Hi all,

From California. FD today, went really well. Tomorrow a NFD.

Dollybird, I use sometimes your recipe for crapes (the one with milk instead of mineral water). They are good too. My husband used to call the crapes “crappy crapes” just because I used normal flour in the past. Now he dropped the word “crappy” because they are healthier. So he can eat 5 instead of 3, ha ha.

K-Lo, I never used chickpea flour, sounds interesting.

Speaking of mindful eating. I started to look into it back in March 2015, read two books about the subject and implemented the techniques into my life gradually. It works very well, I lost about 15 pounds in time slowly. Plus the food is much yummier than before.

Links for the 2 books:
http://www.amazon.com/Have-Your-Cake-Skinny-Jeans-ebook/dp/B00B9JKNBC

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250004047/ref=pd

The concept explained:
http://foodmatters.tv/content/learning-to-eat-mindfully

Melilotus, sometimes I make savory pancakes with chickpea flour. 1/4 cup of the flour (Bob’s Red Mills), 1/4 c. cottage cheese, 1/4 water and one egg. Salt and pepper and cook the way you would any pancake, but in olive oil or coconut oil. Very hearty.

Australia, day 18, nonFD – daily weigher, graph once a week

Thanks Coda! You’re doing a great service here. – re countries, there are a few from Australia. I would continue with another challenge. Maybe begin July 1.

A few people mention travelling, the challenge of restaurants. Instead of thinking these a predetermined fail, look at these as opportunities to learn how you could change these for the better.

Think,
– have a smaller portion e.g. theentree or starter size inside of main meal size
– ask for no added chips
– ask for dressing on the side not already mixed through salad, put a small amount on or none
– ask for gravy or sauce on the side, put a small amount on or none
– share a plate – ask if anyone wants to share a …………. with you and ask for a second plate to come with the dish. Share a main meal, share a bread roll or have none, share a dessert or have no dessert
– order something with a strong taste e.g. Chili in dish, strong tastes seem to trick mind into thinking it’s eaten more
– eat slower
– have 2 entrees instead of an entree and a main
– have a clear soup instead of a full bodied soup or soup with cream in it
– make every 2nd drink sparkling water
– drink only sparkling water, the bubbles make it more festive
– Black coffee with a little milk on the side instead of flat white, cappucino, latte
– cut sugar down or out
– if buying an ice cream cone get the baby size, or share with your partner
– avoid things with 50% cals from fat and 50% fat from sugar as this has been shown to be addictive e.g. glazed donuts and cheesecake.
– skip breakfast and start eating after 11 or 12
Travelling? There are portable scales available that weigh about 550gms, (a pound is 450gms). Mine are called Peitite Mignon, and I bought them online.

Hope this helps 🙂
Onwards and Downwards! ( yes it’s downards)
Merry

–

USA, Day 2

I had no problem with 600 calories yesterday. Also biked 2.8 miles in 10 minutes. Woke up this morning ready to do it again, but remembered I had lunch plans. Checked the scales, and down 2 pounds. Long day at the job tomorrow. Thursday, I’ll fast again. Eating normal after yesterday seems so bloated.

I’m 60. 6’0″, 255

Good morning from South Australia Day 18
I have no need to work out the day as it is my son’s birthday. He was extremely ill when he was young and each birthday is very special. He is 34 today and has two beautiful children and a wonderful wife.
Anyway Coda I am up for a further challenge and an exercise component would be great as well.
Dollybird the ipoddy lamb – very good
I watched “Trust Me I’m A Doctor” on the telly starring Dr Moseley and they did an experiment that showed women should eat before exercise and men should eat after exercise for most efficient fat burning during the rest of the day. I have always thought it was best to exercise on an empty stomach but always preferred to eat first so I was pleased with the results.
I shall add Marie Kondo to my extensive reading list, so many interesting books to read:)
ABC1 I so envy you shopping in Oxford St, I went with my daughter last year and we both had such a good time.
Edzeko if I can get through these jolly fast days anyone can, you just build up the habit, knowledge and experience by just doing it regularly until it is a part of your life. Some days are easy and others are the pits but you just keep going because it is all over the next day.
All the best to everyone I have some birthday cake to enjoy

Québec, day 17
FD, I was joK but my dog was sick and woke me up early this morning like ” Mom, I REALLY need to go outside “. I had to get up in a hurry, dress over my pyj, put on my winter coat ( yes it was cold and pouring rain). We walked about ten minutes under the rain before the thruth finally came out of his body hihihi !!!

His belly went on doing bizarre sounds for a part of the morning but he is just fine now and sleeping like a baby.

