Hello everyone.

Anzac, despite the long hours you have to deal with I hope they extend your contract. Having to look for work with the economy only slowly recovering would not be ideal. I also suspect the WFH every day that you have agreed with your current bank would not continue in a new contract – and I know just how valuable that is to you.
Given that the os travel ban has been extended to at least July I would also be doubting unfortunately, that Fiji will be open by October. I think it might depend on how our and their vaccination programs are going.

Jony, it sounds like you al enjoyed the walk and the cafe break, despite having to split into smaller groups. To be honest even trying to have a conversation in a group of 10 is challenge so I think it’s always a good idea.

Thin, the UKs progress with vaccinations is being lauded here for the vast numbers of jabs given. They are also starting to talk about the declining infection rates achieved by those vaccinations.

Cinque, I hope you are having a marvelous day with your sisters. I also hope that you are not left too exhausted by it. Take care.

I did a FD yesterday but have diced to approach the rest of the week as tightly controlled days 800-1200cals. I know I overdid the treats last week and I also have 2 restaurant meals to deal with next weekend so I think this is a wise precaution. I don’t want to end up back in the 80s again and facing several weeks at 800cals to deal with it. Better to nip it in the bud now. Thankfully we have weather in the high 20s for the next week so my appetite won’t be stimulated because I’m cold.

Tonight I made chilli tuna pasta for dinner. Very quick to put together and packs a real flavour punch. It’s quick because the main ingredient is a tin of Sirena chilli tuna. I also add lots of garlic, a bag of baby spinach and lots of halved cherry tomatoes to make it more balanced meal.
I use the slendier legume spaghetti – tonight I used the soybean version. It’s a lot more like spaghetti than their konjac noodles are, but it’s still high in fibre and much lower in calories than normal spaghetti. (100g of the Slendier dry legume spaghetti is 480kj compared to 1500kj for durum wheat pasta) This difference in the kilojoules means I can have a very hearty sized serve (about 70g dry) and the whole meal is less than 350cals. To save effort I cooked the whole 200g box of legume spaghetti and have a second bowl of the tuna chilli pasta ready to reheat and also a another serve of the spaghetti mixed with sundried tomato pesto, broad beans and cherry tomatoes. That’s two nights I won’t have to cook this week – very happy about that.

Hope everyone is having a a lovely weekend.

Good evening all

It’s good to read all the posts. I’ve now completed 12 transcripts, so nearly half. It’s very tiring work, because the concentration needed is intense. Plus, I’m probably still being too meticulous in the process, so they’re still taking several hours each. Oh well, Once done, they’re done. Not sure how it happened this last week, as I certainly didn’t have any FDs, though a bit of restricted eating, and I lost 1.1 kg. Well, I’ll just accept it with gratitude.

Had to head off today for yet another Covid-19 test – no, I didn’t expect it to be positive. I had a cold about 3-4 weeks ago (my last C-19 test) and have now developed some asthma. I think it’s time I saw the doctor, so I pre-empted the surgery asking me to get a test. And yes, yet another negative result. Not feeling great though, as my breathing is down a bit and I have this dry cough. Oh well, it’s not serious, and other people are far worse off.

LindsayL, great that you could enjoy some yummy (restrained!) cheese. Are you off to the island soon, or is OH coming home now the door is fixed?

Anzac65, do you think your job might be extended as you’ve been commended for doing such a good job? Wouldn’t that be great, if it happened!

Thin, finally away from the marina and on your travels again – even if only several hundred metres to start with.

jonykiwi, great that the bicycling club is doing well, even despite the lockdowns. Hope you can get the vaccine soon. I’m in the second tier group here, and will probably have the AstraZeneca one, but I’ll be happy with that. They’re all more efficient than the normal yearly flu vaccine, and definitely prevent severe disease and hospitalisation.
Great that the carpeting is finished, and sure hope you find the fittings soon.

Cinque, how did the 4-sisters together event go? Hope it was a lot of laughs, and not too tiring for you.

LJoyce, yes, isn’t the taste of fresh bread just wonderful? I try to put any I buy into the freezer as quickly as possible.

I’m also planning a big cookup, probably on Wednesday, chicken breasts, tofu and lots of vegies including garlic and onion, plus a couple of eggs swirled in – I’ll eat one lot, put 1 or 2 meals into the fridge, and freeze the rest. Yum.

Okay, time to close. Klondie, hope you’re okay. Also G’DayfromSA, Turnabout, Intesha, Penguin, Crazyartist, Merryme, etc. Neilithicman, you haven’t posted for a few days, either – are you okay?

Goodnight all

Morning all

I’ve pretty busy recently so I haven’t really had time to post or read through the thread 🙁

I’m having trouble reducing my eating after a month of eating so much to counter the amount of exercise I was doing. I don’t hold high hopes for my weigh-in tomorrow. I think I need to do a couple of days of liquid only fasting just to break the cycle of eating and get my stomach to shrink. I’ve been doing ok during the day and then having a bit of a carb binge in the evenings.

I took a week off riding and I was going to do some light rides in the weekend and then start taking the bike in to work in the mornings again, but I was busy in the weekend with frisbee golf and starting to construct my wife’s new glasshouse (I spent several hours just digging post holes and cementing in a couple of corner posts) Now the mornings are getting dark and cold and it’s getting harder to get up in time to be able to ride my bike in.

One positive from the week was that I put up my old road bike for sale for parts. Although the front end was damaged, all the mechanisms were working fine and the back end was fine. I listed it for $250 which is what the excess on my insurance was. It didn’t sell three weeks in a row, so I reduced it to $100 just to get something out of it. A few of the bidders got into a bidding war and it ended up selling for $375, much more than I was expecting. So I got a new bike, $375 for my old bike, and I’ll probably get my $250 excess back when the insurance company recover their costs from the other guy’s insurance company.

