Day 19 – USA/GA – (?)

Weigh-in: 218 lbs. Today was originally supposed to be a FD, but I did my 2nd FD on Tuesday. However, it wouldn’t hurt for this to be one of my occasional 4:3 weeks. I’ll start off with ZBC today and play it by ear. Should be pretty busy today, so a FD may work. A former colleague texted a group of us asking for lunch next Wednesday when she’s in town — my planned FD because of other events that include dinners, etc., that week. I’ll have to check my calendar at work, as next week could be a set up for disaster…but in any case it should motivate me towards another FD for today.

@linda.b There’s a race? Oh yes, with @stitchincarol … I better put down this lemonade and get up from my parasol and beach chair and figure out which direction to run in!

USA. Day 19. FD

Good morning!

Pocket List – Day 19 🥕
@daffodil2010 – FD800
@missybear
@brightonbelle
@ccco

Have a great. day!

Dorset – NFD

Out early taking my daughter to school so only checking in now.

Hope everyone had a good day

Day 20 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

What happened to our Aussies? 👀 It feels odd to be the first person posting.

@stitchincarol – way to go on the PNFDS ! 💪😅 And I hope your WF wasn’t too challenging

@michelinme – congrats on reaching your halfway point! 🥳️ 21 lbs – that’s roughly 10 kgs! It’s staggering when you think about it. I often do some lifting exercises when I’m catching up on my steps in front of the TV. I’d been using 2 x 3 kg weights for ages, but they were feeling too light, so I recently bought 2 x 5 kg weights. Doesn’t sound too challenging, but what a difference! The sales assistant put the two weights in a reusable canvas bag, & I struggled to carry it to the car in one hand. So to be carrying that extra weight around day after day – it’s no wonder it’s so detrimental to our health.

I’m a tad excited because I may be putting in an offer on a house today 🤞🏡

Happy Fri-yay y’all 🍹

Day 20 – Ireland 🇮🇪 – NFD

Wow, it’s unusual to see you @funshipfreddie being first on parade, yes, where are all the early posters?

So it’s day 5 of new keto 800….. DH lost 5lb, he takes breakfast then fasts till evening and is delighted with how good he feels…..he never joined me with fasting before 😆 I am down 2.5lb despite all blips, so very happy too.

Much less bloated and motivation strong again.

Well done @michelinme on reaching the half way point, thrilled for you, I know the struggles and we have been here since 2017 together.

@brightonbelle and @missybear…I also hear you that the quick results almost guaranteed by MM for Keto 800 are not materialising, but I swear our hormones have something to do with it!! I have turned into a tortoise, when I was a racehorse in 2017.

Happy Fri-yay!!! Best of luck @funshipfreddie !!!

Day 20 U.K. NFD

Yes @missybear – me too!! I must admit this is usually when I have a hissy fit and decide it’s not for me and splurge but I’m hanging in there – surely there will be a drop – eventually ?? or maybe this is just how it is now ☹️whilst I’ve been good calorie wise I have to admit I’ve been unable to eradicate carbs so maybe that’s my goal for next week , anyway I’m relaxing ( a bit – not going mad ) over the weekend and back on that waggon Monday

Have a good one all and well done @michelinme

Day 20 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD 151.4

I did it! I skipped piano lessons, and still pulled off a WF! I was barely even tempted, somehow, which is proof how important “thinking” is for me: I have to set my mind on a plan, and clearly have not been doing that successfully for a very long time. Today’s plan: another can of soup for lunch (150) calories, and then out to dinner. That will pose its own challenge, as knowing the calories can be impossible, so today’s grace is that I order what I want, but not the kind of thing that would have shocked me when I was 32 (eg, no onion rings, LOL) and I call it good.

@funshipfreddie I hope your house offer is accepted!

@dramaqueen6 Have a fun night away with your husband!

@daffodil2010 How lovely that you and DH are so enjoying doing this together, and that you’re enjoying visible results! I’m cheering you on!