Good night to you all !

Day 17 USA. Had a good fasting day yesterday, very busy 12 hr shift, became dehydrated because I couldn’t stop for water and ended up sick with UTI today. Today is a NFD, not much of an appetite. Drinking a lot of water.
I will be spending the evening getting caught up on all the posts. I am way behind.

Coda, in your listing of countries, Inthink you forgot our friends from Autralia.

Austraia – Day 18 – 24 day to go of challenge 🙂

Hello, Yes a poddy lamb is an orphan lamb on a bottle. Back at Easter, we were visiting my parents and were driving past their neighbours farm and I saw a sheep dead and just as we were passing I noticed that she had a lamb under her. So I braked and got out and the sheep had died partly on top of her. She was covered in ants, so we cleaned her up and took her back to my parents. My Dad spoke to the neighbour who said we could keep her, so took her back to our farm (we are on 120 acres). We named her Shirley 🙂 She kind of was running the farm, so we got 5 of our other sheep and put them with her, so that as she gets older they will be her mob. Two of them have lambs around her age, so they all get along great. The backyard opens up onto about a 15 acre paddock, but they generally hang up around the chook house. So all day you will see the sheep and chooks together. Pretty cute. We also have other sheep, cows, dogs, cats and a horse 🙂

A water fasting day today.

Fasts – 9 – Non fasts – 9

Hi Hannah
You can do 5:2 and just fast two days a week on 500 cals and eat what you like the other 5 days. I have lost lots of weight using this method over the past 7 months which is how the 5:2 diet is described in Dr Moseley’s original diet book. Just try to stick to 500 cals on your fast days and if you slip up the other days it doesn’t matter but try to eat healthy. The online CSIRO diet guidelines are a great reference for healthy eating, portion control etc. It is a slower method but it does work.
I hope this helps

UK Day 18 FD today. Coda I would definitely sign up for another challenge, I’m already feeling slightly bereft at the thought of this one ending. Thank you!

Just a clarification to my former posts: I don’t do extremes either. I did the 24 hrs not eating at all ONLY ONCE, to enable myself to start this diet at all.

Maybe it’s just me but this seems to make a difference. As if this reversed the stubborn vicious cycle of eating and craving. This one occasion also helped me to conquer my stubborn fear of not eating.
Since May 1 I have kept a 4:3 schedule, which does not feel extreme at all. My plan is to switch to 5:2 after 42 days, then, once I reach the target weight, to continue with maintenance (6:1)

Update
This morning I found that the scale hasn’t moved for 4 days.
This is great news, as I am right after 4 days of NFD’s, with lots of extra intake due to the Pentecost holiday.

Today is FD of course and the morning started with hunger (as expected). So I had 100 cal worth of oatmeal for breakfast – simmering in water for 20 min, with a pinch of salt, stevia, when ready topping with cinemon. During the day sipping decaf coffee with stevia and very little milk.

The sweet taste of the oatmeal and coffee takes away hunger and keeps me going until lunch – sometimes even until 2-3 pm. Oatmeal is fantastic for digestion and other health purposes, as I learned from another BBC health-program.

The rest of calories today – and on FD’s in general – come from home-made chicken soup, lentil or vegetable soup. As we know, soup is great for weight loss in general as it fills up the stomach without exceeding the FD calorie limits.
I eat a little soup around/after lunch time and a little more for dinner. Normally I go to sleep without hunger.

Today and the next two days this will be the meal plan. I often find that the 2nd and 3rd FD’s are getting even easier, hunger is virtually zero during FD’s. (Hunger only returns after I start to eat on NFDs but hunger is much less intense and much less frequent. I no longer have cravings for chocolate or anything “junk”. Instead I eat lots of fruit.

UK day 18…FD…sitting in a cafe waiting for a friend who I think may be sitting in a cafe down the road! Very large black coffee aided by the one chocolate that they helpfully tell me is 54 call so I allow myself it as I plan to eat the rest of my call late afternoon. Good luck everyone.

Australia Day 18 NFD. All is forgiven Coda, you have heaps to get your head around with all the posts. I think another challenge beginning July would suit a lot of us who are only beginning our 5:2 journey. I’m trying to be a good girl today and with another FD tomorrow hope to be well and truly back on track. I even declined sausage rolls at work today (I’m a teacher and they were cooked by our students).

Thank you Quebecoise and Qsue – I really appreciate your support. Xx

USA, Day 18 / 24 to go.
Trying to make it a fast day today.

