Ah, Nemum, wondered why I was getting a lecture about a glass of wine!!! Did I give the impression I drink wine every night??? I was considerig having my second glass of the month, after a sober August and September. Not the first time someone has commented about my drinking. Seem to remember I hadn’t drunk anything on that occasion, either.

I dont eat twix or crisps, or come to think of it, toast dripping with butter, I only like white bread toasted, we dont buy white bread. Anyway wine has lots of health benefits, twix doesn’t. Not a problem for me though if someone had chocolate or toast everynight. I have often made the comment that on 5:2 one can eat a mars bar every fast day – though Ive never recommended it or done it myself – have shared a McFlurry on a fast day though.

I did mention in ny post that I was bloated still from my op. My op is of course the reason I have the runs so much, no off switch on bile, some foods that are fine sometimes cause trots other times, and so foods cause the trots all of the time. No reason then to jump to the conclusion I have allegies, its just taking a while to figure things out.

Apparently, having gallstones leads to weight gain, hence putting on so much weight, its been gradual, but nearly three stone in the last couple of years. Problem is having no gall bladder makes losing weight harder, so just wondering if its a factor in me fasting a lot, yet not losing much. But it might just be a plateau, and weightloss isnt logical or mathematical, so I wait and see.

Im with Happy and Purple – though who drinks just a small glass???

Milena,

You certainly didn’t give the impression you were only at the wine, not at all. We all have a glass now and again, just not on Sober October! It’s only been a week now and I’m snapping at people, that combined with the hunger is not a good combination.

And really, for me, that is the beauty of 5:2, We can eat and drink what we want on NFD in moderation of course, safe in the knowledge to take control and can pull it back on a fast day. So I will have a drink or two and even hot buttered toast, crisps or a bit of chocolate. If this is to be a lifestyle choice then I simply cannot deny myself anything or else it will not work. I will be happy to get to what I consider a reasonable weight and drop to a 6:1 ratio of fasting. That would be 4 stone, or a size 16, whichever comes soonest.

Milena, I didn’t read your post properly about your op. Sorry to hear that and good luck in the recovery, but I would recommend staying off wheat products, they really can be nasty for the gut, have you heard of soluble and non-soluble fibre? I researched it for my mum when she was having digestion problems. Wheat has insoluble fibre, which the body copes with less easy that soluble fibre which can be found in oats and rice. I put mum onto oatcakes or rice cakes for breakfast which would sort her out for the day.

Fast day today, it was meant to be tomorrow but feel like I could do it today and maybe squeeze one in on Friday before the weekend.

Power to you all
NEmum

Sober October….. You n me both NEmum. Made worse for me as I have been collecting Damsons (for Damson Gin) Blackberries (for blackberry whisky) and sloes… (for their mouth puckering effect when eaten!! ) All this “distilling” and I cant even taste it!!
Its all for Christmas pressies anyway….

Hi Audrey – dont let the caravan time get in the way of your focus… but equally… dont let the way of life get in the way of loving life!!

I have thought of doing another fast day today as I have a charity event this evening with the org I volunteer with. It starts at 6, ends at 9 and I could go straight to bed when I get home…. and only have soup for lunch…. Might give it a go… Supper last night at 7:30…. I can stretch till around 2 is for my soup…. then possibly continue on till early lunch on Thursday. Or am I being nuts?

Hi ladies

A much better day here. No point me doing sober October as I hardly drink. …. my sis in law is doing it and us already struggling….

The Sun is shining and I feel in charge of my diet again today all is well in the world of Audrey

Good luck to all have a great break milena

Audrey

Hi Elfstone

What your address and what size do you want the hair shirt?

So you had wine and nibbles? So what. The point is, if you go off the reservation, no regrets, remember every mouthful, cos there is no going back. But now the wee jaunt is over, back to the business in hand!!!

In future, plan the wine and nibbled, enjoy it and no regrets!!!! Be kind to your body now and again, it’ll be leads likely to betray you with a pinot noire!!!

“Keep on keeping on! We are all there for you!!!” thanks stingray! 🙂 I don’t weight myself every day either; in fact, because I’m losing under medical supervision and I’m officially weighed once a month, I don’t really bother with the scales much at all. I feel the difference now in my clothes – not that they’re loose, but they’re not as tight – and that’s a good feeling.

milena said “What your address and what size do you want the hair shirt?” oh no!! not the hair shirt !!! anything but the hair shirt!!!

