Hello all – just joining… :)

This topic contains 17 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by Nika 10 years, 5 months ago.

Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)

sky_gazer

3:07 pm
3 Oct 13
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Hi to all..

I have just joined this forum today and have read the FastDiet book. My name is Ana and I am 22 yrs old and I live on the Isle of Lewis – which is an island off the West Coast of Scotland. for years now I have struggled with my weight, image and confidence issues for many reasons which I dont feel comfortable disclosing to anyone. And I have reached a point now where I am 5lbs away from being 200lbs.. I feel completely ashamed…

And for years I have known how to lose weight but I can never stick at it. I managed to lose 2 stone a couple of years ago but bizarrely started putting weight on again when I met my partner. A lot of weight loss organisations and people advise getting a weight loss buddy. But as I have always lived in a rural area it makes it quite difficult..

I have decided I would love to try the FastDiet. The science makes complete sense and also if you think about it, it makes common sense too..!

I am hoping to lose weight because I feel guilty of hating my body so much. It drives my partner mad sometimes (which is understandable) but I just want to love my body and myself. And at the moment I feel I cannot as I know being the size I am is putting strain on my body and that is not fair. I am 5’11 and weigh about 195lbs.. Which I think is just under 14st (hangs head in shame).

The problem I have is that my partner works a lot and comes home late. So we always end up eating our dinner at 8pm or even later. Which is completely stupid and we both know it should not be this way. But it is so difficult changing habits..!! I am a vegetarian and I do eat a healthy diet (apart from the occasional fish & chips :P). But I think my problem lies in having no one to discuss things with or even have someone with me who can help motivate me and I can motivate them and also having a bad eating pattern..

But I have decided that I am just going to have to go it alone or things will never change. I am sick of my debilitating mind set and I want to change it. I think I have found the perfect time too. My partner will be working away for 4/5 days a week starting this week. So I thought to myself this is the perfect opportunity to get myself prepared and sorted and start my journey.

I am hoping that peeps will forgive me for my long winded essay but I felt it had to be said..! I also hope peeps do not mind if I have any problems can I come here for help and support..?

Thanks for your patience if you managed to make it to the end….! Looking forward to speaking with thee all..

Best Wishes and Happy Day to all peeps…

Ana x)

toms mantis

4:05 pm
3 Oct 13
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Hello sky gazer. Please, don’t ever feel ashamed of yourself because of your size! I hope you feel better for having got this off your chest. Lots of people have lost stones by following this lifestyle, and the forum is loaded with very supportive and encouraging people. All you need to do is join in. Good luck with your first fast, whenever you decide to make a start and let us know how you get on.

Sams

5:16 pm
3 Oct 13
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Hi Ana,
Welcome to the forum. Long live internet, you might have found yourself many many buddies today! I can fully understand your feelings. It’s a feeling of failure and shame. No use for that though, as feeling miserable about yourself only makes things harder, and you seem very courageous to me. You must love your body, as you’re going to take good care of it now. So, don’t put yourself down. You’ll be just fine. And on bad days, you now know where to turn for support! Enjoy eating and enjoy fasting!

Lindyw

3:25 pm
4 Oct 13
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Hi Ana
Welcome to the forum which you will find extremely supportive and soon come to realise we are all in the same boat. That is – focusing on improving ourselves in some way, whether its weight loss, avoiding diseases that can affect us in our old age (or at any age) or trying to improve or remove an existing condition such as diabetes.
Having read the 5:2 book you will know this is not just a diet its a way of life.
Don’t be ashamed my dear, its what is inside that counts and your partner must be able to see that side of you and love it.
You will find IF very flexible and will be able to make it your own.
On fast days you will be able to have breakfast at 8am and your main meal at 8pm – with a long fast in between! On normal days if you want to count calories that’s fine (My fitness friend app is great), but most of us don’t and still manage to lose either weight or inches. Just don’t think of normal days as ‘feast days’ and overdo it!
You will eventually look forward to your fast days and the feeling of empowerment it gives you.
Keep popping in and join in the posts.

toms mantis

5:20 pm
13 Oct 13
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Hello Ana, just checking in to see how you’re doing. Hope all going well for you.

MountainMyst

7:42 pm
13 Oct 13
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Hi Ana, I’m so glad you are here! you Will be able to do this, you are worth taking care of. it has been my experience that I have never been able to loose weight from hating my body(well, actually I did lose it, but found it again, LOL) I am doing MUCH better feeling that I deserve to do good things for myself. you sure sound like someone that is worthy of good things. I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I hope this didn’t sound too preachy, it just broke my heart to hear you being so ashamed. we have all made choices that might not have been good for us, at least I know I have.

