I reported the previous one.

How are you doing, Herm?

Thanks, Purple. Not posting regularly means I’ve lost the plot, so your advice – which I followed – came in handy.
Weatherwise it could be worse here. It does rain, but not for lone; snow without settling; blow the odd gale which dies down quite fast; all interspersed with sunshine.

Ours is similarly erratic, Herm . A very wet summer, interspersed with sunshine. A little hail, but no snow, thank goodness. 🙂🙂

Excellent work Mr Data
You seem to be the only one who hasn’t crept up. 😏
Good luck with the sinusitis. I’ve had problems all year since the terrible smoke from the bushfires in Jan 2020. It’s hard to convince sinuses that they really don’t need to overreact!
All the best for 2021. Purple Vegie Eater

Mr Data, tracking BMI instead of weight is really a more sensible way to keep track, less emotional.

Ive been doing this for so long now IF has almost become the norm rather than the weird thing it was when I started. I’m doing fine also. I’ve now gone to low carb along with 16:8 and I’m finding that weight is stabilized with that, rather than the yo-yo effect when I was eating so many carbs.

Pleased to hear you’re ok Purple, Hermaj , Polly. It’s still a wild crazy time across the world. Thankfully we’re all still here maintaining 😊

First time back in months, and had to report a sales pitch! How is everyone? Miss us all…

Absolutely awful! I posted that OH had had a wake-up call. We did well for a couple of weeks, but this week and yesterday in particular has unlined it all.

Yesterday was my birthday and the first chance for my sister to visit since the summer. We prepared far too much food, with bread for cheeses. Then to cap it all, my lovely neighbour ordered a box of ‘artisan cheeses’ for us both, as she missed his birthday. The fridge is now groaning with food, most of which won’t do us much good. I can’t eat cheese without bread

5 year anniversary on Monday. 😲

How are you all?

Hi! I’m still here 😊
My 7 year anniversary 25/4. Pretty amazing really. Still doing 16:8 and low carb but not over the top about low carb. Maintaining weight. Some days I feel like stating ‘stuff it’ but I get over it. I’m finding this whole damm virus thing quite depressing now. No idea when we will see our youngest son and his family again. But, we’re healthy and very unaffected here in SA, managing to catch up with son and family in Brisbane so can’t complain. PS I’ve been locked out, seems to happen a lot for some reason.
Pleased to hear you’re going okay FFS, Polly and Purple 😊

Hi All – what a long silence! I’ve assumed we were all as ok as was possible in the circumstances, or otherwise preoccupied, but it’s good to hear from people again.
We have been ok in lockdown – OH is temperamentally perfectly suited to it, and will have to be coaxed out after our second vaccinations next Tuesday. We fell foul of the virus back in November, as did our daughter, who doesn’t live with us but is bubbled with us. I think she and I picked it up in the same place, and then I passed it to OH before I realised I was infectious. We both had a fairly torrid 10 days; he then recovered completely, and I’ve taken a bit longer- still get the occasional ‘non-day’ when I’m ziltched , and have been left with bad arthritis in my hands. We lost 8lbs each: I’ve regained about 3lbs of mine, while OH has regained it all, and more – due, I suspect, to the urge to mainline carbs it seems to leave in its wake. Contrary to stereotype, DD was much more badly affected – spent a week in hospital on oxygen and has only just returned to working full time. Very scary indeed, and not to be recommended to a friend – or even an enemy.
Other than that, we’re fine – looking forward to properly getting to know our great grandson, who will be a year old tomorrow, and whom we’ve seen briefly twice, but not yet held (his dad has been shielding) and seeing friends without compulsory walking, however enjoyable that is. My weight is unchanged from this time last year, which is surprising; OH’s, we don’t talk about! I have a distressing familiarity with zoom – but the plus side is that I’ve done some brilliant short courses which I’d never have been able to afford, or travel to, in real life, and discovered that I love ballet barre and boxercise – neither of which I’d have had the confidence to try in a real class. So, we have been very fortunate, and are very aware that we’ve had it much, much easier than many.
Good to be back in touch. Virtual hugs to all, as we begin to emerge..

Thanks, Carol. How have you been?

Of FFS, how terrible! I’m so pleased you all seem to be coming out the other end. It certainly seems a nasty, fickle virus.
As Carol says, we in Aus have been relatively unscathed, but have been through a lonely time cut off from the world and even other states. Our vaccination roll out is moving exceptionally slowly. Until it happens, many people are out of work, or hanging on grimly for the borders to open.
I personally only know of 2 friends who had COVID, and both were in the UK.
Like your OH, Mr P is very well suited to lockdown and isolation, so, other than mask wearing, he is relatively unaffected. I’m more the social butterfly and hungered for hugs with family. We haven’t seen over half our grandchildren since early 2020, so Zoom skills here have been honed also.
I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity of humans for social contact. The very reason the virus spreads so easily is what we all ache for. We are definitely social beings.
Treasure what you all have. P 💓

Congratulations on the anniversary, P, and to both of you on your improved health and changes in BMI. I’m really sorry you’re feeling so down – but please don’t be too hard on yourself. Things fluctuate, it does get much harder as we get older (the waistline changes, even if the weight doesn’t) – and the stress of the last year will have played havoc with cortisol levels, sleep quality etc. And it’s not all about weight – as you say, you’re eating more healthily, you’ve done wonders in helping and encouraging mr p – and the rest of us, when we’ve needed it. Now it’s time to be kind to your body, remembering that to undernourish it is as cruel as to overstuff it – but stay with us, lease! We’d miss you if you went! Hugs x

How about a tweak to target, rather than a sad departure? You say your BMI is at the top end of normal – but normal is exactly what you dreamed of when you started! Keeping it at a perfectly good ‘normal’ counts as maintenance, in my book! X

Ooh, P, Both if us with an anniversary this week. I remember telling my husband about your’s and his success coming off diabetes meds. He was impressed, but didn’t make it, although dosage was lowered. When he eventually has a face to face consultation the doctor, or practice nurse, will be putting things up again.

