Africa Fat Challenge – Inspiration & Motivation.

This topic contains 271 replies, has 17 voices, and was last updated by DragonMama 6 years, 11 months ago.

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Matilda63

8:51 am
28 Mar 16
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Dragonmama your post attracted me as I am originally also from Africa, now living down under in the land of Oz.

I am 52 and menopausal taking HRT. Since all menopausal hell broke loose I gained 10 kgs and NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING is working to loose at least just some of it. I will be happy to loose only half of that so researched the 5:2 diet and decided to join for the extra support.

Lovely to read of you and other ladies who has succeeded. Hope to share some success stories as well soon. Would love to hear of women on HRT who still managed to loose some weight.

Apricot

5:03 pm
28 Mar 16
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That’s interesting, Oryx. DM is right, most of us are northern but some with Africa links. My dad lived in Windhoek as a boy, from about eight or nine years to about 14. And I was born in Zimbabwe but married an Englishman so now live in the UK. Love your description of the cloudless sky. In the UK even a totally blue sky has a slight milk insets to it, not that intensity of Central and Southern Africa.

I’m amazed you did so well by using hypnosis (did you? I think that’s PMcK’s thing). Fasting is particularly good at targeting the liver and belly/visceral fat. I’ve just been reading Dr Krista Varady’s book (she who has done a lot of the original fasting research). Some really interesting things about how the metabolism can slow down if you just eat less. Sadly, this slowing appears to be permanent, so those of us who have lost lots will always have to keep an eye on things or we’ll put it all back. She recommends that when you reach your goal you maintain it by having three days a week when you only eat 1000 cals – a sort of maintenance 4:3.

DragonMama

5:43 pm
28 Mar 16
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Hi Oryx, it is so good that you like to drink Buttermilk, its good for you, I just cannot get it in! The temperature of the sea here is very up and down, some days it is so icy cold, like the western cape sea, and the next time its like luke warm, all depending on the wind and weather. Sometimes during winter it is warm enough to swim, as we did last end of June.

We still have terrible drought in some areas but here it is OK now. we had some nice rain. The farmers in this area is more into citrus and then vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, spinash, rocket, cauliflower and sigorey and sweetcorn and pumpkins ect. nothing exotic.

You must google the Patensie/Hankey/Gamtoos Valley farming area, it is very beautiful but we live in the town and we do not like it much, so we want to move more towards the Jeffreysbay area or maybe Durban.

DragonMama

5:49 pm
28 Mar 16
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Hi Again Oryx,
Yes we all experienced the headache bit, but you have to drink water to compensate for that and I used to take half a teaspoon of bovril, which is very salty, which is good for fast days. I am so glad that your fast days go so good, its fantastic.
The milk issue, I also found that milk is not good for me at all, so I just do not take any. I drink regular tea black and bitter, and Coffee black and sweet!! The chinese tea will do you good. And if you make the green not so strong, it is not so bitter. I dont really use it, as it is very expensive here.
Hope you get rain soon.

DragonMama

5:54 pm
28 Mar 16
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Hi Apricot, Good to hear from you again, Yes Oryx, when my daughter was living in Scotland for 10 years, she said that the children there says that the teachers is incorrect when they say that the sky is blue, and she confirmed that its mostly white!!

You are more nothern where you have those fabulous sunsets, I dont think you get it anywhere else, maybe Australia?

DragonMama

6:08 pm
28 Mar 16
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Hi there Matilda63, Welcome we are So glad to have you. Hope you can post regularly. How is your sunsets in Australia. That movie I watched a 100 time at least and everytime cry myself straight into a heavy headache!!

Hormone Replacement Therapy. Please tell me what type of therapy do you get? I used to get 2tablets planted in under the skin and it lasted me for 6 months, it worked very well with me, but when I turned 60 the Dr said that he is not allowed to give it to me any more and it also went off the market just then. I still struggle with heat waves dayly and I hate it but it is not so intense anymore. Also since I lost some kg it is better. I know that the weight sits fast with HRT and without it, so my dear you will have to bear with it and be STRONG as even with the therapy there is still mood swings where you want to empty the fridge into your mouth, it is absolute hell and you have ALL my sympathy, please you can post any time and here you can say just exactly how you feel and nobody will blame you. But I can promise you that if you persevere with the fasting, you shall loose weight, maybe a bit slower but you will, and it will make the big M so much easier. Remember that your body will adapt with time.

