Purple, so glad you’re enjoying Edinburgh. I tried to see it once: got ill on our first night there and asked by the doctor I saw the next morning whether I’d prefer to run for home, stopping every 30 minutes to walk and rest, or risk being hospitalised 48 hours later in Edinburgh. The thought of stranding DH (we only had accommodation for 3 days) meant we took the first option, and I got treatment when I got home, so Edinburgh remains an ambition – I envy you, and am inspired by you and Bay to try again…
I’ve only just discovered Ian Rankin, but Val MC Dermid has a nice bloodthirsty book set there, as has Kate Atkinson – guaranteed to enhance your time there!

Bay, you are mega- good, starting 6 days earlier than you need to! We’ve been Christmas stocking’ shopping for the kids and (adult) grandkids today – all agreed on ‘no big presents, but a stocking with something tiny for each of the 12 days’. Most things small and useful – pens, mini-torches, mugs etc, but some wine and sweeties, made smaller by splitting packs. Fatal! One or two extras from the split packs have disappeared during the counting and allocating – and at the end of a FD, too! I shall be joining you in penance on Saturday, rather than waiting till Sunday. Can’t actually say I’m looking forward to it this time (having carefully avoided them for years,some helpful friend has just given us an Advent calendar with chocolates!) but I know I need to do it – my sugar intake is creeping back up. Not showing on the scales yet – but that raises the question: if I’m eating empty calories and not gaining weight, what proper nutrition am I doing without?

Interesting TV prog earlier this week -‘Dr in the House’ BBC1 – involving very appealing young medic moving in with a family for a month, to assess and assist with medical issues. First instalment focused on middle aged guy with type 2 diabetes and appalling diet. Medic’srecommendation for healthiest diet – for whole family, not just diabetic guy – ‘fish, nuts, eggs, fruit, veg’ – (plus a few – very few – unrefined carbs and some fats/oils. No refined carbs, no added sugar.made me realise I’m not as virtuous as I thought I was.

If you are looking for books set in Edinburgh, Quintin Jardine is great. And changing genres, Alexander McCall Smith is fabulous. Try his No.1 Ladies Detective Agency !!

Happy, I find the miso gets me through the day, too, til my evening salad or soup. Looks like it will be salad for a while, on the request of OH, who currently buys a soup for lunch on FDs, and is asking for a change.

Wow. You are such a virtuous lot. Well done gang.
I could spend my whole time here reading Edinburgh based literature. I have a great lit walk in central old and New Town that covers myriad writers. The place is dripping with them.
I read Val McDermid’s modern Northanger Abbey recently. It is set here during the festival.
Mr P reads the more action based authors like Rankin. Alex McCall Smith wrote for the Austen Project too.
Keep up the good eating folks. I’m off to catch up with another forum “girl” today Cheers P

@happy, I have been aware of a persistent problem of malnutrition especially in children in the developed world for a long time (20+years) and I believe that this is something that was just not very much talked about in the past in the same way as domestic and child abuse as well as slavery in the 21st century was only a fringe subject. It seems to me that because obesity has become a serious financial problem for society that we seem to write about it now. Sad really.

Thanks, Lichtle foor getting my day off to a giggling start. Puts my couple of chocolate teddies into proportion! Will you have another go,nor just write it off to experience?

I agree, totally carb-free is really tough (and possibly not as healthy as we imagine?) I certainly can’t do it. We need some carbs for warmth and energy, especially as winter approaches – I’m sure the carb-cravings are out bodies’ way of telling us that. I just make sure my carbs are unrefined, meaning they satisfy for longer, and at the same time supply some vits, mins and fibre. (Similarly with sugar – I guess you could compare the intrinsic sugars to unrefined carbs, and the added sugar to processed, refined ones – which is why you and I will eat fruit during Advent, but not sweeties!) Even so, I can’t be completely pure (and not entirely sure I want to – that way lies obsession, I suspect – but just try to stay low – yes, I too parcel things into virtuously-sized portions – and rein myself in regularly. Thank goodness for FDs (never thought I’d write that!)

Happy, fret not: I promise not to become a statistic – nor a ‘mushroom’! Too b****y minded for that!

Hi Fast

My extra sugar intake has definitely shown up on the scales, which is why I’ve begun the challenge. Made an apple crumble for OH today and didn’t taste it. Then I watched The Great Australian Bake Off. Fabulous food. A show not to be watched on a fast day. ?

I look forward to my fast days, as I do better not eating at all than trying to restrict myself. I am only carb free on fast days.

Cheers, Bay ?

Well done @Bay, what great restrain making apple crumble without tasting AND watching baking programme
I agree, not eating is easier on fast days. Lots. salty stock or boullion is a great help.