I realise that I shouldn’t berate myself too much but on the other hand I had done well (for me) and to have a day when my will power seemed to go AWAL was a bit depressing. I’m on course for 1,000 calories today and tomorrow I will fast.

I’m just back from my walk. My pal didn’t feel like walking the Miners’ Trail, so we just walked down to the pier and back – just over 2 miles. It is such a gorgeous day again; I wish we’d had this in the summer, but I’ll take it now anyway! Feeling the sun on one’s face and watching the sun-sparkle on the sea – marvelous! 😀

Hi Elfstone

You are doing brilliantly! It takes a while to get used to eating only a little, and there will always be days like those. We all have them, I think it takes a while for the penny to drop and realise this is it. And any slip up makes us think we failed, especially if we’ve failed at weight loss before.

BUT – Because nothing is forbidden, not even going over TDEE, not even spoiling a fast day, because this is a way of life, it’s part of our life, warts (or wine) and all – we can’t fail!

Ok, we can coconut up mightily, but that’s not failure.

Sorry about the previous post, but it sticks in my craw when someone suggests we are addicted to food. We’ed all be dead if we didn’t eat it. And lots of good food has sugar. What the food industry is doing with added sugars is a completely separate argument of course.

Hi Veronica

Thank you!

We are all big ships – well one or two of us, including me, are tankers – I think it’s easy to forget that turning back a tanker is hard, but the REALLY hard part is stopping the blummin’ ship!

Before we can lose, we have to stop the gains. Truly difficult to do. Yet we manage to feel frustrated if we dont lose 2 lb in the first week, then 2lb every week! Mathematically impossible of course, unless we starve, which is not the point.

It IS hard, some days are easier, some days are harder, some days are for roast dinners with all the trimmings, a starter, a pud and a fish course!

Just put all thoughts of chucking it out of your mind, it does work, and it will work!!!!

And I suspect losing it all bit be a tad easier than keeping it off!!!

Hi Milena, it was not my intention at all to offend anyone, nor to be patronizing. Perhaps being Dutch I am more blunt then you are accustomed to. We call it straightforward over here, but foreigners may call it rude. I have been on this forum before so I don’t see the need for introducing myself again.

Actually I expected to get a big “Thank you” 🙂

It absolutely never struck me I could literally be addicted to sugar, flour and wheat, as 33% of all human beings are prone to, these substances having pretty much the same effect on our brain as cocaine or heroin. To get rid of the adverse effects on our health, mood and body it is far easier to let the brain rewire itself into a more healthy mode and allow the hormones to work on a healthy level, by not taking even a morsel of the addictive substances. Having no idea about any of this stopped me and my husband from making any further progress and caused us a lot of frustration, becoming totally obsessed with food in a 5/2 cycle.

The reason I wrote is that this insight might be helpful to a lot of people of “a certain age”.

If one still has cravings for sugar (all kinds, including alcohol), flour, wheat – which a lot of people seem to have – it might be a lot easier to rewire the brain for these substances by not taking them at all, 5/2 or not. It takes about three weeks before the cravings subside altohether. Doing this might save you problems for the rest of your life.

I get more stressed having to decide every day whether or not to eat this “lovely food” or simply draw a line and quit eating it. Eating it on the non-fasting days did not help in this, which makes perfect sense if I look at it as an addiction – my brain responds to 1 grain of sugar, making me want to eat more. What I want is the signal of having had enough food, which does not happen if I eat s, f and/or w.

I wish you all a long and happy and healthy life, without any frustrations or stress whatsoever! And certainly hope I do not offend anyone with this message! If so I better quit writing.

Well, Meik, I can see what you’re saying and I’m glad it works for you. I had a book about a diet like that I was thinking about doing. As I read all the lovely things I was to give up I got terribly depressed. It wanted me to stop eating and never eat again all the food I’d grown up with, all the food I cook for my husband and son, all the food I share with my family and friends. It was an emotional breakdown for me. I was so depressed my husband sat me on the edge of the bed, holding my hand begging me to tell him what was wrong. I didn’t want to tell him because I thought it was a silly thing to mourn food and he would think I was bonkers. So, I snapped out of it and I decided not to do that and looked for something else. I discovered IF. And it works in a lot of ways. I’m not depressed or obsessed with food anymore and I can still eat wonderful foods that bring back and make memories with my family and friends-only just on certain days. Not for everybody. But works for me.

Hi Meik

welcome to this thread – if you had told us a little more before jumping in I would, of course, not have come down on you like a brick for the ‘dear’ remark.

