Saucy and Svelte September!

This topic contains 272 replies, has 19 voices, and was last updated by BrightonBelle 1 year, 6 months ago.

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NorthGeorgia

12:27 pm
22 Sep 22
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Day 22 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 212 lbs. Kept it somewhat under control yesterday. I caught myself a few times with strong thoughts about, “come on, you’re not fasting today. Yes, I know you finished supper at 6:30, but how about just a light snack? How about just a bit of something? What about?” And it was after 8 p.m.! Time to brush my teeth and put the incessant questioning to rest. I just realized how strong the temptation and urging was yesterday, so that will be my target elimination over the coming weeks on NFDs such as today!

stitchincarol

2:16 pm
22 Sep 22
Permalink

Oh, GAH.

I had my whole post typed, and then hit refresh on accident and it’s gone. None of the tricks I know have worked.

Give me a moment and perhaps I’ll manage to type it again…

stitchincarol

2:21 pm
22 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 22 – Rural Nebraska, USA – WFD

Nope, can’t type it all again: I have neither the time nor the willingness. Bottom line: After 156.0 on Sunday, I’m 150.8 this morning, and pleased at yesterday’s behavior. The next few days have lots going on; I’ll tell you about stuff as it happens.

@songbirdme If you’re driving north on 101, consider Benbow Inn in Garberville, right on 101. It’s expensive, but oh so glorious and an experience worth considering if you can. If you want more suggestions–that’s my corner of the world, you know–email me.

@gardenlily CONGRATULATIONS!

@northgeorgia Well DONE on swerving all yesterday’s temptations!

There was more, but that’s all I can remember right off. Now I must scoot; have a grand one, everyone!

Pocket List – Day 22 🍏
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie
@goal10kg
@stitchincarol WFD

Excelsior12309

3:07 pm
22 Sep 22
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Day 22-No. VA USA-FD
Well what a sluggish month. It is inspiring to me to see progress of forum members. Sadly, I am not in their club yet. Eventually! Please add me to the pocket list today!

@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie
@goal10kg
@stichincarol
@excelsior12309

BrightonBelle

5:11 pm
22 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 22 UK FD

I’m going back to basics and not expecting instant results , might even not get weighed for a couple of weeks , the constant yo-yoing isn’t good for my motivation

Pocket List – Day 22 🍏
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie
@goal10kg
@stitchincarol WFD
@excelsior12309
@brightonbelle

michelinme

8:54 pm
22 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 22 UK FD

Yesterday was a successful FD tho didn’t have anything like enough to drink – the perils of being out and on the go for 9.5 hrs! I’ll learn 🙂 I had seaweed on the way home then a supper of tomato soup with fresh mushrooms, 1/4 sweet potato with leftover spinach sauce and some blueberries total 360 calories. It’s Amazing how little food feels like a feast when expecting a WFD!

Today is my 3rd b2b2b FD – yay! This morning I weighed in at 170lb, my lowest since Nov 2020! Hoping this will stick as there are still a few more FDs left this month. I woke up late, very tired and aching, again too late to get stretching in @matpi – empathy, it really does make all the difference. Straight into a couple of zoom calls then optician for bi-annual checks – I need new glasses, have developed an astigmatism and now have to have annual checks for glaucoma as it runs in the family. Choosing new glasses was pretty straightforwrad for a change but also very painful – the lenses alone cost £300!! I treated myself to a little mooch around the local charity shops for a couple of autumn scarves then home for more ploughing through emails

This evening I’ve made a delicous carrot, cannelini bean and ginger soup while on a long catch up zoom with lovely friend – small bowl eaten and three portions frozen for future FDs, soup was followed by steamed cauliflower and quorn chicken, a sharon fruit and the last of the raspberries, coming in at 600 calories.

@brightonbelle I use Oddbox – they sell fruit and veg that’s surplus or wrong size/shape for supermarkets. It’s a set box each time but you can switch between boxes, choose up to 3 items to exclude and purchase add-ons each time. I’m currently on a fortnightly medium box which works well for me, the rhythm of it helps me think about cooking from scratch with seasonal food and eating more healthily.

@stitchincarol really helpful to read your thinking out loud. Here’s to RESOLVE! And congratulations on your good day yesterday and enormous overnight drop – yay for WFDs. Sorry about your lost post, that’s so frustrating x

@mariaelena here’s the recipe for tonight’s soup. I blended all of it to make a really thick soup, seasoned well – it’s deliciously creamy, warming and really filling https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/carrot-ginger-soup

@gardenlily that’s a great question – why do I want to eat it? So often my over-eating has been a way of avoiding feelings. That’s a really good short circuit! That and ‘don’t treat yourself with food – you are not a dog’ – hence my scarf purchases today. Congratulations on making your goal of 140lb!! Hope you have a lovely holiday

@songbirdme great to hear from you! goodness you are busy – and still maintaining, which is wonderful to know

@matpi the swedish visit went really well, thank you. No fasters other than me, but I sat with them really comfortably while they ate cake and i sipped peppermint tea with no sense of missing out 🙂 They were really interesting and interested in the work – and have invited me to visit them in Stockholm, which we’ll hopefully arrange in the next year or so 😀

Pocket List – Day 22 🍏
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie
@goal10kg
@stitchincarol WFD
@excelsior12309
@brightonbelle
@michelinme

matpi

3:27 am
23 Sep 22
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Day 22 Ohio, US — MFD

The fasting has gone well today. We had an hour and a half exam in the course I’m taking, so I’ve been a little sluggish after that. I’ve been able to get things done (so far I’ve gotten 8870 steps in), but everything seems to be going in slow motion. I think that perhaps the cause is the abrupt change of the season: Yesterday the high temperature was 88 F (31 C) while today it was 66 F (18 C). And it is going to stay in that temperature range for the foreseeable future. Usually the new season comes in via a gradual transition, not in a huge jump!

@michelinme Congratulations on dropping to 170 lb! Getting back to where we use to be is a fantastic shot in the arm! I know how the optician check-ups go — After not seeing one for three years (moving and the pandemic), I saw one in August. And similar to you, my astigmatism had increased. Also similar to you, the new glasses took a bite out of the pocketbook.

