It’s not for long Iona.
I have made chocolate truffles and coconut ice, for gifts. I have eaten the coconut ice that couldn’t fit in the jar but if they’re in the jar then they are safe until Christmas morning when I pop them in gift bags.
I may fast tomorrow and Christmas Eve, by skipping breakfast or I may not. I shall see how I feel when I wake up.
Day 22 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – FD
@excelsior12309 – I’ve heard that too, that many of these neurological conditions run in families. Looking back, I think my mother’s brother was autistic, & definitely my cousin.
@missybear – that Christmas with just your two cats sounds blissful. Maybe next year I can swing it so it’s just me & Boo Boo. It’ll never be two cats though, cos she’s never met another cat she didn’t loathe 😼 I’m not sure how I’d feel about your potential buyers re-appearing; & with a lower offer?! Very irritating. If I wasn’t in a hurry to sell I think I’d be tempted to tell them the price has actually gone up, or at least refuse to lower it! If they really want it, they’ll pay what you’re asking.
@ccco – I’m pretty sure gluten isn’t a preservative. It occurs naturally in most grains – it’s what makes bread chewy – & can be added to other food to add texture & flavour. I hope all goes well with your MRI! 🙏
@molij – I loved the Instagram video 😂 You really shouldn’t feel like you let down your daughter. How could you have known? Even now there’s still not much known about it. And every person is unique. Unless it’s very severe, you can talk to three different psychologists & get three different opinions. Some people get diagnosed in their 70’s or older, if ever. The older we get, the better we get at ‘masking’. I saw on the news about the huge number of hospital admissions due to flu, Covid etc this year in the UK. I think they said it’s close to 4 times the number from last year.
@stitchincarol – good to hear you sorted out your sister’s meds! It sounds like she’ll be keeping you on your toes this week. I must admit those thoughts go through my mind too, whenever I see a very overweight person struggling with mobility. I recently had to get an Uber, & the driver, who wasn’t even old, was enormous! How he even squeezed himself into that little car is a mystery. His belly was squashed up against the steering wheel too.
Leaving for the vet’s just now, with my line-dancing teacher + Popsie the cat (Boo Boo’s nemesis) I’m amazed she found a vet’s open on a Sunday morning, but it’s only 9 – 10 am. Marie has problems lifting the carrier in & out of the car, so I offered to go with her. He cat seems to be losing control of her bladder, so we’re hoping they can do something.🤞🤞
Happy S☀️nday!
Pocket List – Day 22 🥚
@at FD800
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia
Merry Christmas to everybody and all the dogs as well. Chloe off her food today not had anything. It was late yesterday when she did have food. Maybe she’s fed up of the same thing each day. It worries me when she dosent eat but all dogs do it at sometime. Might buy a small chicken for her for Christmas.
Day 21 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD
I’m here! I woke up a bit early and decided to be ambitious, so got out of bed at 6:55 and was walking out the front door on the way to church (it’s only a block) at 7:02. My plan was to practice for about three hours, but I ended up working until noon, then went back for another hour later this afternoon. I’m not done practicing, but I’m close, so I feel good about the music I’m playing this year.
My sister was able to get ahold of her doctor in California who agreed to phone in a 12-day prescription, so it ended up easy to get it; it’s for her thyroid, so truly important. The next challenge is considering how she’s going to get to church: going up and down our steps (four of them, outside at the front of the house, inside at the back of the house, but four of them) is a major undertaking for her. I haven’t asked her yet what seems reasonable. DH and I simply walk over. Apparently other pastors and their family have driven (insert HUGE eyeroll here), so I suppose I could back the car out of the garage and then give her the key to drive the rest of the way (get the idea I’m not willing to let her back out of the garage?? 🤣🤣🤣) an hour after we’ve already walked over. Or maybe I’ll have time to come pick her up. Perhaps that’s the solution, and I’ll simply MAKE time to do that. In the planning process for her visit, I never once contemplated the challenges she’d be facing in our house. Next challenge is to find a shower stool without having to pay $50, LOL!
I will say that, given many of her physical challenges are centered around how over-weight she is, and what lousy choices she’s made over the years, every time I was tempted to eat something yesterday, I’d see my sister, and think, “Nope, I’m choosing to make excellent choices for my body.” LOL, a very negative approach, and I would certainly never say anything to her that even hints of that attitude, but it certainly helps to remind myself where I could be if I gave in to all the choices that tempt me.
I hope no one’s feeling I’m sharing too much rather personal details or being too harsh about my sister. It truly helps me to articulate what I’m feeling, and I have a lifetime of a complicated relationship with this sister, so there are LOTS of feelings, LOL!
And with that, it’s time to go cook supper; the feeding continues!
Have a grand one, all you dear friends, and especially those we haven’t heard from in awhile!
USA. Day 21
MollJ, I watched your instagram and found it very entertaining, along with some truth. Maybe I should stop punishing myself for my Christmas mishaps and I would be doing myself a big favor!
I had doctor’s appointment today and was worried about the Christmas traffic. I was surprised! The traffic was not at the shops but rather at the grocery stores! LOL. I bought most of my food but there are a couple of things I don’t yet have, such as dessert and some more milk! If the grocery store traffic is bad on Monday and Tuesday, I only have a couple of things I need, so I can walk!
Glad things are going in the right direction for you Annette. I’m struggling to stay well behaved when it comes to meal times now. Lots of festive food in the house, but like you I’m not going to fret and get back to it after the holidays.
Well there has been a Christmas Miracle. The scales refuse to budge but I have reclaimed that half an inch off my waist and most excitingly, have shrunk half an inch off the bust.
I am thrilled as I have been learning to sew clothes and had made 2 shirts for me that should have fitted. They didn’t, no where near and have been hung up until they did and then I could think about making button holes. I can now think about making button holes.
My Christmas plan is to join in and have fun, eat what I like and then start again after the festive season is over. Its only 2 days and I am looking forward to having some of the family together, however briefly.
