Hi everyone.

Well the 4:3 week was worth it to get my excess from Xmas off, plus a little extra bonus, but hats off to those of you who do it regularly! I think I would rather lose a little more slowly and enjoy life more. I hope you don’t send me packing off this thread! It has to be doable, long term. I woke at 6.30 this morning, absolutely famished, 3 fasting days in the week seems to really use up all my reserves.

RT thanks for the reminder re Alby Mangels, now that was entertainment, as good as the Leyland Brothers!
I envy you having chooks, we would find it a bit hard to have them in Melb as we go to Jamieson so much and I can get pretty fresh eggs at a large regional market very close to me. But I would love some as pets, they are gorgeous. Just have to make do with magpies, probably smarter than chooks but no where near as cute! My neighbour in Jamieson has some and unfortunately a local dog has discovered his basic instincts. I spotted him running down the road with one in his mouth recently, poor chook.

Purple we have Kookaburras both in Melb and of course in Jamieson. I have managed to get some great photos of them, I think they are like flying terriers they are so big! The rest of the family did enjoy my vegan offerings last night, just that they also got lamb and baked spuds..

Bay I weakened and bought apricots yesterday, what a disappointment they always are! Watery and completely tasteless. Your tree is gold, keep up the vigilance with the cockies, it’s worth it!

Have a lovely weekend all. We are hanging some new curtains, there will probably be fur flying by the time it’s finished. New tracks to be installed and curtains will need hemming, horrible job! Never mind, it will be great when it’s finished!

Yes I love the hula hoop and strangely the step program, I don’t mind the boxing either, plus I love the challenge of Zen 😀 this is one area I can beat my grandson lol, I just love trying and it DOES get you moving (I have a few fitness ones including Zumba) just need to recharge the base.

Good morning NH mates and good evening SH mates

Wiwi, such horrible times in France. At least they got the b*****ds but a fairly bleak result.

Just finished all the ironing 😆 while watching the Test match grind to a draw. Cool and wet still here – have had 50% of our January rainfall average and more to come apparently.

I could hardly get out of bed this morning I was so stiff after two hard weights sessions in 3 days but that’s also 2 hiit sessions so didn’t feel bad about going slowly up the drive to get the newspapers instead of intriguing the neighbours 😉

RT re eggs, apparently the labelling system in Australia is cr*p and the only reliable guide is RSPCA approved because de-beaking is banned and the max stocking rate is much lower than other systems. Still not as good as home-grown because I believe that chooks shouldn’t be in groups >12, as that apparently is as many as a chook can recognise so more than that they spend lots of energy sorting and re-sorting out the pecking order. Sadly our last lot went to foxes who managed to get into a completely enclosed pen with the wire buried 30cm into the ground 🙁 I get my RSPCA approved from the Adelaide Central Market.

Take care everyone and keep up the good work.

Morning Jojo,Aussie,and everyone.Thank you for your encouragement.I was using emoticons so it must have been that which caused my post to disappear. Why give you the facility if you can’t use it????!! That’s technology for you I suppose.
I feel so sorry for the poor people in France affected by what’s been going on there.What’s happening to this world.
The weather here is awful this morning, rain and wind.I’m about to go out in it to take the dog for his walk.Seems to take half an hour to get all the wet weather gear on!!!!!!
Will speak soon! WN.

Morning/evening all.

I’m back to my pre Cuba weight so I’m a happy girl this morning. Now I can concentrate on the next mini goal

Walk cancelled due to bloody awful weather, so I’ll need to find myself something to do.

The eggs I buy are free range organic.I know that nothing is perfect but IMO that is the best I can buy.

Hi Purple,

I was too chicken to weigh myself when I came back, just started fasting the following day. I must have gained a few pounds but less than I would have done pre 5:2. I knew if I got back into my routine it would disappear quickly. It was the same over Christmas and NY, I ate a lot but less than in the past and started again last Friday. I have had a few struggles this week, but now that the scales have moved in the right direction I’m really motivated.

Does your OH really need scales? Surely they only prove what a maintaining 5:2er suspects, so he should be able to cope without.

Well done, Amazon.

Great to hear you’re back to pre Chrstmas weight.

Good work , Jojo.

Hi Purple

It’s rained here solidly for the last five hours. More like a Sydney than Canberra, with hot days building to a late afternoon thunderstorm. 😆

Bay 😉

Nama
I garden too. At least I did at my former residence.  I’ll have to be simple this year.  Need to plant asparagus again , even if it is a rental home. The cheap cost of a plant once food that returns every year justifies the effort. I had 8 asparagus Around my last home. Was great on fast days to graze on fresh asparagus. 