@brightonbelle Basics are good! I find that focusing on them helps me to create a sustainable lifestyle at a lower weight. And that’s sort of the goal ..

@excelsior12309 Seeing other peoples’ posts is what helps to keep us all going! It is a great community here!

@stitchincarol That 6 pound drop is impressive! Congratulations!

@northgeorgia The key thing is that your resisted all those questions!!! I’m in awe!

@goal10kg Sounds like your last night was much like mine on Sunday last. Fortunately FD’s are great correctives for that! Do you make pesto with your basil?

@funshipfreddie Hope you find the perfect bargain at the new mall!

@ihatelettuce You’re right — the wonderful body sense that a person gets in this WOL is one of the best motivators going!

@gardenlily Congrats on reaching your goal! And have a fantastic holiday!

From today’s “The Guardian”, here is a little humorous quote from the actor Kevin Bacon: “I turned down dancing to Footloose dressed as an M&M. My wife doesn’t like it when food talks.” [But now notice his last name!]

Pocket List – Day 22 🍏
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie
@goal10kg
@stitchincarol WFD
@excelsior12309
@brightonbelle
@michelinme
@matpi

FUNSHIPFREDDIE

10:26 am
23 Sep 22
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Day 23 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

Good FD yesterday. Going to try to squeeze in 3 more before the end of the month.

@excelsior12309 – welcome back!

@matpi – it’s a stunning new mall; I’ll never need to leave the suburb! But it was way too hectic & noisy. Everyone looking for bargains, I guess. So I just got the groceries I needed & made my escape.

Happy Fri-yay! 🍷

“Failure is success in progress.” ~ Albert Einstein

NorthGeorgia

12:06 pm
23 Sep 22
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Day 23- USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 215 lbs. ZBC this morning and lunch with an old work colleague.

BrightonBelle

2:04 pm
23 Sep 22
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Day 23 UK NFD

Busy weekend , aiming to stay on track

stitchincarol

2:34 pm
23 Sep 22
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Day 23 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD, aiming for 1500 calories

Yesterday ended up not being a WF. Was it lack of RESOLVE? Was it a true need for calories? I truly don’t know. I know the temptation was strong, and I ran out of self-control, but I also know I didn’t feel “fine,” so perhaps I truly needed calories in my body. After all, zero calories on Tuesday and about 600-700 calories on Wednesday is not much to get a body through on Thursday. The smile-inducing moment was when I was just below 150 this morning, for the first time in quite a stretch.

Today is the funeral, at the village auditorium (built by the WPA during the Great Depression) since it’s estimated there will be 400 people in attendance; lunch will follow burial at the fire hall across the street. Such an ordeal for the widow and his 15yo DD. Tonight will be much more fun, as DH and I have been gifted tickets to the Omaha symphony (https://www.omahasymphony.org/concerts/elgar-bolero) and will go out to dinner first. Saturday will be quiet, but on Sunday the boys come up from Lincoln and we’ll celebrate the youngest’s 26th birthday, which of course means we’ll be eating well, LOL.

@excelsior12309 Good to hear from you, even if you’re not making the progress you’d like!

@brightonbelle I fully understand the discouragement that comes from constant yo-yoing!

@michelinme How exciting to weigh in at 170; congratulations!!! And thanks for that carrot ginger soup; I’ve printed out the recipe and will make it soon.

@matpi I thought you were TEACHING a course, not TAKING one. Or are you doing both? What’s the course you’re taking?? And, yeah, a 6lb drop is delightful, and shows how much bulk was in me that the WF dropped. Now comes the challenge of three NFDs in a row when I must be disciplined so as not to simply replace the bulk. Funny Kevin Bacon quote!

Okay, now must get dressed for funeral. Have a grand one, everyone!

stitchincarol

2:41 pm
23 Sep 22
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second post

And by the way, adding to @matpi ‘s comment about his weather, we were 99/37 on Tuesday, 68/20 on Wednesday, and 61/16 on Thursday! That’s a 38/21 degree drop, LOL! Yeah, such an abrupt drop is a little odd. 😂😂 Yesterday was the first time since May that I’ve worn long pants rather than capris or shorts. The change has arrive!

SongBirdMe

2:47 pm
23 Sep 22
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Day 23 USA (Illinois) NFD

Did a good FD yesterday and lost all the “salt weight” from my popcorn indulgence at the movie. EVER SO MUCH FUN seeing “Grease” on the big screen again. Had to sing along with all the songs. Good thing the audience members were also singing.

Friends coming for dinner and overnight tonight. Have to finish cleaning house. Good thing that company comes or I may never clean. 🙂

Onward and downward.

michelinme

8:03 pm
23 Sep 22
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Day 23 UK CD

Yesterday’s FD morphed into CD with the late addition of a pile of EIGHT rice & lentil cakes. @stitchincarol I’m with you in not being able to sustain the third day.

I felt very puffed up this morning and was back up to 172lb. Oh well. Either I change my weekly weighday to be the morning after my last FD of the week, or I get used to weighing more – as long as I weigh on the same day of the week I’ll track the chagnes. BUT after a solid week with 2 FDs and 2 CDs, no sugar and fewer carbs I’m definitely feeling less puffy than last week.

I’ve hit my goal for the month of 4lb loss with a week to go. Now keen to see if I can get lower… my next goal is 170, then 168, then 11 stone something, then under 75kg… The wonderful thing about weighing in an international forum and getting used to using lb, kg and stone is that there’s always another goal just in reach 🙂 I’m also now getting competitive with Past Me, following by 2017/18 progress on the tracker and learning by what I did last time, seeing the pattern of change and loss.

Today has been a catch up end of the week day but listening to my body I had a gentle morning resting, doing my italian homework, hanging laundry, putting dishes away. The afternoon & evening were emails & project work but broken up in the afternoon when my lovely friend came to help with heavy work in the garden – repotted the apple tree, dug out compost from the bottom of the heap and began to dig it into beds. Next week we’ll be planting bulbs and mulching, and making plans for next year.

Switching off now for a relaxing weekend – no commitments at all, just time to potter, catch up with myself, rest, read etc ahead of a busy three weeks. I can’t wait!