I am a Yorkshire woman – a part of England known for calling a spade a spade – we are people who talk straight and don’t do fluff!!! So we have a connection – I rather like folk who are blunt – but without the benefit of facial expressions we have to bring our personalities to the forum through the written word. There is a reason Jane Austen, Dickens and Shakespeare are so well regarded centuries after their time. Oh, if we could convey out thoughts so well! If we could write so wittily!

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Wow, so much in so few words!!!!

Anyway, don’t you dare quit posting, I rather think you might make a contribution and that, without doubt, is worth having.

But the forum is never ever to be judgemental – that way madness lies – bloody hell, I’m quoting Shakespeare!!!!!

I am not addicted to sugar, I do love my wine, but have not NEED of it, I absolutely love the taste – though I would rather have one bottle of a decent vintage than 5 bottles of plonk! I can leave it for weeks and for months but, being a foodie and loving to cook, I love to have a brilliant wine with a brilliant meal. I love certain brands of chocolate and ice-cream, if its not what I love, I don’t eat it.

You are saying that sugar has the same effect as cocaine – but you haven’t differentiated between liking something sweet and addiction. Cocaine and heroine are addictive substances – you need more of the same to get the same high. Cite me ANY studies that say the same of, for instance, apples. Sugar is present is so many things, and not a problem. 5 spoonfulls of sugar added to tomato soup in a factory, when a pinch of sugar is just right in the home-made version – that is a problem. Feeding our kids sugary rubbish, that is a problem, calling things low fat and healthy when it is full of crap, that is a sin!

We on this forum are a group of folk who are here only to get help, and to help each other, to reduce weight by following a way of life which has been around for millenia, but which has been honed into a doable way of eating. That is works has been proven, that it works for years has not.

We are a group of women, and men, who are striving to get it right, or at least to get some of it right, some of the time. I come on here for support, and in return I give it. I simply don’t tolerate anything that undermines the sheer bloody effort it takes to come on here, and bear our souls, to tell the world that we are fatter than we want to be, to actually give our weight, when we would rather have hot pokers in our eyes than tell our hubbies, that we fail sometimes at the simple task of eating less than we need, that life sometimes gets in the way, and that sometimes we stuggle.

So join us, give us facts, give us support, but please don’t labels us. There is a way out of this madness called obesity, there is self respect and self worth for us all, just don’t label us, and don’t judge us.

Hi Blackdogs

powerful thought eh?

5:2 – food for the mind!!!!

Hi Veronica and Milena,

What I labelled a ‘food addiction’ is simply a biological proces of the brain (I am a Biologist, hence my interest in these processes) – we are not to blame for how this works, it simply is proven that 1 out of 3 people have a genetic setup that makes them prone to addiction.

Judging these people for having this constitution is just as ridiculous as judging people for having blue eyes!

Eating sugar (not the sugars in natural fruits – perhaps I should say processed sugars, though honey is on the no-go list as well – alcohol, wheat and all kinds of flour simply starts up the proces in the brain: like cocaine of heroin de pleasure-hormone – dopamine – is being triggered in such a way that it becomes harder and harder for us to feel pleasure from things that gave pleasure before. Meaning one needs more and more to reach that point of pleasure. A symptom for this proces is feeling down and depressed and this condition is worsened every time one takes (a morsel of) the foods one beter not eat. One can compare this to smoking: one cigarette a day is an impossibility for people who are addicted to smoking, one puff can trigger the proces of being a smoker after 30 years of non-smoking). Yet 2 out of 3 people can actually smoke 1 cigarette a day without any craving for more nicotine. Same with alcohol. And some food-substances.

In the case of food there is an additional problem: in the brain the lipids that usually tell the brain that one has had enough and makes one want to stop eating, are not able to do this because this proces gets blocked due to insulin levels in the blood and the cells (you may want to watch the video’s after doing a little test http://foodfreedom.brightlineeating.com/ for solid information, Susan is a professor in Psychologist and the working of the brain, and exlains the results of the latest researches on these processes in an excellent way and very easy to understand).

Look around and see the result. What we see everywhere (and perhaps in the mirror) are wonderdul people that are suffering from hunger/cravings, overweight and undernourishment. Even though everyone’s body is equiped with a perfect system that controls food-intake, 1 out of 3 is sabotaging that very system designed to keep its owner healthy and happy, well-nourished and fit to do whatever one wants to do in the world.

