This topic contains 28,652 replies, has 835 voices, and was last updated by thinatlast 12 hours, 30 minutes ago.
Hi everyone. I’m Julie, another newbie, from Fremantle in Western Australia. Started 5:2 on Monday and have dropped 1kg already. Can’t quite believe it. Fasting Mon & Wed – was not too hard, but did enjoy my dinner last night!! Looking forward to following everyone on the forum. It will help to know there others out there too. Good luck to you all.
Hi Barata, Bilbo senior was a little too stinky for my liking, I think maybe I’ve just got a bit of a princess nose, lol! From what I’ve been told rye flour is really good at fermenting, but I just couldn’t stand the smell, I even got my hubby to stack the dishwasher! My husband left Bilbo senior in direct sunlight without realising, so this time I’ve used organic wholemeal flour, a sterilised glass container, covered with a tea towel, and it’s in an open pantry where it can’t be disturbed. I bought some authentic organic sourdough yesterday, my husband asked, “if we can buy it why are you going to all this trouble?” Ummmm, because it cost $8.40 for essentially half a loaf! I think it’s fun too, and I enjoy chatting on the forum about it too! Good luck with your new pet, I’m looking forward to hearing it’s name, hehe!
Hi to you Julie, welcome to the forum!
Thanks for the condolences Purple, haha! Bilbo junior seems to be kicking off even quicker than the previous starter, but without the stink, I hope it works out, I’m really looking forward to having a bread with no toxic oil, sugar or yeast. The one I bought has sooo much flavour!
Lizzy, I’m looking forward to playing with “….” too, once she/it performs. So you think the sunlight was the problem? “….” is in a bowl, under foil, on the bench. 22 degrees yesterday, 15 tomorrow (Wellington summer!!) It will have to be adaptable, like our trees which grow very strong roots to cope with the wind. (Sorry, digression.) Only two days so far. No smell, no action, but patience, Barata… What flours do you recommend? Just used wholemeal, with tap water that had been in sunlight for a day – but have got some filtered water from work in case of disaster.
Evening L and B!
I never put the starter in sunlight and I grow him in a small glass container with a sealed lid. It doesn’t seem to deprive him of air. Mr P claimed it would! I think they like a vigorous stir a few times a day when first growing but really need little attention once you have a “feel” for their life force 🙂
Have fun girls. P
Evening Purple and Barata
Too cool a temperature doesn’t seem to be a problem, from what I’ve read, but very warm can make it ferment too quickly. I’m assuming that’s because the good bacteria can’t cope with the bad bacteria? I think 22deg is perfect weather for your new pet, it’s going to be 40 here, not so good! Our tap water in Oz is very chlorinated, so they don’t recomend using it, cause the chlorine can kill the bacteria that is needed to grow the starter. I used rainwater and organic wholemeal flour, Bilbo started bubbling within 24 hours, but only lightly….. I just checked on him then and now he’s bubbling away, nawww! Organic flour is suppose to be better and have more of the good bacteria or fungus or something, on it to help with growth, but if your flour works it works. I’m really new at sourdough so I’m only going off the other bakery sites and information that I’ve read, but I think Purple is a master sourdough bread maker so I’ve been picking Purples brains too!
Thanks Lizzie. I’m no expert, just muddle along. Don’t go picking my brains, I need them all!! 😉
I’m tickled pink you called your’s Tospsy Barata. That’s what mum called me as a littlie!
I have a water filter and use that water. I always use top quality flours, as that was the whole point of making my own bread. It is the Rolls Royce of breads!
My Charlie doesn’t bubble nearly as much currently, but is producing beautiful bubbly bread. Remember, if Tospsy or Bilbo develop an acetate smell, feed and stir. All is ok.
I keep Charlie in the fridge and only bring him out for 12 hours before I’m going to use him in a sponge.
Never a good idea to let your fellas get too hot!
Have a happy Valentine’s Day. ♡♥ P
Aww, thanks Purple happy Valentine’s Day to you guys too!
Made the mistake of measuring myself this morning, wow I’m pretty quick to bloat up. Now that I have my way of eating sorted Im happy with the changes we’ve made I think it’s time to get into some serious fasting and look at the amounts I’m eating on non fast days. When I reflect back on previous weeks, if I’m totally honest with myself I’ve been mucking around quite a bit, but that’s ok I’ve had a few things to sort AND it’s all a journey to be enjoyed
Just wondering Purple, are you finding it easy to stay in maintenance?
Hehe Lizzy, love it! Thanks.
