Evening all from Melbourne.
Great to see you back regularly Nicky, missed your nuggets and humour!
Penti, please don’t think I am being a smarty pants, but do you mean prone to ‘hypoglycaemia’ (as in low blood sugar) or hyperglycaemia? (I have been called the ‘spelling police’ on this forum once long ago!) If this isn’t an ‘official’ medical condition you have, you may actually surprise yourself with what you can achieve fasting. When I first started, I sometimes felt wobbly when I went long periods without food. However after a few months, I think my body got used to having to fend for itself, or simply got more efficient when looking for glucose for energy and concentration. I never, ever feel shaky now, and can (and have) gone 24 hrs on water and coffee alone. As I said, please don’t take this the wrong way. We are all here to share and learn from each other! You will learn a lot from the ‘old hands’ on here, such as Bayleaf, Happy and Purple. They have all learnt from hard won experience and we all benefit from it.

Hi Everyone,
So much amazing information on this thread! I read and try to internalize it all and so much of it is very helpful.

Please know that even if I don’t comment on each contribution, I am appreciative of it all.

Good fast day yesterday – went over a little bit in the evening but not too bad, ended at about 600 calories. Good start today, and busy and away from home most of the day, all to the good. Teaching two classes, volunteer work this afternoon and then going out to a live performance tonight (Of Mice and Men – have seen it in many iterations over the years but still looking forward to this particular production).

Penti, no worries, now I get what you meant about the “blog” and I will read profile info. Jojo honestly I don’t know where you find the energy for all that you do, but I’m glad for you. Everyone – thank you for sharing your experiences and insights.

Take care and good luck to everyone today,
prana

Hello Fast Trackers
Nicky Emel and Aussie O in South Australia Nama in Victoria Bay in ACT PVE in NSW WiWi & Barata in NZ and Jojo SAMM HappyNow Amazon Herm Lizzy Ply Tartan lass Smiffy Lor_PA CakeyWakey Sarah103 HealthCoachB Tessy pen nib Iona72 Pentimento pranayama and Hello World (You All know Who You ARE) 😉

Fast friends continuous improvement is the option and we must maintain the study of one for our own development to know the optimum level we can go to. Is it a 24hour water and black coffee only fast or is it a 3 day water only fast or a 4 day liquid only fast? Is it 5-2 or 4-3 or Alternate Day Fast ADF or can you manage a longer eating window than 16-8 18-6 19-5 20-4 etc we are masters of our own destiny people get amongst it 😆 and
“Remember that reserve of fat you have on your body already and realise you actually don’t need food, you just want it.”
“Our objective on a fast day is to achieve as long a fasting window as possible”

The less you eat the more you lose.
“It is easier to avoid eating than to stop eating once started”

Peace RT

Hello Fasters

The wisdom is flowing recently and these reminders are great.
I have been experimenting with midday to midday water only fasts to try to fit in with social commitments. It is a sort of ADF, but I am on a rhythm of 3 meals in two days. A timely reminder, RT, about leaving eating as long as possible.
The no (or little) flour, sugar eating habit also makes me feel great.

I am not losing weight as fast as I was, but I feel focused and can fit in social commitments (1 kg per fortnight)
I have not been much on the forum as I am making use of Wellington hills and water to keep my exercise up. We do not have a car and live over a kilometre up a hill from the train, so every trip out ends with a walk. My fitbit remains a wonderful motivation for moving, and although as I planned, I did not get my next distance badge 5 days ago as I lost the charger. I am 10 kilometres from walking 1600km in the last year. Like you, Purple, 15K steps is not unusual though my minimum is 12K. This distance also entails of walking up 200m of altitude minimum over the day. My bad knee is much better and not an issue as in October in Oz.
In the past year according to fitbit I’ve walked 2.6 million steps and 1600km, up 20k metres and burnt 740k calories. It comes to a very unspectacular 4km a day!
I must do better!! I am trying to swim 3km a week and many lengths as fast as possible.

I did feel after a 26 hour water only fast that swimming became a bit more difficult.
What I am saying is that even though I am overweight that running(swimming) on the reserve tank is harder than 25 kg more ago.

My daughter put a picture of a daffodil from her garden in Rome on FB and I am reminded that spring in the NH is coming!
We leave NZ in a month.
The house we are buying, Nama is 70km north of Wellington in a warmer place.It’s a typical NZ bach (weekender) about 2km from the beach. On the Monopoly board, it is definitely Old Kent road! Ultimately, we will remove the house and put another one on! You can buy seconhand houses in NZ and they get brought on a truck in one or two parts.
I hope things are working out for you, Aussie Oma. Being between jobs is not an easy situation.
Good to have you on board, Penti and Prana, your contributions energize me.

