Day 25 – FD 500

I ate well and not overboard yesterday, maybe a few too many pistachios but my overall calories should have been just fine. I vaguely track calories, but still usually weigh my portions of nuts because I’m seriously bad at estimating a proper portion of nuts.

On the home front DH and I had a long talk – about my relationship with his family. I bent over backwards to be respectful and he bent over backwards to be supportive. The results were very good for us both, I think. He understands and stands by my decision to not attend his family Thanksgiving gathering, tho it makes us both sad, we agree it is for the best.

It turns out one of my darling nieces had a very offensive interaction with a more distant relative who always comes to that Thanksgiving gathering and she talked to DH about it on Saturday. DH does not want me to be put in a similar situation, and honestly knows at this point if that person said and did something similar to me that I would not silently accept it (nor frankly would DH stand by silently). Should this rubicon be crossed again (not unlikely, unfortunately) he agrees it would be best that I not be at the center of the resulting ruckus.

We have a very good relationship, DH and I, but sometimes the work is sad and painful. Always worthwhile, tho, always worthwhile.

Basta! Enough with the depressing!

So let me go to the cheery! Despite the stress, my weight loss seems undeterred! I snuck a peak at the scale, realizing my ‘keep me honest’ 👖seemed to fit comfortably enough to wear. The scale shows the usual snail like pace, but in the right direction, YAY! I’m one of those people who lose and gain weight evenly distributed over my whole body, so it is hardly noticeable but, I do believe my face may be looking less puffy.

Re mirrors and changing rooms! (LOL @penz – that would sell me on the air B&B listing -includes flattering mirror! 😂) it has been a long time since I got clothing anywhere but thrift stores, but I remember those changing room mirrors, the bane of my existence. And I insisted on wearing leotard type underclothing if I had to endure one of those communal rooms!

Even when I was healthy weight the mirrors were truly demoralizing. Because I am curvy in the extreme, and of short stature with small waist and large muscular thighs it means off-the-rack pants look like clown-ware on me most of the time. Three way mirrors exaggerated that in the most unflattering way. @funshipfreddie “mortifying” is spot on! (Yes, I for one, cheer the return of high waisted, loose fitting jeans and pants.)

@high5 Thank you for the magnesium primer! Wow I had no idea!

@lilymartin I do believe but for me, my DH would in fact be close to a hoarder as well. “But what if we need that someday…But didn’t your mom give you that…yeah, i know that drawer has a couple of 30 inch waist jeans I wore in college, but you never know…” Lol

@stitchincarol The autumn colors and breeze outside, cinnamon scent and warmth surrounding you paints such a pretty and happy picture in my head. And yes, smaller butts are 😀

@northgeorgia my experience and what you have found are in-synch. Adding salt to my WF keeps the shakiness away and I always break the water fast with a small amount healthy fat (usually 1/2 serving almonds) and that seems to protect my stomach from upset. Wow, your weigh-ins are looking fantastic!

@Emma_Taylor – so beautiful! Your trip sounds like a feast for the eyes and soul.

Ok, lots to do today, and I’m procrastinating. Busy but not so frantically as last week. Best to all!

Pocket List – Day 25 🍏
@penz
@high5
@brightonbelle
@mariaelena

Day 26, London, UK, FD (1st of B2B2B)

Busy weekend, my mums been a bit unsettled😥😢, perhaps the pain is ramping up again, anyway, I’ve come to work today for a bit of R&R ……………………. Don’t tell my boss!!!😂🤣

@northgeorgia, Congratulations🥳🙌🏼🥳🙌🏼, you’re over that mountain peak & on the way down now!!! Enjoy the view!!