I am sorry that it took some time to answer your post, but here our internet connections is sometimes a bit shaky then we struggle to post. I do hope that you will find more support than necessary. Strongs with the Fast Days!!

I hope that everybody had a wonderful Easter and all travels brought you safely home.

Oryx

6:51 pm
28 Mar 16
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@apricot
Why are you amazed that hypnosis works? That’s quite a common thing. 😉 But it’s not only the hypnosis. It’s a good support but the most amazing thing is that you can lose weight without even paying attention to it. That’s McKenna’s gift I will always be grateful for.

Actually McKenna and Mosley are quite similar. That’s why I liked Mosley. It’s not very different from McKenna when you get to the bottom line so I’m already used to it. But you don’t fast with Paul McKenna. And that is interesting for me now. With McKenna you just eat what you want, how much you want, whenever you want. The only rules are “Eat when you are hungry” and “Stop when you are full”.

@dragonmama
When you are used to the African sky the European sky seems grey and sometimes white. But we have almost white skies here too in winter, haven’t we? Very, very light blue, almost white during dry season. At least here in Windhoek. Maybe it’s different in the Eastern Cape.

Maybe I love milk too much. I thougt about it today. Since I don’t drink a lot of milk on fast days. Usually I drink a lot of milk every day with my coffee. But now fasting I feel that I don’t need so much milk. Milk is not good for adult people it’s only for children I know. So it’s better not to drink milk as an adult. I’m thinking about reducing it.

I’m at the end of my second fast day now and I feel very slim. 😉 I have been fasting from the 4th of March now. 9 fast days since then. And it shows. I didn’t expect it to be so successful.

Apricot

10:56 am
29 Mar 16
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Oryx, I was amazed not because I didn’t think that hypnosis would work (I know it does) but that it would effectively be gradual calorie restriction, which is often a lot slower than what you indicated.

I think that one of the advantages of 5:2,4:3 and ADF is that one is less likely to lose muscle, particularly if you keep fats high and carbs lower while you are dieting. This keeps the metabolic rate higher (muscle burns cals, fat doesn’t) and reduces the likelihood of putting on fat to replace the lost muscle when you stop dieting. Krista Varady has a lot to say about this in her book on ADF.

Oryx

1:46 pm
1 Apr 16
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Actually I don’t think about carbs or fat or anything. I only eat what I like on non-fast-days. On fast days it’s different of course. What I learned with McKenna’s program is: your body knows what you need. So I wait for my body to tell me what I should eat. As soon as I think about something I wait a little and if the food stays in my mind I eat it. Slowly and consciously and I stop when I’m full.

In the beginning I couldn’t eat more than 800 calories on some days because I was never hungry and always full so quickly. So it’s not really amazing that I lost so much weight so fast. 😉

I’m still following the “4 Golden rules” of McKenna on the non-fast-days. It works. But it worked slower during the last months so I wanted to give my weight loss a kick.

DragonMama

6:05 am
2 Apr 16
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Good Day, good heavens it is a struggle to get onto the internet these days, it is as though my Sp’s is all running on Edge!!

Very interesting Oryx, what is your 4 goLden rules? I am very glad that you are losing so fast but I am a bit worried about that when you stop dieting will you be able to keep the weight off.

I have the prOblem that if I Look at something decadent it appears on my hips!! Ha ha. Not really That bad but very near to it.

It is now 5 months that I am on this diet and today I deceded to get onto the fast days as it should be again.

I don’t feel good and my legs feel thickn as though I can’t bend my knees to the fullest, a bit bloated me think! Maybe water retaining?

Further I hope all is doing fine.

Have a nice weekend.

