This topic contains 7,125 replies, has 64 voices, and was last updated by Barata 8 months, 4 weeks ago.
Raise a glass of wine to sex at 68! Pretty good at 67, too. And what’s this with being ‘elderly’ at 68?
What a marathon, Wi. All power to you, and great that it’s alleviating your pains 🙂
It’s been tough all week to believe that summer starts tomorrow, but a bit of belief has been restored today. More lettuce and spring onion seedings have found their way into the veggie garden this morning.
Happy Friday, all!
Hi All,
Well it’s probably been a month since I was here last, so a tad too many posts to read through I’m afraid, but from a skim I think most (hopefully all!) of you are OK so that’s good 😀
I’ve started a new job and been away for three weeks very intensive training. That was hard enough…and now the actual work begins!
On the weight/ fasting front, I think I’ve only done one fast in the last four weeks. My weight is still under my target weight, but I think I’ll need a couple of fasts before Christmas to get some wriggle room.
I haven’t even begun to think about Xmas, too much else to be worrying about this year. Perhaps I’ll just double up Christmas 2019 instead 😀
Apart from that, we’re in the short dark wet or cold days of winter… Sunshine desperately needed to lift the spirits (gin, in my case 😊)
Morning/evening all,
Hi Happy,
Glad to hear your absence has been due to work and nothing else 🙂
You have another 25 days to sort out Christmas 2018 and I’ve written you a list to help you out:
Present for him indoors
Something for myself because I deserve it
Gin
Gin
Gin
Tonic
A couple of lemons/limes
Have I forgotten something………
Oh yes, Christmas dinner!
PS don’t forget the ice 🍸😀
Most of that can be bought on-line so it’ll take a matter of minutes 😉
A dry day today and a balmy 11C. I’m going out for the day with my best friend who’s been away for a month so there’s lots to catch up on. It’ll be great to see her and I’m really looking forward to a day out after my DIY marathon. A visit to Tate Britain, a walk along the South Bank and a nice dinner.
Have a good weekend everybody 😜
Thanks RT for the funnies.
Where is Murph?
I always loved Gin and Tonic, except that I realised it was the tonic I liked.
I am as much out of practice at drinking as eating, and I will need to depend on you. Barata, to get me back into drinking practice.
BTW I will not have OH in Aotearoa this summer. ImmigrationNZ have not yet got their As into G.
Today, we drive 3 hours in rain to the airport( we go over a pass at 1400m so hope there is no snow), fly to Luton, pick up a car and drive to Bournemouth. My fast ends in 22 hours. It’s the countdown. I am still not hungry, but of course it’s the morning here.
I am pleased to have just about accomplished this fast, and am planning another from 10 to 16 December if social events do not intervene.
Bye from wet Occitania.
Wiwi
Purple,
I thought about Happy’s cats and chickens and decided she would ALWAYS find time to cater for them 😃
It’s a lovely morning here, clear blue sky and sunshine. I hope it’s still clear by the time we get to the river as the views will be fabulous.
After losing 9lbs in a short period of time, I’ve only lost one more so another FD beckons tomorrow and a strict week ahead to try to get things moving again. I’m not surprised as we don’t always lose weight at a steady pace but it is irritating and seeing success on the scales really helps with motivation.
Having said that when I look in the mirror I can see that I’ve lost some weight and
I’m wearing a blouse that was a bit too snug a few weeks ago.
Wiwi,
Well done, you’re almost there. Enjoy your brunch tomorrow.
I’m sorry we won’t see your OH this summer, Wi, unless Immigration does something in a hurry. I imagine they are pretty overworked, and the latest scandal won’t be helping.
I’ve experienced the reverse of the clothes-as-guide, Amazon, when one of my pairs of trousers was almost uncomfortably snug a couple of weeks ago. Still working to get down to my ‘rapt’ level.
Thanks for the vote of confidence in our drinking, P. I have just put another two dozen Aussie reds on the wine rack – that will see us well into next year. I am sure the love of the amber liquid is a major stumbling block to continued success of 5:2 for Mr B! 🙁
I’m helping out with two Christmas activities today – a fundraiser with decorated displays for my Inner Wheel group (the women’s branch of Rotary), then assisting with Mr B’s Lions’ Christmas Parade. Just pleased the weather is looking good for the latter.
