Thanks Verano and Jan for the meditation advice. I’ve always found meditation quite difficult and preferred yoga as ‘moving meditation’. But I’ve never tried an app before, so I’ll have to check it out and maybe it will help. It is certainly well documented to help with stress, and I think high cortisol could be contributing to both my water retention and my inability to lose any weight at the moment. Generally though my issue with sleep is not falling asleep or staying asleep, it is more just that I don’t let myself go to bed when I’m tired. I’ve done that since I was little. It’s like I’m worried that I’ll miss out on something important, or that I can always find something more interesting to do! I’ll see if I can set some limits for screen time this week and shut things down and let myself get a bit bored so that going to bed seems like a good idea.
I was down another 0.5kg of the 1.5kg water weight today in spite of a not stellar food day yesterday, so in total 1.1kg gone in 2 days. It is a good thing to remember that even if I put it on in only a day, it will take at least 3 to come off again. Motivation for not putting it on in the first place! I’m off to try and sweat out a bit more. I’m going to get my bicycle out of storage and go for a ride. It’s a nice sunny evening here, if a bit windy.

Ha ha Greenjanet, what are parents for? Your boys will truly appreciate what you’re building — it’s a legacy!
And ouch, a shoulder injury is a terrible thing when you need to be physically active in construction. I have spent the last six months nursing a very painful shoulder from too much snow Shoveling last winter (it was record snowfall in Tahoe last winter).
I finally found a physio therapist and massage therapist here in Bath and although at first it was MORE painful, it has finally turned for the better and I am starting to get my range of motion back.
I was very worried I was developing a “frozen shoulder” because I had so much pain I couldn’t move it — so I’m very grateful that my physio had a solution!
Now I wish I had looked for them earlier!

I managed to return from my bike ride in one piece and still in good condition! I ended up going 27km which was further than intended, but I felt good once out there and I took a wrong turn at one point onto the wrong path which took me several km out of my way and I didn’t realize it until I was too far along to go back. It was a nice evening though and I still got back before dark, so no harm done. I just went at a fairly easy pace and was out there for nearly 2.5 hours.
I was reading on one of the threads about water retention about dandelion as a natural diuretic and although we don’t seem to have it in supplement form here, I did find dandelion tea, so I picked some up at the supermarket on my way back. I don’t know if it was the single cup of it that I’ve had so far or the bike ride or both, but I’m down another 0.6kg this morning for a total loss over three days of 1.7kg (after putting on 1.5kg at the beginning of the week). I still need to lose another 1.3kg to get back to where I started at the beginning of July, but maybe with a bit of effort I can get there by the end of the month. I’m convinced I’m still carrying a lot of water weight as I still feel rather puffy and the weight I put on at the beginning of the month came on quickly and even though it never really came off, I don’t think it was fat.
Hope everyone is doing well. KOKO!

Hi all, I haven’t posted for a few weeks what with being on holiday and totally falling off the wagon. There are so many new “faces” on here that I’m struggling to keep up lol. That’s when my memory problems kick in too lol. I already struggled with remembering the names of the regulars but now there are so many new regulars. Forgive me as I take time to get to know you all.
I’m going to try and get back in the routine of coming on to the forum every day and posting regularly as I’m sure that’s what kept me on track since January. Along with the help and support of everyone on here. I know I’m now at the critical stage of slowly reverting back to my old eating habits and I really want to avoid that happening. I tested my bg this morning for the first time in weeks and it’s crept up to 9 which is not a good sign. Granted it was always in double figures before starting this WOE so I really need to nip it in the bud right now!
So, I’m not waiting for a new week and I’m aiming to start again from now……once I finish this bar of chocolate – but it is 70% cocoa so not all bad lol 😉

Have you sampled Lindt 90%, Scottish girl? Or raw, unsweetened cacao nibs?

Yum. And currently reduced at tesco!
584 Calories per bar which is neatly divided into ten squares to help with your calculations 🙂

Yay, BikeGuy, (and alerting to price reduction)! It’s been quite depressing today on here…

Ssshhh – I bought four! At one square a day they’ll last a while. You need wee luxuries now and then, don’t you?
Have a big virtual cuddle (((((sixturkeys))))) and head back on track. You know that you can do it!!

Oh that’s so sweet! But I was more worried about the “tone” on other threads here….