Evening …
A very dark day.. as Dave says on the change soon.. I hate it so dark.
I have had a few long days just feeling it at the moment, struggling to read. Might try some pod casts tomorrow.
Hedgehog..
It’s a good job you can help your mum I would struggle very much on my own when older. I quite fancy Welsh cakes they were making them on to last week they look easy.
Hemmy..
Have a lovely time with Kirsty hope she is feeling better now. 1 lb up is good I am 2lb up.. I am happy at that…
Have a lovely Happy Birthday and a restful time.
Merry Christmas to everyone and I appreciate all your kindness and support to me too over the last year.
Love and take care..
Jean x
And a merry Christmas to you too Hemmy, and a happy birthday on Tuesday 🎂 Salmon & prawns sound lovely…
Wet here too, not too cold though. Saw our neighbour for a cuppa & Welsh cakes, felt too polite to decline! So no keto today, but only one day..cut hubby’s hair, & saw Mum, she’s quite confused about being overdrawn, went through it all again, she’s more cheerful at least though & we played a game so felt a bit more normal!
Day 21 North Wales NFD
Trying to be good but I am not going to beat myself up. This is a special time of year for family gatherings. This made me smile
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDpa_ZwIHvo/?igsh=MWh0NTcyaXdjNHJvMA==
I am cold smoking 2 sides of salmon today. I love smoked salmon.
@jaifaim sounds like you are going to have a lovely Christmas and new year with all of your family.
@missybear fantastic news about your house. Hope you manage to decide how to respond. They obviously like the house. I don’t think the market here is too bad. We live 5 near Caernarfon, Bangor and the A55. So the house is in a position to be able to get to various places quite quickly. 2 houses close by sold within a few months a third is still for sale 18 months later. I think it will sell if the right person comes to view. Hope your hangover doesn’t give you the munchies.
@stitchincarol thank you for the recipe. The cookies sound delicious. Hope you managed to sort out your sisters meds
@funshipfreddie I resonated with the description of your feelings about being on the spectrum. My two eldest grandchildren are neurodivergent and it is almost certain my eldest daughter is too. I feel very sad that I didn’t know when she was growing up so I could have helped her more. I feel like I have let her down. Knowing what I know now explains a lot.
@iona72 glad you had a lovely Christmas Party.
@excelsior12309 we have a lot of flu cases in our hospitals too. I too have the flu vaccine every year and Covid too.
Have a good day everyone x
USA. Day 21
Nope, FUNSHIPFREDDIE, my kitchen was closed and then reopened!!!🤪 I decided I “needed” a couple of glasses of Chardonnay after a long day, so today is yet another reset! Ugh!
Thank you, MissBear! I gave them all orders that no one is allowed to get sick! That’s my last opportunity for 2024!
NorthGeorgia, I understand perfectly! I seem to be there, too!
Excelsior12309, that seems to be the problem with my family, no matter age or where they live. Everyone seems to have the flu despite having gotten the flu shot! It’s been rough up here in Baltimore and New York!
Jaifaim, it’s nice to see that you are doing a pre-Christmas for your older family. They aren’t going to be around forever. Mine are all gone now and I miss them. Now, I am the older family member!
FUNSHIPFREDDIE and Jaifaim, my daughter has Celiac disease and it is a real issue trying to ensure that I have gluten free food for her when I make holiday dinners. I read that there is something like 32% more gluten in food today than there was i the 1990s. The only thing I can think of is that it is used as a preservative because I don’t see what else it could be good for. If my daughter eat food gluten, she gets pretty sick! 🙁 Her doctor said that people who don’t have Celiac disease will not see any benefits from not eating gluten. I don’t know. I am trying the eat clean (I think that is the right term!), so not eating gluten or any of the other additives in food works for me.
MissyBear, I understand your headache! In that situation, I probably would have one, too. I am sure you will come up with the best decision for your circumstances.
I am ending my year with another MRI for my brain. I expect it to go well. I am trying to clean the slate of everything, so I can enjoy a better 2025! To that end, I will again try to appropriately close my kitchen but this time at 530 calories. My fingers are crossed!
I hope you all are having a wonderful day! 👍🏻
Good afternoon everyone. Xxxx
Absolutely pouring of rain here and very chilly.
Ended the week at 1 pound up on best weight so not too bad .. Start again next year.
Just waiting for Kristy now.. then Christmas countdown can begin.. .. Salmon and prawns this evening mince pies and some wine. lol
Enjoy your Christmas everyone.. Thank you for your company this past year on our weight loss journeys together .Xx Take care and Merry Christmas especially to… Chloe Charlie ..Xena and Pip. . Xxxx
Day 21 – USA/GA – NFD
Weigh-in: 236 lbs. Yuck. Well, got to expect nonsense over this holiday period. I’ll work better at keeping things under control on NFDs.
I’m having waggy burger tonight for tea. Shortest day today so it gets lighter each day after today.A nice thought , don’t like it being dark so early.Chloe keeps pinching our woolly hats😁. Soon be Christmas.
Day 21 Wales 🏴 NFD
I need to remember my body no longer handles alcohol as well as it used to, I’ve got a terrible hangover this morning thanks to half a bottle of red and a large cognac. Yesterday presented a dilemma regarding the house. We made the decision to take it off the market for the winter and had even started to think about maybe staying here for a year or two more, waiting for the market to pick up. I was looking forward to just not thinking about moving for a while, the stress of it was getting me down. Then out of the blue we got a call from the agent, the people who withdrew their offer in the summer have made another offer, lower owing to the state of the market. And now we have to decide how to respond……hence the headache this morning which really isn’t helping me to think clearly!
@molij you seem very organised in your planning and packing in anticipation of your move 👍 What is the market like in North Wales? In Pembrokeshire the market has been flooded with second homes since the local authority tripled council tax in April.
@stitchincarol it sounds like you’re going to be kept busy with your sister, hope you’ve managed to get her medication.