XX Wiwi

Pent, my husband had been an insulin dependent diabetic for 10 years. Once he started 5:2 in 2013, he realised it was by following the traditional advice to eat regularly that caused his bloodsugar to rise. He has reversed his Type 2 diabetes and takes no diabetic drugs at all. He tests his bloodsugar every morning and, if it is a bit elevated, he simply doesn’t eat. Fasting allows your body to heal. Cut down the number of times you eat each day as well as each pprtion size, gradually. Talk yourself into waiting “just one more hour”, have a glass of water. You’ll be surprised how good your body gets at using up it’s own stores instead of demanding more.
All the best. P 😊

Sarah,

That’s a very important point re: carbs and sugar. When I began 5:2 I too thought I couldn’t go without food all day. And indeed I did have to eat something to stop feeling dizzy and ill. Reducing processed carbs and sugars on non-fast days has made a huge difference, and now it’s very easy to go without food…which I must say is great! There are times when circumstances result in me not having eaten and fimding myself somewhere where food choices are poor or non-existent. Previously I would have eaten the cr*p or panicked! Now I’m liberated from the mindless need to eat and in control.

Also adequate liquid intake is really important. We get most of our water from the food we eat, so when we don’t eat we need to compensate and drink a lot more.

All these words of wisdom are a great help to me today, I’ve had a few lapses since my birthday on Monday but I feel inspired to give today my best shot. Starting the day with just coffee and don’t intend to eat until after 6pm when I will have a small portion of beef stew (without carbs) that I’m about to put in the slow cooker. Not an official FD but a day to prove to myself that I have the discipline to control my destiny!!

Brilliant post and self analysis, Pent.😁 Sounds very familiar!
Now you have started, you are on the road to a new life. And as one who has been on this wol heading towards 3 years, it is TOTALLY life changing. Enjoy the ride. 😆 P

LOL, RT. Love the Friday jokes.

Great post, Pent. You are well on the way to a new you. And amazing that you were following a similar wol in your earlier days.

I bought a ‘new’ skirt from the op shop yesterday – a size 8 !! It fits when I turn the waistband in, so there’s a goal, for it to fit. Still losing the holiday kilo or two. And a certain pair of earrings will match the skirt perfectly, Jojo 🙂

Happy birthday for Monday, Iona. 🙂

Just back from a swim – a new Friday routine (my day off – love it). Have a good Friday, all.

Oh, Jojo, hope it doesn’t keep you down for long.

I’m not getting excited about the size 8. Last time I was in that shop looking for skirts I had to try on an 8 to get the right size – was the wrong cut so not purchased. Now I need a top to match 🙂

It is interesting to review how the eating habits have changed, Prana. It’s been a slow evolution since September 2013, but now there is almost no bread in my diet – so if the guys want home-made bread at the weekend, they know where the breadmaker is – fewer potatoes, pasta and rice, and at least four days a week when I have no breakfast, including FDs. Nibbles are nuts, 72% chocolate, and {{ ice cream }} – with you there, Wee. 🙂

Wiwi and her OH are joining us for a bbq tomorrow evening – looking forward to that. I have been stirred to dust off the vacuum cleaner and work out what it is for 🙂

That’s really interesting that he can live with two completely different mindsets, Happy. How long has he been fasting?

That’s right, the Cheesecake Man ! Not a newcomer, then.

We also have a cat, Happy, part Maine Coon so long-haired, but has completed his moult now. He has been seen on FB.

Today is weigh-in day; I’m going to Vet scales naked I’m determined to see some results!!… AND it’s also the first months measurement day…the truth be told.

Yesterday a successful FD 480-cal AND doubled my ‘steps’ yesterday too! Reading all your talk about counting steps encouraged me.. So there I was on the hillside trying with intense frustration to figure them out with pen & paper… Well finally the slow Dong of the ‘early-elderly’ mind-bell rang in my head and suggested I download an APP on my phone…a….duh…
This one even changes my caloric burn when I go up and down hills. I LOVE it. Thanks folks.

Oh RT, I’m sorry I asked! And Mrs RT was doing so well. Well she knows it works, so hopefully when her head’s in the right place she’ll come back to it.

There are a lot of re-starters on the forum (“lost 10kg last year, went on holiday, didn’t fast, put the weight back on, ready to lose it and keep it off this time”), so Mrs RT isn’t alone.

