Day 9 Waikato New Zealand NFD
I’m really struggling. Started fasting yesterday and thought I’d have a salad for lunch. Well that was the beginning of the end, couldn’t stop eating for the rest of the day. I can’t seem to get out of this holiday eating mode. The thing is I don’t feel at all well when I have days like that, I must be a very slow learner!!! I start back at work on Wednesday and find it easier to fast when I’m busy. Also I’m better if I don’t eat until dinner.Thankyou to everyone your posts are very helpful. Fuvvie how can I access the spreadsheet?

Day 9 – Tokyo Japan – FD #3 of 2017 – 80.4kg

My weight is up today but that is just normal water weight. When I fast I tend to really lose a lot of water weight so much of the weight is recovered on NFDs. I think that is why a lot of people don’t think fasting works, they try it once or twice and see quick weight loss and then it come back in a few days. However, over time the repeated fasts make a HUGE difference. I can’t believe how much body fat I’ve lost!!!

I’m trying to also build lean body mass so weight loss isn’t my primary goal. My primary goal is getting my body fat down to 12% to 15% range. Weight will end up where it does. Currently my body fat is around 18% to 20%. However a year ago I was over 30%. Basically in 2016 I lost 12kg+ of fat. The 5:2 diet has accounted for over 1/2 of that!

I’m also finding fasting is getting easier. I do have some hunger and empty feelings, but I’m more and more functional all the time. At this point I’ve probably fasted about 40 times for more than 24 hours … Wow. A year ago I would have told people that fasting is insane. I was being a dimwit.

@pamie – I avoid eating while fasting. I find that when I stop my fast I normally don’t feel like eating but after eating just a small amount of food I’m soon very hungry. For me eating is too big of a trigger and the 1/4 of my calories would sink my fasting. However, there is a wide range of people.
I hope you overcome your fasting problems soon. The great thing about fasting is there is little harm when you fall off the wagon. Just hope back on when you can! It just makes the journey a little longer.

Day 8, Québec, NFD

Tonight I had my first glass of wine this week, very proud of that. And I rather easily lost the extra pounds I gained during Christmass vacations. Youppi !

Tomorrow will be a real test, coming back to regular life with a FD. I’m not sure I’m ready for that but I’m confident. I think that my mindset is OK. I had proof of that yesterday as I easily resisted to Sun chips and chocolate. Nice girl ! Lol

Thank you Fuvvie for all the work you invest in this, it is greatly appreciated.

Hello BrightonBelle.

Have a nice day/ evening everyone x

Day 8 – Canada – NFD

It has been a bit of a challenge trying to get back on the plan. I am not giving up though because I have confidence that this is the way for me to get to my goal.

Day 9 – Brisbane, Australia – FD

Weigh in this morning was 117.5kg, that’s -0.5 on last week.

My weight was bouncing around all over the place this week (more than normal), I was getting worried that I might have been looking at a gain this week instead of a loss!

I guess it is important to realise that when you read the forums and see lots of people doing really well, losing weight quickly, to remember that this is not a race! I was seriously thinking about having a 3rd fast day this week, just because things weren’t moving along as quickly as I would have liked… but I think it’s important not to get caught up in all those mind games… need to remember that one of the big draw cards of 5:2 (at least for me!) is that it’s not supposed to feel like a diet on NFD’s (some people may feel that it still is a little and may even be ok with it, and that’s fine – we all have our own goals).

Anyway – main things I learned to focus on this week… 1) it’s not a race, 2) trust the process, 3) try to enjoy life 🙂

FD today is going well, should get through with just some soup tonight, may have a bit of salad with it if I feel like I need something extra.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Day 9 , California

This was my second day. After fasting yesterday I stayed under the 2000 today. I think I am going to be able to keep this up. It really helps to have this group.

How long does it usually take before one starts feeling better.

Day 9 – 9th Jan, cool and cloudy Melbourne Australia. FD weigh in tomorrow.

Wow 7 pages since I last checked in! Will go back and read later, days 6-8 nfd. Fast day today. Doing really well. Had lots of fluids and about 200 cals so far. Dinner not sure was going to be Tuna salad but I’m thinking eggs with ham spinach & mushrooms instead. And some fruit.

Hope everyone had a great day!

Day 8 USA Hawaii NFD
16:8

Day 9 NFD Country West Australia
Thanks AT and others for concern re walking into steel bar.
Knock to the head may have knocked a little sense into it!
Been to wineries and eating out with adult children non-stop for 3 days.
However, I stopped at just one glass of wine yesterday and then the rest of the day soda water with lime.
Small wins.

