Thanks Clare. I must admit I didn’t read the original research, just the reporting of it in the media. It certainly seemed to contradict the immune system benefits reported elsewhere. Perhaps I should be asking who funded their research, or indeed who owns the media where the story was used to try and put people off 5:2!

mmmm black olives… I could live off them… purple stuff today.. beetroot, which coloured everyting else purple.. red onions (they’re really purple in my book..), purple broccoli.. which is really mostly green.. more a label than a reality.. black olives (of course) .. blackberries, and blueberries… and my fingers from chopping the beet..

HappyNow.. ah well.. I obviously ate too much marmite when I was kid!

Morning All.

Weight this morning is down to 59.5, which I find odd as I easily ate over my TDEE yesterday – on top of normal food, including macaroni cheese for tea, I had 1000 calorie bag of yoghurt coated nuts….once the bag was open I couldn’t stop!

So if ‘treats’ are just that (something on an occasional basis) then my body can cope. To be honest, I wouldn’t want to eat like that every day anyway (I felt a bit queasy well before I’d finished the bag, but persevered!)

OH is out late tonight, so the opportunity has arisen for a 6:1. It will be interesting to see, since my body now copes with occasional overeating, how it will cope with occasional undereating.

I know I can maintain on 16:8, and believe there will be health benefits from the regular 16hr fast, so why do 6:1? Because there might be extra benefits from the calorie restriction and, until there’s more evidence, I guess it will be an extra health insurance policy.

Happy fasting/maintaining.

Morning Sylvia,

You may have hit on something! I always ate my crusts. But for some reason still have straight hair…!

Is the end in sight with your packing yet?

Morning HappyNow, interesting that u didn’t gain after eating 1000 cals worth of yogurt coated nuts! My treat of choice is mixed nuts I buy pistachios, almonds, hazel nuts, walnuts, chashews, sunflower and pumpkin seeds mixed them altogether and eat either as a meal, snack or treat and, interestingly, although very high-calorie, I don’t seem to gain weight on them. Now if I only sniff bread, rice, pasta or sugar and eat only 100 cals worth I guarantee my weight will be up next day – so perhaps with some of us we can eat certain foods without gaining? Although some nutritionists argue that all calories are the same, and yet we know high calorie fat isn’t fattening when eaten alone (cheese, cream, butter, meat etc) if that’s all one eats ie Atkins, so therefore I’d argue that perhaps not all calories do react in the same way ie happily your 1000 cal yogurt coated nuts treat:-)))
Auriga, I love peanut butter and sometimes I will just eat a spoonful from the jar as a treat – cld never eat it on bread though, I’d gain 14lbs overnight. Same with cream crackers, I adore them, but guarantee my weight will go up after having consumed them:-(
I’ve just purchased a yogurt maker and will have some home-made goats yogurt later that I made yesterday. Am attempting a fast-day today but haven’t been very successful with them recently although most days do 16/8 – did a 22/8 on Monday so staying with the program (excluding the boozing):-) Have a good day everybody from an extremely hot Greece.

Hi Auriga

I posted a very long post on the LOACA thread because Boo persisted in asking me when and how I experimented with different food types. I hope I didn’t bore people.

I am totally convinced that not all calories are created equal.

I believe from personal and family experience (and from my reading) that sugar, wheat and processed foodstuff cause weight to go on. Conversely, eating only small portions of protein and green vegetables causes me and my family to lose weight.

I love nuts, avocado, olives, tomatoes, green vegetables, raw carrot and celery, and salmon. B 🙂

Hi MCs Been a busy grandparent but caught bits of the purple food talk. I love olives and Vegemite..the Aussie addiction!
Ate far too much at a function today. ..and drank…ah well. Tomorrow is another day.
Your list of top foods could well be mine Bay. I always go savoury. SO much more satisfying. I occasionally start eating sweet fatty foods and now just push them away. Just no appeal.
Warm and sunny in the day, but with the long dry,we are having very cold clear skies at night . Have a happy Weds my western Hemisphere mates. P

Hi Auriga, hope you had a nice day ‘off’ today?