@merry🍎 reading about your eventful Friday made me feel better, like I wasn’t alone in having a stressful day 😉
@ccco really hoping everyone is healthy and able to travel to your Christmas Day celebration.
@funshipfreddie I enjoy company but sometimes I just need to be alone. One Christmas when I was single I chose to spend the entire Christmas holiday with just my two cats for company and I really enjoyed it.
@jaifaim safe journey.
Hope all is well with people we haven’t heard from in a while 🤗
Happy Solstice everyone.
Day 21-No. VA USA-FD
Well made it through another week at work! We are seeing lots of “walking” pneumonia in young kids this year, and now Mr. Influenza A has arrived. (Just in time for Christmas!). Decades ago, before I went to med. school, I had influenza and lost four days of my life just laying in bed, and after that, I always got the flu vaccine, no matter what. You can dodge that virus like bullets on a battlefield, but one day…and then you will be very sad!
@stitchincarol, your date swirls sound delicious and delightfully old-fashioned. I am intrigued and perplexed by recipes I see online for Christmas cookies with matcha green tea or turmeric or chilis, which I feel are added for peculiar reasons but not necessarily because they are cookies from countries where these flavors originate…It does not appeal much to me. (not because I dislike those flavors, in “proper” context.)
@jaifaim, I agree that at a certain point in life, you are able to say, “Not for me, or not now, or no thank you” without the guilt that used to attach in younger years.
@funshipfreddie, I have had many situations over the years in my practice of parents of children with developmental issues, who realize that they (the parents) have a variant of the same condition. Attention deficit disorder comes to mind, as very common. Often there is a massive sense of relief when the parent realizes the reason they struggled so in school, or socially, or on the job, or wherever, has a (medical) explanation, and they were not “slow” or “crazy” or whatever label they got over the years.
I have a relative who had years of odd, subtle symptoms of fatigue, headaches, acid reflux, etc who finally had a medical diagnosis at the age of 20 and left the physicians office saying, “At last, I find out I am NOT a crazy hypochondriac!”.
@ccco, hope your water fast went well. I am not usually good with those.
@merryapple, I guess we often do have pasta at Christmas Eve, but more a traditional ham or such on Christmas Day. My husband’s family used to have a combination of Polish and Italian foods at the holiday since his mom was Polish and his dad Italian. But sometimes we have Chinese on Christmas Eve, which is something of a Jewish tradition in parts of the US!!!
Happy pre-Christmas to all!
Day 21 – Ireland – NFD 🚫 ✅ 🚶🏽♀️ 🌾
155.6⬆️ 🤭
Hi all travelling early so will check in again later… great CD yesterday… body doing what it does best.. confusing me. 🤔
Pre Christmas weekend calling to older relatives today so will be a long full day 💓 💓
Onward and downward ⬇️
We rise by lifting others 💕
Day 21 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD
@jaifaim – yes, it is good to be able to share with virtual friends. And it was like a lot of light bulbs going off! I went through a lot of different emotions in a short space of time. I felt quite euphoric for a couple of days after the epiphany. Then I felt sad for a while, wishing I’d found out years ago. And wondering if my parents had known too, but I’ll never be able to ask them. But I’m okay with it now. And I can imagine the attitudes you get to your gluten-free diet. It’s similar to what we experience with people’s reaction to fasting, I imagine. And although celiac disease affects only a small percentage of the population, it’s surprising how many people claim to feel better or resolve digestion issues when going gluten-free, or even when they adopt a low-carb diet.
@stitchincarol – thank you! You always say the right thing 🤗 And although I’ve never tried a WF, I love the feeling after a good FD too. The sense of accomplishment never gets old. I hope you managed to get your sister’s meds sorted out?! I’ve experienced a couple of my neighbours having those ‘forgetful’ moments since I arrived at this retirement complex, & you just hope that’s all it is. One of my friends here says his neighbour, who only arrived a few months ago, calls round regularly & accuses him of stealing her keys! He was quite alarmed at first, but now he laughs it off & tells her, ‘okay Shirley, if you find them you can take them’. It’s sad though. She’s alone & both her children live overseas. Although our frail care centre staff are qualified to care for people with cognitive decline, & she’ll probably need to move there eventually.
@ccco – I hope your kitchen remained closed! 480 cals sounds like a perfect FD 🎯
@merryapple – what a day you had?! You were so lucky to get your car fixed at a moment’s notice. According to an Australian study from about 18 months ago, South Africa has the worst drivers in the world! Well, last out of the 20 countries in the study anyway. That didn’t surprise me. The UK was ranked the safest. New Zealand was # 13 & the USA # 15. https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/696655/south-africa-is-home-to-the-most-dangerous-drivers-in-the-world-heres-how-we-compare/
@iona72 – I guess I’m ready for Christmas, but I’m not feeling ready, if that makes any sense? I wish I could wind the clock back six months, because this year is a blur. I’m supposed to take my cat to the cattery tomorrow, but now I think I’ll take her on Monday & put off my trip til Tuesday. I could quite happily stay here with her for the holidays, but I don’t want to be labelled a Grinch 😏 Roll on next Saturday when I can collect her.
Have a good weekend everyone ⛅️ 🌈 🏹
Morning all from a sunny and suprisingly not hot Saturday. All going well here. Just the usual Christmas stuff – mostly cleaning because the family comes to us at Christmas. The little girls and I made Christmas icecream yesterday (a family tradition which involves nothing more than chopping a box of Family Favourites into a tub of good icecream, and refreezing). Definitely not part of the program.
I’ve been banned from cooking meat this year – apparently I get too distracted when I have to cook on Christmas morning. Suits me. I’ll do the puddings (pavlova, the icecream, an egg custard and plum pudding) and DD and DS can do the rest.
Cinque my chilli bushes have gone bananas (figuratively, of course) so I used a whole bowl of them to make chilli jam, using a Nigella Lawson recipe.
