As promised, here is the new weekly thread as I remain forever hopeful that you will feel able to come and share with us, whatever you are going through.

I keep saying that we understand how difficult these times are and that it is not always easy to focus on ourselves. We can only do our best to get through these challenging times , and if you just need a bit of support to curb the snacking and stay focused on eating as healthily as possible….with manageable, weekly goals , if you are starting out and want to take advantage of this time to embark on the Fast 800 , if you are struggling to stay on track and you haven’t checked in for a while …………

WE ARE HERE !!!

Wendy and Sunny

Thanks for kicking things off for another week, Wendy. I believe having this thread active each week, offers us all a safe space to come and share our up and downs and that this is appreciated by many ….. including myself.

Right now, although I’d like to be getting a little wriggle room banked, the best I seem to be able to do at the moment is maintain at approx 0.4lb above target. Have decided to accept this for now and concentrate on other areas – meditation, qigong and increasing plant based foods. This will do until I can get into the right mindset once again, to start religiously weighing, measuring and recording all consumed.

We’re hoping to see regulars, returners and newcomers joining us here, to share highs, lows and everything in between. Forging ahead as a group, will give us a better chance of realising our goals, no matter how large or small they might be.

Big hugs 🤗🤗

Hi Wendy and Sunny, thanks for leading the way yet another week.
My Easter had been great from a family perspective, but not so great food wise. The scales showed + 1 kg this morning. But I’m not too worried, I will just keep on going. I had decided before Easter to allow myself a little more flexibility, perhaps it became a bit too much, but the main thing is to quickly get back to business as usual now. It’s not like I will have frugal Easters for the rest of my life, so if I can enjoy without over indulging and get back on track within a week that is a hughe lesson learned for me.
In my past a hiccup like this would be a ticket to just give up.
I did some foraging over Easter and made a lovely wild garlic soup, made me think of you Wendy :-).
Hope you are all ok. Am definitely going all in this coming week.

Hi Wendy and Sunny, thank you for setting up our new weekly thread. I shall pop in more frequently, rather than just do the positive thoughts thread. Solidarity in these difficult times!

Olive, I like the idea of wild garlic soup. Could you share the recipe? I have some of it in the garden, and it would be good to put it to productive use.

Are you happy that the schools may reopen on 11 May, wendy? Maybe less hassle than all the online troubles?

Best wishes to all for a good healthy week.

xx

Hi caronl, no problem – here is the receipe (serves 4):
1 onion
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 liter stock (veg/chicken)
200 ml double cream
A “bunch” of wild garlic leaves (a big handfull)
Salt/peppar
Chop the onion and fry in the butter until soft, add flour (or perhaps something else non carby??) and fry together. Add the stock and cream and boil gently for 5 min. Take off the heat and add the wild garlic leaves (chopped) and stir until wilted. Mix/blend with mixer until smooth and light green, add salt and pepper to taste. 🍵

OOH, lovely to see people checking in !
Sunny, I no longer religiously weigh and measure as in the early days but like you, I concentrate on mostly plant-based foods. It is certainly not easy to be totally disciplined at the moment.
Talking of plants ! Well weeds really ! Good to see you are foraging too, Olive ! Wild garlic…wow ! We have garlic mustard plants here.Apparently chickweed, plantain,clover , goosegrass, mallow and of course dandelions and nettles are all edible or have medicinal uses !
You can even make a vinegar hair rinse with stinging nettles !
Well done on your positive attitude to your ‘hiccup,’ Olive.For sure, remember this woe is for life so thinking long term is definitely the way to go . In time you will be less tempted by certain foods.
I won’t have time to go back to school at this rate, caronl 😉 Too much foraging to do 😉 Yes, Macron is talking about phasing return to schools on the 11th May but I think it will depend how the situation evolves here and we await to see how it will be organised. Will teachers and pupils be tested ? Talk of making sure we are protected ….
I certainly find the online teaching more of a strain and would much prefer to be interacting normally with the kids. I will retire on 4th July …..it is creeping ever closer in very weird circumstances .

Have a great week everyone !

