The FastDay Forum

The bangers sound noisy @Sallyo, but u will love it once it's finished. I am checking in: fasting today and I may well come in close to 500 cals as I am starving! Soup for brekky, mini protein bar choc fudge, coffee at home and skinny cap with my bro in law and soup when I get home, guesstimating cals so long as I come in around 800 I'm happy. On track for my daily 15,000 steps. Good luck all.

Well done @GMH. Good walks, good eating. Today is not a fast day for me and I am making pork spare ribs for dinner with a cabbage salad. I haven't done much walking today as it was very cold and very wet. I had OH in the car and I would have done walking around Devonport with my umbrella but he didn't want to wait that long in the car. I bought a new goose down jacket in the Katmandu sale so I am properly kitted out for winter now. On the home front, the electrician came today and sorted out all the power points prior to the plasterer coming next week. We are already warmer in the lounge room with our new double glazed window even though the curtains are down. Hang in there until Wednesday.

Although I tend only to visit the forum on a fasting/restricted calorie day, I'd like to join this challenge. I know I shouldn't complain but now that I am maintaining I miss the buzz of the scales, thinking more about what I might have eaten (too much) the previous day, how to balance protein/carbs, etc. These days I tend to eat mindfully, i.e. no second serves of lovely winter casseroles, not putting a full can of coconut cream in the pumpkin soup and no Indian curry at every (lunch) opportunity. I still fast 1-2 times a week but no calorie counting anymore.

I'll go on holidays to Vanuatu late September so would like to be trim and fit for that. My goal is to contue to go to the gym three days a week for weight training (but add more cardio), start running again (at least once a week) and avoid sugar as much as possible (except in baking cakes from scratch). Our new dog has been digging up the new seedlings so I doubt we'll ever eat homegrown spinach again. The dwarf beans are definitely destroyed.

@Sassy1, you are WW Challenger #11 when you get back.
And @Wmr309, welcome WW Challenger #12. You can be an inspiration to me as you have already got to a maintenance weight. Thank you for joining.
I have had a good day today. I am fully ready for winter and the new double glazed windows are making a huge difference to the temperature in the house. Today I kept having to strip off and open doors as I was too hot! And it wasn't not outside. Right now it is 8 degrees outside and 22 degrees inside. And the fire is only ticking over. I had a big cheese making day and I WENT FOR A WALK!!! This is the 2nd day this week. I haven't put on my pedometer yet because it would be too discouraging. I didn't do my usual walk, but came back sooner. I have to build myself back to my previous level. The point is, I did it. I will plan to go on another walk tomorrow, easing myself back in. I know, once I reach a certain point, I will start to experience the benefits and then it will be easier. I wore my new coat when I went out. It's duck down , not goose down. It's purple which I wasn't sure about. Purple isn't really my colour. I'm more of a red girl, but the only red ones were for men. There was only black or purple in my size, so I went for purple and I am starting to really like it. Fast day tomorrow. I can do it!

Number 11 it is, @Sallyo! Can you believe I am actually looking forward to going home so I can resume my usual diet?!! We are eating out so much, with 4-5 course set menus (so no chance to choose healthier options) with minimal amount of (if any) veggies. Lots of meaty pasta and meat in general. At the time of eating I fancy the food, and even though I know I will regret it later, I don't stop myself eating. I really think this is just greed and lack of willpower, nothing else!!! All my clothes are very tight...

Am not posting very much as I have very little spare time to even read the forum, but thought I should respond to your tag.

Best wishes to all wild winter challengers! You all seem to be doing well.

Wild Winter Woman checking in. So far so good but I hear a new case of never tried brand of wine has arrived at home, I am already feeling tempted I am hoping it's good...Margaret River...Long Way from Nowhere made by Tate of Evans and Tate fame. I will try to control myself LOL apart from that a little hungry but not feral, so on way home and hope to have a bowl of soup at 3.15 and then walkies with my neighbour.

Winter is hard to fast through and you're all doing so immensely well, fantastic!
Love the sound of that duck down coat and good wine, purple is the colour :0)
Keep going you inspirational folks \O/

Fasted until 6pm last night but then had a wine delivery that went very well with the chorizo/lentil/capsicum stew I had made. The scales were still kind this morning so was happy to go to the gym and a quick walk with the dog before breakfast and work. More comforting food tonight as the temperature has dropped. Looking forward to the weekend.

hello (hides face)! (Peeps in again) - this is my first time on the forum in nearly a year. And I've almost forgotten how to tag people @sallyo @sassy1 @maggiee @debs, heaps more, so sorry if I've momentarily forgotten your tags. I am so embarrassed to have left without a word, but Sally, thinking of you in Forth in the Wild Winter has drawn me back. Perhaps I should explain my absence a little, there are going to be some people who are very grumpy with me I expect!

I don't really know where to start - irritation with the new commercial nature of the website and not being able to sign in on my iphone for ages, for one. Also getting getting completely fed up (forgive pun) with the focus that a lot of people here have on losing weight and hating themselves for where they currently are - I'm highly allergic to that, and I do even need to protect myself from it at times, as I feel it pollutes my outlook, if that makes any sense. Also some worries and stresses for me, causing my depression to resurface with a vengeance. Hmmm. Anyway I have managed to put on some (not all) of the weight I lost, by neglecting myself food-wise and living on junk. I have, however, been IF intermittently

But now I am in a much better place emotionally and in my life in general. Hallelujah! And I have booked in for the Cradle Mountain walk in early December, so I will be visiting your fair isle, Sally, what a joy that always is! And I am therefore on a mission for fitness and fasting. I started a week ago. I'm finding the hardest thing to cope with is feeling cold while fasting, but have discovered hot lime juice - juice of one of my friend Lee's limes in a glass of hot water - yum!!

