Day 6, Maine,USA FD

Good morning all! Survived Super Bowl Sunday – most incredible game ever!! – at neighbors. Instead of my “usual” cocktail of vodka, seltzer, splash of cranberry, I wouldn’t let anyone else make my drink & I skipped the vodka – no one suspected & I loved feeling in control! I did have a taste of everything – including the most delicious chocolate cream pie – but, we left just before the half & I haven’t eaten since.

I wasn’t planning on telling many ppl about my new 5/2 plan – didn’t want the rolling of eyes “her she goes again.” But, our neighbors are fabulous cooks & feel they need to feed my husband. He does house repairs for them & won’t take $$. They wanted to give us all the leftovers, per usual. I said “no thanks”. They were insistent & finally I told them what we’re doing – monday fast day, refrigerator already stuffed w/ healthy food & their food wouldn’t get eaten. They’re leaving town for a couple of nights, so we’re very unhappy. But, I don’t care – actually feel empowered!

Came home & read all your posts…like the Rocky song….”feeling stronger!” Thanks all – make it a great day!

Make it a great day everybody – ar

Day 6, Canada, FD

@loubelles, thanks for that great post!

@jojo58 really admire your determination and your example of 23/1 gave me the push to try it out too. For me it is pretty easy on a work day.

Now if I can only sort out my overeating on the weekends . . .

@electron. Oops. Auto correct took over. Should have read. Red lentil Tikka Masala

Day 6 USA (Illinois). – NFD

Pretty good control yesterday. On the week, I am down about 2# so right at 161 this morning. The local Choral Society that I direct begins our new season tonight, so no FD until tomorrow. I can’t go into a 2 hour rehearsal without energy in my bones!

@ciren2 — I feel for you so much. We both were going into the holidays on maintenance, and it sure was hard, wasn’t it? Hate to admit it, but maintenance is just as much work as losing, maybe more. There are more NFD’s for me that I really have had to make CD’s. I might just go back to 5:2 with you!

Hugs to all who are struggling. Onward and downward!

Day 5 Canada NFD
Day 6 Canada FD

Day 6 – SW WA USA – FD 1st of B2B

Mimigogirl – JoJo spoke to the milk being okay in your FD, you just want to include it in your total calorie count for the day. And 16/8 just refers to an 8 hour eating window within your TDEE. You can do 2 or 3 meals; depending on your preference.

I’ve got the pocketeers:

Debster
AnneMarilyn
LynzM
Rocy65
Laddie10
Mamacat

Keep strong whether a FD or NFD.

Day 6, UK

Just reading the thead. There are some amazing efforts being put in from all over the globe! It’d be interesting to add all our progress weight loss together at the end and see if we can quantify how much it’d be in terms of a Blue Whale, London Buses, etc.

Well done to US friends who appear to have come out of Super Bowl Sunday relatively unscathed. It’s on too late here to catch it and work the following day, but I might try and see if there are some highlights to view somewhere.

Omelette for me tonight. Around 450 kcal.

I’m trying to do 5 back to back FDs, like last week. Anything to make the scales shift down in Feb. Is this wise or unwise? I’m taking multivits as a supplement to try and compensate a bit for not eating other stuff.

Day 6 – Montreal – NFD

I’m nearly a week in, with two fast days behind me, and have been restrained on my NFD’ s. The scale is not moving yet which is a bit discouraging, but I’m committed to finishing the month.

Day 5 NFD, Day 6 FD, Oceanside CA USA

Fun Super Bowl grazing party including some delicuous drinks. Was only one in our group rooting for the impossible. Never count any body out! and that includes us too.

Today is morning after and FD to reset for the week. Protein breakfast and salad dinner. Lots of fiber to keep us full. Onward to another good healthy week with walking every day.

Hi from Nebraska U.S. wasn’t going to do February, thinking I could do it on my own. HA! Feb. 6 and I realize I need you all. Weight has not moved since ending January, good I am not gaining but have a long way to go to get to goal weight.
Monday Feb. 6 FD

Hi Lynz M

Please is it too late for me to join your February challenge?

I like to log in on FDs as it helps get me through my ‘hungry time’which is 1600 – 1900…

I have an event on Feb 25th and I’d love that extra push of being part of your Feb challenge to lose 5lbs by then…
(I don’t know if this puts me into a pocket group?)

Thanks v much :0)

OH Gosh Believeit

Thank you so much for that kind message. I came back on line to post that I have gotten the “screaming” well, I am not really screaming but I felt better just being about express myself but feel so bad about it afterwards.

