Mid Fifties – Just starting and hoping to lose weight (yet again)?!

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Sherryann

3:34 am
26 May 16
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Hi for another quick one!

Caterina, I eat similarly to you. It works well for me so far!

Elizabeth, I’m so sorry for your long wait for meaningful results, especially when it’s your kid your dealing with! Please let us know as soon as you know something! She’s in my prayers!

Lori, thanks for the safe travels wishes…you’re home and now I’m off…’tis the season for travel!

Hello Apricot!

Salma, you’re probably in the air as I write…hope you arrive home without too much jet lag…so much travel for you in the last few weeks!

I’m doing good…still cleansing/fasting along, trying to get to optimum lightness before the vacationing begins! 😉 It will be a challenge once in Hawaii as I mentioned since we have two families coming to visit us back to back and I’m sure they’ll want to go out to eat a lot. I already have Duke’s by the beach in Waikiki booked for Sunday evening when one group arrives. We’ll have to try and have a few bar-b-ques at our place to minimize the eating out!

And, guess what I should REALLY be doing instead of typing right now? You probably guessed it! PACKING! Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator apparently!

Toodles! 🙂

salma

4:54 am
26 May 16
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Hello fellow travellers on the path to health and sveltness..

Hello fellow-procrastinator.. Sherry, I am terrible with procrastination and always leave everything to the last possible minute.. I am famous for it (not really bragging.. it is a terrible burden). I am still in Cambridge; tomorrow is the big commencement day.. so exciting. Also, the weather in Cambridge/Boston has been fantastic.. in fact, so hot today that I had to go out and buy a summer dress as I was suffocating in my winter clothes (I had not packed any light clothing). The good thing is that I fitted into a size 14! I know that American sizes are bigger than UK ones, but I am not telling if you don’t. It was size 14 and I am sticking to my story! I leave here on Friday evening to go back home and might have to travel again almost immediately for work. Oy!

Hello Apricot and Caterina.. isn’t it fun that we are scattered around the globe, yet so similar in our struggles and tribulations on this path?

Lori.. are you back to your routine? I always hate going back to work after a vacation and it takes me a few days to re-acclimatize (oh, and never mind the awful jet-lag). Still, it is nice to go home and not live out of a suitcase.

CC.. I hope it gets sorted for your daughter. lease keep us updated. What a worry! Is your son on an even keel now? I do hope so.. Nothing is worse than the worry of a parent about their child.

I wish you all good days/nights .. you gals brighten my days with your posts.

Salma

Lori_PA

10:18 am
26 May 16
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Good Morning!

I woke up feeling like I had been beaten with a baseball bat. I decided to take today off from exercise. I was going to go out for a run/walk, but I’m just feeling too sore. My return to boot camp is doing me in! 😉 One thing I’ve learned is that you have to listen to your body. When it says take a day off, I listen!

We went out for dinner last night and I went a bit higher carb than usual, but it’s funny, I only ate about half of my meal. I ordered an appetizer and a side and ended up bringing enough home for lunch today. I’m so happy to be learning to listen to my full signals and stop eating!

Sherry…you have some fun times ahead of you! It all sounds fabulous.

Salma, safe travels to you. I hope your return to work is not too stressful.

Cinque…is it beginning to get chilly where you are? I don’t remember if you really get cold weather or if it is more temperate in your part of the world. We have gone from chilly and wet to hot & humid! I’m loving the heat right now, but it will get old in a few days.

Have a lovely day!

Cinque

12:02 pm
26 May 16
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Hello,
It is FREEZING here! Well, when I say freezing it is 10C (50F) which feels like freezing to us poor Melbournites! It is cold and dark and it has been raining all day. Hooray for a heater and a dressing gown and ugg boots!

I had a very busy afternoon with a good meeting and then picking Rose’s MIL from the airport. By the time I got home I was starving. It was hard to contemplate miso broth for dinner (and nothing else ;( ), but luckily fast days are only one day! And I made a huge bowl of broth, hot and tasty! And it did fill me up enough and will get me through the night. I’m already excited about breakfast tomorrow though!

Hi Salma! Lori, Apricot and Sherry!

We will miss you so much Sherry! Bon yoyage (all the voyages!) and have fun in all the places with all the people!

Salma, woot for the size 14 dress!

Lori I hope you can have a hot bath to ease your muscles!

Apricot I hope your cough and cold go quickly!

Night night, sweet dreams!

carolinacatz

1:54 pm
26 May 16
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Good morning!

Last night my son picked up a pizza for us after he’d been hiking. He got it himself and it was really nice to enjoy it with him (even though I only let my daughter have a taste b/c of the reflux). The evening before that we had a chance to go to one of our favorite Thai restaurants. In short, we’re having good times at the table, which is great and what I want for his visit, but it’s really challenging!!!! Right now my goal is just not to gain anything for the next ten days or so.

Hello, Apricot! Glad you’re still hanging in with us.

Sherry, good luck on the packing. I don’t know how you do big trips with that many kids….but it sounds like amazing trips are coming up for you!

Salma, I do hope you have a lovely graduation!!!!!! Is your son at MIT? My son seems a good bit better. I do wonder how much role the girlfriend is playing in what went on–he seems not as into her as he was and I wonder if he feels kind of caught because they are in the same group of tight friends…..ah me. But he has one more session with a therapist for a total of three. That has blown me away that he is open to talking with someone. I don’t know if I mentioned it, but he was borderline autistic and still has some issues, but they are the type of thing that’s common in really bright techie people. In any regard, having a trusted mentor will be a huge bonus for him so I’m keeping my fingers crossed! Now if we can just figure out what is going on with my daughter!!!!!!!

Lori, good job on eating out so well! I think learning to listen to hunger signals is really the secret. I am doing better but will still stress eat junk around the house. Blerg.

