G’day losers, that’s right CM, more west coast fasters needed to balance out the numbers – and join us for coffee this coming Friday for any Perth/Freo lurkers out there. It was a cold night, lucky you have the hairy one to keep your feet warm. When we start taking these greyhounds at the weekends, I somehow anticipate they won’t be quite as furry and cuddly as Charlie.

Welcome kiwi Nads. With this group to spur you on, you’ll be below 80 before you know it. Good to have you back Charlie G. You’ve come so far, I know that a kg blip here or there isn’t going to stop you from achieving your goal.

MK: I just want to get TO 60kg. That’s 135lbs and when I lived in California a hundred years ago, that was my weight as a 5 mile a day runner. I thought I was overweight then but when I look at the photos now, I can see I looked great. I’m also happy at 64kg to be honest but will stick to 5:2 for a while and I’ll either slowly lose more weight or be able to enjoy a few indulgences (but not both it’s apparent!).

Re: rolos, don’t worry, I don’t venture down the sweets aisles so no temptation there. My daughter spent 5 weeks backpacking round NZ in December; one of her kiwi workmates at her Saturday job had told her about lolly cake so she tried it and thought it was really great. All the best with the move and we’ll hear from you when you have a moment.

Intesha, this makes me so happy to read! So pleased you’re being kinder to yourself and feeling more positive despite your disappointment. This WOL is so much more than weight loss. I hope you enjoyed every drop of that wine 🙂

Thin, are you taking in greyhounds? Are they rescue’s? Crazy that you thought you were overweight at 60kg, I thought the same thing when I was 60kg when I was younger. I was playing loads of netball at the time so no doubt had more muscle weight and I looked great! Oh to have that body back… 5kg to go! You don’t run anymore? I don’t venture down the chocolate and lollies aisle either, it’s the $1 snickers bars at the check out that call my name… Why can’t they keep carrots there?!

Nads, you’ll be fine. Just keep yourself busy and the day will fly. Have some “emergency rations” on hand just in case you want to start eating your arm…..joking! Low cal soups are great backup. Our other kiwi mates can steer you in the right direction as far as which are the best brands. We all enjoy miso soup too and konjac/slendier/zero noodles (same dog, different leg action!) – but more about that later. Good luck and we want to hear all about it. Go Girl! FD for me tomorrow too. CM xx

Hi Kittypipps (cute name!). Welcome too you too! Blimey the newbies are coming out of the woodwork! It’s great to have you guys all starting together – see already there’s support out there! Congratulations on getting through Day 1. It’s empowering to know that you can do it. We promise, it gets much, much easier. Drink lots of fluids on FDs, as you are not getting much from food. Herbal teas, water, coffees, etc. You will be surprised at how much you can eat for dinner, if you’re careful during the day. Salads are your new best friend too. Get onto MyFitnessPal if you haven’t already, it’s pretty good at monitoring your calories and most of us use it. Measure yourself too! Most of us look forward to our FDs now, believe it or not! I will never return to my old WOL/WOE (way of life/eating) because anything that makes you feel this good, just has to be so beneficial health wise. Good luck everyone. Happy FD tomorrow for those Wednesday fasters. CM xx

AC, I didn’t realise you had lost THAT much. It’s terrific! The feeling you get the morning after a FD can’t be beaten, can it. I was carrying a 8kg bag of dog food the other day and then remembered that my body had been carrying that extra weight around until just recently. Yay for 5:2! xx

Yeah Thin, I know the feeling….gravity sucks! Didn’t know about the greyhounds coming to stay. Your dinner sounds yum.
MK, we have to go through the Kids Checkouts these days, so we’re not tempted! Looked at the Lolly Cake online….OMG I don’t think I could handle it. Surely my blood sugar would never recover!
Intesha, what a great attitude. Have you come a long way, or what? So happy to hear you sounding empowered and ready to achieve more goals. Stinking Thinking! Love that you’ve kicked it to the curb! The same happened to me on the weekend – up 1.2 – but it’s coming off again, no sweat. We enjoyed ourselves though….
Nite all. CM xx