Stay well and warm, dear fellow fasters. 🙂
Morning/evening all,
Jo,
I thought you were a vegan, what are you doing eating mince pies and cream cakes, and did the sandwiches contain butter?
If you are going to indulge occasionally then do so, enjoy it and move on, don’t feel guilty or beat yourself up as it doesn’t do you any good at all.
I had a lovely day out yesterday. The sun shone all day so we skipped Tate Britain and spent the daylight hours in the fresh air. There are an incredible number of tourists in London at the moment and it was very busy everywhere.
There was a busker by Southwark Bridge playing bagpipes and dressed accordingly including a kilt. He was really good and a crowd had stopped to listen. I explained to some of the tourists that it was St Andrews Day. We listened to him for a few minutes before thanking him and continuing.
We had a long and leisurely stroll along the South Bank heading east and might have ended up at Greenwich had we not been thwarted by a closed section of Thames path, so we headed for the nearest hostelry and refreshed ourselves with a small glass of local ale 😉 before heading back to Tower Bridge and crossing the river. Once again we were unable to continue due to a closed footpath and as the light was fading we took a bus to a nice pub nearer to home for something to eat.
The place was packed at 5pm, the restaurant area was full but we were lucky enough to nab the last remaining table in the bar. We had a good dinner and both really enjoyed the atmosphere which was a mixture of thank god it’s Friday letting down of hair and early Christmas celebrations. Everyone looked to be having a great time.
Have a good one everybody 😜
Jo,
If you aren’t beating yourself up why say “yesterday was all bad news” That sounds to me like viewing the occasion as a failure on your part because you indulged and my intention is to try to get you to look at things from a different angle which just might make it easier for you to reach your goal whatever that might be.
I’ve worked really hard over the past couple of months to change the way I think about my eating habits and it has helped me immensely.
Goal is always in sight although occasionally one needs binoculars to view it….
Morning/evening all,
Jo,
First of all I remind myself that on the whole I eat a healthy diet and that eating something on the less healthy list is OK if I don’t do so every day.
Secondly, if I have a day where I make unwise food choices and/or eat more than I need, it’s simply a poor choice day and possibly something to learn from.
Thirdly, no-one gives a fig about how much I weigh except me so I’ve stopped concerning myself with what others might think or comparing myself to them.
I think you are setting yourself up to fail by trying to follow a vegan diet whilst attempting to lose weight. You’ve given yourself not one but two mountains to climb.
If you were a home body who spends a lot of time in the kitchen and rarely eats out it would work but you’re not. IMHO you would be better off following a pescatarian diet until you reach goal and then think about how you can make veganism work with your particular lifestyle.
One more thing which is controversial in nature on this site. I think you would agree that you are by nature an impatient person. I am incredibly impatient which is something I am constantly working on and I’ve come to the conclusion that jumping on the scales every day simply doesn’t work for me as I become disappointed and occasionally fretful if the scales don’t move for a couple of days. That has the effect of dampening my enthusiasm and weakening my resolve ie for me it is self destructive.
You really need to find something that works for you in the long term and fits into the way you live your life so if you do make some changes you then need to give it at least 3 months before declaring it does or does not work.
Have a good one everybody 😜
Amazon,
Yes you’re right re the animals! The cats get the same thing each year – catnip! And the hens…well, a turkey dinner minus the turkey would go down a treat!
Jo,
I’m sorry, but you did make me laugh, and I hope there aren’t any strict vegans reading this thread! Fish, butter, cream, cheese, eggs, chicken, pastry…. I’m really not sure you can call yourself a vegan, more someone who eats very little animal products 😀
Re: the new job. Yes, it was very intensive training! I was staying in a hotel, and eating out every night. Some of the others on the course went a bit mad, full English every morning and as much food as they could stuff down (on expenses) in the evening, but I stayed fairly true to my normal eating so didn’t put on weight 😀 The job is very challenging, I’m hoping I can rise to it! I’m certainly exercising my aging brain with a career change in mid life. And It’s interesting that you mention a new start too, I must admit I think OH is feeling quite threatened by it all at the moment ☹️
It’s rained most of the weekend here too. I forced myself out for an hour this afternoon and got soaked, but beggars can’t be choosers! Week days are so short at this time of year that I’m just not getting enough exercise.
Hi Happy,
I made a sideways career move at the age of 50 and went to university for the first time, 4 days per week at work undertaking unfamiliar examinations and procedures and one day at university every week wondering why I had made such a foolhardy decision!