Aussie day 9 success FD went well today it’s funny how it can be so easy one day and impossible the next. Next FD Thursday.Yes Fuvvie i have been struggling and feel like a winner today. I really need an attitude Change listening to OH munching away while i am hungry usually undoes me i need my ear plugs in so i can’t hear him lol JEM i have been lucky i have only ever met up with a Brown and a red bellied black snake.

UK day 9 FD Feeling positive heading into first fast of the week, I’m defitinitely doing 2 maybe 3 this week.

Lany36 – Tough times, personally I wouldn’t push it too far, enjoy your family time and stick with the 16-8 sensible eating, but that’s what I’d do but you have to find what works for you- but look at it long term a couple of weeks staying static is no bad thing I would put the emphasis on enjoying the here and now not worrying .

Day 9 UK FD
Have started reading The Case Against Sugar. Hope my reading will boost my willpower in my fight against sugar!
@vaderz I like what you say.
Lany36- I travelled in Australia and NZ for 9 weeks and was worried about weight gain. My goal was not to come home like a balloon! I just ate 2 meals a day, brunch and dinner, had a few glasses of wine and a few ice creams. I only gained 1lb which was amazing, and the break from thinking about weight was good too. (I actually found Christmas at home afterwards harder!) just enjoy your holiday. As Vaderz said, try to enjoy life.
Have a good day everyone.

Jane Day 9

Hi just saw your post so I’d like to join the challenge. This is my day 1, but realise you are all a least a week in but hopefully I can catch up! Distraught when I stepped on the scales this morning, so need to be really committed to this. Will read your posts with interest and gain motivation from you all.

Good luck everyone

Jane

Day 9…..Florida…..FD

FD for me today. I’ve also decide that on NFD, I’m going to track my calories instead of being all Willy nilly…. seems that loss on Sat am, didn’t want to stay away as it is back this morning. Time to readjust my plan.

With this is mind, some I am ready that are adjusting their plans because they feel as if some are losing faster than they are….. Couple things. We all are different animals, some of us are lions and tigers, while others are cats and dogs. Myself, I’m a manatee! Since we’re all different our bodies, lose weight differently, as well as different times. The loin may show no weight loss one week, while the cat shows 2lbs, but next week it could and will be different. The point is to keep going, your time will come. This isn’t a competition to lose weight but a challenge to change our thought process on food. The grand prize for a change in our thought process is weight loss.

Lany36…. Enjoy your holiday, instead of worrying just do a 16:8 daily, drink plenty of water, remember and do the OR/AND theory (that post was a couple pages back). Your not going to undo everything!

Welcome to all the newbies!

Cheers!

Hello all day 9 UK FD

Welcome JPilch and Janeandmoses – JPilch just start where we all are day of the month = day of the challenge no matter when you actually start.

@Jabia is that the couch to 5 k you are doing?

@lany36 – agree with what others have said esp Brightonbelle and Bert1802. Just believe in yourself, you have the tools but I don’t believe you will just throw caution to the wind. Enjoy your holiday with the family and I think eating mindfully is fully ingrained in your thinking – Why else would you be even thinking about it? You’ll find a way to enjoy your holiday and reset those batteries – if there is a little gain, a few weeks back on the wagon and you’ll be better than ever. 16:8 sounds like a plan, try it and see how you feel – adjust if necessary. You can get back into those 36 hour fasts when you return. Remember this is for life, there will be other holidays in the future. so think of this as plan a – if it works – good if not then try plan b, it is trial and error to find what works for you – not for anyone else. What will make you happy and less stressed? Enjoy – sounds lovely!

Love hearing from all the horsey people that have joined us.

@wellrounded – you are taking about more than 5 hours a week of just running! 40 years ago when I was running crosscountry in high school I was pretty lean too. That level of running helped then. However there are just many more factors involved, especially as we age. I’m not trying to discount exercise, I just don’t view it as the best way to burn fat. So many other amazing benefits though. Personally I do work in multiple workouts a week, but these days I opt for intensity over aerobic activities, at least to some extent. I do typically climb 50 to 100 floors of stairs a day which is moderate aerobic activity.

I will admit that if you are going to run that much you will likely burn a lot of fat unless your diet is totally out of control. However that can also be hard on the body and some long distance runners tend to also lose lean body mass. There are tradeoffs. I have found fasting so much more effective at burning fat and not harming the muscle tissue, so now it is just hard for me say exercise is a great fat loss tool anymore. Exercise does help with fat loss, I believe it just needs help from the diet to really succeed in burning away the fat.