Oryx

6:44 am
2 Apr 16
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I’m not dieting so I won’t stop. 😉 That’s the beauty of the idea. It’s not about losing weight because you just don’t eat some things for a little while. It’s about learning how to eat so you can keep off the weight forever.

The rules are the rules of Paul McKenna. They are not my rules. I didn’t invent them. 🙂 But they work.

Our problem in our society is that there is too much food. Our ancestors could eat whatever they found or hunted but we can’t. There is too much food available in all the supermarkets. But our body still knows what we need. So if we listen to our body we will always be quite thin. But we don’t listen. That’s all Paul McKenna says: Listen to your body. Only eat when you are hungry. Eat whatever you like. Eat slowly and consciously. Stop when you are full. Those are the four rules. Nothing more. It works like a charm if you stick to it. 🙂

Fasting can support the success if you stick to the rules on the non fast days. You will lose weight anyway with the four rules but with fasting it’s maybe a little bit more you lose.

DragonMama

9:19 am
2 Apr 16
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Hi, yes you are so right about the amount of food available. Although we try to have mostly fresh, which is better than most, but we tend to like more cakeky stuff and things like breads, pancakes and baked puddings/cakes and cheeses and white/cheese sauces and pastas so just to stay away from all that, which was definately not available to the ancient people!!

I also believe that using everything in moderation but that is mostly our problem to keep to the moderation!

Well, so far I had 2 cups of tea without any milk and sugar, 1 slice of brown bread with half a teaspoon of olive oil and 2ml of bovril and now I am drinking a cup of instant coffee without any sugar and milk. The milk dont bother me at all as I never mix my drinks with it, but the Sugar, that is what I miss. I used to be such a sugar user, like 3 to 4 big teaspoons to a cup of coffee and tea, now I take all the tea without and only coffee with 2 during regular days. Just now I will have a banana for lunch. Usually I dont have lunch so I should not be hungry through the day and I have soup for tonight.

I hope that you all have a wonderful day.

Matilda63

12:23 pm
2 Apr 16
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Thanks DM. Yes we have beautiful sunsets at the beach. My husband has 100’s of photos of sunsets in Oz…

I am on bio-identical estrogen and progesterone as I still have my uterus. Still not stable after a year of trying various hrt and dosages. Menopause has hit me for a 6! I walk every day, do 2-3 classes per week of yoga or pilates, eat low carb,(no bread, wheat, sugar, refined carbs, flours etc) never cheat and it has made ZERO difference.

I managed to do a 30 hour fast from Thursday night to Sat morning and ate normal today. I think I might be undereating caloriewise many days as not getting very hungry these days, so hope I can break this stall with the 24h fasts and fast days etc. My gaining weight trend feels like it has no brakes and it is a scary feeling….

DragonMama

6:36 pm
2 Apr 16
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Hi Matilda63,

I know how hard it is as I am on the end of it but you must please just keep at it, all the exercises are crucial for you, so I am so glad that you are doing them.

Did your doctor test your Thyroid Gland? If it is not working, it might just be a big influence on top of all the other symptoms. I also read that the Super Foods is so good at later ages and can help with all the negative symtoms. For us it is a bit too expensive here so we try to just stay with fresh stuff.

I do believe that the fast days will definitely help you break down that barrier of the plateau. Good Luck.

Matilda63

3:41 am
3 Apr 16
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Thanks DM.

Excellent question you are asking. I am awaiting blood results for a full thyroid panel as I seem to have a few other typical thyroid symptoms as well.

I was the same weight today as directly after my fast day so I was happy about that. Hubby and I started the day with a walk and a good breakfast.
Will fast again tomorrow as it is easier when I am at work and busy.

Anybody notice bad breath when fasting? I have not but am concerned re that…

DragonMama

7:03 am
3 Apr 16
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Good Morning,

I had a splendid Fast day yesterday with 536 calories. I feel great this morning and have courage for this coming week.

Matilda63, about bad breath, just add some extra parsley to your meals on fast days or chew some during the day. It is a Wonderful herb.

