Hmm, when you put it like that Amazon I see your point!

We live in the middle of nowhere, over half a mile to the nearest neighbours, so the cat density is low here. Two of the four are aging, and one is a housecat. One is a hunter, and if he keeps the rat, rabbit and vole population down it benefits the hens health and my vegetable growing efforts.

We get round the problem of unwanted visitors in the night by locking the cats in, and that helps protects the garden birds at vulnerable times. Also it gives the cats the opportunity to deal with the house mice over night 🙂

Good morning/evening fellow fasters.

Well another FD over yesterday, I was very hungry this time but just kept drinking water/black coffee (no sweetener required thank you … haven’t had any since I was a teenager). This morning is/was my weigh in time/day and I’m pleased to note that after putting on 700g 2 weeks ago, losing 500g last week, this week I’ve lost another 500g giving an overall loss of 200g. I admit also that in between I did put on more and took that off straight away (2kg last weekend alone but that is gone along with that 1/2 kg extra). I have struggled in some ways due to the sugar content of things, but now I will have water only tonight with dinner and be careful with my portion sizes and food choices this weekend, however I will have my one icecream for the week but I allow for that. This past week went something like this, Fri – up to TDEE, Sat – BMR, Sun – Way Over TDEE (with expected gain), Mon – Semi-FD (very hard to do), Tue – FD, Wed – Semi-FD, Thu – FD. My most usual pattern is Fri – up to TDEE, Sat – BMR/TDEE, Sun – BMR, Mon – BMR or Semi-FD, Tue – FD, Wed – BMR or Semi-FD, Thu – FD.

Sorry for long posting/rant but so glad to be back on track. Thankfully I have pulled myself back into the swing of things and so it will be easier to maintain my eating patterns and keep losing.

WN as everyone says it’s a matter of just picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and starting again and leaving yesterday behind you. Previously with what I’d done over the past two weeks and I would not even be here, I’d be long gone, but this WOL is fantastic, you can get back on track quickly and easily with no guilt.

I’ve had cats most of my life until the past 7 or 8 years when our last one passed away. She was my first (and last) female as I found the boys to be cleaner (overall) and more cuddly. However as we also have the dogs my OH has requested we not have cats for a while (he’s not a fan of cats but we’ll discuss it another time 😆 )

Hoping everyone has a wonderful day … TTFN (that stands for: ta-ta for now)

PS. Samm

I buy fresh Australian almonds and dry roast them myself in the oven, so that I know they have no additives.

Cheers, Bay 🙂

Happy Friday fellow fasters and welcome sew49.

Good to hear from you emel and comespring.

A busy working week for me now done and dusted. Officially 3 FDs but because of undisciplined endings between getting home and dinner, decided to avoid eating until each working day ended. Only black tea and water quite doable really except yesterday on my feet all day teaching so had white coffee at lunchtime. Despite after work lack of self-control (didn’t eat junk but cheese and roasted cashews are my particular snack vices) scales showed net loss of 0.6kg for the week.

In the 3 weeks I’ve been back at work I have lost on average 0.5kg/week, which is twice the rate of last year. Obviously the 4 days away from home and food (… Emel I fully empathise with your challenge) and not having anything calorific except for the occasional coffee, miso or Bovril until I get home have had a good effect. Once my rib has healed, (can’t be much longer, surely!) yoga and weight training will also help restore muscle. I know I can’t compete with others’ losses but this is MY journey for life and, to quote SAMM again, this is a doable life for me.

Keep up the good work everyone and for those of you at work, remember POET’S day 😉

Hi Ply, I did giggle at Jojo’s error, thought it might have been a Freudian slip as she wasnt having the best fast day ever!

Hello all, I have just been to the market early and now for some breakfast! Another thing 5:2 has taught me, I dont HAVE to eat before I leave the house, I wont collapse from low blood sugar. Much better to get to the market early before the crowds, then enjoy a leisurely bowl of meusli afterwards. I got some fresh trevally to BBQ, havent tried it before so looking forward to it.

The weekends are my big challenge food wise, so easy to oversnack! Though I think that the things we eat (and regret) these days are not as bad as previously, just need to keep perspective.

Cheers all x

HI SAMM,
Its not bizzare, its interesting! I like the taste of raw grated beetroot. I think we should be open to trying new flavours instead of just trusting what our mothers’ gave us! How on earth do you manage when the pipes freeze, couldnt even flush the loo! I know I complain about the heat, but I dont envy you that!