One whole week left of this challenge 🙂

matpi

2:13 am
24 Sep 22
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Day 23 Ohio, US — NFD

Well, everyone, we are heading down the HOME STRETCH for the month of September. Now is the time to focus on whether we are going to be (more) Svelte at the end of this challenge, or just Saucy!

The weigh-in this morning showed no change. I’m hoping that in the next week all my 10K stepping will finally pay off. Otherwise I’ll just have to content myself with being Saucy! That said, my GI tract was really upset today, so, although I was able to do my yoga routine this morning, I won’t come anywhere near 10K steps today.

@michelinme Parla italiano? I agree with you — Past Me is the only person really worth competing against!

@songbirdme Recently I saw a cartoon where one of the characters said: “I love all the doors in the house. They are perfect for when guests come!” I used to use bankers’ boxes for that purpose. Right now I’m going through the stuff in one such box from 2006 and never got a chance to get back to it until now!

@stitchincarol It’s fortunate that the concert has Elgar and Bolero. After the morning, Mahler could be a complete wipe out! Just taking coursework. I’m taking a French course. When I was in college, I read French literature, but this course emphasizes a lot of colloquial language and slang. There is also much about French as it is spoken in Canada. Now I can swear like a Québécois! I must admit that I also have some ulterior motives for taking the course work, but that is another matter.

@brightonbelle Hope you stay on task, even with all the busy-ness.

@northgeorgia Does your ZBC also mean you’re doing 16:8?

@funshipfreddie It is so nice to be able to shop close to home! Where I used to live, it was a 30 minute drive just to get to a medium-sized grocery store and it took an hour and a half to get to a mall!

Hope everyone has great weekend adventures!

NorthGeorgia

1:17 pm
24 Sep 22
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Day 24 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 217 lbs. No major weight gain this week — basically a plateau, which is good considering I haven’t fasted since Tuesday. Next FD is tomorrow.

@matpi Yeah, usually. I think yesterday did turn into a 16:8. I have better results with a lunch OMAD to be honest, but I really didn’t have a chance (or willpower) to turn any additional NFDs this week into an OMAD. I’m going to have to start doing that to see movement again, though. That and avoiding the inner questions for “a little something else” LOL

michelinme

2:34 pm
24 Sep 22
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Day 24 UK NFD

Checking in for accountability. Yesterday became my usual Friday indulgence when I ate up all the leftovers from the last week – a strange smorgasbord of tomato soup, mushrooms, a smidgeon of gnocchi, spinach, cauliflower, sweet potato and beetroot plus vegan fishfingers, followed by banana and tinned peaches with vegan custard. I then fell asleep sitting up watching a film and woke in the small hours!

Today is my first uncommitted weekend in a month and the laziest of lazy days – dozing, watching a matinee, reading the paper, late lunch, early supper and early night – ahead of town tomorrow for church, plant collecting and coffee with church friend on their birthday. Home early afternoon to start writing a tribute for memorial service next Saturday.

I’m going to try to major in sleep, stretching and helpful routines, staying away from email and project stuff until Monday. It’s tempting to dive in when there are deadlines and quiet days, but boundaries and balance are crucial to keep me healthy and build on the rhythm of fasting

Whatever you’re doing, wishing you all a good weekend

stitchincarol

2:58 pm
24 Sep 22
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Day 24 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD, but behaved

I’m so delighted to report that yesterday’s NFD was a day to be proud of. At the funeral lunch, I had only the meat and some sauce of the pulled pork sandwiches, and some of the baked beans. I did add a small piece of apple cake, which turned out not to be worth it (but, sadly, I ate it all anyway, as if I were a starving orphan!) and then gave me a stomach ache. I’m working to be aware of how food makes me feel after the fact–not when it’s on my fork and in my mouth–and was surprised to be aware of how icky I felt. 🤷‍♀️ It was HARD to behave, and took a boatload of RESOLVE, but I didn’t snack on a single thing all afternoon until we got to the restaurant for dinner, where DH and I split three appetizers: pork belly (deep fried, with a sauce…really yummy), salmon cakes (only 2 quite small ones, and good but not deserving of “yummy”), and drunken mussels (also good). I had one glass of wine, ignored DH’s choice to have a second, and didn’t have any of the extra bread we requested to soak up the rest of the creamy wine sauce from the mussels. At the symphony, I resisted both a glass of wine and the chocolate malt balls they had for sale next to the wine. When we got home, I ignored the siren call of another glass of wine, or a beer, or a snack, and simply had a can of sparkling water. That’s halo-polishing behavior, as far as I’m concerned! And the scale this morning was up less than a pound, a first after a NFD in a long, long time. Now, on to today.

Today will be tougher. Not only am I cooking something both for lunch and also for supper, but I’m making DS25-now-DS26’s birthday cake for our celebration tomorrow. I haven’t had time to plan out everything yet, but will have to do so and then be firm with myself.

@songbirdme LOL, that’s my favorite part of company, is that I’m forced to tidy the house!!

@michelinme Yeah, that third day is certainly a challenge. I think one reason I “went off the rails” last spring, so to speak, and quit making progress, is that I was asking too much of myself to do a WF on T/Th and a FD on Wednesday, and I rebelled on the weekends; that kept me at a more-or-less steady weight for a long time, and then I rebelled further at the end of May–don’t know why–and started eating until I’d gained 10-12 pounds. So, extreme behavior only works occasionally for me, not on a steady basis. I don’t regret my three-day effort this week, but don’t know that I’ll try to repeat it. Or, if I do, it’ll be a week-by-week decision and choice. Glad you at least feel less puffy; so do I!

@matpi Okay, you can’t mention an ulterior motive for taking a French class–and learning to swear like a Québécois!–without sharing that motive!! Give!

Oh, and the first piece at the symphony last night was composed by a 14yo. Yes, fourteen. He lives in Omaha. Amazing. And the Bolero that closed the program was SO well done, especially as they had cameras around the auditorium that captured and portrayed each soloist on a screen at the back of the stage. REALLY well done!

Okay, time to get started with my day’s list. Have a grand one, everyone!

FUNSHIPFREDDIE

3:02 pm
24 Sep 22
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Day 24 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

Checking in for accountability. Didn’t sleep so well last night, but I’ve still managed to clock up 11,000 steps already, before 4 pm 😇

@matpi – an hour & a half from the nearest mall?! 😱 I’d have to move. It is nice to be able to shop close to home; my car hasn’t moved for 4 days.