Hi again,
Just to say, you can also make a really mean pesto with wild garlic – way stronger than the usual one. Garlic breath warning though – good for working at home 😊

Hi guys,

I am going to start focusing again on getting back on the wagon. – Apart from a couple of packets of hot cross buns I haven’t had too many carbs fall into my shopping trolley over the last month, but, there have been too many packets of nuts. – Also I decided to breach the bottle of rum that I bought for xmas but was still gathering dust in the cupboard. – A splash of rum added to the last coffee of the day has become a habit that its time to stop.

I am fairly certain that my business will be closed for most of this year. – and isn’t it typical that all the events I would have liked to go to but can’t because of work are also cancelled. 🙂 Anyway, after a month of polishing the settee while watching the news, and disappearing down the mental rabbit holes that started with working out ways of minimizing expenditure to make my savings last as long as possible and evolved into calculations on when I could retire if I continued with the economies and used them to pay off the mortgage (with all the fun of working out the impact on compound interest. – Well maths is fun to me. 🙂 its time to get on with living.

Last week, I pulled an old adult size tricycle that I had stored in one of the barns. I soaked the rusted up brake levers in WD40 before taking it down the local bike shop with a request to make it safe to ride, much to their amusement when I said that I wasn’t bothered about the rusty mudguards, but did want off road tyres fitted. I don’t know when it will be repaired, but best to get back to getting rid of surplus fat given the gradients of every route from here.

Hello everyone, may I join you? I’ve posted occasionally before but not been very good at keeping up either the woe or the forum. I started again 5 weeks ago and have lost 1 st 5lbs. Unlike the people who are struggling with home snacking my main downfall was stopping at shops or fuel stations when out driving and buying a bar of chocolate or 3. I’ve even been known to change my route so that can happen! So lock down is making that easier for me! I hope that by the time that this is over that obsession will have faded or died.
I’m aiming for 3st total loss hopefully by the end of July. If anything is back to normal then I’m going on holiday with my grandchildren (17 and 18) and they want to take me paddle boarding, so I’d like to feel OK in my swim suit.

I’m also aware that I’m lucky to have a pension and a house and garden which some don’t.

Thanks for the thread once again – great for maintaining motivation! Nice to see everyone being involved in any way they can!
I’m in for the week. I’ve not been weighing myself the past 2 weeks, I’m never sure if that is good or bad, it seems to help when its going well but if i see a gain or no discard then I will jump straight off the wagon into a bowl of cake, so I’m going with blind faith that this works and that by the time we go back to work it will have had a noticeable discard. I’m certainly happier looking in the mirror and i feel better so we will just keep going, see if i can get to 8 weeks.

Well done Puddy on your 1st 5 – thats great. Funny how our weaknesses are all different, but I’m glad you have managed to avoid the shop related treats! I’ve done paddle boarding once, its great, you’ll really enjoy yourself!

JGwen the trike sounds great, I hope they get it fixed up for you.

Have a good Tuesday all

Hi all,
After one week of no discard, I’ve somehow managed to loose 1 kilo in W13. Quite a surprise, since I didn’t count calories for a few days, I did manage to stay in ketosis. I seem to be able to get away with 40-50 grams of nett carbs. I have 1.2 kilo to go to my next mini goal, which is a total discard of 20 kilo. Which is how much my favorite nephew weighs btw! Funny I’ve been walking around with that much extra weight for so, so long. Well, good riddance!!
Let’s start this new week, I’m in! Thanks again for helping everybody with this weekly reminder!it sure helps.
DD

Morning – just saying a quick hello as I’ve been reading other posts and finding them helpful. I started properly on Saturday so on day 4 now and have lost 1kg! I’m thrilled obviously and was scared of weighing myself but this is so motivating. Will keep going… My only question is I feel a bit sluggish and tired. Is this normal? I would like to do 15 min hiit workouts plus walk everyday but didn’t manage either yesterday. Is there anything I can do to help with this?

Thanks Wendy and Sunny! So great to hear everyone’s news and welcome, Puddy! What an encouraging discard in only 5 weeks.

I think this is week 14 for me, but could be wrong. I’m a bit hopeless with days and dates even under normal circumstances. Anyway, I have decided I won’t count the weeks of WOE now. I have decided that this is just how I eat now and I fully intend to be celebrating the anniversary of the best decision I’ve ever made for myself on 8th Jan 2021. I had a weigh in this morning and am just under target, which is fine because I’m also chasing that wriggle room. No snacking yesterday after I had a stern word with myself!