But Happy, you’ve clearly misunderstood: these things are necessary in order to protect the god-given right of the rich to inherit squill ions, tax-free (is there an emoji for ‘major sarcasm mixed with cynicism and despair’?) and to return society to the days when the poor were too uneducated to ask questions, and too weak & unhealthy to do more than pull forelocks to their ‘betters’. Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know, and it’s so much better in the pockets of those who wont spend it on fripperies like food and tampons!

Lichtle,

I can’t point you to a Labour/ communist society that doesn’t have those problems, but that’s a red herring in any case. The fact that there is a yawning chasm between the richest and the poorest in other societies doesn’t make it right here. It makes it wrong everywhere.

And no, lining your own pockets and looking after your own when you’re in power isn’t the sole preserve of the Tories! But even if things wouldn’t necessarily be better, and might be worse, under another ruling party doesn’t make current policy and direction right. The lesser of two evils is still evil…

Lichtle, sorry if my rant upset you – I agree with you, actually, that this isn’t the space for party politics, which is why so far I’ve stayed bland. But my comments werent party political – in the sense that any party in power behaving in this way would provoke my fury. Just so happens that this lot are Tories – it would still be iniquitous, whoever it was! I was privileged, 50+ years ago, to have a brilliant history teacher who opened my eyes to the struggle it took, from the industrial revolution in, to create a society where people’s most basic needs were met:I’m desperately sad to see it being unraveled, bit by bit, in ways which will make it virtually impossible to build again. I’ve been fortunate never to have been a single parent — I salute your courage and perseverance – but I have been a very low income one,and tried to be of help to a lot more – so it’s not purely theoretical. I recognise that injustice can happen under regimes of any leaning – but at the moment it is what it is, and I can’t ignore the wrong being done, in whosever name. It didn’t start as a party broadcast, honest – just a response to H’s response to your question ‘what could a government do?’ – to which my reply would be ‘plenty, actually – by stuff which benefits everyone, please!’

@happy, sorry, I didn’t understand your last sentence.

@fast, noone has upset me, honestly and I know that all of us have the best intentions and good will for our fellow human beings at heart. It is just what angle we are coming from.

Maybe my aversion to institution blaming comes from growing up in a small village where the ones critisising that “the local council” “the church” etc should be doing more… were never the ones who were actually there to help or join any committees to address the situation. I would be surprised if you, Fast didn’t experience this when you were working in the church.

@fast, I agree with you – there is a lot of real hardship out there and people who are terribly in need and struggling to make ends meet and need more help and the system should be improved.

However this is NOT how the conversation started. Before this turned into a socio political discussion, we were talking about malnutrition. As I stated above, I still maintain, that malnutrition is not just an issue of money but often of life choices and convenience and is as prevalent in the well off classes (who go for take away several times a week) as in the poorer sections of society. (I sympathise with those as I too had to resort quite a bit on pasta, flour and eggs when my children were young.)

For some reason lack of education doesn’t quite wash with me in today’s age where there is a television in every house with programmes, mentioned above, educating on this subject all the time.

? If you knew how often I (without a university degree) had to read this ? but I won’t prolong this discussion any longer to the relief of our fellow mantainers. ? You should have become a politician…I like it – very eloquent.

I haven’t been able to have a full fast day this week ( I will tomorrow!) but my semi fasts have worked out great. When I’ve had lunch or dinner out this week I’ve had a salad for the other meal (I dont eat breakfast) and Im loosing about 200gms a day. Thanks for all your encouragement 🙂

For some time now, I have been aware that I was spending far too much time on my computer/tablet almost as if I couldn’t be without…addicted to information and communication. With the onset of Advent and my challenge to do without sugar, I am going to reduce my computer, social media use, too and will at least for the time being leave this forum.

When Purple announced a few months ago that she had nothing more to contribute, I had to admit that I was thinking exactly the same. Yet, being part of a forum chat somehow gave the illusion of being connected to other people even if they were not exactly friends. But I knew I was fooling myself. In a forum you can only really talk very superficially, voicing complex opinions and views in a few sentences is not possible for me. So difference of opinions on a site like this look like arguments and very awkward.

I have enjoyed over a year on this forum but, I don’t have anything more to add, apart from reporting failed or successful fasts and maybe some personal food revelation.

I am grateful and thankful to each and everyone for your companionship over this last year and I can assure both Happy and Fast that my leaving is not because of our posts. I am not in any way upset or annoyed but grateful because it has shown me my own limitations in written communication and the futility of social media for me. I shall stick to face to face discussions and maybe drop in sometime next year to say hello. All the best to you all and a very blessed Advent and Christmas. 😉

Thank you @fast, for your very kind words, but I am most sincere when I say that it has nothing to do with anybody but myself. It has only highlighted to me that I need to curb my ego and computer consumption. I didn’t like how I felt afterwards and felt I was curt to Happy in the heat. So apologies, please and I am sure in a few months I will stick my head in again. All the best.