An update on my first FD – it’s 1.21pm and I’m doing pretty good. Fasting since dinner last night at 6.45pm. I’ve had 2 cups of tea with a splash of trim milk in it, just can’t cope with black tea. Was feeling quite hungry around 11.30am, just had more water – lunch time rolled around at 12.30pm so instead of suffering in the lunchroom with everyone enjoying their lunch, a colleague and I went for a 2km walk, am now back and feeling much better than I was before. I’m on my second piece of sugar free gum, I have a fear of having bad breath and find that it can be worse when I don’t eat anything. I am also one of those people that chewing gum completely kills my appetite, I know it’s not the best for me, but if it gets me through a FD then I am ok with that. Will post another update later on, if I haven’t eaten my arm off 🙂

Thanks Thin! I have read some other posts on this site re gum and it doesn’t have that effect on everyone – for some it makes them hungrier, but most definitely suppresses mine! Yep, I have counted the calories for the milk. I am aiming to wean the milk out of my tea or move to a herbal tea, but I think that for this first day, it has been my saviour! I’ve planned my next FD for Monday so I will try and go as long as I can with no calories. I’ve got half an hour of work left – managed not to get too hangry and scream at anyone today, so that was good – and then my son and I are going shopping so that will keep me busy until I can get home to cook and eat tea. Thoughts of tomorrows meals are already popping into my head haha.

Yeah CM, halitosis, constipation, oil pulling…. no wonder everyone’s keeping quiet today! 😆

Nads, I drink a lot of herbal tea, I keep a good selection of Twinings to try, there are so many varieties that it’s almost like a treat. I missed my morning coffee so much on FDs as I couldn’t hack that skimmed milk, but then MK88 turned me on to the almond & coconut milk. It’s not ideal but allows me that morning coffee hit at only 22 cals for 80 mls.

What are you both having for dinner?

Hi Bay, found out the hard way re carbs, after overindulging on Mothers Day with pizzas (oh, & cake + cream) The next day (FD) I was ravenous ALL day.
Don’t worry about the chewy, Nads. If it works for you, use it. You can start tweaking things once you get your routine established. Glad its all going well today.
Thin, dinner tonight will be salmon, cajun zucchini & oven-roasted cauliflower & herbs.

Our other newbies are being awfully quiet… CM xx

OMG, now we’re talking about Tongue Scrapers – ick! Trust me Thin, OH wouldn’t hesitate to tell me if my breath was pongy!! Good idea for Perth 5:2 Dinner Parties, sounds like fun!

Hoping that a neighbour will join us for Friday Coffee this week. Just found out she started 5:2 a couple of weeks ago and is going fantastically well. She’s a nurse, so not sure about her shifts though.
Remember all you Perth Lurkers out there, everyone is welcome. Come on, don’t be so shy, we won’t bite, promise! CM xx

I can’t keep up with all these posts, it’s great reading. Thin I don’t know how you do it, I’m with CM I Have to have something to eat. I always I have breakfast, 100g cottage cheese (low fat) and 100g frozen blueberries 139 calls.

Where does everyone live, which states. I know Thin and CM are WA, I’m Sydney but would be interested.

FD tomorrow so we will see what Friday weigh brings.

No wonder you had a sleep in this morning….flipping cold is an understatement. Even Charlie didn’t want to get out of bed. Still got my uggies on and its 3.30pm!! AND you still haven’t had anything to eat….amazing! Just can’t do it, can we Intesha? I thought you were going to say Orange and Cinnamon muffins….my mouth had started to water, and then you went and disappointed me and said TEA! Oh well, back to my glass of water. What’s for dinner Intesha?? CM xx

Survived! Feeling a bit jaded (it’s 8pm here in NZ) so I’m on the couch watching MKR….hmmm probably not the best choice for today haha. I had a delicious salmon fillet with a homemade slaw for dinner – came in at 479 calories for the day. I managed to do grocery shopping after work, unpack all the groceries when I got home and then cook 3 different meals for the family (don’t ask, trust me that is NOT the norm in our house!) and I still have both my arms haha. I’m pretty pleased with how today went, it wasn’t as hard as I remembered and I feel a real sense of accomplishment 🙂 I won’t go as far as to say I’m looking forward to Monday but I’m not dreading it as much 🙂 Am definitely looking forward to my blueberries, Greek yoghurt and coconutty granola for brekkie tomorrow, planning to have a clean eating day after doing so well today!