I’ve been doing 5:2 for about 6 weeks, I LOVE it. I have found that I do better if I don’t eat breakfast, and limit my carbs. nothing wrong with carbs, but I find that if I eat carbs early in the day, I have the munchies all day. And I drink lots of water, it really helps.

well, now that I’ve written a novel, I will hush. just want to say I’m seriously jealous of you folks living in Scotland. I’m in the U.S. in Tennessee. take care and please come visit anytime, and know that there are lots of folks here that understand and care.

sky_gazer

9:31 pm
22 Oct 13
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Hi all..

Sorry I have not managed to get online. Have had my mother visiting for 2 weeks…! :O

toms mantis – Thank you very much for your reply… 🙂 My partner tells me not to be ashamed. He does not care what size I am he just wants me to be happy.. I do try very hard not to moan about it to him aswell. But sometimes the way society is today you are constantly bombarded with magazines, tv shows, movies, adverts etc to be thin. Being fat is bad and is seen as a crime in today’s society and people judge horrendously…!!

As my mum has been here I have not started my fast yet.. However as I already had the fastdiet book I decided to get the fastdiet cookbook too – will make it easier methinks as sometimes I run out of ideas of what to cook..

Going to start the fast tomorrow. As my mum left early this morning and my partner is not back til thurs. Will let you know how it goes..!

Sams – Thank you for the welcome.. 🙂 Wow I dont think i have been called courageous before lol..! *blushes.. 😛
Long live the net indeed..! It is like a life line for me up here…!
My partner has already done wonders for helping take the steps to loving my body. It seems so bizarre to me that I have a mind set where i hate my body yet he loves it….!? I definitely love my body more than I used to. But i still have times when i look at myself and go; *sigh* you look so bloody awful..! But that doesnt happen as much as it used to…
I am still very much only on the start of my life long journey so heres hoping my mindset will be a little different in the near future..!

Lindyw – Thanks for your reply..!
Yes that is what I really liked about the fasting. The fact that it is a life style choice and not one of these ridiculous fad diets.. And the great thing about IF is that there is plenty of science behind it too and obviously from many stories I have read it makes a huge difference in many aspects of peoples lives – which is really awesome to see…!
Just reading peoples stories really motivates me. Even when peeps are stuck on the ‘plateau’.. That is always the bit where i fail to stick at it and i lose motivation. It is so saddening when you keep stepping on the scales and the rest just wont come off.. So im ready for that challenge when it presents itself this time…! I have bought the fastdiet cookbook and that gives you the calories and info on the foods which is very handy..

MountainMyst – Thank you for your novel.. I like to write a novel now and then myself 😉
Well the interesting thing I found out recently is that the way you feel about your body will be reflected in your body. Also we are mostly made up of water as humans and I dont know if you have heard of Masaru Emoto he has found that human consciousness has an effect on the molecular structure of water. He took 2 bottles of water wrote love on one and hate on the other. He then froze the bottles. Then he looked at the molecular structure of the water and found that in the bottle labelled hate the structures had many irregularities and deformities. Whereas the bottle labelled loved had beautiful symmetrical shapes.

I find that fascinating..! So slowly I am loving myself more and more. And what helps me alot is the fact my dogs love me so much lol..! So i cant be that bad.. 😛

I have always drank lots of water. I do get a lot of compliments on my skin. But I always laugh them off. But people think that is because i am never without my bottle of water..!

Can I ask you how much weight you have lost in 6 weeks..? If not thats understandable..

BTW you dont sound preachy at all…! Oooh maybe one day I shall come to Tennessee.. I have been to Florida and Orlando so far but thats it..!

Thank you peeps for your kind words.. It is very nice to have peeps to talk to about such stuff..

My new IF lifestyle is starting tomorrow and I am ready..!

Bring it on…! ^_^

toms mantis

7:27 pm
4 Nov 13
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Hi Skygazer, have you begun your fasting, and if so, how is it going? It’s hard to say how much you lose in 6 weeks. Some will lose more than others, but however much it is it will be well worth it. Any amount off is good. Even if you don’t lose as much weight as you want initially, you may lose inches, so don’t forget to measure yourself, too. Fast well and keep us posted.

honeybee4

7:53 pm
4 Nov 13
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Hello

I have just joined too. I have entered my 6th week on this diet and I am amazed how easy it is and also the results are instant. I have dropped one dress size from large 24 to 20 -22 depending on the make of clothes.
Its so easy to regulate yourself, my days are Tuesdays and Fridays.
Tuesday I am out all day playing the current game of Mahjong———no food anywhere
Friday its my day off in the Kitchen——-so the family looks after themselves

