The FastDay Forum

I'd better post here to distract myself from licking Christmas cake implements - spoons, bowls etc. I've been up for hours, woke up early which is annoying on a fast day, but often happens. I got up at 5 and did tapestry, had coffee and started making the Christmas cake. Then half way through, my neighbours knocked on the door and it was off walking round the block. Cake now in the oven for the next 2 and a half hours. Smelling devine and driving me mad. Hope you all have a good day. We're having cauliflower curry this evening.

Hi@SallyoI'm here as usual today. Still in my dressing gown - just going to have my morning cup of tea with skimmed milk then I'm off to aqua. Still got the whole day to go! Don't think I could make a Christmas cake on a fasting day but I am going to go and buy the ingredients later.

Hi all, sounds like you've had good starts to the day already! This is my first day of fasting in a LONG time. Figure that better late than never and with Christmas creeping up I really don't want to start the New Year looking like a christmas pud. Had a coffee and a tea and about to start work now. Good luck!

I'm in too - working from home, black coffee till lunchtime & hoping to undo some very silly weekend eating.
Good luck all.

Mornings

I'm here, I have a driving lesson this morning then a training/workshop thingy this afternoon, so a fairly busy day to keep me occupied til dinner. I'll be having leftover roast chicken and salad.

Have a good day y'all

Morning everyone !

I am in today. Not hungry for anything really so, as I have to finish the frozen cauliflower and spinach before my next grocery shopping in a few days I will try this in a soup.

Good luck !

[Tracieknits]

Hi everyone. I'm in today for my second fast of the month. Sigh. Hey, at least I'm in today, right? And since I have made it to 1:30pm/13:30, chances are good I will be successful. I have just brewed a pot of herbal tea and plan to distract myself with my new coloring book. We already have a soup for dinner (leftovers) so that's done.

I just read another diet book -- another MD who studies obesity (Louis J Aronne MD out of Weil Cornell Medical College). He mentioned that fasting is basically great for you but thought asking people to fast 12 hours was about all reason could demand. Amateur!! He praised eating windows, Actually, the book was good -- mostly stuff we already know. More stuff telling me to eliminate carbs from my life and move my butt more. He discussed a few other things as well, like medications for weight loss and he strongly advocates using protein shakes or bars as meal replacements for breakfast and lunch (with a healthy dinner) for two weeks to jump start weight loss, and then twice a week after that -- sort of what we're doing with fasting, but way easier. So I decided to buy a couple of shakes to use as a backup if I'm having a really terrible time with fasting. So if I really really can't make the day, I'll have a shake or bar. Looks like the calories go from 150 to 250, so it wouldn't even necessarily blow the fasting day, depending on what I have for dinner. The book is called "Change Your Biology Diet" and I got an advance copy from Amazon so I could write a review.

@Alicegl1 welcome back!

@Manderley - I think cauliflower and spinach soup could be lovely. I'd probably add a bit of nutmeg/noix de muscade and perhaps grate a bit of comte or emmenthaler on top when I served it.

The soup was lovely, a lovely shade of green, creamy and filling.... and there's still half of it left ! No cheese on top as I don't have anymore in my fridge, but some parsley which add some great flavours.

The evening could be my downfall right now as I am trying to quit smoking (5th day without a cigarette) and it's getting difficult. Way more than last week, which is strange. It wouldn't be because I am hungry just because my mouth and hands need to be busy. Does that makes sense ? So I am far far far away all that can be tempting in that kind of situation..... and will go to bed early after spending the evening watching some awesome concerts !

That's me done, I even made it through offers of lunch, with the food in front of me as it was a shared lunch!! I'm feeling particularly challenged at the moment - I only went about 20 cals over 500 - but the urge to blow it is particularly strong! A little voice in my head is saying that I might as well eat more, and fast tomorrow! But if there's one thing that I definitely know about myself, it's that putting something off once, will usually lead to more putting off, and in this instance it could be the beginning of going backwards if I give in.. and anyway, if I really take notice of my body, I know that I don't actually need more..

Phew, that helped

Hope everybody else is going well

Just had my dinner. A new recipe I found for chicken gumbo. Very filling - I hope the calorie count on the recipe was OK. I got a ukulele for my birthday and am attempting to learn to play it with the help of a book. I am so useless it passes a lot of time and you can't play and eat at the same time!

[Tracieknits]

The soup was lovely, a lovely shade of green, creamy and filling.... and there's still half of it left ! No cheese on top as I don't have anymore in my fridge, but some parsley which add some great flavours.

The evening could be my downfall right now as I am trying to quit smoking (5th day without a cigarette) and it's getting difficult. Way more than last week, which is strange. It wouldn't be because I am hungry just because my mouth and hands need to be busy. Does that makes sense ? So I am far far far away all that can be tempting in that kind of situation..... and will go to bed early after spending the evening watching some awesome concerts !

I've had a few friends say that they *have* to chew a lot of gum when they're giving up smoking. They need either a drink in their hand or gum in their mouth pretty much constantly for the first couple of weeks. It takes a while to get easier, from what I've seen. But if cigarettes are half as expensive in France as they are here, you're doing a great thing by quitting!!

do you knit or crochet or have any hobbies that keep your hands busy? Maybe look up origami online and fold some paper?

I'm in today, just after 4pm here, most of the Brits are asleep and Aussies, it's tomorrow! Just about to have my broth; it's funny how yummy that can be! Wish I could be mindful enough to appreciate all my food like that...

Hey @ferretgal! You must be almost there by now! It's Tuesday afternoon here and I'm thinking about getting dinner. Well done @Manderley Giving up smoking is the hardest and most important thing you will ever do. Hang in there girl! Remember, you are now a non-smoker and non smokers do not smoke at all, not even one. It's that one that distinguishes you. If you smoke 'just one' that changes everything. So resist that one cigarette. I speak from experience as you can tell. I have enrolled in a 6 week uni course and it is very distracting. It's an on line course and all my computer attention is taken up, looking at posts. joining discussions.... I must not neglect my 5: 2 friends just because I'm distracted.

It all went well and I even have enough leftovers for tomorrow's fast

@Tracieknits No crochet or knitting, I don't have the patience for that and I can't remember the rules anyway. I made a beautiful scarf, I still wear today years later by the way, but have no idea how I made it I would love to learn to play guitar, I am a huge guitar fan for years, but I maybe am too old for that. I don't like chewing gum but I adore liquorice which could be a big downfall as there's no sugar free liquorice....

@Sallyo What kind of course do you take ?
I never was a bit smoker, only 5 to 7 cigarettes a day, so you would think it's easier to quit ? Let me tell you that, after 20 years of 5 cigarettes a day, it's not easy AT ALL to quit, even if I imagine it's easier than if it was 2 packs a day...

I am 'writing family history, @Manderley