Amazon 
Great point about pizza is it’s low protein. Like you if I measure it out home made I can get a good fillin from it at 500 cals on a feed day. I’ve been experimenting with healthier crusts, but also crustless pizza toppings.
My most favorite food it turns our to be pizza toppings stuffed into mini sweet peppers.  I wish the sweet peppers were low enough in cal to be a fast day food.   What worked well in my journal was having only 3small  stuffed peppers to break my fast.  Then 7 for lunch around 2 pm  then dinner I could eat a big feed day meal of 750 cals. For 1500  feed day.   
This helps me meet vitamin and mineral targets , but still 500 less  my TDEE  as I’m still near the 2000 calorie mark BMR .
So I like the pizza stuffed peppers for both breaking my fast on feed day. But also as a way to have a low calorie feed day.   After a few months I didn’t miss the crust, but was still madly in love with the topping stuffed into the peppers.  
Only 3 small peppers has same vitamin c as an orange. So it’s a super food IMO 

Apricots arevery useful I helping to control ph score of meals .
It may be just gobbledegook , but I read that just like lemons  become alkaline after digestion, apricot especially the dried apricots can help to Jed fatty deposits  from forming in the arterial walls.  It does this by changing the ph lvl.
Say we were eating ribeye steak, but included dried apricots. The ph score of the meal  would be different than just the ribeye alone.  I eat the dried apricots now  anytime I know I’m eating a large protein meal  as fat usually comes on for the ride.  Also. I don’t drink cold beverage when eating a high fat meal as it may be that the fats stick to the lining of the stomach much longer , and may cause problems. I can justify the cost of store bought if I eat only on feed days. However on fast days to get the same effect I drink warm green tea with lemon in it.

Im with bayleafoz
If I’ve had low nutrition on feed day eating starchy carbs and breads , low protein. I struggle on the following fast day. Knowing this I go for a can  of beans. Because it’s both carbs and protein. So if I do find myself cheating , I immediately fill up on beans.  300 calories.    In this way Im typically still 1,000 of calorie restriction observed.

I’m reading though all posts since last Saturday morning. This thread is very interesting. At least to me myself and I .    Comespring . I also enjoy the beverage time. I used to be solid soda cola drinker. Suspecting my hunger pangs were in some way associated with soda drinking, gave up soda and cola. Coffee was ok for awhile, but reading lead me to see the acidity in sugared coffee,  as I didn’t enjoy the coffee articifial  sweaters. I settled on stevia.  And but pure stevia from health foods stores. This leaves me with drinnks much green tea, and lemon water sweetened with stevia.  
This leaved me evenings after last meal and exercise a bit flat.  So I put in a beverage time , a time to spend with my daughter talking about our day.
In this window of time I choose to go for the healing teas and other beverages that are health benefit to drink.  Favorites are dandelion root coffee,  pure cherry juice, peppermint . Here’s a link to some benefits of drinking herbal beverages.  Mainly a great way to stay hydrated a well. http://www.livestrong.com/article/158871-list-of-herbal-teas-their-benefits/

Lol JoJo 
Yes if my goal is to lose 100lbs. That’s sort of like losing a whole other negative person that took up that space.  I’m finding 6 fits of exercise a day more doable than I thought it would be.   Especially the sprinting.  Since the first 30 seconds of exercise  burns fat  before becoming aerobic after the 30 seconds . I’m focused on what these exercise are like sprinting from the furthest parking spots from entrances after dropping other off at the door. Then sprinting back. When I leave. Stairs the same way.   But then it’s six ten minutes sessions placed strategically through my day.  Ending with jumping.
Very good points on the 19/5. You can still gain weight on itif over TDEE.
However my opinion is just opinion. I find it hard to get on  at first then the hunger become more tolerable as my stomach shrinks.
 Be lying if I said everyday was 19/5 , but if I break 19/5 it’s on a feed day.
What’s different from my distant past. Is if I break the 19/5 I eat the nutrition dense foods  that I lack.  Like fish and nuts. Me thinks will drop my 19/5 for 16/8. To get back to 600 cal 4:3.   Then  reevaluate. Feb first for my first fat attack of the year!

