No that wasn’t a bad rthday dake, or drake, but a cake of course 🙂

Thanks for the advice. I have never had salmon, is it really ‘fishy’ tasting, or more like a white fish in taste?

I haven’t been out with my Dad and family for a long time and not since I have been doing 5:2, so I do want to enjoy myself a bit, while not ruining it. This juggling act of sometimes going out and trying to be healthy is something I have to work out, and learn how to factor it in to my new WOL.

As for the weekend – it was a reasonable weekend, not a great weekend, so I didn’t weigh anything and I know my portion sizes would have been out of whack. And last night, we had a chicken roll and roast veggies (roasted with olive oil spray, no oil), so way too many carbs. I hope because of all the weight put on over the weekend it is mainly carb weight and, like the last time this happened (pizza being the cuplrit then) a great deal of it will be gone by next weigh in.

Greetings from Adelaide – I hope to start this tomorrow after some research and fact finding.

Welcome Poppytree and good for you for joining us and beginning your new WOL. You’ll find plenty of support on these pages. Measure everything before you start, buy Dr Mosley’s 5:2 Fast Diet book, calculate your TDEE and BMI on this website and start planning ahead what you’re going to have to eat on your fast days.

There are plenty of people on this thread in their 50s & 60s. And there’s some ongoing friendly rivalry about Marmite vs Vegemite happening here and on the Maintenance Chatbox thread (I’m with you). Have you recently moved here from the UK?

Ask us anything, there’s always someone who’s been where you are now. I won’t be here to spur you on myself as I’m heading overseas until the new year but I leave you in very capable, caring and knowledgeable hands. Good luck.

Hi Poppytree! Welcome here!
If you are like me, it is worth getting organised before you start your Fast Day!
Make soup! That’s my best trick. Soup every Fast Day!
But I know everyone works out their own thing. ?

Good luck if you Op Shop Nik, fingers crossed the first one you try has some perfect trousers!

Oh no, I think I have only had asparagus once this season! I am going veggie shopping tomorrow, so I’ll see if they have some. I do love it!

I’m just poaching a couple of chicken breast fillets so I have chicken for my miso soup next Fast Day! That will be Wednesday I think! So maybe also for chicken salad tomorrow.

?

Hey Thin! Bon Voyage! Have a wonderful, wonderful trip. Enjoy everything about Spain, including the food, the sangria, and enjoy your FD’s too if you do them. You’ve got your travel scales. You’ll find them a great aid, and you know what you’re doing now so I know you’re going to do really well. No guilt remember. We’ll look forward to hearing all about your Spanish and Portugese adventures, and yes you can taunt us with food stories!

Have fun,
Merry

Have a great holiday, Thin. Can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back!

Good morning all,

Welcome Poppy! You’ll find a thread on the forum on advice to newbies by simcoeluv. Great information there. Hungry – have glass of water, clean your teeth, cup of peppermint tea, are all tried and true ways of getting used to the hungry feeling. After a few fast days it’s easy and, dare I say it, some of us look forward to our FDs. You can also tell yourself “I want………. And I’ll have it tomorrow….maybe even tomorrow the minute after I wake up!” All good. Keep busy, go to bed a bit earlier.

Happy Fast Day to the Tuesday Fasters,
Onwards and Downwards,
Merry

PS, for Poppy, Thin, off to Spain and Portugal, has reached her goal weight and has been getting used to maintenance for a while.

Hi Poppy

Welcome aboard the fast train. May I suggest a little protein for breakfast if you have trouble with lasting through a fast day. For my first six months of losing 15 kg through 5:2 I had a poached egg or a boiled egg for breakfast every day. It meant I didn’t think about food all day. Whenever my stomach thought it was hungry, I gave it a glass of water.

Cheers, Bay ?

Hi Yummymummy! Welcome here!
Cheers for finding time to do this among the demands of three children! All power to you!
I’m an Aussie too! Abd over the last four months I have had the pleasure of seeing clothes get comfortable, then loose, then off to the Op Shop. It is a lovely feeling!
You are jumping in the deep end doing your fasts back to back, ie Monday and Tuesday. That will get them out of the way for the week, but if you get worried about how you will manage, just bounce the second one along to another day!

Hi Nap, it might be me. Jetting off in three weeks for the UK.