Cinque, hope you enjoy snuggling and getting cozy in the chill. I actually love doing that. I’m a cool weather person for the most part. I can’t stand muggy weather!

Best of luck today!!

salma

1:14 pm
27 May 16
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Dear ladies,

Up early as I guess I am thinking about the flight later on this evening. I did not sleep too well because of the big meal we had yesterday in celebration of the graduation.. I live to tell the tale. It was a wonderful meal in a lovely restaurant, but heavy and late in the evening, and so I woke up feeling bloated and uncomfortable as is always the case with these things. Ah, well.. it is worth it.. a wonderful, but very tiring (and very hot day).

On the positive side, I should report that, while here, I got myself one of those tracker wrist bands and have actually put in a minimum of 10,000 steps every day!!! I have not done this for AGES (particularly with the hip inflammation). I expected the pain in my hip to increase, but it hasn’t. It can still get painful, but the walking does not seem to have increased the pain. I am really pleased that I got into walking again and hope to continue once back home. I finished ‘audio-reading” my book club book on these walks around my son’s place, so a positive double-whammy.

CC.. I am so glad your son is talking to a therapist. It is not easy on them when they go through emotional turmoil as a break up (not easy at any age), and the very people you turn to in such situations are your friends.. so if he shares close friendships with his girlfriend, so he would be hesitant about sharing with them and this is likely to leave him dealing with his feelings by himself. We always feel the pain of our children more than out own almost.. however, they are resilient and I am sure that with the help of a professional, he will be able to learn to deal with these emotions, but what a worry for you! To answer your question, my son graduated from Harvard not MIT.. it has been a week of several events and many receptions and FOOD.. my performance – food wise- was patchy. On some days I restrained myself and on others I indulged. I am hoping that they will cancel each other out.

Cinque.. it is so odd to think of you freezing while we are sweltering here. I , like CC, am a cool weather person and don’t do very well in the hot and humid weather, but I guess any type of weather that goes on too long becomes oppressive. You mention miso soup here often, so I tried it while here. I had not been a great fan when I tried it several years ago, but, because of you, I am now a new convert. I have had it about 3 times this week and really enjoyed it.. so thank you.. you have added to my arsenal of good food choices. I hope your fast day went well and you have enjoyed a great breakfast today.

Lori.. you are sore from bootcamp? This scares me.. you have been going diligently for so many months and yet you get sore after stopping for a few days? Yikes! What hope is there for sloths like yours truly? I hope you are feeling better today. Is the weight beginning to go down or have you not been weighing yourself?

Sherry.. bon voyage and wishes for a wonderful adventure. and Apricot.. I do hope you get better soon; a cold is just miserable.

I hope to catch up with you all when I am back home.. Have a great day/night/weekend everyone.

Salma

Lori_PA

1:33 pm
27 May 16
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Good Morning!

Unfortunately, the weight refuses to budge. 🙁 I’m blaming it on muscle soreness, but who knows. I’ve been staying low carb, but eating too much cheese……I’m thinking that is the culprit.

Oh yes Salma, boot camp still makes me sore. We do different things and work different muscles ALL the time. I sometimes joke that I have been sore for 3 years! Actually, it’s not a joke. OY! Safe travel to you Salma!

I have 3 days of golf ahead of me. By Monday, I will be ready for a break from it. I love playing, but 3 days in a row is about my limit. As sore as my shoulders are from 3 days of boot camp, my swing could be really ugly!

I’m trying to fast until 12 or 1 today, but my stomach is growling already! I have been really hungry since returning from the trip. My sister reports the same issue. Our bodies got used to all that yummy food and are demanding more! 😉

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Cinque

1:16 am
28 May 16
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Good morning everyone!
Even colder this morning than yesterday, and forecast to be colder again tomorrow morning.
My comfort zone became so much smaller when I became ill, so I complain about the heat AND the cold. But I agree that the very worst is the hot humid weather. So glad to be in Melbourne and not Sydney, and being in the tropics nearly killed me! I am glad not to be sweltering.

Lori, I bet your poor muscles are trying to ease themselves by holding tight to that water. Give your scales another few days!
Have fun with the golf!

I was shocked how hard it was, and how long it took, to get back into my nice fasting rhythm after letting myself bounce around a bit with eating too much and wrong things. It will make me nervous of doing it again. Lori, I think I took over three weeks to feel I was back on track, I hope you (and your sister) get there much more quickly!

So sorry you are sweltering Salma, I bet you kept your new gorgeous dress on! You are probably on your flight now, so I hope it is a good one! What was the highlight of your son’s graduation?
I do so hope you get a few restful days before your job flings you off in another direction.

Carolina, it sounds like you are having some lovely family time, in spite of the stresses. It must be the end of your Friday now, so I am crossing my fingers you have good news to share about your daughter’s tests.
I think I mentioned that my son in law has Asperger’s and this has given me an insight into the anxiety that is part of Autism. I think my SIL is one of the bravest people I know, because of the difficulties he has to manage just to get through life. So I am sending special good wishes to your son.

Best wishes

Cinque

1:41 am
28 May 16
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PS I forgot to say, Salma, that I am so glad that the miso soup you tried was delicious! And what a good soup it is for hot muggy weather!
I am just about to make a pot of stock for mine, tomorrow, and to soak some mushrooms to have in it.

carolinacatz

1:43 pm
28 May 16
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Hello…..

My daughter’s heart monitor was completely normal so that is a relief. There is a very small chance that she has a structural issue like a valve prolapse, but for now we are focusing on the flare up of her reflux. We are going to do an elimination diet and try a medication temporarily and she’ll see a pediatric GI doctor. If that doesn’t help, we’ll reconsider other heart issues. I’m trying to figure out exactly when to start trying all this in earnest to get the most benefit–we tried three medications for reflux when she was a baby and none really helped so I don’t want to do that again! There will be end of year parties and Memorial Day and my son’s last few days here, etc. I’m trying to gear up for it and I’ll probably do the diet with her. All I can say is I better lose a LOT of weight!!!!