@northgeorgia – I’ll be joining you on the list tomorrow. I’m aiming for ADF for the week 🎯 It’s just food, right? 😃

Have a good weekend y’all! 🌤 🌈

matpi

1:55 am
25 Sep 22
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Day 24 Ohio, US — NFD

A really quiet day, spent coping with fatigue from allergies. The rapid change from warm weather to rather cool weather seems to have hit my body like a brick. It is just a matter of letting the body sort out what’s what with the weather.

@funshipfreddie With the new venue, the mileage clocked on the car has dropped to less than a third of what it used to be. It is so nice to have everything close at hand!

@stitchincarol Your RESOLVE is truly impressive! That is something I can learn from. My ulterior motives …. With the local university, anyone over age 60 can take courses for free. So far I have only taken courses in subjects that I already know. Why do that?, I hear you cry. Now come the ulterior motives … I take the courses primarily as a way to be around people and also as a way to have access to electonic library privileges. One can’t even pay to gain access to electronic resources at university libraries around here. And I like to be able to access online journals for doing research.

@michelinme Wow! You had some wonderful food this last week! It is so nice once in a while to be able to do fun things at a relaxed pace. One of the side benefits of my taking coursework is that it helps me to structure my time. It doesn’t take much for me to get interested in one thing before another is finished. As a result without something to structure my time I tend to be busy all the time and nothing ever gets completed!

@northgeorgia Like you I have hit a little plateau this week. I hope to take advantage of the current HOME STRETCH.

FUNSHIPFREDDIE

3:00 pm
25 Sep 22
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Day 25 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – FD

Not in the mood for a FD. Cold & windy out there too. But it’s 4 pm already, & I haven’t eaten a morsel yet, so it would be madness to throw in the towel now. It’s just one day; I can do this! 😬

Pocket List – Day 25 🍌
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia

NorthGeorgia

4:59 pm
25 Sep 22
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Day 25 – USA/GA – FD

Weigh-in: 218 lbs. Highest Sunday weigh-in for a month, but SOOO glad I avoided the 220s! I only did a B2B WFD last Monday and Tuesday, and really wasn’t well behaved yesterday. Time for a reset. I’ll do today and Thursday for this week. I’m off work tomorrow, so no need to torture myself. Tuesday and Wednesday I have professional lunches. Since Tuesday’s an in-between day of full NFDs (at least Monday will be a full NFD), I think I can manage that as an OMAD. So I’ll do an almost, not quite, AFD week.

October’s practically here. It’s been a true plateau year — great the first three months, then a slight up and down to keep me around 214 lbs year round. But imagine if I hadn’t been on the 5:2, is what I tell myself! Some folks have hinted this might be as low as my body can go. Maybe, but I’m still marginally “obese” and definitely overweight. With a little more good choices on NFDs and some occasional OMADs, I think I can get things moving again. Funny I wait until the holiday period is about to start up to find my motivation again LOL!

My list of things to do to get back on track:

1. Drink more water. Simple, but I never do it as I should! I know I’m drinking less than last year. I haven’t the foggiest notion why.

2. Just say no to snacks. The whole Fung-based approach demonstrates each time you stick something in your mouth, you restart the whole digestion/insulin/fat storage process, so although I won’t beat myself up about it if out with friends on a special occasion, that’s no reason to revert to old “in front of the TV” habits or constantly on the search for “a little something”.

3. Don’t eat if not hungry. I was in better tune with my body last year. This year, I’ve opted to eat just because I want to. That leads to a few disasters: eating junk, eating multiple times a day (see number 2), not knowing when to stop eating (something weird I discovered last year — my stomach is truly a bottomless pit if I don’t definitively decide what my actual meal is), and sabotaging naturally occurring OMAD days.

There are other things, too, but those are the biggest tips for me at this moment.

@funshipfreddie It’s almost over. Write down your cravings and tell yourself, “tomorrow!”

Pocket List – Day 25 🍌
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia

michelinme

5:21 pm
25 Sep 22
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Day 25 UK NFD

Today has not been as expected and food thus far has been 2 mini kitkat bars! Time to snap into focus and cook some healthier food ahead of tomorrow’s FD.

I think the sugar rush is because I was awake from 3-5am – i’d had some soya milk that had gone bad and woke feeling rough. I relaxed and listened to an audiobook but woke this morning feeling dehydrated and very tired. I’ve still had a day out but now looking forward to a gentle cookfest, bath and early night.

I’ve got a week mostly clear of meetings so time to think, write and get on top of proejct stuff. All the more reason to look after myself today, so I’m in good stead for a week of healthy eating/fasting and self-care.

@matpi your studying sounds great! I hope you feel better after recent allergy issues; it’s exhausting

@northgeorgia @funshipfreddie hope you have a strong FD!

@stitchincarol
‘I think one reason I “went off the rails” last spring, so to speak, and quit making progress, is that I was asking too much of myself to do a WF on T/Th and a FD on Wednesday, and I rebelled on the weekends; that kept me at a more-or-less steady weight for a long time’ – that’s a really helpful lesson for me too, thank you.

Strength to everyone as we enter the last few days of this challenge! Am I right in thinking we already have someone lined up to lead October?

Penz

11:58 pm
25 Sep 22
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Day 26, FD, Aus

Problem with taking a day off work means today is extra busy to catch up. Feels like my mini-holiday didn’t happen at all!

Have only skimmed posts but certainly agree wholeheartedly with the view that this is a wonderful supportive forum!

Day 26 pocket list
@penz

matpi

1:55 am
26 Sep 22
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Day 25 Ohio, US — NFD

Everything has stayed on track today and I will end the day at the TDEE. Part of the reason for that was that the reading group didn’t meet due to members down with Covid. So there was no snack at the restaurant. People came down with Covid last Monday, so I really didn’t know if I had been exposed or not. All week I was asymptomatic, but just to play it safe I started taking Pepcid and extra Vitamin C. Yesterday was the first day I could test and the test came back negative, so I took the second test today and it also came back negative. Hurrah! The famtidine in the Pepcid not only has anti-viral properties, but is also an anti-histamine. I wonder if that was doing untoward things to my allergies the last few days.