Wendy – I cant’t remember which thread you mentioned Jamie Oliver’s 5 Ingredient cookbook but I know you’ll read this 😊. I just got it from the library and I love the simplicity – can you tell me which recipes you particularly like? There are some that have potential with some tweaking to remove bread etc but would love to know what you’ve made.
I know I could text you but figured others might be interested too 💕😊

Hi Scottishgal – hope you’re checking this thread too (I’m not going on the other one), just wanted to say hi and you’ve been missed xx

Thanks so much for the post about Jamie Oliver’s 5-ingredient cookbook, Kafin. Now that I have some time to go to the library, I’ll have to check that one out. I’ve liked some of his other books. I’ve been a fan for a while of The Stone Soup blog which has lots of recipes with 6 ingredients or less.
https://thestonesoup.com/blog/
Jules Clancy who writes it was even on here a while back and shared some recipes in the Recipes section, some of which I’ve added into my rotation quite frequently. I really like her approach and all the different options she gives at the end of the recipes so you can tailor them to your situation.
Scottishgal, welcome back. Sounds like you are getting back on track, and yes, 70% is a big step up from milk chocolate, so definitely not at all bad. I’m partially following Wendy for a couple of weeks and eliminating chocolate all together as I was finding that I was letting myself eat too much of it and that was setting off more overeating in other areas. I don’t think I can do as she has and give up nuts though, at least not at the moment. As a vegetarian it is nice to have them as a source of healthy fats, fibre and protein. I have committed to giving up salted, toasted ones for now though as I am less likely to overeat the plain, raw ones.
I’ve been having an easy day as I have the day off work and I’ve been catching up on various chores as I finally have a day without any viewings on my flat. I can finally do a load of laundry that needs to be hung up rather than going in the dryer! I never thought I would be so excited about the ability to do laundry – I may actually need some emojis! I so enjoyed my bike ride last night that I have thought about going again tonight, but I know that my body needs a bit of recovery time (especially wrists – mine are tiny and had to support a lot of my extra bodyweight on the handlebars the whole way) and it is quite a bit warmer today, so likely I will just go over to the pool later.

Thanks for the post re Jamie’s 5 ingredient cook book I’ve got it but not thought it would work with low carb eating. Any recommendations on good recipes?

Jess, the salmon cakes are fab!

Lovely kind people on here …I have needed a bit of space today but I will be back tomorrow I promise..with recipe tips…and anything else we can gently share.Just felt better keeping some distance today .
I am going to try the Egg Fast with Elky starting tomorrow xx

Arcticfox, I can’t take the credit for the book, think it came from Wendy! I love how he’s set it out, each of the five ingredients is on the left as a picture and very simple good fare. Will have a look at Jules Clancy’s blog, thanks for the tip.
Jess65 – I’m sure Wendy will post some favorites and I will too once I’ve made some 😊
Starting first with Kazz’s recommendation!

Aww that’s really sweet of you Kafin. How’s things been with you? I seen bits of the egg fast thread. Well done on starting that up and encouraging everyone to join. I’m not really an egg lover. I can tolerate a boiled egg now and again……but prefer it on toast with lots of salt lol. So, I take my hat off to you for succeeding with it. Well done.
Allie, I haven’t tried the 90%. I always think its too expensive and I stick with the 70% and 85% ones in Aldi…….not sure I’m worth it lol. But thanks bikeguy for alerting us to the bargain. I do love a wee bargain! Might head to Tesco this weekend. But being a chocoholic I buy several bars (cos they’re on offer) and eat them all on the same day. I really need to limit myself.
Wendy, totally understand where you’re coming from. I always look forward to reading your posts so I really do hope you post tomorrow. Your such an inspiration on here and so supportive. I need your help to get me back on the straight and narrow again. I’ve gotten rid of all my fat clothes so really can’t afford to go back the way!
Have a good weekend everyone 😀

Kazz thanks I love salmon so I’ll put the Salmon cakes on the menu for this week … might even do them tomorrow …. just have to find the book first. We had a new kitchen fitted a couple of months back and haven’t yet emptied all the boxes😃

Scottishgal – “I do love a wee bargain!”
Don’t we all! My username should really be Bikey (TightScot) Guy – any Brits on here should get over to http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk Key in what you’re looking for and compare prices with most of the main supermarkets. An excellent site!

Scottishgal – I do love a good poached egg on toast especially vogels. I don’t know if you get that as I think it’s a kiwi thing but someone (Verano?) mentioned it the other day and I remember thinking they were outside of NZ and how lucky to have it! I can get a 100% chocolate here at Trader Joe’s and (sorry Allie!!), it’s a bit yuck! I need to build up to that. I can do the ghiradelli 86% but I’m hopeless with a whole bar. Mum said put in the freezer – turns out I also really like cold chocolate. So none for right now.
Jess65 (and anyone else who’d like it) – here’s the Quick Asian Fishcakes recipe so you don’t have to dig thru the boxes 📦 😊
1 stick of lemongrass
2 1/2” piece of fresh ginger root
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro/coriander (1/2oz)
1lb salmon fillets, skin off, pin-boned
4 tspns chili jam
Whack the lemongrass against your work surface and remove the tough outer layer. Peel the ginger, then very finely chop with the inside of the lemongrass and most of the cilantro, stalks and all, reserving a few nice leaves in a bowl of cold water. Chop the salmon into 1/2” chunks over the mix on your board then push half the salmon to one side. Chop the rest until super-fine, almost like a purée, then mix the chunkier bits back thru it and season with sea salt and black pepper. Divide into four, then shape and squash into 3/4” thick patties.
Place a large nonstick frying pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cool the patties for 2 mins on each side or until nicely golden. Spoon the chili jam over the fish cakes, add a splash of water to the pan, turn the heat off and jiggle to coat. Serve sprinkled with the drained cilantro.