I fasted today, first time in what seems like ages. It was probably nearer 600 cals than 500, but still restricted and sufficient to offset yesterday’s yoghurt nut binge!

My old weaknesses?
Fresh baked white bread…soft in the middle and crusty…still warm…with or without butter gently melting on it….
I also have a great pasta recipe… mascarpone and butter melted, with chopped pistacchios, chopped herbs (basil, chives, parsley, tarragon) and parmesan. I have no ‘full’ switch for it!

No cakes or sweets though interestingly, which has undoubtedly helped with weight loss!

Current weaknesses? Nuts! Alone, or in yoghurt or carob coating (not chocolate). Red wine!

Hi PVE. Easy for you to laugh! Now I’m paranoid that other people will be able to hear me creaking! Not quite the same as having a squeaky shoe….

Did you manage to wear the grandchildren out?

I don’t know about all the maintainers, but interesting that at least some of us actively prefer savoury foods instead of sweets now. Every now and then I do fancy something sweet, and I’m happy that it’s my body sending me a request rather than my brain trying to feed an addiction.

Well after yesterday’s fast, this morming sees a new low for me – 58.5. 1kg lighter than yesterday. Previously my day-after-fast weight has been my new weight, but I can’t believe I can have lost that much. I’ll keep you posted. If it is right then I’m going to have to try and gain it back.

And I’m absolutely certain that I have never before said I need to put weight on!

Hope my upside-down friends have enjoyed another glorious winter’s day; that Elaine isn’t bored of paradise; and that the sun is shining on you Auriga (and your boxes). And to all others wherever you are, happy maintaining….

Haha, Happy. Love your imagination. 🙂

Unlike the improvement in my BP meds, my eyesight is actually worse. I am wondering if I am doing too much screen time with tiny type. Going to back off the threads for a while and see. 🙂

Experimented this week with 4:3 to see what would happen. I weakened on my non fast day and had half an indulgent piece of flourless chocolate cake with double cream. Loved every mouthful, but it does put weight on me! So most likely will end the week weighing the same as I began.

Feeling very happy with the lovely tiled house and with my fitness levels. 🙂 B

Hi Bay,
I work on a computer daily and know that’s wrecking my eyes. Every time I have a week off work, by the end I can read a book/the newspaper/my smartphone text without my reading glasses. You’ve got to love the modern world….

Pleased to hear your refurb trauma is over and the results are worth it.

The cake sounds delicious! My brother gave us a couple of paleo diet books and there’s some flourless cake recipes I really must try. There’s a bit of a ‘thing’ in work for taking cakes in, and there’s a few people there who eat a LOT of cake. I wonder what their reaction to wheatfree would be? Would they not like it since it doesn’t feed the addiction?

Hehe Purple, totally agree. Don’t you love the maps that are drawn with South at the top? 🙂
Most people love flourless cakes, if you don’t mention it in advance. There are two staples around here. Flourless orange and almond cake with orange syrup, and flourless chocolate cake with ganache. Good luck with the cooking. B 🙂

PS. I think the addiction is to the sugar, and so long as the flavour is there, most people love flourless cakes. My niece has adapted many recipes to be wheat free.