Off to do the weekly shop for my parents shortly. It tends to be a lengthy process, but I’m looking forward to seeing them through the window when I drop everything off. It really is the highlight of my week these days.

Hope we’ll hear from even more of our friends, old and new this week! Lots of love to everyone.

Hi Wendy,

Thanks for starting us off again for a new week. Your foraging is getting to be a major part of your diet. My wild garden might yield some food, well it will otherwise end up in compost. No nettles though. My soups are so tasty with every part of the broccoli and garlic used.

JGwen, everybody is unsettled right now. But lockdown will be relaxed by summer, we just don’t know how restrictions could affect holidays in the UK. It would be sensible to only allow people with positive antibodies to travel. This has not been adopted by the Government yet so staying safe may mean choosing to have no trade this year.

Ironically, there are even now no restrictions on flying, so once quarantine is lifted from far flung destinations the international holiday trade will pick up again.

I love thinking of the trike off-road. You will be fit!

Kazer, welcome to our merry band! It’s completely normal in the early days to feel sluggish and groggy …. even a bit ‘fluy. This is symptomatic of carb withdrawal and will pass once your body gets used to the new regime. Good result so far and I’m sure you will be posting great things in the days and weeks to come.
Puddy, good to have you with us too … brilliant results to date and you’ll soon be swimsuit ready for that paddle boarding😊.
JGwen, pleased to see you back with us. Triking sounds like hard work, but a good way to wedge some exercise into your day, without putting specific time aside for it.
DD, sounds like you’re making wonderful progress and I am certain that you’ll be celebrating that 20kg milestone very soon and we’ll be here to join in with virtual cartwheels.
Julz, it sounds like your approach is working for you and that is the key here – finding a way to make the WOE work for us as individuals.
Bryla, it’s great that you are so settled into this WOE, that you don’t know what week this is for you. It is obviously such a well established part of your life style, as to be completely automatic. Great that you were under target this morning and that extra wriggle room will happen soon I’m sure.
Have a good week everyone.

Hi everyone, great to catch up. And well done Puddy – amazing! And to everyone else who has lost. Nice to hear from you JGwen: I love your posts and it sounds like you have lots of life decisions to make. Good luck with the tricycle!

I’m still here, just tend not to post much. But am lurking in the background, and also keep in touch with some of my old 2017 buddies on the Keeping in Touch Thread.

I need to get a bit more focussed, even though weight loss is not a major priority right now. But my long term goal is 133lb and I’m currently maintaining at 144lb. But I want to set one or two mini goals for each week just to give me a challenge. So my goals for this week are firstly to lose 1lb. Shouldn’t be too difficult as my weight tends to fluctuate quite a bit anyway, within a 2-3lb range. Usually upward 😉 But I think to be safely and properly – rather than fleetingly – at 143lb this week is do-able.

The other thing I want to do this week is to get my act together exercise-wise. I walk the dog every day but “BC” was also doing a couple of gym classes and swimming. So I have lots of good intentions about doing Youtube workouts and using weights etc and have done precisely nothing so far. So I want to do at least one online workout and one weights session this week ….

Keep in touch everyone. It’s great that we’re all plodding along and also being kind to ourselves in the current climate.

Stay well X

Kazer good start keep it up. Just to add to your question about exercise yes this is normal and takes time. I am a KEEN cyclist and didn’t cycle for 2 weeks when I started the 800BSD just didn’t feel like it. My first bike ride after 2 wks it felt like I had 40 miles in my legs before I started! It’s got better since. Don’t try and rush it take your time it will come back. Especially with HIIT. Endurance is more difficult as I haven’t answered my own questions on how to keep fuelled on the long stuff but that’s a different discussion.

Hi Kazer,
When we eat a high carb diet our body needs to store water to help it process the sugars. When we go to lower carb diets our body can release that stored water, (hence the rapid weight loss at the start – 1 litre of water = 1 kilo) . When our bodies are flushing out this unneeded water our kidneys also release electrolytes (salt) with the water. To help our bodies run at optimum we need to replace the lost electrolytes (salt) by increasing our salt intake. You can do it by adding a pinch of salt to your meals or simply licking a finger dipping it in a salt pot and licking the salt off periodically. (Of course handwashing is really important at present before doing this.)