Thanks CM, I will let you know how I’m feeling in the morning. I don’t want to get in the habit of daily weighing, but I’m going to tomorrow just to see what it is, especially seeing as I was actually up 500g to 83.5kgs this morning from yesterday morning. I remembered to take all my measurements this morning too 🙂

Yay Nads!! Well done you.

Welcome to other Newbies too!

A wee bit of info about me – 64, live in Wollongong -so waving to Intesha and anyone else in Sydney and the Illawarra – have been disabled by ME/CFS for quite a few yrs now, so I live a slower life than most, and unable to exercise. While I read many posts I have to post sparingly. This forum is very helpful and encouraging and I really appreciate everyone here sharing this journey together. It’s a wonderful journey, and so awesome to find there is a sustainable way to get this weight off!!!!!

CM you’re amazing! I can’t keep up with everyone’s details like you do LOL.

Thanks everyone for all your encouragement re my experiment of keeping on with 5:2 while travelling in NZ 🙂 it was a wonderful trip, and being able to try all the different foods really contributes to my enjoyment of travelling when there’s some other things I have to bypass.

I’m settling back into 5:2 at home . it was a relief, yes a relief, to get back to my normal Mon Thurs fast days. A bit tricky getting back to our normal foods, shopping, and working on getting back off bread after eating wheat based stuff in NZ, so my weight has zigzagged the last few days, but I’m now 74.5 going into 2 nd fast day home tomorrow. Here’s how I ‘ve worked out 5:2 to suit me:

– started with 2 meals but now have 1 meal at 6-6.30 pm then don’t eat till after 11 am next day.
– lots and lots of water, 2-3lts,
– peppermint tea, very weak black Earl Grey tea
– need to be gluten free, and have to be bread crackers pasta rice etc free to lose weight even on 5:2, even if the calories are right and even if they’re the gluten free ones.
– if I eat earlier on a fast da day I waken the hunger dragon.
– weigh myself every day in morning, wear a step counter, record both everyday.
– count my weight morning of Mon fast day as my official weight for the week ( yeah I know it’s the hard way) and graph my weekly weight
– be patient with myself, keep putting in 1 day after the other
– thankful that my OH is doing this with me.

Oh, being 10 kgs lighter it was heaps easier getting into the cab of the motor home, and climbing up to the bed over the cab!

Must go, onwards and downwards all!
Merry

Morning all – feeling so good today, I actually feel awake and woke up 29 minutes BEFORE my alarm went off! That is unheard of. So, I jumped on the scales this morning just to check it out – 81.7! Wow. That’s 1.8kgs! I know most of that is water, but that is so motivating for me to eat well today! I haven’t enjoyed my breakfast that much in a long time and I intend not to snack today, I know I can go 24 hours without food, so surely can last the 4 hours until my lunch 🙂

Wow, Thin

A PB in weight loss result. Congratulations! 😆 The sun is just poking out here after a bit of fog this cold morning. It will be a fine day from now on.

Cheers, Bay 🙂

Yay Nads. How wonderfully motivating for you!
I have a new PB today- 71.8! So now last over14 kilos this year.
I have found that weighing myself every day has been a great strategy for understanding what is good and not so good for me to eat so at the risk of being obsessive I found it worthwhile.
Good to hear from you Bay that maintenance is going so well. Can you share how many days you are fasting to maintain?
CM enjoyed the mon/wed fast but I will have to be careful not to put on over the 4 days.
Recipe time: pete Evans has a great recipe for burritos in his family food recipe book- only 8 carbs and 100 cals- really good for non-fast days when you don’t want too many carbs.
Have a lovely day all- I will, off to the paleo cafe with my sister.
Intesha I am 52 from Sunshine Coast Queensland.
My other good news is that I am now able to decrease my hypertension drugs as my blood pressure is normal most of the time! Considering I had 4 very minor strokes because of how high it was I am very very pleased!!

Hi there, AC

On maintenance, I vary between fasting 6:1 and 5:2 depending on the amount of carbs and sugars I have eaten. We eat a lot of fish, eggs, green vegetables, soups and salads. I now have portion control, but still like to treat myself with the occasional sweet or dessert.

When the occasional treat becomes every day, then I have to fast twice a week to undo the weight gain. I weigh daily, so that I can pick up the variation quickly and fast the next day. I think it’s a small price to pay to maintain my weight around 60 kg and my BMI in the 22 range.

