Morning/evening all,

Happy, you’ve reminded me I’ve got a couple of kettlebells in the cupboard that have only been used a couple of times😳
I bought them and a DVD and my laptop died, then I began to have issues with my hip and was unable to use them. There was no hope once I joined the gym, but now I’ve started doing some muscle strengthening work at home I might dust them off and try not to swing them into anything breakable 😉

It’s a damp, dreary and drizzly morning here.

We only have wood pigeons here which is odd considering I live in such an urban area. We also have lots of seagulls…….

Have a good one everybody 😜

Afternoon all,

I’ve been watching kettlebell videos this morning and selected a couple that I want to try once I’ve done some practice on keeping my posture and not arching my back.

I was going to walk but changed my mind as while I was out doing a few errands I noticed my foot is still sore from stepping on one of those pimpled paving stones yesterday. They are great for the visually impaired but not so good if you’ve had your sesamoid bones removed and I couldn’t avoid it as most of the pavement was cordoned off due to a leaking water main, and there was a huge puddle that needed jumping over 😡
It was so sore I had to find somewhere to sit for a few minutes.

Oh well, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger apparently…………

Jo, have you read Brain Maker by David Perlmutter? He believes that our gut bacteria control everything including the way our brains function. It is a fascinating read.
Which means that those of us who are taking kefir have a head start (pardon the pun 😉 ) on everyone else 🙂

Jo, it is dry here after some drizzle first thing this morning.

I’ve not noticed any difference since I started drinking kefir.

Hi HCB,

I often don’t lose weight immediately after a FD but a couple of days later.

I use ice packs if there is any swelling and heat if there isn’t, but you’ll need to try and see what works best for you. Neither can do any harm 🙂

Morning/evening all,

Jo, your gut bacteria have probably been depleted by illness and medication. You had so many issues with your digestive system when your gall bladder was causing problems, and a single course of anti-biotics can wreak havoc. Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and some other pain killers can have an adverse affect on the lining of the gut as can many other medications.
Being mostly vegetarian would be an advantage as you are lessening the chances of ingesting anything from meat or meat products. It is one of the reasons why I buy organic or really good free range meat.

An overcast and windy morning here with rain imminent. I think I might get wet on the way to the gym ☹☔

Another FD beckons,

Have a good one everybody 😜

Hi Fast Trackers and Hello World (You All know Who You ARE) 😉
Calories vs Carbohydrates: Clearing Up Confusion Over Competing Obesity Paradigms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3oy0VaWeSo
Excellent Video!!
Have good weekend you beautiful losers.
Peace RT

’tis. Must be enjoying Sunday 😊😊

Good Mornibg,
Where did everybody go? It must me all the maintainers without any news to report 👍
Not me, for sure. My shoulder was bad last night. It must be tendinitis, burcitis or something that ends with “’tis”. Today I will star a series of ice several times a day and just be quiet.
Company arrives later on today.
Have a good Sunday 🌺❤💋

We’ve just had the Trust Me episode with the kefir in it. That was a quick turn around….usually takes 6 to 12 months following the UK screening before we get it. P

RT,
Sounds like a worthwhile experiment and is the only way to find out what works best for you.

When I followed Atkins I was amazed at how the weight fell off but as I mentioned before it made me feel awful so was unsustainable long term.

I’m looking forward to the meat free experiment and have a huge number of recipes I want to try, far too many for one person so I’m going to go through those I’ve selected and decide which are best for what is available at this time of year as my ongoing challenge is seasonal eating and only buying produce from overseas if it doesn’t grow here eg citrus and tropical fruit such as pineapple, mango.

Hi everyone,

Happy, it took my kefir nearly 2 weeks to acclimatise to my cold kitchen but it is working well now and I’ve had to increase the amount of milk I’ve been adding.
The first few batches were thin and quite tangy but now is is thick and creamy with a hint of sour and I’m really pleased with it.
I decided to go with the less is more option and have rinsed out the jar only twice in plain warm water. I’ve also been putting the excess in a single bottle and not keeping daily batches separate and it has been fine.

I’ve been drinking around 150mls every day and with the rest I’ve made soda bread, buckwheat pancakes and added it to porage and an omelette mix.

Jo, shame that your room was not comfortable. I’m with Happy in that I doubt you’ve gained any weight at all. My weight can vary as much as 5lbs after a weekend of “normal” eating, especially if I’ve had alcohol and/or bread/pizza. The sooner tomorrow comes and you embark on your no weighing regime the better it’ll be 🙂

My weight hasn’t budged which is very frustrating but I know it’ll drop eventually. I’ve been doing a lot of resistance work/weights so that might be hampering it but no point in worrying about it. I’m embarking on my vegetarian Lent tomorrow which also involves counting every calorie I consume and after jumping on the scales in the morning not weighing until Easter. I’ll take some measurements tomorrow if I can find my tape measure and use them and my clothes to track my progress.