@missybear I had to have the same discussion with my own scale this morning, so I’m with you on how dumb they can be. Nonetheless: 6.5 pounds in less than 3 weeks????? That is nothing short of phenomenal, honey. Well, well done!!!

@brightonbelle I had my hissy fit on Tuesday…will a boat load of thinking do you any good??? 😂🤪

@michelinme Congratulations on your half-way point! And 21 pounds down is huge; well done!!!

@northgeorgia Yup, you’d best be doing OMAD if you want a chance to win, because I’m on my way down….!!

Busy day of commitments today: dentist at 9 to discuss my new night guard (hate it…), hour-long Zoom call with my sisters at 11:15, meeting with a woman at 3:30 to go through a bucket of paperwork at church, then dinner out with DH. Still don’t know where we’ll go, but that’s half the fun, is choosing a restaurant.

So have a grand day, everyone!

Day 21 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

Well, I haven’t put in the offer yet. The estate agent is a bit ditzy. I’m starting to think this isn’t her real job; a side-hustle maybe? I first saw the house before Christmas. Then it took her two weeks to get back to me with more info, as it wasn’t officially on the market. She emailed me the other night – after 10 pm – to ask if I was still interested. So I emailed her just after 7 am yesterday, saying I’d like to take another look, & also check out the garage, which I haven’t seen yet. She only called me at 5:45 pm, said she’d had a really busy day, & could we meet over the weekend? So I expect to see the house again sometime today. Anyway, apart from being a bit too big, it’s exactly what I’m looking for, & in a complex I’ve had my eye on for ages. And I already have permission from the body corporate to take Boo Boo. It’s a cottage/townhouse in a ‘Lifestyle complex’ for over 50’s, just a 10 minute walk from where I’m currently staying. Two bedrooms/bathrooms & an enclosed patio. Bathrooms & kitchen need revamping, so I’m planning to offer considerably less than the asking price. Anyway…

@michelinme – yes, that’s basically all I do, just walk on the spot + do the exercises with weights. I usually do 3 x 8 reps & then repeat. Just exercises I’ve made up, sort of curls, then out to the side, & then above my head. And a few lunges. I keep meaning to check out YouTube to pick up some ideas, but for now this is enough. The heavier weights certainly get my heart rate going & I have to go more slowly. 🏋️‍♂️

@matpi – Not a good start to the weekend; I hope you’re feeling brighter today. Antibiotics always make me feel lousy.

@michelinme – the last stretch of Jump-Start January – so far so good. I’m planning on another FD tomorrow. Then, depending on Monday morning’s weigh-in, I may just do 4:3 next week if my weight’s crept up. But probably not 😅

Have a good weekend everyone 🌤 🌈 🌅

Day 21 – Ireland 🇮🇪 – NFD

No weigh in as out with friends for dinner last night, avoided carbs and stuck to proteins, hard to do in an Italian surrounded by pastas and pizzas, but the fun and conversation flowed with the wine and a great night had.

Busy housework day. I have a keto almond bread baking in the oven and hoping it will be ok, I do love the appearance and texture of a bread, even if it’s not bread officially….still baby steps on this keto journey, but as myself and DH were doing the Dukan Diet for years the cutting out of white carbs is not a problem really.

@funshipfreddie, I hope all goes well with the house viewing.

Well done @brightonbelle on the loss.

Have a great Saturday all.

Day 21 Ohio, US — NFD

Yesterday did in fact turn out to be a CD. I just felt so bad that I gave in and had some toast with almond butter. That reduced the pain a good deal and, according to my Amazfit, I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had since Christmas. I wonder if that was the equivalent of having a handful of cashews?