@penz That’s the only problem with taking time off — there are no little elves who will do the work while we are gone! Come to think — there also aren’t any little elves who get all the calories while we get all the enjoyment from what we eat!

@michelinme Kit-Kat bars are my favorite foods that I shouldn’t eat! I didn’t know that soya milk could go bad — guess it never stays around long enough in my fridge!

@northgeorgia That’s a great bullet list for everyone to carry forward! Have a fun time on your day off!

@funshipfreddie Good for you! It takes extra mojo to fast on a cold and windy day!

I hate lettuce

7:39 am
26 Sep 22
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Day 26 – UK – FD

Good morning everyone

Heading home this morning after an excellent weekend away in the Yorkshire Dales, started off the weekend with a rather nice lunch at a brewery near where were staying! That set the tone for the whole weekend, great weather, plenty of walks, a bit too much food and drink, so today will be a very easy FD.

Take care all

Day 26 pocket list
@penz
@i-hate-lettuce

FUNSHIPFREDDIE

9:22 am
26 Sep 22
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Day 26 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

Another FD done & dusted – aced it 😇, I’ll go for it again tomorrow, then another on Thursday or Friday.

@matpi – KitKats?! They’re like kryptonite for me. Especially the chunky ones. I can only buy them one at a time. We’ve currently got a salted caramel popcorn flavoured one. I don’t think it’s my all-time favourite, but they’re all potentially lethal as far as my diet’s concerned 😱

I’m off out to get some chores done before the rain starts.

Sending super-RESOLVE to the Monday fasters! 💪 🎯

AT

11:06 am
26 Sep 22
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Day 26 – UK – FD

It appears that I last posted 20 days ago 🙈

September has not been a good month so far – way too may indulgent days……so much that I refuse to step on the scales……but planning on finishing on a more positive note with a FD500 today and hoping for FD800 until end of the month 🤞

I just saw @excelsior12309 post on Day 22 “Well what a sluggish month. It is inspiring to me to see progress of forum members. Sadly, I am not in their club yet.” and it definitely reflects me this month!!!

@matpi – I’m definitely hoping for a strong finish and to be more “Svelte at the end of this challenge than just Saucy!”
@northgeorgia – your list of things to do to get back on track is what I most certainly need to adhere to from today – thank you for reminding us
@penz – I too have only skimmed posts but certainly agree wholeheartedly with the view that this is a wonderful supportive forum!

I might have missed it but has anyone volunteered to take the baton over from @matpi for October???

Definitely joining the pocket list today for motivation and support and have logged on my food/drinks on MFP to help keep me focused on achieving that FD500

Day 26 pocket list 💪 🎯
@penz
@i-hate-lettuce
@at

NorthGeorgia

12:03 pm
26 Sep 22
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Day 26 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 214 lbs. Off work today, so keeping my three things in mind: 1. Drink more water, 2. Don’t snack, 3. Eat only if hungry. We may take a family day trip today, so if that happens it’ll be a bit more tricky — but probably not overly so. Ironically, there may be occasional “treats” on a trip, but I don’t tend to snack as much when busy enjoying the travel. Even if I’m at home today, I’ll keep these thoughts with me. I’ll try for an OMAD tomorrow.

Excelsior12309

12:10 pm
26 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 26-No. VA, USA-FD
Checking in for accountability and giving a shout-out to @at and our month of sluggish effort! Now ending with a push toward the finish line. We will do this, one day at a time as they say.

Pocket list:
@penz
@i-hate-lettuce
@at
@excelsior12309

Goal10kg

2:44 pm
26 Sep 22
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Day 26, FD, Scotland

Hey everyone, vegan salad for lunch and a veggie chilli with cauli rice for dinner. Body attack after work!

Pocket list:
@penz
@i-hate-lettuce
@at
@excelsior12309
@goal10kg

BrightonBelle

2:46 pm
26 Sep 22
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Day 26 UK FD

A lot of your comments resonate with me @at , another month speeding by but I’m giving these last few days my best

I can’t host October as I have a week in Sicily soon , but will def do Nov or Dec

Pocket list day 26🎈
@penz
@i-hate-lettuce
@at
@excelsior12309
@goal10kg
@brightonbelle

stitchincarol

4:08 pm
26 Sep 22
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Day 26 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD

I’ve been debating how much I would share and explain to you all, but it’s not my nature to keep things to myself (LOL, as you all know from my long chatty posts), so here you go:

Yesterday, we ended up moving DS26’s birthday dinner to the farm of dear friends, and another couple, also dear friends, also came. We had appetizers, then John, the farmer, took us out for a wagon ride pulled by two huge horses. LONG story, but we are blessed to be alive possibly, and certainly blessed not to have any broken bones–except for John’s wife, who has a broken rib–because the horses misbehaved and pulled us to the right and down into an abrupt and deep ditch. It was only John’s skilled and fiercely determined handling of the horses that kept the huge wagon (there were seven of us, but there was room for more than two dozen) from falling completely over and on its side or even upside down.

I ended up with a huge hematoma on my right forearm plus several abrasions, a nasty deep bruise on my right hip that necessitated two canes to walk, and significant pain under my right breast, although there’s nothing to be seen there. DH banged his knee badly and has several bad abrasions, but is otherwise okay.

In other words, we’re fine, and I didn’t even need to share this. But we’re hurting and I’m still in invalid mode, although I’m walking almost normally this morning.

We’re just thankful no injuries were worse. And, amazingly, we somehow ended up having a lovely dinner party in the end, despite that awful accident in the middle.

The takeaway? Never take things being fine for granted!

michelinme

7:43 pm
26 Sep 22
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Day 26 UK LFD

Weigh in this morning at 172lb, my lowest Monday morning weight in a LONG time! Despite the sense of having eaten my way through the weekend and feeling puffier, the weight has not caught up (yet). I’m really tired but well motivated for a LFD.

I woke up in a lot of pain so had a quiet morning resting and pottering, then 6 hours at my desk ploughing through emails and trying to get to grips with project work. Finally done and enjoying a quiet evening – the wonderful thing about not eating is all the extra time! I’ve had two cups of marmite tea, decaf black coffee and fizzy water, and a litre flask of peppermint tea! Now heading for an evening stretch and prep for the morning, soak in epsom salt and lavender bath and early zzzz – Future Me will be very glad I did.