Unfortunately I didn’t get the capsicums at $2.99 a kilo 🙁
Ah, you and I are the only two women left in the world who like ironing. And why not? The joy of pillow slips neatly folded, alongside the teatowels and the occasional tablecloth.
My goodness Gday …such temperatures. I hope you get some respite soon.
Coming late to the discussion about obesity being normalised. I agree with you Thin that as a major health hazard, making it acceptable is never going to lead to change. But oh, I do also agree with Cinque and Gday’s perspectives. How can people make good choices when they’ve never known anything else? And fat people being loaded with guilt and self-hatred is surely not the best way forward? I strayed over to commercial television yesterday and saw a new product being advertised – if I remember correctly, it was a ‘new’ snack food…a combination of crisps and popcorn, with a suitably appealing name and advertising to match. People like us will never buy it – but people who’ve been brought up with junk food over generations will – and that’s the demograpic the food manufacturers and advertisers go for.
I saw on FB a little while ago pictures of people at the beach in Brighton in the 70s, and another of people at the beach in the 2020s. In the first pic, hardly a fat person in sight, if at all. In the second, there was hardly a person of normal weight. Not coincidental, that as Gday identified, the 70s were the start of UP.
I have a full day of activities planned – starting with finishing wrapping Christmas presents, hanging out the washing (I finally caved and bought a clothes dryer earlier in the week, after days and days of pouring rain, and the sun has been shining since), and whipper snipping the fence lines and around the pool before OH mows. Our gardener, at 56, had a stroke, which is very sad. Very high blood pressure, apparently, which his mother told me he wouldn’t take medication for. So now it’s OH’s challenge. I did buy him a Ryobi mower, which is light and easy for him to do our rather large garden in stages. I also bought a Ryobi whipper snipper which is turning into my job.
Neil I hope you are feeling better.
Anzac what an amazing holiday you are having – looking forward to the next instalment.
Thin did I read you are sitting a Vizsla? A lovely breed of gundog. My girls love them, because they come in front of us in the best in group lineup (Hungarian Vizslas, Irish Setters).
Take care all.
Day 20 NE England NFD
Wow I have a lot to catch up on, should get time for that tomorrow.
Christmas party was great, we are lucky to have such a great group of friends ❤️
Hope everyone is doing ok and feeling ready for Christmas.
I am certainly ready for the days to start getting longer and to see some sunshine.
More tomorrow hopefully 🤞
Best wishes Neil, balancing your health recovery, family feasts and hopefully some bike rides too!
Gday, I don’t need to send you any of my chilies then 😀 😉
I went to the veg shop and lovely big red capsicums were $2.99 a kilo, down from 6.99 a kilo so now I have a lovely lot of roasted red capsicum in the fridge. (The juice from them might be my favourite flavour ever)
P.S. to my last post re those summer clothes: lucky I don’t mind ironing
And big call out to Cali who I am hoping can write soon.
That’s such a tough spot! When I was in the same boat, I found that planning ahead and breaking assignments into small tasks helped. Also, for particularly challenging ones, I used https://www.nursingpaper.com/nursing-homework/ They handled the more technical parts of my assignments, which gave me time to focus on studying for exams. One thing I noticed is that outsourcing one or two tasks occasionally doesn’t just save time but reduces stress a lot. Are there specific types of homework that take you the longest to finish, like care plans or research papers?
USA. Day 20
My WFD ended up a FD instead. Today I am doinga 22/2, not eating for two hours instead. So far that is working out. I guess the holidays are a bit much right now for me and I just wind up either stress eating or holiday eating! 🙁 Maybe I better leave the WFDs until January when everything winds down. There is always too much drama in my family.
I did have a wonderful morning at my flower arranging class. I have been doing these for a number of years and I have learned a lot. Today’s creation were flowers arranged in a sleigh!This is a great addition to my Christmas decor! I am gad that is the only time I had to go out today. The weather is miserable,sometimes snowing but mostly raining. I hope there is an improvement for Christmas day because I am cooking and want to be sure everyone can make it. I wanted to do two more Christmas events but for one, all my guests were sick, so I had to cancel. For the other, it hasn’t happened yet but I made it perfectly clear that no one is allowed to be sick! These would be out of town relatives that I rarely get to see! Then on to the new year, which I am hoping will be better than 2024 with no more medical emergencies! 👍🏻
Now, I have eaten 480 calories and have closed the kitchen. The trick here is that I don’t reopen it for the rest of the day! 🤨
A lot of traffic out there today!! Everyone must be hurrying around getting everything ready for Christmas Day, plus school is out on break! I don’t like to be on the road when it is like that but hope everyone manages to remain safe!👍🏻
Have a great weekend! 🧑🏻🎄
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Day 21 NZ NFD 🚴69.3kg
Fridays… an old friend was in town and invited me to a large lunch at a smart restaurant… the indicator stick on the Mini gave up the ghost leaving the lights on full. It was an urgent repair on the last working day of the year… I bought the likely lads beer because they squeezed me in… Then I was the #3 car turning out of my street on a green light. Despite two lanes of cars stopped at the intersection, a guy in the turning lane planted foot and ran a red light. He very nearly collected me broadside. I screamed…. Me???. Can’t remember last time that happened!!😬 I went to visit a friend for a drink and she had had a day like this too. Her son slammed his middle finger in the car door and broke the bone. She was looking after her baby granddaughter and had put her to bed in the kids room. Ruby started to cry and when Michèle turned the door handle to open the door, the middle stalk fell out of it on the baby’s side. There were no open windows and the baby was screaming by this time… Another son happened to turn up and saved the day… It could have been a rerun of Friday 13th…
I’m off to meet friends on my bike this morning at 9am so have to get going… Have a lovely Saturday!!
Afternoon!
Dave- poor Denise, probably doesn’t help her back on the sofa every night…hubby doesn’t like turkey so always do him chicken.
Jean- good you’ve got your other eye booked in, will be nice to get through that & get it all over with! Hope you keep clear of bugs- it was at our Church carol service our neighbour caught covid last year…
Hemmy- hope you have a nice few days with Kristy!