Have a great one everyone.

Melbourne sunny afternoon,

I managed to sort out the house enough to have my sisters here. Four of us all in our 60’s. We all survived the night but everyone had tales of Miso annoying them. I should have thought to take off her bell collar, as that was a problem, but she managed to walk down the length of one sister and stop painfully on her calf. Lucky they have all got good senses of humour.

LJoyce you were right that I was overdoing it again, but after another night and fast day Wednesday underway, and home help (my homehelp was unavailable so they sent someone who used to be my regular, which was lovely, PLUS she wore her mask the whole time) came 90 minutes late (they forgot to tell me) so I went even longer before eating today. I am feeling better still, though, and it makes fasting SO much easier.

Not sure that paragraph made sense but I am going to write and then rest, so just do your best making head or tail of it!

LJoyce, how is your All Day Breakfast tea? As good as you hoped?

Thin, thanks. Good suggestion. I’ll just rattle on a bit and do some more later. Quiet times ahead I think.
I am glad DD is thriving in her job, but I hope they start looking after staff as well as they look after other animals.
Woot 58!

Anzac, so glad you had a great break. So good to hear the wonderful feedback you got. Hopefully that will mean a new contract will be offered (with better conditions 😉 I can’t help myself!)

Hi Jony, I hope the new covid restrictions can be lifted very soon.
Cheers for getting the carpet laid, and good luck finding the thingamijigs.

Betsy, so sorry to hear of the asthma and nasty cough. How are you today? Sending get well quickly wishes https://www.interflora.com.au/images/catalogues/AU/zoom/740.jpg
Cheers for those transcripts done. All power to you with the rest.
I’m like you, making sure I have them all correctly. Otherwise, what is the point?

With my sisters we did have laughs, but it took a while to settle in after a year or more without catching up in person. Gradually we had more and more to say and it was a very special time.

Neil, sympathy. Those evening carb binges are the worst. Good luck getting over them nice and easily.
Woohoo that bidding war for your old bike!

I have spent the morning looking through the Fast800 book again and appreciating the photos of 800cals a day food. I want to take advantage of feeling so much better and push myself more. Starting with today’s fasty fast day.

Off now to check out the Mosley how to get fit documentary I taped last night. Even though it won’t be aimed at CFSers.

Best wishes all.

Good morning all

Cloudy and humid today – 27 the top. Lots of rain coming this afternoon and tomorrow

What a lovely sisterly catchup Cinque and I laughed out loud at Miso. It’s nice to have a pet with personality and we both have that.

I was doing quite well with my mindful eating this week and seeing the scales inch down. They jumped up mightily this morning but I’m ignoring it because there is no reason. Just one of those things and I’m sure they will be back behaving themselves tomorrow

Dining out is always such a challenge LJ but you will be fine. You always bounce back and even if at the top of your desired range, at least you are still in the range. That’s great. I also have a lot of things taped that I really want to watch. We recently upgraded our Foxtel to get shows like more Lifestyle and documentary programs. Along with that came BBC First, Box Sets and Movies and I have found quite a few things that I have been wanting to watch like The Undoing, Big Little Lies and a few others.

Great news about the bike Neil and congratulations on the big ride. You’ll get any excess weight under control in no time

My boss said he hopes to extend me and would be surprised if anyone above him blocked it. I get at least 3 calls/messages each week from recruiters trying to lure me away so I’m not concerned about finding another job. I just don’t want to go into the City again and if I leave where I am now I will have to. I told Mr Anzac I really don’t think I could handle it and we might have to think of other options to get an income.

I had a blood test the other day as I went to the doc for a post hospital check up and I told him I was experiencing crazy mood swings. I’ve never been moody and this is very concerning. He said it could be many things but most likely hormonal. I’ll get the results tomorrow.

Great pic John – love all the bikes stacked up. 9 kilos is a lot of weight to no longer be carrying around. Well done you

Thin, your DD’s schedule is crazy. When does she sleep or get time off to relax? She certainly is dedicated and that is commendable for sure

Meetings loom so hi to everyone else

Neil, great news on the bike. That’s a very good outcome.

Betsy and Jony, hello.

Anzac, hope everything is alright with your health. I’m sure you are much in demand with your drive and work ethic. WFH is the new norm here for many. I think DD runs on adrenaline – she has youth on her side. The new grads seem to work these mad hours for a couple of years before burning out and moving to a new job once they have something to offer. Several vets have returned to this practice negotiating a shorter work week and no on call. DD says she’ll probably stay a third year so she can resume her travels in Europe after covid. For now, she is learning new tricks every day and seems to be well supported.

LJ, empathy for the birthday hurdles. You were so right when you said that the pubs being closed had a silver lining. I feel your stress in selecting menu items from restaurants. This weekend, we have OH’s birthday and Mothers’ Day. Both will be a low key affair due to current rules but I did order a small M&S chocolate cake for OH with our grocery delivery yesterday. Along with alcohol, I have been cautious about meat and managed to stay in the low 58s for the past two weeks on 6:1. Chocolate cake looms.

Cinque, your catch up sounds fun – were any of the sisters the ones with whom you’d been estranged? It is excellent to hear how good you feel – maybe this is the beginning of the end? (of your illness, I mean!).