Yes the Thyroid with me happened when back in 2006 I went to see our GP about my shoulder which turned out to be Frozen!! I tell you, if one can give that to all the guys in the warring countries, there will be peace on Easrt!! Any case this Dr whose name was Dr House, said that he want me tested for inactive thyroid and he was right, mine was inactive and since then I am taking 1 Diotroxin per day and up to now every year my tests are excellent, but I still suffer from dry skin and hairloss. That I still have hair on my head is just a miracle!!

But I am So glad that I am a woman and I suffer all with pleasure as I look at what problems men get.

Have a Fine day and Strongs with all the Fasters.

SiSwiel

3:49 pm
4 Apr 16
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Hi DragonMama and the other contributors to this thread. I have been a yo-yo dieter for as long as I can remember (am 52) and have decided to combine Banting (the South African form of Paleo) with the 5:2 diet. I’ve been Banting (high fat, low carbs) for 3 months and have managed to put on 3kgs. I think I’m eating too much and have decided that doing the fast days will probably help to limit my food intake on the other days as well. Anyway I have about 15-20kgs to lose and started today with my first fast day. I had coffee with 1 tbsp cream, 1tbsp coconut cream and 1tsp xylitol for breakfast (about 100cal) and will have a salad for supper just now. I haven’t been hungry at all which has been surprising. Nice to be sharing this journey with others 😃

DragonMama

5:34 pm
4 Apr 16
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Good Evening, Welcome SiSwiel, I hope to hear from you often, and I am so glad that you have decided to join us before you gain too much. I also tried Banting but that amount of meat and fat does not go with me so well, remember that all of us is different and different kinds of food dont have the same effect on everybody. I believe that anything with a too is over the top and all your days should be averagely balanced with all types of foods.

For the beginning start counting your calories definitely and I found that My Fitness Pall. myfitnesspal.com is the best where you can build up your own food diary. Also use the Tracker on 5:2 which will tell you your TDEE which you should not exceed. Please ask anything you need and we shall try to help.

Yesterday and today was regular days for me, but tomorrow I am going to attempt another Fast Day. Sunday my weight was back up to 69 but all measurements was the same. I think I must buy a new scale!! This one keep me on 69!! He He !!

I hope that everybody is doing fine and that is why you are so quiet??? Have a nice evening.

SiSwiel

5:59 pm
4 Apr 16
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Thanks DM! I’ll let you know how I’ve done when I weigh myself after my 2nd fast day.
Going to the Kruger Park on Friday for a week so it probably wasn’t the best time to start but then it’s easy to come up with reasons to delay 😉

SiSwiel

6:04 pm
4 Apr 16
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Forgot to add good luck for your fast day tomorrow. Forget the scale!!! Measurements are so much more important!!

DragonMama

6:33 pm
4 Apr 16
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Hi SiSwiel, Thanks, there is lots of stuff you can eat, see that you stock up on snacks that are protein rich and take some carrots/cucumbers and salad stuff that you can snack on when all are eating chips and chocolates, I shall keep my fingers crossed for you, also see that you have lots of water as its hot there and keep hydrated. Please beware of the stuf that says: Low sugar and when you see the word ‘diet’ on anything, do not buy it please!!!

Where do you live and what job do you do? Just tell us a bit more about yourself.

Enjoy that trip!! and tell us all when you’re done!!

SiSwiel

7:05 pm
4 Apr 16
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At the moment I live in Midrand (Greater Johannesburg) but we are moving to Nelspruit by the end of the year. I used to be a personal trainer (with weight issues) and now I am a field guide (nature) and avid bird watcher. I spend as much time as possible in the bush.
As you know Banting means no sugar and no diet anything. Fat fat fat and more fat as long as most of the fat is vegetable and not animal. It’s a way of eating that I really enjoy so let’s see how I do combining it with the 5:2. I’m hoping it will work for me and make me more aware of sticking to my TDEE. Will let you know!!
Where do you live? From some of your posts I’m guessing KZN?

DragonMama

8:36 am
5 Apr 16
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Hi SisWiel,
I know Midrand, My sister’s son had the Vidios@Carlswald and I even worked for him there when everybody was on holiday and they lived near there. I live in Hankey East Cape, about 25minutes from Jeffreysbay.