Morning all, Auriga, my mum also used to cut out bread and potatoes, known as “starch” years ago, to lose a few pounds. I don’t remember there being a lot of pasta around when I was a child growing up in the 50s. I do remember being made to consume a teaspoonful of cod liver oil everyday. Our parents knew what was healthy without all the “expert” advice and diet gurus! My food nemesis is cheese and crackers, bread and potato crisps, I’ve got no likening for anything sweet at all.
Creaky bras indeed, HappyNow you do like to delight and amuse us with tales of your wayward pancakes! Well done with the fast, it’s eye opening how easily weight comes off with fasting, I keep attempting one, then life conspires to scupper me, I will attempt one today.
Strange about your eyesight Bay, I’ve read on WOACA that some people are reporting improved eyesight, not sure how old UR but eyesight does naturally deteriorate once we’ve each our 50s so the eyesight and fasting may be coincidental.
Have a lovely day everybody:-)

I use Systane Ultra for my dry eyes. It makes a huge difference to my vision. B

Had a good giggle at the bra sound effects…

Had a bit of a feast day yesterday… a long one at work.. so had my fav purple porridge.. (porridge with blackberries, raw choc nibs and some date syrup..) yummy and a lunch of raw carrots and celery with houmous followed by melon, blueberries and rasperries.. and a supper of chicken and lentils with purple broc and a treat of more berries with some creme fraiche and a blackforest cookie… so must have been a well over my TDEE day..

Successfully managed to eat under on Mon and Tues .. and only ate in the evening..

Today is not eating until after work day .. and also have done a good run.. up the track behind the house up a good hill.. feeling quite pleased .. as I am steadily increasing how far I can get up the hill and my “sprint” intervals.

I’m not sure whether I have a particularly sweet tooth but i do love cake.. all those flourless recipes sound interesting.. must look into them.. but am not a great baker .. I do my weekly rye sourdough loaf and that’s my baking for the week unless there is something particular to bake for.

Elainefriend.. re the codliver oil.. I started taking it a few years ago with additional vit D after breaking my wrist pretty badly (yes it was falling off the pony in my profile).. on advise of doctors .. and it made such a difference to my general health and well being I haven’t stopped. And yes I totally agree about cutting out the bread/potatoes/pastry/starchy foods is a good strategy.. before I discovered IF this is what I was doing and loosing weight on it.

Auriga I’ve only done one run this week.. 😉 Did a couple of Lunchtime stomps (walking) up hill behind work on Mon and Tues..

Wed wasn’t fast it was FEAST .. and yummy it was.. Of course you are welcome but it may be a bit of journey as am way up a glen in northern highlands 😉

Had Mushroom, spinach and feta omlette tonight..with salad.. also yummy and feel some berries and creme fraiche comming on.. mmm diference being I didn’t eat during the day at all.. tomorrow ..will see how I feel.. but think I will do another only eat in the evening day tomorrow.. Friday my routine supper is stir fry prawns..

I only do one or 2 runs a week now.. before I piled on the weight I used to run every day.. but am finding I don’t need to run everday to improve my fitness I think because I have a more or less daily fast exercise type routine.. step ups (50 on each leg) 50 star jumps, at the moment 35 lunges (I’ve decreased these from 50 as was feeling it in my knees so thought I would decrease and wait for my knees to build up their ligaments etc), and 20 – 35 press ups … the version from your knees .. again this is a bit dependent on my left arm / wrist that isn’t as strong as it was after my umm crash landing off the pony.. I’m also doing some yoga type stretches and pilates exercises for balance, core strenght and supleness..

I am on a bit of mission.. but ulitmately I am want to take the pony cross country and need to be pretty fit / balanced to do her justice..

Mmm, Auriga, think I might have to fight you for Iwi’s leftovers!

I’ve eaten well today, a lot from the garden and eggs courtesy of the ladies outside. Must admit I have been hungry following yesterday’s fast, but I’m in control now so we (my hunger and me!) ate when I said so!

Also been for a run, just 5K. I have a flattish half mile before I hit my hill. Like you Iwi, I’m finding I can run a bit further and a bit faster uphill before I have to stop, and the stops are fewer and shorter than they were. It doesn’t get easier though, as you just work harder the fitter you get…

Anyway, hope the up overs have had a good day, and the down unders have got a good day to look forward to. (We’ll miss you Bay! Rest your eyes and come back soon!)

G’night Sylvia x