Scottishgal, welcome back. I always use mysupermarket to find where the Lindt 90% is on offer. The beauty of the 90% is that it’s so ‘dark’ it’s difficult to eat too many squares! Probably will work out cheaper than the Aldi chocolate if you are only eating half as much!
Kafin your fish cakes sound really lovely. Could you copy the recipe over to the ‘Good Eats’ thread as well so we always know where to find it please.
I’ve never seen the Jamie Oliver 5 ingredients book but it sounds good. I have his ‘Meals in 15 Minutes’ book but was not that impressed really but I will definitely try the salmon cakes ….. I adore fish in every form.
Wendy hope today is a brighter day for you.

We started eating 90% lindt about 3 months ago and now I really struggle to eat dairy milk as it’s far too sweet! Asda normally have it on offer: 2 for £3 😊🍫

Hi everyone .Responding here this morning , my favourite ‘home thread’ You probably know that my other favoured threads are the Judicious July thread and the Positives and hopefully any confused, bemused ,potential new members will find their way to those spaces and be reassured.

About Jamie’s 5 Ingrédients. We have tried quite a few. The Asian fishcakes, the fish curry, anything with smoked salmon and the crispy mackerel. Hubby likes the smoky chorizo salmon. I love fish ! Jamie’s pasta and rice dishes could be adpated with low carb alternatives. Egg dishes are easy and tasty: frittatas and asparagus and eggs.

Talking of eggs , today marks Day 1 of the Egg Fast I am going to attempt with Elky. I have an iron constitution so hopefully I will cope .I will update my progress on the Egg Fast thread. I sincerely hope it doesn’t put me off eggs.My eldest son had a very unfortunate experience with pastis ( a very strong aniseed based alcohol in France for aperitif time) I won’t go into the details, just to say it involved a very stressful call from the gendarmes !! My son can no longer stomach the smell of pastis !!!! That’s sort of positive !!
Scottishgal, good to see you !! What have you been up to ? Have you been missing my gentle nagging ?? 😉 I am glad to see you have made the decision to come back and avoid the down slide !! That would be such a shame ….you need to stabilize your BG levels. That is great that you have transitioned to darker choc !! Well done Scottish gal !! Don’t think about the cost of quality chocolate ! You are worth it ! You wouldn’t buy a bumper pack of Galaxy or Mars Bars just because they were cheap ( would you ???? 😉
You really can’t scoff as much dark chocolate as the fatty milky stuff which really is sweet and nasty. Good dark choc for me is a treat to myself. I can’t buy Lindt 70% or Aldi’s 81% any more because it is too easy for me to over eat it. Lindt 90% is my favourite but again it’s so smooth I have to watch myself. ( I am being Judicious at the moment just to control the excesses) Lindt do a 99% choc which is wafer thin and quite yummily bitter. My other favourites are a 98% choc from Terra Etica and 90% from Alter Eco but not sure if they are available in the Uk.
My problem has been disassociating strong espresso coffee and very dark choc because thay are a natural pairing for me . Since our trips to Italy I have a bit of a coffee addiction going on and I have a fab collection of coffee capsules. I have loads of Mariage Frères and Damman green teas too .. Years ago I stopped drinking milk in my tea and I still can’t face it . I can cope with a bit of cream in my coffee though, when I can find stuff that is not sterilized ( yuk)
So Scottishgal, keep posting ….and treat yourself to some high quality choc !
BikeyGuy, Sunderland , Caronl , have a great weekend, whatever you are doing . I wonder if that supermarket comparison site exists in France BikeyGuy ? We do shop a lot in Lidl here.
SunshineGirl..tell us about the 50th birthday party celebrations !
How are you doing StrongCurves ?
Articfox..hope you have a great weekend and positive viewings ! I love the fact that you keep going , your determinaton is an inspiration. You haven’t had an easy time with many difficult challenges, ,well done you xx
I will find you on the other threads V and Sunny B ! You are a very important part of my forum family !
SG ..such a relief now it’s cooler.Lovely to see the rain earlier but we haven’ t had any thunderstorms in the South West as yet. Sorry about your hubby’s comments…he was on very dodgy ground there !! You have had massive success keeping your Bg levels stable. You can look nice in your clothes once more…and you share masses of very helpful information. The weight discard will be part of your succes , I am sure ( careful with the wine creep though ?)
Crisps I would advise not straying too far from the BSD principles on your upcoming holidays. Once you go off plan it would be so easy to give in to carby temptations and then it would be a real struggle to tackle the addictions again.
Glad your physio is sorting your shoulder pain, CG ( Julia !) I totally share your views about the importance of good health.
I have heard from Allie, Kazz, Kafin and Birdy and send big hugs to you all.You know what I think of you fabulous ladies.
I am going to cook some eggs now !!
Have a great weekend everyone !!