Nelspruit is nice and warm with lots of Avo’s and that is good for you, you can eat them as much as you can and my sister’s daughter lost about 10kg in a few months time with that.

I use a lot of Coconut Oil, that is very good for you and I eat a lot of it and use it in cooking and hubby use it on his toast. But it must be the virgin as that is cold processed and the other which is not virgin is heat processed and that is apparantly not so good for us.

DragonMama

9:38 am
10 Apr 16
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Good Morning!

This is truly a Blessed Sunday as I have reached my goal weight!!! I feel very happy about that but my measurements is still a little bit too much and I shall have to work on that. I think that I shall just carry on as I am doing as I feel great and if I loose another bit it can just be good for the coming Winter!!

All you guys in the Northern hemisphere is lucky as your summer is kicking in!

The last 5 days was a bit stressful and I just could not get onto the website. I hope everybody is doing great as No News, if good ???

Have a super day!

Apricot

9:04 am
11 Apr 16
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Well done DragonMama! You have done so well to reach your goal weight! I’ve been away staying with my son and family so have been off the diet, slight rise of about half a pound. Now back to the routine, diet day today. I’ve been low carb over the weekend too, which will set things off again.

A good tip about the parsley. High protein, low carb diets when you are in ketosis can give bad breath, (Atkins type) but it’s usually improved when you add green veg. It can be from too much protein to fat ratio, so upping the fat and lowering the protein slightly helps a bit too. This is a useful link.
http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/ketogenic-diet-plan.html

I agree with you about the coconut oil, not too refined. The evidence now seems to show that most extracted oils such as Palm and Corn will make us fatter and seem to affect the hormone balances. Coconut, olive oil and butter plus fat that’s naturally in foods (not extracted) seem to be best.

Matilda63

10:45 am
11 Apr 16
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Congrats DM! You are an inspiration!

I am back on track today. My hormones were all over the place which is of course not helpful in my bit to loose weight. Some days I feel like throwing in the towel as hormones in menopause seem to be stronger than any diet…

Apricot

1:04 pm
11 Apr 16
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Keep going Matilda, you’ll do it. And it’ll help the hormones too. Have you tried using more soya beans or soy-milk? Non sweetened of course. The phyto estrogens are supposed to help. Ditto oily fish.

DragonMama

7:01 am
12 Apr 16
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Good Morning, Thank you.

I walked again this morning as 4 days have passed that I just did not feel like it, and I had a tad of trouble with my knee, which is feeling so much better today.

Hello Apricot, glad to have you back and I believe that your stay was great! You will loose that half pound in no time. Just keep at it and believe that you can carry on. Yes the parsley is a great herb, I read somewhere that the Kings in the “olden days” always had parsley fresh on their table and it was laid on the king’s food, before he ate it for it turned brown if there was poison in the food. I would like to know whether that can really work. But those days the people used real organic poisons so it’s quite possible.

Hi Matilda63, unfortunately I am not up to date with your type of medication but if you have been on it for over 6 months and you still dont feel good, its not working and your doctor should try another. I was on 4 or 5 different meds before we found the perfect one for me and within 7 days I felt the difference. The medication must make you feel normal. How did the thyroid test go?

You know some medical practitioners tend to give the meds that they know work for some patient but nobody is the same, as you and I shall have different reactions to the same meds. Maybe you should have a good talk to him/her.

Please just keep going and you will get results.

My measurements is 1cm to go and how long that will take I really dont care as I believe my body shall adapt over time. I just have to keep on with this way of eating.

I hope that you all have a wonderful day and hope to hear from you soon!!

Apricot

8:32 am
15 Apr 16
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As you predicted, it went in no time. Interesting how slowly my weight is going down this time. It’s the third time I’ve done a longer term loss diet, and I suspect that as Jason Fung discusses that I now need were calories to get fatter on. Very annoying, but at least if I can get my insulin more normal and lose the tummy fat it will be worth while.
8 years ago I did Weight Watchers, with only a small effect. Then Dukan, which was very good indeed and took my weight right down where I wanted. But I didn’t know enough about dieting so let it creep back after. This time I feel I know what I’m doing so will just keep on. And it does help that you can eat normally in between, though I’m sticking to the no sugar and low carbs rule.
Hooray, while I’ve been writing I weighed myself and I’ve gone down just under another pound.