We are moored at a lock on the River Trent. It’s on an island and we are the only boaters here so we have the entire place to ourselves. You can only reach it by boat or via a footbridge requiring a BW key. There is a drinking water station, very clean toilets and some great walks along the river. Our route south is blocked by a lock under maintenance so there’s no hurry to move. The weather is warming up but we could do with some more sunshine for our solar panel. I’m looking out at a pair of Great Crested Grebes.

Cinque, good morning. I hope you’ve survived the hot day. I love the look and feel of linen clothing – but it does evoke the word ‘ironing’ for me. I was allergic to that task and never owned a full sized ironing board. We had a token pull down Robin Hood housed in the wall in the laundry for emergencies.

Thanks for Mr Thin’s bd wishes. That’s sad about your older sister but I suppose among seven siblings there will be various dynamics; I’m estranged from my mother (23 years). I feel sorry for her about it but it is what it is. These days we have limited email contact but I find I have to tread very carefully. Her latest thing is refusing the vaccine (she’s in her 80s).

Yes, DD knew exactly what she was getting into and spent 8 months researching the right job after graduating. She wanted a workplace where she’d get wide experience, scope to perform surgeries plus lots of support & mentoring from experienced vets. Sadly, a girl who went through HS and vet school with DD took the first job offered, lasted four days and promptly gave up on the profession.

Have a great weekend all.

I am heartbroken today for someone I’ve never met but feel I know well. I’ve mentioned the lovely labrador forum I have been on for over 3 years. They saved Maxx from being sent back to the breeder when we first had him as he was a nightmare and we thought we were doing something wrong. The labrador forum is amazing, like this one, in that you talk not only about the topic but all sorts of other things too. One lady joined at exactly the same time with the same issues with her puppy, the exact same age as Maxx. She is a special needs teacher in the UK and they did not close the schools during lockdown. She had to go to work and caught covid unknowingly and brought it home to her partner. She is ok but he ended up on life support in hospital. She has 3 kids from her first marriage, one with severe autism. He has two from his first marriage. During the weeks he was in hospital she had to be the strong one and cope with everything; his ex-wife was shrieking for her maintenance, his kids were more interested in going to parties and breaking lockdown and asking her for money. She had to be stoic and strong; but on the forum she could be herself. The moderators set up a safe area where you had to be invited to be able to view the thread to give her privacy. She raged, she wept, she went from high hopes as he started to rally to the lowest of low as he once again went downhill. She told us how wonderful he was and how he was one of the few people who could calm her autistic child. She told us how they met and how much in love they were. There are members all around the world so there was always someone she could ‘talk’ to any time of the day, even in the middle of the night her time. We all lit candles every night and tried to give her comfort with our typed words.

He died at 9.30am this morning Sydney time. I am speechless with despair for her. He was 49

Hello everyone,

Anzac, so sorry to hear of that sad death and so much grief for your internet friend. The connections we make with people online can be as close and rich as people we know in our offline communities and it is very hard when there is great tragedy. Your friend will be so glad of your support through this time.

https://www.pickupflowers.com/images/assets/images/flower-guide/tips-on-sympathy-flowers.jpg

Thin, Being an ironer makes for a good Cinque wardrobe as opshops are the place to find linen and silk and other clothes that people discard because they don’t want to iron them (Thanks everyone!). However, I did wear the blue dress and it didn’t crumple at all so I am a little suspicious about the percentage of linen in the material. Great dress for a hot day, I do like it.

Family estrangements are the hardest, and with mums, the saddest of all, usually. The same family issues meant we were estranged from our mother too (but we did have times of being close to her, which we remember).
You will wake up to a mother’s day where you can celebrate your relationship with your daughter, so happy Mothering Sunday!

Grrr that chocolate cake… plus beer, plus icecream, haha, but no doubt it all contained sugar and salt that means your body has held on to extra water, and it will be gone soon.

It sounds like Mr Thin had a great birthday and will love wielding his machete.

LJoyce, such interesting results re standing and sitting and walking. A little bit of pottering around makes such a difference!

What a lovely omelette. Home grown produce is such a pleasure.

I do hope yesterday’s high tea was enjoyable, rather than stressful, and that you have a great day today with that yummy grilled lamb and salad.

It is fast day for me, and even though my run of better health seems to have subsided, I am all set for a fasty fast day.

Sending good wishes to everyone and hoping that if it is a fast day it is lovely and fasty, and if it isn’t that it is still mindful, and enjoyable and full of good pottering around, at the very least. Cheers all.

Anzac, it is so sad to hear of your friend who lost her partner to Covid, especially at such a young age. As Cinque said, connections we make with people online can be as close and rich as people we know in our offline communities. Maybe even more so on forums like this one because we often communicate more often than we do with people offline and because if you aren’t typing, you’re not here. We’re posting about feelings and experiences all the time. Please send my condolences to her and her family. We’re all in this together, fighting this awful disease. http://atlas-content-cdn.pixelsquid.com/stock-images/white-calla-lilies-in-vase-2M7xVo1-600.jpg

Cinque, so happy to hear you’re feeling better. Getting together with your sisters must have helped. It’s too bad about the estrangement of the one sister, but in families of any size, doesn’t there always have to be one family member who is the rebel or doesn’t get along? Maybe Miso went off to visit the neighbors because there were too many visitors invading her home, especially ones who didn’t appreciate her walking over there beds all night. What’s a cat to do when they didn’t enjoy her friendly outreach in the middle of the night?

Thin, docking in a lock by that island sounds beautiful. I bet it feels good to get away again. (While taking your home with you.) your OH’s birthday must be very close to my OH’s, which is tomorrow, Sunday. Your food confessions sound tame compared to the damage I can do in one day. You’ll easily lose it again.