If one’s brain does not get the signal to stop eating, one cannot but overeat. The “I am full”-switch is turned off. Not being aware this is a biological program, one cannot stop eating and, due to lack of dopamine, will most probably choose to eat the very foods that keeps blocks the swithch from turning on.

If one wants to know how to turn it back on, one needs to know what turns it off in the first place and how to avoid this pitfall. Thank God this information is now available.

The 5/2 did my husband and myself a lot of good – we both lost about 5 kg. But we got stuck on a plateau and found ourselves in the situation that on non-fasting days we were eating less and less food, which triggered an old stress-respons in myself: eating too little on a continual basis slowed down the metabolism with the huge risk of gaining all the weight and more back if I would start to eat more tehn very little. I see that a lot of people on the forum are doing the same, or expressing the wish that they could do that.

I know that stress is a main factor that inhibits weight-loss and should be avoided.

The science of 5/2 is that fasting for two days leads to an overall lower calory-intake, without slowing down the metabolism. This obviously leads to weight-loss. Great science! I found it very attractive as it would save me the trouble of having to worry about food on the other 5 days of the week and overeating on those days by only 10%.

If one does just that, it works!

However, in my case it did not work as good as I hoped for. Both my husband and I discovered the reason for why this happened and found out that I will have to abstain from certain food-substances if I wish to stay tuned-in with my biological warning-system on how much food to eat. This is a choice and can be altered any time. My birthday is coming up and I will buy the most delicious cake I can find, knowing it will take me three days to get fully back on track if I have a piece. I’m not sure yet what will be the best expression of the celebration of my birthday. What I AM sure if is that I will be happy with either choice.

I am free to implement the information I have on the subject and the stress about this is completely gone. I am becoming free to choose now what I want to do with the information I have on my own Biology. For others it may be entirely different but without this information it is not possible to find out how this works for oneself.

Ladies, this is the best I can do. I will not bring up the subject again. This is a last effort to give you the information that might be extremely helpful for 1 out of 3. Please feel free to feel attacked and judged, in the end that is not my decision to make 🙂 – not only do I have the utmost respect for anyone who has chosen to address a big problem (no pun intended) and shows such determination and will-power to get results, but as I pointed out above, it is quite ridiculous to blame anyone, invluding yourself, for having a body that is not up to cultural standard (which is a ridiculous and very unhealthy standard anyway – there are now girls/young women trying to get their bodyfat-percentage down to 10%, with all the disastrous effects on their hormones and fertility!).

All the best to all of you and if you wish to discuss something, please mail me at info@kristalzout.nl, so I can stop boring the other ladies on the forum who have no interessest in this particular subject whatsoever.

Hi All

I am not sure what has happened here. It seems that a few people are getting upset.

Welcome Miek and Veronica

Miek I believe that you made a comment that has upset some people, I don’t want to get embroiled in this I would just go along with an earlier comment of Audrey’s and say that it is not good to preach at people, let people get to know you and then you can gauge how to make comments. This site is meant to support and encourage people in their weight loss and sometimes we all realise that things could be said differently. Remember as Milena says, people don’t know you and as in a face to face conversation we can see that people are joking or well meaning here it is more difficult to see.

I do my fair share of sharing information but I really hope that I don’t preach. I myself am one of those people who like their treats, I have them when I want to, I sometimes feel that I need to cut down on these and can do this. Of people need to eat chocolate, cake and wine then they should be able to. This is what 5:2 is all about. Eating these foods in moderation.

If your way of eating suits you I am pleased for you, others adapt slowly over time.

Hi Loz

Oh I do like pizza I think I have had it once in a year, this can be made with wholemeal/granary bread with the same toppings, I have tasted this and it was lovely. Much less calories, I also think that the hairy bikers had a low fat pizza recipe.

I had a lovely low calorie quiche slimming world recipe made with cottage cheese (I wouldn’t look at this on its own and think it takes awful uncooked) this was quite delicious cooked and I was quite surprised.

You can be strong, have a cup of tea the moment will pass.

Hi Nemum, well done on the Wii fit and as you know if you keep plugging at it tge weight will go, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.

Hi to everybody else.

Ginette

Hi

As soon as this plane gets repaired and off the ground – I’m now bored looking at the backside of Edinburgh airport – they haven’t even brought around drinks, been on the plane for 90 minutes already – that’s me away for a few days. Have a great weekend, if anyone wants to comment directly to me re my above comments, my email is on my profile.

Have a brilliant weekend, might be the last of the sunshine – just hope it’s sunny in Copenhagen!!!!!

