Hi P, Re: weather. Our autumn has been mild, and the plants in my garden have no idea what season it is. My lavender is now flowering for the second time this year, herbaceous perennials are pushing up new shoots and my fruit trees are leafing again…

Glad to hear you’ve got rain to damp things down a bit.

Hi Happy
Our posts crossed over. I too am horrified at the commercialism of Christmas. The music in the shops drives me crazy. I love a good sing along, but absolutely HATE the ghastly jingles they have on their loops. I actually utilised local charity markets to buy hand crafted items for the little kids and will be buying Oxfam gifts for the older people. eg I buy a vegie garden for someone in Sri Lanka for my vegan son. They all have too much and appreciate helping the less fortunate.

One of my sons calls Christmas “hamming season”. It is the only reason he gets involved. I have to include ham in the food for him, even though Dr M has convinced me to delete all processed meats from our everyday diet. I do enjoy the weather and getting together with friends and family which just coincides with Christmas here.

As to acceptable fat…for years I have muttered to myself about women with large breasts as having fat on their chests. Pity people don’t think larger tummies are sexy! P

Ps (cross over again) I’m glad you’ve experienced the tin roof rain sound in Aust Amazon, it is an authentic experience! We get thunderstorms in the late afternoon in November in Sydney ‘usually’, but who knows what the usual weather will be now. From 38 on Friday to cool and raining today. Easy to cope with, good for the garden.
My grevillias and bottlebrushes were an absolute picture 10 days ago and are now just carrying the remains of the blooms. I’m waiting for the hibiscuses to come out if we get enough rain. Hand watering keeps them alive, but a good downpour brings out the glorious flamboyant flowers. P

The NZ rugby team does the haka before they play a game. While we were living in NZ, an ex player competed in Dancing With the Stars. He was a good dancer and won the comp doing a paso doble that incorporated a piece of the haka.

Hmm Bay, sticking the boot in…?!

The autumn internationals are underway here so we’re getting to see the haka… NZ just beat Scotland today.. (and yes, Aus had a lucky win over Wales last weekend…i.e. we let you win, we know you aren’t good losers 🙂 ).

http://imgfave.com/view/1529660

I can’t seem to get the jpeg version of this chart.
But it covers cravings.
And my apologies for saying anyone might be doing 5:2 wrong.

What I found doing 4:3 or ADF was that was having cravings, and when I did start to eat those cravins my appetite could become a full on binge.

So I tried to self teach about cravings, gained a lot of knowledge, but this chart I posted at top. , the link.
I plan my menus around many of those foods and I rarely crave for anything anymore.
In fact when I do Indulge in a coffee ice cream treat . I rarely feel as I’ve satisfied a craving , because I’m not craving anything. So going to stop with the planned treats for a few months, just to see if my sugars craving returns.
Since going carbless 3 days a week I don’t crave sweets at all. I’m guessing it may be , if your diet is high carb, you crave high carb sweets. It easy to forget how high fruits and vegetables are in carbs too.

I’m still on the fish or shrimp 3 days a week , I really like those so believe it made it easier switch out the high carb staples for high protein.especially the boiled eggs which covers many vitamin and mineral cravings.

Morning all.

Another dry and bright morning here.
I planned to get up early this morning but slept until 8.30 which is not particularly late, but I must have needed the sleep 🙂

I love cakes, pastries and desserts and will never give them up, but they will be an occasional treat.
Since I gave up work many temptations have been removed, as there was always a box of pastries, or a tin of candy or something hanging around, and I would eat them because they were there.

Purple, when I go on a plane I always eat everything that is put in front of me. I often do it because I’m flying long haul and a full stomach sends me to sleep. I’ve decided that as my upcoming flight to Cuba is a day time journey, I’m going to be very choosy, and only pick just enough so that I can have a glass of wine. I thought about ordering a vegetarian meal but never got round to it!