Special mention to six turkeys. Are you ok 6T ? Xxx

Hi Kafin, thanks for posting the Asian cakes recipe, I’ve just got the ingredients as part of the weekly shop so going to give them a try tomorrow 😃. I’ve found the book so going to have a look for some others the chorizo salmon sounds good.

Good to hear from you Wendy I assume today is a brighter one.
Crispsforbreakfast every time I see you name it reminds me of one of my real downfalls! Not for breakfast but at that wicked cocktail hour. I’m pleased to report I’ve not had one crisp pass my lips for nearly two weeks now …… result!

Thanks Wendy, it has been a bit demoralizing to see the scales moving in the wrong direction up until now, so I’m just trying to keep a positive lens on things. I was already under a lot of stress with everything going on and then with my horse move being so difficult, I think that just added another layer. Even though I’ve not been as judicious as some, I’ve been eating so much better than back in April when I rejoined, that I was starting to feel a bit sorry for myself, but I think it must just have been high cortisol levels stopping me from losing the fluid and weight. I will not be joining you on the full egg fast, but I will be going back to having several eggs over the next few days in solidarity. I woke up a bit sore today, so I am trying one of your turmeric lattes to see if that helps!
Anyway, down another 0.2kg today and even though it isn’t as big a loss as over the past few days, it is still a loss and I will take it. That is a total of 1.9kg so far this week, which is not shabby at all, even if it is mostly fluid! I looked over my records from when I was last on BSD and it seems I did get stuck for quite a while at the 88kg mark that time in spite of being very judicious, but then after a while there was quite steady loss.
I’ve done a short 15 hours without food overnight, but it is the longest I’ve done in a while. I’m going to koko and see where some mindful eating and extending my non-eating window get me over the next few days. Still consuming some dandelion tea as well as I think it may be helping a bit.

Wendleg – “have a great weekend, whatever you are doing”
I help in organising an annual charity cycle run, which is next weekend, and as of today everything is now prepared for the event. Leaving everyone in full anticipation for whatever will go skew-wiff during the coming week! 🙂
I’ve had a look for http://www.monsupermarché.fr but no joy – sorry!
Sundays are my Weigh Days – positive thoughts for tomorrow . . .

Evening all….. All good with me Wendleg, thank you, tho my hip has been a bit stiff, I think I must have just slept in an odd position. Looking forward to supper of cod loin and steamed broccoli. Raspberries for pud. I am enjoying wearing new acquisitions from TK Maxxx! Some colour in my wardrobe now and I do feel more “streamlined”, even if July has not been that judicious at times. Attentive August just round the corner. I too find so much that is good in the forum, and always look forward to hearing everyone’s news/tips/recipes. So I’ll be back. xx

Hi V – absolutely I’ll copy the recipe over as well as the chicken/whole grain mustard dish I made last night. It was so good, I think I’m having it again tonight! And I love a one pan dish 😁.
Hi 6T – we have a TJ Maxx here in the US. Wondering if it’s the same company?? I got a stupid roofing nail stuck in my tire and it couldn’t be repaired so $300 later and long story short, it led to angry shopping and a lovely bright colored summery dress to add color to my wardrobe. My goal for August is to end with it being easier to zip up than it is now.
Have a good weekend everyone xx

Hello all, just popping in to say hello and catch up with everyone.

You have all been very tempting with the chocolate discussion! I have an *open* block of dark chocolate in the house from before I started this WOE and it has been looking very attractive this last couple of days. Full disclosure, it has only lasted this long because I forgot it was there for several months 😂 But I am staying out of it at least until post EggFast. Because once I start … I salute those of you like BikeyGuy who can ration out pieces!! I’d be with you, ScottishGal, and scoff on the day of purchase!

Verano, sadly I find that no matter how bitter chocolate is I can manage to eat more than several squares. In fact I can probably scoff more dark bitter chocolate than I can with the light milky stuff.

Allie, I find that weakness carries through to the cacao nibs too – I hoped they’d be so bitter I couldn’t manage many but alas it turned out I just found them delicious!

(And BikeyGuy, fingers crossed for your Sunday weigh in 🤞)

6T I am dead jealous of your cod for supper – it’s a delicious fish and we almost never see it here!! For me it’s really only a restaurant thing, and not common even then. Hope you enjoyed it 😌

Arcticfox, you’re doing great just now! I was very impressed with your long bike ride, I swear I just couldn’t. And if I had to, I’d be sore and walking funny for days 😂 I agree with you, celebrate any movement in the right direction!!

Kafin, your fish cakes look great, I will definitely have a go at them post the current Egginess.

Speaking of Egginess, Wendy, let me know how you find it when you kick off. Good luck!