Today was a regular NFD until lunch, when an experiment I was trying out went aglay. I thought that perhaps starting to chew sugarless gum after meals might be a good practice for the dental hygiene. It’s been years since I’ve chewed any gum, so I wound up really chomping my tongue and it bled a lot. I know —- it’s a sad tale, but true. As a result for the rest of the day I’ve been making do with protein shakes and ice cream. I hope by tomorrow the tongue will have healed enough that I can hazard porridge. I’m not sure what effect this will have on the weight, but with two FD’s next week, I’m hopeful that this little glitch in the eating plan will only have a minimal effect.

@ccco and @funshipfreddie With real estate agents one never knows. Fortunately I’ve had good luck with them — my first house sold in two weeks and my second in four. But the two agents were full-time and very much the go-getter types. It does make a difference!

@michelinme How are you able to keep Christmas biscuits in the house so long? If biscuits are in the house, I act very much like the Cookie Monster on Sesame Street. The only way I can keep that Cookie Monster under control is by not having any biscuits in the house at all.

@northgeorgia I read a similar article and it seems to me that perhaps their definitions are a little off. After all, 5:2 fasting is all about calorie restriction. And you’re right —- keeping to the TDEE on non-fast days is the only way to achieve reasonable calorie restriction over-all.

@daffodil2010 I did Dukan for a while, also — but my eating when one could have anything one wanted, started to turn out to lead to uncontrolled eating. One thing I like about this WOL, is that the FD’s aren’t so extreme that I go out of control on NFD’s.

Day 22 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – FD

@northgeorgia – you really can’t take these so-called studies too seriously. And when you start digging it’s not too surprising when you discover who is actually funding them. Quite often it’s big food & pharmaceutical companies.

@ccco – I don’t blame you for canning that agent. Unfortunately I’m stuck with this one. She’s a family friend of the sellers, & they don’t seem to be in a hurry to sell. And I’m trying to pretend to be in no hurry to buy 😅 She’s actually really nice though when you get chatting to her, & she’s lived in the area for decades. Anyway, I saw the house again yesterday. But there was a power cut, & the garage remote doesn’t have a back-up battery to open the door. I guess one garage looks pretty much the same as the next; but I just want to make sure there isn’t a ton of junk in there. I’m going to put in an offer today.

@matpi – I’ve also been really lucky with selling. I’ve sold three times since 2019, & each time the first person to view the property has made an offer. Maybe my asking prices were too low? 🤔

Fast day today, yuck. But it’s mercifully cooler & less humid, so I’m going to distract myself with a long walk by the beach.

Happy S🌞nday!

Pocket List – Day 22 🍉
@funshipfreddie

Day 22 USA/HI NFD
Early morning weigh in 163lb. Nice to see the most recent new low has bounced back . With 10 days of eating remaining this month, I will do a few more FD800 to make 162 lb on Feb 1st. And then another 3 lb loss in Feb will get me out of the 160’s. It’s pretty exciting to think of hitting the 150’s!! It’s been decades since I was in the 150’s. Seeing my plan posted here is such a big part of making it happen.
As a team we are moving onward and downward.

USA Day 22. FD

Pocket list – day 22
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia
@ccco

Day 22 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD 155.8

Yeah, despite eating within my 1500 calories/day plan, the scale has shot up. 🤷‍♀️ But I’m sticking to plan, and thinking a bunch of it may be how salty my food has happened to be over the last couple of days. We’ll see what tomorrow’s weight is.

I had to be out the door way early yesterday (Saturday) morning, and never did have a quiet time to sit and read messages, so here I am Sunday late afternoon instead.

@maui I’m so sorry at what an ordeal this is for you and your DH; I’m still hopeful things can improve for you, and I hope they do! And I imagine having your friend with you on Saturday, and being forced to stay home–so you couldn’t feel any guilt at all–was a world of good and healing for your emotional strength!

@michelinme A formal complaint against you? Dolt with no judgement or wisdom at all!!! That’s what I say. 😘

@matpi I hope you felt better quickly.

@funshipfreddie Oh, that has to be frustrating that your agent isn’t responding quickly. You seem to be maintaining patience; I hope it pays off for you and that the offer you made today is accepted!

