The FastDay Forum

sounds good little cuz x sp plsed for you,specially re you nearing near goal and lookin forward to some slinky new togs!
As for me, pretty abyssmal..2014 was v hit and miss fastingwise..i put a lot back on
Trying v hard this year to keep focused! X

It's good to hear you sounding so up beat @clairemarie When you use the firepit see if you can get hold of some 'Mystical Fire' I don't know if it is available in the states. It is a powder in a sachet that you throw on the fire and it makes the flames go all sorts of colours. We have a brazier that we sometimes light if we have guests - we had a fire with mystical fire dust on new Year's Eve and it was very popular.
Nearly time for bed for me now . Enjoy your day off and see you next week.

Good morning @Lil, I am checking on Sunday night because I will be up and out very early in the am. Hope you have a great fast and I will check in late afternoon. Down to 163 this week...this is starting to feel really good!

Hi @clairemarie You are doing well ,unlike me. My weight is marginally up AGAIN this week - only 0.2 lb but we had a 'normal' weekend at home this week with no real excesses so I was hoping for better things. ANYWAY I will keep the faith and carry on as usual. We went for a 90 minute walk yesterday as it was nice and sunny and I have been to aqua this morning so I am getting some exercise. I have been messing about trying to burn a CD for a friend of mine. I finally managed it but as I used some free software it has a watermark on it - oh well it will have to do. I am not really sure what I am doing and am scared of downloading malware so I think I will quit while I am ahead.
The weather has turned rainy now so I think it will be ironing in front of the TV for the rest of the afternoon. I see the weather had turned pretty cold in your neck of the woods - are you still having to walk to work.
Not sure what we are eating tonight - I am considering a chicken and fennel ragout that I have a recipee for except I shall make it with lean turkey breast as that is what is in the fridge. There are also some lean lamb steaks so I may do something with those.Have a good fast day and I hope to hear from you later

@Lil I just love fennel it is nice with just about anything. I bet you are dealing with some inflammation in regards to your weight. I have learned that carbs and prepackaged foods are the culprits. Push the water. It works for me. I am glad you are doing more walking. I have never been able to make a sustainable commitment to exercise so I know how distasteful it can be. I haven' t walked to work for some time but at work I am on my feet all day and am in constant motion so I know physical activity definitely is a contributor to my success over the past few months. And lets just say I have developed 'buns if steel' as well. Resistive exercise is essential for us post meno girls.
Downton has started and I have to say I am disappointed so far. I am finding it boring, predictable and disjointed.

@clairemarieJust about to switch off when up popped your message! I did the lamb stew in the end partly because we had a roast chicken yesterday and will be having the rest of it curried tomorrow so I thought I'd give poultry a rest. It was very tasty - I had it in 2 'sittings' as it was quite filling - I put quite a lot of aubergine ( eggplant) in it which I find is a very good fast day option. Hope the rest of your day goes well and that you are not too cold. See you Wednesday

Hv a gd pm @Lil Iended up with leftover roast turkey

Hi there@clairemarie Well it's 5pm here - nearly time to start cooking . The days seems to have gone by quickly. I didn't get up till 9am as I was up during the night. I've been to aqua aerobics and then popped in to see a friend for a coffee ( black!) I had made a DVD for her of a concert Neil Diamond did for the BBC in 1971. If you are a fan see if you can find it on YouTube - his voice was so good back then and he didn't look too shabby either! We had a heavy snow shower last night - only lasted about 15 minutes but I happened to be out driving at that point. Heavy rain expected tonight so will all be washed away. The weather looks pretty cold where you are!
Tonight I am going to do fish with a chilli and veg topping and cannelini beans

@clairemarie Here I am at last. It's been a busy time. I had a new computer delivered on Monday. My son persuaded me to have a significant upgrade. It is a new operating system and new software. I have gradually been transferring everything from my old computer to the new but have spent many hours getting to grips with it.
Anyway a good weigh in for me this week - at last seem to be getting rid of some of my Christmas excess. Hubby has been having some hospital treatment this week so we spent most of Tuesday and this afternoon there. I swapped my working days so I could go with him and will be doing tomorrow and Friday this week.
We have already eaten - one of our regular meals - salmon with watercress sauce and veggies.
I hope you are having a successful week .