I put in my two weeks notice at work, when asked why . I said I no longer will load trucks  due to my chronic injury.  The manager pushed the form back across the desk and what my birthday was. She looked in binder and said it wa company policy to not make anyone over 45 load trucks and a condition of employment. So I’m now a permanent runner. This is great news for my weight loss  attempt.  As I’ve stated so many times , becoming diabetic I need to have exercise  and fasting , rather than fasting alone.  So now that I understand what works and what is doable. I feel very empowered. Very positive that this years weight loss will be the year that I start to become less obese looking. So that’s motivating too. 

After my planned break from the holidays, I’ve struggled and not completes even one 600 calorie day.  However I’ve had 2,349 of exercise last week, 78,000 steps on pedometer, and 2850 of calorie restriction . So no matter what the scale was bitchin bout dis mourn.I know this will be my greatest year of personal weightloss goal.

Emil I’m not sure of your specifics of injury,  but you may be interested in the sit and be fit  exercise series.   That coupled with fasting  can have fat loss possibilities that many may not be aware of and think is impossible.  But just have a look.  When I started my 5:2 , I was struggling with a foot and ankle injury from a car accident.  I slid off interstate and down a forty foot revene.
Luckilly I went head on into a giant oak tree or would have been in the lake.
 My time in bed I got to see Dr mosely videos .  And the phase  do what is doable I applied to being the bed for 7months.  Started the fasting , therapy movements. I’m still intrigued by finding what is doable  in moments  of just waiting. Glad to hear your getting around! 

Hi Wee.
Glad to hear the pain has gone. Now is the time to find the right exercises to strengthen your back. You could look on line as there will be lots on youtube that’ll be safe to do.

SAMM
Well done on sorting out your work issues. You are obviously a hard working and valuable employee or they would have let you go.

I love pizza, but for me it is about the combination of the base and the toppings. I don’t like thick bases so the answer is to eat one in a decent restaurant or make them myself as it is impossible to package very thin based pizzas for sale at retail outlets. I’ve almost perfected the art of getting them really thin and can have a really delicious pizza for 500 calories or less.
I like tomato sauce, some cheese and lots of veggies, artichokes, peppers, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, maybe some chilli. Sometimes I omit the cheese, add some capers and anchovies and crack an egg in the middle, delicious!
Goat cheese, caramelized red onion and rocket is very good too.

Non fast day for me and I’m having duck breast rubbed with Chinese five spice and cooked with ginger and clementines.

I’ve opened a very nice bottle of red this evening. It is the first wine I’ve had since 1st January. I’ve had a nice relaxing day today.

I need to start pushing myself physically from tomorrow in preparation for the gym next Thursday.

Jojo, good luck with the prep for your running course.

Another interesting post, SAMM. It’s good to hear that you will no longer be doing the heavy work with your job, although disappointing that you had to go through the process of giving notice for company policy to be applied.

I hope the Aussie rain is widespread and fire-killing. Plus returning green life to dry pastures.

Well done, Wee, on weight loss, and happy to hear that you are pain-free today. Don’t give away ALL the chocolates – keep one for a reward for yourself sometime? Or do give away all of them, and keep that halo burnished!

Have a good weekend, all.

Curry is what you need SAMM. A nice healthy Indian veggie curry made with coconut oil, spices including turmeric and lots of veggies, with maybe a can of beans, chick peas or lentils thrown in for some protein. I make batches and freeze it in 300-350 calorie portions.

Hi AO,

It is illegal to feed chickens kitchen scraps from “unregulated sources” which is what domestic kitchens are apparently, due to the chance that the scraps might be contaminated with animal protein.
Bloody stupid law that cannot be enforced.

Getting back to pre Cuba weight is fab, but it is yet another example of losing weight that has already been lost at least once and I’m keen not to repeat that, and now comes the real challenge of getting to a weight I’ve not been at for 25 years.

I was surprised that I gained 12 lbs in only 36 days, however my muscle groups that I was targeting are feeling much stronger. I believe there is something to it from a users pov.
I mean to say I don’t like ADF because even though I lose weight , I can’t seem to gain muscle. Wondering if the some of the lose is muscle , but just wondering.
Then before I went on break I was on 4:3 for 6 weeks lost weight at faster rate than ever before. But the weight was quickly put back on. I hold no fault. I believe I gained fat and muscle both. When I went on break. After looking a rts link to the body type imaging for height weight age gender and wether muscular or not. I want the muscular look. Wore out now back at home in the chair . Wife wants to go out to diner later , so I’ll be having the fish! Feeling like its been a carpe diem kind of day!

Hope those in recovery remember that the good times don’t always last , but nethier do the bad times.
Wishing you well!