@stitchincarol That sounds terrifying – and a miracle no-one was really badly hurt! Wishing you speedy healing x

@at good to see you again, we’ve missed you

Pocket list day 26🎈
@penz
@i-hate-lettuce
@at
@excelsior12309
@goal10kg
@brightonbelle
@michelinme

SongBirdMe

9:53 pm
26 Sep 22
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Day 26 USA (Illinois) NFD

Quick check in to say I’m doing well. Lots of OMAD’s in maintenance with only a little snack usually mid-afternoon.

Oh @stitchincarol – WOW! I cannot imagine how horribly frightening that must have been to be on that wagon! Hardly a Disney ride where you know it’s controlled. EVER SO GLAD it wasn’t worse for any of you. I may never go on a hayride again.

The funeral I sang at this morning, Carol, was for a fellow musician and organist. I was honored to be asked to sing, and her husband had all the music carefully chosen. His late wife also played in our handbell choir and sang – quite a talented lady, also made dozens of beautiful quilts. The coffin had one of her beautiful ones over it at the front of the church. I was asked to sing “The Lost Chord” – had heard of it but never sang. Wow… pretty hard to get through that last verse knowing I will see Lavonne again in Heaven. Are you familiar with it? Ever had to play or sing it?

Still getting final things in the suitcase for our trip tomorrow to California (Napa Valley wine country) then up to Oregon. Last load of laundry drying now. I will try to check in during our trip, but know I am thinking of you all!

Onward and downward.

Penz

12:54 am
27 Sep 22
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Day 27, ??, Aus

Ah, @mapti, we could both retire as billionaires if only we could develop one of those multi-skilled little elves!

Yesterday’s FD, didn’t.

I’ve been reflecting on @litprof’s comments. When I was last doing really well on 5:2, I was in a job enjoyed, working from, and in a really good routine. Then I swapped jobs, woke up at 3 in the morning worrying over it, hated my work, and things slid backwards. I changed jobs which was great, did dry-July and things were really good again. Then I got given a project to do – I hate project work!!! – and I’ve reverted to the 3am routine and cannot get into the 5:2 swing of things. Nothing like recognising a pattern to then work towards a solution… I still like this current job but need to somehow shed the project.

OMG!! @stitchincarol!! What a horrid experience! Did you also crack a rib if you have a pain under your breast? So glad you are all ok, and how like you to find the positive among it all (” we somehow ended up having a lovely dinner party in the end”)!

matpi

3:08 am
27 Sep 22
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Day 26 Ohio, US — MFD

Fasting has gone well and did my regular yoga practice this morning and will get my 10K steps in a little later. I had an interesting conversation with a French interpreter in Kenya this afternoon and he recommended some African singers that can be found on YouTube, so will check those out in the next couple of days. Also this evening I watched the impact event of the Dart with the asteroid. The precision was just incredible!

@penz I too wake up regularly at 3 am, but in my case it’s not worry. It’s the next-door neighbors getting up and being restless.

@songbirdme I just listened to “The Lost Chord” on YouTube and it is really beautiful. I can see why that last verse was difficult to get through. My condolences on the loss of your friend. Have a wonderful trip to the West Coast!

@michelinme Congrats on a revived Monday low! With any luck today’s LFD will counter anything untoward (as far as weight is concerned) left over from the weekend.

@stitchincarol Wow! That accident sounds pretty rough! Was there something that spooked the horses, like a snake? Although it seems like you got just (!) some bad bruising, it might be worthwhile having your family physician check things out, especially that breast pain. After all, even NFL players get checked out for that!

@brightonbelle Sicily in October sounds superb!

@goal10kg You are definitely a dynamo on FD’s!

@excelsior12309 You are quite right — we are doing this together each day at a time!

@northgeorgia Perfect day for a road trip — before the remnants of the hurricane come by!

@at That would be an excellent way to wind up the month! Definitely on the road to Svelte!

@funshipfreddie Caramel popcorn flavored KitKats sound terrific. It’s probably a good thing that they don’t have them around here!

@ihatelettuce Sounds like an idyllic weekend. Surely worth the FD today!

Pocket list day 26🎈
@penz
@i-hate-lettuce
@at
@excelsior12309
@goal10kg
@brightonbelle
@michelinme
@matpi

I hate lettuce

8:32 am
27 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 27 – UK – FD

Good morning everyone

Strange how a long weekend away and overindulging has had an effect, but not on the scales! Barely a pound on (normally weigh on Friday but was curious) but feel quite bloated despite very simple soup and salad bowl yesterday. However, a cure for me is at hand, plenty of water and throw in another FD while I don’t feel like eating.

@stichincarol – Ouch! All that bruising reminds me of my rugby playing days, they hurt … and don’t go away as quickly as we age. Take care, hope everyone fixes quickly.

Take care all

Pocket list day 27
@i-hate-lettuce

FUNSHIPFREDDIE

8:51 am
27 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 27 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – FD

@stitchincarol – oh crikey? That must’ve been quite a shock? Good to hear you’re recovering quickly! 🤗

@songbirdme – enjoy your trip! 🚙

@matpi – that really was fascinating, like a sci-fi movie becoming reality! And when you consider the asteroid was travelling at 14,000 miles per hour & is almost 7 million miles from Earth?!

@i-hate-lettuce – joining you for a Tuesday FD 🤝

Pocket List – Day 27 🍏
@penz – maybe 🤔
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie

NorthGeorgia

12:00 pm
27 Sep 22
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Day 27 – USA/GA – OMAD

Weigh-in: 219.8 lbs. Yes, it flashed 220 lbs briefly, meaning this is likely my highest weight all year. That’s upsetting, but to be honest, the range for all of 2022 so far has been between this number and a 207 low. Twelve pounds back and forth I guess is OK for a year-long plateau. And I know a nearly six pound gain in a single day is calorically impossible (hello water bloat), but it’s still a warning alarm.