We were expected to spend 15 hours per week studying ie every evening or all weekend.
It proved to be the best career move I ever made. Yes it was a very hard 18 months and there were many occasions when I was sitting at home in the evening trying to study after a hard day learning new techniques or in the office at work on a Sunday so I could concentrate on completing an assignment wishing I hadn’t made such a career move at my age but I got there and a couple of years after finishing my studies I was running the department.
I’m sure you’ll get your head round it and do a wonderful job, but most of all I hope you find it enjoyable and satisfying.
I’ve not been getting to the gym often enough and now that the DIY is 95% done I’m looking forward to getting back into my routine and if it ever stops raining for long enough, getting out into the fresh air on a regular basis.
I have to say that a full English breakfast is no longer on my list of things I want to eat and that mass produced versions are rarely very good.
I’ve eaten too much bread this weekend and know that I’ll be ravenous all day tomorrow.
I have no-one to blame but myself…..
Amazon,
I did a PhD part-time, so I’m all too familiar with that 15 hours a week! Luckily the new job is just full-time, no additional study required, although I suspect I will end up working longer hours for the first few months while I get up to speed. It’s early days, but I’m not regretting it yet! The culture at my last place was not good, too many years of cuts, redundancies and pay ‘restraint’, with the result that most people in middle age were hanging on hoping for a redundancy round coinciding with them hitting 55 when they could start drawing down their pensions! The new place appears to be full of people actually enjoying what they do!
And yes, the full English was mass produced, not cooked fresh to order, and I doubt that high welfare standards for the pigs or the hens is a priority when the hotel sources produce ☹️
Jo,
I don’t think you’re a poor example of a vegan! You’re a good example of someone who keeps striving to make healthy food choices (frequently vegan!) when they can but sometimes has to be flexible and compromise….or go without!
I have discovered, on my new higher veg regime, that I can have a ‘full’ breakfast if I feel like eating one, but it comprises of about 6 silverbeet leaves (homegrown), shallots, tomato, sometimes mushroom and a small egg, nestled in the centre, all steamed with the lid on and ground pepper on top. Incredibly filling, tasty and healthy. Unlike other breakfasts, it satiates. I don’t feel hungry a couple of hours later, which is what happens if I eat simple carb based breakfasts.
On a non fast day, if I feel like it, I can easily eat this leafy breakfast, plus 2 other meals of masses of leaves and a little lean protein (fish, prawns or egg) with herbs, nuts and seeds. No need to snack in between as this sort of low simple carb food satisfies.
I agree with Amazon, Jo. Find an eating system that works for you. Don’t feel you are depriving yourself, there is plenty of wonderful, satisfying food available, both at home and when eating out. Just learn to choose wisely. P
Morning/evening all,
A mild morning here with blue sky and sunshine which is a good start.
FD today and now that I’ve got more time, a day to catch up on a few things.
I’m going to make a start on decorating the cakes I’m giving as Christmas gifts which is something I really enjoy.
Have a good one everybody😜
Hello Fasters,
It’s quiet on this thread at present.
Bournemouth last weekend was great. We had a most enjoyable weekend beside the sea.
I was amazed by how much Spanish I heard being spoken.
I kept my fast to the end (141 hours), and breaking it did not give me too many problems.
I probably won’t do it again as I planned as it worried my OH. So back to ADF, with almost no food on down days. This is a more difficult alternative for me.
I am adding a French humour joke (translated of course)
TEST OF LOVE
Go to the car and open the boot.
Put your partner and your dog into the boot and close it.
Wait for half an hour.
Open the boot and see which of the two is happy to see you.
We are off to Avignon for the night.
xx Wiwi
Morning/evening all,
It’s another beautiful morning here. After a heavy frost last night we have a clear blue sky and sunshine.
My FD went well yesterday despite eating the leftover toasted nuts after decorating my cake and I’m fasting again today.
The other two cakes are now covered in marzipan and I’ll leave them for another couple of days before adding the icing.
Well done Wiwi 😀
Time to get busy,
Have a good one everybody 😜
This is shocking,
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46439892
I cannot believe that such a huge number of the population are ignorant of the risks from the way they live so apart from those who struggle to afford decent food every day I guess the remainder simply don’t care.
Unless you live with a thin, older person and witness their food choices over a period of time, it is hard to make assumptions from a single meal. Many thin people plan carefully for a “special” meal so they can eat that meal. It is the total consumption over a longer period that counts.