So, if you'll have me, here I am! My goals are:

fasting and doing my HIIT on my squeaky cross-trainer three times a week on days organized beforehand.

Being a little more carb-savvy on replenish days - less processed carb and less overall carb, maybe around 90g per day? But nobody will ever persuade me to give up lentils and beans, sorry, just not gonna happen!

walking 5 times a week, eventually with my boots and a pack on my back!

coming on the forum on fast days, but having my own boundary around discussing weight loss and self-hatred (there's a connection there for some people sometimes I think)

buying a hula hoop! liking what I'm seeing with that on you-tube, and I'm lucky to have a very strong core & back due to lots of pilates

oh, and probably getting a fitness tracker - maybe a fitbit surge to cover cycling and HR etc?

sooo, here's good luck and warm wishes to those of us fasting today, including me!

Dear @jools7

How lovely to hear from you! I have thought of you and wondered how you were going. Don't know if you have read many of the recent posts, but if you have you will know that I am overseas at the moment. I am actually having breakfast in Venice at the moment (it's a hard life for some!!) but head for the airport very soon when we go to England for 9 days before returning to Oz. So just a quick note.

Very glad to see you back and we can encourage each other re the WWC. And maybe another bike ride sometime??

Very best wishes.

@jools7 I have missed you so much. I knew you were pissed off with the new forum and I thought you'd gone for ever. So happy that you are returned. I also struggle with people's post obsessing about putting on a kilo and full of self loathing. But we are all on our own journey. I get it that those posts trigger something hard for you. It doesn't really do that for me, I just think, oh dear, I wish they wouldn't do that! I did the Cradle Mountain walk to celebrate turning 60 although not at my birthday. I did it in February 2014. It was bloody hard! I thought i was fit, but it turned out I wasn't. Your winter challenge goals are very wise. You are lucky number #13. A witches number. So powerful! We should have a 'meet up' when you come to Tasmania. It is very cold here but I have my lovely new duck down purple jacket. I have been fro a small walk today and also done some gardening, planted 6 cabbage seedlings, weeded the carrot patch. cut a big cabbage and shovelled some compost into the bed ready for peas. Going out for dinner with a party of Greens, to farewell our Christine Milne, who is the retiring leader of the Australian Greens for those who don't know. She is one of the Senators for Tasmania. I understand some people think you shouldn't talk politics but I do it.

[Debs]

@jools7, hello there!!!
I did notice you had gone a bit quiet and I am glad to see you back although sorry for the reasons you left, but understand them. I am not doing the wild winter challenge as it is far from wild winter here in Qatar, more sordid summer and getting hotter by the day! On the upside, Ramadan means that I am not eating at work as eating and drinking in public are banned for the month so I am happily doing a 16:8 every day.
I am off to the UK too on Tuesday to meet up with friends and will be catching up with a few fasters in Fortnum and Mason for afternoon tea. Where else would fasters meet?!
My OH is shivering in 3 degrees near Hobart but he will be over here soon too, into a furnace, he'd better not moan too much after his whingeing about the Tassie winter!

Sorry for leaving you out of the tags, @carmelk46, how's it all going??
Hope you're well!
@Sallyo, you make me cry! It's amazing to hear that you've missed me, Really?? So sorry to have caused you some consternation! Please give Christine a kiss for me!! I think Richard will be good though, although it sounds like he has been a bit of a wild child in the past, if you believe today's "good weekend". I am very happy to talk politics, although there's not much good to be said atm, and as I recall we have got into trouble for doing it in the past - oh well!
Yes I wish I could be a little more detached about the self-loathing, I have just had to fight so hard for my self-love against inner and outer figures, it breaks my heart to hear others trashing themselves.
I would love to drop in on you at the end of the year, so sweet of you to ask! We can chat about it later.
And @sassy1 Venice! Are you pulling my leg? How wonderful! I read a little bit about your eating travails in Italy this morning, sounds tough! Bon voyage, and I'd love to have a bike ride with you when you come back.
@Debs, Qatar?? Is that permanent?? Bit of a contrast with Tassie winter, I'm sure your OH has been telling you it's been single figures down there, and pretty cold even in Melbourne. Hope things are going well for you!
So lovely to be welcomed back so warmly by you lovely ladies!
Blessings on your fasting days and everyday!
Love,
Jools xxx

Well just checking in as promised. All going well and thank you @Sallyo for the much needed jolt. Down another 700 gm this week and only 2kg to get back to goal. Pretty close to my own goal of 15,000 steps per day. The dogs have got so thin will all the walking I have had to increase their food! Good luck everyone.

Well, hello Wild Winter Challengers. We've passed the longest night but we know it's not over yet. We have the coldest part ahead. I'm fasting today. I'm not doing enough walking but I am doing a little. I'll try not to beat myself up but just be gently encouraging and make it attractive. We are off for a winter holiday while they do the plaster in our house and it might be good to do walks in a new location. I also intend to finish my knitting project which has been hanging around for far too long and read a lot. It really is going to be a winter holiday!