From what I remember back in Spring when I was most successful was NOT what I was doing on FDs (4:3, 5:2, B2B WFDs, OMADS, etc.) but rather what I was doing on NFDs, particularly over the weekend. I had to attempt to keep my weight steady over the weekend to see success by the next FD. Limit how much gain will happen after that first post-NFD refeeding period by limiting carbs, then keep that approach all weekend. I think right now, if I eat a high carb meal (eating out with family for example), I feel like “in for a penny, in for a pound” and just carb out all day. WRONG APPROACH! There are things I can do to limit the carbs while eating out (just water, or at least no refills on sweet tea, please)… and certainly no need to eat those carbs all day long, or the entire portion! The OMADs lunches also help immensely, but for some reason I just shrugged them off. No more. Today will be another OMAD lunch.

I’ll make Thursday my next FD, and see what I learned, if anything on Wednesday’s normal NFD. I have to micromanage my NFDs to some extent until I get back into old habits, or I’ll never get this body back under control 🙂

BrightonBelle

12:00 pm
27 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 27 UK NFD

Wow that sounds horrible @stitchincarol , hoping all the injuries heal soon

Have a great trip @songbirdme

Off to do a bit of exercise before lunch , weather really on the turn here might have to get the winter duvet out soon

MariaElena

2:56 pm
27 Sep 22
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Day 27 – 16:8

Busy here, my papa needed some extra help so I’m off to Chicago once again. I leave today. My DH remains at home so the cats at least are not a worry.

I may not be around for a while, but am sending good vibes.

stitchincarol

3:30 pm
27 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 27 – Rural Nebraska, USA – WFD

DH and I ache everywhere, and the bruise on my hip is quite impressive, LOL. Thanks, everyone, for the kind words of sympathy, and @matpi, we DID see a doctor–one of the men there was our family physician for years, although retired now. It’s very comforting to have a loved and trusted doctor to hand in such a situation, LOL.

I’m still feeling like the walking wounded but assume that the moving involved in teaching lessons today will initially be very uncomfortable, but then will help to make me feel better. A WF seems reasonable to me this morning, but I’ll listen to my body as the day goes on in case nourishment is needed.

@matpi How are your allergies treating you now; have they settled into a predictable pattern yet? I’m starting to need daily allergy meds; ’tis the season, you know. 😜 And how lovely that you get to take classes for free now, and get to indulge your ulterior motives. 😂😂😂 And, no, nothing spooked the horses; John had us close to the right side of the road for the occasional car/truck wanting to pass us on our other side, and the horse on the right was fighting John and went right because it felt like it. It was being rebellious and had been ever since John tried to harness it in, and once the horse took one step that direction, it was inevitable that we’d have a rough go of it, because it was so steep down that ditch and there was no turning back at that point.

@northgeorgia You’re absolutely right that, if you weren’t doing 5:2, however imperfectly, you’d have gained weight this year instead of plateauing. I have faith that you’ll find the discipline needed to fix your behavior so that you can lose more weight, and the people who are suggesting you’re as far down as you can go do NOT have your best interests at heart, I’m convinced, so ignore them, and choose the behavior you want, which will give you the results you want.

@songbirdme Wow, how in world did you manage to sing through that? And who in the world played it?? Did you have a recording of it? I was aware of it, but have neither played nor sung it before, and am impressed you were able to pull it off with such short notice. And I’m so sorry for your loss; it’s tough to say good-bye, isn’t it? We have a missionary friend who refuses to say good-bye; he always says, “See you later!” 🥰 Have a grand time in my neck of the woods! (Of course, I haven’t lived there for 36 years, and Napa is a far cry from Crescent City, but I still feel very possessive of the area, and particularly Hwy 101, which is what leads to Crescent City, where I was born and lived for 28 years.) Are you going to Dry Creek Vineyards??

@penz How possible will it be to shed the project?? Great insight you shared with us of how many differences there were when you were experiencing such great success. And you can’t give me all the credit for ending up with a great dinner party: DH, two sons, and four friends are all built the same way I am, LOL, which is “ready to party and have a lovely time together!”

@mariaelena Safe travels, and I hope all is well with your dad and it’s not serious help he needs.

Have a grand one, everyone.

Pocket list day 27
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia OMAD
@stitchincarol WF

SongBirdMe

5:41 pm
27 Sep 22
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Day 27 USA (Chicago – O’Hare Airport) NFD

Isn’t it true that when you allow plenty of time, you don’t need it — and likewise the converse is true, that if you’re rushed, you are late to everything? We are happy to have plenty of time at O’Hare waiting for our long flight to California. Even still, Chicago restaurants are so expensive here, we did a quick McDonald’s burger. Diet Coke. At least (with a commercial) we have free internet for my iPad.

Onward and downward.

michelinme

6:12 pm
27 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 27 UK FD

Successful LFD yesterday. I had a late supper of last week’s homemade soup at less than 200 calories and slept like a log, tho not for long enough. This morning I weighed in at solid 172lb and a distinctly less inflated fat suit. Now’s the chance to lose some more in the run up to the end of the month.

Hard to get up this morning but at laptop in time for along zoom meeting, re-recording some sign language with voiceover from a couple of weeks ago. A trouble-shooting/problem-solving day with flying emails. 84 yo mother came to tea and chatted about various things, we’ve worked out some solutions to some of her tech issues. At next week’s visit we’ll upgrade her phone – only 18 months after we started talking about it. We also shared a persimmon / sharon fruit, her first! I love introducing her to new things 🙂

I’ve had two cold potatoes and most of a sharon fruit thus far. Some serious thinking needed for dinner which will either be FD500 or FD800. Need to learn from last week’s errors and not push myself too hard on weekdays so I avoid the rebound feeding/carbs of last weekend. It is amazing how much better I feel when fasting – tho need an extra early night!!

@stitchincarol i hope you continue to heal well. How wonderful to have had your retd family doctor on hand

@penz really great insights, thank you for sharing the long perspective. Sometimes it’s the circumstances of our lives that make it hard to change personal things, our capacity is all used up to keep going. I hope you can ditch the project and keep the job

@mariaelena hope all goes well with your dad; we’ll miss you

@songbirdme that’s an epic piece, well done for singing it and at short notice too! I’m sure your musical friend was very glad it was you. Sorry for your loss. Hope you have a great roadtrip

@northgeorgia thanks for sharing your workings out, i always find them so helpful. That first post FD refeeding is really important for success. Hold fast to your overall weight and health goals, friends sometimes don’t get it but will catch up further down the road

@brightonbelle it’s COLD isn’t it?! I popped the heating on before my mother visited today, and wrapped her in a blanket and shawl. Strange how its gone from mild to hwb and maybe winter duvet in just a couple of weeks!