Hello to everyone else, hope you’re all enjoying your weekends, Elky

Elky, I’m imaging that you have an entirely different choice of fish than those of us who live in the vicinity of the
Atlantic ocean. Are you close to your coast, and what species are available to you? I could easily become a
pescatarian, but the prices are outrageous, and I can only rationalize it 3 x a week. Sea bass is @ $23.00 a lb.!
We eat small portions, but enjoy every bite 🙂 I hope that you are greeted by the sun this morning. If I have my
time zones sorted out, 10:30p for me is 12:30pm for you, half a day ahead of course! Your plethora of brilliantly
colored parrots delight me. I receive photos of a whole host of the wildlife that frequent Duckie’s garden, much to
my delight. New England might as well be a different universe 🙂

Morning lovely weeklies !
The sun is tentatively coming out after a couple of days of much needed showers and we are contemplating a trip to the market. Not that I will be eating many veggies for a few days as I begin the Egg Fast today after an unexpected fast day yesterday. I do now tell myself I should only eat when I am hungry ( sounds obvious but it doesn’t always work out like that !) and yesterday I just did not feel hungry so only drank my lush black coffee and San Pellegrino .

Elky and Kafin have talked about cloud bread so I might give that a go as it would be bearable to use the oven at the moment.
Thanks for researching the supermarket comparison BikeyGuy ! I happily pay a bit more for my quality choc but it is not something that is ever on ‘special offer’ here. I remember that decadent Godiva 90% I spotted in the Uk . It’s probably a good thing that it is not available in France !! It has a very distinct caramel taste and is not at all bitter for such a high cacao content.
Good luck with the cycle run prep ..hope the weather is clement for such a great event. We are awaiting your weigh in results.Remember not to get too hung up on the numbers , not always easy I know ! JGwen has a lot to say about this and reminds us lots of changes are happening which may not always register on the scales. Having said that I would like to edge closer to 70kg/11 stone ..
I love that your are wearing more colour,6T ! I had a prolonged beige phase in my twenties and then a uniform of oversized tunics and leggings ! It is very gratifyng to be able to wear more fitted clothes and well done 6T on your streamlined look ! I am not wearing my TK Maxx liquorice allsorts cardy at the moment as it is too hot but it is a very cheerful item 😉 I have also discovered a French site where women buy and sell their preloved items and I have found a few of my beloved Gudrun dresses on there .
I will be with you for Attentive August , 6T. Did your hip pain subside ?
Good on you for choosing your lovely summer dress, Kafin ! I don’t need to be angry to be tempted by buying stuff, unfortunately, but my Vinted site is very reasonably priced ( you can see I am making excuses now !!)
Keep going articfox. Yes, being flexible with your eating window is a good plan. I never eat breakfast these days. That might mean I have to fit in a lot of eggs in 2 meals, yikes ! Hope you are a bit less sore this morning ?
Jess65, how did the recipes turn out ?
Elky , I will see you on the Egg Fast thread !
I post on another couple of threads so will head over there now.Have a great day everyone xx

Wendy is understating it, kids! One of the things that I admire most about her is even in her heavier years, she had her own particular style, and she lit up any room with sunshine when she walked into it. I spent too many years hiding under a
tunic and black trousers. Today, being “age inappropriate” works for me 🙂

Good morning and a big apology for not being here❤️ Since wales I have not been very good and I know it shouldn’t make me stay away but it has and I feel bad! So sorry Wendy, Allie and all. I am at this moment sat on my back step drinking my coffee with cream and waiting for the oven to beep at me! I am attempting cloud bread! It was hard going getting my egg whites to stiff peaks by hand! I do own a electric whisk but I can not find it! I need to do some serious cupboard sorting!

It is a shame that there has been some unpleasant comments and I think we all need to remember that everyone is doing it their way. I don’t necessarily agree with them but if it works for them then we need them to get on with it in their way and leave them be. We all know how bad carbs are for us and how much damage they do to us. I am at the moment realising AGAIN just how much they cause me! So I am now trying my best to steer clear of all processed carbs! I have pain in my knee and ankle AGAIN! 20g or less for me from now on! I also need to get back to measuring everything! I said I was going to do it two weeks ago and it didn’t happen. My tummy seems to be bloated constantly too! This is what carbs do and they need to be gone from my life once again. It is just over 2 weeks until I sail off to the South of France and I want my tummy as flat as possible for the beach😉😂😫.