Nana- are you having a takeaway tonight?
Have cleaned the kitchen & the oven, the bathroom & cloakroom, & delivered a couple of the cakes today, very busy! Mum was much happier, she’d had a nice Christmas party yesterday & was full of that. Unfortunately has managed to go overdrawn with one of her accounts but wasn’t bothered!
Easy dinner tonight, I’ve done enough!
Yes toilet is downstairs fortunately. Got loads of batteries so will definitely last over Christmas.Now Jean as declared Christmas I can relax a bit. Won’t be losing any weight till the new year.Nobody having turkey for Christmas.Unheard of years ago. It’s not my favourite turkey it’s ok but no more than that. Bought some quality street 😋😋😋 they won’t last very long.
Day 20 – USA/GA – NFD
Weigh-in: 233 lbs. Yep, I got invited to a student celebration yesterday morning with insistence by several to “try this from my country.” So… you know… a tiny bit of this or that adds up. And yes, they watch your reaction as you put each bite of new thing in your mouth hahaha!
Still, I had soup last night and I’m magically down half a pound this morning. Maybe I need to record these amazing weight-losing soups hahah! Nah, it’s just sensible ingredients and staying away from super-processed stuff that’s key.
Day 20 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD – 153.4
Somehow, yesterday’s WF went entirely easily, even when I got home with my sister in tow to a homemade soup that had been simmering on the stove all afternoon. No lessons for two weeks, and too much commotion around and responsibilities as cook, so no more WFDs and little likelihood I’ll even manage to schedule a regular FD around the 10-day menu I’ve already planned and shopped for. I’m hopeful that being as busy as I’ll be–rather than plopped on the sofa–will burn enough calories to compensate for not fasting. We’ll see.
@funshipfreddie I can fully understand why you’re making every effort to ensure your friends don’t treat you differently, and I understand your concern. From my point of view, you’re still the same David who has chatted on a daily basis for several years now. I can look back and see that some days you chatted a lot and some you said very, very little, and guess that perhaps that was influenced by what you’ve discovered about yourself…or perhaps it was merely influenced by what you had going that day, how well you slept the night before, and whether your mind was on the forum or distracted by life stuff–the same as ALL of us. So, as far as I’m concerned, you’re my same South African friend as I’ve always appreciated.
As to waking up and feeling so awful, I don’t think it was a food/wine combo that did it, but simply that the two cookies I had were quite rich, and I ate them fairly late in the evening (around 9, give or take a half hour), and the few pieces of sushi I ate because they needed eating or tossing: it was too many carbs, and too much richness. And this morning, after not eating since that evening, I feel absolutely lovely: empty, not overwhelmed by food/flavors/richness…I truly do love the feeling after a WF. Someday, I’ll remember so clearly how uncomfortable I feel after eating too much, too late, that I’ll make the choice NOT to do so. Someday.
@jaifaim Oh, but your description of your holiday time with your family made me so happy to read. I miss the Christmases when we’re not with my family; every other year is a long time to wait, and your description sounded familiar enough that it filled my heart with joy. Have a grand time with everyone!
My sister is suddenly old. Truly, truly old. I sent her a long text yesterday morning explaining when I taught (3-4:30) and when I’d get to the airport (5 or 5:15) and apologized that I couldn’t get there sooner, and she said that wasn’t a problem and she’d simply read a book while she waited. And at 3:45 she called me during my lessons and asked if I was close to arriving. 🫤 She also forgot all her meds at home, which is a health concern rather than simply frustrating, so this morning will need lots of calls to get her two weeks of meds so she’ll still be alive by the time she heads home. (That sounds dramatic, but is how much they matter, apparently.) There’s more, but you get the idea. It will be an interesting ten days!
Have a grand one, everyone!
Morning All..
A very chilly walk. Heating kicked in over night it must have been cold only second time this winter.
Operation booked for 3rd January 8.30 so I am pleased with that and with the same surgeon.
So now I am keeping away from people as I don’t want any bugs! Just seeing William on Sunday.. might take my mask in case anyone else is there!
Hedgehog..
I am ready and waiting now, everything to do with Xmas done.. I might fast Monday I will see.
Nice you can move on the old tree and picture frames sound lovely. Poor mum she sounds quite bad hope it passes after Christmas. I have just cancelled the Christmas Eve carol concert it gets very busy, can’t get bugs..
Dave..
It’s funny how they find the hot water bottle even under the duvet, Charlie is never far away from it.
Poor Denise not getting to bed.. do you have a downstairs loo?
Hemmy..
Hoping Kirsty is feeling much better and doesn’t pass it to you…
Hair cut at 1.15…
Jean x
Good morning people.Another day another dollar, well not really😁. It is 4°C so a little more like winter.Denise is still sleeping downstairs so Chloe’s making the most of it. It was cold last night so I made an hot water bottle.I woke up this morning and Chloe’s sleeping on it it’s under the duvet and it as a fur coat(the bottle) so no body gets burnt. She’s been with all night now she’s next to me on the sofa, I love it😁😁. Going to Sainsbury’s soon it will be packed out.Hope all the tills are open.
Evening all
G’day, I’ve done liquid fasts up to 3 days before, it might be tricky at this time of year. We have Christmas lunch with my family tomorrow as my sister is heading up to Waiheke island on Monday. Then Wednesday we’re having Christmas dinner with my wife’s family. I can try to fast in between, but I was hoping to get out for some decent rides, and it’s quite hard to do.a complete fast when doing some heavy exercise.
Day 20 – Ireland – CD 🚫 ✅ 🚶🏽♀️ 🌾
155.5 lbs ⬆️
Oh this is feeling like a long week now… a jump up and don’t know why.. clothes are looser.. so I’m staying happy 😊
More festivities in work today and a quiet weekend on the cards…before the madness 😂 family have been arriving back from all over the world and I can’t wait to see them all over the coming days ♥️ and then we will all, siblings and the next generation, spend New Year’s Eve together – they can spend a ltittle time with their granny too although we know she will be tired for days afterwards.