I’ve had the same fasting experience as you. Three days on no carbs at all, no alcohol, but no weight loss. I will have to stick to a 5:2 pattern, though to keep himself in line and hopefully lose the 2st + he’s gained.

Like you I’m wondering whether to set my target a little higher. I originally aimed for 21lbs, but lost 28. Like you, I’m wary about up-creep. ( new term).

When I started IF you were one of the kind supporters and advisers. You know you can do things and that silly aspects of our bodies, like transition, can make our efforts seem futile. Then things seem to click. .

.
Listen to auntie Fast and auntie Polly. You’re a good ‘un.
Take care.

Purple, I understand where you’re coming from. I’m also aware of a very very slow but still upward creep. I think FFS is right, COVID has to have some Impact, even if it’s just on our motivation. But just like you I’m not going to restrict myself anymore than I have been. We’re only here once! Maybe we need to form a new group – upper limit maintainers 😂. Don’t know if you got the Anzac holiday or not like we did but have a nice weekend.

Well that’s right, no other choice but to keep trying 😒. We’ve had beautiful weather also 🌞

Great to hear from you Herm. Which vacc did you have? Sounds like a powerful reaction. 😒
I can just imagine you in overalls, wellies (gum boots here) and a big hat, manning a spade in the compost! What an image!
The autumn blooms here (camelias and lassiandras) have been a joy this year.
We are on a road trip, travelling through the high country with the absolutely stunning autumn colours glorious in the late afternoon sun. The flooding rains last month have left the countryside bright green and the creeks full of fallen and washed down trees.
It is an amazing world. P

Sometimes, Happy, travelling by yourself allows you to strike up conversations and meet some amazing people, have some unusual experiences, that you might not have when in a little closed group. You’ll get there.
Good work on the weight front! P

Greetings, all. Good to hear you are all still surviving, albeit at different rates of success.

We are just back from a week’s break in the lower South Island, small group guided tour, great scenery and good crowd. So appreciate being able to mix and mingle without restrictions. There are a couple of kgs to be removed from both of us, but I am giving it a week before I take more serious action. Back to 20 degrees and glorious autumn sunshine. Cold nights, though. Must rake the lawn again!

As I have previously mentioned, my weight started to go up again after plateauing at a level never seen since early teenage years with the benefit of finding 5:2. Nothing I could do to stop the increase – 5:2, low carbs, two meals a day… So depressing. That’s why I have moved on to DDF, which is working well. OH continues to follow 5:2, no weight loss these days but apart from Mondays and Thursdays he doesn’t make any effort to restrict himself! 🙁 My BMI sits at 21-22, so I’m pretty happy with where I am, eating twice a day, avoiding bread (mostly) and most carbs.

Our region has moved to allow over 50s to get the vaccination, so I will make contact to arrange the first jab. OH had his ‘flu protection yesterday, so will need to wait a little longer. Northland has a lot of poverty and deprivation, and vaccination rates are low here, hence the early lowering of the age limit. The whole country is using the Pfizer brand.

Cheers, B.

Polly, we have not had the urgency to vaccine the population as we are pretty well Covid-free. But no, I’m not fasting now, that’s my OH. DDF is Data Driven Fasting. Look up the FB page for this. It’s using personal blood sugar readings to determine eating times.

We have benefitted from being a small isolated country, but yes, we have done well! We will be finished vaccinating all who wish to be by the end of the year.

We had the Pfizer as well, Herm. No side effects whatsoever other than a sore arm for that day.
Our gardening problem is that a large part of it is out of easy sight, so out of mind, then out of control. This morning I’ve just been asking a 93 year old neighbour for advice! She rang requesting husband’s help to retune her television – a regular occurrence.

We put down wild flower seeds years ago. Unfortunately, the pretty ones did not survive. But we are plagued with lords and ladies, nettles in corners and damn cleavers, all of which I hate. I like daisies and buttercups, love yellow Welsh poppies.

Polly, you might be interested in this:

http://www.intermittentfastingstories.com/episode145martykendall

I find Gin Stephens is a good source of info too, but Marty’s the man!

Thanks Hermaj,

I’ve travelled alone for work purposes so I’m not sure why doing it personally (I won’t say socially/ socially!) should be a big deal, except that I won’t have the ‘comfort blanket’ of a (bad) relationship to come home to!

And not forgetting that I’ve now reached the age, according to the media, where I am invisible in society… so I can look forward to slipping silently around the country, largely unnoticed 🤣

Invisibility has so many advantages, Happy – observing unobserved and earwigging without discovery are great , and I find I now happily walk alone at times and in places where I might previously have felt nervous. Enjoy your trip to the full, make the most of the ability to make your own choices without all the usual compromises.. No comfort blanket needed, other than your own courage, which you’ve already shown you have! I wish you joy