Hi all, I’ve been away for a few weeks while I hopefully have gotten the medication out of my system that was keeping me from losing. I am kicking it back into gear starting today with the hope that I will have a good loss to celebrate when swim season starts in June. I’m afraid to step on the scale or take measurement–I was traveling for work the last couple of weeks and unable to keep up my normal exercise routine. So I’m sure I’ll feel awful after the weigh in but maybe it will set me up to have some success this week. Fingers crossed.

Hi Everyone!

Back home after a weekend spent with my sister. Ate a bit more than usual, but we shared when we went out to keep the portions in check.

I’m more than ready for my fast tomorrow!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Hi All

Lori – good strategy on portion sizes with your sis. Great to hear you’re fired up to fast on 30th – hope it’s going well.

Annette – sorry to hear about the tensions with your son but absolutely BRILLIANT to get so close to turning to chocolate and still to pull back. Getting your skirts shortened must have been a nice treat.

Shame we couldn’t meet on Wed. I have also heard that (the dreaded) South Glos council are going to close part of the railway path soon, for resurfacing. It’s the bit between Saltford and Bitton but there will be a diversion in place. It’s quite amusing because the relevant councils re-tarmac in places every few years – but those blinking tree roots do insist on pushing through again! Hope to meet sometime in the summer …

Despite my apprehension, I did manage to fast today. I allowed myself 600 cals. I felt getting back into the fasting mindset was more important than being strict. It’s such a help being able to post my fears on here. So often I find it clears them out of the way and I am able to do what I set out to do.

Best wishes to us all!

We don’t really “do” Easter. I won’t be buying any candy or other junk and have no plans for a big dinner or anything like that, so I won’t be tempted. I plan to spend the weekend getting my clothes organized for my trip coming up in a bit over 2 weeks. I’ll be trying on summer things and seeing how they fit. I’ll either be happy or depressed! 😉

Have a good day everyone!

scale today says I’ve lost 2.5 pounds after 1 FD and 1 eating day (though I counted calories and kept below TDEE). This means I’m at the weight where I stalled out last time. Second FD today and planning another Thursday to try to get under that plateau. Feeling hopeful but frightened of the scale at the same time…

I know you’re right, annette52…I think I will try only weighing after fast days and then step it down from there…I did take measurements at the beginning and plan to measure once a week. The clothes already feel a little different, but that might just be water loss.

wow annette52, that is fabulous!

eating out is always a challenge. It’s a good question about how to integrate social eating into the 5:2 lifestyle…something I will think about when I get to maintenance…

Hello again, All

Well yesterday’s post turned out to be my (fairly common) pre FD fret! I must have got the apprehension out of the way and today – so far so good 🙂 Only one cup of tea with milk. A couple of Christmases ago, I was given some tea which is a mix of Earl Grey and green jasmine. It’s better without milk, so it’s a FD treat – lovely flavour. Thank you for your response, Annette. It has reminded me (again) to take it a day at a time.

So here is my report on the assessment at Bath Uni, last Wednesday. I took the train to Bath and then, for my warm up (!) walked up Bathwick Hill!!! Is that the one you do every day, Annette? Note to non-Bath residents: there are lots of hills in the city; and they are all STEEP and LONG!

Jonathan, the sports scientist, met me in reception. He was very friendly and respectful. They have all levels of ability going for tests, from beginners to elite athletes. Three of Joanthan’s students were also present but I didn’t feel like a ‘guinea pig’ because mainly they were working at their computers, except when they were helping him with the test. It was a very sporty atmosphere: they were all in shorts or leggings and polo shirts. (So not what I am used to!)

First Jonathan weighed and measured me: I found out that I am 1.65m, which is just 5 ft 5 and 3/4 ins – damn, I have been kidding myself I was 5′ 6″ !!! According to the scales I was 77.1 kg (12 st 2 lb). Then he brandished a pair of calipers and measured all my flabby bits! He carefully marked me with biro and recorded where he had taken the measurements, so that he could make an accurate repeat measurement next time. It’s ok – I can have a bath and wash the biro off between the 2 sessions! The calipers weren’t painful but it was a peculiar sensation. (As I’m not a member of one of those dodgy basement clubs, having my flesh gripped in that way was not a familiar feeling!!)

One of his students took some blood – just a pinprick in my thumb. I think that was for insulin/glucose thingiebobs. I had to strap a heartrate monitor round my chest (just below my bra), which I wore during the exercise itself.

Then I leaped aboard their exercise bike. (They have a treadmill for runners btw)
They put a mask over my nose and mouth, which would measure my V02 max (aerobic fitness). I did a gentle cycle to warm up and then they began the test. A computer screen showed the program I was doing: a fairly standard fitness measurement with increasing steps of resistance on the bike. (I just noticed this morning that there is one on my exercise bike – but no boffins!) I think each ‘step’ lasted about 3 mins. They were very encouraging, shouting out such things as ‘Keep going, Bev, you’re doing brilliantly’ – and other blatant untruths 😉

I had to cycle as fast as I could, while the resistance increased gradually. One student ‘zapped’ my chest area every few minutes, which I presume was taking a reading from the heart rate belt. They also kept taking a drop of blood from my finger. And of course the mask was feeding info about my lung function all the way through.