Welcome Poppy and Yummymummy. Poppy I have just turned 65, have been doing 5:2 since 1st February. Started at 87.1 and currently 72.6. Had an FD today so we will see the results tomorrow. I fast on Tuesday and Thursday. This way of life is amazing once yet get past the first few hurdles. We are all survivors on here and all have different challenges and life experiences.

Even if you don’t post regularly just keep reading the stories and you will be inspired.

Hi everyone ?
Nap, what a lovely lunch you had! I am so glad you enjoyed the food, and were still able to make healthy choices.

I’m sitting in bed having a cup of tea and the cat keeps climbing into my lap so I have to hold my iPad up to the side… ??

Bay I have been sugar free for five years this month! So it is a bit ? To be doing Tessy’s challenge, however I am glad to give myself an extra strict month, I keep sneaking berries in, or try a sip of wine when friends are having a glass etc. it isn’t just that it sets off food cravings, it makes me feel quite ill in a poisoned, hungover sort of way. And I keep hoping that fasting will ‘fix’ me so I can have an occasional sweet treat. But I don’t think so.
Any way a good strict month will set me up well.

I am planning to cook a whole roasted cauliflower today! Hopefully the cool change will have arrived by then, so I can open the house and light the oven. 33 with nasty hot winds until then. ?

Best wishes everyone for a good day!?

Good Morning all,

Well done on your 1st FD merz! Congratulations :-). I understand your concerns about your 3 children especially 14yr old daughter: operating on the principle that children ‘see what I do and copy that’ more than they ‘do what I say’, the 1st thing I’d do is try to work my eating to when I was with them – breakfst and dinner at night. Even if they say nothing, children always watch. We’ve discussed this topic a little before, and I would think that there’d also be discussion on other threads. I’ll have a look. We have others here on SH who have children also.

Perhaps in duscussion with your children, especially the 14 yr old, you could mention the health aspect. Has it been suggested to you by your doctor that you lose weight.
Yes, we are mostly motivated to lose weight because we want to look and feel better, but even more important is the health/medical benefit of losing weight. Looked up your profile – at 40 the medical side may not be impacting you yet, but at 50-55 it probably would be. Good reason to get the weight off before health problems arise.
Back later.

Cheers,
Merry

I had a very emotionally draining at work yesterday (FD). It was interesting that I wasn’t actually hungry at all but I was able to recognise that I WANTED to eat – to feel better! My sister was a great support and suggested I go for a walk instead. It truly made me feel much better than breaking my FD and emotionally eating would have!

Cinque and Merry – thanks for the great advice! My 14yo is actually a delight and a role model for me. She is a huge believer in being healthy and will tell me to not to stress about my weight! She luckily has her father’s genes and is naturally athletic and is into lots of sport so encourages me to get active with her. She has noticed that I started fasting and commented without me saying anything “are you doing that again? “. I like the idea of using the science about it with her as she will understand this and reason with it.

Bay and Cinque – sugar free at this time of year?! I have been interested in doing this for a while but will need to do some more research and feel like I have IF under control for a bit first. Wee done to you both!

🙂

Hello all, I’m from Sydney and I started 5:2 in September. I’d been plagued with poor digestion, bloating and puffiness and post-menopausal weight gain. Basically I felt awful.

After a couple of months I’m losing weight (about 3kg), my digestion is radically improved and the bloating and puffiness is gone.

I haven’t mentioned that I’m doing 5:2 to anyone, and as I live by myself I don’t need to worry about other people’s expectations or potential sabotage.

The things that I’ve found useful have been:

* tracking my eating for a couple of weeks before starting the fasting. Just knowing what I was eating was a real eye opener, it was no wonder I felt awful
* using a diet diary app from the George Institute – it’s Australian and you can contribute local products to their database http://easydietdiary.com/
* basically cutting out bread, white rice, pasta and potato and takeway food
* weighing everything I eat so I can control portions
* eating my main meal in the middle of the day and limiting food after about 4pm regardless of whether it is a fast day or not. That timing suits me and it it means that most days are a “fast” day whether or not it is a calorie limited day. Now I’m used to it I find that I’m seldom hungry and don’t “comfort eat”

Linda

Hi SHs
Coast – I planted chillis for the first time last year, they flowered but I think it was too late in the season. I kept one indoors over winter and it’s flowered and finished now, and outside ones are just coming up to flowering, but so far no chillis. My OH and I are real chilli freeks, and I have it sprinkled on just about everything and we’re always trying to find a “real” hot sauce…. so any advice you have re growing chillis would be appreciated as mine have so far come to nothing.