@brightonbelle How’d your Saturday and Sunday go???

@daffodil2010 How lovely to hear of your strength and discipline!

@northgeorgia Have you read the Emotional Eating book by Carr? I’ve only just barely started it, but found some of his points so helpful that I can point to it for the success I’ve found again, so perhaps you’d find it helpful at all. And the segment that said IF doesn’t work. Good grief. And your dad’s diet plan? Double good grief.

@michelinme Had a treat, but felt awful afterward? Yup, I’ve been working hard on making that a strong realization so that I’m more willing to swerve so called treats. That was a big part of the point being made in Carr’s no-sugar book; I quit the book, but that point was certainly worth reading and thinking about and remembering. Oh, and YAY for almost being done with your backlog!

@malee57 What a fun description of your night out dancing; sounds great!

One playoff game done, and a second to come next…not my passion, certainly, but they make DH happy. And I was hungry so made a huge, gorgeous sandwich (thick pumpernickel bread, ham, corned beef, pepper jack cheese, avocado, mayo, mustard)–then cut it in thirds, and shared with DH and DS26. I got the treat, but am not stuffed, and am still below my 1500 calorie goal! 💪 Thankfully, I’ve broken the habit/assumption that watching a football game requires beer! 😂😂🤪

So that’s my catch-up chatter; I’ll be back in the morning, and will hopefully do a better job this week of managing to include exercise each day; that’s been my shortcoming this past week.

Have a grand one, everyone!

Day 23 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

It was good to have company on a Sunday pocket list. Major PFDS this morning, & down a whole kilo for the month! 🎯 Managed my 10,000 steps. I was just about to do my lifting exercises around 5 pm, when Boo Boo landed on my lap. And she wouldn’t budge. True story. 😅 You can’t even push her off. Once she’s comfy you have to pry her off like Velcro. So that’s my excuse. And I told myself I deserved a break because it was a FD & I’d suffered enough 😜 But anyway – @michelinme, my Jump-Start January is going splendidly 😃

I finally made my Offer To Purchase yesterday. A bit of haggling with the agent. So now it’s a waiting game. The sellers have until the 26th to accept/decline my offer. Or they could come up with a counter offer. Needless to say, my brain is on overdrive, working through the ‘what if’ scenarios. Can’t help feeling a little excited, but at the same time I’m trying not to get my hopes up. The sellers are actually reluctant to let the house go. They haven’t even advertised the sale yet. Their father lived there for 20 years before he died, & although neither of them want to live there, they have lots of memories & emotions tied up in the place. I hate the uncertainty 🥴️ 🤞

We’re in for another scorcher today; it’s already 26 C & it’s not even 10 am 🥵️ And we desperately need rain, lots of rain 🙏 🌧

Wishing everyone a successful last week of Jump-Start January! ✅

Day 23 – Monday– Gold Coast Queensland Australia 🦘🦘🦘 – (NFD) 🥦🍅🥦🥒🥑🥕🍅🍆🥬🥦🍄🌶🍏🐔🐔

Missing in action again I’m afraid! This selling your house caper is a bit of a business. I’ve been in my house for 27 years so there was lot to do bring it to market. OPEN HOUSE for the last three Saturdays means lots of prep, cleaning and ‘staging’….. but after all my efforts no offers as yet. Yes, there have been 4-7 groups through at each one but not the buyer I’m hoping for. Still 4 more OPEN HOUSE Saturdays to go, so we’ll see. As I have a contract for the other house as a SUBJECT TO SALE, I will lose that other house if I don’t sell mine. ho hum😟😨 c’est la vie!🥰 Trying to prepare myself for the prospect of not selling mine in time.

Today was meant to be a FD but didn’t suit my schedule so will do FD tomorrow… that’s the good thing about Intermittent Fasting is that you can be flexible if necessary.