I managed to get onto the 3rd level of the program (I could see it on the computer screen) and then did a bit longer for pride but then I was bushed!! They told me to pedal gently to cool down, then I was done. I think I was on the bike for about 7 minutes in all. I was aware that, psychologically, I would have given up much earlier if I had been motivating myself but I definitely responded to their encouragement. I can remember cycling up steep hills on my road bike and quite early on getting off and pushing! I think this was the most effortful thing I had ever done, in a short space of time. I have done stamina type stuff, but at a gentler pace. So I felt a real sense of achievement.

I had pencilled in to go out that evening and when I got home (after cycling 3 miles from Bristol station, too) I still felt pretty lively…until about an hour later. I crashed into bed, then woke up a couple of hours later with terrible cramping feelings in my SHINS, of all places! Calves, I could have understood. All the next day, I was exhausted and sore – but I recovered.

The reason I am a bit hazy on the exact details of what they were testing and why is that Jonathan was going on holiday from the following day, so I shall have to wait a couple of weeks for his initial report. I have booked to go back in 7 weeks so that is a useful timescale. I am setting lots of short term goals and writing down what I have done in my specially purchased notebook. Always glad to have an excuse to buy another notebook 😉 This week I have done 3 x 20 secs HIIT, on 2 separate days. My aim next week is to do 3 x 20 on 3 days. If anyone has read ‘The Other Book’, as opposed to ‘The Book’ we refer to on here, you’ll know what I mean.

I am trying to keep up with the strength exercises, too, although I find those harder to commit to, simply through lack of experience. I have just been looking online for circuit training locally. My plan is to have a few sessions and get really familiar with those exercises, so that I can do them myself at home, in a short intensive session.

A few minutes ago my computer crashed -eek – and I thought I had lost most of this post. Luckily, I have been shown how to open my pc in ‘safe mode’ and thankfully this novel was still there. So will post now, and not tempt Fate.

Well done on latest 1lb loss, Annette. Not long till necklace shopping!

Thanks and best wishes to all
BB x

Great report BB! I, too, am anxious to hear what the results say. I’d like to have a test like that just to see where I stand. Would be nice to know if your current plan is working or if it needs tweaking.

Hope you’ve all had a great day!

Hi everyone, so good to see so many new fast friends!, I have been gone for ages! Had a lot of health issues the end of last year, and just didn’t have the energy to post. This is probably going to be a very long post(just thought I’d warn you :-))
After a bit over a year on the fast diet I was nearing my goal, but sort of stuck. During the time on this WOE I have learned a lot about my eating habits, and what felt good and what made me feel not so good. I had discovered than when I ate carbs(breads especially) was the only time I felt stuffed, and had heartburn. Before 5:2 I had heartburn and reflux almost constantly, even water would sometimes give me heartburn.
I began to suspect I had a problem with carbs, especially wheat. While my weight had been going down, my joint pain and stiffness, cholesterol had been going up. The doctor was pushing me toward Statins. I don’t want to take statins! I was evaluated for psoriatic arthritis, diagnosed with inflammatory osteoarthritis. I was put on anti inflammatory medications and a medication to protect my stomach from the anti inflammatories. Well, the meds didn’t work, no decrease in joint pain, constant stomach pain, swelling and increased blood pressure. Well, I was fed up with that pretty quickly. Gained back about five lbs and felt horrible.
I decided to stop the medications and try increasing anti inflammatory foods. Increased omega 3 and anti inflammatory foods. Then I saw a program on PBS called Wheat Belly. PBS is where I discovered the fast diet too, I watch a lot. The doctor talked about the inflammatory effects of wheat and grains, the addictive aspects of both and cravings caused by them. I had already noticed that the fast days I struggled were days I had eaten a large carb meal the night before, and that if I had like eggs and toast in the mornings, I had the munchies all day. If I skipped the toast and just had the eggs, I didn’t. So, I decided to give grain free a try.
The first of the year I eliminated all grains. I haven’t eliminated sugar yet, one change at a time. 🙂 many people experience severe physical symptoms similar to flu and massive cravings when first stopping grains. I was lucky in that I had already cut way down, so I didn’t have that. It has been surprisingly easy!
I have now surpassed my weight loss goal. I weigh about what I did when I got married almost 41 yrs ago! I just bought the first size 8 jeans I think I have ever owned.:-) I am taking no anti inflammatories, my hands are working again, and much of my joint pain is gone(except on rainy days) to appreciate why I am so excited, you need to know that I have taken pretty large doses on anti inflammatories daily for over 20 yrs.
My cholesterol is coming down( still not low enough for my doc, still with the stain pushing) my blood pressure meds have been decreased for the first time in close to 30 yrs. I am chuffed!!!
Now for the important part in the fasting scheme of things, I have NO cravings!!! It’s amazing. I am seeing improved energy levels which started improving with fasting are continuing( I have M.E/CFS) . I have hope of much improved health with continued fasting and no grains.
I wanted to share this just in case you have noticed a similar pattern when you eat grains and have an inflammatory illness. I am not suggesting you do this instead of fasting, just thought if you are stuck in your weight loss, and having some physical symptoms you might want to try weaning off grains and see what happens. 🙂
I’m so excited to see everyone, and hope to be here more often. I’m only fasting one day a week now on maintenance, but my daughter is still fasting two and has lost 20 lbs. she isn’t ready to join me in my experiment yet as she does love her bread. 🙂 I hope you don’t mind my sharing this, I’m just so excited to find something that helps my health with only good side effects. 🙂 hugs to all, and happy fasting!! Phyllis