Its marvelous and it really works. My size goal is 18 so I have committed myself to that and looking forward to going into the shops for a new wardrobe

I personal thank all my friends who are encouraging me.

kind regards

Honeybee

audrich

8:24 pm
4 Nov 13
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Hi Ana,

I just started the diet today and joined the forum today and yours is the first post I’ve read :)
I hope you don’t mind me saying that your post is quite inspirational and I wish you all the best. I’m from Scotland too, but not such a beautiful place as Lewis (Livingston, near Edinburgh, which is all right if you like concrete 😛 ) Currently living in Norwich which is reminiscent of Edinburgh so bearable.
I can see that you might have started your fasting already, I hope it’s going well? I started today as I said and it went okay, stuck to the 500 cals but I think I might have eaten too early as most folk seem to leave it until 8pm to eat so the fast will work? I need to read the book again!

Anyway, it’s gone 8pm and I’m still fine and don’t feel the need to eat any more. I don’t know why this is; normally I’d be eating anything that’s not tied down by now, lol.

Keep well!
Aud x

Rockchic1

9:37 pm
4 Nov 13
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Hi all,

I too have just joined this forum however I’m not new to the 5:2 diet. I’m extremely proud to say I have lost ONE WHOLE STONE over the last three months, I’m so over the moon. I will admit I was very sceptical when I read about IF in the papers, and even when a friend of mine bought the books and I had a flick through, it just sounded far too good to be true.

I’m not proud to say that I have tried, and failed, with every other diet, and at the age of 46 I felt I was always going to be close to the 14 stone mark. But I too bought the books and thought ‘why not, what have I got to lose’. Well to cut a long story short, I started fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, having breakfast at 7am and dinner around 7pm, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, I even added an extra day some weeks to try and speed things up a bit and I’m so glad I took the chance.

So to all you newbies out there, take heart you can succeed with a little will power and some big glasses of water on fast days!! Trust me if I can do it, you can too.

I wish you all lots of luck and much success on your IF journey.
XXX

siobhan.gardner

10:55 pm
4 Nov 13
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Hi all,

I have also started the fasting today! It’s not gone too bad but as I’ve tried every diet under the sun the feeling of being hungry is not knew to me and I feel I’m coping quite well! I’ve never joined any kind of forum before but felt inspired to join in and hopefully you can keep me motivated to attempt day 2 of the fasting! Are there certain foods you should eat on a fast day or can they just total 500 calls? Good luck to everyone xx

Siobhan x

Nika

2:11 am
5 Nov 13
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Hey Ana, don’t forget to check in with us! I’m really curious to how you’re doing, whether it’s bad or good – remember, don’t be ashamed of anything. Even if you have a bad day or something, we’re here to help you through those!

sky_gazer

9:38 pm
5 Nov 13
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Hey peeps..

Sorry I hadnt realised it has been so long since I been on the forum..! Have had a busy couple of weeks..!

toms mantis – it was going well til I had friends come visit at the weekend. They left this morning, it was awesome to see them i havent seen them in 6 months..! I did indulge in chocolate cake, homemade lasagne (made by yours truly) and had a couple of bottles of wine..! Im not really a drinker but we got carried away..! So for 4 days the IF kinda went out the window :/ but methinks I have lost 2/3lbs so far and my partner said my tummy looked leaner…!! 😀
I have been doing the 4:3 as I used to fast a day or two every 3 weeks. I find it easy to fast it is waayyy easier than I thought. Maybe cause I have done it before idk.. And for one of the 3 days I fast the entire day and dont eat. Which surprisingly doesnt bother me..! Herbal teas FTW..! 😛

Also it amazes me how after not eating for only one day seems to shrink your stomach..! I can barely even eat half of what I used to eat in a normal day.. 🙂

Hi there Honeybee..! Great name by the way 🙂
Welcome to the forum.. Im pretty new here too.. It sounds like your IF routine is fitting in well with your day to day life 😀 Congratulations on dropping a dress size…! *cyber hug*
Yeah I am amazed at how easy it is too.. It is the starting it and getting over the first hurdle that gets me. Although I am only on week 2 at the moment and I am a size 14/16/18 depending on make. But I think I have lost about 2/3lbs..!!!
I dont own scales so will be measuring myself instead..
I cant wait to buy some clothes that i really like and wear them..! I am even feeling a little impatient lol..!!