Must go shopping for flours, P, using a mixture of high-grade and wholemeal in the breadmaker this morning for the usual weekend loaf but should suss out other options. Also throw in seeds, rolled oats, bran and wheatgerm, so a good mix already. When you put Charlie in the fridge, is the bowl sealed or loose-topped? And getting too hot is not an option – forecast high of 15 today!
Hi everyone, I’m from Hibiscus Coast NZ. I’ve been doing 5:2 on and off for a while now and decided it’s time to get serious. I just found this site and new-found inspiration 🙂 Monday and Thursday will be my fast days and weigh in Friday. Off now to dig out all my 5:2 info. I have Michael Mosley’s and Kate Harrison’s books on my iPad and lots of recipe books so no excuse!
I’m trying to stay off the forum in weekends. 🙁
Lizzy, by the time we’d lost weight this woe was second nature. Still fast twice a week most weeks and eat thoughtfully the rest of the week. Weigh morning and night to monitor. It works as we have maintained pretty easily for 10 months. Never going back. Have a good weekend everyone, including newies 😉 P
Hullo Everyone.
What a lot of new people we have on here. Is it usual for so many new people to join over one week?
I’m going okay – done my two fasts for this week and have not felt like it was a chore. My husband commented that the fact we actually were not hungry on our two fast days just shows how much we over-eat usually. And I think he is right!!!
Weigh-in on Monday.
Happy Valentines Day.
Hi all,
Nice to see so many newbies (comparative newbies, anyways) joining the forum. I’m tracking along OK – just thought I’d check in so you know I’m still here.
… and Tim – I hear ya! I haven’t eaten much bread or grain of any sort since I started 5:2 in late December, and all this talk of sourdough bread makes me yearn for it. But no! Not for me. I would exercise no restraint at all and eat the whole loaf meself. It would be a catastrophe, as would I.
Catch you later,
Cheers,
g.
Greetings from the Western Australia desert where storm clouds are gathering over the dust storms. The birds are going nuts. I am hoping for rain.
Have enjoyed this thread very much over the past day or two. My partner makes sourdough bread from scratch — be encouraged. It really is good. Altho I understand your sentiment g. It’s the butter with it that I really enjoy.
Just started 5:2 with a fast yesterday. I was a little over the calorie limit at 600 (if I am honest about the size of the steak I ate for dinner). But my body can’t count so I still feel some good effect from the fast. I can see this can take a bit of planning.
I’m using myfitnesspal to track and look forward to this new way of life.
Warm wishes,
kudjerie
Thanks Bayleafoz – I have been wondering what “WOL” meant. So many people use it and I have been scratching my head to work out what it meant. Yes, I know, I must be a bit slow!!! But it is better than “diet”, because to eat this way is a life style choice.
So while we are on the subject of understanding posts, what is “OH”?
I gained a bit of weight yesterday. Remind me to not eat pork pies – lol!!! We went to our local growers’ market and bought amazingly fresh fruit and vegies, but stopped by the Scottish butcher who has a stall at the market – black pudding, haggis, pork pies, etc. Beautiful taste; high fat content. We also bought some great tasting and low calorie gravlax and hot smoked ocean trout. So breakfast was scrambled eggs with gravlax – yum.
Tomorrow will be my third fast day – and it is weigh-in day too. Fingers crossed ……
Hi Transcend OH is other half.
It’s very interesting to see how your weight fluctuates with different foods, but because many of us see this as a wol, I guess that will happen. I’m finally at peace with that now, cause too many times I’d throw in the towel on other diets if I’d seen the weight go up, but it’s just part of life really as long as I’m heading in the right direction. I think I might take a leaf out of your book Transcend and go to my local markets for my veg, especially after the, I think Nanas?? mixed berries contamination and finding out what other countries use for fertiliser.
Hi Kudjerie, I’m looking forward to starting the actual sourdough making, being able to have tasty bread without sugar and bakers yeast homemade will be great. Good to hear you felt good from the fast and I hope you get some rain too. I have Michael Mosley 5:2 diet on kindle too, which is handy cause you’ll never lose the book, haha!
Oh and there is no need for rudeness!
Hello losers!
What a lot of posts to catch up on while I was out being enthralled by the amazing Giants in Perth this weekend. They certainly kept my mind off eating. So happy to report a greater than 10 kgs loss since starting 5:2 about 6 months ago! (15+ kgs altogether). I look and feel so much better than this time last year.
For the newbies, welcome, many of us have found that our weight fluctuates considerably on this journey but the general trend is down. Sometimes there are frustrating plateaus. Stick with it, it’s worth it. Lay off the pork pies Transcend, ha ha!