Great post Annette! Thank you for sharing your story.

I quite enjoy fasting and, like you, intend to do keep doing it in some form or another. I have not lost a great deal of weight so far, but when I get back from my trip at the end of April, I’m going to resume with renewed determination. Keeping my “eating” days under control will be key. I’m hoping to keep any gain to a minimum while I’m away and will be quite active, so hopefully that will help.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Thanks for sharing your stories, Annette and Phyllis. The idea of trying to change what we do from a loving place within ourselves, rather than from self-loathing is so helpful. I might have posted this before but if you click on my name on the left, it will take you to my ‘Profile’, which gives some background about me.

I hope you have a good break, Lori. Are you having a break from the forum too? Keeping active sounds good and will no doubt suit you, Ms Bootcamper! When you wrote about keeping your food intake to the minimum, something popped in my head: maybe make a mental note, while on your holiday, of all the ways you are enjoying yourself which don’t involve eating. (Certainly some advice I could learn from, too, lol!) That might help avoid ‘the minimum’ turning to a feeling of deprivation?

I have had a good week. A friend came round this morning and we practised some of the Strength Exercises from the book. We did some in the garden – for the Vit D! – and some indoors – for the carpet!. It was a great help having someone read the instructions out; to check that my legs etc were in the right position; and that I wasn’t straining myself. We took turns being ‘gym teacher’ and ‘pupil’ 🙂

As part of my ‘induction’ into how to do the exes, so that I can do them without thinking, I have been in touch with someone who runs sessions in local parks. He seemed to have 2 different websites: one called ‘Group Fitness’ and the other ‘Bootcamps’. I thought they might be 2 separate approaches, so I asked him about them. His reply was that he started off calling them Group Fitness but that then ‘Bootcamp became the buzzword, so I changed it to that’. It amused me v much: the idea of pain and suffering, which, to me, the word Bootcamp implies, is obviously so much more marketable!! I’m not getting up at the crack of dawn, though, Lori. I shall go to his evening sessions. He offers a free first session, so I’m aiming to go to one next week. None of them are local, so it will involve a cycle ride, too, which should act as a good warm up.

I did 3 x 20 secs of fast exercise on the gym bike today. I duly logged it in my notebook but noticed I had set an aim for this week of doing it on tuesday, thursday and today. I can’t for the life of me remember whether I did it on thursday and forgot to log it, or just forgot to do it! (Who said fasting can improve mental sharpness? Ooops!) Ah well, next week I shall up it to 3 sessions of 3 x 20 secs. I shall put it in my diary, to avoid conveniently ‘forgetting’ again!

I have fasted twice this week, although one of those I was nearer 700 cals than 500. Since Tuesday, my 1st FD this week, I have logged my intake every day, more out of interest than trying to keep slavishly to numbers. I have eaten over my TDEE some days but much less on some others. I’ve eaten no sweets; cake nor biscuits, in marked contrast to last week 🙂 I shan’t weigh myself until I go back to Bath Uni, on 20th May. I want to focus on fasting and exercise for the 6 week programme I have set for myself. Because it’s short term, I feel I can do it.

Thanks for reading, all! (This is a bit of a saga, too, Phyllis!) Wishing you a worthwhile Sunday, everyone.

Hi Bootsy Badger, so good to meet you! After reading your profile, I see that we have similar weight loss stories. I, too, can get carried away and get hung up on the numbers. 5:2 has helped with that, in the beginning I was getting too diet minded and actually not eating enough on my non fast days, but soon settled into a normal routine. Anxious to see how you progress, I know you will do well!

Anette!!!! Good for you!!! I knew that pound was a goner!!! Have fun shopping for your necklace, and wear it proudly!!

Lori, hope you enjoy you trip, and can get everything back in that suitcase. 🙂 enjoy your golf day with your sister, hope you don’t need that excuse, and that your finger heals up quickly.

Oh, my, all you energetic folks make me feel like a right slacker. 🙂 a workout for me is to clean house a little, cook a meal AND manage to do the dishes after. 🙂 I am impressed with all your resolve and hard work. Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday and a great week. Phyllis