How super interesting @funshipfreddie and so glad you can make sense of so much now. It must really be like a lightbulb switching on…but I understand why you might want to digest it yourself and not share with others just yet.. I hope I didn’t bring up a topic you’d rather have kept quiet here but maybe it’s good to share with non judgemental virtual friends? It’s funny because I think my memory is pretty rubbish but friends tell me its’s not 😂😊
Well done on the dancing 🕺 🪩
On the topic of people dismissing you, I get it… I certainly get the impression that people think my requirement to eat gluten free is a fad or some form of diet choice rather than a real life medical necessity. The pure and simple fact is that I feel so unwell when I eat it..that if I was to persist I would not be able to function at work, etc
Also… I’ve come to a point in my life where I very much weigh up what I do and don’t want to do and feel far less pressure to go with the flow just because others want me to… age and having so much pressure on my time these last few years has made me far more selective as to who I spend time with.
@molij – well done to you on starting the packing!! It’s exciting to en able to choose where you will want to buy 🏠 and well done on keeping to your FDs during this time.
Oh @missybear I hope your FD went well! And @ccco same for you with your WFD 💪
@stitchincarol the swirl sound deliciously sugary…. I’m tempted to attempt them though…. I shall let you know! When and if I do 😊
I’m a little distracted… too much to do today in work.
Hi to everyone else who is out there 👋
Bye for now and keep the faith!
Onward and downward ⬇️
We rise by lifting others 💕
Day 20 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD 70.7 kg
My FD went well, despite having to shop for groceries & reading about Date Nut Swirls 😳
@ccco – I think the phrase ‘quality not quantity’ can be applied to FD’s too! We need to find the right balance.
@stitchincarol – no need to feel bad. I’d already decided I wasn’t going to mention it again, but I hadn’t counted on @jaifaim‘s prolific memory 😅 I haven’t mentioned it yet to any friends in SA. It’s very personal, you don’t really want people to suddenly start treating you differently, & some people will even dismiss it, thinking they know you so well that it can’t possibly be true. So I’m keeping a lid on it, for now anyway. Re your waking up feeling not-so-great – could it have just been the cookies & wine combo? During my wine-guzzling years, I never really drank & ate simultaneously. Maybe some cheese or nuts. I didn’t even enjoy wine with a meal, because I felt it spoiled the taste of the food. I think the entire food & wine pairing thing is just clever marketing, dreamed up by restaurateurs. But I could be wrong 🤔
@molij – I’d never heard of Rutland. It looks nice & rural, according to Google maps.
Aiming to be a weekend warrior, with another FD on Sunday. Happy Fri-yay everyone! 🍹
Cinque we’ve been back into the low 40s the last few days and looks like it will continue for the next week. I have jars of dried chillies from 3 different chilli bushes which I planted in the one hole so they’ve morphed into a mini tree – it needs a good haircut as it’s looking a bit straggly but not in this heat so I will wait until March.
Neil I wonder if a 24 hour water fast might help your symptoms, i can’t recall if you’ve done long fasts before but it would certainly give the gut a rest and may eliminate the bloating.
I made a batch of sweet potato soup for the freezer this morning and for Miss GDays lunch today, I have salad veg that needs using up.
Off to the post office in a minute to collect my Christmas present to myself- a cordless KitchenAid 5 cup mini chopper. A little while back I purchased the cordless KitchenAid stick blender when it was on sale after my Kmart cheapy died. The cordless range uses the same rechargeable removable battery so the one battery pack and charger works on all the appliances in the range. It has arrived very quickly, I ordered it on Monday and it’s now Friday so very happy given it’s usually snail mail at this time of year.
Evening!
Jean- that will be lovely to see William! Well done getting your money back & good you might be able to get the other side done quickly…
Hemmy- I don’t feel very Christmassy either! I think that the weather being so mild doesn’t help, it doesn’t seem like winter! Hope that Kristy’s cold is better before she comes…well done with the bargains too!
Dave- if we have fish & chips I have either rock or fishcakes, don’t like haddock or cod…
Nana- hope you’re okay, did hubby keep his bug to himself?
Re gammon, my dad used to make a lovely coating with brown sugar, not sure what else! When I went veggie I really missed it…Mum still in quite a tizzy, we’ve done some jobs for her, been busy & finished the Christmas cakes, saw a friend today, she gave me some lovely picture frames she’d upcycled. Took the freebie tree to son’s as well, he’s pleased with it. Need to do some cleaning tomorrow!
Evening All…
I got signed off on my eye, I am above normal on my sight in my op eye. Rang the hospital but have to ring back tomorrow, I am in the system and it needs to be seen before a time is given.
There are dates for the 2nd and 3rd jan hope they are still available tomorrow.
I was a bit cheeky.. I was reading on a leaflet he gave me, about a three month guarantee on glasses and service… I rang back after getting home and told them about my £415 lenses which were no good because of my cataracts.. they have refunded my money for me well worth the ask…
Hemmy..
Two hours walking is a long time, I don’t think I could do so much in one go. Hope the Christmas feeling comes back..
I shall be declaring Christmas tomorrow…
Jean x
Day 19 Wales 🏴 FD
Feeling hungry but that’s OK because it’s almost dinner time so it’s going to be a successful FD.
Hope my fellow Thursday fasters are doing well.
Pocket List – Day 19 🫚
@merry🍎
@funshipfreddie
@jaifaim
@missybear
@northgeorgia
@stitchincarol WFD
@ccco WFD
USA. Day 19 WFD
Today, I have embarked on a WFD. My FDs have not gone as I had hoped and I need to step it up. 🙂
Stitchincarol, we are together for our WFD! Good luck!