Meanwhile, my husband has had an incredible trip to Croatia. It started off nice but not over the top. Once they got to the more Mediterranean parts, it’s been incredible. The blue water, rocky mountains on the water, sun-drenched coast, ancient cities. It’s an outdoor oriented trip so he’s been hiking, biking, kayaking, rafting and sailing–at least one of those every day. I’m not sure I could have kept up!

Salma, wow, a degree from Harvard is amazing. My son had high hopes for MIT (and Stanford and CalTech, haha). He really enjoyed visiting MIT and I could see him in Boston. He didn’t get in those, but Carnegie Mellon has been a really good fit for him and is one of the top five computer schools. Just hoping the next two years go as well as the first two have. He told me he could graduate without really loading up on anything harder than what he’s taken if he wanted to. Of course, he doesn’t want to–he wants to take a systems class that supposedly requires 30 hours a week on its own. I wish he’d take it down a notch!!!! Have a great trip home and congratulations!

Lori, I envy all your exercise! I need to push myself a lot more. Enjoy the golf and don’t get sunburned.

Cinque, hope you’re cozy!! I don’t feel my son would be labelled Asperger’s today. He doesn’t have a lot of the issues some people with that diagnosis have but it was the closest option when he was in school and did have challenges that required some accommodation and understanding. …but it never quite fit that well if that makes sense. He’s not comfortable with the term and I hesitate to use it a lot. But he still has trouble with the social nuances and being way too high strung–that’s why I’m really glad he’s open to working with a counselor!!!

Our plans for Memorial Day are kind of quiet–my son is having a friend hang out tomorrow and my husband gets in. We may do something outside today….maybe a picnic?

I kind of lost the food issue yesterday and the day before that, I had a very unusual event in that I blew a fast day in the evening. I did some stress eating with graham crackers and peanut butter!!! Better start that elimination diet soon, haha.

Good luck over the weekend. Hope Sherry is having a blast!!!!

Cinque

12:21 am
29 May 16
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Hello Carolina (calling you this again so new people can work out who I am talking to!). I am so, so glad the tests didn’t show up any nasty heart problem, but O dear the reflux must be hard to deal with. I do so hope the doctor she sees next has some good ideas about it.
At least all the difficulties have been resolving themselves, or at least making progress. And it does make things easier for your son to be not too far off so called ‘normal’ (whatever that is!). He has some interesting decisions to make!
What a fab time your husband is having. Hopefully he will come home with such happiness and satisfaction the whole family will get a dose of his vibrancy!
And good luck to you with looking after yourself in the midst of it all. I hope you are not too hard on yourself, it is such a stressful time, but good luck with really getting into gear with your own self being as important as everyone else in your family! May your next fast day be a really excellent one!

Hello everyone else. It is a grey Sunday morning here, cozy inside! and Fast Day for me!
I’m hoping Sherry is having a blast too! And that you have had a great golf day Lori, and Salma is having a lovely restful day. And how about the rest of you? MinnesotaMiss, are you around? What are all you lovely newbies up to?

Sending good wishes!

Caterinacate

8:13 am
29 May 16
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Hello all,

I had my second day yesterday and it worked well. I had a lot of fun and distraction because I attended a literary festival with readings and workshops and food was the last things on my mind. I popped back home for lunch and dinner as it was near and this made it really easy.

The day before yesterday I fell face-first into a tub of ice cream, oooppppsss, but in spite of that I am delighted to find out that I am still sub-85 Kg, just, but such a relief.

Next day will be Tuesday, meanwhile my normal eating days will be low in carbs as usual.

Have a good Sunday.

Lori_PA

10:26 am
29 May 16
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Good Morning!

I was so tired last night that I went to bed just after 8. Consequently, I was ready to get up at 4:30. I’ll be heading to the golf course again today. We had fun yesterday, but it was hot, hot, hot! More of the same today and also tomorrow. I played ok, not great, not terrible. I hadn’t played for awhile, so I was quite happy with the results.

I’m staying away from the scale for a few days. Between the heat and humidity, the number I would see could not be good. I’ve been staying low carb, but haven’t gotten into the 500 calorie days that I NEED to do to get the scale moving downward again. Maybe this coming week?

I got over 10,000 steps on my pedometer yesterday and will have that plus more today and tomorrow. I’m so thankful for my health and the ability to get up and do whatever I want. I know many are not that fortunate.

Hugs to you all! (((Hugs)))

Cinque

11:15 am
29 May 16
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Hi Lori and Cate!

Cate I love having a fast day after one of those oops! moments of over indulgence. It puts a nice break between my old pattern and new pattern so it is easier to keep going.

How wonderful to spend a day at a literary festival! So many interesting things!

Lori, The scales will feel so neglected they will show you a good number out of gratefulness when you finally step on them again!
I hope that little white ball goes just where you want it too!

It is the end of my fast day. A good day, and looking forward to tomorrow! I made a loaf of bread, so my mouth was watering while it cooked! I will so enjoy some for breakfast.

salma

8:34 am
30 May 16
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Hi ladies..

I wanted to say a quick good morning to all of you.

Back home and jetlagged, but weighed myself this morning and I have only gained 1 lb. It was my goal not to gain on this trip and I very nearly achieved it. HURRAYYYY!! You have no idea what an achievement this was for me particularly since there was food galore with all the celebrations, receptions and whatnot. I was so worried, particularly as I stress-ate yesterday and had a big cheese sandwich at 3:00 a.m. I always gained when I travel and I just could not face having to re-start all over again at a higher weight.

Well.. I start the detox thing again this Monday in an effort to jog my body into a lower weight. Thankfully, it appears that I do not have to travel again for a month, so I am hoping to see some real results. So, the detox is a couple of days with low calorie liquid fast, then we take it from there.