I do small group tours which are perfect for me as they are populated by like minded people of a similar age, and every time I go away, my list of must see places gets longer as the others in the group have often been to places I’ve not yet considered that sound fascinating.
I have no idea where it will lead me, but that is just fine 😛

Cuba is slightly different to the usual trip, as there is no camping and finding a leopard on your doormat 😮 sleeping in hammocks, hiking up to monuments or waterfalls, or getting up in the dark to get in a vehicle and search for wildlife. It will be quite civilised in comparison 😉

Jojo, good luck, I hope the vet can help X

Purple, I went to Venezuela 6 years ago and we travelled in a dugout motorised canoe up to Angel Falls, which took the best part of a day allowing for swimming under waterfalls, lunch on a sandy river bank, and walking and carrying everything where the water level was very low. It was amazing as we were ale to hear the falls but not see them as there was a bend in the river. Going round that bend and them seeing Angel Falls is one of my best and most memorable holiday memories. We slept in hammocks in a communal lean to, which was no more than a few poles supporting a roof. The next morning we hiked up to Angel Falls. The path was the only sign that it was possible to walk up, and when we arrived, there was a large flat rock at an angle, just large enough for 2 or3 people to stand on in order to get a great view of the falls. Most people fly over it and see it from the air, but I think I got a better deal.
We also went for a walk one day wearing our swimwear, as our route took us behind a huge waterfall. Standing behind it was also an amazing experience.
I’ve been rafting in Costa Rica, and I would imagine your daughter is having the time of her life!

Give her pets from us!

Rouge Trader
I would like to borrow your results in text form as an example to others.
How keeping journal or tracker can sort out what works or works well.

Making potato soup as my feed day morning meal.
Going on into my 4 week in row with loss myself.

Planning to go on 36 days planned break from Nov 27th – Jan 2nd
Borrowing from weight lifters . I’ll be bulking for holidays then cutting the new year.

I’m so giddy this morn writing this. As try to find words for the years on intermittent fasting.
c 40lbs to go. Truly doable at 1 lb a week.

I was given a gift from my friend that passed mother. He was a 20 retired veteran marine. A discussion we had once was about our mutual intrest in swordsmanship. He had a hand made Katana commissioned while he was in Japan. As well as his throwing blades. While ive practiced with wooden Bokken for years fearing I would cut myself with a real one.
The image I have of myself is to be graded at a martial arts event using the Katana. Something I wasn’t even hoping for in 2012. I went back to boxing for a few months mid 2014 , while I enjoyed the training, the sparring was unpleasant so say the least. So I may take the on the katana discipline and see if I can make it into exercise. I know I don’t want to just keep it in a corner.

@274lbs I started IF 3/02/2013. 5:2 for 4 months then on to 4:3 for another 4months
8/2013. Unplanned break went on for four months.
@247 lbs Restarted IF 4:3 3/2/2014
Taking planned break from fasting thanksgiving 11/27/2014 – 1/02/2015 till new years dinner to focus on exercise.
Currently 213 lbs.
Currently practicing 4:3+CRAN @600 on fast days 70,000+ steps per week.

As for right this moment , Sunday morning still in bed.
Doing plank , hand weight curls and abdominal crunches . For 150 calories before getting out of bed. HA!
http://www.shape.com/blogs/working-it-out/10-fat-burning-yoga-poses

Hi jojo,

I hope your girl makes a full recovery. It’s always such a worry with animals because they can’t tell you where it hurts, and you can only imagine the worst…

You made an interesting point about being able to enjoy the run up to Christmas this year. It occurred to me after my rant (sorry!) that it was perhaps working full time in a stressful job that is the problem, and not a long run up to Christmas after all! When you have very little time, and everything is a hassle, the last thing you want is constant reminders of how disorganized and behind with preparations you are!