Low energy at the start of this way of eating (nicknames keto flu) is caused by low levels of salt, as is muscle cramps.

Thanks – have had salty soup at lunch so hopefully that will help. However, I am also feeling absolutely freezing but I’m guessing this is part of car withdrawal too???

Hi Kazer,
Depending on the levels of carbs in your diet, your body is used to running one set of chemical processes to fuel the cells in your body., When you go from a diet with carb levels at a level where your body uses them for fuel to a level where your carb intake is so low your insulin levels are low you are offering your body only access to an alternative fuel. That means your body has to change over the chemical processes to turn that fuel source into energy for each cell.

In time you will become fat adapted, and be able to switch between fuel sources easily, but it takes time for your body to heal.

In the meantime, I would suggest having a look at some of the podcasts that you will find on the Take a Look at This thread – Maybe search it for links to podcasts by Dr Bikman and Dr Fung. Both of whom are good at explaining the chemical processes.

Hello my friends💞. I am here to try and get myself back on the wagon! I have gained a stone which is not too bad but I tried my non stretch size 16 Jeans on yesterday and they were tight!! The button and its hole were social distancing 😂. So I have my first goal and that is to get them to fit again. Once I have achieved that I will set another goal. In this time of strangeness and isolation I have been in mum mode and have been looking after my son and partner more than myself so time to be a little shellfish and look after me. Once again I am getting foot, knee and hip
Pain so I need to do this. I am so glad that my body is letting me know I have gone way to far this time and I need to eat better.
I hope you are all doing ok and I will do my best to check in on a regular basis as I know you guys will help me and I will help you. Love to you all and thank you Wendy for keeping this going. Stay safe my lovelies and sending you all virtual hugs.
Love Birdy💞🦜

Hi Birdy, good to hear from you again. Have missed your chirping encouragement to others over the last months. – Think positive, you have learned to listen to your body and recognise how much better you feel with this way of eating.
Puddy, your idea of getting back into a swim suit sounds good. – I am not to far away from beaches and it may be that travel restrictions lift at some point in a way that allows us to drive a short distance for exercise so definitely something to aim for. – I did spend some time doing chores the other day leaving my teeshirt on the fence post. – (Well most bras are as circumspect as your average bikini top and it was near enough to grab if I heard a vehicle crossing the cattle grid.) Didn’t work too well, had to keep breaking off to rescue it from the goats.
Dreamscometrue, how is the search for exercise programs going? –
Patricia1066, Its sad to see all the messages during conversations with other tourism businesses on how they are struggling financially,. For me with a property designed for groups holding reunions its obvious that mine is going to be one of the last businesses to reopen, just as pubs and restaurants will have to stay closed until there is either a vaccine or they have discovered a treatment protocol. – I have been meaning to set up a whole package of different walks from my property for guests. – Getting the trke running is part of that program (making it easier to head out on longer routes using the forest roads.) – I suppose I should blow the dust of the exercise bike in my lounge to start to build up the muscles ready for the bike coming out of the workshop.

Hi Kazer! Welcome to the team. I felt bleugh too in week 1. It was definitely the salt that made the difference for me (and I think the sheer psychological effort it took me to make what we’re big changes for me) and I was feeling really good by the end of the week and got a big energy boost. I became much more aware of how my body felt and I’m still learning to decode its messages- am I hungry, thirsty, bored, tired etc.

Hi Birdy! You made me laugh about your button and button-hole social distancing! I am sure they will become the best of friends again very soon . The mental picture of JGwen having to fight goats for her Tshirt also gave me a belly laugh.

My exercise bike arrived yesterday and after a couple of hours of huffing, puffing and cursing I managed to assemble it. An extra pair of hands would have been helpful – the dog was no use at all and kept running off with bits of packaging. Over the moon! My 1 dog walk per day doesn’t come close to ‘BC’ activity levels either, so this is a huge physical and psychological boost for me. It was cheap, but it’s sturdy, folds up and the saddle is fairly comfortable. Hooray! I don’t know if I’ll ever figure out where the 2 left over washers should have gone 😆. Hopefully it won’t collapse. My mini goal for the rest of the week is to do a 10 minute cycle twice a day and build up gradually.

