Amen to that, PVE. So say we all!
Finally have lost that extra pound! Yesterday was St Nicholas Day and we always have Hungarian Gulyas with egg noodles for dinner and the 1st Christmas cookies for dessert — and I still lost a pound!

Pol, hope your OH will be on board with that 800 cal diet. I do wish my diabetic friends would embrace that plan. But one has an MD who said she shouldn’t do it. And the other couple like food WAY to much, and they say so themselves. Shouldn’t we like ourselves better than food? Well, not my place to say.

Hi, emmak. Are you a maintainer like us? Where are you from? What is your story? Come chat with us.

52Fan, how are you these days?

Still baking. No new snow, but still snow on the ground. Colder than average in Nov and so far in Dec. I am happy to hear that, as it helps to average out the hotter than average summer months this year. As I always tell those who moan and whine about how cold it is.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

What a sweet thing to say, Polly. Our Hungarian Gulyas = goulash.

Gulyas: 283 calories 9.5 g fat 2.9 g fiber 40.4 g protein 8 g carbs [7.6 g Complex] 42.6 mg Calcium GF This version of the Hungarian stew is from Craig Claiborne’s International Cookbook. HINT: The recipe makes 8 servings, so make it once and freeze in serving sizes.
2 pounds beef chuck [shoulder], cut in 1” cubes 1 Tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika 1 tsp olive oil 2 onions, chopped 2 Tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp pepper 1.5 cups beef stock per serving: 1 oz green beans
optional: ¼ oz egg noodles which add 27 calories 1 g fiber 2 g carbs [simple]
Heat the oven to 300 F. Toss the beef chunks with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven [large, heavy, covered pot] and brown the beef in batches. Move the beef around in the pan to prevent it from sticking. Add non-stick spray or a little water if necessary. Remove the beef to a plate. Add some water to the pan and saute the onions until they are transluscent. Return the beef to the pan and pour in 1.5 cups beef stock. Stir thoroughly, scraping brown bits off the bottom. Cover the pot and cook in the oven for 2-3 hours. Every hour, check the pot and stir, adding more water as needed. Taste for salt at the end. Divide into 8 portions, reserving the remainder for future meals. TIP: Freezes very well. Plate with the green beans and optional noodles. A real Winter treat.

Of course one could add more noodles, but it was a Fast Day so I stuck with only a few. ODH had lots of noodles. Likes to honor the traditions.

Last night was salmon with a white sauce flavored with peas and Dijon mustard. New recipe. Pizza [homemade] tonight, since it is Saturday. Keeping track of what I eat, as well as of my Calcium. Had a chat with the MD about whether I should go on the pills/shots of prescription things to ‘strengthen bones.’ I opted not to, but to continue to force myself to eat 1100-1200 mg Calcium/day. Then I spoke with my dentist and he advised that unless my bones were really bad, I should NOT do those supplements. I feel better about my decision now.

Some recipes make it with pork. But do not use a recipe calling for green Bell Peppers. I was told by a Hungarian colleague that one never puts bell peppers in a proper gulyas.

Horrible event in church today. The man behind me seems to have had a stroke or coronary event during the offering. [no bad jokes here, please] His wife looked terrified. Someone with medical training came over immediately, taking vital signs. But the man was unconscious and non-responsive. The service was ended and the ambulance arrived 15 minutes later. Scary.

Lost weight since yesterday! Am still at my Sleek Weight. Am being very conscious of not snacking after dinner and it seems to be helping.
Hug your husbands. Often.

As a teacher, we all had to do a full First Aid course, including pediatric, every year as part of the terms of our employment. It means you know, automatically, what to do in a crisis.
Last year, I witnessed a friend have a stroke when we were at a large public gathering. Help was on hand very quickly and calmly. Sadly, she died later that day. In her 80s, she would not have wanted to survive disabled and had lived life to the full right up until the end. A terrible shock for us, a quick release for her.
Monday fast has started. I need it after overindulging this weekend. 😉P

We are Fasting today: Curried Tomato Omelette with banana for breakfast. Fish Cakes for dinner, with 2 vegetable sides.

The man who was stricken at church was revived at the hospital, checked out, and discharged the same day. His wife must be SO relieved.

Still below my Target Weight – hope I can internalize the no-snacking behavior.
Have a great weekend, everyone.

P, I have not put up the tree this year. We will be away from 27th, so I would have had to have taken it down on Boxing Day. And it’s only for me – OH and son don’t care about it at all, whether it’s up or not! The few presents that will be distributed on this side of the Ditch are bought. The older grandchildren get money, and the younger ones won’t get theirs until after Christmas. 🙁 We are going to a neighbour for Christmas dinner, and all she asks of us is bubbly. That won’t be a problem – I counted eight bottles in the rack under the house!

You make such interesting meals, Fasting. Our breakfast today was bacon and eggs, cooked by each of us to suit our timing (since I have two meals a day, and OH has biscuits or toast! for lunch). Can’t help some people.

