Day 7-No. VA USA-FD 800

Weight is pretty static. Rainy here for the past 5 days, so a bit dreary; but warm in the afternoons. So gardening chores on hold until things dry out a bit.
Goat is available around here at various halal butchers which serve the Muslim communities in our area. Lamb is also available, but of course you can get that in regular grocery stores. I have had goat a few times, years ago, in stews. Don’t remember it being too different from lamb, actually.
I am sorry to hear of many members who have not been well; I hope things are healing up. I am particularly worried about @stitchincarol‘s “organ”; that sounds serious!!! (just kidding).
Down we go!

Day 7, London, UK, FD

I’ve got soup at the ready for lunch and a tuna-cauliflower rice thing for dinner. This FD will not be derailed!!💪🏼💪🏼
I’m feeling a lot better today although a strange ache in the centre of my back is annoying, perhaps the coughing did something?

@merryapple, absolutely love ‘Curry goat’ although I’ve yet to sample one that didn’t set fire to my tonsils!!! Sustainability wise, goat meat has to be the next step for the UK, I think they dispatch male kids early on since the only market is for goat’s milk, yet so many cultures EAT goat. My Albanian colleague gets hers from France!!!

I blame the Italians for the Nutella nonsense!! My Sardinian SIL is used to having a cappuccino and a ‘sweet’ thing for breakfast, now my brother and niece have joined the madness with Nutella on toast!!! As a founding ZBC member and sugar swerver, I’m offended on 2 fronts!!!!🙄🙄

@excelsior12309, I too had a little titter about @stitchincarol’s misbehaving ‘organ’!!!😁😳🤭

Back to the grindstone!!! Oh, for a lottery win!!!

Stay strong folks!!

“Success is not the absence of failure; it’s the persistence through failure.”
— Aisha Tylor

Day 7 UK f800

Forgot to log in earlier and had to abandon reading posts as talk of Nutella and curried goat is making my tummy rumble, actually mid afternoons are always my worst time re fasting but a few chores lined up , a date with Leslie 🚶‍♀️and then it’ll nearly be dinner time

Glad the news was all ok from the Drs @stitchincarol

As far as I can see just the 2 of us today – with a maybe from @stitchincarol💪

Pocket List day 7👁️

@flourbaby
@brightonbelle

Day 7 – Ireland – NFD 🚫 ✅ 🚶🏽‍♀️ 🌾.

Hi everyone. As predicted this month is a busy one as I am away on a cycling trip next week so very busy tying ends up this week after the May bank holiday.

Current weight gives me room to manoeuvre next week but no doubt I’ll have to work hard when I’m back… EoEo I hope 🤞

@merryapple my local restaurant does a delicious Goat Curry dish. 😋
@stitchincarol – I’m not quite maintenance savvy having only dipped into it a handful of times but I’ll be back in the zone in June 🌟 need to enjoy the time off next week ☀️ 🚴‍♀️ 🏖️🌟 thats a real priority for me now 💕.
Sorry all not much chat from me at the moment…

Onward and downward ⬇️
We rise by lifting others 💕

Day 8 NZ NFD 74.2kg

Stable and eating well! This morning the house is 12C… I decided to veer away from porridge and had a slice of wild venison black pudding, an egg, spinach, a slice of tomato and avocado on toast!! It all fitted on my toast!! Who needs to go out for breakfast!!
@excelsior12309 and @flourbaby I had the same reaction to @stitchincarol’s organ problems. We call a “loaner organ” here a transplant🤣
I’m glad your health problems have been sorted out @stitchincarol and you’re back to your usual joie de vie!!
My grandmother used to make us a Scottish meatloaf called Aberdeen Sausage when we were kids.
@jaifaim I’m sure the continent of Africa has a myriad of goat recipes!! The Chinese prefer to eat pork mainly and beef but not lamb.
You don’t know what you’re missing @funshipfreddie!!!
@flourbaby We have a Halal butcher nearby who makes the best Merquez sausages – super hot!!!. Because of our lamb exports to the Middle East, all the country’s spring lamb and 60% of cattle face Mecca at the freezing works and is therefore Halal certified by the FIANZ, Federation of Islamic Associations of NZ. I sat next to an Islamic gentleman on a plane to London several years ago who was on his way to receive an award for helping the freezing work industry to rejig in accordance with Shariah law.
Well done @at The silver lining of being ill has to be weight loss!!