It is nice to be back home after living out of suitcase for 10 days.

Salma

Lori_PA

10:44 am
30 May 16
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Welcome home Salma!

WOW…you did fantastic! 1 little pound?! That is likely fluid retention from the flight….you probably actually lost some “fat weight” on this trip! YAY! Good luck with the detox. Keep us posted on how it’s going.

Getting ready for day 3 on the golf course. Hoping for another fun day. I really enjoyed the day yesterday. It was warm, but there was a lovely breeze and I was just so happy to be able to be out there. Today’s tournament is a couple’s event where we play as teams. Should be fun.

Not sure where my weight is right now. I feel thin, but that doesn’t always translate to the scale. 🙁 I’ll weigh at some point this week. I’ve been staying true to my low carb plan(with a few lite beers thrown in). 😉

Have a lovely day my friends!

Cinque

10:22 am
31 May 16
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Salma, Congratulations! What excellent work! And you have saved yourself from that exhausting undoing of what a week or two of overeating can do! Such a nice reward!

Lori I think feeling thin is better than it showing on the scale! (well, of course I do 😉 ) But I bet it shows on the scale too! Happy golfing!

I’ve had a productive day (although I wish I could have done more!) I have cooked, written emails I was behind with, sewed, went for a walk, and got the clothes in from the clothes line.

Looking forward to a quiet evening and hopefully another good day tomorrow. No fasting til Thursday!

Couldn’t get onto this site most of the day. My computer and ipad kept telling me they wouldn’t connect me because something wasn’t safe. Seems fixed now! Hooray!
Best wishes to all!

Lori_PA

1:13 pm
31 May 16
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Good Morning!

I am one tired pup this morning. I made the mistake of walking the whole golf course yesterday…….6+ miles of rolling terrain while pushing my clubs. I was so tired last night, but couldn’t get to sleep because my legs were restless from all the over use and the heat yesterday. Cat got me up at 2:45AM, I went back to bed and rolled and tossed until 4:30 when I got up and got ready for boot camp. On a positive note, the scale was down a couple pounds this morning. Still up 2 since my cruise, but at least it’s starting to go in the right direction.

Sounds like you’ve had a busy day Cinque! Hope you have a good night’s sleep.

Talk soon!

salma

8:06 am
1 Jun 16
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Good morning/afternoon friends!

I am just back from the nutritionisst, and I am happy to report 2 kgs of fat loss!!!!
You have no idea what this means to me after a looooong stint of not losing and, in fact, gaining. I like this lady because she focuses, not on the weight, but on ensuring fat loss.. and I seem to be doing okay and have actually gained a couple of hundred grams of muscle too (all that walking in Cambridge). This encourages me to incorporate walking into an every day routine and will try to fir it into my rather busy days since coming back to work. Still, as my friend- who made me go to the nutritionist – says: health is THE most important aspect of life and we should give it priority.

I have nursed a bad migraine for 3 days now, but still feel over the moon with the results. Of course, having completed two liquid only diet (basically a 500 cal per day do, by my calculations), the scale figure is going to go up tomorrow, but for now, I am revelling in the 84.1 kg (down from 88 when I started 4 weeks ago (unprecedented results for me, I have to say).

Lori.. you always amaze me with how active you are.. it puts me to shame, really.. but do listen to your body and don’t overdo it. Congratulations on the results after the holidays.. one more measly Kg to go before you get back to pre-vacation weight.

Cinque.. My! you sound busy.. but you also sound happy.. I now that when I have accomplished some of the million things that are on my to-do list, I always feel elated. In fact, I spent the first jet-lagged night clearing out my wardrobe and transferring summer clothes into the wardrobe and relegating the winter ones to storage shelves. It felt good to get it out of the way.

Where is everyone else?

Have a great day ladies..I have to go earn a living 🙂

Salma

Lori_PA

9:51 am
1 Jun 16
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Salma! What great news on your fat loss! I would love to find a place to get my body composition measured, rather than just relying on the number on the scale. I hope your migraine eases soon… How awful they must be.

I slept well and long last night and feel good this morning. Off to boot camp!

Hugs all around!

Lori_PA

2:17 pm
2 Jun 16
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Hellooooooooo?????????

Where is everyone? Hope all is well and that you’re just busy.

I’m still chipping away at my cruise poundage. I had a few treats this past weekend which is not helping me any, but I’ll get there one day.

I woke this morning with a headache and general malaise. I should have forged on and went for my walk/run as planned, but I bagged it. 🙁 I haven’t had a day without activity in over a week, so I took advantage and had a leisurely morning. Tomorrow will be another boot camp session and then Saturday morning off to the golf course again!

Hope to hear from you all soon!

Cinque

10:56 pm
2 Jun 16
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Hi Lori!
I am SO busy at the moment!
Hello to you and Salma and Cate and Elizabeth. And everyone else! Come and tell us how life is!
Salma I hope your migraine is gone!
Lori I hope your headache, and malaise, is soon gone. Take it easy.

I’ve got to write a report while having my morning cuppas, then off to Ikea with my daughter, her MIL and Josie.

Fast day yesterday. It was a good one. I thought I might need to eat more in the cold weather, but I was fine 🙂

Best wishes all!

salma

11:26 pm
2 Jun 16
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Hi girls..
Just popping in quickly to say hello.
Migraine is thankfully gone, but I am finding work a terrible drag.. Does this always happen when you are back from a good holiday? I can barely drag myself out of bed to go to work. Ah well, TGIF, tomorrow!

Sending you all good thoughts.
Salma

Cinque

2:11 am
4 Jun 16
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Oh dear Salma, I hate it when work is such a drag. And maybe you are not well too.
From what you have told us, your work is not a very energising one, you are pushing boulders up hill, and not even getting good recognition for your work.
I think you know you do a good job, so that is something, and hopefully there are other areas in your life that will make up for it.

