Afghans are a lot of work! Good luck with that project. It’s a big commitment. I have been fascintated with linen/flax. Good to know it’s tough to knit with, but it sure is beautiful and lovely to touch. I just finished a large scarf with some stuff that was impossible to un-knit and I’m sticking with soft and easy for awhile. I have always knit socks top down and always on double pointed needles. The magic loop wasn’t magic for me and I found it annoying. The first year H and I were married I knit him a pair of socks for Christmas and he loved them soooo much it quickly became the only thing I was knitting, to the point I carried the pattern in my head so I could knit them everywhere I went. And come to think of it, I was very thin at this time. Hmmmm
Then I finally came to my senses and went back to knitting other things. I found some fun, self striping, alpaca-cashmere-merino blend. It’s beautiful and super soft. H is going to love these! Sorry for going off subject for a minute. I’ll hook up with you K-Lo on the link you included.

MelindaShay… Great you have success…it buoys you to new heights. I wish you the best on carb addiction. I haven’t seen you on this thread. Good success today!

Pea Jay, thank you for the support/advice. I’ve read a lot of the threads on starting out/what to eat during a fast day, but I can always handle more! I think boredom is my problem much more than hunger. I really didn’t feel hungry the first time I tried a fast day a few weeks ago. I didn’t eat anything during the day at work (though I drank a lot of water and tea). The only issue I had was that I felt light headed by the afternoon, and I bike commute to work, so I was worried about biking home. I think it was more of a blood pressure issue than hunger. Unfortunately, I had set myself up for failure by not packing anything to eat before I left work, thinking that it would be easier to not eat at all. I ended up buying some nuts, but then ate more than I intended. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I basically gave up on the day after that and had a regular dinner.

K- Lo, your story is really inspirational for me! Sometimes I feel so envious of my tall friends who can eat more than me without gaining weight. It doesn’t help that I just moved to Minnesota, where everyone seems to be super tall and fit and able to put away the beer and cheese curds. I thought about your post several times during the day when I wanted to give up and buy a snack!

Things are going just ok so far today. I had a hardboiled egg around 11am, as well as some mint tea. Then during the afternoon I was feeling bored at work, and I ate some cheese its. I wasn’t even hungry, I just wanted to give myself a treat. I’m still under 500 calories (though I think I’m supposed to stick closer to 400, because my TDEE is only 1500 calories). My immediate inclination was to give up on the day and “start next week,” but instead I’m just not going to eat anything else today and try to be better prepared next time with something like a few olives in case I want a salty afternoon snack. Getting over my all or nothing mentality will be a huge victory for me!

Hi NorthernDawn!

I’m also in the Twin Cities, but I moved from a state in the deep south, so, I guess it’s all relative!

I’m going to try another FD on Thursday, with everything I’ll eat planned out in advance, using the tips from this forum. The weird thing is that I’m usually a healthy eater, and I almost never buy something like cheese-its. It was totally convenience/boredom because I was at work with limited options.

Thanks for the well wishes!

Thanks all for your colonoscopy support. I’ve done it before so I know the routine. The prep drink my doctor prescribes isn’t bad; a bottle of Miralax mixed with 2L light colored Gatorade.

I’ve already loaded the first 3 seasons of St. Elsewhere on my iPad and will marathon watch it on prep day. The iPad is great for this. I won’t have to pause it during the many trips to the bathroom, just take it with me.

Bronx

Thanks to all the great suggestions and posts I finally logged in a very good FD yesterday, in spite of having to call 911 (a first for me) and have H rushed to hospital. Nothing like spending 5+ hours in ER to keep you from eating. I powered down water and coffee while the interminable waiting went on. He was able to come home last night which was a really good ending to a scary day! He was diagnosed with vertiginous syndrome (fancy way of saying he had vertigo and was throwing up uncontrollably). I seriously could not even begin to think about putting anything into my mouth. I don’t feel hungry today and plan to not eat until I feel hungry. I got on the scale and I’m down maybe 1/2 lb. but I think I can move past 165 if I stay the course. I’m fasting again tomorrow so I want today to count with protein and fiber and few carbs. and tomorrow 164! First time in years too. I think I mentioned I’ve been gaining and losing the same 4-5lbs. for way too long and it’s time to break the cycle. I’m ready.

My feed day after the first fast day is often out of whack. Eating lower calories today to compensate. Tomorrow is regular fast day.

Hi NYCFaster! I am a Bostonian and seem to have your identical weight loss goals. I am used to being 120 pounds, too, but the last year, weight has crept up slowly (those winters) and I’m 49 so shifting hormones don’t make it easy, and now I’m at 140, so am starting this today. Are you still fasting 2 days? Had any luck the last couple of months. I would love to hear from you; it would be motivating and fun to have a partner with similar goals. My clothes still fit, but are tight, so I’m uncomfortable and just want to get back to myself where I can put on clothes and feel fabulous. Nice to meet you — Erika

Hi all,

There are so many of you on this thread that it’s going to take me a while to get to know you all!