Keep up that Steely Resolve!!

Day 8 – UK – TDEE

Enjoyed a slow 5 miles wander exploring spring in my neck of the woods, flowers and bluebells galore and lots of birdsong…….but felt rather tired in the afternoon so definitely lacking in energy levels.

Good news my Covid test was negative this morning so I will be off to my long awaited iMSK clinic appointment this afternoon and hope to get some answers for my right buttock/hip/leg pain🤞OH seems to think if might be a nerve impingement problem…….

@stitchincarol – good news from your recent doctor visit 🤗 just caught on with the issues with your organ 🤣
@funshipfreddie! – apparently Ferraro Rocher filling is “chocolate with creamy Nutella filling mixed with crushed hazelnut” according to my DD and I do like them too

As @merryapple says I am hoping to “Keep up that Steely Resolve!!” for the rest of this challenge

Day 8 – USA/GA – FD

Weigh-in: 228 lbs. Oh, not long ago that middle digit was a “1” not a “2,” but little victories — I’m a pound lighter over this time last week. Still avoiding soft drinks, opting to skip lunch most NFDs at work, and being mindful of UPFs (I failed on this last night, but at least saved it until after dinner and stopped myself from going all out). Instead of ZBC, I have tried good fats such as nuts/avocados and a boiled egg to keep me feeling full through the lunch hour on NFDs. Still a work in progress!

Pocket list – day 8
@flourbaby
@northgeorgia

Day 8 UK f800

All this talk about delicious food again – I do love a marguez sausage @merry🍎 might be sampling some when I’m in France next week

Many years ago when in Piedmont someone who used to work at the factory told me Nutella came up with the idea of Ferrero Rocher to use up a lot of the tiny bits-of hazelnut they had left over after making Nutella , may be just one of those urban myths though ?🤞

Anyway sticking to <800 – not adhering to the very low carb though and getting in plenty of exercise need to get into my beach wear Tuesday 🤞

Your unplanned late night did make me smile @flourbaby , it’s dreadful when it catches up with you the next morning 😄
Happy 🐫day all

Pocket list – day 8
@flourbaby
@northgeorgia
@brightonbelle

Day 9 – FD – South Africa 🇿🇦
When I stopped focusing on my weight I lost a, little every day since the beginning of May. I gained 1kg and I’m devastated. I managed to find a routine which seems to help. I’ve managed to exercise on 3 consecutive days. Maybe it’s the muscle not sure. I push hard to drink between 2l and 3L water daily
It’s 4h30 AM and I was supposed to train already. To have this shock is nothing but demotivating. It’s not like I’ve been overeating at all. I’m mindful of my calories. But I will just keep going.

Pocket list 🚩
@leoniraats

Day 9 NZ FD 74.1kg 🏃🏼‍♀️

I forgot to post after reading everyone’s epistles. I was cold so took off to walk up our Mangawhau. The sky was so clear and bright blue, the sun was shining and I could see for kilometres every which way (360 degrees). Tomorrow is destined to be fine and unseasonably cold again.
@leoniraats Please don’t despair. You have probably eaten something salty or some such thing. What goes up must come down! Or a chocolate a week ago????!!! You’re doing really well and getting closer to me day by day!!!
@ccco What was in the basket if you can’t eat anything?!
@stitchincarol Delicious menu!! Have thought of getting wider shoes to fill up the gaps eg like gumboots??🤣
@northgeorgia Your good fats are my favourites too for fillers. You sound much more confident
@brightonbelle Oooh a French holiday. How lovely!!!
@flourbaby Didn’t you have a respiratory illness recently?? You don’t have pleuritic pain, do you? (asks she from a zillion miles away….) Or was it caused by over exertion???
Eurovision….???? Last time I heard about this it was in a Father Ted episode…!!!
@at I’m picturing you like Beatrix Potter, noticing all the spring is sprung changes😊
@funshipfreddie Your day sounds fun too especially now I know what your beach looks like!!