Lichtle, I have loved your posts, I don’t know how to tell you how much you have kept me going through my ups and downs, So thank you, Goosey x

I too enjoy your contributions L. As you can see, I didn’t last long away from the forum because I truly believe we DO have a lot in common. I have now met 8 people from the forum and have found every one of them interesting and genuinely friends. I value what we gain from our interactions, be it idle chat, hard hitting references to latest research or daily reports on eating successes and slip ups.
Have a break and come back whenever you just want to touch base. Someone will be here. ?
BTW, I’m sitting by a fire in a hotel in the Western Isles of Scotland. Rain drizzling down outside, salmon, salad and wine served with crisp linen. Pretty hard to take! ? P

I too am sad to hear you are leaving Lichtle but appreciate you advising us of your intention and why.

I have always enjoyed reading your posts. So often when you wrote about your fasting experiences, your attitudes and relationships to food, I would think to myself it could be me writing that! Sometimes I would be hesitant about posting because I would think my post too silly but would think I bet Lichtle will understand this and it gave me the courage to press the submit button.

I have enjoyed the at times robust discussions that occur on here because they make me think! The women on here are very intelligent strong minded women (have had some men contribute too) who make excellent points and arguments for various points of view.

I wish you every success with your advent challenge! Please let us know how you are going because we are your strongest support group when it comes to fasting – we are all in the same boat.

Blessimgs Lichtle ?

Well Fast, we did do a distillery tour, but I don’t actually like whisky ?. I am, however, working my way across Scotland testing the various mulled wines on offer….a very important job, I’m sure you’d agree ?

Bay, like you and Purple I’ve said I would leave the forum. Having seemingly disgraced myself on another thread – too honest for some people’s taste – I’ve done just that and also dropped out of the FB group. As a number of good cyber-buddies, including you and Purple,whom I’ve been lucky enough to meet face to face – and what lovely ladies you are 🙂 – , and others as yet unmet, like Happy, post on the maintenance thread, I thought I’d quietly slip round the door and join in the fun. Lichtle, you are also among those who have been kind and sympathetic.

I think I qualify as a maintainer as I’m maintaining whether I like it or not – stuck on two long plateaux since August last year, although I’ve dropped by a kilo or so during 2015. 🙁 At least that’s what the scales tell me BUT the mirror, the 2- or in some cases, 3-size drop in dress size, according to what sort of garment, Him Indoors and several friends and family members, all tell me a different story. Most importantly of all, I haven’t gained an ounce despite some occasional (sometimes extreme) naughtiness.

Nice to be back, Purple. It will be great to commune with old mates and to meet some new ones.

I’ve always thought of Maintainers as a very enlightened bunch with lots of interesting things to say, among whom I feel very comfortable. It seems I missed a lively political ding-dong.

I should have come here immediately after the debacle in the late summer rather than creeping away into the corner like our old moggy, the original Hermaj, used to do when she was fed up. Hope you are keeping warm and dry in the nasty UK weather. H. xx

Hermaj,

About bl**dy time 🙂

We have an old moggy… adopted at 16, now 18. She doesn’t do slinking away, she does stomping after you and vociferous complaining. She does Paddington stares. She doesn’t back down til she’s got her way. She’s mean when she’s hungry, and she’s permanently hungry! She knows exactly how much food she needs and it’s generally a bit more than we think should be a sufficiency.

She’s probably the kind of old lady I aspire to be! She knows her own mind. She won’t compromise. She’ll annoy you into submission 🙂

Hi, Hermaj – we haven’t ‘met’ before, so welcome. You’ obviously already know some people here, and you’ll have gathered that there are several of us practising to be like Happy’s moggy when we’re old. (Some of us are nearly there – almost old, and increasingly stroppy. ) And some of us have DHs who ask ‘why do you need to practise ?’
I don’t think any of us goes out of her way deliberately to cause upset or hurt – I’m actually rather bad at conflict, backing off until there’s no alternative but to come out fighting, and only really letting rip over issues and principles which really matter to me. I’m still feeling a bit shamefaced about what you describe as the ‘ding dong’, if I’m honest. But you’re right: this is a good place for sharing opinions on all sorts of things – weight maintenance seems to involve lots of tangents – so come on in and enjoy it. Good to meet you!

I guess it depends Bay on wether or not you’re happy with where you are now! Experience has shown that you cAn get lower if you so wish but whatever weight you are you are still getting the health benefits of 6:1.

I have to admit to watching Dr PHIL, who has just bought out a new diet book. He refers to our set weight, the concept of which we have touched on here before. I believe there is some ceredibility to the theory. I find it very easy to maintain at 58-60, usually averaging low 59’s. I can get down to low 58’s but maintaining it is hard work.

Could you have reaxjed your set point at size 12?

Welcome hermajtomomi!