It’s not my weigh-in day BUT…. I DID IT!!!! This morning I cracked the 15kg mark and went into the mid 75s….. so am hoping I can hold it till tomorrow to be officially entered in the notebook.

I’m really enjoying running at the mo – can feel my fitness improving each time as not getting as puffed and cut 3mins off my hill loop last night to get round in 1:06. I saw them setting up for the Annual Burt Munro Motor Bike Rally – they must have a hill climb today. Very exciting, we have 100’s of bikes arrive in town for the next 4-5 days and they’re parked up all over town and the place is buzzing – will see my first street race on Sunday – it’s just round the corner from home!! …. and typically when they arrive our weather goes to pot… we’re told to expect 130-160kph winds tonight.

My challenge over the next 4 days is the in-laws arriving, so staying away from my old bad habbits of chips, cakes and ice-cream and cheesy/bready lunches will have to be resisted – wish me luck!!

Hi again SH,

Congratulations, NikT!!!!!!! way to go 🙂 are you gifting yourself something luxurious and nice? Good luck with having visitors and the challenge of food!! but every time you reach for that indulgent piece of food think of the thrill you got reaching MID 75s!!! You can do it – the mind is strong 🙂

Are your chillies getting plenty of sun? They also don’t like overwatering. Mine are in tubs on the balcony so I can move them around if need be. I admit some years they do better than others. I had to get some new plants this year, but some have come up from seed. It will be a surprise to see what I get as there are a variety. I have always loved the heat from cooked chilly but not fresh. Last year while on the Dukan, I had a whole bag of chillies I didn’t get around to pickling and as I didn’t want to waste them, I used a sprinkle on my breakfast to give it a bit of a kick. Before I knew it, I was hooked on a sprinkle of fresh chillies as well 🙂

Yummy, just go to my name (on the left) beside my last post, hover over it and select. The link to the FD recipe thread that we just started to put together is there – feel free to go there and get some tried and true recipes.

There are some really good recipe advices in the official 5:2 Book by Dr Michael Mosley as well as some dedicated 5:2 RECIPE BOOKS (I think Kare Harrison is one) but only get that ones that have collaborated with Dr Mosley. If you haven’t already, watch the doco about intermittent fasting and 5:2 by Dr Mosley.

put up a bit of a profile, if you like, so we get to know you along the way.

must get back to the books (so easily distracted:) )

Coast

Hi Linda! Lovely to have you here!
That lovely sense of wellbeing that came with fasting is my favourite thing too!
What a great list of useful things, I can relate to them all, even though I do it all slightly differently.

Ooo I love that sea breeze Coast! I am in the inner NE suburbs of Melbourne, so it would need to be a strong one to reach here! However now it is very cool and even a bit rainy here. Very Melbourne!
Congrats on your 32cm reduction. Ignore your scales this week, and partay!
Your garden sounds wonderful!

Nik, Congratulations for reaching a great goal! 15kg is an excellent amount not to be carrying around all day!
Good luck managing in laws and healthy eating at the same time! It is all go at your place!
I bet your chillies are just later fruiting because you are not up on the Gold Coast like Coast. The one inside might not have been able to pollinate its flowers.
It is temperate enough here that they last for several years and get bigger and fruit more each year. I prefer medium heat chilies, so I am no good re recipes for burn your mouth out sauces!!!!! But good luck finding one!

Hi Yummy, good luck with your day! What a lovely start you have had with that delicious breakfast!
I am half way through and have just had my miso soup with chicken in it.

Cheers all!

Mornng, all and a special welcome to all the newbies :-).

Yes, Intesha, it must be you going away I was thinking of. UK – lucky you!

Congrats to NikT for hitting such a massive loss! And Coast for losing all those cms! Good on you both.

Merz, it sounds like you had a great first week, well done. I get cranky on FD towards the end of the day, as well. I don’t know why, because I feel good about having another FD done and dusted.

Well, weigh in, and I am pleased. Yes, I am 100g up from my last official weigh in – but I did put on 2.1kg over the weekend, and I have been able to watch 2kg of that come back off again.

I have been trying to learn more about the carb impact. We have always eaten a lot of potato and rice here. What do those worried about carbs use as ‘replacements’ for those?