I know what happened, I did really well even after my 1st FD, it ended up being about 48 hours of fasting ( I started Tuesdays around 3:00 pm. I was doing 23/1 everyday up to that point) I ate Thursday earlier than what I planned 11:00pm but I didn’t over eat or binge or gorge. I ate normal and stopped after I felt full but it was well under my TDEE. So I ate that evening with my kiddos. anyways, I think I was eating way under my TDEE and had coffee and that messed with my sleep. Once I don’t get enough rest, my appetite goes into over drive and I start becoming the junkie food junkie. So the over eating and eating out of my eating window kept slipping with each day until it hit a crescendo Fri/Sat and Sunday. Although, I actually didn’t over eat on Sunday but I ate all day and didn’t stick to my schedule.

things to be vigilant about constantly:

1. Getting enough sleep
2. Sticking to a realistic and doable Fasting Schedule.
3. Read posts from here to remind myself that I am not unique in my struggles and many people are finding ways to overcome said struggles
4. Not give up and dust off the past and start from this moment
5. Keep to my schedule no matter what until it becomes a habit ingrained in my daily living, like breathing
6. There is a choice in every situation.

Tomorrow I will start 23/1 and Wednesday will be my FD

I’m a little late to party…but I’m in. NFD today, FD tomorrow. Elle from WY

@coda, thanks for replying – I will follow your advice xx

Day 7 NFD NZ
Successful 1100kj FD yesterday. It’s 9am now and I plan to hit the gym for a weight session before I break the fast. It will make the FD about 40hours as I started late the night previous.
I fell off the wagon with inputting my cals to MFP on Sunday and I think I went over a little but I’m not concerned as I have committed to 4:3 all this month and I would need to consume an extra 22500kj approx across my four my NFDs to negate the 3 FDs. I know for certain I didn’t come close to that and I’ll be logging all intake this week to keep me in touch with reality.
One of my strategies for every FD is to plan it in MFP the night before, it takes all the thought out of the FD and I can relax knowing I have an evening meal that meets my FD requirements, if I eat less or total fluid fast instead that’s fine, but I have a fall back position that lets me fast with confidence and it hasn’t ever failed me yet.
So, knowing I’ve struggled hugely with NFDs in the past I’ve gone back to doing something similar for my NFDs this week. I have each NFD dinner planned in my diary for the week, and I input my food idea BEFORE I commit to eating it. This way, despite the irritation of so much focus on blimmin food, I know I’m staying within TDEE and I feel in control and relaxed about what I do choose to eat. I’ve also been careful to put some treat type foods into the day because my worst enemy in this wol is feeling restricted. The minute I cut out all enjoyment from eating I fail, so small treats manage the mental game well for me and don’t blow my TDEE allowance.
I know the reward when I stand on the scale far outweighs the hassle of counting and monitoring so closely. I also know I don’t have to do it forever just taking it one month at a time for now and hoping my increased vigilance pays divides with another loss this week.

Day 6/ U.K./ NFD again!
Ciren – I think I am in sync with you. Whenever I read your posts, they resonate with me. Except I am a long way from maintenance. However, we must keep trying because we don’t want the alternative. That motivation is coming back anytime now, just hold on. Some great advice here. I like the idea of a time line to work through the day with.
We are soooo lucky to have found this forum. Some wonderful people in this cyber cafe and thanks Coda once again for starting it way back when. X

DAY 6 – NFD – Cardiff, UK
Totally blown my calories today but tomorrow is a new day and I’m looking forward to a Fast Day tomorrow Day 5 was a NFD too.

Day 6 – FD – Germany
Just finished my first ever fast at 462 😀 yogurt for breakfast at 7am, dinner at 8pm, and although I was hungry between times, it wasn’t as awful as I was expecting

Day 7 NFD (UK) NZ Holiday

So the scales say lb up (again) yet ‘Yesterday’ was a successful FD. Am I despondent? NO. I know that my body has decided to hang on to the weight, re-group and prepare for settling at new weight, may just be ‘food in transit or water retention’ it may go today or tomorrow, or even the next day, but it will go. Like a blood test sometimes you need to wait for the results. No point being anxious, it won’t change the outcome. It would have been great to lose 5 lb week one but it didn’t happen. So summary Week 1 – 3 lbs down( whilst on holiday) very pleased with that. Heading into Week 2 with 2 NFD’s and feeling good.

I have two meals in two days planned but I have no worries about that either because doing 23/1 everyday allows you to enjoy a meal out without concern. You still need to choose carefully e.g. Fish for me and plan to limit wine to one glass. Pudding if not a healthy option is probably best avoided. But a soup or healthy starter is not off the cards.

Advice for the person who was feeling ill after chocolate and cheese( high fat foods). Did it cause nausea, burping and high ribcage pain? Probably wise to get your gall bladder checked. This happened to me last year, totally out of the blue, it had to be removed. Quick recovery and feel great now.

In my own experience ‘zero cal’ fasting(albeit 1 day or 5) and ‘ADF’ are short term fixes and the weight lost is not sustained. I have lost 8 lbs in one week doing a five day fast but it was regained within 3 weeks even though doing 5:2. So basically unless you are doing a ‘sugar detox’ it’s a waste of effort, don’t shoot the messenger, it’s just my opinion. It does however teach you that ‘you can’ control your food intake. It gives you confidence to be master of your own body so might be worth a ‘one off’ try if you are feeling despondent.

