it. A badger beard sounds rather wonderful too.
    Cheers on being in your comfortable up-and-mostly-down groove.
    Good luck with that Norwegian! Ha det bra!

    Betsy, great to see your post! Can’t wait to hear how you are going at the moment.

    Anzac, nice news that your job feelers are working. I hope it all falls in to place. Ooh frizzy hair, I love it. The closest I get is the new hairs coming through a bit frizzy, I enjoy them.

    Well I was going to tell you this morning how I made eggplant parmigiana yesterday (grilled eggplant slices layered with a yummy tomato and red capsicum sauce, topped with cheesy breadcrumbs.) but then I ate some. It meant I was full afterwards BUT I STILL MADE AND ATE MY EVENING MEAL. I win the crazy award.

    Note to self: DON’T EAT IF YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY! Good grief!

    Today, I managed much better and let myself eat earlier in the evening (oh well, it was still after 6 because I was a bit slow and distractable!) but I am getting the right idea!

    Now I am nicely full, ate my veggies, feeling good.

    Ha det bra! All of you 🙂

    PS Hi Penguin, hooray for your excellent fast day result.
    PS2 Here is a sneak picture of me on Christmas morning with my darlings (hairbands in their stockings), henna coloured scrubby stripes and all https://imgur.com/a/aQcPucu

    Evening all, I’m nervous to jump on the scale for my weekly weigh-in tomorrow. I’ve certainly felt better since upping my calories and taking my electrolyte drink when cycling, but I’m expecting that the fact I was dehydrated was masking a bigger weight gain over the holidays than the scales were showing. Hopefully my weight will stabilise now though.

    On the plus side, school starts again tomorrow so I won’t have a moody teen and pre teen mooching around the house complaining if you ask them to do anything that involves them getting off their devices.

    See you all tomorrow.

    Cinque. Takk.

    Aren’t our bodies weird things. I was eating about 25% more calories last week and rehydrating myself, but I lost over 1.5 kilos from last Wednesday. I’m sitting back on 87.1 kilos now. Hopefully now I’ve found the right balance to keep my weight at a stable level.

    Have a great day everyone

    Penguin, værsågod

    Isn’t google wonderful.

    Neil, woohoo, such good news. I bet our bodies just work better when they are properly hydrated. And using our calories wisely.

    Fast day for me today. Watermelon in the fridge, dashi ready for my miso soup. Another cup of tea brewing.

    Catch you later, lovelies.

    Neil. I sometimes suspect that our bodies work to their own rules and they change them randomly.

    Over the weekend I recorded a TV programme about a journey from the extreme north to the south of New Zealand. We have just watched a train ride the length of North Island. No commentary, just the occasional subtitle. The engineering was impressive. We have taken the ferry and stopped the recording at the northern end of South Island. Tomorrow night we will take the journey to you.

    Cinque. How could you? I was ready to believe you were a speaker.

Viewing 50 posts - 22,851 through 22,900 (of 27,961 total)

You must be logged in to reply.