LJ, I also find that cooking and cleaning puts a lot more steps on my fitness tracker than I expect it to. Just going up and down the stairs putting things away can be almost as good as a walk. Plus, you’re moving your arms and exercising other parts of your body.

Neil, such good news about the windfall of the sale of your bike. The excess food you took in will likely be balanced with building the glasshouse for your wife along with more bike rides.

Betsy, I think you’ve had more negative Covid tests than anyone I know. Unfortunately, those of us with seasonal allergies or asthma type conditions do a lot of coughing and sniffling all year long. In Australia right now, it would be pretty had to catch Covid since it is so well under control. I guess all the testing is to insure it will stay that way.

We got our second Pfizer vaccines on Thursday. This time it was a drive through in a large parking structure not very far from here. It was by appointment that we made online a few weeks ago and couldn’t have been more efficient. They got 3 for the price of one with our car. (Actually, no charge for the jabs.) Unlike the first jab, after about 12 hours my sister and I starting feeling achy, headaches, fatigue and mild chills every so often. No fever. OH had only a sore arm and a little fatigue. I lost a kg because I didn’t feel like eating very much. The side effects were what I’d call moderate and thankfully only lasted a day and miraculously disappeared by morning today. I’m so thankful we got the jabs and will worry a lot less about catching Covid after waiting two more weeks to get the full effect.

Hi all. Sorry I’ve been MIA. Stuff gets in the way sometimes.
Anzac, how very sad about your friend. Virtual or in person, friendship is friendship, and I am sure she’ll welcome the support she’s getting through your online group.
Thin, your new mooring sounds wonderful. And I wouldn’t worry too much about a birthday blip ….it happens. It what happens after the blip that counts, and you have that locked down.
Cinque, I was amused to read of your sisters’ stay, and Miso’s take on it. And very happy to read you are feeling better.
Family relationships can be minefields. I’ve written before how the much-loved nephew married a woman who caused great ructions in our family, and it took quite a while for our relationships all to settle. Fortunately it’s in the past, although we are perhaps a little more cautious than we used to be.
Calif, how wonderful you’ve had both jabs now – you’ll be so much safer.
Here in Australia the rollout is dragging on …. Some openness about it (I know the supplies have been a problem) instead of spin would be a good start. but don’t get me started.
LJ I’m less worried about my hair loss since your response to my concern …but will be glad when it stops. I am also suffering from restless legs at night, and of course the dreaded cramps, and I’m assuming it’s all a function of the extended fast 800. I have just started week 7 …in the first 6 weeks I lost 7.5 kilos, and am pushing on to break another barrier which will probably be in a few weeks. My loss has slowed to around .5 kilo a week (ditto for my friend) which is a bit disappointing considering I’ve got a calorie deficit of around 1000 calories or slightly more daily. Age, and diet resistance I guess.
Betsy I went over to the island (bliss) but the dog door is still a one-way version. The technician took off the hardware (lock, door stop) on the interior door, and pronounced the dog door two-way. But now we can’t lock our door, said OH. Mmmm. My brother will go over soon and we’ll see if he can fit a deadlock to solve the problem. How stupid it all is, and so very frustrating.

I’ve had the little girls bookending the day. DD flew away on business this morning – back tomorrow night – so we drove around and walked the little ones to school, and picked them up again after. My lovely SIL has just collected them and I must say I’m pleased to settle again. It’s been raining all day, and Rosy and the kids were all at peak excitement!

Have a good night all.

Good evening all.

Anzac, So sorry to hear of the grief you are experiencing. I agree with the sentiments that others. Whether online or in person friendship connections are still meaningful. I think dealing with traumatic issues can be more challenging online as many of our ways of offering comfort involve spending time with someone or a hug, which is more difficult to express online. However, I am sure that the support network that you have already built online will continue to support your friend through her grief.

Lindsay, your ongoing experience on 800cals does sound familiar. As I’ve mentioned before, I did many months on 800cals daily – then moving to 1000 daily. My experience was similar – I had an average weight loss of 1.15kg per week in the first 8 weeks, 0.58kg per week for the next 8 and similarly 0.60kg per week in the next 8 weeks (even though part way through this period I increased my calories to 1000per day). I often lost less than the calorie deficit should have resulted in – I never figured out why – it’s one of the reasons I hate my scales. When comparing notes with others who were doing the same program with me – our experiences were similar. I wonder whether obesity changes something that impacts our rate of weight loss.
However it’s worth remembering that slow progress is still progress and the goal we are aiming for is still getting closer – I know this is often easier said than done.

Cali, so very glad you have all had your second vaccines. I don’t doubt you will continue to be cautious but I hope it allows you to reintroduce some of the things you’ve missed.
I imagine the stairs in your house help a lot with fitness – you add steps and tone lots of muscles all at the same time. I just have flat floors to walk around.

Cinque, thank you it was a delicious omelette and my zucchini plants are proving me wrong and there is one new zucchini today which I hope will grow a little larger.
I hope your FD was an easy one.

Thin, I could have done a similar confession after afternoon tea on Saturday. Good on you for following it up with a FD. I had to wait an extra day to do mine.

I had a very social weekend with a high tea on Saturday – at a place in Hahndorf called Udder Delights – they sell their own cheese in the shop and their cafe menu includes mainly cheesey fare. I ate too many mini quiches and brie with crackers and quince paste. Oddly enough I was quite restrained with the sweets as the only one I was really interested in was the mini baked cheesecake – it was delicious. Although I did have too many high fat foods, I didn’t get that post sugar headache the next day, so concentrating on savouries turned out to be a good thing. On Sunday I had a birthday dinner to go to and was happy with my choice of lamb rogan josh – I asked for it to be served with steamed veg instead of steamed rice. Today has been a FD500 and I’m planning a few very tightly controlled days to follow this week. My jeans remain loose today so I’m hoping the weekend indulgences didn’t do too much damage.