It looks as if they eat this way all the time, and, yes, some chose their genes well and can ‘get away with it’, but most are surprisingly careful most of the time.
Choose thin friends and socialise with them…I try to. P
It’s not easy, Jo, is it? I really do avoid social situations with big eaters. It is so hard to avoid their excesses. I’m meeting with one of my thin friends tomorrow. She is great fun, never expects us to eat together and understands when it is a fast day for me. We drink coffee together, and choose active, educational pursuits. Life can be plenty of fun without eating excessively and inappropriately. P
Morning/evening all,
Jo, maybe you should stop defending your way of eating/living and remind some of your friends that you are in fact not fit and healthy as you suffer from chronic back, hip and knee pain and you know that losing weight and following an anti inflammatory diet will help alleviate some of the pain you endure.
Most of my friends have always been slimmer than me until a couple of years ago and now there are a few that aren’t as they’ve gained weight, and a couple of them are having difficulty coping with it. In fact one of them didn’t say a word about my weight the first time she saw me after I had lost 68lbs……..
I’m with Purple, what slim people eat when they are out isn’t indicative of what they eat at home but I agree that many of the older generation are sugar addicts which doesn’t surprised me as sugar rationing didn’t end until September 1954 so as soon as it became readily available it was added to everything!
I am always amazed at the fact there are so many people who cannot have a tea or coffee without a handful of biscuits.
The other thing is that many people have spent their whole lives being told (wrongly as we all know) that they should eat something every couple of hours or their blood sugar will drop too low….so they have cake or biscuits and when they feel unwell due to sugar withdrawal they think it’s hunger and eat more.
Once when I was in hospital a nurse came out with the keeping the blood sugar level up myth when I refused food as I wasn’t hungry. I told her it was time she got her physiology book out and did some revision as she had her facts wrong.
It’s grey and damp here today but a mild 12C.
I’ve been out this morning to my local supermarket. I wanted some angelica but no they didn’t stock it. Barberries, za’atar, sumac, kecup manis, seaweed, miso yes, but good old angelica, dream on 🤬
Have a good one everybody 😜
I find it increasingly difficult every year to buy ingredients for baking, and usually order most things on line. I forgot the angelica but I’m sure I’ll find some elsewhere.
Accepting arthritic issues and not doing one’s best to minimise them is crazy IMO. I am amazed at how much better my knee is 99% of the time now that it has less to carry around and I make an effort at the gym, although I’ve not been very often lately something that will be remedied very soon.
Why does no-one (apart from us 😉 ) want to help themselves any more…….
Amazon,
Good question! I don’t understand why more people don’t take personal responsibility for their health…although I guess all of us here have been there! If you look at the money though, considerably more is spent encouraging unhealthy choices over healthy ones! And I don’t know whether they teach anything useful about health in schools these days?
Re: thin people’s eating habits. I know a very slim woman who will always have a cake when she’s in town, but doesn’t then eat in the evening. Talk about unhealthy habits too…she’s probably thin through malnourishment!
Morning/evening all,
It’s all about balance isn’t it? I’ve occasionally had a slice of cake on a FD and nothing else but it doesn’t happen very often.
In the UK there is no incentive to take care of oneself healthwise. There needs to be a huge amount of investment into preventitive care and treating the causes rather than the symptoms but that means paying more tax something successive governments are allergic to implementing.
It also means overhauling the way physical education is implemented in schools and it should be mandatory for all children to learn form an early age how their bodies work, the importance of looking after themselves and why they should do so.
Then there’s the small matter of the power and influence of both food and pharmaceutical industries on the way we eat and how many medical issue are dealt with. We are too reliant on medicating symptoms when we should be treating the cause.
Thursday already where did the week go…….
Have a good one everybody 😜
I think we should look at parental education. Everything a child eats is controlled by parents from even before birth.
For any of us who are parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends, we need to ensure children develop a healthy relationship with food and the ability to grow, shop and prepare their own healthy, balanced meals.
We teach a lot of this within the NSW school curriculum, but, like a love of reading and learning, it has to start in the home.
Legislating and blaming teachers is simply a political distraction. Using excuses that ‘people are just too busy these days’ is an excuse. We all have much more leisure time than our grandparents had, and they were able to eat home cooked food.
Personal responsibility is everything. If you want to be healthy, and you want your family to be healthy, it is up to you.