Barata,

Sorry for the delayed response, I went to bed. Yes, Dad’s been on his cheesecake and wine 5:2 for nearly two years now. Maintaining about 30lb loss, BP down, arthritis improved, waist now half his heart, mentally sharper than ever. He’s in his 80s, so I shouldn’t complain!

Sleep well Barata!

I’m very jealous. A (part) Maine coone… I love a big cat. And vegetables…roll on our NH growing season!

Welcome back, and birthday greetings, Amazon.

The cat featured on FB last June, Happy, in all his winter fluff.

Morning/evening all,

It’s a nice sunny morning here and I’m considering a walk.
I am also making plans for the final push to goal which is a bit further away than I had hoped but it is what it is and I know I can do it. I intend to give up bread and added sugar for Lent. That will mean no granola so I’ll have porage instead, and I’m going to add some plant sterols and see if it affects my cholesterol levels.
I have never cared for tofu since being given some smoked and overcooked stir fried tofu with veggies many years ago. While I was in Cambodia I had some Pad Thai and found the tofu very tasty so I’m going to introduce it into my diet.

My holiday was fabulous. Cambodia is a very interesting country that is still struggling to recover from the effects of war, oppression and genocide. The people are so friendly and those working in the tourist industry are all kind, helpful and willing. The accomodation and the standard and variety of food were way above my expectations and there were many interesting places to go and fun things to do. It was also hotter than my trip notes indicated but zthat wasn’t a problem 😃
I discovered that I’m fitter than I thought despite the back and hip problems as I managed hundreds of stairs and steps, walked and walked and walked, jumped in and out of boats,swam in pools, the sea and under a waterfall, and spent a day cycling 27kms in 30°C plus heat.
We did an evening tour of Phnom Penh in a cyclo which is a bicycle rickshaw and it is like sitting in a pushcjair but you are on the road. The traffic is crazy but I felt perfectly safe and it was amazing to look at things from that level. We also used motorbike powered tuk-tuks and used boats of numerous shapes and sizes. Longer journeys were on a comfortable air conditioned bus.
Some of us did a Cambodian cookery class at a restaurant. For $10 we went to the market for ingredients, were taught how to cook a complete meal and then got to eat it, and were given a recipe book. The chef was called Toot, a bit of a control freak but endearingly bonkers! We had great fun and the food was excellent 😃

We visited palaces, temples, farms, cottage industries, village houses, saw some beautiful countryside, rivers and coastal areas including mangroves. We also visited the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum which was very distressing but an important reminder of what happened. We met many people who had been affected by what happened, our official guide didn’t meet his father until he was four years old as his parents were separated by the regime. Both of his parents lost several siblings and their parents. The resilence of the Cambodian people is outstanding. It is noticeable that there are very few elderly people alive in the country today as such a huge number of people were killed.
It was a fabulous trip and one of the best holidays I’ve had in recent years which is saying something as I’ve been to so many fascinating places.

I’ve also posted this on Tessy’s thread so you might want to give my post on there a miss……

I’ve come home feeling refreshed, restored and ready to tackle anything so am hoping the weight will start to come off at a steady rate. First fast tomorrow.

Have a good one everybody 😜

Thanks for the trip report Amazon. Fabulous!
All the best with reaching goal. You CAN do it, I know.😊 P

Heavy rain forecast here this afternoon and it is clouding over.

A couple in our group had travelled from Burma and done the trip that I’m going on in October. After hearing what they had to say about it and my experiences in Cambodia I can hardly wait.

I didn’t even mention Angkor Wat in my previous post. We spent the last three nights of the trip in Siem Reap. We stayed in a very nice hotel in the middle of the city. We spent a day and a half at the temples which was very interesting with many more tourists there than we had seen on the rest of the trip, and had a free afternoon which I spent swimming in the beautiful pool at the hotel.

There are lots of initiatives around Cambodia that help the disadvantaged eg street children, the disabled, sex workers, orphans. We saw numerous examples of training schemes to give them a chance of a “normal” life. We visited a silk farm where they train and employ the disabled and unskilled women from poor backgrounds, they even have a nursery for 120 babies to five year olds so that women can leave their children somewhere safe while they earn a living.
There are a couple of organisations that help street children by giving them a home and training them as restaurant workers, waiting tables, cooking etc. There are several restaurants around the country doing this. We visited three, one in Phnom Penh where we had lunch, and for dinner in Battambang and Siem Reap. They cook classic SE Asian dishes with a modern twist and there are also dishes that contain unusual foods, such as deep fried tarantula, and stews and stir fries containing ants, silkworms and other creepy crawlies 😮
I didn’t eat any bugs but the food was excellent in all three, and it is all locally sourced, additive free etc. The profits go into helping more disadvantaged youngsters. The food and service were of a very high standard.

