Hi I’ve been reading, laughing and learning since starting this WOL in April 2013. I’m from the Southern Hemisphere and will join in the discussions on that forum once I get the hang of posting but thought I would quickly introduce myself.

Beach Baby seemed an apt moniker as I live right on a beach and I was struggling for inspiration, not very imaginative but it will have to do. Since starting in April I have lost 7Kg and many cm from waist and thighs. I have always been within a healthy weight range for my age and height but at 52yo had just started to nudge the outer limits of that range. Losing some weight, as a female, is always a bonus but it was the health benefits that really attracted me to this WOE.

I’ve never been on a diet in my life (nor a forum for that matter), with the exception of a short stint 20 years ago when my cholesterol was up a bit and my Dr had me give up dairy for 3 months. I lived, breathed and dreamed about butter, cream and cheese the whole time and it was a nightmare(slight exaggeration for dramatic effect). Once my cholesterol was back under control I swore I would never go through such deprivation again (spoken like a spoilt westerner, we really have no idea what deprivation is) That is also what is so appealing about this…I really have not felt deprived.

I’ve seen the TV show twice, read the book and check in here regularly for tips and advice. So far it seems to be working, including getting through my first winter in years where I did not take any anti-inflammatories for arthritis pain in my ankle. Not sure if it is the health benefits or carrying less weight around but whatever it is it’s working.

I’ve now reached my goal weight and am just playing around with alternating between 6:1 and 5:2 for the health benefits. I have been doing this for so long now that my body really craves a ‘fast’ day every 2-3 days. That’ll do for now.

Thanks Nika, Sassy and Stef for your welcome.It was exciting to log on and see a few replies to my inaugural post.

Nika I can’t imagine what it must be like to never know where your next meal is coming from, nor when. At least with this WOL, as difficult as it can sometimes be, I am always able to give myself a good hard talking to to not be so soft and spoilt. We have the luxury of knowing that tomorrow we can eat what we want.

Sassy in answer to your question I think that ‘genetics’ plays a part and good eating habits established in childhood. Both my parents were within healthy weight ranges most of their lives but my mother managed to pass on some typical ‘female’ insecurities about weight to both my sister and I. I’ve never been too far away from a set of scales, not OCD but weekly for most of my adult life. That way it has been easier to rein it in before it got too far out of control.

I’m also from a family that loves to cook (and eat). Conversations often start with ‘what did you have for tea last night?’, ‘what are you having for dinner tonight?’ Just another reason why this WOE suits my lifestyle.

I work fulltime and have found that Mondays and Thursdays have been best for ‘fasting’ but am flexible if a social engagement lands on one of those days. Still, even when I’ve been on leave throughout this period I’ve tried to exercise enough willpower to remain disciplined.

I’d initially set my goal for 3 months and after successfully achieving that I went off to my GP and got all my usual blood tests. Again, luckily, they’d always been normal but now they were ‘more’ normal.

I am also amazed at my changed shape. There were weeks when not much was happening on the scales, but like a lot of you have discovered, my measurements,waist and thighs particularly, were reducing. I’ve always been a bit self conscious in jeans but now for the first time since being a teenager I can look in the mirror and think “I look hot!” (joking…but I am far less critical of my appearance).

Anyway I might wander over to the “Southern Hemisphere” post and have a read and laugh there. Keeping a sense of humour is so important(and not taking ourselves too seriously).