I’m having a slow Saturday morning, and my coffee is just about brewed. Best wishes everyone for a lovely weekend!

Lori_PA

11:05 am
4 Jun 16
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Good Morning!

I’m sitting here enjoying my first cup of coffee. I will head to the golf course later, but have a couple hours to catch up online and ponder the meaning of life. 😉

I’m quite disgusted with the scale. Just when I think the number is on it’s way down, it pops back up again. I have yet to get the vacation fluff off, never mind starting to chip away at the “hard lard” that has been clinging to me for years. Sigh……… To be honest, I haven’t incorporated a good fast day as I promised myself I would, so I just need to get my head in the game!

My boss is driving me round the bend lately. He is in a panic about my upcoming retirement and is trying to learn what I do. He is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, and just can’t seem to absorb the procedures. I only pray that my replacement is a quick learner.

Ok….cup of coffee #2 is calling my name. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

salma

10:03 pm
4 Jun 16
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Oh Lori.. you poor thing! You want to be easing into your retirement without all the stress of some halfwit making your few remaining months at work irritating! On the brighter side, this will make retirement more of a godsend, eh?

As I mentioned earlier, I also, am not enjoying work at the moment.. it just seems like a black hole for my energy with barely any results and a lot of negative feeling in the office (mostly directed at me). Thank God for good friends who must get sick of me whinging. I had a big argument with my mom the other day (stupid, I know, but in my defense, I was still jet-lagged and sleep-deprived). I have sorted it out now and we are back on an even keel. Sometimes, I just feel like giving up on all fronts.. but when I feel like that, I try to do something fun that takes me out of myself. So, this evening, I am going to see a film with a good friend who is always cheery and good fun. Tomorrow, as Scarlet says, is another day.

Not to sound too gloomy, the scales are being kind to me. I am now at 83.3 Kg (down from a high of 88 six weeks ago). I have not seen this number for about a year, so I am now back to what I was about a year ago! I am not sure if I should be happy or sad.. I am deciding on the former. This is giving me reason to continue. I am now on my day 6 of my second round of de-tox, but will stop on Monday and revert to the 18-6 fasting ( 18 hours fasting/6 hours eating) where I will try to be mindful during the 6 hours (but can’t promise 100% – I think I will allow myself an indiscretion once or twice a week). We’ll see how that goes. I will do this for a month and then perhaps try the detox again. This is almost like a guessing game.. but for now, I seem to be guessing right.

Where is everyone else? Sherryann, CC, Caterina and everyone else? Incidentally, has anyone heard from Milena recently? Where did she disappear to? We miss her wit and sense of humour.. and pure grit!

Salma

Cinque

11:35 pm
4 Jun 16
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Good morning!
Lori, I do hope you are are having/have had an excellent golf day. Be kind to yourself in spite of those sarcastic scales, and appreciate those lovely lardy bits, that do their job as best they can. Soon they will be gone.
The only thing you can do with a boss like that is pick out his most irritating words and actions and come back to tell us. It will be like having our own Fawlty Towers. You’ll keep us in hysterics.

Salma, that thoughtless Sherry has left us for Hawaii and Europe! The cheek of her! She is probably in Italy having gelati as I write!
I miss Milena too, I wonder if she might pop back? And the other M’s!

How disappointing your job is. It might be time to plan for the next one, even if you need to put in another year before you go. I am so sorry for you. It is soul destroying to be working so hard with people who don’t appreciate you. Fingers crossed things can change, or you can get out.

Hooray for your good perspective! Enjoy that movie.

Woot for your weight loss.
Glad you and your mum are okay. I know the frustration, and how awful it feels to argue, even when there are mitigating circumstances. Oh life! It does keep on at us!

I need to get up and tidy the house. Mess everywhere! And granddaughter will be here while Rose has her driving lesson. Fast day for me too. But if I can have coffee for breakfast, the world is sweet! See you!

Lori_PA

11:33 am
5 Jun 16
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Good Morning!

Oh Salma…I feel so bad for all the stress you are going through. Is finding a new job in your mind at all? If it is, I hope something wonderful comes your way.

I had fun on the golf course yesterday. I walked the first 9 holes and then grabbed a cart for the back 9. Still managed around 12,000 steps! As usual after all that activity, I didn’t sleep very well. About 10:30 the University that is quite close to us set off fireworks as part of their Alumni weekend. Oh joy. Made our windows rattle. At least this year we remembered to expect the noise. Last year we were awakened by the booms and scared nearly to death until it dawned on us what was happening. I feel like I was up and down all night and tossing and turning.

As for today, I have a mountain of laundry to tackle and other than that..not much. I will just putter around the house doing this and that and looking outside periodically at the rain. I do love a day of puttering, so all is well.

Cinque…hope you had a lovely time with your granddaughter. What a cutie she is!

Cinque

11:21 pm
5 Jun 16
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Hello, It is a cold Monday morning.
I had a lovely time with Josie yesterday. Spent the day similarly to you Lori, but (not being a golfer?) called it pottering around 🙂
(I know, it’s a transatlantic thing)

I had made Josie some popcorn yesterday (just a little bit of butter and salt on it) and popped the leftovers in a container…. which caught my eye as I came out this morning for my first cup of tea and WICKEDLY took it back to bed with me and had a snack while listening to the morning radio. I did enjoy it! And I plan to be sensible to the rest of the day!

My fast day was fine. Wish I had a bit more pep for today, but I will be thankful I can do all the things I can. Best wishes everyone!

Lori_PA

3:30 pm
6 Jun 16
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Good Morning!

Monday again……ugh. I look forward to retirement so I no longer have the Monday blahs!

Sad to report that my boss didn’t get any smarter over the weekend. He was in my office for an hour and I was ready to jump out the window. Pity we are on the first floor and it wouldn’t have done any good! ROFL!