Yesterday morning I finally started the big task of removing the front lawn and some of the rocks, concrete and other builders rubble that lie beneath it. I’ve done one strip and today am dealing with a lot of sore joints and sore muscles. Unfortunately the muscles you sit on seem the be the most aggrieved. Although it’s actually not as bad as I feared it would be. My fitbit told me that all that digging burned around 700 calories with much of it at peak heart rate, which I hope made a dent in my excesses Saturday afternoon. Thankfully I can’t really overdo it with the lawn removal as I’m disposing of it in the green waste bins (Mine and two of my neighbours who have kindly offered me space in theirs). As turf is very heavy, you can’t put much in before the bin is too heavy to be lifted and emptied. It means than one strip from the house to the footpath, is all I can do each fortnight – which is the green waste collection cycle for my council. It forces me to be sensible about how much I tackle. Having limits like this placed on me, helps prevent foolhardy behaviour – which I have always been susceptible to. It comes from being impatient and wanting to get things done quickly – I don’t have a talent for pacing myself sensibly.

I have you have all had a good day. Take care.

Good morning from a very cool, cloudy Sydney. Lots of rain coming apparently

Thank you for your kind words about my Labrador forum friend. She continues to post and seems to be doing ok – very up and down as expected. Her autistic son will only wear two things: His school uniform or a particular brand of tracksuit. He hero-worshiped his step-father and yesterday asked his mum to buy him a ‘man’s suit’ because he wants to make his step-dad proud of him. What a special boy.

My eating is out of control again and the scales are showing it. Somehow I have to drag myself out of this wretched mind-set

I hope you recover ok today Cinque. Take it easy

I’m so impressed Lindsay – you are smashing it. The dog-door drama! Not something you need. Maxx ripped into a garbage bag just before. OH was taking it to the bin when our on-line grocery delivery showed up so he left it near the gate. I didn’t know and let Maxx outside and OH found him with a piece of glad wrap in his mouth. We just have to hope he didn’t swallow any. I honestly thought he was over that sort of behaviour but he is a labrador after all and there were things like ham fat in there that would have been just too tempting

Your weekend sounds lovely LJ. Your jeans are still loose so your choices when dining out were spot on

Jony, 20 degrees at 6.00am is certainly very nice. We went walking this morning at about 7.30 and it was only 17 with a chilly wind making it feel much colder. I wished I had a jacket when I first got out of the car but once we got walking it was ok

Congrats on the jabs Cali!

Thin, I too dislike ironing and am useless at it. I don’t mind floor mopping but I really hate dusting. It is mindlessly boring and fiddly as we have lots of ‘things’ on shelves from all of our travels

Well must get back to work. Hi to everyone else

Jony hip hip hurrah! How wonderful to shed that ‘obese’ tag, for ever more. Such a great achievement. And don’t doctors wish they had more patients like you?

LJ you always give me such encouragement….thank you for taking the time to respond in detail to my posts and questions. I’d hoped the rapid part of my weight loss would be ..rapid…but I’ll take any loss, as long as it’s down.

Cinque, There’s a mushroom soup in the new cookbook which is amazing, easy, low carb and low cal, and tastes very creamy. Slow cook one large onion til translucent and slightly brown in a tablespoon of olive oil, add two cloves of garlic and 300 grams of sliced mushrooms, cook gently for another five or so minutes, add 500 mls of stock (I use vegetable), cook gently for another 10 minutes, blitz, then just before serving season, add 75 mls of whole fat milk and heat through. Divided into 3, it’s only 115 odd cals.

I am not sure where my friend and I will go with the fast800 when we finish our 8 weeks. I’ll be so close to my ideal weight when I finish (well, 10 kilos would officially put me in the slim category) that I will probably carry on, although I am not sure if I’ll gradually introduce a day a week eating closer to my TDEE until I’m back to 5:2, or like you did LJ, move to 1000 cals a day. Thoughts appreciated all.

Yikes LJ, that gardening sounds more like the sort of activity you’d see chain gangs performing, in old Westerns. Where do you get your stamina?

Anzac, I think my approach to this fast800 is helped because I am doing it in tandem with my old friend. She and I have been spectacularly successful at dieting in the past – and regaining, too. She’s never followed the diets I prefer – ie, low carb and fasting, but it was she who suggested we do Fast800 together. We check in each morning by text, and encourage each other if we’re having a wobble, or if the scales go up for no good reason.

Neil I just read your post. I wonder if your body is simply reacting to all that extreme exercise? Perhaps a week of Fast800 could turn it around?

Anzac, a bag of kitchen waste to a lab would have been manna from heaven. They are growing up, our dogs, but gun dogs don’t get to maturity (if and when!) until 3, so still works in progress. I was trying to clear the linen cupboard at the weekend – as soon as I wasn’t paying Rosy enough attention, she’d grab something – anything – off the kitchen table where I’d stacked the contents, or off the floor of the walk-in cupboard and take off with it. Her particular favourite was a fluffy panda tea cosy which I’d brought back from China. But she wasn’t being destructive – just letting me know I was boring and it was play time.

Cinque, hope your health is continuing to improve, and your day with Miss 4 didn’t wear you out. Such a gorgeous age, with so many interesting things to ask and say.