Anyway, I am taking next week off. We hope to do some dry stone walling and tidying in the garden, but it will hopefully give me a chance to get some presents and cards done…

And I’ll try and keep my barhumbugness to myself 🙂

Doh, Amazon! I’m even more grumpy now as I realize my phone has been correcting ‘bah’ to ‘bar’ for me… Very helpful! It’s not a smart phone, it’s a stupid phone…

Frustrating to have to proof read everything! I found yesterday that I had sent a text about Gandalf, not Grandad. And in the summer I confused a friend when I texted from Scotland to tell her I was being savaged by midgets… 🙂

Oh yes, JoJo my other weight loss experiences were also misery.
And sometimes for a few hours on the last day of 4:3 week that feeling. But compare those few hours 3hrs vs 168 hours and it’s a clear advantage for intermittent fasting. To lose 4-8 lbs a month and only feel misery for 12 total hours out of 720 hrs in a month. And you can chew gum and drink lemon green tea to get us through.

Many time I’ve posted my experience to be only 9hours a week of hunger pangs yet lose 2lbs.
And specifically red beans and catfish cut it to 3 hours.
Hardly misery when the next morning I can have a chocolate dream cometrue remade healthy healing and detox food!
Like finding the point between diet misery and what is tolerable. DOABLE as the DR says.
We all owe it to ourselves to discover what is doable and then Keep On Keepin On.

Planning to make detox and exercise part of my planned fasting break.

I enjoy my fast days as every time I do it I realise that after all these years I am finally in control, says she while nibbling on the last piece of cheese and drinking a glass of Chianti 😆

The thought of being savaged by midgets is both mind boggling and very amusing 😆

Well as for me.
If I ever go on beer drinking again. I’ll plan to only drink three days of the week, with no more than 2 beers those days. That’s technically enough to be alcoholic .
Further I won’t take NSAIDs, but will increase my choline intake to help protect my gastrointestinal track from the harm.

For now it’s just something I do when I’m out with others limit of 1. Yet never ever on fast day. I consider drinking the #3 highest risk of preventable death. Behind smoking and poor diet. However making a huge assumption and a wild guess that fasting can be an equivalent to poor diet. So for me the risk would be, obese, poor diet , diabetic, alcohol. I’m not going to chance it.

Hi Wee, it was definitely the small flying biting kind of midget!

Amazon, I’m with you on vices. I drink red wine at home; real ale when I’m out; and wine, champagne, g & t, port, baileys, whiskey…at Dad’s. When I drink, I do drink more than 1 – 2 units. But I have at least 4 alcohol free days each week. I can’t really see that changing 🙂

Heavy consumption of alcohol on a regular basis may lead to a choline deficiency. There is no evidence to suggest that someone who eats a balanced diet and drinks socially will have any problems whatsoever.

I eat plenty of eggs and have milk and yoghurt daily. Peanut butter is one of my vices, and I eat cauliflower, spinach,liver and other meat regularly.

Hi Jojo

The midges in Scotland are horrible but (Weemam will correct me) they don’t get going much before May (I think) so Easter or before would probably be good for a Scottish excursion.

My dad lives in Cumbria and they suffer badly with midges too but they are nothing to those north of the border. We went camping in Glentrool one year at the end of May and the inside walls and ceiling of the tent were black with the little devils every time we unzipped to go to the loo! I was nearly eaten alive!

Lizzypb
Just spotted midgets not midges! Oops!

I’m going to have that vision of Happy being chased by midgets for a long time…

Lol I have been told in a nice way I am ” a wee midget” lol .

Jojo you don’t get them in the towns “midgies” lol But if you are going camping THEN I can’t promise the same lol .

Wee xx

Hi Amazon
We have a lot of bush around our house and a creek down one side, so mozzies are everywhere. We burn mosquito coils on 5 out of 7 nights during summer. The smoke calms them down, or masks our smells so they leave us alone. It seems to permeate through the surrounds so is like a perpetual barrier. At least mozzies are basically only around at sundown. We don’t have any fly screens and leave all the doors and windows open on summer evenings. P