Boot camp this morning was a mixture of push-ups, squats and planks. All different kinds of each. That was one workout that I was happy to see come to an end! We do so much shoulder stuff that I fear I’ll start to look like an American football player in full shoulder pads!

I’m doing my best to have a proper fast today. My plan is to not eat a thing until 1:30 this afternoon, which would make an 18 hour fast. I’m working my way up to 24 hours….I need to get this lard off of me once and for all!

Cinque, hope you had a pleasant Monday. I guess you are well into Tuesday now!

carolinacatz

10:09 pm
6 Jun 16
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Hello, ladies!

I’m happy to report I survived last week. It was the most stressful week I’ve had in a while. My daughter had four days of state testing, which is bad enough on its own. On top of that she had dress rehearsals until late on Thursday and Friday. For Thursday we had to leave the rehearsal and make a mad dash across the county for her school orchestra concert and then dash back. She literally ran from one dance, changed, hopped out of the car at the other school and lined up to go in the auditorium, hopped in the car and did a quick change before her solo dance. I felt bad for her–her legs were jelly and she didn’t stick the landing, which is no surprise, but I still got a video and think she looked lovely. Friday morning I drove my son an hour or so to the airport. Saturday was the recital. Plus various other craziness. Anyway, I’m glad that’s all over. I was starting to feel panicked.

Lori, I know for me it takes a LONG time for the scale to start a new trend. It’s as if my body has a set point that takes a lot to move. But once it starts moving consistently I see progress….slow progress but I’ll take it. I bet your efforts will show up!

Salma, huge congrats on the fat loss!!!! The doctor who does the bioidentical hormones has a body composition scale and I saw a tiny improvement on it the last time I was there.

Caterina, hope your fasts are going well!

Cinque, glad you got to enjoy your tea!!

I’m doing a fast day today after pretty much going off the rails last week…as I said, I’m just glad I survived!! Somehow the scale wasn’t too horrible–I think it’s the set point I mentioned above, haha! Maybe I can be really good for a few days and slip by without paying the piper. Next week we are starting an elimination diet with y daughter. I told her I’d do it with her. I may as well and see if it affects my migraines. It will be difficult–no dairy, wheat, nuts, soy, eggs, or refined sugar. I better lose weight big time!!!! Good news is that it SEEMS that there is a stronger connection between her gasping and the reflux. At least I think that’s good news compared to a heart or lung issue.

Better run but I will try to check in every day this week!

Cinque

12:00 am
7 Jun 16
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It is good morning on Tuesday from me!

Well Lori, if it gets too bad, tossing the boss out of the first floor window is a possibility!
I am battling a hurt muscle in my shoulder. It is very painful, and it starts getting better and then I turn over in my sleep or something and it gets bad again. My plan is to make sure I do those yoga stretches for my shoulders once it has healed. I’m envying your strong shoulders Lori.

Carolina, congratulations on surviving such a hard week. And congratulations to your daughter too! It was way too much, so she is fab for managing it all!
I must say I am relieved it was all the dancing, because I had been worried when you weren’t online, that her health problems may have become so serious that you were in hospital or something.
Cheers to your son, it sounds like he headed off in a better space than he arrived in.
Fingers crossed the elimination diet shows up the problem. And that it is enlightening for you too.
I hope this is a quiet easy week where you can relax and have a lovely fast day!

Well I am a bit overloaded with things to do. We are doing a very simple Pop-Up lunch for my YamDaisy project in a couple of weeks, but with a new chef and we are not quite on the same page yet, and she has bronchitis at the moment! The details aren’t clear and I need to get poster made, and all the planning sorted. So I may be a bit distracted for a while!

First porridge of the season on the stove!

Lori_PA

4:11 pm
7 Jun 16
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Good Morning!

Yet another day of torture for me here in the office. Boss admitted this morning that he is not retaining what I’m showing him very well. Yeah, no kidding! He’s about to start interviewing candidates for my position and he is a nervous wreck. I, on the other hand, am cool as a cucumber. 😉

Scale down a pound this morning, but still not down to my pre-cruise weight. One fine day I will see that number again and then go lower!

So Cinque….it is porridge season? Funny how you look forward to things that you only eat seasonally. My husband is anxious for strawberries to be ripe so I can make shortcake for him. He said he may look for berries today, so I’ll probably be making a cake tonight. I just make a basic shortcake and he spoons sliced and sugared berries over it and adds a bit of milk. It is SO good, but definitely not on my low carb plan! 🙁 I may have to have 1 small piece in the next few weeks while the berries are in season. We’ll see.

Hugs to you all!

salma

10:45 pm
7 Jun 16
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Hello ladies,

Lori.. my heart goes out to you.. as I struggle with my own work issues, I can but cheer you on until the finish line come October. May I suggest that you put it to your boss to invite you to the interviewing process so that you help him pick out the new candidate since you are the person most familiar with what your job needs? It is slightly unorthodox, but that is what we did with my successor at my old job. I was involved int eh recruitment and was invited to sit on the recruitment committee. The lady who took over from me is doing a good job and everyone is happy. Congrats on the 1 lb loss. you are almost there with the weight loss..

Cinque… brrrr… I can almost feel the cold.. I much prefer col/cold weather to the stifling, hot, humid weather in summer. Despite loving to swim, I hate crowded beaches and the sweating and dust of summer not to mention having to put on a swimsuit (awful awful harsh lighting in dressing rooms when you go to buy a swimsuit make everything look even more dimply and horrible).

I am doing ok on the 16 hours-8 hours fast/eat method. Let’s see what the results are in a month.

Have a great evening/morning everyone.