I am up a lb this week @Lil. Well probably not a shock because pumpernicle bread creeped back into my diet. Even with two fast days the bread puts weight on. This was true a year ago and is still true today. With the cold winter here I have been eating soups and gosh darn bread! I will have to accept that it is taboo for me. Hope hubby handled treatment well. Some crazy walked into one of Bostons largest hospitals the other day and shot a Doctor to death blaming him for his mothers death. So many nuts in our world today. Trying to focus on a good clean diet this week.
Glad to hear your back on track. This is going to be our year Lil!...PS Downton is starting to get better.

Hiii @clairemarie my little cuz and your bud@Lil!
I love bread too ( must run in our family!) hehehe!
Xx

Hi there@clairmarie Well it's another fast day. A small loss of 0.2lb for me today but after last weeks weigh in I would have been happy to stay the same. Hopefully I'll be moving on in the right direction again next week - still not back to my lowest pre Christmas weigh but I will get there. Pumpernickel bread is very healthy but I suppose it is restricting the amount you eat once the packet is opened that can be tricky. I think it is pretty low GI . I used to sometimes have hummus and pumpernickel sandwiches for packed lunch and found one slice was sufficient.
I've got my new computer going now and it so much faster than the old one. Still coming up against the odd thing that is different but it's a good challenge for my aging neurons.
I have started making pom poms. My son and his girlfriend want to decorate the hall with them for their wedding reception. They keep my hands busy and away from snacks etc so no bad thing! I bought a couple of jumpers in a charity shop and unraveled them which was cheaper than buying the wool new. The wool in crinkly but gives the pom poms quite a nice look.
I set up some Seville orange gin to steep yesterday - I tasted some at a Christmas fair and thought I would have a go at making some. It needs to be stored for a year or 2 to develop its flavour so some patience required. Because I only used the zest I still have most of the fruit left so this afternoon I am planning to make some marmalade with it - no tasting!!
I am planning a chicken and fennel ragout for dinner tonight. Hubby still feeling a bit weary and nauseous but his appetite seems OK.

@Lilhow about sharing your orange gin recipe with your little buddy? Make some ginger syrup and crytalized ginger for hub. Ginger good for tummy. Also, I once worked in a treatment ctr and some cultures sip on warm hot water and find that soothing. Well back on track weight wise, this week weigh in down to 162.5lb Huge snow storm coming in tonight, about 3 feet of the fluffy stuff is expected. Also got a new puppy this past week, a little shih Tzu. He is a movie star but training is a challenge as would be expected.

@CandiceMarie I really cannot tolerate bread at all, it causes me to blow up. Since I started 52 I have learned to curb grains and sugar. I have been able to treat myself occasionally with sugar/dessert/pasta but bread is an absolute no no. It takes several days and gallons of water to get rid of the weight gain it causes...just one sandwich! I have somewhat better luck with homemade bread but at the end of the day I have to accept that as much as I love it, it does not love me.I noticed you are not making your tracker public. How much have you lost since starting 52 nad what is your biggest challenge?

Well done on your weight loss@clairemarie . The weather forecast here has just been talking about the expected snow fall in N America. Keep yourself safe.
I looked at several recipes for the seville orange gin on line. The one i have used is the zest ( no pith) of 5 seville oranges , 1 litre of gin, 4 oz caster sugar and 2 cloves. Put all in a clean container in a dark place ,turning occasionally to begin with to dissolve the sugar, for 3 months and then bottle. Store for 1 - 2 years for flavour to develop. Might have to try it before then. Do you get seville oranges in the states? I made 6 jars of marmalade with the fruit this afternoon . I can't tell you how it turned out because not a drop passed my lips. I had got it nearly up to temperature when I realised I had only put in half the amount of sugar I should have. Adding the sugar made it look very thick so I added some more water. I think the set was OK in the end.
My daughter fell asleep on the underground in Berlin on Sunday evening and had her phone and purse stolen including all her cards so she has had a bit of sorting out to do. Only when I asked her did she admit that she is short of ready cash so I have sent some to tide her over till her new plastic arrives. None of the cards had been used when she cancelled them but still very disrupting for her.
I'm just sipping a low cal hot chocolate and then I am off to bed. See you Wednesday