I bought a foodie souvenir home, a kilo of Kampot pepper. It is very famous in Cambodia. We visited an organic farm and after walking round looking at vines, learning about how the different types of pepper are produced and tasting it, I couldn’t resist buying some. I got 500g each of black and red and am looking forward to experimenting with it.
I may try making some chilli and pepper vodka which I had in a cocktail that also contained mango juice, lime juice and vanilla syrup. I could taste all of the individual flavours but it nearly blew my head off 😆

Hi Jojo,

I’m thinking about eating tofu as it contains plant stanols.
I really enjoyed the variety of vegetables and herbs available in Cambodia many of which we don’t have here.
I ate a lot of fish and seafood. Kep is on the coast and famous for crab with Kampot pepper. We saw the pepper being grown, watched the crabs being landed and then ate the lunch!

I ate lots of prawns, shrimps and different types of fish and was fascinated by the food markets. I did tire of steamed rice which accompanies many dishes although I usually left most of it. I also managed to avoid bread most of the time. There is plenty of chicken, beef and pork which was all very good. There were many restaurants which also served Western food but I couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to eat Khmer food. A small group of us went out to dinner one night and chose a basic looking place that was full of locals and had an excellent meal with plenty of beer for $4.50 each. It was ridiculously cheap everywhere and I came home with more than 50% of the money I took with me.
The food and what I learned at the cookery class has given me lots of ideas for quick, tasty and healthy meals.
I’ve not weighed myself but my clothes are no tighter so if I’ve gained it’s only a couple of pounds. I am very happy that I didn’t over indulge. I thought it might be difficult but I found it fairly easy to resist although I did eat two slices of my birthday cake. On a couple of occasion we were offered things to try such as palm sugar sweets which is very similar to Scottish tablet and I said no thanks. I also said no to BBQ rat 😮

Hi Everyone,
Welcome back Amazon and happy birthday. So interesting to hear about your travels, especially the food and cultural parts and I hope you share some of your new cooking skills with us.

Jojo, wonderful to hear good news about your daughter. I am happy most of the time, but always happiest when our son (and daughter in law) are happy and settled in their jobs/lives.

Oh Penti, well done and congratulations!! Keep it up. Weigh your clothing sometime, so you can subtract!

RT sorry about Mrs. RT, hope things improve. You continue to inspire all of us.

Barata, I am trying to be with you on bread. I do love bread, but have not eaten it very often in the past month. I will be making cornbread today for a special meal, but I have figured it into my TDEE.

Days are so busy but managing to read this forum as thoroughly as possible since it’s my lifeline to 5:2.

Third week done, only another half pound gone, but happy to be down 4.5 pounds since I started.

My steps could improve. Busy around the house, but those steps don’t show up on my pedometer and take little effort. Taking my second walk of the day in a few minutes (outside, since our temp is an amazing 41 degrees F!!) and that should push me well over 10,000 for the day.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday in the US, almost a national holiday, and it is a huge day for eating. My OH and I will watch the game, and have homemade chili and cornbread. Although he is not in weight loss mode, we decided together that we would have no chips, dips, wings, etc. I appreciate his support.

Tomorrow is a fast day and a very active day as well (teach three classes, work out on elliptical), and I’m hoping for success. I have about a stone and three pounds to lose between now and our beach vacation in April, exactly 2 months away. I may not reach that exact goal, but I will be happy to take any loss between now and then. Excited every time I see a new (lower) number on the scale :).

Thanks to everyone for the inspiration and support. Good luck tomorrow fasters and non-fasters alike.

prana

Good to catch up with this thread, always plenty going on!
Hope you are feeling better Jo?
Amazon, my daughter visited Cambodia last year and loved it. As you say plenty to see and do, she stayed B&B in people’s home in some places and the people were so friendly and helpful, I would like to go myself sometime. I’m glad you enjoyed the trip.
Rotten week for me, went downhill from my birthday on Monday, eating too much and the wrong stuff. Kept away from the scales as jeans felt a bit tight. However exercise levels are up and I’m ready to get back on track and I’m not going to lose sight of my Feb goal of losing 5 pounds …..eeek.
Have a good week everyone, it is most certainly easier not to eat than to stop once you start.