DragonMama

10:20 am
15 Apr 16
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Good Morning,

Today we have a Scorcher of a day! it is HOT outside, as though the summer wants to come back with a vengeance before it gives way to winter. But it is cool inside and I walked and did some windows before the heat came on so I feel quite happy about staying indoors.

Apricot, I am so glad about your loss!! Congratulations!! This way of life is best suited to me too and I believe that we just have to carry on with the 5:2 and it will take off that fat some time. I cannot believe that this 9kg that I lost has made such a bit difference to me and I am so thankful.

Now I see wrinkles which I did not know about, but I just accept that as I think I must surely deserve them, he he he!

I hope that everybody has a splendid day and this coming weekend will bring happiness with the rest.

Apricot

6:42 pm
15 Apr 16
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Because I’m not great at sticking to the FDs, specially on Monday, I’ve started doing 4:3 on Mon, Wed and Fri, then weekends off. Effectively that’s alternate days in the week and the weekends to relax a bit. Although I went over a bit on one this week, it still seems to be working.
Yes, know what you mean about wrinkles! I’ve got one that appeared just at the top of my nose! I have a friend who Botoxes! But I can’t think it’s good for you to inject botulism bugs!

DragonMama

9:03 am
19 Apr 16
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Good Morning, I cannot believe that 4 days have passed since I have been on this website it is just sometimes so difficult to get onto the internet here its very frustrating.

I hope that everybody is doing fine and loosing!!

Sunday with weight and measure everything was still the same and I would love to stay on this plateau!!

About the botox, Apricot, I think it might just be a good thing if you can afford it, I heard that it can be more good than bad, if you keep it in control and not overdo.

Hope to hear from you soon!!

Apricot

1:33 am
21 Apr 16
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Hey DragonMama! If I succeed in losing 2 stone or more, I’ll have more to worry about than wrinkles between my eyes. What about the skin that’ll be too big? Not sure it’ll be elastic enough these days to shrink back. Ah well at least I’ll be healthier!

Hope you’ve had a good few days. We started of at the same weight, though you’re two months ahead. I took a friend out to lunch today and didn’t have my FD, so am trying back to back tomorrow and Friday. Hope it works. This diet is potentially adaptable, but I could slip back if I’m not careful.

alex39

3:06 pm
21 Apr 16
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Where in South Africa are you from?

Apricot

4:55 pm
21 Apr 16
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I’m from Zimbabwe

DragonMama

7:16 pm
21 Apr 16
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Hi Apricot, yes you are correct about slipping back but with this way of eating we know by now that we can correct a slip with a week or 2 of following the plan. I would love to loose another kg or 2, but I am not in a great hurry and will just cruise on this way for a while and see what happens. How much have you lost since you started, you know these posts gets to be so many that I cannot find the post any more, maybe I am just in too much of a hurry. Will have to take some time to make some ‘summed up’ notes.

Hi Alex 39 good to have you hope we will hear more about you soon. I am from east cape in SA. Where are you from and do you also have a weight problem?

Yesterday was such a lovely day. Hot but nice and I worked in the garden and came across a root which would not budge, so I pulled and pulled and it came away and me went right backwards and fell flat on my lower part of my back. He he… today I am struggling a bit to go sit and get up and its quite sore but I hope to feel better tomorrow. I dont know of anybody who has seen me but I am sure it must have been very funny.

Please have a nice evening and a happy day tomorrow!!

Apricot

10:33 am
22 Apr 16
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Hooray, another pound off. But more importantly in some ways my BMI has gone from borderline obese at 29.9 to overweight at 27.6. And my waist is 5 ins smaller so visceral fat has gone first. 😊

DragonMama

9:27 pm
17 May 16
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Hi everybody, I hope that you all are OK and going strong. Apricot I hope that there is more to celebrate!