Hello Fast Tracking EFB’s ( Efficient Fat Burners)
Nicky Emel comespring and Aussie O in South Australia Nama & Keirra in Victoria Bay in ACT PVE in NSW WiWi & Barata in NZ and Jojo SAMM HappyNow Amazon Herm Lizzy Ply Tartan lass Smiffy Lor_PA
And Hello World (You know Who You) 😆
“Life is too short to be anything but happy, Love deeply, forgive quickly, take chances, give everything with no regrets, Forget the past with exception of what you have learned and remember everything happens for a reason.”
Have a great weekend fast friends
Peace RT

Morning/evening all.

It’s a mild day here so commiserations to those of you in the cold, especially SAMM and ply.

I’ve woken up today feeling very happy to have completed 4 fasts since Sunday, and made 4 visits to the gym where things are progressing nicely. I was going to go today, but my body is telling me it needs a day off so I’m going to hit the shops.
One of the up sides of not working and no longer washing my hands 30 times per day, plus a healthier diet, is that my nails have almost stopped breaking, and I can grow them, so a small treat of some new nail polish is in order.

Well done to everyone who has lost weight.
Bay,
surely losing 400g on a FD that wasn’t perfect counts as a success, especially as you are on maintenance.
As you are looking for a bathromm to scrub, would you like my address…. 😉

Jojo, I notice the typo too and it made me 😆

Have a good weekend everyone.

Hi Amazon, 😆

You cheered me up. I need all the hard yakka I can get. It keeps me out of the kitchen, it cheers me up, and it helps burn calories. My house is cleaner since I began fasting. And I’m growing more vegetables.

I’ve had a savoury binge today, so have to behave myself tomorrow. We saw Selma tonight, worth seeing, great performance from the actor playing Martin Luther King. And even though we lived through those times, it is hard to believe that it is only 50 years since white people killed black people to stop them getting the vote.

Bay 🙂

I am pretty sure that counts as housework Amazon. Or should we call you Arnie after your session pumping iron!!!

No need to apologise for the typo, jojo. As we all know, sh*t happens 😉

High WN,

You can’t have eaten enough to gain that amount of weight so it must be fluid retention and maybe carb bloat. I’m sure it’ll go as fast as it arrived.

Jojo, we all take turns in falling off the wagon, and it isn’t mine just yet.

Get well soon X

Awwww feel better soon Jojo

Wee xx

Jojo, so sorry to hear you are so sick! I hope it passes as quickly as it arrives. Make the most of the reading time.

Its heading 34 here AO, I will be lying low too! Family BBQ tonight so that will be lovely, I love getting them all together at once.

Have a lovely weekend all,
Cheers x

Jojo
Take care. I’m glad your daughter is there for you. Can’t wait to have you fit and well and back with us feeling fantastic!

Samm
I’m totally suspicious of anything cola. Who paid for the research?

Hermaj, haha! Keep up the one liners 😉

Hi everyone

Going to post an update on the sugar free Lent challenge. If you also read the Maintenance thread, be prepared for some duplication. I think many people here may be interested in a progress report.

The first three days without any sugar in anything were not pleasant, I felt quite tired, vaguely nauseous, and always wanting to eat something, with the feeling that all was not quite right. I fell off my fast day and ate lots of cheese, almonds and Brazil nuts (not salted). I felt emotionally down and a bit hopeless. I was very glad of all the support coming our way. 😆

Finally, today the morning of Day 4 sugar free, I feel normal and happy. I have just made an apricot pudding for our guests this evening, and not even tasted a tiny bit. I feel chirpy and fine. So the cloud of sugar and processed carb withdrawal would appear to have passed. 😉

Thank you all for your support.
Cheers, Bay 🙂

Hi Nicky

We are all attacking the sugar free Lent in different ways. We agreed that true Lent is 1:6 and that we can have 6 days off through the entire Lent.

Given my struggles to get sugar free over the last 3.5 days I will not easily use my 6 days. I am saving one for a mates 60th birthday in late March.

I gave up everything. No alcohol, no sugar or anything that resembles sugar, no sweeteners, no dried fruit, no juices (I never have them). I have read every packet and anything that says malt extract, sucrose ,glucose, honey, saccharin, etc is out.

In the last 3.5 days I have eaten one nectarine. No other fresh fruit. My nibbles have been raw nuts, carrots and celery. I have eaten one small serve of Greek yogurt. One tiny splash of full cream milk in a very strong cup of coffee.