Two good FDs again this week, and hit a low after Thursday’s that I haven’t seen in a while, although have bounced back a bit this morning. Shows that the efforts are paying off, even in the midst of the celebration season. We are out for another dinner tonight, and a bbq next door tomorrow, so we shall see what the scales say on Monday!

Me too, Polly. If ate breakfast on a fast day, it would not be a fast day. I save all my calories for dinner.
We’ve had a few colossal thunder storms here today. Pretty typical of this time of year. All the gum trees drop their excess leaves and gumnuts now too (early summer, Fasting 😉😉), which is a pain for the swimming pool!! P

Pol, my sympathies re the mince pie. It’s probably a good thing that, having followed 5:2 more or less faithfully, we have to pay for anything too rich or too carby. In my case it often leads to an additional, non-scheduled fast day because I feel so rough.
Purple, I’m right with with you re breakfast, indeed I don’t eat breakfast, end of story. Suddenly, a years-long habit for which I was berated from all sides – parents, teachers, docs – has come in very useful. It’s great to save all the calories for dinner.
As for weather, we are about to head westward to visit my cousin and his lady in the Forest of Dean, with the threat of some very iffy weather – not quite as bad as a bit further north, though. Of course, I may be speaking too soon.

Polly, we are off on our annual jaunt to Australia to visit the children and grandchildren. The hint of ‘the Ditch’ didn’t give you a clue? Colloquial for the Tasman Sea 🙂 For the last couple of years we have been able to catch up with them all in Sydney, but our daughter has just moved to the Gold Coast (Queensland) with her new man, so we will have to split our visit between them, incorporating a gentle 850km drive north and probably staying a couple of nights en route. With luck we will catch up with P and Mr P while in Sydney.

Another glorious summer’s day here. I was astonished to hear that yesterday the North Island was struck by nearly 30,000 lightening strikes – it certainly didn’t happen here! Wellington is often the coldest place in the NI, but yesterday its microclimate worked in reverse. 🙂

Happy Winter solstice! Happy Summer Solstice!
Had some good Fasts this week — am now at my favorite weight, just in time for the Feasting.
Good weekend to you all.

Merry Christmas all!

I’ve been following posts but too caught up in Xmas jobs to reply until now.

So happy I have got rid of that extra kilo I didn’t want, simply by Changing food I was eating.

I’ve eaten the same foods for years since being on 5:2 so that extra kilo was a worry. I took a leaf out of purples book re Omni diet and day after FD didn’t eat any grains, fruit or dairy. That did the trick! Has worked for the past three weeks now. I’ve also Noticed any grains at all, even the healthy ones put the weight on me. So now I’m aware and if I choose to eat those foods I know what will happen and it’s an informed choice.

Hppy holidays everyone, enjoy times with family friends, food and wine – we’re not here for long and you can always fast another day!
😊

Thanks for everyone’s support, advice, stories, recipes and sharing. I appreciate immensely all your support and wish you all happy healthy 2019!

I’ve had the same, girls! In an effort to clear the freezer out before Christmas, I ate pizza yesterday. Home made. Wholemeal. Home made base. Result: shocking stomach ache! Grrr…
Finished off homemade mushroom rissotto and cheesy cauliflower tonight (with salad, Carol) ..both home made months ago (not the salad)…fingers crossed the smooth red wine settles the stomach! 😉😉
I was raised never to waste anything. Can cause problems. 🙄P

4:30 Christmas morning here. Santa will have been. The full moon is peeping through a crack in the curtains. Family members already sleeping in the spare bedroom. All set for a summer Christmas eatfest by the pool with mid to high 20s predicted. Perfect.
I too have popped up on the scales due to the unusual carb eating. Ah well. We maintenance folk can cope with that. 😉😉
Have a very happy and peaceful Christmas Day everyone. Thanks for the news and interesting chats over another successful fasting year. P 🎄🎄

It’s a dreary Christmas morning here, but the rain should clear later, and the temperature reach the low 20s. It’s good to know I will be leaving the garden well-watered. Santa’s been and gone, family astirs. Have a very happy Christmas, all my dear fasting and maintaining friends. 🙂

Good morning all friends across the world. Hope everyone enjoyed Christmas, as did we, although it was quieter than ever it seemed. Daughter was amazed that I have no chocolate in the house. She brought cake, OH had bought mince pies, but I ate neither. No taste for them now. Daughter ate the cake herself over the three days she was here, so I’m expecting her to put weight on – again!

OH is dodging the scales – again! We are going to a 90 th birthday lunch in a very posh restaurant at the end of January, so he’s going to have to buckle down and ensure that he can wear a suit. Why the hell he can’t see that daily weighing helps I don’t know.

Barata, we also had a grey, dreary Christmas Day here, although it wasn’t cold as you woukd expect. This time last year we had so much snow. Now we’re only just in single figures.