Steely Resolve!

FD Pocket List
@funshipfreddie???
@leoniraats
@merry🍎

Day 9 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 227 lbs. Some post-FDs are like that…the body is smug and doesn’t want to budge the weight. Still was down a pound and a half, so still a win.

Big storms moving in, and didn’t get much sleep due to the warnings going off all night…and can’t delay going where I have to go today (not the office).

Thought for today: Ultra Processed Foods have to have artificial colors and brightly painted packaging and propaganda to entice us to eat them. Otherwise, we’d eat a lot more natural foods.

Day 9 – UK – FD

Beautiful weather today – did a 7mile hike with a couple of friends through a bluebell forest, exploring a hidden valley ending with a light lunch outside in the sunshine – Evening Pilates class made for a perfect day ❤️

iMSK clinic appointment went well – diagnosed with mild lumbar stenosis and nerve impingement – no invasive treatment required at this stage but advice on how to best manage symptoms and some extra pilates movement to open the lumbar vertebraes and release compression after a long walk…..at the end of the day it’s all about managing expectations at this stage – good to have a formal diagnosis and knowing that my exercises and walks don’t have to be curtailed

@flourbaby – 🤞you exchange soon then you can relax
@stitchincarol – a lovely idea from your DH to “go to Lincoln and stay in a lovely downtown hotel and go out to dinner, since it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday and our 35th on Monday” Enjoy the time out 🥂
@funshipfreddie – hope all went well with the cardiologist visit 🤞

Time to get ready for bed as feeling pleasantly tired 😴

Day 10 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 230 lbs. As Sunday is Mother’s Day, I’m guessing Monday will be my next FD. Gotta run!

USA. Day 10. FD

FUNSHIPFREDDIE, I just read your message from yesterday and I can relate very well to everything you said! :(. I spent yesterday in the ER and learned I have a brain tumor. I went because I thought something was wrong with my heart! This certainly came as a surprise, so I can imagine everything that was going through your mind. because I am quite sure it parallels my thoughts. I hope your doctor visit went well 👍🤗

Day 11 NZ NFD 74.4kg 🏃🏼‍♀️

I bought some exercise clothing (zip up jacket and pants) after a walk up Mangawhau to keep me motivated…

@ccco What a shock for you. You are part of this wee group and we will all keep you feeling supported as best we can from a distance. Please make sure you stay in touch even it’s just reading our posts for entertainment… 😘

@at I dream of pub lunches!! Mind you you the last thing I need at the moment is a couple of pints!
@flourbaby 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞I can picture your hair do looking like you’ve been through a wind tunnel!!🤣🤣
There is something like a wee bit of tainted love in these obsessional facts… Enough to possibly put everyone off chocolate, icecream (well nearly) cake, chips and burgers… I will find myself quoting this awful observation just as I am about to launch into a burger and wonder whether I want to go ahead with it. I hope I can forget it!!
@funshipfreddie Your food facts made me laugh today… lumpy jam vs jelly… I might have a G&T tonight in the dark😁
@stitchincarol I hope you now have the organ under control and have a fab Mother’s Day tomorrow.

Steely Resolve everyone!!

Day 11-No. VA USA-FD 800

Very chilly this morning for a May morning. I am dog-sitting my daughter’s small dog, and I have to walk him outside as he cannot be let outside to run like the other dogs. (They are on an “invisible fence” so they do not venture outside the boundaries of our 4 1/2 acres).
@ccco, so sorry to hear you are dealing with a surprise serious diagnosis! We are all here to offer support and encouragement as needed. Please let us know how you are doing.

@flourbaby, I think we know now why moving is one of the great life stressors! Annoying sellers! We refer here to wild hair as looking like you got dragged backwards through the blackberry bushes!!