The most successful fasters I have met over the last three years, now maintainers, did 5:2 basic without doing much exercise, maybe walking only. They all now continue to fast to maintain their goal weights. All float up and down a couple of lbs or kilos no matter how closely they watch the scales. None can stop fasting totally without gaining weight even though they have dramatically improved their healthy eating lifestyles. All of these winners have cut sugar dramatically and carbs are a treat not a daily event. THIS IS OUR FUTURE so we may as well start now making changes. Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY. Why! To wear size 12, to look good, to feel good, to walk or climb stairs without puffing, to look in a mirror and smile rather than frown. To never think ‘Does my bum look big in this?’ To enjoy exercise because it is less stressful on our joints and lungs.

What is the Pocket Group?

Well done for creating this ‘challenge group’ lovely bunch of people, and maintaining it must be very time consuming. Even I am finding it difficult reading so many posts although on holiday with no TV station worth watching(advert hell). I think when I return home I will need to limit reading just to the ‘current page’ displayed. So apologies in advance if I don’t answer any direct questions to me, nothing personal, just a time management issue. At home I am ‘out’ most of the time as I have a very busy sporting schedule and full social life. Don’t you just love retirement? Sorry to the workers, you time will come!

My challenge in Week 2 will be 30 hour journey home to U.K. not enough exercise, adapting to my old time zone again, going from Summer to Winter. But I will get to see my dogs after one month away. One has been poorly so I can’t wait to give him a special cuddle. May even let him on the sofa! Getting soft in my old age.

Well said @jojo58. Couldn’t agree more. Having reached goal and maintained with the occasional blip following the basic 5:2 WOE for over 2 years, I know it works as long as you continue fasting. I’d encourage all newbies to start with the basic eating plan suggested by Dr Moseley, and tweak it to suit as you have done. We’re really in it for the long term and it must be sustainable.

Day 6 / Sweden / FD

Fast going well today. Felt I needed some salt by the end of the day so I had a few pretzels.
Welcome back @dykask. I’m happy to read that a week of travelling in the US did not add too many kg.

Take care everyone out there! Cheerio!

Day 6……Florida….. FD

Left work early because my head was killing me and my belly not playing nice either. I’m thinking the belly part is just a matter of it being a FD, and it’s being loud and obnoxious. I think my head is bothering me for the simple fact, I’m not sleeping well. OH, thinks, I’m my body is stressing about something and my brain won’t agree. So thus the headache.
Who the heck knows, I’m just over it….. Ugg!
I’m hoping it’s better tomorrow and I’m not secretly getting the sickness that’s been going around work. I felt so bad leaving the bosses with the new girl, especially since she really got my goat today and .i was a bit snippy with her. My fault totally and I know I should have done it but she has this habit of Saying I can’t find it. So, I stop what I’m doing, walk to where it always is and Ta Da it magically appears. I must have magical powers! Anywho, as always she follows me and says there it is, I must not have seen it. In a normal day, I would have said okay fine and went back to what I was doing…. oh but not today…… I couldn’t just leave well enough alone…. I said in I’m sure was not a very nice tone….. Where your eyes open, when you were looking for it?
Oh, cap, crap, crap. I can’t believe I just said that crap, crap, crap!
Did I apologize to her…. well, of course not……. I walked right into the bosses office and had a seat. I’m sure, she was headed that way as soon as I left today anyways….. to tell on me cuz I hurt her feelings….. so, I told on myself, all big and lady like…… they laughed and I bowed out for the day.

My day in a nutshell….. egg on toast for dinner then I’m going to bed!

Cheerio!

Day 7 NZ NFD
I’m so pleased I have this group to come back to each day. It’s comforting to know that I am not alone. Last two days I haven’t been eating too well. Some weeks are great others ughh! Working tomorrow so will have a fastday. Very hot and humid here which makes me crabby. Thankyou for listening.

Second post – made it through the day without eating – from 7 pm last night until 7 pm tonight. Drank LOTS of water (flavored a half gallon with one of the Crystal Light pink lemonade straws – tasted like infused water, not too strong but a change from regular water. Ten calories total, I drank it all ! Along with one cup of coffee this morning and some hot lemon ginger tea.

Ate a sandwich, some chips and a small avocado for dinner as the hubby just wanted soup and some peanut butter on crackers for his dinner as he was feeling a bit under the weather. Nothing serious, he just didn’t feel like a big meal.

Won’t eat again until tomorrow night – already got in my exercise so all I have to do is watch a bit of tv then take my new library book into my hot bubble bath, turn on talk radio and relax.

Day 5 Quebec. NFD

Day 6. Quebec. CD
I unfortunately went over my 500 calories budget today because of couscous cereal. Never tought that in contained that much calories !

Thank you all who mentioned my birthday. Yes it was fun and I ate a lot and I enjoyed it ! Back to regular life and diet today.

Bye bye x