I am so sorry that I have stayed away so long, but I had no way of getting onto the internet. I am still on my goal weight and quite happy about that, but winter is fast approaching and I hope and pray that I will be able to keep to my goal weight through it, then I know I shall be OK.

I am just having the most awfull time as my daughter is really struggling to make ends meet and I just heard that the father of her daughter has now been without work for 6 months and she cant make ends meet and I cannot help enough to make a difference. Its heart rendering for me as I feel guilty when I eat something and I know that is not good. But the little one is the one who is suffering the most and that is the utmost concern. So I am really stressed out and sorry to bother you all with my problems but I just needed to vent somewhere.

Any way, I hope that you all are doing great and I would love to hear from you all soon.

Regards

Apricot

11:41 pm
17 May 16
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Great that you’re back! Oh so sorry about your daughter and her little one. Yes, a real problem for all of you. It’s very hard for you as well as her, you’re bound to worry about them. I’m sure any help you give her will be good. Do they live very far away? Or can you see them regularly, maybe look after the baby now and then? Mothers get so tired when children are young, don’t they?

Good about your goal weight. The maintenance thread here may help. It’s harder when you’re worried, but if you can’t manage 6:1 try eating your first meal later and your dinner earlier most days. That may work and you won’t have to think so hard about it.

Thinking of you.

DragonMama

7:31 am
12 Jun 16
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Good Day, Apricot I am So sorry that I only answer today. No I live 1200km away and That is my big problem as I want to be there with my whole heart to help her but can’t leave here alone. So I am Stuck!

But anyway it is Winter here now and icy cold so this is the 2nd week that I am fasting 5:2 again. Today Nr 1 for this week. Last week went quite well. I am hopeful that it will just help me to maintain.

I hope that you all are doing well and hope to hear from you all very soon. I shall endeavour to get onto the Website more Often again.

Have a Great and Happy day!!

thinatlast

8:36 am
12 Jun 16
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Hello Africans! I’m afraid I’m not African but I have lived and hitch-hiked through ten African nations and I’m about to make my eighth or ninth trip this month. So, I’m hoping that allows me to be an honorary member here. From my very first trip, I’ve always felt I should have been from Africa. Well, I suppose we all are if we go back far enough.

I’m approaching 2 years on the 5:2 lifestyle, lost 24 kgs and have been maintaining my goal weight since September last year.

We spent 7 weeks in Europe over Christmas but we were walking so much I started to lose too much weight on 6:1 so stopped fasting after 3 weeks. Continued with 6:1 on my return to Australia for a few months but have been back on 5:2 lately as a bit of weight was creeping on.

This will be a different kind of holiday and, as we’re moving around more than we usually would, there will be a lot less walking. I’m hoping I’ll be able to fast one day a week but I’m a bit anxious as moving frequently tends to mean more impulsive eating decisions.

Nice to see you here Apricot – and to learn that you’re from Zim!

Apricot

12:09 pm
12 Jun 16
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Where in Africa is your next trip, Thin? I’ve not been back for many years as it was too expensive, but I’m hoping to go to Oz, NZ and south Africa over the next 18 months to visit relatives and friends.

Keep posting, DM, glad to see you back, and on other threads too. I think we chatted when I was very new to this. Now four months in I’ve lost 19lbs and through lots of reading I feel I’m beginning to know what I’m doing and why this all works. Doesn’t stop me breaking it though, with higher carbs than I planned sometimes and sometimes too much on a FD. It has slowed things rather, but the trend is still down so I keep going. I use 4:3 if I’ve eaten a bit over on my 5:2 FDs, and also postpone breakfast to brunch the day after. So you can succeed too. Krista Varady, who did so much research on intermittent fasting (ie every other day), says that EVERYONE who sticks to it loses, so I’ve got every other day as a reserve if I really stall!

thinatlast

4:36 pm
12 Jun 16
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Congratulations on losing 19lbs Apricot. A downward trend is all you need.