Pocket List – Day 19 🫚
@merry🍎
@funshipfreddie
@jaifaim
@missybear
@northgeorgia
@stitchincarol WFD
@ccco WFD
I am a little short of time today but I did read everyone’s posts! I hope everything is going well today! 🧑🏻🎄
Good afternoon all.. it s cold windy damp day here.Xxxx
We were out 2 hrs walking over the fields.. so not much else will be achieved today.
I still cant get into the Christmas mode.. everyone I meet says the same this year. maybe come Saturday when Kristy arrives I might.. At the moment though she has a cough and cold.
Egg chips and beans this evening
Dave.. No Fish N chips not cheap now.
Sym… Hope all went well at the opticians and you got signed off.
H H and Nana .. hope you are having a good day.
Better get on and do something lots to do really. lol
There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” Xxxx
Date Nut Swirls from StitchinCarol and her mom, Leola
1 1/4 cup dates, chopped (8oz)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Cook the mixture over medium to low heat until thickened, stirring often enough that it doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and add the juice from a lemon (but zest it first to use below) and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, then let cool.
1 c butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
grated rind from one large orange
grated rind from lemon above
2 eggs
3 1/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons milk
Cream the butter and sugar together, then add the grated rinds and the eggs, and beat thoroughly. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, and mix to combine; when nearly mixed, add the milk so it all comes together. It will be a loose dough.
Divide the dough in half and roll each out into a rectangle, perhaps 13″ x 9 or 10″, using lots of flour as needed–hence, starting with a loose dough. Spread with half the date mixture, reaching clear to the edges as you’re able, and roll it up length-wise (so it’s 13″ long). Roll it onto waxed paper (or whatever makes sense in your kitchen) and use the ends of the wax paper to lift it onto a cookie sheet and stick it in the freezer so it freezes flat. Mine (and my mom’s also) always start round but relax into an oval/rectangular shape, so that’s what I expect them to look like. Repeat with the other half of the dough and date-nut mixture. I’ve kept the dough in the freezer for several months and the cookies were still entirely lovely.
How thick to slice the cookies is largely due to personal preferences; I cut mine just under 1/4 inch. Put them on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Although, while that’s what my recipe says, I always think to myself, “No, I bake them at 350!” And my recipe says for 15-20 minutes, and there is ZERO possibility I want them that baked. If you bake them a minimal amount, they’re soft and chewy; if you bake them longer, then get crisp around the edges (my favorite way); if you bake them even longer, they become a crunchy cookie. So figure out what suits you; these cookies are very forgiving and taste wonderful regardless of how long you bake them.
Back in the day when zesting citrus was a chore on a box grater, you’d have to use a toothpick to get the zest out of the little round holes. My mom told me that, one year, because she felt she simply didn’t have time to deal with that, she skipped the zests. “They’re not worth making without the zest,” was her conclusion. I think of her saying that each and every year when I make them, and am SO thankful that modern graters for zesting citrus make the job so fast and simple!
Enjoy!
Day 19 – Rural Nebraska, USA – WFD
A young woman friend came over after church last night and we had a lovely time catching up over wine and cookies that she brought. As I headed to bed, I felt not the least guilt or regret that I’d indulged in her homemade cookies, both because they were excellent and also because I was able to do her the compliment of loving them so much. When I woke up a couple hours ago (at 4:15 or so, LOL), I had to rethink that opinion, as I’m feeling quite disgusting in my belly. Not sick, just disgusting from having eaten two (very rich) cookies. Yet another lesson in why I’m learning to practice restraint, sigh…
@merryapple Sadly, no grandchildren this Christmas. It’s such a long drive for DD and her family, and her firefighter husband doesn’t get Christmas off because he’s still the newest member. He does, however, get incredible money for working Christmas, so they’re never terribly troubled, LOL. And well done, you, for getting to a weight where your friends say not to lose more; that has to be incredibly gratifying!!
@funshipfreddie I felt so bad yesterday when @jaifaim asked you about the issue you’d mentioned you were working through, because I’d entirely forgotten to think about it. And to hear now that you’re on the spectrum–what a revelation, indeed, and how lovely to have different things in your life suddenly make sense. I love your conclusion to feel fine about declining invitations you simply aren’t interested in doing; we should all be able to feel fine doing so, but often we don’t.
@molij When you’re done with your home, wanna come work at mine? I have lots of cupboards and drawers that could use your attention! 😂😂
My sister arrives this afternoon, and we’ll get home just in time to have a hamburger vegetable barley soup that’s nutritious and filling but not rich, so a perfect meal after a travel day. I’m determined to do my WF day today, however, so will call on every bit of will power (“won’t” power?) to ignore the yummy soup and finish out the day with water only because it’s the last I’m likely to have until 2025. 😟☹️
Have a grand one, everyone, and I’ll post the cookie recipe separately.
Pocket List – Day 19 🫚
@merry🍎
@funshipfreddie
@jaifaim
@missybear
@northgeorgia
@stitchincarol WFD
Day 19 North Wales NFD
Yesterday’s Fast Day went well thank goodness. Every successful FD this time of year is a bonus. Going to the tip again today. I have nearly finish clearing every cupboard. I then plan on wrapping some glassware that we rarely use and putting it into some packing boxes. I then want to touch up some of the paint work. Luckily the most of the walls are ok. After Christmas I plan to clean, clean, clean before putting it on the market and deciding on places to hide things I don’t want out when people come to view.
@funshipfreddie out children live within 2 hours of each other. One in Leicestershire, one in Yorkshire and the other in Northamptonshire. Ideally we would like to live somewhere between them. We haven’t decided yet and will probably rent for a while to assess the area.
@jaifaim so glad you are in maintenance. ❤️
@missybear fantastic restraint at not opening the Baileys. 💪
@stitchincarol wow what an amazing weight drop well done 👏 looking forward to the cookie recipe.
@merryapple would love to share a Christmas Sherry with you. 🎄we are not sure where to move to yet. We do like Rutland.
@northgeorgia I hope your mums knee gets sorted out soon.