@malee57… loved what you said about the salad and veg… it is really the key to my weight loss last year and now my maintenance… you go girl… we’ve got this!! 😍🥰🤣😀

cheerie dearies

Thought: “I don’t need a personal trainer.
I need someone to follow me around & slap food out of my hand.” ~ Unknown (courtesy @funshipfreddie)

Day 23 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 215 lbs. Now begins the week of possibly no 2nd FDs (whine)… but I will adjust accordingly.

@stitchincarol No I haven’t. Is that the name of the book, “Emotional Eating?” I will search for it.

OK, off to work, then a drive to a town near the NC border for a meeting with a few colleagues that are over similar programs at other local colleges. I had heard snow showers might be possible, but looks like the temperature might have stayed a bit higher up that way. We’ll see!

Day 23 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD 153.6

Okay, I’m down 2.2lbs from yesterday which means my guess that the gain was simply because my food was salty two days in a row was spot-on. That was an obvious conclusion since we went to a Japanese restaurant on Friday and had the leftovers as fried rice on Saturday. Last Monday, I was 156.4 and I think I remember I was 157.0 on Tuesday morning, so I’m definitely going in the right direction. 💪💪💪

@malee57 Oh, how well I know that feeling of eating too much and then feeling icky; hopefully a day of restraint has restored a happy gut!

@funshipfreddie Boo Boo is a true friend, isn’t she? 😂😂😂 Wow, David. You had to haggle with the agent while making your offer? That’s truly wrong to my mind, LOL. In the States, there’s usually an agent for the sellers and another agent for the buyers, because the rule–a real rule, not a guideline–is that the agent has to have the best interest of their client in mind. So to haggle with the agent simply doesn’t compute! I can see why the sellers are reluctant to actually let go of the house given their memories, but that sure makes it tough for you. Good luck!

@snowflake56 How lovely to have you back with us, and you are always welcome–you know that. I don’t remember your target weight; how much are you wanting to lose?

@linda.b Oh, I know well the challenge of getting ready to move, and am dreading my own challenge sometime in 2024 or 2025. Good luck with the perfect buyer coming along for you in time to keep the house you want to buy!

@brightonbelle Sadly, I’ve given up beer for the duration. Not absolutely, but I never consider it to be an option “until I get down to goal weight.” I’m sure DH and I will occasionally go to a brew pub over the next few months, and then I’ll indulge, but evidence says it stalls my progress too dramatically. 😢

—-Wow. It just got light enough outside to see that we have a VERY dramatic hoar frost outside this morning. Just stunning.—-

@northgeorgia Here you go: https://smile.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Emotional-Eating-ebook/dp/B07ZWCLFD6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12PGVLI20SIQS&keywords=emotional+eating+carr&qid=1674480817&sprefix=emotional+eating+carr%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1

@missybear LOL! We’re so deep in winter here in Nebraska that when you mentioned snowdrops, I didn’t think of flowers, I wondered why you were referring to falling snow as drops, and why this was your first in late January and why you considered that early. I was SO confused. Then I realized you meant the flowers. 😂🤣😂🌼 Too funny!

Did I mention that my 93yo MIL has covid? The good news is that she’s bored, so that says right there how reasonably mild her case is; you’re never “bored” when you’re truly sick, you know? She’s supposed to be isolating in her room at the assisted living facility, but keeps leaving her room; I’m guessing she honestly forgets rather than is being stubborn. It’s tough to be alone all day every day. @maui I’m sure you’re still sound asleep as I type this, but your DH is so blessed to have you to come and visit him!

Wow, it’s gorgeous outside. I’ll sign off now so I can simply stare out the window! 😍

Have a grand one, everyone!

Day 24 Melbourne, Australia NFD

I am doing lots of visiting this week so need to change my FDs. A nuisance, but easily doable.

@lindab I have thankfully never sold a house. I bought my current house 27 yrs ago and then a house when I got married. The first house then became a rental. 18 months ago I left my house and moved back to my first house. Moving out from my STBX helped me declutter to a large extent and now I am trying my best to not but much stuff.