On this trip, we’re going to South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and just briefly into Zimbabwe to see the falls. We find South Africa reasonably priced (for Aussies anyway) but I’m blown away by the cost of accommodation and car hire in Botswana and Zambia. We’ve wanted to go for a long time but kept putting it off due to the cost. If you’re coming to Perth, you’d better have a truck load of money but other parts of Oz may not be as expensive.

DragonMama

6:13 pm
12 Jun 16
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Hi There Apricot, so good to hear from you and Congratulations with all the pounds that you lost, I am So Proud of you!! So we lost about the same amount, its absolutely Fantastic.

Hi Thinatlast, you are MOST welcome and we hope to hear from you often.

At first when I joined this site, most posters I spoke to was from the Northern Hemisphere and was in winter, so it seems as though a lot of them was suffering about the cold and I felt great as I could start my diet on salads every day.

I also tried the banting but I gained there so dropped it very quickly, although we only use full cream of everything and nothing that says “Diet” and “low fat” as I believe that stuff is dangerous, we also do not use any type of margerine but only butter. I dont use milk as I dont like mixing my drinks,(hehe) though i use it in sauces and such. I love veggies and cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, onion, peppers, carots, green beans and spinash and pumpkin adn sweet potatoes, the last two I cut in same size slabs and fry on the griddle pan, with just a touch of olive oil on both sides. Its fab! and even Hubby likes it.

Well, have a good evening.

Apricot

1:00 am
13 Jun 16
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Sounds a fab itinerary, Thin. The Victoria falls are wonderful, I’d love to go back.

Can you fly straight to SA? I was looking for flights to NZ from South Africa and couldn’t find anything that didn’t take you back up to the Northern Hemisphere first. Suddenly wondered if I could go via Oz.

Mmm, sweet potatoes! When I first came to England you could not buy them anywhere, then I went to live near Birmingham where there was a market with lots of West Indian food, including sweet potatoes. I couldn’t have been more thrilled to see them, and things like guavas, which you still see very seldom and then only the White ones, not as nice as pink. I remember climbing a guava tree as a child with a friend and eating about a dozen. Our parents said we’d have tummy aches, but we never did!

thinatlast

2:24 am
13 Jun 16
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Apricot, there are direct flights from Perth to JNB, approx. 11 hours but that’s a short commuter for Aussies! From NZ, you’d probably stop on the east coast of Oz first. Our daughter is doing a two week wildlife conservation & chemical immobilisation course near Kruger through uni while we go to Botswana. Then we all meet up at Livingstone to continue the journey.

In which part of Southern England are you living now?

Thanks for your welcome Dragon.

Apricot

8:47 am
13 Jun 16
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That’s useful, Thin, thanks. I’ll see what I can find along those lines. I’ve a couple of old school friends in Perth. Lovely to combine your trip with your daughter’s course, which sound interesting. Kruger is wonderful, too.
I’m in Devon now, which has sea and the wide open spaces of Dartmoor, so lovely. I have friends who live not very far from DragonMama too, near PE and the lovely sea coast called Schoenies. It took me a long while to get used to the way people live inside their houses all the time in England, shut in, when in Africa people are outside whenever they can be, but now I’m in the south it’s better.

thinatlast

11:58 am
13 Jun 16
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There are certainly a lot of Africans living in Perth, Apricot. Our best friends are from Kenya and we’re often at gatherings where we’re the only ones who can’t speak swahili. I know a few from Zim – they seem to have had a very high level of education there.

It’s so pretty in Devon & Cornwall. I went to uni in Exeter. We spend a lot of time outdoors in Oz too. Not right now though.

DragonMama

9:11 pm
24 Jun 16
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Good Evening, I hope that everybody is doing great. There is such a lot of people who we dont hear from anymore and it’s a shame as I would like to hear how everybody is doing.
Well, I have to get back onto my FDs again, this time I have no explanation why I skipped them, It’s just as though I forgot about it, but I did not, I just ignored it and now I am very sorry that I did, but no matter, wont help crying over spilt milk, I must just get back on track.

I hope that you all have a great day and if you are fasting, do Great!!

thinatlast

8:27 am
25 Jun 16
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Warm the place up for us DragonMama, we’re heading your way at midnight.