Sending sympathies to anyone whose business is suspended. I too have no idea when my business (nothing to do with tourism) will be able to operate again and it is the uncertainty and sense of helplessness that I find most difficult. Of course that’s true for most of us, self-employed or not. The kindness and camaraderie here has helped me a great deal, so thank you, everyone!

Hi all and thank you JGwen lovely to be back. I must say I love the sound of your old three wheeler, especially the off road tyres! I would love one! I have been getting to grips with our two heart attack hills in our village! Thankfully I recovered pretty quickly after them which has pleased me as I know I still have a pretty good fitness level. Ever since I got through the first three months way back last year I started to understand my body a lot more and that really helps with this woe! It is good that I know when I have over done the carb bit as my body tells me and it has been screaming at me for weeks now. 😂😂. So two days back in and my bloated stomach is already feeling better, but I still have aches and pains. I know this will take at least a couple of weeks to rectify but that is the good thing! Knowing it will right itself by eating better. Awesome woe!

Lovely to see some new faces too! Guys you have done the best thing for yourselves embarking on this woe. Benefits are the only thing you get from it and in my book that is amazing. Yes the first couple of weeks can be a massive change and carb flu is a real thing(who knew😂) but once your body is accustomed the sky is the limit on both anti inflammatory and energy. Personally before I embarked on this woe back in April last year I had a horrific relationship with food and never thought I would be able to shed 5 stone! But I stuck it and shed just over 4 stone and was able to go out shopping and buy clothes from every shop I loved and actually enjoyed buying clothes for the first time in my life! It has changed my whole attitude to food and even though I have been off of the wagon for a while now I still haven’t reverted to my constant eating from the minute I get up until the minute I go to bed. I would eat whole packets of biscuits and bars of chocolate and then loads and loads of crisps and junk! Now biscuits even though I shouldn’t be eating them last longer and are not gone in one sitting. I have still been time restricting eating (although all the wrong things😂) but my old habits are gone for good. I also don’t drink everyday like I was and sometimes don’t drink at all. It really has changed my life and with these guys on here to help, encourage and just being there has been the icing on the proverbial cake😂😂.

I Hope you are all well and staying safe. Here’s to our journeys and healthier selves.

Love Birdy💞🦜

Hi birdy, we who have been longest discarders, we know what appetite feels like. Even though our goals change we still know when we are full. That is the best thing to happen to me. It changed my relationship with food too. I can leave the chocolate in the fridge now, and take a square with tea when I want a snack. I can choose not to eat lunch if I’m going to have a big evening meal- and I’m not denying myself, I know that I will really enjoy that meal.

Bryla, JGwen, you are both amazing in doing what you can, and accepting what is beyond your control. So many people have lost income and spent their savings, and this stay at home message is hard to take. I hope that our new normal will give everyone a chance of surviving financially.

Hi everyone

Sorry I have been a bit quiet. I have been busy preparing work for my classes which we have to put on line from Monday .It is very time consuming.
I will catch up soon !!
love to everyone
Wendy x

Struggling a bit the last few days, I do fine up until lunch time, have good lunch and some how feel like i need something else and then pretty much think about food all afternoon and over eat at dinner……. I might try changing meditation session to lunchtime or even moving to one meal a day…. as im finding fasting ok.
I need to push on for the next 2 weeks to prove to myself i can keep this up properly for more than 14 days!! Not been tempted by sweet things or chocolate, but have craved some crunchy salty snax and chips…… this is bad! Ideas for alternatives?? Have previously made parsnip crisps…. they are a bit too carby but better than actual crisps! LOL.

In fact Birdy – Ive just gone back and re-read your post – that is so inspiring! Right I just need to get this done, it WILL work and it WILL be the best thing i can do for myself! I’m sure the switch in my head will get to the right place if i can just hold on through the rough days!

Thank you all for being here to think out loud with!

Hi WindyJulz,
Your craving for salty snacks could just be your body craving salt. – We do need to increase our salt intake when we cut out the carbs.

One thing that complete surprised me was the benefits of adding a pinch of salt to a black coffee, it makes it taste so smooth, resolving the bitterness. – Not sure how people will take it if I take to drinking coffee with added salt in public.