US/Day 18 – NFD today but I really bombed yesterday …..grrrr! Total chocolate binge ….in fact ate so much of this coffee/cream chocolate candy bar that I considered it my dinner (so my Greek Style Salmon Salad is my lunch today!). Good thing (?) is I don’t feel good at all this morning (feel so fat and bloated!) so I’m going to keep reminding myself of that today and eat HEALTHY as I have a FD tomorrow! So planning and making ahead today. Time for some self reflection — I’m really questioning why I did that yesterday? Was I rebelling against my FD on Monday (where I tell myself I can have that tomorrow)? Why can’t I just have a piece or two and be satisfied? I’m making such good progress — why do I want to sabotage my efforts? I have lots of healthy food choices in the house but it’s so easy to ignore them. Going to try to put it all in perspective and move forward, as I want this to be a way of life — and I don’t want to deprive myself (because that is a guarantee I will give up) so I need to learn some self control when it comes to those things I “want” vs “need”. Hopefully my OULA exercise class today will help me clear my mind and body and reset for the rest of the week. Have a great day or night all!

USA Day 18 NFD:

Good morning everyone. NFD for me today! Feeling good. Eating conscientiously and feeling healthier. Yesterday I didn’t have any snacks. And my portions were much better. Planning the same for today. Still need to focus on drinking water during my NFD.

Coda, I think it was you asking for a bone broth recipe. I use this lady’s crock pot chicken recipe and then leave it in the crock pot and follow her bone broth recipe as well. It’s really delicious (the chicken the first day, and the broth the next).

Broth:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/01/24/recipe-overnight-chicken-stock-in-the-crock-pot/

Whole Crock Pot Chicken:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/25/recipe-the-best-whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/

Haven’t had much of a chance this morning to catch up and read everyone’s posts. Hope everyone is doing well! 🙂

K-Lo- chuckle…..enjoy!

Day 18. Wisconsin, USA.

Songbirdme…wow. What a coincidence! I bet we cross paths.

Hannah…please forgive yourself. Bad days are more than likely part of the program, and should be accounted for in advance. They should not shock us, because often after the shock we emerge into a negative spiral. I think we should embrace our “off” days, and know that they are part of living. And, just as you have, always shove those off days into the light, where they can have no power over us. There’s absolutely no shame.

ETJ (Do I have that right?) Reading about poddy lambs and children laughing in the country side actually improves my life. These thoughts make me happy. 🙂

I have been thinking about NFD’s and calorie counting. I am experimenting with not counting calories. Instead, I am following some rules. I am eating only real food. No sugar. No refined carbs. No rice or potatoes…etc. This menu is not new to me. My eldest son was gravely ill for a good part of his life. He’s much better now. I have many years of experience with eating this way. Truth is, when he was the sickest, I was very vigilant about what our family ate. For years, we had no snack food, sugar or grains in our home. I didn’t have to count calories then, and I stayed on the lower end of what is a normal weight for me.

Since my son’s health has improved, I’ve become more lax with what we eat, and my weight has responded in kind.

I happen to think that the low carb/high protein menu helps me stay fit not only because of the biology of this type of food (insulin/blood sugar/fat storage). This menu works, because while over eating tortilla chips is a cinch for me, I simply cannot bring myself to binge on eggs, meat or spinach. It’s simply no fun.

So…this is my new plan. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Edzeko, Atkins wrote years ago “it’s hard to binge on steak.”

Pacific NW USA: Day 18, NFD with 16:8

By this the 3rd week I think I’m getting the hang of FD’s (which was yesterday for me). My mind still jumps to thoughts of food occasionally but tea and water suffices. I just remind myself that maybe the hunger feelings are a signal that my body is kicking into fat burning – maybe the stronger the pang the more fat is being burned off?? Hope so!

Coda – you gave a beautiful visualization for what are usually called coincidences – It will help me remember to be mindful and thankful for those “breezes”.

UK day 18

Here’s one for you. I have been waiting for a sum of money to come into my account for the past week – not knowing when it was going to come in. Meanwhile life goes on and I planned a fast day today. Well, this morning the money appeared so I rang up the mortgage company and paid off the mortgage. I sat there thinking – how do I mark / celebrate this achievement? My upbringing is of food being used to celebrate / support and I seriously thought – should I stop this being a fast day? I am pleased to say that I celebrated with some flavoured water and bought myself a non food treat. The feeling of an intact fast day far outweighs the transient cream cake etc.

This was the second FD of the week and the first time that I have only left a day in between them. I plan on weighing myself tomorrow morning – tomorrow night I am going out for a meal so have planned a 2000 calorie day around the online menu.

Good luck Hannah – hope that the meeting went well x