And yes, to your question. I’m loving wearing clothes that have been consigned to the ‘too tight, not flattering’ drawer for too long. My particular favourite is an evening jacket I bought in Hanoi. It’s black, with a very wide beaded collar, and beaded patches on the sleeves, all hand done in reds and greens. I’ve only worn it once (over a black singlet and not buttoned) but can now do it up. And now, I just need an event to wear it too.

Calif, hope your OH had a wonderful birthday.

Thin, still moored by your magic island?

Betsy, more scripts completed?

And Turn – are you mobile, or enjoying a wonderful spot somewhere?

OK time to start the day. It’s still raining in Brisbane. Needed, and lovely for the garden.

https://imgur.com/KtpeveS

In case you don’t know, NEW ZEALAND HAS RETAINED THE AMERICA’S CUP!

We’re a tiny country down the bottom of the world, so we get very excited when we can kick the arses of the big guys. This time the US didn’t even have a boat in the final.

Huge celebrations in NZ tonight – it’s gonna be one big party, attended by 5 million souls. Pic shows NZ boat (front) and beaten finalist Prada (Italy), skippered by Aussie Jimmy Spittle, a great sailor.

Jony and MrAnzac, congrats on the America’s Cup Win! What a wonderful celebration for everyone there! (Hopefully Covid safe.)

LJ, your front lawn removal sounds like a big project. What are you going to put in place of the lawn? You are so ambitious! That should make up for the little indulgences this past weekend.

Anzac, dogs seem to get into things like garbage even when they’re no longer puppies if given the chance. Lots of interesting smells in there! Hope Maxx didn’t ingest any plastic wrap. It’s surprising how quickly they can get into things. A few days ago when we went for our jabs, we got out to the car and realized we forgot the masks, so ran back inside to get them. It hadn’t been more than about a minute and a half, but Cooper had managed to leave 2 big poops right on the throw rug in front of the door. Luckily they just cleared beyond the opening door or it would have been a real mess. He rarely does anything like that and was obviously punishing us for leaving him alone. The pandemic has really spoiled him with all the time we spend at home!

Cinque, I rarely buy anything that needs to be ironed anymore. And you’re right about the opshop s filling my closets with a nice variety of clothes so I don’t have to do laundry as often either.

Neil, I bet your weight gain is partly muscle from all the recent long rides. Some could be water too. I know you don’t weigh daily, but maybe just for a few days in a row to see if you just happened to weigh on a “high” day. My weight can sometimes fluctuate for unknown reasons.

Lindsay, thank you for posting that mushroom soup recipe. It sounds delicious and easy to put together. I will definitely be trying it soon.

Tomorrow evening I’ll be preparing a corned beef, cabbage and steamed potato dinner to celebrate St. Patricks Day. Corned beef and cabbage is one of my all time favorite meals. The Instant Pot is great for cooking the corned beef which always seems to take forever. OH is half Irish and this year will be attending a Zoom St. Pat’s Day celebration with a group of friends. So it should be a fun day.

Thin, hope you’re enjoying the island mooring,if you’re still there. “The One” on Netflix is pretty good so far. It’s a new Netflix original series here.

Have a great day everyone! Thinking of you, Penguin.

Ha

Good evening all, greetings from Adelaide.

A big congratulations to NZ and a special shout out to Neil, Jony, Turn and Mr Anzac. Very pleased to hear that news and very glad to see the cup remain in nearby waters.

Jony, well done on losing the obese label – it sure feels good doesn’t it. I remember that feeling. It’s one of the reasons I panic when my weight goes over 78kg as it puts me back in that category. Labels shouldn’t matter, but unfortunately they often seem to.

Cali, enjoy that corned beef. I love it too and we had it often growing up – especially in summer as it allowed my to make a meal that was similar to a roast (in that it provided leftover cold meat) but didn’t require the oven. I know it’s traditional to have it with cabbage, but we rarely did – ours was usually with mashed potato, carrots and green beans.
I doubt that Cooper is the only spoiled pet around that no longer likes being left alone. My previous neighbour used to leave her dog in the back yard all day when she was at work and he was fine. Then she had a back injury and surgery and spent 4 months at home with the dog inside all day. When she returned to work and he was in the back yard again he barked for 8 straight hours while she was gone. Months on and he was still doing it. It’s funny how dogs forget what came before once we’ve set a new pattern for them – especially when it’s one they like better.

Neil, I’m sorry to hear that you are struggling to get back into your old eating pattern and weight loss. Some things could consider that aren’t as drastic as whole30 that may help with the change are:
– go back to the mediterranean eating you were doing when you started on fast800. You don’t have to do 800cals, but try to stick to that range of foods. You did this for ages so I’m sure you know what foods to choose.
– decrease starchy carbs and increase your protein intake a little (not too protein much or for too long as research says that’s unhealthy) – I’m suggesting this as I find an increase in protein and corresponding drop in starch quickly gets my appetite under control. There are different ways to do this – I tend to omit grains but keep eating potatoes and legumes (although I do pre-cook and then chill them to create resistant starch). How much starch people need to omit to manage appetite is a very individual thing, so you’ll need to find the right level for you.
Once you feel in control again you can make adjustments to get your foods back to a more normal mediterranean program.
– increase your water intake to at least 2 litres a day, regardless of other fluids consumed. (When I was on the high protein meal replacement program we were advised this was important for our health with the added protein.) It also help to reduce fluid retention (even though that sounds counter-intuitive.
– keep doing 2 FDs per week even when it’s a struggle as the scales aren’t rewarding you.

Anzac, I hope you can get back into your week day pattern soon too. I think grief is probably not helping. If nothing else is working try to do 2 FDs until you can deal with more.