Just do it JGwen … I carry a little jar of rock salt in my bag and use it in coffee in public …. just like I have no qualms topping fresh strawberries with a few twists of freshly milled black pepper😁

Hi WindyJulz like JGwen said salt is needed as we drink so much water as well and it flushes our electrolytes out. The other thing I discovered was double cream!! When I have my first meal after my TRE sometimes I feel like I need a little something more and that is when I make a cup of coffee with double cream. The warm liquid helps fill you and and the cream satisfies. You only need a tblsp worth in it but it does the trick. Also double cream stops your insulin kicking in/spiking where as milk makes it spike because of the natural sugars, even full fat, It is a delicious little helper and I swear by it. Soooo much better than milk. Also if you buy any kind of kale they make great crisps/salty snacks. You just need to give them a rinse and dry them and then massage a good olive oil into them sprinkle them with salt and bake them in the oven. I don’t know the exact timing. I usually put them in a fan oven of 190 for 10mins then keep checking them until they are crispy. They don’t stay crispy for days but they are lovely and great for that quick salty snack. My favourite is Carvelo Nero. The bonus of them is that they are very dark green which means a super food which is great for helping with the tummy area and all the minerals and vitamins. Also good to have is pistachios, just a small handful as a good salt hit too. Hope this helps and I am sure you will do great.

I have just finished my nights until Sunday and I am feeling great that I didn’t crave anything bad and my TRE is going well.

Hope all you guys are well and here’s to day four for me back on the wagon and looking forward to a proper stir fry tonight. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Birdy 💞🦜

Thanks for the advice Birdy, Sunny and JGwen. I shall look into some kale for crisps, sounds ideal
I have discovered coffee with a little cream, I’ve been using it as a pudding replacement! And it certainly helps.
Interesting re the salt in coffee, i remember my mum telling the story of having a dinner party but no ‘proper’ coffee so she served instant with a pinch of salt – everyone thought it was just good quality filter coffee. That said, this is the same lady who ran out of mayo when making prawn cocktail (you know the original served in avocado during the 70s) and the only thing she could find that was even close to colour and texture was peach angel-delight…..so thats what she did!! Apparently it was ok….!
I shall try the salty coffee anyways and report back.

Thanks again

Before I catch up on all of the posts I just had to reply to WindyJulz and Birdy. As you know I am Foraging Queen and you can make crisps with loads of weeds too !!!
Kale crips are fab as Birdy has described but if you go for a wander and pick a bucketful of nettles ( with gloves !) you can make a tasty tray of nettle crisps.I add olive oil, nutritional yeast and chili flakes to my nettle leaves as I like the cheesy, savoury flavour but you could try with just olive oil and salt.Bake at a low temp around 130 ° for about 10 mins, stir them around a bit during the baking.They shrivel a bit but crisp up beautifully ! VERY nutritious !
I have also had good results with garlic mustard leaves and also goose grass (the sticky stuff). No kidding ! I had to strip the leaves off the stalks after baking as they were a bit tough but they were crispy strips of goodness !

Right, need to read your posts now !

Hello everyone. I’m experiencing a dip in mood today without the sun, but I know we need the rain and the garden and crops will benefit.

I tried salt in my coffee yesterday and I’m converted! Definitely took the edge off.

I have discarded a couple more pounds this week, despite working on increasing my calories gradually. I suppose it makes complete sense, since as long as we are running at a deficit, we will keep using our fat stores. I haven’t been counting calories, but guessing I’m up to about 1000 or so now. I’m over the moon with my exercise bike and have been cycling 30 minutes twice a day, which is much more than the goal I had set myself. It feels great to get my heart rate up a bit, but I’m taking it gently.

I am a big fan of crispy kale too!

Lots of love to everyone.

Hello everyone. Some great news on here! Thanks for keeping me motivated and do KOKO.

Birdy I love crispy kale but for some reason don’t have any kale. I now only go shopping once a week whereas before used to go out most days to get what we need. So will put it on the net week for next week! However, no have a chicken curry heating up for which I have a couscous/quinoa/kale accompaniment.

Am eating ok at the moment and not drinking too much wine (my weakness, particularly given the excuse of lockdown!). On target for 143lb this week. Will def given salt in my coffee a go.

JGwe n how’s the tricycle? I spent this morning checking out Youtube exercise videos and bookmarked a daily belly fat loss video, a 30 minutes pilates workout, and three zumba/dance workouts. I intend to start them all Monday: please feel free to nag me cos I’m full of good intentions that never see the light of day!