Friday tomorrow. I hope RT has some goodies this week.
Cheers P
In fact, you can’t teach someone until they experience a shift to need to learn something new. Basic educational physiology. It takes a realisation, a crisis, an awakening, a change of mindset, before people are ready to accept new knowledge. That’s why so many people can continue destructive behaviours, despite the knowledge of the dangers being freely available and often right in front of them. Humans are very tricky creatures. 🤨
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Have A Happy Weekend All You beautiful Losers 😆
Peace RT
Thanks, RT, and ‘morning, all. Glorious day here in the capital after a return to winter during the week – gale southerlies and rain. I don’t think we run a risk of a drought this year. Yay, I didn’t wake up until after 8 this morning – love my Fridays. 🙂 Have had such a bad week sleeping that I came home early on Wednesday with what I am sure were the effects of sleep deprivation. And sent my apologies for a dinner I was to attend – a few calories saved there, no doubt, just a couple of eggs for the meal instead. I worked yesterday, as there was a client meeting, and at least the headache has gone today.
I agree entirely about personal responsibility, ladies (and gent, shouldn’t forget RT!). And free healthcare, as equalising socially as it is, does have the effects of shovelling responsibility for individual’s wellbeing onto the medical profession – the easy way.
Enjoy your weekend, fellow fasters. 🙂
Hi Barata,
Interesting thought on the contribution of free health to poor health!
Are lifestyle choices across a population significantly different under different healthcare funding models? Is there evidence of a correlation between free healthcare and unhealthy lifestyle choices?
Re: weather. Wet and windy here again today, but apparently turning colder next week. One benefit of getting older, and the new job keeping me busy, is that time is flying! It will soon be spring 😀
Morning/evening all,
Thanks RT,
I like the MiL one the best 😆
The NHS isn’t free, we pay for it through taxation.
The USA doesn’t have “free” healthcare but obesity/ill health due to poor lifestyle is a major issue as in many other countries that have to pay in a similar way to the USA.
It’s about education and funding and as previously mentioned the power and influence of the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Pouring with rain here and very windy, not a nice day to be going anywhere.
Have a good weekend everybody 😜
Hi Amazon,
Yes, ‘free at the point of use’ isn’t free! I do think people would think more carefully though about, e.g. missing appointments, if there was a charge at point of use (perhaps refundable provided you do bother to show!). But people who make unhealthy lifestyle choices aren’t sitting around thinking it doesn’t matter, the NHS will fix me, they’re just not expecting their poor choices to affect their health.
Hi Happy,
I agree regarding the NHS.
As for those making unhealthy choices, many younger adults are eating the way they did as children and don’t even think about whether their diet is healthy or not.
The guidelines for a healthy diet are as useful as a chocolate teapot and dieticians, medics et al need to get into the 21st century and update them.
I want a mandatory change to food labelling that prevents manufacturers from displaying content of sugar/sweetener by listing sugar, maltose, dextrose. sorbirol, stevia etc. Make it obligatory to add the whole lot together as a total percentage which would be a real eye opener to many.
I’m very pleased to see the NHS is to offer an 800 calorie diet to reverse T2 diabetes. It is a food replacement program followed up with dietary advice and support which is probably the best way forward for those who have little knowledge of nutrition. They should also get someone like Jack Monroe on board who has personal experience of trying to feed herself and her child with very little money and has written a couple of cookery books.
It’s such a miserable day ☔☔☔ Fasting is going to be tricky so I guess I’ll need to find something absorbing to do. I’ve cleaned out and organised all the cupboards and shelves including the bookshelves so I’m not sure what to do now 🤔
Hello International fasters
It’s all quiet on the thread.
I am back on an extended fast again after two social sauerkraut meals in two days.
I’m about 40 hours in and about 40 to go.It’s opened ended so I am not sure.
I am drinking a lot of hot water to keep warm. I did not put back the weight loss after the 140 hour fast and hope this one can help anticipate Christmas.
NZ seems to be in mourning, Barata, after the murder of the British backpacker. I just watched the PM apologizing and she was on the verge of crying.
Our movements are still difficult in France because of road blockages. The petrol deliverers are supposed to go on strike this week. Blockages of supermarkets are already leading to redundancies. I am glad to be out of here as from next week.
Monday fasts are just about over for you Antipodeans.
xx Wiwi
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29 Nov 18