Crowmama, how scary but thank goodness they figured it out for your hubby! My mom had it before and they gave her some pills that helped tremendously. She couldn’t get out of bed without the world spinning around her and she’d end up on the ground.

K-Lo, I know I’ve seen you from time to time on the mid-50’s thread. Great job on the weight loss! You lost much faster than me. I’m 52 & I’m short too, 5 ‘2″ (but I think I’ve shrunk with age!). I started at around 134.0 late last summer and am now ranging between 119-120. I’d like to get to around 115 and maintain but my original goal was just to get to 120 so I’m happy. Maintaining has been hard. I’m throwing in a 4 day detox cleanse (lots of bone broth, protein, veggies, berries) once or twice a month to shake things up and confuse my body into keeping the weight off. May try the every other day fasting thing mentioned by another on this thread too. Btw, ladies, if you truly want to keep hunger at bay, make bone broth (recipes all over the internet these days). It’s not a lot of work when you get used to it- I throw 3 carcasses from chickens we’ve taken meat off of in a pressure cooker or pot along with some veggies, seasonings and water. Super high in protein, yummy and keeps you full. I like to add shredded cabbage for a noodle-type mouth feel! 😉

Princess, I don’t know that it’s unusual to have two kids with diabetes, it’s hereditary on my husband’s side. It is unusual though not unheard of for them to come down with it in teens. It usually hits around 8 or 9 like it did with my younger one.

I’m starting to stress about a lot of traveling I’ll be doing this summer. I know, woe is me! I’m looking forward to the travel (Europe) but scared about what to eat/how not to gain while there…HELLO GELATO?!! Any suggestions? We will be in Paris, Spain & Italy.

Sherry

Welcome Sherry!
K-Lo you’re too funny. I don’t think you’ll be banished from the boards. As long as we all support each other, which is what I love about this.

Thanks for posting to me! It’s been scary. H sees his primary dr. tomorrow so we’ll see where this goes now. I’ve been concentrating on eating good calories instead of empty calories today. When I got on scale this morning I was certain I’d lost at least 4 lbs. Ha ha. We all know better, right? If it was 1/2 lb. I’ll be glad but no way close to 4! I’ve done pretty good today. I had a soy chicken burger wrapped in 3 lettuce leaves for lunch and 13 potato chips (yes, it’s true I counted them and ate them slowly too!) H has still been experiencing some vertigo but at least, we can safely rule out stroke and heart attack.
I’m planning to fast again tomorrow b/c it’s Thursday and that’s what I do. I really appreciate the support.

Thanks, rlw66, and congrats on your success so far. It’s so helpful to hear about other people’s struggles and how they’ve dealt with them.

I am all set to start my second fast day tomorrow. I’ve pre-boiled an egg and packed a spinach salad, so I won’t have to make any food related choices during the day, and I made post-work plans to keep busy. Wish me luck!

Hi all,

I am constantly amazed at how little so many of you are! My goal is probably 150ish and I have lots and lots and lots to lose. I do find it encouraging that we all struggle getting to a weight we feel fit and comfortable at and that it’s not just those of us with the really big numbers left to lose.

I finally got the timing right and am trying the 8pm to 8pm fast today. So far it seems much easier than starting a fast in the morning and ending it the next morning. It ends up being 24 hours instead of closer to the 36 I was doing, but there is apparently some research that suggests 24 hours is good enough. I found some good ideas on this fasters blog –
http://anthonymychal.com/intermittent-fasting-mistakes/

I am planning to just have a salad with tuna tonight to help me sleep a little better and then make some better choices on my NFD.

Happy to read everyone’s struggles and successes, thanks for sharing.
Cheers

Little? Vertically challenged, if you please. 😄😉

Yikes!! Sorry…too much multi-tasking. FD going well, by the way

Hey sharonMH : I have found a few while searching the Internet and Pinterest by putting in either 5:2, ADF (alternate day fasting) or 500 and less calorie meal ideas. Hope this helps 🙂 (my basics are grilled chicken, roasted vegetables and salads!).

Hi; this is my first week finishing two fast days and I think this is the way to go, because I haven’t felt deprived and the fast day wasn’t bad. My tips: have my coffee a little later in the morning, a gigantic pickle and apple at lunch some brone broth, which is filling, full of protein and only 45 calories in the late afternoon and then roasted broccoli and chicken. I think it may be easier for me to go “plain” on fast days, rather than get fancy with some of the recipes from the book — I may tend to overeat, as they sound so yummy and the portions are for more than 1. I just seasoned a chicken breast with fresh herbs and broiled it with some broccoli. Like K-Lo, I’ll do salads in the summer. But, this morning the big surprise wasn’t “diving in” to a meal. I wan’t starving (slightly lightheaded waking up, but funny, not starving). I’m feeling great about this and in control (knowing I can have a glass of wine today). K-Lo are you having luck losing? I want my summer clothes to fit comfortably again… sometime in early summer!!