Good morning all,

daily weight 66.5. I shifted my 2nd FD from Thursday to Friday this week. Thursday was a day when I volunteer speaking with small groups of high school students under a community programme. It’s a big day for me that I try to rest up for. After we finish some of us are ravenous and some can’t eat. The schools provide lunch and morning tea, and we debrief over lunch. I knew that FD and this day were not compatable with my health siuation so fasted yesterday instead. I also gave myself permission to eat what I needed to on the school day. So…. My weight this morning is the same as my weight after Monday FD. I’m happy with that. Today, it’s a wedding, so a challenge calorie wise. My strategy is to have sparkling water with lemon or lime slice. A small amount of whatever for the toast, or maybe the sp water. Food will be cocktail wedding style, so I can choose the lower cal ones as much as possible, and probably lean protein, if available. I’m tempted to carry a boiled egg in my bag for just-in-case! A very small piece of wedding cake also. My aim be lower cal tomorror, maybe 900cals, and to eat in the 16:8 pattern, so I can be at 66.5 at the beginning of FD Monday.

Replacing the carbs. Carbs are carbs, but, there are those the body processes quickly and those it processes slower. The quicker ones are the starchy carbs and grains, the others are in other vegies and some fruits. Low Glycaemic index carbs are also usually lower calories. I have larger quantities of these. E.g. Zucchini pasta, made with a little gadget I can’t remember the name of, carrot, (not corn or pumpkin), mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, choko, green beans ( not peas), cabbages, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, and the salad vegies. Fruits should be eaten whole, and lower GI, lower cal ones are, strawberries, rockmelon, apple, orange, pear, blueberries. Check the kj or cals per 100 on whatever you’re eating. There are various cauliflower recipes you can find as replacements e.g. Rice.

Must go a wedding o…
Merry

Hi all, have just been to the gym Xmas/awards lunch, drum roll…….guess who got the trophy for the biggest loser of 2015. Wow I was blown away. There were a couple of other ladies who have lost more than me but apparently it wasn’t done all in this year so it was a complete surprise to me. Then on top of that I won $200.
I am ecstatic.

Made a start.
Sunday…..weighed in at 100+ despondent.
Monday….. Went to gym, lacking motivation where a friend told me about 5:2
Tuesday….excited, ate 1200 all 16:8 and got book from library
Wednesday….. Read whole book ate 900 calories – (too busy reading and planning) and prepared for my first fast
Thursday…….DID IT felt hungry several times but drank lots of water. Hungry at bedtime but survived and slept like a log.
Friday…….. Sitting in the coffee shop about to lunch with my friends. Looking forward to treats. “UPDATE” enjoyed a healthy lunch and didn’t overeat = doing 16:8
Saturday Hubby at the cricket all day so good time to do day 2 fast. Had steak (100grams fillet) and got stuffed capsicums and salad tonight

Weigh in on Monday morning – off to a great start but realistic enough to know it will probably slow down
Plan to do Monday and Wednesday in future.
Oh yes……… IVE LOST 2 KILOS!!!!

Well, a lazy Sunday afternoon here, what about for you all?

Thanks for the links, Cinque. I had forgotten about cauliflower rice, and it was nice to see it can be frozen. So, I bought a cauli and will be blitzing it up soon to have with dinner.

How did the wedding go, Merry? Thanks for the advice about carbs. I love my spiral thingamajig that makes zoodles (zucchini noodles).

Congrats, Intesha on being the Biggest Loser! That must feel so good and have you feeling all that hard work was worth it.

Great first week, Poppy! Keep up the good work! How are the other newbies going?

I have a busy week, with some assessments for study and also have to organise and possibly start my work placement. I thrive on routine, so I am feeling a little out of my depth this week – and hopefully that won’t affect how I go with FD.

I also noticed today that our local Coles only stocks the Rice Slendier now… How annoying!

Hi,

Hello from Townsville Queensland. I thought that I’d introduce myself. I’ve just signed onto the platform today. I’m looking to drop a few kilos over the coming months. I think I might have to hunt down the show the good Dr did to spark this all off again. I’m probably going to do my first 2 days of fasting later this week or on the weekend as I will be on my own. I’ll have a bit more of a nosey around the forums later though.

PS Merry, that gadget for making pasta from zucchini is called a vegetti. Welcome newbies, hi coast, cinque, nap, cm and all.