I hope that you have all had a good weekend and I wish Wendy and Elky all the luck in their egg fast❤️❤️. See you soon you lovely guys xxx. Birdy💞🦜

Oh Birdy, you shouldn’t hide!! It is good to see you back and well done on the egg-white whisking by hand! I had to go back to bed a bit (but made no difference), my hip, it’s just the right one, is really still quite sore, and I am hobbling around. My shin is a bit sore too, but I think that is because I am walking so stiffly. I can’t think what the matter is. It started when I got up yesterday morning, and I didn’t sleep very well with it last night. I have taken some ibuprofen and will rest. It’s more of a nuisance as I have things to be getting on with! xx

Elky and Wendleg –
The results are in and it’s a unanimous thumbs down. Well, 2.6lbs down to be precise! 🙂
So that’s me on 9 weeks of fast800 and now have 29.4lbs less around my body – woohoo! The thing is, there have been a total of 9.4lbs of upward spikes during that time too, and I’m claiming 38.8lbs on paper. Strange things, bodies. This week looked like I’d plateau’d, but 2.4lbs disappeared in the last two days, so I realise that it’s a long game. About rationing food – I’ve been known to make a pack of biscuits or a half-litre tub of ice-cream vanish almost instantly, but decided that as I was on a mission to get back to being healthy I’ve been quite single-track, so an open chocolate bar has been safe so far.
SixTurkeys –
Ibuprofen also comes as a gel in tubes, which I find quite useful for injuries and when my arthriticky (is that a word?) knees are playing up – I get lovely shiney knees after applying it and I’m sure that the rubbing in must be beneficial too.
Onwards and downwards to next week’s One Week At A Time . . .

Well.done BikeyGuy ! That is a great result !.No..you definitely don’t need biscuits and icecream in your life …even if they are on special offer…no no ! Walk away BG !

6T..I struggled a lot with pain walking before I decided nothing was working and I just needed a spare part . I didnt actually get pain in the hip area…more inflammation and pain in the groin and further down my leg which made me limp. The only meds which helped me were Voltarene tablets. Be careful with ibuprofen..you need to protect your stomach and take with food. I was given a extra pill for that.
I am sure you know all this. Hope it gets better soon..how soon can you see a doctor in your part of London ?

Birdy don’t you dare hide ! You know I would never let you do that anyway ! 😉. Looking after everyone else takes up a lot of your time and energy. Don’t forget your needs dear Birdy .(.and that doesn’t include kit kat and crisps ! 💩) You are a very inventive cook and I love hearing about your low carb experiments. You are back on it Birdy…you have had fantastic success so far..keep going because you have been doing it exactly right ! Xx

6T thank you and I am so sorry your hip is playing up! I have in the last couple of weeks been suffering from strains and pains in my shoulder, collar bones, knee and ankle and it is all on my left side!! Very strange?!?! Maybe it is just my weaker side? Who knows. But here is to s speedy recovery for you. Sending hugs dear lady.

I won’t hide anymore I promise Wendy😉❤️ I have been speaking to a friend today who we will visit on our way down to the south of France and she said she couldn’t wait to see my new bod!! At this precise moment I don’t think she will notice a difference! But I have my fat picture to show her and that will help! I am more determined now to get back on the wagon for the next 2 weeks and hopefully shift a few pounds before we set off! Here’s to a new week beginning and a discard. I am lucky that the scales have not changed but my tummy is not as flat as it was a few weeks ago! My moods have seriously been affected too and I am putting that down to hormones and menopause! I can’t think of anything else it can be! So here is to discards and flatter tummies again. Birdy 💞🦜

Good to see you back, Birdy! When I first began, I fell off the wagon every holiday and most weekends. I’ve realised my bread addiction is, now was, as powerful booze and drugs! My name is Karen and I’m a breadaholic! It’s now 8 weeks may be 9 since I last had bread. I’m rather proud of myself! You describe how it used to make me feel. Terrible gastro problems too. Even had a coeliac test. Doc concluded non coeliac sensitive! Not sure if that is a thing but I feel amazing when I stay away from it. Even imagine it toasted smeared with plug hole suds and hair! A Paul McKenna trick. You have done amazingly well! Don’t ever hide! Xxx
Kirsten, last night’s dinner sounded fab. I’ve got to teach my uncle to cook a few meals now that my aunt is ill and I’m getting him that 5 ingredient book to start with. Was telling him about it today.
Ok, time to get myself sorted for work and boil some eggs, make an omelette!
BikerGuy, that’s a fantastic result! You must be over the moon?
6T, sorry about your hip pain, I hope it resolves itself soon with rest. Amazing how these aches and pains seem to come out of nowhere!
Jess, did you do the fish cakes? Did you like them?
Shout out to everyone else I’ve not mentioned and KOKO! 🤸🏽‍♀️🤸🏽‍♀️🤸🏽‍♀️🤸🏽‍♂️🧘🏻‍♂️🧘🏻‍♂️

Roll on Poldark!
Kazzxxx

Brilliant victory Kazz, that’s what we love to hear !! You definitely should be proud of yourself. Love your self deprecating humour and generosity !!

I reckon lots of us will be imagining their trigger foods smeared with plug hole suds and hair from now on !

Go, Kazz !!!