Lindsay, you are very welcome, I’m always happy to share what I’ve learned on the diet journey. One thing I mentioned in passing was that moving up to 1000cals didn’t decrease my weight loss (which had been unusually slow on the last weeks of 800cals). Other people on the program also commented that if they inserted the odd 1000-1200cal into their 800cal program is seemed to boost their weight loss. It made us wonder if we need to keep our bodies guessing about how much food they might expect for them to behave properly when it comes to appropriate weight loss.
That mushroom soup sounds lovely. Similar ingredients to those I’d normally use actually (although I also add a little porcini mushroom powder to make up for the bland farmed mushrooms).

Cinque, I hope you are feeling rested today after a busy granddaughter day yesterday. I too am joining you in an 800cal day. I’m having baked jacket potatoes for dinner (pre-boiled yesterday so they will just need a short time in the oven or airfryer).

To those of you who are marvelling at my endurance in digging up a strip of lawn I should put things into perspective. As with all new houses aroud here the developers build then as close to the curb as the council will allow. That means my front garden is about 5 x 5 meters or perhaps a bit less. This is an old photo of it when I was digging the hole in the centre to plant a tree: https://imgur.com/a/DeiFkFd – there’s not masses of lawn area left around that hole. I’ve taken photos of a house nearby that has planted their garden in a similar form to the one I have planned: https://imgur.com/a/jp6jKZw The photos don’t do it justice because when those salvias are in full bloom it really does stop you in your tracks. Their garden has quite a few layers and I’m planning something simpler.
The centre will be a crab apple tree: https://imgur.com/a/0kyIQ61 – the one I have selected had blossom in spring, green foliage in summer, gorgeous autumn colour and a bare form in winter. Around the outside edge of the small square garden I will plant a border or either dwarf nandina or liriope https://imgur.com/a/zgep0B2 (I’m leaning towards the nandina as I’ve grown those before so I know what to expect.) The remaining area between the border and the central tree will be a sea of pink salvias: https://imgur.com/a/M6cf0lh This is a really low maintenance garden as only the salvias require annual pruning and even they only need a cutback once a year.
The photos I showed earlier of the nearby garden that is my inspiration, also show the perils of over planting. The first time I saw the garden I loved it but it clearly now has too many plants. So I need to be mindful of that when doing my own planting. That means patience (not a strong point of mine) and lots of mulching to suppress weeds while I wait for things to grow.
I do also plan to grow potato vine over the front fences as I don’t like the colour and I’d rather plant a climber than paint it.

Time for me to go and get my FD dinner sorted.
Take care all.

Hello all, from still rainy Brisbane, although the sun looks like it may make a brief appearance shortly.

A rather rude start to the day – 26 kilos of big red dog landed fairly and squarely on top of me, with a lovely (!) face lick to shake me out of a deep sleep. She overnights on the covered back verandah, but one of us (it was OH!) didn’t lock the living room doors onto the verandah, so she nosed them open and joined us.

Another .3 of a kilo grudgingly has left me – making 7.8 in total, and 7.2 for my friend. Not sure where we’ll go after the 8 weeks …my friend’s GP wants her to lose another 12 kilos, and if I lost another 10 I’d be over the moon, so I can’t see us moving into maintenance anytime soon. It isn’t difficult now, though, except when we have meals out.

That’s an interesting article Thin.

We have booked our jabs for 29th March (our wedding anniversary – a rather unorthodox way to celebrate) but will have a discussion with our GP first. OH goes into anaphylactic shock if he’s anywhere near penicillin, and I have a history of blood clots in the lung …a long time ago, and both times when I was pregnant, but still worth discussing I think.

That crabapple tree is divine LJ, and oh, salvias. How honey bees love salvias. Do you hear them buzzing when you walk by?

Cinque you are late this morning. I hope it’s because you are savouring a coffee or two, and feeling well after a restful day yesterday.

See you all later.

Lindsay, well done on the weight loss. Good to hear that you’re getting the vaccine soon – I think it’s a pretty good way to celebrate your anniversary!

I can’t quite work out what Australia’s waiting for. The only way out of this is through herd immunity. With no local transmission, the only way to achieve that is through mass vaccination.

CalifD, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend, ‘Into The Wild’. We’ll press on with ‘The One’. I’m inclined to finish what we start, OH is happy to abandon shows mid-way so we have a giant selection in the ‘Continue Watching’ category! With so many options on Netflix, you’d think we could make a choice easily. But it seems to take forever, first working out whether we’ve already seen something, finding something that’s not scifi, too violent, mindless drama, made in the 90s, with decent actors in it …..

Hi LJ, yes the irony of what’s been going on in the EU regarding the vaccines wasn’t lost on me either. Sour grapes?

The bulk of lock and canal maintenance is carried out in winter for the reasons you suggest – disruption to the fewest numbers of boaters. It’s tricky for those who don’t have the resources/desire to go into a marina though. Covid aside, constant cruisers are required to move every 14 days throughout winter too so a good deal of advance planning is required because it’s still necessary to access supplies like fuel and water. The CRT does publish its scheduled winter works months in advance but of course things change.

We’re in no particular hurry as we have to return for our second dose of vaccine and DD will come and collect us from wherever we might be so we don’t want to burden her by being too far away. Our intention is to get back on the Grand Union Canal, through Crick where we might be lucky enough to see friends we made there and then down to Oxford. Perhaps on to the Kennet and Avon later in the summer. Maybe even The Thames if we’re brave.