One our truck jockies , man whom positions truck into docking bays. Came in wearing a freezer suit.
For once he looked like he wasn’t dressed . I asked about his suit. He said it was in lost and found. The manager suggested he wear it in the -8f temps . Then later when it was sleeting he had on the freezer suit under his rain suit. . Gives me the inclination to go sailing just as the ice melts. The best sailing is when no other boats are on the water so it’s like sailing through glass like waters at 10 mph. Used to a time when it was odd to hear a pager ring on the boat a it was disconnect from from world. Now I can use an iPad and see wind changes coming from wind gauges from around the city attached to the internet.

Yes I’m called a runner, and some of the young bucks do run, But I sprint.
I sprint because the first 30 seconds of sprinting is anaerobic and burns fat. Where as the movement after 30 seconds becomes aerobic. And burns glycol from the blood. I rack up big numbers on the pedometer. It is low pay, I mean to say the pays sucks rotten eggs. But when I look at my physical condition I believe this sort of marathon walking, and sprinting. Will be the ticket to my longevity.

If it was just up to me I’m not sure I would be motivated enough to do it for health alone.
But add health care insurance, a pay check, 401k, plus someone yelling over loud speaker at you all day.
I get through it. If I hated it. I think it would be stressful, but I love it and after I became stronger. I enjoy it. I feel it offsets the third shift stress.
As things are. Between my wife and I. We decided along time ago. One parent should always be home for our child.. So wife works 1st and I work 3rd. After school were all home together.

About the tumeric. Thinking it may be good in variation of hummus too. I’m chuffed about the info on the digestive system I’ve been reading on. Like there’s folks that just eat whatever whenever. Like I used too.
Then there folks like us that diet and fast. But there another group I could say are nutritionalists rather than dietians. I’m reading that type on information. A lot over my head and dry, but the more I know , I feel the better my choices may be. While some foods are nutritional super stars the best impact is to keep on with an anti inflammation menu. But In no way do pass up a good meal with friends, and I love getting goodies from the garden or from the many places I’ve planted berry bushes and trees.

Just dreaming a little , more of a fantasy while I’m hanging upside down, talking into the voice to text thingamabob. I hope I retire some day where I can grow mine own winter garden goodies from a green house . Where typically we would find an asphalt roof. I got the idea a few years ago. But when I started on 5:2 and summer came, I was eating many days of the 600 calories fasting days. Entirely straight from the garden… So when fall finally came and no more goodies from garden were edible. I keep thinking. I wish the top of my house were a green house that could use hydroponics In Combination with winter sunlight. Just enough to grow my fasting days foods.

I mean the normal stuffs like beans,corn, and the other things that grow great in the fields and are cheap. No need for that.
But cancer fighting foods , and other healing foods that can be cut fresh, without use of preservatives, kale, dandelion, spinach, blueberries. Salad stuffs! That don’t need a lot of space or time to grow and be pruned from all winter. My though was since they’ve found LED technologies for grow lighting. It’s not quite enough , but it was applied to the smaller plants in combination with winter sunlight. The the issue about it not needing to be transported. It might be a real benefit. As opposed to not.

Hmm got to go

I’m with you, Purple. I only put sunscreen on my face and rely on sun on my arms to produce vitamin D. All my English relatives gave their kids cod liver oil to get the right amount of vitamin D in Winter. Raining here still. Great for the garden. Cheers, Bay 😉

Moi aussi Amazon. Pizza calling…Must resist!
Buckwheat pancakes with berries and yoghurt for brunch. Have to cancel beach sunset drinks so a good brunch instead. 😆
Not very exciting in rain 🙁 P

Indeed H. Although living in swimmers saves washing! 🙂

Hi all.
Melb weather report first: overcast and windy but no rain and not cold! Perfect gardening weather!

SAMM I have never tried growing asparagus but might give it a try on your recommendation. The only “crown” type veggie I have ever grown is rhubarb and I managed to kill them with (I think) overwatering! Could you grow some lettuce in a pot and keep it inside and warm overnight? I love growing Cos lettuce and just pick the outside leaves while the heart keeps growing. Also spring onions shoot up green again if you chop off the tops and leave the root in.

I am torn today between the mountain of ironing and the garden! Millions of agapanthus getting messy and requiring deadheading….. Maybe I could do some of both? But gardening is so relaxing and ironing so boring.

SAAM congratulations on your win at work re loading/running. Great to know you are valued and wonderful that you can get the benefits of exercise without stressing your shoulder. I have a funny mental picture of you almost upside down in your chair and also noticed your punctuation improves when you use the voice mode! But if you usually type on a phone, I am not surprised. I can’t get a line typed on a phone without it being unreadable.