Well, thanks for the good laugh @stitchincarol ………………..
“@penz, @flourbaby, What about boxes of wine, where it stays lovely for a month or longer; would that be helpful in limiting yourself to whatever quantity you chose??” ………………………………………. I feel confident in speaking for both @penz and myself when I say …………………… As the saying goes, there’s only 2 types of hope of that happening ………………… Bob Hope & No Hope!!!🤣🤣
Regarding the butter, I once read somewhere where a doctor promoting keto said “I would rather eat a stick of butter than a bagel”🤨🤢

I think transdermal absorption of magnesium is the favoured method, so this is my go-to as a deodorant, sleep aid, cramp banisher & fungus destroyer!!! So for anyone interested,
https://wellnessmama.com/5804/make-your-own-magnesium-oil/

Hang in there @funshipfreddie, I’m holding your hand!!!
Pocket List – Day 26 🍒
@funshipfreddie
@flourbaby

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
— Confucius

Day 26 – Rural Nebraska, USA – WFD

Yesterday went exactly to plan and today I teach piano lessons in Omaha, so it’s a WFD. Looking forward to it as I love how I feel by the time I go to bed–and especially that PFDS tomorrow morning! Today I was down to 143.8 so all of Sunday’s food is slowly leaving my body.

@mariaelena I chuckled to read your description of your body; from your description, we are shaped VERY similarly! I was so sad when the jeans that fit me (at the waist, so my hips would hold them up) were abruptly labeled “mom jeans” and banned from every discerning wardrobe, and then simply no longer made by the clothing industry. Of course, it wasn’t a complete loss because it was HARD to find pairs that had a 16″ difference between the waist and hips…. 🤣😂 These days, my waist has thickened, so the differential is a mere 13″! 👍 But for ten years or more, I’ve had to hike up my pants throughout the day, which horrifies DH to see as it’s too reminiscent of a fat old man, LOL! Are you saying that pants that sit at the actual waist are coming back in fashion??? HALLELUJAH!

@high5 I don’t know if my experience will help you at all, but the moment I eliminated pretty much all carbs from my life (bread, crackers, all added sugars), the weight finally started to come off. Could that be a strategy for you on NFDs?

@flourbaby I’m laughing and chuckling and grinning and shaking my head…your posts are a delight to read! And I found the magnesium link fascinating, and then the dry brushing one I also read…I stopped there before I went into an endless rabbit hole, LOL!

@northgeorgia I think your 220 is like my 145–neither meant much except that we ate a lot the day before. It’s such a delight to read of your progress down again, and I’m so delighted to be going down alongside you!

Yeah, we really are missing a lot of regulars, aren’t we? The one I think of the most, perhaps (PERHAPS…I miss all of them/you), is @snowflake56. I do hope she’s all right after all the flooding!

Pocket List – Day 26 🍒
@funshipfreddie
@flourbaby
@stitchincarol WFD

For every single Halloween since 1989, I’ve made enchiladas (not the least bit authentic, but yummy, and our tradition) and cut-out cookies shaped like a pumpkin with orange frosting and a bit of green for the stem. Every single Halloween.

I’m thinking I should skip it this year, as it will not be in the least supportive of my swerve of carbs. In our family, it’s rather the equivalent of not putting up the Christmas tree, so it’s a huge decision, LOL. Or, maybe make the cookies, but take them to church for coffee fellowship after worship, and skip the enchiladas. SUCH first-world problems! 🤣😂🤣😂

Okay, off to get ready and start this day. Have a grand one, everyone!

second post

@mariaelena, our posts crossed, so here’s the updated pocket list

Pocket List – Day 26 🍒
@funshipfreddie
@flourbaby
@mariaelena
@stitchincarol

Day 27 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

Phew? Thanks for the pocket list support yesterday guys. That’s my last Tuesday FD, I hope. So much easier to get it out of the way on a Monday. I’m still under 70 kgs, despite the 4 consecutive NFDs, so if I have a sensible weekend I may be able to get away with just the one FD this week. Sober October is really making it easier.

Happy Hump Day! 🐫

Day 27, London, UK FD (3rd of B2B2B)

Not feeling the usual euphoria or PFDS today, it feels a bit like a chore at the moment, I’m just going through the motions!! Perhaps because I’m not weighing myself AT ALL which usually spurs me on if I see immediate results. I’ll figure it out.