Hope that answers you. I think the mood swing was definitely due to giving up all carbs and sugars. Today I won’t be eating the pudding I’ve made. No alcohol. My treat will be a few tiny pieces, the equivalent of a half a kumara = sweet potato, dry baked.

Green vegetables abound, carrot and celery sticks, hummus and rice crackers (no additives) and peppers with feta are the other treats. I’m having salmon. Guests can also choose GF sausages, marinated steaks.

Cheers, Bay :).
Must go as they will be here in 30 minutes. 😉

Hi Jojo i do hope you are on the mend we cant have you off the air waves for too long its to fast moving these days here 😆 Bay excellent work on the no sugar thingo I bought all of David Gillespie books quit sugar sweet poison but it had no impact however add fasting and bamb
things are good TV must watch list tonight is channel ten aussie tv people yes Nama u2 the best exotic marigold hotel looking very much forward to the viewing experience 😉
Peace RT

Hello all , I wrote a long post ( for me) and it somehow is floating in cyberspace.
Today went for my first swim in years! I have been in the sea and in small pools but no formal swimming. The first 50 metres nearly killed me but I got there in the end and withe a brak each lap I covered 600 metres. My girlfriend did a km!
I lost 1.1 kilos this week which took place because I refrained from bread and walked and walked.
It has been a hot day even in the hills although two trips to the plains has seen the cranking up of the air conditioner!
This weekend has had a few social gAtherings so will have to be more focused this week. I am determined not to lose and gain the same four kilos over and over
All the best jojo!
Cheers emel

Morning/evening all.

Jojo, I hope the worst is over and that your recovery is swift. Be kind to yourself.

Emel, nice to hear from you. Well done with the swimming. IMO it is a great introduction to exercise as it requires effort but doesn’t put strain on the body. And most people enjoy it once they are confident. Just ask Nama!

Interesting to read about the no sugar for Lent trial.
Well done Bay for even attempting it. I wouldn’t want to try as it would make me so miserable that I would fall off the wagon completely.
I always associate giving up anything for Lent with religious beliefs and until now have never participated, but this year I’ve made the ultimate sacrifice and given up bread. Every time I eat it, I want more and more, and it is not doing my weight loss any good at all as it isn’t just the bread, but what I put on it. After losing 28 lbs in 14 weeks before I went to Cuba, last time I weighed myself, I was only 4lbs less and that just isn’t good enough. I want to be on maintenance by the summer, and if I’m going to do that I need to get back to 2lb per week, or at least 3lb per fortnight, so bread is off the menu until Easter, and I’ll review then.
I came in above BMR yesterday but well below TDEE. Today and tomorrow are B2B FDs. I felt tired yesterday and I slept in this morning and feel refreshed so a long brisk walk is in order.
I guess I should put some clothes on first 😉

Happy weekend everyone.

Bayleafoz

look into stevia.
there are many different manufacturers. So some have the stuff your avoiding but others are closer to a diabetics need for pure stevia.

it’s 30 times sweeter than ganulated sugar and is NOT REPEAT NOT artificial.

Wether you do or not .
what i use it in is green tea.

Surprisingly it’s ph is makes it so that water and green tea increase in alkalinity . So when im making an effort to eat a higher ph score , aiming at 7.4. The stevia is high on my list .

Hmm
the research on the colas I don’t know. And it wasn’t just for regular soda but all soft drinks that include carbonate. So diet zero was included.
It was a study that aimed at third world countries that don’t have expensive medicine s. Aiming at indigestible food like sunflower shells. That cause sever blockages. 

Back to enjoying another feed day while the snow gets to nearly 5 inches. All pipes working again.
27 hour fast came and went yesterday. Sleeping for 16 hours of the 27 keeps it simple. Happy that i can now wear 36 waist.

I feel like I’ve achieved calmness through strength.
I’m not struggling on this variation of 4:3 hunger wise.
Not struggling to walk 70,000 steps per week and either jump rope or lift weights for 2,000 calories.

calories per week 8600.
weigh in
207 lbs. This may be a 7 lb month im very glad.

Well done Emel you should be highly motivated now that’s awesome my mate SAMM really focused as we have become accustomed to gladiator cob…..Now how good is that film people?
loved it loved it loved it i laughed i cried i was full on zen of life and hope
“when i want your opinion i will give it to you” 😆