Stay well everyone X

Just a quick note…. I love my morning coffee with milk or cream and today braved it black with a twist of salt…. literally the first black coffee I’ve ever had and it was far more enjoyable than I expected. That, plus I’m now feeling very full (Also had natural yogurt and chopped apple as a weekend treat) and I’m not screaming out for another cup.

Most excellent. Thank you. Tomorrow I’ll be back to fasting til lunch, and can improve the fast as I have been having coffee and milk in the mornings.

Every day is a school day.

Hi everyone

I can’t believe it is Sunday and the new weekly thread will start tomorrow ! Where has this week gone ? I am sorry, I don’t feel like I have contributed much this week … Thanks for keeping everyone motivated, Sunny !
I am settling into a routine of putting work online for the kids, doing my Qigong sessions , chatting to family and friends using various medias, chilling out in the garden and foraging of course.
Staying on track with healthy, farm foods . At the last count we had 36 eggs and 10 lettuces ! I’m less focused on the scales these days and more on boosting my immune system and staying positive. Still toying with the idea of fermented foods.
I am so pleased that the thread remains active and we are all supporting and encouraging each other. Great to see Birdy chirping away again.We missed you Birdy ! I know JGwen is never far away but her wisdom is invaluable .I loved reading about your tricycle and I have a lovely, happy image in my head ! Despite these difficult , unprecedented circumstances, you stay positive JGwen.I had forgotten about the salt in black coffee tip !
Are you feeling better today, Bryla ? The weather really does affect our mood. We are getting rain in the next few days.The farmers have been busily sowing in readiness and the rain is welcomed by them. We picked up lots of herbs and tomato plants from the local nursery on Friday . The thought of a plate of home grown tomatoes with parsley and basil on a summer table outdoors (with one of my vintage sheets as a table cloth ) makes me smile.
You put me to shame with your exercise bike routine Bryla ! I am going to take mine in the garden for a bit of al fresco cycling !
All the best with your time restricted eating , WindyJulz ! That’s a good plan . I am a fan of a splash of cream in my morning coffee too , especially since I found pasteurised cream in the farm shop. I do love my green teas too.
From tomorrow every day will be a school day for me too, Julz !
Hi DCT ! I will happily nag you about your Youtube exercise intentions but I need you to do the same for me !! All the very best for your target this week.
Lovely to see you posting regularly too, Patricia.You always talk good sense !
Right, going to post this now.
Take care everyone and don’t forget to check out the new thread I will set up tomorrow evening.

Enjoy your school days if you can Wendy! Go and impart some wisdom to all the youngsters in need!!
Having slightly over indulged on the alcohol front last night – this not having to drive on a monday morning is an interesting situation and resulted in a little too much joy with our sunday dinner with dad! I am however back in the zone this morning, looking at my black salty coffee with some determination!

Have a good monday all

Good morning WINDY and all,as we enter yet another week of this strange new life we’ re currently living!
We are all in this together,so reach out to one another
A virtual Hug is almost as good as the real thing,so keep in touch online and with texts and phone calls.
Take note of of what’s happening,but don’t get absorbed in all the news,it can get confusing
Listen to music🎵, watch old films,exercise,draw,paint,sew..whatever brings you joy..
at times just BE ……………..” 💜 Let LOVE be the Light, by which you see 💖” xxxxx
Ps sorry,this was meant to go in the positive thoughts 😄😄😄😄

While I am here, I must apologise for neglecting this thread for mnay weeks,since I gave up getting on the scales and weighing on the scales,just for a break from the tyranny of it 😄
I keep fallingoff my horse,mainly coz of lockdown I guess,but also having many successful low carby days,and now feeling motivated by thinking of how i want to feel when lockdown ends… i want to feel lighter,comfortable and like i can slide into any garment in my wardrobe…the alternative is,I will go out on first day of freedom wearing a muumuu like Homer simpson when he grew too fat to wear anything else!
A good quote for anyone getting a bit disheartened if theyre yoyo ing a bit…
“Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you’ve got to go. You may not be where you want to be,but neither are you where you used to be!”

Hi everyone

I am about to renew the weekly thread !!

Wendy x

The new weekly thread is up and running !!

See you over there folks xx