Thanks for the reminder @funshipfreddie, I forgot it was Sober October!! I suppose it applies to all things, if it’s not in the house you can’t have it and won’t waste time dreaming about having it!! All is lost if there’s a bottle of vino🍷🍷 lurking at the back of a cupboard!!!
If I discover a forgotten bar of chocolate🍫, I spend hours & hours thinking about NOT having it, then the willpower deserts me, and I scarf it down before I can come to my senses!!!! Did I mention I have ZERO willpower????🤣🤣

I’m joining you today @at for some much needed handholding!!

Pocket List – Day 27
@at
@flourbaby

Keep the faith folks ……………………

I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday!!!

Day 27 – UK – NFD

Hi all, a little check in from me – I hope everyone’s well!

Things have been pretty bonkers this end for the past week. It’s been blow after blow about our ‘fur baby’ and his days are very much numbered. The vet we’ve been dealing with has been wonderful and in a cruel twist of fate, her own cat also had exactly the same type of cancer as our boy.

We’ve spoken about the shock of how quickly it has developed and she said her cat was the same… as she’s a vet she’d do a routine examination on her cat a few times a week, just on the sofa at home (as you do!) and her cat was fine one day and then she felt the mass on the next day. She only lived a couple of weeks after that and I fear this is the timeframe we’re on with ours, even though he’s a strong willed little thing. It’s hard for them to give a prognosis and we’re now in discussions about when’s the right time to say goodbye. Blimey, it’s tough! Days are filled with concern over how he’s feeling, what he’s eating, if there are signs he’s had enough etc. We’ve been assured this type of cancer doesn’t tend to cause pain in cats, which is some relief.

FDs have gone out the window as a result, though we seem to be in a OMAD pattern as standard at the moment… not really having much of an appetite during the day then suddenly ravenous in the evening!

I’m hoping we’ll have a clearer picture in the coming days and I can start November with a slightly clearer mind & get back into a good routine with 5:2 on next month’s challenge.

Thanks again so much for your lovely comments – I appreciate this is adding nothing to the general topic of 5:2(!) but it’s so nice to have this little to share with kind folk, so I’m very grateful for that.

Good luck to all the fasters today! 🌸

Day 27 – 16:8 day

Successfully kept FD 800 yesterday.

@stitchincarol Yes! My waist is currently 12 inches smaller than my hips. When I’m not overweight that difference will get more extreme. “Mom jeans” indeed. I didn’t realize until my 5th decade that I’m considered an hourglass, as I’m not overly busty. But I have shoulders a linebacker would envy. The family joke (kindly, mind you, never said cruelly) is I appear to be an homage to our ‘hearty peasant stock’ ancestors. Short but even when a healthy weight my strong shoulders and muscular things and calves are prominent … think East German 1970’s Olympic swimming team member, but with a waist.

Like you @stitchincarol, I’m very familiar with that waist tug hike up the pants maneuver – and I wear out belts straining to hold the pants waist tight. Once, when a friend tried to pass along size 10 Levi jeans she had outgrown (knowing that was the size I usually bought in pants) we all had a laugh as I put them on and buttoned them around my waist, with our cat inside the waistband with me and room for more! Lol. And yes, it is my understanding that the tweens and teenagers are rebelling against the uncomfortable skinny jeans and I am seeing a selection of high waisted loose fit pants in the online stores. I’m gonna stock up for my old age before they disappear again. Lol.

@babs_b I’m so sorry, my hope was for a reprieve for your furry loved one. Take care of him, love him and be kind to yourself.

Well, I’m back into the home archeological dig, lol. Sometimes it truly feels like a time machine (Oh, I remember THAT! ) but at others I’m left scratching my head (Where and when did we get THAT? Or WHY in the world do I have that in this drawer!) The cat side-eye is getting extreme. They do not approve of any of the furniture rearranging except moving the chesterfield into the guest room window.

I send strong thoughts to all of today’s fasters, and well wishes to all.

second post

Oh, @mariaelena, you did not insult or come across as picky or complaining–not at all, so don’t worry. Personally, I adore white bread stuffing (as you call it) and can’t imagine why someone would think a cornbread stuffing was appropriate for Thanksgiving! 😂 I have, however, read many, many, many recipes where that’s exactly what is adored, so just shrug my shoulders and stick to what I love.