Cheers, Bay 🙂

Hi Thin

I am 5 ft 4 inches, I think that is around 163 cm, with very heavy bones. Most people my height weigh a lot less than I do. And I have no excess fat anywhere except my small stomach. When the weight came off, it went from my waist (lost 19 cms) and from my shoulders, back, arms, legs and trunk. Overall I dropped from size 16 clothes to size 11. Made me a very happy camper 😉 with a new wardrobe!

Cheers, Bay 🙂

Hi Everyone….so much great news today. Congratulations Thin, AC & Nads! Yes AC, Thin does look gorgeous, but she won’t admit it. She’s reached her “ThinAtLast” goal and it is just fabulous.

Well said, Intesha, one bite (FD) at a time!

Nads, that’s great. I think we all know that terrific feeling the day after FD….particularly when the scales have been kind to us. You are on your way!

AC, what amazing news about your hypertension & THAT weight loss – incredible! I do Mon & Wed FDs & feel the same as you about the days in between. I manage it by making Fri a semi-FD. Keeping way below my TDEE, but not as low as 500 – I normally average around 900. It works well for me and gives me the structure I need. Then I relax on the weekend, without any worries. Enjoy the café and your sister-time.

Bay – that’s such valuable information for us all. We are about the same height (I’m 165) & aiming for 60kg too. Nice to know what to do, once I get there…..looking forward to the new clothes as well! Thin is spot-on about how grateful we all are to you guys on Maintenance. You continue to post and give advice freely, even though you don’t need to. Thanks a million.

Thin – Congrats, my friend. Well done on your PB. Oh, and I promise to pay more attention next time! x

For the newbies – I weigh every morning (I think most of us do). It re-motivates, makes me more mindful of what I eat that day & also helps me understand what has gone wrong and why.

Question for the Day. What’s your favourite body part, now that you’ve started losing weight? My favourite bit is my back. No more back-fat, no more bulging bra straps or (God forbid) muffin tops. Boobs are still there too!

Thanks Dr M….love ya! CM xx

Hi Everyone. Just to confirm Friday’s Coffee Morning in Perth. There will be four of us this month….Thin, myself, as well as a newbie who has been going for 2 weeks & someone who hasn’t even started yet (but wants to). So don’t be shy, if you’re out there reading our posts and are interested, come along. Apparently they make a really good coffee as well. CM xx

Location – 9 Seeds Cafe, 121 Marmion St, Fremantle at 9.30am.
Wear your woolies, its going to be a cold morning.
Plenty of free parking too! So that’s not an excuse.

Darling CharlieG. I wish we could all come to your joint for coffee tomorrow. You are amazing, sticking with 5:2 even though you’re sick, sore & injured. There are people on this forum who inspire me & you are one of them. I truly hope you are getting the best of care, so you can make a quick recovery. Sometimes I wish we were all next-door neighbours, instead of cyber friends. Although, then you’d have us around helping out all the time!! Take care. Huge hugs. CM xxxxxxxx

Morning friends,

IHAW, your story is so fantastic and you’re one of the people that inspired me when I started this WOL. 61.8kg and 26kg breathed away into thin air! And all the other health benefits – what a success you are. Pleased you’ve tried the Slendier, I find them filling too. Try the Spanish Fideos recipe on their website. I get the same questions – “are you still on the diet?”, “have you lost any more weight?”. I think I’m just going to tell people I’m maintaining now and the last 3-4 kgs will be my secret little bonus.

Bay, I’m about the same, 5′ 6″ in the old money and have gone from size 18 to 12. Based on what you say, 60kgs would be a reasonable weight for me I think. I like your flexible 5:2/6:1 maintenance regime; that’s what I’ll do too.

AC, I still have my boobs too. Unfortunately, they’re a lot further down than they were the last time I was 63.7kgs.

CharlieG, so sorry to read your post and the words, ‘would have given up….’. Please don’t ever give up, you’ve been another huge inspiration to me, you’ve come so far and achieved so much. This is a massive hurdle for you right now but it’s a blip in your 5:2 journey. I hope you start feeling better soon, just do the best you can. Thinking of you. You too Merry, you have a lot to contend with.

CM, thanks for posting the coffee details and for the kind words. I’m looking forward to seeing you and the other two losers shortly. Just deciding whether to venture out for a cold, early morning walk or wait until I get back this afternoon….