Travel hopefully………

Hi all… I have enjoyed your company over the past few weeks. I have appreciated the hints, tips and advice, I feel the time is right for a break as I dont do well in corrosive environments.

I might pop in from time to time and I may even join in again once all ego’s are checked.

Its been grand.

Loz x

Hallo Everyone
I have not been posting or even on 5:2 for about a month now for a variety of reasons but I have been reading all your posts with interest.
To Miek I would say, after my fury had subsided, you have reinforced my resolve to NEVER EVER GO ON A PRESCRIBED OR EVEN A PROSCRIBED DIET AGAIN.
This forum is not for preaching to or at people it is for self help. I know nothing about you and you presume to dictate to me. I wholeheartedly agree with Milena and Veronica.
Change of subject.
Ginette, thank you for all your info re ipads and iphones. I have invested in an ipad and am now saving up for an iphone. Your input was a great help.
I have stopped doing IF for about 5 weeks now. First I had my foot operation, minor, but still limited me for a while, then there was some painful dental work, after that I found that the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak for a while, and lastly I have caught a very bad cold/cough which has laid me low. I want to lose half a stone by Christmas but cannot start until I have shifted this cold.
If anyone is interested I have read a very good book by Gillian Riley called Eating Less – Say Goodbye to Overeating. It explains how the brain constantly tries to reward you and ends up sabotaging your efforts. No substitute for IF but does explain some things.
I want to thank all of you for posting such positive encouragement. It’s what I hoped for on this forum and I have not been disappointed.
Keep up the good work everyone and thank you.

Annabelle 48

Thanks Audrey. Will keep you posted. Annabelle

Ginnette
Here here … lets get back to normal.
This forum is tne reason for me sitting here 9lb lighter.
This forum is the reason I feel like I have taken control of my eating.
This forum is the place I come when Ive lost weight, to celebrate.
This forum is the place where I go for comiseration when things are not going well.
And I thank you all for that.
And I would wish for many others to benefit
from all your wonderful insight, advice chat and company.
So Loz don’t go, we’ve had bad feelings and it’s all sorted itself out and Anabellle stay with us, you don’t have to be doing 5:2 religiously to join in.
Audrey, don’t you be thinking you’ve upset anyone.
Now lets get back to normal.

NEmum

Thank you all, my darlings, for being so supportive and wonderful! This is a lovely forum and I thoroughly enjoy it.

Keep steaming along! Pam

Wise words Nemum and Ginette. Feathers now smoothed down and moving on. What a lovely group of ladies you all are. Annabelle

Hi Annabelle

So am I. Peace is back and that suits me better, I do hope Loz returns now all is calm, as I said before we have lost people in the past because of unpleasantness, the instigator and one of the people they seemed to have a go at left. I am not too sad about one of them, so sorry about the other though.

Hi Audrey

Fancy dress, what are you wearing? I am intrigued!! I hope you have a lovely time.

Ginette

Please don’t go Milena. Your common sense is much appreciated and I think the problem has disappeared. Annabelle

Hi All

I am sure that Mikena will fe back, she is on holiday for a few days though.

Here is a recipe that I have posted before, it is a one dish one, easy to do and very tasty.

http://www.womanandhome.com/recipes/532300/the-hairy-bikers-spanish-style-chicken-bake

I’m off out now, so I’ll join you all later.

Ginette

Good afternoon to you all ladies. Wow! it seems there’s been a bit of a wobbly since I was last in here. Ah well, these things happen.

Yesterday was another gorgeous day here – pretty much wall to wall sunshine and I went out cycling with a pal – great fun! Sadly the weather has changed today (and I suspect, from the forecast, in much of the rest of the country); pouring rain all day, grey and gloomy. It’s the kind of day where in the past I would have wanted to eat warming foods (aka fattening), but I wasn’t tempted. Knowing that it would undo all the good was enough to stop me.

My new scales arrived yesterday – yes I know I said I don’t weigh myself often, but now that the lbs are coming off I want to keep track occasionally and the old scales were very inaccurate. I wanted to try out the new ones of course and this morning I weighed myself. If the new ones are accurate, I have lost 2 lbs since I was weighed in the Health Center last Friday! And that’s despite that ‘off’ day I had this week. ‘Chuffed’ doesn’t quite cover it. 😀

If this weather continues I will have to get back on the exercise bike and, having been out on the road bike, that has lost it’s appeal. Still, if it burns the fat …

Best wishes to you all. 🙂