The thought of trying out lots of new recipes is exciting and I hope it will help me stick to the plan and reach the mini goal I’ve set for myself.

I’m going out for lunch at the weekend with my friend and her family and she was concerned about me getting something to eat as I’m giving up meat for Lent.
I said that it would be fine as the main purpose is to try out vegetarian/vegan recipes and not because I don’t want to eat meat.
We are going to either a Mexican or Italian restaurant and both will have meat and fish free options (although they might be full of carbs) so I’m certain it won’t be an issue.

I need to cull the list of recipes I’ve selected as I’ll never get through all of them in 40 days, and then write a shopping list. I’m loathe to buy too much at the moment as the freezer part of my integrated fridge freezer is on the blink and I might need to replace it so I’m trying to use up everything in the freezer and not rely too much on things that need to be stored in the fridge.

Have a good one everybody 😜

It will go well Jo as I’m doing the cooking 😉

I have a wine rack in my fridge, and the bottle shelf in the door is very generous. I’ve given up drinking mineral water in favour of filtered tap water, and the filter jug fits in the bottle shelf.

The bottle shelf and the wine rack are two things I’ll need to check out if I have to buy a new fridge freezer. I’ve always opted for a model with the fridge at the top as it makes no sense to me to have it at the bottom.

I’ve been weighing (almost) every day for the past few weeks and it has been an education.

I’m really looking forward to trying a different way of eating and can hardly wait to get cooking but first there are a couple of frozen veggie FD meals that need to be eaten and then I have to replace the freezer before I start cooking.
I’ve spent a couple of hours looking at fridge freezers and decided which one I want. I should be able to have it delivered on Monday which gives me time to get organised.
I’ve got some frozen apples and plums that can be defrosted on Sunday, cooked and re-frozen and some bags of stock that can be boiled up, cooled and re-frozen so I might only have to chuck out a bag of peas or I might make them into soup and freeze it 🙂

We thought our fridge was dying recently, Amazon. It gave me an opportunity to actually clear the contents out, then it decided it would come back to life. Fingers crossed we get a few more years.
The revelation for me was to start freezing meal sized portions in super flat, labelled zip lock bags. I am amazed how much more user friendly my relatively small freezer can be. Never out of a healthy homemade meal option…2 minutes in the microwave or an hour on the bench and instant meal.
Like Happy, I’d join you in the vegie month if it wasn’t for my carnivorous husband. You’ll enjoy all those new culinary experiences. P

Good morning,
While the coffee gets brewed I say hi to The Tribe.
I never gave given up a think for lent in my entire life. Would be interesting if I could not let myself fall into temptation 🙊
I love March! It’s my birthday month, beginning of spring here and autumn in Brazil. My two favorite seasons.
Enjoy your day and keep strong there everyone 🍒

HCB,

I don’t usually give things up for Lent but thought it was a good amount of time to get to grips with a different way of thinking and eating, with an end date to aim for.

I like March too as the lengthening hours of datlight remind me that summer isn’t too far away and I love spring flowers. It is also when we begin to see new season UK vegetables appearing in shops and markets.

My arthritis is playing up at the moment and I am suffering from back, knee, hip, foot and thumb pain. Everything else is just fine 😉

Thanks Jo, I’ve been calorie counting recipes and so far they could all be eaten on FDs without dishing up a miniscule portion which makes me very happy indeed 😎

Greetings, all you lovely fasters.

No weight loss, unfortunately. These two kgs are proving very stubborn. I will address them seriously next month when hopefully the work pressure is off. I’m definitely not giving anything up for the month! I have no energy to push the boundaries at the moment.

The next batch of water kefir is on the bubble. No metal contact this time, just plastic, so I will see if this helps to get a more spritzier result.

Well, folks, that was summer – last week! We are back to the weather systems sweeping up from the southern ocean. Autumn, and tonight was the first time this year that I have had to use the hose on the garden – no shortage of rain to date. The veggie garden has performed excessively poorly, and I am so glad we don’t rely on the output as our sole food supply.

Morning/evening all,

Purple,I find the combination of cold and damp weather always brings painful joints. I slept really well last night and everything feels much better today after several days of discomfort.

FD went well yesterday although I was very hungry.
I’m fasting again today,

Have a good one everybody 😜

Hi Purple,

I think the recent increase in my exercise regime might have contributed to my joint pains so I’ll need to curb my enthusiasm and take things a little slower over the coming weeks.

I sailed through my FD again which is very pleasing 🙂

Hi,
Jo you make me laughter! You kidding me?
The first day and here you are already doing 15 minutes…. God bless you 😱
You go Girl 👍