I made it to 2.30pm and I’m off to enjoy my tasty cauliflower soup (103 cals).
Wow thin 15kilos, I bet your feeling pretty good at the moment. It’s funny how happy you can feel for someone that you’ve not met. I guess that’s what empathy is about!
Sorry Bay for the confusion, I just felt a bit annoyed that someone had the audacity to have a go at someone who was only answering our questions, infact there was a number of us asking purple about sourdough. From my understanding this is a forum about weightloss, bread as we all know, can be a problem for some of us, so to be able to learn how to make a “healthy” bread that may infact promote weightloss and health would be very relevant to the topic.
Oh and FYI, the starters are named because of tradition as they are referred to as “the pet in the fridge”
Thanks Bay! I am very excited. Feeling great. Loving this WOL. I still want to lose another 8 kgs and then I’ll cautiously try 6:1. It may take me a while to get there as I don’t seem to enjoy the impressive fast weight loss that others have reported. That’s OK, doesn’t really matter how long it takes, does it? Just so happy to be in the sixties kg range for the first time in 15 years. Now I know what you gurus were all on about with the dancing a few dozen pages back…..
I think my iPad has woken up with some gremlins in it this morning, my comments don’t seem to want to post! It is a great forum isn’t it. I enjoy being able to chat with fellow fasters, pickup tips, share in each other’s achievements and support each other when things don’t go to plan. Hopefully this one will post, hahaha! Have a great day guys
Thanks for the explanation of “OH”, Lizzy. We have just started our second week today – our third fast so far. We weighed in this morning and we are both quite pleased with the results, but will make a few changes to our non-fast days in the hope of losing a bit more this week. I was surprised to see that all measurements went down, even my neck measurement. Anyway, we will progress surely and carefully – it isn’t a race after all!
Well done to you and OH Transcend! We all had to learn not to over compensate on feast days and, as you say, it’s a change for life so it doesn’t matter how fast the results come as long as you’re heading south. In time you’ll find that the fast days re-set your portion sizes for the non-fast days. These days I find I’m not hungry at all the morning after fasting – whereas my OH heads straight for the big breakfast.
Hi Trancend (jeffR & everyone else). Same for me – it’s the start of my second week & third fasting day. Started last Monday and had dropped 1.1kg by Friday morning! Had a normal weekend eating/drinking, party, cake, etc and this morning (1 week from start) I’m still down .9kg. So, I’m thrilled. I believe some people say that this is how it goes for the first week with quite a dramatic weight loss. But even if it’s half that for this coming week I’ll be happy. Aiming to lose about 5kg in total. Hubby is now getting interested & talking about joining me! Using MyFitnessPal to record my meals is great. Only negative for me so far was that I felt sick from Tue-Sun. I read somewhere on this site about the “Ketosis Flu” (as a result of fasting), of which I had most of the symptoms. I stuck with it anyway and still exercised. Today I feel much better. So whether it was a bug or this mystery “flu” I don’t know. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Good luck this week everyone. Any thanks for all the support…it makes a real difference. x
Hi all, great to hear the good results you guys are getting. Charliesmum, I sometimes put myself into ketosis, on purpose by not having breakfast and then eating very low carbs at lunch/tea, I know I’m in ketosis cause I bought some ketostix and kept checking, but I never got any flu like symptoms. I did however get really bad carb cravings and irritabilty. I spent a few days doing it cause it’s apparantly your optimal fat burning zone, which I really like the sound of, hahaha! I’m fasting today my OH is interstate so I may even try a 36 hour no food fast. My OH is not interested in the slightest in fasting, so well done to you guys for being able to inspire your OH’s to give it a try
Don’t worry Lizzie, you’re not necessarily missing out – I first started this because OH agreed to do it with me for one month and I thought it would be easier doing it together. He quickly went to 6:1 (he’s skinny) and sometimes doesn’t fast at all when he’s fire fighting and feels he can’t take the risk. To be honest, I’ve now decided that fasting by myself requires a lot less fanfare & planning. Also I’m working towards fasting all day and then having a decent evening meal whereas OH prefers several low cal ‘meals’ during the day which I find are much harder to plan.
Thanks thin, my husbands idea of fasting is only having a banana for breakfast and eating normal the rest of the day! From what I’m reading fasting may not be good for him at the moment because of his low thyroid, aaaaargh so much conflicting info isn’t there, I just wish I could help him more. I’m totally with you on the not eating till tea time, I don’t think I could control myself eating small amounts throughout the day, plus I like the idea of giving my digestive system a good rest, probably doesn’t make a difference, but it sounds good, haha!
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2:19 am
13 Feb 15