Salma

Cinque

11:43 pm
7 Jun 16
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Good morning,
Yes, I love seasonal food. And my porridge was just delicious.
It took a few years before I got used to not having sugar, but now I am acclimatised to it.
That strawberry shortcake sounds so yummy Lori. If you are only having it once this year, make sure you wait until the strawberries are right at their prime!
Have fun with your boss. I can just imagine you sitting coolly, smiling sweetly, while he is sweating and tensing! Payback for all the hard times.

The first shock of the cold weather has worn off and now I am enjoying the woolly stockings and the jumpers, scarves and boots. As well as the porridge!
I’m either looking much better in my winter clothes, thanks to having lost weight, or they are newly acquired clothes and it is fun wearing them and putting together outfits.

Salma I hope you give yourself a nice surprise when you go to buy a swimsuit! The mirror should start reflecting your lost kilos. Even the horrible bright mirrors in shops!

Good luck with your work things!

Fast day for me tomorrow, so I’ll enjoy porridge today 🙂

carolinacatz

1:39 pm
8 Jun 16
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Quick pop on!

Salma, I have wondered WHY they have such unflattering lights in dressing rooms forever!!! You would think they’d have something that makes you look better than you really do, not worse. I am always so horrified by swimsuits I rarely buy one–I just make do with the old until they fall apart!

Lori, you must enjoy fresh strawberries. It would be a sin not to. I just buy the little sponge cake packs for ours.

Cinque, I like winter clothes much better than summer. Enjoy!!!!

I had a decent fast day and it was good to get back in the groove. But I wasn’t so great yesterday. It’s so easy to slip back into bad habits after a bender like last week, haha. I’ll try to be better today. Partly I’m thinking of all the things I won’t be eating for the next three weeks….

Good luck to all!

Lori_PA

1:50 pm
8 Jun 16
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Good Morning!

Well, no strawberries appeared at my house so far, but it won’t be long. The shortcake I make is quite easy and SO good that you could eat it by itself with milk & sugar. It is made in a small cake pan, but has a whole stick of butter in it! It is my mother-in-law’s recipe and I would be shot if I tried to substitute any other kind of cake!

The scale went down another pound, so I’m within 10ths of being at my pre-cruise weight. I’m hoping the downward trend continues, but with going away Sunday thru Wednesday, the losses may halt. I’ll just try to keep from going off the rails.

We have a rainy dreary day today. I guess we may have some peeps of sun later. I’m going to get a pedicure after work and am looking forward to the glass of wine they always put in my hand. Ahhhh…..

Have a lovely day!

salma

11:02 pm
8 Jun 16
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Yaay for the 1 lb loss Lori.. that’s amazing!
The mere thought of your strawberry shortcake caused me to go up 200 gms.. I am certain of it!
CC.. swimsuits are the bane of my life in summer. I love to swim and HATE to be seen in one. Does anyone have a solution to this one? I am sure there is a good business idea here somewhere.. where, perhaps, you start a chain selling swimsuits in soft plush lighting with a glass of champagne and forgiving mirrors.. I am sure we would make millions 🙂
Salma

Cinque

11:42 pm
9 Jun 16
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Salma, that is true. They would also be big changing rooms so you could stand further from the mirror and see yourself at a better angle.

Carolina, good luck with getting back into the 5:2 rhythm. All you can do is concentrate on the yummy things you will be eating (small portions of 😉 ) and on how well you will feel and how nice you will look in your swimsuit!

One thing I love about 5:2 is that the breaks between eating make me appreciate everything I do eat more: the lovely everyday meals. When eating isn’t a constant the pleasure is heightened.

Lori I hope it was a wonderful pedicure! And that the last 10ths of a pound are gone when you next step on the scale.

Lori_PA

4:37 pm
10 Jun 16
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Happy Friday!

It’s a beautiful day, but I’m stuck here in this office. 🙁 Oh well, I’ll spend tomorrow on the golf course and enjoy every minute.

Scale continues to be stuck, but I’m not worried. I feel so good where I am, if still a bit pudgy. Another 15-20 lbs would be good, but not worth stressing over. I’ll keep on with my low carb plan and exercise as it suits me.

I’ll be out of touch for a few days next week. We leave Sunday for a 3 hour road trip to spend a few days in Cooperstown NY where our 13 year old grandson will be playing in a week long baseball tournament. We’ll make the drive home on Wednesday. I’ll be in the office for 1 day, on Thursday, and then back off for a golf tournament on Friday! A whirlwind of a week, but fun! Have no idea what my eating will be like when we’re away, but it’ll be what it’ll be and I’ll deal with it when “normal” life resumes.

Hope you all have a fabulous week and I’ll “talk” to you soon!

Bearsmom

6:10 pm
10 Jun 16
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Hi Salma-
I turned 50 last year and am now dealing with perimenopause. With all the changes that come along with that I’m feeling like I have no control over my body. Migraine headaches, acne and weight gain are driving me bonkers!! Started the 5:2 diet last week and have lost 3 pounds. I’m eating 500 calories on my fast days, usually 200cals. in the morning and 300cals. for dinner. This second week has been easier than week one. I make a point of keeping myself extremely busy on my fast days so I don’t think about food. I’ve been exercising about 3 to 4 days a week doing yoga, 30 minutes of cardio and light weights. My husband has even started walking in the evenings with me which has been nice. I would like to lose about 20 pounds and hope that the weight continues to slowly come off and I stay consistent with the 5:2 diet. Keeping busy and staying away from the kitchen on my fast days seems to be the best trick for me. It sounds like you are very determined to lose the weight and will be successful this time. Good luck to you!!!!!

salma

7:35 am
15 Jun 16
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Good morning ladies.
Where is everyone??

Hi Bearsmom, I have been there with all the symptoms of perimenopause, the weight gain and the rest of it. Good luck on the joining the fasting program.. it really works and it is a great idea to fast on really busy days. It does get easier and you will be able to incorporate FDs into your everyday life helping you to maintain a weight you are happy with when you get there. Certainly, it is the only thing that I have tried that seems to work (and I have tried everything!).