@dyksk and @wellrounded,
If you don’t mind I will chime in too with a pretty close story to dyksk – I used to run in high school and still have dreams of getting out there and running in the St Louis 5 mile race held every year on St Patrick’s day weekend – wow was I lean and mean back then!

But from a fat loss – I have to agree – what I have read is lifting weights particularly towards an end of a Fast period, really helps a great deal while aerobic workouts don’t have the same impact in terms of fat burning.

@wellrounded – see, we are jealous! hahaha. No, not really just piping in here —I will look for the article on youtube video I watched or book – the info. included some interesting charts and facts on the whole subject of burning fat with cardio vs resistance training.

I need to get my endurance and strength up though no doubt – I love to hike and a couple of years ago I went on a guided hike in the Grand Tetons and it was so cool! But at 20 lbs overweight, the first few days were BRUTAL! The pack I carried was around 30 lbs and it was all I could do sometimes to get the damn thing off the ground. I lagged behind the group a quarter of a mile at all times (but I do like to hike alone so it wasn’t all bad) but I say all of this because I had built up endurance from hiking on my own a lot but what I didn’t have was strength which I think the weight lifting will now give me so I am going to give it a try – or rather, I am doing some now and plan to ramp it up. With the info. regarding fat burning it motivates me even more!

FD day 9 North Yorkshire

Day 9 – St. Louis, MO USA – NFD

Yesterday’s Fasting day was a BREEZE! I wasn’t sure what it would be like after a ‘feast’ day but it was the easiest fast so far. You all are right in what you say – they get easier or at least this 4th one was! At the 24 hour mark, I had about 250 calories of a nice turkey burger – meat only – and salad with just a touch of vinegar and oil and was completely satisfied. So happy!

I return to my work routine today which includes weekly travel around the U.S. Monday – Wednesday. This will be the first travel day since I started the 5:2 WOL. I think it may create some of the old cravings that I have on travel day – eating candy and comfort food all along the way – so I am making this a NFD so I can eat and not feel gross from the flights which often is the case…will focus on portion control and spacing out meals and consider it a success when I stick to that plan.

Have an awesome week everyone and Stay Strong!

Day 9:FD
Finally another Fast Day! Have gained back everything but -.2 lbs since my last Fast Day but am tinkering with end of holidays snacking. Kids are headed back to school today so hopefully that will improve. My health has been awful for the last few days. I’ve had two days of bloated tummy and two days of light gluten eating. I’m going to have to be hardcore with that again and iron out what my issues really are. But will stick with 5:2 – last week’s FD meant that I felt wonderful the next day.
SW 150 lbs//CW 149.2//GW 134

Day 9- NFD- yesterday was a FD
The spread sheet is AWESOME @fuvvie. I guess I forgot to give my weight and goal. I started on Jan 31 at 141.4 lbs. Plan to weigh in weekly and today weighed in at 140 lbs. So pretty awesome I think for the first week. Will continue on as I did last week! I think the posts and encouragement from others around the world are so helpful!

Day 9 – Canada – FD

January 9 – 144.5 lb. (65.68 kg.)
Goal for January – to lose 1 pound a week
Overall goal – to reach 135 lb. (61.36 kg.)

I am going to fast 2x/week (Monday and Thursday) — 3x/week perhaps – I’ll see how it goes. It’s difficult getting started again. If anyone out there could keep me in their pocket, I’d be grateful.

@fuvvie. I’ve just had a look at the spreadsheet you are keeping. What a task you have set for yourself. Thank you so much for doing this. If you can do this, we can’t let you down by not posting.

It’s -9°C ( but feeling like -18°C) with scattered flurries right now. I have a meeting to go to at 10 o’clock and I think I’m going to dress warmly and walk down to my meeting. It will take me about half an hour and I will either walk home or catch a ride with a friend.

This afternoon I think I will start a 30 day decluttering challenge. No, I don’t “think” I will, I will.

Have a great day everyone.

Day 1 Fast
Hi all. I know I’m late to the party, but I just heard of this approach to eating and health three days ago. I am a mid-50’s lady living in the Texas panhandle. I don’t work outside the home, but I keep busy with helping my elderly mom and chasing after my pets. I have carried around the extra 15 to 20 pounds for over ten years.

I haven’t read the books; I’ve spent so much money already chasing diet plans and books and programs. This sounds so straight forward … that really appeals to me.

I will post later with some stats. I wish all of you success and happiness!

I have to agree with WellRounded that it is probably our eating that often under mines the calories burned from exercise. If someone has a steal will then and hold the eating and keep themselves active then that extra energy burned would have impact. I actually did well at not over eating most the time, but when I was working out really hard, I didn’t move that much the rest of the day. I think my activity evened out.