audrich – Hello..! Yes I know Livingstone..! Got friends who live in Ediburgh. Lived there for 6 months myself once.
Thank You for lovely reply..! Lol I dont think I have been called inspirational before – so thanking thee kindly.. 🙂
Yep it was going fine til friends came to visit and my IF plan went out the window for 4 days. But I didnt over indulge. I just indulged a little bit 😛
Like I said in a previous post I dont have scales so going by measurements and what I look like in the mirror..! Think maybe 2/3lbs i have lost now 😀
Happy days x)
Wishing thee all the best with your IF plan too..! I dont think it matters if you have eaten earlier than what the book says. The IF diet is meant to fit in to your lifestyle. As long as you stick to the 500cals I think it might be ok.. :)x

Hi there Rockchic..! *Big hug and pat on back to thee*
Wow well that gives me a bit of hope and inspiration – congratulations..! 😀
Lots of herbal teas see me through the day usually…!

Hi siobhan – Welcome to IF..! I am on my second week now and it is going ok..! You will find that as the first couple of weeks go by you will get used to it.. It is easier than you think, trust me..! I will try to get online a bit more as I would love to talk with thee all a bit more and offer my support too..!
I think that as long as the food you eat totals 500cals you should be ok. However it would be good to eat a balanced meal of 500cals. Instead of um like a bowl of chips totalling 500cals. You are best to have a balanced meal with about half fibre, little bit of fat, some carbs and also protein. Well that is what I am doing anyway. I have the FastDiet cookbook but as I live so far away from the shops I run out of fresh stuff sometimes so have to make up a meal in my head than calculate calories and the balance too.. Wishing you luck on your IF journey..!

Hello Nika..! Sorry for the delayed reply.. It has been pretty hectic over my way.. My IF journey is going well..! Think I have lost about 2/3lbs and my partner reckons my tummy is looking smaller – bonus..! 😀
I dont have scales, so am going by measurements.. Am yet to measure myself – slightly worried just incase I havent lost anything lol..!
Will measure myself tomorrow and report back.. Got a couple of days to myself now .. 🙂
Thank You so much for your support..! It means a lot to me 😀 Thank You

Peace x)

Nika

1:36 am
6 Nov 13
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Wow, what a read. And it sounds like you’re doing just fine, both from your message and your tone 😉 (Yes, there’s a tone to onscreen writing. Puh.)

Let us know how you ‘measure out’!

sky_gazer

9:03 pm
13 Nov 13
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Hi Nika…!

Lol I am sorry if I write too many essay’s…! I dont see many peeps where I live. I get carried away.. So apologies.. :S
Yes I agree peoples tones do come out in on screen writing 🙂

Phew OK so… it has been 8 days since I last posted. I failed one day. Completely forgot about the fact i am trying out the IF lol..!! However I decided not to get to down in the dumps about it. And fasted the next day instead…

As for the measurement.. I have lost one inch…!! Off my stomach and 0.5 inches off my thighs.. ^_^
Oh happiness and delightfulness 😀

Still going strong and steady.. Only did a 5:2 this week. But methinks I might stick to the 4:3..

Having a big bash next friday and I am so very excited. Got a few friends coming over and most of them I havent seen for over 6 months..!
So I thought over the weekend I wont beat myself up if i dont stick to the IF lol – which will probably be the case..! 😛

Thank you Nika for showing an interest … it really makes me happy.. Thanking thee kindly

Peace

x)

siobhan.gardner

11:37 pm
13 Nov 13
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Hi sky gazer! Glad to hear your sticking to the 5:2! I’ve just completed my second fast of my second week (hence going to bed early as I write this)! I lost 1 pound last week which I was quite pleased about as I had a heck of a weekend boozing and getting the munchies after so felt a pound was a great start. Found it a bit tough today but I wasn’t working so my house has been getting a well needed clean! My husbands also following it and because he’s off tomorrow we thought it would be easier to fast today and then we can eat normally tomorrow. He never lost anything last week but then he ate and drank more than me at the weekend so it’s only fair!!! But we’re sticking with it and hope to get the results some of the others have been getting. You’ve got friends coming over next weekend you said – is that for a birthday? It’s my birthday on the 23 rd and we’re going through to Edinburgh for the weekend so better get my fasting done early in the week!

Good luck to you this week, Siobhan x

Nika

2:41 am
14 Nov 13
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Hey Sky! Yeah of course we’re interested! Receiving interest and giving it out is my happiest hobby on this forum 😉

And well uhm you didn’t “fail” one day. You just fasted a day later. It’s all about how much you take in in a week or 2, not each and every day.

Good job on the measurements! ^^