@flumi_f That sounds like a busy week!
I had a loss this morning when I stepped in the scale. I am also going to give myself a gift when I get to 5 pounds down, which should be next weekend, so I am going to preorder it with confidence! I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend! I get a day off tomorrow, but I am cleaning carpets and doing laundry, so nothing nearly as fantastic as Flumi's vacation! Lol

I made a really tasty curried squash soup (kabocha from our garden, with chicken soup base, onions, almond milk, curry powder and garam masala). I made extras foe Thursday. So glad my husband is doing this with me.

Three day weekends are nice, but I am not sure four day weeks are worth it! The kids at school were totally off today, so my fast day went out the window pretty early. Chocolate was a necessity for survival.

Fasting is going well today...so far. Just coffee for breakfast, then I went out for a run, and I just had lunch: a beef and vegetable soup with lentils (198 cals). Now just water until dinner time where it's chicken and vegetables.

Hope you finish your fasts strong this week!

Oolou, it so frustrating when you have good intentions for a FD and then something like that presents itself. As much as we try to plan, stuff just happens. But you still had a day where you ate less calorically. You would have eaten more had it not been a FD. So all is not lost!!

I had a very successful FD yesterday. I've come to suspect that one of the reasons I've been having difficulty is not enough protein on FD. Being mostly plant-based, I haven't really thought too much about protein. Most people have it that we need a ton of it, but we really don't. However, I do know protein helps us feel full longer (it takes a long time to digest) and that a low level of protein on a FD might be why I get so hungry quickly. So I'm staying open to my needs and playing around with it to see what works. I do not like the few extra pounds I've put on from getting sloppy.

Flossy I also find that low fat cottage cheese helps me on a fast day. If you do not do dairy then tofu and hoy sin sauce is not to bad, with some spring onions dropped in just before the finish of cooking.

Hi Geoff and Oolou! I typically don't do dairy and do eat a lot of tofu, but I'm finding it difficult to stay full. I've been mostly plant based for several years and I love this way of eating. But I also know many of the things I'm making are very high in calories so I have to cut back in portions. Im trying very hard to relax my "rules" about my diet. I have a history of being all or nothing. But I'm finding that may be an issue. I love plant based eating because i feel so much better, but I'm if im struggling and wind up gaining, it sort of cancels it out. This will continue to be a work in progress in many ways. But I appreciate the suggestions!!! So thank you!

Mama, if you are a consistent walker, you should get new shoes every 6 months. Also, use a foam roller and roll the outside of your legs. Your iliotibial band runs down the outside of your hip from hip to past your knee and can get tight. I roll almost everyday to keep things loose. Maybe that will help!

Thank you, Sanjo! I do eat a lot of beans and grains. I love tofu and have recently acquired a taste for tempeh. I also made a batch of seitan to revisit it as an option. Yesterday, I received a copy of terry hope Romero's protein cookbook. I'm interested in delving into it to get more ideas. I may have discovered the source of my sudden bouts of hunger, which feel more like a blood sugar problem. It's different than fasting hunger. I had my metformin reduced in late August. It's a medication for diabetes (which I don't have) that I take for polycystic ovary syndrome. It's also taken for insulin resistance, which has been assumed I do have. Last night, I went back to my normal dose to see if that improves things. I'm hoping that's the culprit!! Thank you for the suggestions...it's always good to be reminded of options because we sometimes forget!!