Mnrunner,

My fast day hunger depends on what I ate the day before. For example, Sunday is a day I don’t watch what I eat at all and most of the time I admit I eat too much. Because of that on Mondays I don’t even want to look at food. Thursday is my second fast day. I eat very light on Tuesday and Wednesday so Thursday is more difficult for me. I have an empty feeling all day and am hungry more often than not. I’ve learned to live with it and know a little hunger isn’t going to kill me; it’s just a short time before I eat again on Friday.

K-Lo,

My best friend at work is in love with Denzel. Her computer desktop image is a picture of him.

Bronx

Bronx, Denzel and ALfre Woodard…what chemistry! I also loved William Daniels and real life wife Bonnie Bartlett.

sharon, 6 pounds in 6 weeks! You’re right on schedule. Keep up the good work.

Welcome AHelm — glad you finally posted! I’m still working on learning how to keep things interesting so I don’t “crash and burn” on this way of life 🙂

Bronx- I feel very the same way about my fast/non-fast days (Monday is good, Thursday harder and hungrier!) and just realized this this week.

MelindaShay — since I’m still fairly new to this way of life, thanks for the link! I’ve bookmarked it to read later.

Thanks Sherryann for your kind inquiry re my H…he’s taking a medication for vertigo and we’re hoping he doesn’t get as bad as he did last Tues! Dr. told him that there are a hundred causes for vertigo and as many treatments so until he has another severe episode she wants to move slowly and start with a patch he wears behind his ear for 3 days. And she added the caveat that vertigo seems to worsen as we age. Great, another thing to add to the aging list that seems to be less than pleasant. That old saying about, “getting old isn’t for sissys” is too true. bummer. As for me, I managed to get through both fasts last week and watched the calories on the off days too. I had lettuce while all around me were eating fries and burgers. I haven’t eaten a hamburger since I was 12 yo so that was a no brainer for me, but the fries sure looked tasty. I’ll have them when I finally break 160. Right now the struggle is to move below 165 and it really is a struggle too! It’s the same 5 lbs. I’ve been carrying around, and gaining and losing for about 10 yrs. that I can’t seem to move below. I’ve even given up my glass(es) of wine with dinner and drinking water at every opportunity to make this happen. Like many of you, I can feel the difference in clothing so I can kind of see it beginning to work and so far, I’ve lost the 6 lbs. I began the diet with. The next 6 lbs. will be the hardest however. I’m committed until 4 July and if I haven’t been able to lose it by then I may have to make another choice or commit to being fat and liking it. 🙂 This thread and you guys are keeping me in the game and I want to thank you for that!

Congratulations AHelm on a great start. I’d be psyched with a 3 pound loss, but i’m just starting week 2 and feel motivated. Sherry, you’re a motivator — great job with your weight loss success. I can’t believe you make your own bone broth — I order from Au Bon Broth and pay a lot of money for organic bone broth, but it does my body good. After this batch, I shall try and make my own. Today we had friends over and I got a little “sloppy” and ate a little too much guacamole outside on my deck — but tomorrow if a fast day, so bring it on. I think as I get used to this I’ll be even more careful on my days off, but there is something about not stressing over what we “can’t” eat each of those 5 days that makes this so pleasant. Before this, I tried a 21 day elimination diet to figure out why my body wouldn’t shed this new tire on my middle, and I was careful, but hardly any pounds– maybe a few inches. But, every day I kept thinking about food and what I couldn’t have or would have the next meal; strange with this plan I don’t do that, so I pray it works. I actually had a small bowl of chili tonight, instead of giving it up as I usually do and it felt great to do that. Again, not depriving, but having a little of what my body wants. So, let’s all focus on what’s important in our lives, being the best version of ourselves we can – don’t focus on the word “diet,” but taking good care of ourselves, and pray, the rest will come (and pounds will shed!) Hang in there, CROWMAMA. YOu can do it. And have your glass of wine occasionally just not every night, and you’ll be a lot happier.

Hi Crowmama,

The colonoscopy is still 2 weeks away. I bought the prep stuff and am non-anxiously awaiting to drink it.

Congratulations on getting under 165. Nothing like some weight loss to encourage you to keep going. Do you have a goal weight or will you just do what I did and keep going until people start telling you that you’ve lost too much weight and look skeletal?

I don’t know if this is vertigo, but I have bouts with dizziness from time to time. It started on my 50th birthday of all things; got out of bed and the room started spinning. It never got to the point of throwing up and it went away on its own after a week or so, but it wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had. It seems to come back about once a year around the same time; maybe just a sick reminder that I’m getting old.

Another fast day for me today; the easier of the two for the week. Good luck to everybody else fasting today.

Bronx.

Crowmamma, Congratulations on making this milestone loss! I SO know what you are shouting about. This is the best way ever to loose weight! You are doing it and it is for good, not for a few weeks! That is what I really like about it. I can feel confident I can maintain the routine of 5:2. I like being on a fast day. Very happy for you and celebrate with you!