Lori.. I hope your week is going well without too much stress from all the activity.
Cinque.. how are you doing these days?

Take care everyone,
Salma

Cinque

12:18 am
16 Jun 16
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Hello Everyone!
I am SO busy these days. We are putting on a Soup Bar on Monday selling lovely hearty soup at lunchtime at the Neighbourhood House. It is meant to be really, really simple, but because it is the first one there is 100 things to do. We have a great chef though, and already have so much interest we are going to have to make more soup!

On top of that, my SIL had a seizure over the weekend. It seems it was caused by medications interracting, and hopefully now that issue is fixed, he will be alright. But they needed me to help driving them home from the hospital (3am), and he can’t drive for three months, and so they need me for all their appts and shopping etc. Very glad to help ofcourse, but it has made for an exhausting week!

But today is a lovely fast day, and it is also my birthday! My sisters are visiting later, and we will have a celebratory meal tomorrow for breakfast at my daughter’s place! They have the Archeological society lecture they love to go to tonight, and we will have a good catch up around that.
I feel so lovely fasting today. and having my dearest people around me, a rest n the evening, and a super breakfast tomorrow. It may sound a bit odd, but it works for me!

But first I have to do more for the Soup Bar (have a look at our lovely poster: http://www.yamdaisy.com/yamdaisy-soup-bar/ ), I haven’t got the insulated takeaway cups yet and I hope it won’t involve a drive to the other side of town! Hooray for express post!

Best wishes to you all!

Apricot

12:46 am
16 Jun 16
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Happy birthday, Cinque. It sounds like a busy week alright. Hope your SIL is ok poor man, what a shock.

Love the poster, and the soup sounds good. Hope it goes well.

Lori_PA

12:52 am
16 Jun 16
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Just a quick post to wish you a Happy birthday Cinque! I suppose I have missed the day, but best wishes just the same!

We had a wonderful time with our daughter and grandsons and got home this afternoon. Baseball games still going on, but I had to be home to work tomorrow.

Diet has been bad, but back on track tomorrow.

More later. Hugs to all!

Sherryann

2:44 am
16 Jun 16
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A quick hi girls! I’ve so missed you all! On the plane getting ready to head home from Hawaii! I didn’t get a chance to chat with you while gone because we had not one but two sets of friends & their kids ( school chums) come visit back to back ( they thankfully stayed at the Hilton as we couldn’t fit all of them In our 2 bdrm condo with 6 of us!). Anyhow, lots of taking them all around and dinners out, etc. have t weighed myself in about 3 days but overall I’ve remained fairly steady within a point or two so happy! Will talk more when I return briefly & then on to Europe on Sunday! Oh the packing nightmare for that 3 weeker! 😖

Love u!

sherry

salma

7:45 am
16 Jun 16
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Happy Birthday Cinque!!

The poster does look great.. makes you want to try the wonderful sounding soup.

Hello and welcome back everyone.. looking forward to hearing about your adventures.

Have a great day,
Salma

Cinque

10:47 am
16 Jun 16
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Thanks Lori and Salma, and lovely to hear from you Sherry!
I am having a great day, you got your kind wishes in right at the beginning Lori!
Can’t chat now! But soon!
Best wishes!

Lori_PA

11:12 am
16 Jun 16
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Good Morning!

I had a long lie in this morning and now only have a few minutes before getting ready for work. I’m loving only having to work 1 day this week! Tomorrow’s golf tournament should be a lot of fun.

We had such fun at the baseball tournament. We wish we could have stayed till the end(late tonight). It was great spending time with our daughter and her youngest son(7) and we got to see the baseball player(13) here and there, but for the most part he was with his team in the “player’s village”. They stayed in dorms and were fed all together etc. We would see him as they walked to the game and then quickly after. His Dad is one of the coaches, so he stayed in the dorms with the boys.

I really need to get my eating back under control. I’m not feeling my best from eating too much and not the right things. Time for a re-boot!

Sherry…your life is a whirlwind! Home for a few days and then off to Europe! Exciting, but WOW…..packing nightmare for sure. Safe travels!

Well, I’ve got to get moving. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

carolinacatz

3:15 pm
16 Jun 16
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Hello!!!

Welcome and good luck to Bearsmom. Staying out of the kitchen is a biggie for me on FDs. My migraines spun out of control around your age as well. I’m 53 now and through menopause, taking bioidentical hormones and a beta blocker for migraines/heart palpitations. It’s no fun getting older!!! But I actually feel relatively decent at the moment.

Apricot, how is 5:2 going for you?

Happy Birthday, Cinque! Fill us in on the soup bar results.

Lori, Glad you had fun at Cooperstown. Our neighbors did that last summer and had a blast.

Salma, shaping swimsuits are great except I have horrible legs. Even when I was skinny, my legs looked as if I weighed 50 pounds more than I did and was at least ten years older. I never show my thighs except in a swimsuit. A little tan does help a bit….

Sherryann, welcome back. Wow! I can’t think about that much travel although since you’re in California I guess HI isn’t so terrible…..I’m trying to gear up for our trip at the end of July! I kind of wish we were JUST going to Iceland. I could handle that a lot more easily.

Well, I didn’t do fabulous last week leading up to the elimination diet. I kept thinking of things I wouldn’t be able to eat for three weeks!!! We started Monday and it’s going okay for me but it’s harder for my daughter since she doesn’t like several of the things we can eat–tahini, hummus, advacado, salad, etc. My husband is taking her backpacking and I don’t think he realizes how hard it’s going to be. All those packaged meals are OUT. That’s his problem though, haha!

I haven’t quite worked out a great FD routine with the elimination diet but I will. Dinners are actually not too hard since meat and veggies are okay.

Good luck to all! Elizabeth