@funshipfreddie, I am glad your tests were good; strange that the calcium test is so expensive there. The one I had done (I had to pay for it, not covered by insurance) was $149. American health care is almost NEVER cheaper than elsewhere!

@merryapple, the walking technique your friend suggested: does it require a high value bill, or could you walk correctly with a piece of Monopoly money inserted in the proper location??? Asking for a friend…

My weight was up a pound and a half today, no doubt due to delicious roasted potato and drink of hard cider last night; back to the program today!

Happy fasting!

Day 11 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD

It’s good to be back. The hymn fest went well, the choir sounded glorious, the trumpets did well (neither my DS27 or our dear friends’ DS 32 play very often, so it was a challenge for their lip to last, but they were good), and one of my piano student families even came, and the girls each went straight for a hug with me–something they’ve neither of them ever done, so that was touching and lovely. ❤️ As usual the best part was the party at our house afterward for the choir and dear friends who attended 😁😂😂 (there were 21 or 22 of us, I think), with lots of laughter and yummy food and relaxation. Then I was up way too early and out the door to play the funeral, and when I got home I ended up napping for 2.5 hours. I never nap. Never. Shows how tired I was, LOL!

Our insurance company offers programs every now and again to help people lose weight if they want to participate, and I recently signed up for something called WONDR. It says I can eat whatever I want, which I’m taking to mean they won’t try to change me from IF or force me into breakfast. Here’s what it says: “Our clinically proven behavior-change solutions deliver lasting health outcomes. Wondr improves the metabolic, emotional, and physical health of…” It starts next week, so I’ll let you know if their approach is helpful.

@ccco A brain tumor??? Wowza, honey, you dropped that piece of information with such a casual and relaxed tone! I do hope it proves to be very receptive to treatment. Cyber hugs to you as you start the process of determining treatment!

@funshipfreddie Well done on passing your stress test with a stellar score! What is a calcium test? Similar to a DEXA scan? My insurance approved that, and the result says I have osteopenia, so have begun taking calcium/D pills. Do you take any calcium just as a precaution?

@flourbaby Do you have a rough closure date yet? The waiting, with things up in the air, is tough, isn’t it?

@merryapple Perhaps you need to add barre classes to your life; there’s tons of focus on posture at those–at least, there was with the excellent teacher I had growing up, who quit teaching to join a dance company (so she clearly had marketable skills). I still would love to take ballet classes, but close to me, where they would be convenient, they don’t exist, and the teachers are unwilling to add them (I’ve asked); Omaha and Lincoln certainly have adult classes, but they wouldn’t be at all convenient. Perhaps when we retire, I’ll be close enough to take again.

Have a grand one, everyone!

Day 11 – Ireland – NFD 🚫 ✅ 🚶🏽‍♀️ 🌾.

Hi all – apologies for being MIA… I was In Action just busy getting work done and making sure everything was in place at home… now travelling to Majorca for a cycling holiday with friends – we expect to cycle for five days next week and it will be challenging but great. Friends over there say it’s warm and balmy after a few unsettled weeks.. I’ll be checking in as I need to get back to good habits and not let myself run away with the holiday food etc.
I’ll also catch up on posts …
I hope everyone is well 💕🌟

Onward and downward ⬇️
We rise by lifting others 💕

Day 12 NZ NFD 73.7kg 🏃🏼‍♀️🚴

I lost my post early in the day… I hope everyone is having a great day. It’s Mother’s Day here. Cheers!

USA Day 12. FD

I wanted to wish all the mothers here Happy Mother’s Day! 🤗 🌈 🌺

Day 12 – Tn, USA

Well, it’s only taken me 12 days and numerous emails to the site to figure out why my former password wasn’t working! Is JJ still administrator?

Hello again, mindful May fasters! I am hoping I can still jump on the wagon and return to my goal weight, which has alluded me since 2022! It’s only 4 lbs, but also a few inches around the middle that I need to lose.

What I notice works for me is being accountable in MFP and here on the site. It’s encouraging to see people from 2017 still posting! My regime is LCHF, but I haven’t done 5:2 for a long time. Got to get back to what works!