Jojo interesting point you make with the differences between coastal and country walks. Country is my favourite, even though seaside ones are very invigorating, they are also usually windy! I hate wind. It un nerves me. I could never live in Wellington!

Wee I am so pleased for you that your pain is settling. Your lettuce and ham salad sounds lovely! I think simplicity is often the key if the ingredients are fresh. And I am not always as organised as Amazon, though I try to cook a lot of batch stuff.

Wiwi I am sorry to hear you are so sad with the tragedies in France. It really is such a scary world. I read In the paper that one of the hostages escaping from the grocery store yelled “it’s a war” and she was right!
So many innocent peoples lives destroyed for nothing.

Hey everyone, weighed myself today and haven’t lost any weight, but at the same time I haven’t put on any weight which is an improvement for me! It’s my first week so I’m not beating myself up about it as I’m sure I’ll get better! I’ve been walking on average two hours a day so that’s good I think. Unfortunately didn’t have measuring tape until recently so I’ve measured myself for this week and will compare it with next week.

Talking about pizza, my auntie (who is probably one of those nutritionalists you were talking about SAMM) sent me a recipe for a pizza base made out of cauliflower. It looks good but I don’t know if it tastes as good as it looks!

About the turmeric and coconut oil, I think the coconut oil helps the turmeric to be better absorbed by your body, I’ve heard black pepper also does that but I think to a lesser extent. I usually try to use them in my cooking as well, Indian cooking particularly uses them a lot. For example when I make butternut squash soup I add lots of turmeric and garlic and black pepper, and then I also add some creamed coconut or coconut milk powder, it tastes yum 🙂

By the way jojo you are losing weight at an amazing rate! Keep up the good work, and to everyone else too!

Pve
thanks so much for correcting my window blocking the vitamin D. Will put the window open .yes it is cold but doable.

a study i can’t reference was about drivers in France and drivers in the UK .

because the drive on different sides of the car.
basically the study pointed to skin cancer on the face occur more often on the side of face that faces the window. So from that i expose my right side for only 15 minutes . With window open from now on especially when on the passenger side .

love learning these little things that make bits of difference.

bought a herb cutter scissors from ball has five blades .

Morning/evening all.

After horrible cold, wet, windy weather the past couple of days, I’ve woken to blue sky, sunshine and barely any breeze. It is only 6C but you can’t have everything 😉

Happy, it was all SAMM’s fault for talking about toppings. I am innocent

FD today, so I’m going to keep busy, workout, walk, ironing and maybe some cleaning…….

Hi everyone, well done FoodA in not gaining. Next week aim for a loss. Check how much you’re eating in calories on FD’s as that is key to a lot of this WOL. You don’t have to share with anyone how much it is just be totally and brutally honest with yourself (as really if you are eating more than 400 to 500 calories it’s only going to affect you). I do this rigorously now as just a little over and you don’t lose. Also make sure you’re closer to your BMR than TDEE on non-FD’s and never, EVER go over your TDEE. I’m now working on my goal weight BMR and TDEE so that when the time comes I don’t have to adjust downwards any more 🙂 .

Jojo other than maybe having a Bovril/Bonox for lunch if desperately hungry I do 23/1 on FD’s and you’re correct it IS easy after a while. Mind you I have been known to have a boiled egg if extra-ordinarily hungry (which I was the first FD after New Years as I’d had so much sugary and starchy stuff over the 2 weeks) but that’s not often. I also found that at first it was hard just cutting down on FDs to two very small meals, but now there are times when even 23/1’ing I only have a very light meal (can sometimes only have 150 to 200 calories but not often … yet).

Great to hear from you all 😀 … onwards and downwards one and all 😀 😆

Hi Aussie Oma, thanks for the advice I definitely need to be more diligent in sticking to 400 to 500 Calories and on non fast days I try my best to eat below my TDEE but I find it so hard! Hopefully I’ll get used to it and I’ll get better, I’m glad though that in rarely going over my TDEE hence probably why I’m not putting on weight.

Amazon it’s just human nature to want what we haven’t got isn’t it? You like the sound of our summer and swimming laps in outdoor pools, while I would just love to be walking in Kew gardens with snowdrops opening and bulbs pushing up! Give me winter any day, with the promise of Spring around the corner!

I agree with you wholeheartedly re less meals on a fast day, it’s so much easier just to ignore food on those days, am considering trying that! I can see why 23/1 appeals to Jojo. Though with all your social life etc, I can’t see how you have time to eat all Jojo!