Pol. 🙋🏼

Happy and peaceful new year to all of you.
Just opened small gift number 7 from the ‘12 days, 12 gifts’ Christmas bag given me by a friend ( the one who knows my dietary habits, yet (so?) always buys cake at coffee time, cuts it in half and puts half on a plate in front of me.). She’s done this for 3 years now:12 beautifully wrapped gifts, really kind. Except that every single one, every single year, is a small bar or packet of something she knows I won’t eat – (even the small pack of nuts is honey roasted!§)
In previous years I’ve thanked her nicely for her kindness, while saying tactfully that it will all be eaten by other people – so first question of the new year: is it ungracious and ungrateful to wonder if this now counts as passive aggressive – or am I just being a Grinch?
Answers on a forum postcard, please…

Happy New Year, dear Fast! 🎆🎆🎇✨
As I have similar experiences, all I can suggest is that your “friend’s” behaviour is a reflection of the incredible lack of thought most people put in before they act. I have a dear, dear dil who is one of the few people I have ever met who agonises over everything she does, so that others will be happy. The dear girl tears herself apart over it. One extreme or the other!
Have a very happy 2019 and do as I do, find a charity to give the unsuitable presents to, or bin them. I cannot bring myself to encourage poor eating habits in others, so would rather throw them out. Not even the compost worms deserve to eat straight sugar 😉
Cheers P 🎆🎆🎇✨

Happy new year everyone! We are staying with friends down at the beach, bracing for the 41degrees coming later in the week! ☀️

FFS, I think that gift rates as sabotage! I’d be inclined to refuse it if it’s thesame next year – put it back on her. It’s not really a gift given in the spirit of giving is it?

Fasting your celebrations sound wonderful although I don’t know what most of them are but would love to be there! 🎄🎉

Right on, Pol! As we swung our Fire Balls last night [to gather up and destroy all the ‘bad vibes’ from 2018] one of the participants was listing all the awful things he wanted to go way. Guess which was #1?

Carolan, enjoy your 41 C. temperatures at the beach. Sounds like a lot of swimming to me!

Barata, we weren’t too cold last night, as it was raining [on top of 1″ of new snow]. Last year it was record-breaking cold, so we curtailed some of the activities. Hope you aren’t getting too hot!

PVE, I don’t think the compost worms would eat the sugary’ treats’ — would probably die. There’s a lesson!

Happy, healthy, lean New Year to all.

Finally lost the last bit of New Year’s Eve weight, which pleases me a lot.

PVE, if there were ducks to feed, I’d probably give them white bread, just to get rid of it. Chickens like bread too. And since both those types of fowl get to eat other foods, the simple carbs probably don’t hurt them.

Surely pastry based choices are a better option than risotto, Pol? You can leave the pastry. It’s very hard to not eat rice in risotto. P

I’m pleasantly surprised how much good veg food is available now Polly. I’m carnivorous, but usually choose veg (or fish) when out as they include more veg and are interesting. I will buy a pie, when pushed, and peel off the pastry. I never buy risotto.

Belated Happy New Year, Maintainers!

I’m afraid I’m officially a Gainer 😔 Christmas and NY were far too sociable, too many meals out (and in), and I got gifted a huge piece of Christmas cake by someone who themselves had far too much… OH doesn’t like it, so it was just down to 🐷🐷🐷 here to get rid of it 😊 Despite getting out for a good walk most days, the scales have not been kind.

I did one fast last week, but will have to make a concerted effort in the next couple of weeks to get rid of the 2 (!!) extra kg. I can’t believe I ate enough in 8 days to gain 2kg of fat, but the scales say otherwise. Luckily (?!) I’m really busy with work at the moment, so the days fly by without time to think about food.

FFS, I don’t suppose your ’12 days’ will last til next year, when you could regift it to your friend?!

Brilliant idea, Happy! Problems are, 1: she lives with a T2D sufferer who will eat them all without a second thought and I don’t want to be responsible for that (I know I wouldn’t be, but you know what I mean) and 2: whatever I say, I shall end up eating them before then if I don’t throw them out now – precisely her intention, I suspect! So out they go, however painful for a (just) postwar baby brought up to believe that waste – even of rubbish – is evil.

You have 2Kg, I Have 3lbs and a rediscovered sweet tooth. Let’s sort it now – we can do it!

Ladies, you’ve given me a laugh first thing in the morning, after a poor night’s sleep! Meals out are a problem if there’s a lovely desert on offer! Thankfully, my lack of appetite did work and I declined. Daughter was astonished at the lack of chocolate in the house – no Quality Street! I didn’t not trust myself.
I did go a lb over upper wriggle room, but did sort it with a couple of FDs.

I’m not surprised at the veg options, Happy. We fancy comfort food now. One of OH’s lovely soups woukd be good, but we woukd be tempted to have chunks of bread with it.

I’ve arranged to join a choir tonight, meeting one friend and taking another. Ironically, I’ve coughed all night and am sounding hoarse! Might be better now I’m vertical!