What’s your typical response when they point out your small portions? Is there any chance in the world that, deep down, not liking that they’re so heavy (because that’s what you’ve said, right?), they resent you because they know they don’t have that much control?? ANY chance? Could you simply smile as if you’re sharing your craziness with them and move on? Although, if you’re seated at that point, moving on wouldn’t be possible, would it? I would think that–at a FUTURE Thanksgiving, not this one–you simply killed them with love and smiles and humor, they’d be so befuddled you’d come out feeling the victor.

That said, please don’t think I’m minimizing how awful, rude, hurtful and demoralizing their behavior has been. My parents-in-law made it pretty clear from the first day of our marriage that they simply didn’t like me, didn’t like my cooking, didn’t like my choices, didn’t like really anything about me. At one point, my husband practically shouted at me, “Why do they say things like that about you to me; are they HOPING we’ll finally get a divorce?!?!!?” (Not, you understand, that he was in any way unhappy with me, but they’d aggravated him to the point where he had to yell.) Yeah, I get what you’re experiencing, but only with the parents, not an entire family as you endure.

We’re here and have your back!

Third post

@mariaelena 🥰

second post

Let me just say, my mom and I detest green bean casserole. I can tolerate it, actually, but just don’t think those flavors go together 🙂

Day 28, London, UK, FD (3rd of B2B2B)

I think I posted that yesterday was my 3rd of B2B2B, obviously I’m more sleep deprived than I thought!!🤣🤣Today will be my final FD for the week although the weekend will be very busy, so who knows??

@babs_b I truly feel for you, I went through something similar 17 years ago and it still hurts to even think about it. Sending you some added strength & hugs🤗🤗

I think it’s the dreaded “Added sugar”, it may start with a pinch added, then the addiction takes hold and they cater for the increasingly sweet palate 😫😱 I recall Jamie Oliver giving the wheelbarrow of sugar presentation where he showed just how much sugar we/kids were consuming in a year …………………… just from what was added to milk!!! Why do we need to add sugar to milk???? I think we’re more clued up these days on label reading and ditching anything with added sugar that really shouldn’t be there. I understand adding sugar to cake, that’s a given, but BREAD? COLESLAW?? ……….What the ………..???????

Anyway, I’m trying to avoid as many packaged foods as I can, but if they start adding sugar to cheese, there WILL be trouble!!!

Stay strong folks …………………

“Success is the sum of small efforts — repeated day in and day out.”

Day 28 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

Pocket List – Day 28 🥕
@penz ?
@flourbaby
@high5

Day 28 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 218 lbs. Oh, it tried so hard to get to 217, but not today! I have a formal reception to attend this evening, so going to break my WF slowly this morning and then have a nice lunch at home. I’ve shifted my schedule and have a few hours off, too, giving me a free morning. Kind of an odd feeling!

Good luck to those fasting today!

Day 28 UK FD

Well last FD of October for me , need to have a rethink for November Some successes – practiced yoga every day Didn’t have a beer ( at home) But weight has remained static and the constant thinking about what I CANT has made me very negative so new plan for November

Pocket List – Day 28 🥕
@penz ?
@flourbaby
@high5
@at
@brightonbelle

Day 28 – 16:8

Ate well within my limits yesterday, so on track.

@penz OMG 😱 I should say something like that! Politeness and mannerly behavior were so drilled into my head that I just freeze up, but you have the perfect take!

@flourbaby – the sugar in Coleslaw (and a LOT of it) is a big pet peeve of mine. I adore coleslaw but when I try to make it the cabbage always remains tough and bitter. But I had to eliminate prepared coleslaw when I saw the typical 5-10 g of added sugar per serving – even for the non-sweet and non-creamy type! (And that 30g added sugar in a can of Tomato soup will never stop shocking me).