Empathy for your weight. I’m back at the high end of 58s yet I can get my designer jeans (purchased for 5 euros in the Spanish op shop a year ago) on and off without unzipping. This doesn’t give me much comfort – instead I feel that I must have stretched them over the course of the year.

Morning all.

Thin, as LJ says, the vaccination delay here is a question of supply, after Europe stopped the export of doses meant for Australia.

Our news is dispiriting. OH’s GP has advised him not to have the Astra Zenica dose because of the risk of blood clots. Apparently the cases overseas relate to brain clots, not DVT, and as OH lost the sight in one eye from a retinal vein occlusion, it’s too dangerous. (As I am writing, my OH has just relayed the news that the European medical authority has ruled AZ safe, with no links between blood clots and the vaccine, but is still investigating a link with some very rare blood clotting issues). But it’s academic anyway – just as we were leaving the GP’s rooms, the Covid surgery phoned to cancel OH’s appointment, because they don’t have enough supplies.

The situation in PNG is dire – such heavy rates of infection. And as some of our northern islands are just a short tinny ride away, there’s a real risk of Covid spreading here, unless the PNG situation is brought under control.

LJ thanks for the caution on 12 weeks on Fast800. I talked it over with my friend, and we both feel that nudging up to 1000 a day for 4 weeks, then trying Fast800 again for the final thrust, is a good option. On current trends, we’ll both have lost somewhere around 9 kilos in the 8 weeks…maybe a little more. Having an extra 200 calories a day will seem like Christmas!

Calif, as you say, there are few cases here, and life is quite normal in many respects, but not being able to travel is hard. I won’t feel confident getting on a plane, even domestic, until I’ve had a vaccination. We have travelled overseas on average 4 times a year, for years, and miss it. But who knows when overseas travel will be back in our lives.

Those stretchy jeans can be a trap Thin – I can’t wait to get to the point where I bemoan being at the top end of 58.

cheers all (you okay Cinque?)

Good morning all – rare for me to post early as I really should be walking now. It can wait a little while.

Lindsay, although it may take a little while for more doses to arrive, we are meant to be getting more Pfizer vaccines eventually. Once the initial flurry of people all trying to get onto the list for limited vaccines has settled, I suspect there will be scope for some people who cannot safely take a specific vaccine to have some choice in the matter.
I’m glad you and your Fast800 buddy have a plan for moving forward. You’ve been mulling it over for a while and I suspect that it will ease your mind to have the way forward sorted. When I did the 1000cals the advice on meal selection was aimed at keeping us in mild ketosis. This was helpful as a sudden increase in hunger would have derailed many of us. I was lucky, I found I could have 80-90g carb per day and stay in mild ketosis, some others (all diabetic or pre-diabetic) had to stay around 40g which was much tougher to achieve.

Cinque, the picnic sounds like a lovely day out, although I’m sorry to hear it has tired you out again and that it lead to more eating that you are comfortable with. Funny how fatigue always seems to set up cravings for more food.
My little garden will take me many weeks/months to finish as I have to pace myself to about 2 hours of digging per fortnight. My first goal is to have the lawn removed by the end of autumn.
Glad to hear you are in 1b for vaccines. My GP made an appointment for just after easter so we can sort out my vaccine appointments then. It’s much easier to get the specific vaccine appointment dates that I need, when it’s the GP telling the office staff what he wants rather than me asking for it and getting stonewalled by their restrictive procedures.

Time to walk, no more delays!
Have a good day everyone.

G’day everyone. Thin, after looking at a couple reviews, I realize I did see Into the Wild a few years ago. Some of the scenery was breathtaking but I had mixed feelings about the movie itself. It was probably more realistic than many movies of that type. We finished the final episode of The One tonight. OH said he had trouble following it. I did for much of the series as well because of so much going back and forth in time, often several times within 10 minutes or so and not always being certain of the timeline. It is clearly left open to another season.

Lindsay, perhaps your OH would be able to get the Pfizer vaccine instead as I haven’t read of any clotting issues ith that one and as I understand it, it’s already approved in Australia. My 92 year old uncle got the first dose of that one yesterday and felt fine today.

Cinque, your picnic sounds like fun and the menu makes me hungry for spanakopita. I haven’t had that in ages. Pumpkin pasties sound like a good choice too. I tend to overeat when I’m tired too. Must be the body’s attempt to get its strength back.

LJ, I’ve been thinking about your remark that decaf black teas don’t have as much flavor. We only drink decaf tea and coffee here and OH has made the same observation several times. We’ve been drinking a Tetley British decaf black tea lately and it seems to have more flavor than many. I leave the tea bag in the cup for a long time and that seems to help. I’ve also started drinking it with milk instead of adding sugar and have become quite used to drinking it that way now. OH always drinks it with milk.

It’s still cold here and we got some rain the past couple days which we can certainly use. It hasn’t gotten above about 15C during the day or about 8C at night. It still feels like winter although some of the trees are starting to blossom.

That was weird, I just got 20 email notifications from this thread with the same post from Cali.

Hi Neil….yes, I had exactly the same thing. I saw all the emails from Southern Hemisphereites, and got really excited, thinking there was a rush of posts from lurkers etc. (Not that all your posts weren’t really welcome Calif).

No Thin, not the only concern. As well as the Australians who want to get back, two of Australia’s biggest industries, tourism and international education, are on hold until the vaccine rolls out and the borders reopen. Everyone in my department lost our jobs, but no JobKeeper for academics. Ironic, that some of the industries that took advantage of JobKeeper are reporting significant profits. Eagers, for example, got $120M in JobKeeper and their profit rose by $110M in the same period.

BTW My doctor told me this morning the delay with local manufacture had to do with licensing, and should soon be completed.