@ihatelettuce it’s weird how bloat and weight don’t always correlate. A lot of puff seems to go down without losing a gram, but it’s the puff that makes me feel better too

Pocket list day 27
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia OMAD
@stitchincarol WF
@michelinme

@funshipfreddie hope your AFD week is going well

@matpi you’re right – the weekend inflation seems to have deflated very quickly. It was weird revisitng an instantly puffier me, made me realise how different I feel already. Tho, sadly, my favourite sweatshirt tunics from last autumn are pretty baggy already – the one I wore on Sunday kept slipping off my shoulders. I’m tempted to keep wearing them and shrink away underneath – useful for layering up? I really will look like a Michelin Me 😀

AT

8:20 pm
27 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 27 – UK – FD800

Managed to complete a successful FD500 yesterday!!! My first one for over 2 weeks and today I did a 12.8km hike this morning and a HIP (high impact pilates) class this evening and best of all managed to come in with a good FD800….now to stay on track for the rest of the week……

@excelsior12309 and @brightonbelle – I do hope that your FDs yesterday went well too – as @excelsior12309 said “We will do this, one day at a time as they say.”
@stitchincarol – your incident sounded terrifying….you are all so lucky to have escaped with minor injuries although no doubt those bruises will be painful for a few days x
@michelinme and @matpi – thank you – it’s nice to be back posting and getting back on track
@songbirdme – safe travels
@mariaelena – safe travels to you too and I’m sure your papa will be grateful for your visit and support

I have a friend visiting from Suffolk and will be spending the day with her tomorrow – must stay mindful and will make lunch a light OMAD keeping focused for another FD800 – I have an evening dynamic yoga class which should keep me on track at the end of the day 🤞

Pocket List – Day 27 🍏
@penz – maybe 🤔
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia OMAD
@stitchincarol WF
@michelinme
@at

I’m reminding myself this week that “If I quit now, I will soon be back to where I started. And when I started, I was desperately wishing to be where I am now”

Penz

11:35 pm
27 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 28, NFD, Aus

I had to look up sharon fruit, @michelinme; never heard of them. How different are they to ‘normal’ persimmons?

Still not back in the 5:2 swing of things but I am feeling more confident I have a pathway. I was speaking with a mentor yesterday, reflected on my previous role, and realised I am overthinking this project. I have a team working on it with me so I don’t need to mentally carry the whole weight of it (which I had been doing). That’s made me feel more positive.

Sorry have not been commenting on others’ posts (feeling too inwardly focussed at the moment) but I am reading them all and celebrating your successes and commiserating with your challenges.

matpi

3:12 am
28 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 27 Ohio, US — NFD

All in all, a good working day. My regular Tuesday evening class didn’t meet tonight, because everyone else had Covid. The official status of community transmission for the county where I live hasn’t changed, but I’m getting a lot of reports of people coming down with the virus — so I wonder if the actual number is very much on the upswing in my region.

@penz Finding a pathway half the battle, imho. Sounds like your team will be able to carry their own weight on the project and that you don’t live in a “Dilbert” world. That helps!

@at Wow! You are finishing off the month in grand style!

@michelinme I had trouble getting up this morning also — it has turned very chilly overnight. And even though I had the heat on, it’s a heat pump system and it never seems to get warm inside. So it was so inviting just staying in the nice warm bed. I had to give myself a pep talk to get started with the day.

@songbirdme Wait till you see the restaurant prices in California! They’ll make Chicago look like Walmart! Hope you’re having a safe and pleasant flight!

@stitchincarol Sorry for being a worry wart — With a doctor right there, you were in good hands! As for my allergies, the cool overcast weather that we’ve been having has been making them worse. I look forward to the cold, dry days of January and February — virtually the only time of the year I can reduce my allergy medication.

@mariaelena Hope all goes well with your father! And safe travels!

@brightonbelle What kind of exercise do you do in the mornings?

@northgeorgia It’s interesting what we do on those first meals with which we break our fasts. In the last month I’ve noticed that I eat significantly less than I used to on those days. And you’re right — the trick is to work out a sustainable system for the NFD’s.

@funshipfreddie Have you been able to see any videos of the debris coming off the asteroid? None of the papers or news shows around here have shown that yet. That would be the proof of the pudding!

@ihatelettuce I may have forgotten that you played rugby. One of my nephews used to play until his mid 30’s— then injuries permanently side-lined him.

I hate lettuce

8:14 am
28 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 28 – UK – NFD

Good morning everyone

Going to be another busy day in the garden, night-time temperatures are dropping, time to sort out a serious pruning session! Emptied the tubs and planters yesterday, going to start on the borders today. Going to be away for most of October so need to get things straight in advance otherwise Novembers garden could be a mess if the weather turns wet!

B2B Fd’s the last 2 days went well, reckon by the time I’ve had my usual Thursday FD and Fridays weigh in comes I’ll be back to ‘feeling good’ where I was pre weekend 😉

@northgeorgia – You nailed it right there …. it’s not what you do on FD’s it’s what you do on NFD’s that does the damage. (post that on the fridge door 😉 ) Once I started to be more aware on NFD’s that’s when things started to go really well and has got easier as time has gone on. I very rarely exceed my 2 lb ‘buffer zone’ and got this WOL working for me.

Take care all

FUNSHIPFREDDIE

9:16 am
28 Sep 22
Permalink

Day 28 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

Another successful FD yesterday. I thought I’d struggle, but that wasn’t the case. It actually feels tougher for me if I have a bigger gap between FDs.

@matpi – re the asteroid – yes! I saw a brief clip of debris coming off the asteroid after the collision. It was taken from the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town.
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/watch-sa-observatory-captures-images-of-nasas-dart-spacecraft-crashing-into-an-asteroid-2022-9

Happy Hump Day! 🐫