As for reading the food labels, now that added sugars are listed, I’m shocked at how much of the ‘healthy’ food choices were just sugar bombs. If I’m going to eat sugar, I want to do so in a sweet delicious treat (home made ice cream or brownies, or holiday treats – something occasional and special and yummy to enjoy). I do not want to ingest a days full of sugar in my lasagne or chicken soup and crackers!

@at Did you escape flooding in your home? I hope!

Well, I must press on and get to my list. My cats think I’ve gone insane with the changes and cleaning. Especially since moving furniture is always followed by me bringing out the dreaded monster: the vacuum. If felines had a Halloween equivalent I’m positive they’d replace ghosts and goblins with vacuums and vets.

I’m quite grateful our 25 year old vacuum but the dust last year, b/c even when new, it didn’t clean like our new one. But it sure is loud!

Keeping all in my thoughts!

2nd post

Sweet potatoes in an orange shell? Do tell @stitchincarol!
Intriguing. After I started finding the different (non marshmallow/brown sugar/maple syrupy pecan crumble) sweet potatoes recipes I am amazed at the versatility of sweet potatoes and how well different flavors compliment theirs. But that one is totally unknown to me.

The Thanksgiving pre-pandemic we traveled to my father, rented an AirB&B with a kitchen and hosted the first family (my family) Thanksgiving in more than a decade. The foods were mostly non-traditional takes on the typical holiday foods. Two Cornish game hens 1/2 per person (except my vegetarian sister), twice baked cheesy potatoes, adobo sauced mashed sweet potatoes, pan fried white bread stuffing, a Greek salad, and Kamoosh (kinda like a nacho plate). My father and brother (his caretaker) were thrilled. We planned to make that our custom going forward, but the virus had other plans😢.

DH and I love to cook together, but with only the two of us, we don’t get the chance to DO for others much, so it was a real joy. We came to cooking late. In the last decade or so. Me looking to make healthy eating palatable and him because he was inspired by YouTube chef’s.

Day 29, NFD, Aus

Well yesterday’s FD didn’t. And I know why – I was ambivalent about it from the start when what I should have done was committed to it. Instead, I gave myself an out. Even @funshipfreddie adding me to the pocket list with a question mark after my handle is indicative of how little I was committed!

@babs_b – I can assure you from my Aussie palate perspective, American food is STILL sweet! (and the coffee! Don’t get me started on the coffee!!) We were in Tampa for a few years and there was a brand of bread roll there called Royal Hawaiian. Shortly after we arrived, a friend cooked us pulled brisket (yum!) but I couldn’t eat the bread – it was far too sweet. Several months later, however, my tastebuds had completely acclimatised and I could eat those rolls without detecting even a hint of sugar. How quickly my tastes changed was quite scary.

FOUR pies for Thanksgiving, @stitchincarol?! I’m in awe!

I had to look up kamoosh, @mariaelena, as I’d never heard of it. It looks delish!

Well, have a good weekend everyone and a good end to the month. See you all in November!

Day 29 – UK – NFD

Thanks @flourbaby – I hope the 3rd B2B2B went well! I need to do similar I think; a couple of weeks of eating fairly mindlessly has made me feel quite groggy and I’d be quite up for that feeling of being less weighed down by heavy food.

@penz – I’m glad it’s not just me. I’ll never forget taking that first bite of a McDonalds burger in the US, expecting it to taste the way it normally does but for it to be that much sweeter! My American friends thought I was losing the plot when I mentioned how much sweeter the meat was 😂. It soon became very moreish though, even within a couple of weeks of being there…!

@mariaelena – That weather sounds awful! I’m assuming you’re up in the north west? Hopefully the power comes back on soon.

@stitchincarol – those pies sound incredible!

@at – I hope the waters retreat back swiftly!

@high5 – I’d say that’s a pretty successful month. Thank you again for hosting! I would put myself forward again but must admit I don’t think I’ll be able to manage it in November with everything else that’s going on.

As for me – I had a fairly successful day yesterday as they go. Nowhere near a FD but better than they have been. Lentil dhal soup for lunch and I cooked a chicken & chorizo jambalaya for dinner. ZBC too and only had a couple of snacks. I’ll take that.