Yay Birdy! I know that feeling, I just melt into the background for a bit. Glad you’re back in the fold. 💕
Kazz, that sounds like the perfect start for your uncle! I’m debating whether to join you on the egg fast and if I start tomorrow, then I’ll make the same dish tonight but throw all my veggies in so as not to waste! Also very proud of you for being bread clean!!
Bikeyguy – such a great result and nice lead-in. Was all set to send sympathy card!
6T, hoping your hip pain is gone when you wake up tomorrow, I have nothing to suggest other than everyone around you should wait on you hand and foot and bring you flowers 💐
Wendy, you with your beige phase made me laugh. I cannot wear that color nor can I wear salmon. I remember asking my Mum when I was a teenager if she thought I had a peaches and cream complexion, fully expecting a yes and was very put out to hear “no dear, you’re just ruddy”. You however do have that lovely complexion so I bet you pulled the beige off!
Elky, I’m with you – somehow I’m able to choke down more than one square at a time of chocolate. I think I mentioned the 100% we have here and how I didn’t like it. Did that stop me? Hell no. I like to call that…follow-through.
My loveliest of Allie’s – when I win the lottery, I’m flying you out here to have all the best fish your heart desires. I don’t see any beautiful parrots out my window like Elky but I can offer you a squawky crow that sounds a bit like a woodpecker and a dead white rat offered by Albert this morning 🐀 🦜 I’ve already planned the restaurant to take Elky to just as soon as my winnings come through.
Happy new week rising to all xx

Good morning all, it’s the start of a new week downunder. Hope it’s a good one for everyone 😊

Kazz, you are a dangerous woman to know, your plug hole suds and hair comment very nearly had me spraying bulletproof coffee all over the dining table. Seriously, I laughed like a drain, that is gold and it will definitely stick for me.

And then I’d just got my breath back and Kafin’s mother was telling her that her complexion was just ruddy! I roared again, it’s amazing I got any coffee at all this morning!!

Allie, the timing of your comments on our brilliantly coloured parrots was interesting – because crimson rosellas have just completely wrecked one of my camellias for the year, drat them! Parrots are known for giving things a good haircut (and many native plants need tip pruning to be at their best), but I’ve been in this house 20 years and I’ve never had them do it to my camellias. And all my camellias are pretty big – house height – because it’s an old garden by local standards. This particular shrub is outside the dining room window and so I can sit at the table and see the honey eaters in the camellia flowers, but they can’t see me so they don’t get spooked. (For the avoidance of doubt, honey eaters are birds not bears, as Kafin suggested when I told her this! Some of our honey eaters are big birds, but in this camellia I also get sweet little ones, a bit like your hummingbirds – eastern spinebills if you want to google.) But I won’t this year because when I went outside on Sunday the ground under the camellia was a carpet of trimmings: open flowers, yet to open buds, all gone. I know it’s the only way the parrots can get at the nectar in the flowers, but I may have said some cross words about it!!

So yes parrots are pretty, and I will always stop and watch them splashing about when they’re in the bird baths, but they do have their moments…. That said, I wouldn’t be without our birds. I think birds are joymongers – I defy anyone not to feel that all is not just a little brighter in the world after watching birds just doing their bird things, whether it’s a flock of hens scratching in the dust or parrots splashing in a bath.

And yes you’re right, Allie, that our fish are very different to the ones you get near the Atlantic. But would you believe a lot of them share the same names?? (Well, the names from England, not sure about the States.) So when white settlers first came to Australia, and they found a fish that looked a bit like one they knew from the UK, I think they gave it the same name. In recent years there’s been a bit of a push to try to sort out the naming issues here, I think. Anyway, no I’m not very close to the coast, about 3 hours by car, but we still get a lot of seafood here – probably mostly snap frozen at sea, I don’t know. I’m terrible at cooking fish so I don’t have it very often, but I really should practice more I guess. I like the big fish steaks that can be cooked on the bbq – like tuna, marlin, salmon – but I don’t do it nearly enough. Maybe more in summer. Of course we have more delicately flavoured fish too but I’m very bad at cooking them…. Restaurant food! 😊

BikeyGuy, well done on the discard!! And I just love that you’re counting the bits you’ve had to discard twice lol

Birdy, welcome back, I missed you! Don’t stay away when it’s tough going, it’s when things are tough that we need each other most. Let’s face it, if we found it effortless then none of us would be here in the first place, we’d all have stayed as skinny as we were at 12 (or 8, or 6, or whenever we were skinny … if we were ever skinny ….).

6T, I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling with pain just now, that’s so hard. Constant pain is so debilitating, it really isn’t fun. I second BikeyGuy’s suggestion of trying gels rather than pills to try to protect the stomach a bit – here we get Voltarin as a gel too, not sure if you can? Anyway, sending virtual hugs your way. Also, I keep forgetting to ask, how is your brother? Hoping his recovery continues well!