@funshipfreddie fingers crossed that the offer gets accepted and it all works out.

I am close to my goal for Jump Start January. In fact, I have been hovering around it for the last week. So with a last big effort this week I will get there.

Day 23 Ohio, US — NFD
Day 22 — NFD

Yesterday was a fairly rough day: Even though I went to bed at my regular time on Saturday, I only woke up at 11:45 am the next morning. Usually I’m up between 7:30 and 8:00. I was fairly weak most of the day, so wound up in bed for a good portion of it. The good news was that I graduated from puddings to a very thin Cream of Wheat porridge without opening up the wound on the tongue again.

Today I was finally able to get in to see my dentist and she injected some liquid antibiotic into the gum around the infected tooth and doubled the daily amount of the antibiotic. With the aid of the increased medicine and a couple of naps I’m definitely feeling better this evening. But, all in all, it seemed wise not to fast today, since I do better with this antibiotic if I take it with a regular-sized meal.

@stitchincarol Amazingly enough over this last weekend we’ve gotten our first snowfall of the season that looks like it will stay. Usually by this time of January there’s at least a foot of snow on the ground. I think the weather dice have rolled you all a really severe winter and us a fairly mild one.

@linda.b I love that quote! I guess it could be called, “The Slap Diet.” Good luck on selling your house in the very near future!

@snowflake56 It’s great seeing you back again!!

@funshipfreddie It’s interesting how sometimes people are held to houses more by memories than by the physical houses themselves. It took my brother a decade after my folks’ passing to contemplate us selling their house, and my parents had only lived there for about ten years themselves!

@malee57 Hope your visit with your friend made your first day the start of a perfect energizing time!

Dorset – FD : -1

Had a wonderful night away and my dd/sil/and my beautiful granddaughter can down at the weekend as well. They went home yesterday.

Complete fail on not having dessert, but it was delicious. FD yesterday and FD again today.

@michelinme – I look at youtube for the walking it is called walk at home. I did the 3 mile one on Sunday really good.

Have a lovely day you all

Day 24 – Ireland 🇮🇪 – FD

Fasting untIl lunch, then my small mackerel salad and dinner will be leftover chicken and veg stir fry, no carbs.

We broke the rule last night and got a quarter pounder beef burger plus chips from our local chip shop ….absolutely delicious
and the carbs sent me into a dreamless sleep for the whole night. Rested and rearing to go for the challenge 👍

@michelinme that almond bread is really nice and so simple…6 eggs, 30 grams butter, 150g ground almonds, 3 tsp baking powder. Whisk eggs and butter with electric beater until butter broken down, throw in almonds and baking powder, whisk for another two minutes to get air into the batter, pour into loaf tin, bake circa 30 mins at 200c….voila, a lovely silky almond bread. Lovely toasted with cheese on top. 100% cArb free.

Have a bad toothache but putting off the dentist as I have a terrible anxiety and suffer claustrophic panic attacks is a dentist goes nears my mout h. I pay extra to get the Valium twilight treatment but that’s not in my budget this month. So I am rinsing with salt and water to stop any infection and hopefully this will go away.

Have a good Tuesday.

Day 24, Germany, NFD

@brightonbelle, @missybear, @stitchincarol, @matpi and @funshipfreddie, thank you for the welcome back. I just don’t have the willpower to do it on my own.

@brightonbelle I also love watching those house buying & selling tv shows, but I only watch the British ones. The houses are so different from Dutch and German ones.

@stitchincarol I have to lose 7,4 kg/17 lbs to fit in my clothes comfortably again, less would be nice but I think that’s unrealistic. I’m glad your MIL is not too ill, Covid in assisted living facilities is difficult for everyone.

@missybear It’s better to come back and give it another try. I should have stayed here, it helps to keep control.

@matpi So much antibiotics, I hope they do help!

@maui I hope you’re able to see your DH today.

Have a nice day!