I had lots of work to distract me from all the goings on too, which was welcome albeit slightly stressful.

Have a good Friday all 🙂

Day 29 – Rural Nebraska, USA – OMAD 1000 calories

Weigh in 140.4. I have clearly found an approach that works both for my body and for my ability to “behave.” That salad I had for OMAD was massive–its name is the Ridiculously Big Salad, and it’s very true, LOL–and I couldn’t even finish it, despite my “ol’ college try.” (Is that a phrase the non-Americans among us use, or is it unique to the US?) I’m doing it again today and tomorrow, and the jury is still out whether I’ll actually eat carbs on Sunday, or just watch my family eat, LOL. They’ll understand either way, so it’s an issue of how much it matters to me, and I still have two days to think and consider.

And, no, I haven’t done anything further to the table; I’m still waiting for the courage, lol.

@mariaelena Yikes! That really changes plans on a dime, doesn’t it? I hope all is well when the power finally comes back on!

@high5 Bummer, but you’re right that it’s all good given the circumstances. And, it could have been FAR worse, so I’m thinking you did a great job!

@emma-taylor Wow, if the windows are leaking, it’s clearly an awful storm, and I fully understand how scary that is!

Okay, lots to do this morning, so I must race off. Have a grand Friday, everyone!

Day 29 – USA/GA – ?

Weigh-in: 221 lbs. Yeah, my body is trying to revolt. It’s trying to uptick a pound or so over last week. I need another good weigh-in this month. Must behave. Getting into the piggy season of the year. Today was not supposed to be a FD, but it may just be — take that!

I won’t commit to anything today, as Friday evenings tend to be the worst temptation. I’ll start off with ZBC and an intended WFD, and if it turns into a FD500 or even a larger sized OMAD at the end, that’ll be fine with me.

I may try another extended WFD next week. A few weeks ago, I was surprised that I went nearly 48 hours on just water without feeling super hungry. I’m off work today, and as I’ve been invited to a wedding next weekend, I have to break one of my cardinal rules. THE CHRISTMAS TREE IS GOING UP TODAY –YIKES!!!

@mariaelena I hope the power gets switched on sooner rather than later. That’s so frustrating. We make our slaw with just salt, pepper, mayonnaise, and cabbage. Some of the Southern brand mayonnaise may be hard to find, but they rely less on sugar for flavor. Duke’s has no sugar, for example, but I don’t like the overpowering vinegar taste. My family has always been a Blue Plate label family. It does contain sugar, but very little for its flavor: a serving doesn’t even contain a gram, so I feel OK using it. I also hear Kraft has similar very low sugar. Egg yolks, vinegar, and oil provide the flavor and substance in these brands.

@stitchincarol I’m going to start going back to that approach, too. I’ve let too many carbs back in each day. A nice huge salad (or maybe soup, with the changing seasons) might be the perfect “I’m full, I don’t want any more” food.

If no one will step up for November, I’ll be glad to do it. I don’t know how much of a good example I’ll be for next month, but we can all be hopeful! Just need the spreadsheet set up.

And a little joke I hope you don’t mind me sharing. Someone at work said she heard someone say they didn’t celebrate Halloween because it was inviting the devil into your home. I said that I agree, and the devil’s name is SUGAR! Keep that candy away from me!!! LOL

Merry Halloween, err, Christmas, err, happy Thanksgiving! 🙂

Back to the tinsel!

Day 30 Ortigia, and Siracusa, Sicily

The storm has nearly gone. DH ventured out yesterday to find food – supermarkets closed but he found some tinned soup! We were going to go to Catania for a few days but decided it would be better to stay here, so we move to a (dry, I hope) Airbnb across the bridge in Siracusa. @stitchincarol – I spent a lot of time looking at the Eatlikeabear website, and it’s really interesting. I really like Amanda Rose, whose idea it is. I think it’s difficult for a man to understand the psychological issues around food that women deal with – no offence to any men on this site – but she does address that. Anyway, all fasting is suspended until I get home on Tuesday, but then I’m going to have to make some decisions….