Vailara Member

I hope all is well with you all. No doubt you are busy! I've mentioned before that I use trendweight.com to track my progress, and so far it has always been reassuring that I'm on the downward slope with weight. It also tells you how much of a calorie deficit it thinks you have (I presume just be working out how much…

Oh what's going on... I was sure I'd posted here but can't see it, and the post is still sitting here! I'm sorry about your uncle, and I bet it was difficult telling your mum, Suzy. I'm so lucky to still have my father in his 90s but I do think it's hard for the ones left as they lose their siblings and most of the rest of…

Don't pay too much attention to that last sentence! I just thought it was interesting. It was somebody I've known a long time and she has successfully done 5:2 before but this time she did something similar to me and thought that was the only thing that would work. Personally, I think it probably varies, and isn't for…

Well done on keeping your calories within your goal, Suzy. And not feeling hungry! Maybe you are adapting. I'm still using the old scales as I can't get the new scales to sync to MFP. So I'm not sure how accurate my weight is. I'm still tracking my weight in the app with my new scales and also looking at my body fat % and…

Great news about the hiking shoes, Suzy, and very wise to take them on a short walk first! Love the quesadilla idea (you can buy refried beans in tins here which would be great for that!), and also thinking, does your husband like macaroni cheese? Most people seem to! I know it's not the healthiest, but I add a load of veg…

Having a try out at posting these pictures. There should be a raven, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, eagle owl here but there were loads of different kinds. Such fun to watch them. I particularly liked the raven. So intelligent.

I bet the class was hard. I'm just so impressed that you are doing it! This will make you laugh, but I was doing my workout video this morning, and I was actually thinking about you when I was doing it and whenever it got hard I was telling myself "at least I'm not having to do Suzy's HIIT class"! You were actually…

I've just had a great NSV this morning! Have gained weight, as expected, but while I was doing my crunches I thought my tummy looked a bit odd and realised that it's because it was concave! I just haven't seen that for so many years! There were hip bones! I do realise this is partly because my fat is kind of looser, so it…

Good luck with your mammogram, and have a lovely time with your friend! I'm finding it a bit difficult adapting with the transition, and it's strange, I've sometimes struggled to finish my meals on my low calorie days, and had to take a break and come back later, but I ended up hungrier than ever yesterday on my high…

Thank you both so much for your encouragement! I really appreciate it, and it feels really good that you are happy for me and know all about the realities of a menopausal weight problem! There is a forum with my programme, but it has really helped me to check in here with you, as I feel we are friends. Your class sounds…

Well done on the HIIT class, Suzy! It is so hard, so to jump straight into it and get through it is a huge achievement. No wonder you are tired. The exercise on my programme includes HIIT, but the first session is three 10 second bursts, with 50 seconds rest in between - that's what they expect of somebody starting it,…

Interesting quote from my daily reading on my programme today " a 2013 study, carried out by the American Diabetes Association, found that three, short (15 minute) walks each day were more effective in reducing blood sugars than a single 45 minute walk." It was an article on blood sugar, and most of the things are stuff…

I hope you enjoy the dog walking. It would be kind of lovely if you did fall for one and bring it home, but of course they are such a big commitment, and you have other commitments and responsibilities. Maybe in a few years! I hope you have fun walking them. I wouldn't be without my cat, but it does make things difficult…

I'm really pleased that you don't have that rare condition, Suzy. But sorry to hear about the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Yes, I've heard about it, as apparently it's getting more and more common here. I suppose the only good thing is that it has been picked up early. But so frustrating for you! You seem to have…

Yes, I would normally do something like you! Except not eating potatoes at the moment. The turnips were nice and the recipe was easy, but probably not worth the 2 hour (including peeling, etc.) wait. And that 109 calorie portion disappeared so quickly. It was kind of fun that they were whole turnips though. Wouldn't be…

I used this recipe https://www.fromachefskitchen.com/parmesan-crusted-crushed-turnips/ for my turnips (the white/purple kind) and they were nice, but it was quite a bit of prep time! Not sure I'll bother next time! I was quite excited about the low calorie count, but they were only a couple of mouthfuls each! I think I'll…

Happy Birthday to your granddaughter, Suzy! Yes, it has been such a strange two years. You in particular have been through a lot of change over those two years! Interesting that your suspected disease is so rare. That's really good that it was picked up as a possibility. I'm hoping the results are good. Although as ever,…

https://zoe_science_and_nutrition.captivate.fm/listen This is a new podcast series from an organisation which I follow. Only two up at the moment, but they are a fun listen. Delighted to find that chocolate is another fermented food to add to my list, ha ha! The first podcast, the guy is selling a book so of course take…

Fusty is a great word! I had another sniff of it and I don't think it's quite right, it's maybe more of a farmyardy smell? I wouldn't want to eat something that smelled like that if it wasn't cheese, which is supposed to smell kind of bad sometimes. Anyway, would recommend it, the mites will only have been on the surface…

Fingers crossed for your test, Suzy. I hope it's OK. Isn't it often the case that you once you start testing you often find things that have nothing to do with the original symptoms. I remember having the turnips/swedes conversation before and I can't remember how it went, but in Scotland turnips are the big yellow ones,…

Oh, my weight was up 1.3 pounds this morning, so my goal is a little bit further away, ha ha!

Oh, Suzy, I missed your post somehow! I haven't tried rosehip tea although I used to be fed rosehip syrup as a child and loved it! Maybe something to try. I'm a massive tea drinker, but have to admit to preferring the caffienated stuff. You are reminding me of when I got my heart diagnosis, and I started eating more…

You are right about the haggis! It's traditionally made in a sheep's stomach, but the stomach is more of a bag to hold it all, and the meat of it is lungs, heart, etc. I can't imagine sitting down to eat a lung, but funnily enough when it's an unrecognisable part of a haggis I love it! Vegetarian haggis can be pretty good…

That's funny that you mentioned kalettes! That was the vegetable I had the other day and couldn't remember the name of! Like a cross between kale and brussels sprouts! They were pretty good, although I didn't think they were at all like brussels sprouts, apart from the size. They didn't seem quite as fibrous as kale, and…

Oh nuts, I just did a long post and lost it! I'd found out how to copy and paste highlights from kindle so I'd add in some bits from Tim Spectors book, which is where I got my main information on the gut microbiome back in 2015. I'll see if I can post it again as there were a few quotes I thought were relevant to our…

Well, if you think the swimming pool is funny, when I tried to picture it, I instantly visualised the bacteria as sperm swimming around! I am renaming it in my mind to tadpoles!

Good information on the gut flora. I do eat a lot of prebiotics (including those good old 10 calorie a packet konjac noodles!). And at the moment I am surrounded by sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, etc, at the moment, so swimming in bacteria! The issue with me, I think, is that I'm on medication that upsets my gut flora (I…

Oh my goodness, Snoozie! That's amazing news about your appointment! I'm so pleased for you! It's a pain about the medication, but if that's the only downside, it's still amazing! As you know, I'm on loads of medications and not "allowed" to come off, and it has so been so many years now: I'll never know for sure what good…

I thought I had posted here but obviously went in to the ether, sorry. Interesting reflections, Suzy. We know it's all about the psychology, and definitely, for me, feeling in control makes me more likely to succeed - I hadn't really thought about that, so thank you! I love that you calmly rejigged the recipe to fit your…

Arctic char is the name of the fish. I also managed to source some live sauerkraut and it's delicious, if a bit expensive! Trying not to eat too much all at once! And also some kefir and kombucha - not going to bother making my own again.