And that’s my lot just now, I think, I shall just pop over the Egg Fast thread. Hello to everyone else, may it be a grand week for us all, Elky

The salmon fish cakes were a success, think I need a bit more practice with the fine chopping but even my husband enjoyed them, so they will definitely be one that will be made again. All this talk of eggs encouraged me to have a mushroom omelette, which I really enjoyed …. but I only used 1 egg … I don’t think I could stomach more than 1 a day 😞

Hi all,
Very active thread this weekend. I will do my best to keep up.
6T – I agree on the voltaren gel, it definitely saves your stomach from oral NSAIDs, but I find I have to use the extra strength version to get any benefit. My gp once gave me a sample that was basically voltaren mixed with DMSO and that surprised me because I didn’t think that DMSO was approved for human use. I was only familiar with it because of the horses. Anyway, thanks to my horse, I have a never ending supply of DMSO, so now that my sample has run out, I can mix up my own concoction. Probably not a recommended practice and I only do it when the pain is desperately bad, but I find it definitely helps with the absorption of the voltaren through the skin.
Kafin – Your mum would be perfectly right to say that I have a beetroot complexion today. I rode my bike about 30km to a local lake and back, and sat in dappled shade for a while there reading a book. I sweated off my sunscreen on the way there and even though I was sitting in the shade, I think I was getting quite a bit of reflection off the water. Actually, luckily my face didn’t get the worst of it, my upper arms are the brightest shade of red.
My work is 32km away by bike, so I think I might try riding one way soon. I might not be able to do it this week, but we’ll see, and for sure next week.
I wasn’t down any more weight this morning, but 1.9kg in less than a week is quite a lot, so I think my body might be taking a bit of a rest. I had a slightly bigger food day yesterday too, but 44g of it was fibre, so not all of the calories really count.
I’m on a new regime for my sleep for the coming week. Finishing eating before 7:30pm and in bed by 10:30pm. Vitamin D supplement before retiring in order to try to improve my sleep quality – although I think I got an adequate dose from the sun today! We’ll see if it helps.

Good morning to you all my lovely ladies and lad😂. Thank you to all that have said you are glad to see me back, I really do appreciate you all and you are right it is the best time to be here when we go wrong, but you know how ya humans can be😂😂. I

I jumped on the scales yesterday and I was very surprised and very pleased they said 14-8!! I couldn’t quite believe it so I reset them and jumped on again and they read the same. This is awesome but I have no clue how it happened😱. I was 15-1 last weekend?? Ah well I am not going to dwell on the how, but enjoy the numbers instead! It has given me an even bigger push to stop being silly and eat the correct things from now on.❤️ I really thought I had failed as I have in all the other diets I have ever tried! You know the one where we get great results, get complacent and then can’t get back to it and can’t repeat the same diet twice!! But not this woe! Omg it is quite forgiving when you get back to it and you can continue like you did in the beginning😂😘. Awesome and I love it more now. This is my home thread and I couldn’t do without it. ❤️❤️ Kazz well done in breaking your bread habit, that in itself is amazing. Elky, Wendy, Allie, bikeguy, Kafin, JGwen and many more of you are the best and I thank my lucky stars you are all here. Let’s koko and kick our painful fat bodies to the curb😂😂❤️❤️ Hope you all have a great day and here is to a successful week to us all. Birdy 💞🦜

Just love this warm ,caring thread and will set up a new weekly one later today in the same spirit xx

Elky your posts always make me laugh…love hearing about your stories down under ! My son has developed a passion for wildlife photography , mostly birds and the photos he sends really are stunning..spectacular colours. The rainbow lorikeets are far too beautiful to be castigated 😉 if they get up to mischief but I can understand your dismay about the parrots misbehaving with your camellias.
Birdy your good number on the scales DOES NOT give you licence to scoff crisps and kit kats !😱. I want to know you have no spare cash available for illicit use in the vending machines. I know you will be getting more great results Birdy and it is great to hear you chirping merrily again. We love you xx
I am going to send this now before it disappears from my phone but back soon xx

Hi Elky! Think the parrots must be very hungry these days given there are no crops being planted – due to this hideous drought – and maybe the birds (generally) are creeping ever closer to the coast for sustenance . . Im guessing your decadent looking camellias probably looked like a five-hatted restaurant 🙂 Rather sad you need to wait another year for the splendor to re-appear! My satin bowerbird clan of maybe 8-10 members are regular daily visitors – sometimes twice day. Crimson rosellas must have heard the word as a few are sharing the waterbowls some days. A few days ago I saw them checking iut my courtyard pots . . . one of which has a VERY healthy self-sown strawberry plant flourishing. Nearby is Yuletide . . . a single layer of RED petals Camellia. Well imagine the disdain when one of the “ladies” spied something “red” in the strawberry pot . . . grabbed it . . . and then discovered it was merely a fallen camellia petal! She tossed it aside with visibke disappointment and crossness and flew off in a huff!!!! tomorrow is shaping up to be much cooler and quite possibly some rain could appear. Hopefully. Even if showers . . . we would be moat grateful. We need it so badly. Quack! Quack!!
PS: And please dont forget our (sometime soon) date for the beautiful Paragon . . . 🙂