Have a good day everyone x
Day 19 – USA/GA – ?
Weigh-in: 234 lbs. I’m approaching today as a FD again. Yesterday went bust as the college president asked me to join him for a Christmas lunch. My mom is having major knee issues and the doctor is out of town 🙁
@stitchincarol In reality, I am a permanent member of the ZBC. I rarely have breakfast, but there are times when I have civic events with an included breakfast or my family invites me for breakfast. Heck, I even host breakfast (very late) on Christmas day. I just like to remind myself that even on days I don’t fast, I don’t have to have “breakfast” in the traditional sense, and oftentimes it can shift into an OMAD dinner or a FD 🙂
I love haddock and chips and the chippy I go to also does a lovely cod or plaice.Denise like plaice best. It a great chippy but it’s a 10 minute drive.There is normally a queue down the street to get in depending on the time but still get served very quickly. There are about 5 people serving you. So done in no time. They do chilli,I keep saying I’ll try it one day. Only problem is it’s about 1000 calories for fish and chips so don’t go very often. Andy it’s not like your used to be years ago a cheap meal.
I love haddock and chips and the chippy I go to also does a lovely cod or plaice.Denise like plaice best. It a great chippy but it’s a 10 minute drive.There is normally a queue down the street to get in depending on the time but still get served very quickly. There are about 5 people serving you. So done in no time. They do chilli,I keep saying I’ll try it one day. Only problem is it’s about 1000 calories for fish and chips so don’t go very often. Andy it’s not like your used to be years ago a cheap meal.
Day 19 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – FD
Our line-dancers’ Christmas lunch was fun. Marie, our teacher, awarded each of us a glitter ball trophy. I got the ‘Last Waltz Award’, because apparently I’m the only one with enough energy left to do one more dance once the hour is up. Which isn’t much of an achievement if you consider I’m at least a decade younger than most of the others 😅
@stitchincarol – wow – a 6 lb drop in a couple of days! 🎯 Our bodies do love to taunt us 😏 But, to lose a parent at 9 years old? So sad.
@jaifaim – congrats on being back in the maintenance zone! 🥳️ Yes, we are a well-travelled family. We spent over a year in Canada too when I was about 9, & one of my siblings now lives in Australia 🦘️ I’d forgotten that I’d mentioned working through something a while back. In a nutshell, I kept getting a video recommendation on YouTube – ‘Are you undiagnosed autistic?’ So I eventually watched it, & to say it was a revelation would be an understatement. So many things suddenly made sense to me, especially from my childhood. I did several on-line tests too, & I only got ‘yes’ or ‘most likely’ outcomes. So I then went to see a psychologist a couple of times. It’s not what I’d call an official diagnosis; that’s a very long & complicated process & not something I need. But she told me that in her opinion I was ‘on the spectrum’. Autism isn’t something people talked about in the 60’s & 70’s when I was growing up. You heard the word & immediately thought of a small, difficult boy having meltdowns. But it’s a spectrum, & many seemingly ‘normal’ & even well-known people have it. I mean, I’m still the same person, & my life’s not going to change one way or the other. But I understand myself better, & I’m no longer going to feel guilty or awkward about declining invitations or not wanting to participate in social activities that I don’t feel like doing.
@merryapple – yes, that’s the place! About 100 km north of Auckland. It was literally just a village when my parents moved there in ’99. Now it’s more like a town. I think the crazy house prices in Auckland have contributed to Mangawhai’s rapid development, & some people actually do a daily commute, about 90 minutes each way 🥴️
@missybear – your mention of short days whizzing by made me wonder when our longest day of the year is, so I just checked. The 21st – just two days away – is our summer solstice. Despite the fact that we just started summer. So you don’t have long to wait for your days to start getting longer 🌛☀️
Gotta dash, Sending RESOLVE to the Thursday fasters! 💪🎯
Pocket List – Day 19 🫚
@merry🍎
@funshipfreddie
@jaifaim
@missybear
Day 19 – Ireland – FD 🚫 ✅ 🚶🏽♀️ 🌾
154.9 🔁
Hi all, I’m aiming for a FD today.
@merryapple enjoy your new haircut! 💇 and thanks! Like you, I need the buffer zone so hoping to get back to my ATL in January which I think as 152 or 153 ish and 155 will be the limit of that maintenance zone.. I’m sure your friends mean really well but… listen to your body – we all know when we feel best in ourselves. 💪⭐️
Oh @missybear I think the days really are just whizzing by…. Well Done on holding out on the Baileys!! If there is one bottle which doesn’t last long after opening it’s Baileys – not because of the product itself just because it’s so delicious 🤤
@funshipfreddie how was your last line dancing class?
Good to see you @brightonbelle – hope your London day out was lots of fun!
@stitchincarol ahh you’ve gone and overtaken me! Go you!! Keep on keeping on!!!! 🏹I’d love the recipe and the freezing method sounds so efficient! I have lots ifnmedjool dates at home so would be glad of the recipe too!
Same here… continuous tidying at the moment… but you’re right… not worth worrying about … 💕💕
Pocket List – Day 19 🫚
Morning All.,
Very chilly out..
I am going to the opticians later hopefully to be signed off .. I then can ring the hospital and sort my next appointment out.
Going to Jacqui’s for lunch on Sunday and will be seeing William which will be nice. Swapped my day as he’s going to footy on Saturday.
Hemmy..
I do enjoy haddock and chips, I have to go lunch time as I am still not driving at night.
Have a good day all..
Jean x
No change on the scales or the tape measure which is so disappointing. I am at a loss to know what to do to reverse this and fasting doesn’t seem to have any impact at all.
I was going to skip breakfast but now I question whether there’s any point. I might just wait until the boys have left after Christmas and then start again.
How are you doing Iona?
We pay tribute to our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Michael Mosley. Michael was an integral part of our lives, […]
Michael is touring Australia this September! Here's a link to dates and tickets. Hope to see you there.
Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
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