Good morning from lovely cool Melbourne, the sky has watered the plants again. Lovely.

That does sound like a fast Intesha!

I hope you wake up feeling great after your fast Toady!

Fast day for me!

🐳🐳🐳

Hi – I’m new, in Auckland, NZ and today is my first fast day. Looking forward to getting started with this and am firmly convinced it will work for me!

Well, my first fast day reinforced what I’ve really known for many years – if I don’t eat breakfast I can easily do without food until quite late in the day, so I think this will be my strategy. Lunch around 1.30 and a late-ish dinner so I don’t go to bed hungry. So I think things are looking positive for the next many months. I have to re-lose the 30+ kilos I lost with My Fitness Pal back in 2012 and get back to a weight that will make my rheumatologist happy – and I’m pretty sure this is the least painful way to do it 🙂

Hi Cinque and welcome Christine from Auck! I’ve been really happy with my control over the last week. I didn’t end up having Xmas tea, as just wasn’t hungry (had had morning tea and a picky selection about 2pm – so didn’t feel like I’d eaten too much at all) so was very happy to finally be listening to my body and not just eating for the sake of it.

I’ve been back to work in the in-between days and so I’ve used it to keep my FDs going and have convinced myself as long as I give 95% with fasting then I can relax and enjoy the NYs excesses, and then get straight back into some rigorous fasting early on to get rid of the odd 2kgs that have appeared.

Good luck with your normal eating Cinque – I reckon that it’s harder to manage eating “normal” – than doing a FD – so all the best!!

I’m off to Queenstown for NY’s – to enjoy a little drinking, some people watching, some dancing and the fireworks.. and the weather’s looking just marvellous!

I’ll see you all back here in the NY.. onwards and downwards we go!!! 🙂

Hello, all and welcome Christine. I am glad your first fast day went well.

Thankfully the worst of Christmas is behind me, and now I just have to deal with the after effects! Still eating Christmas leftovers, and snacking in between. It is annoying that I was completely out of the need for snacking – and now am well and truly back into it. And I have been having lots of carbs (rice salad and potato salad the main culprits) and seem to be craving it now. It will be hard to rebreak these habits/cravings, but I’m sure I can do it again.

I had a fast day on Monday, although at dinner time I just had rice salad with my steamed fish, instead of making a tossed salad. Another fast day tomorrow, then weigh in to see how much damage I have done over Christmas!

How is everyone else going? Have we recovered from Christmas? Or, like me, will it take some time to recover?

Hi everyone, and big welcome to newbies, Christine, and I think there was another on the last page. Welcome to the SH thread and your 5:2 journey. Many of us find this a much easier way to get our health and weight more normal. Some of us are even adopting this as a WOE for life. (Way Of Eating). It is very adaptable to whatever your lifestyle is.

Check in for me: this morning at 67.4kg – that’s up 0.8kg. I’m very happy with that. With the dramas happening in December and XmS I only managed 1 x FD for 4 weeks in a row. Did a FD yesterday as the beginning of getting back on track. Over the last few weeks I’ve been doing some stress eating, which I had hoped had gone away, but realistically, my results are so different than they would have been pre 5:2. Now I have tools to understand what’s happening, and actually giving myself permission to recognise and do the stress eating anyway, because I know now how to counteract it afterwards. I think I did pretty well getty 1 FD a week done during that time, and I stuck to 16:8 most other days. I’ve enjoyed Christmas foods and celebrating. OH ( Other Half). Has done really well, coming in a bare 0.5kg up. He ate smaller meals, snacks and drinks than he would have pre 5:2. Our children were very impressed and happy for my transformation down 16kgs.

Looking forward to a great year in 2016, hitting my last 2 remaining mini goals at 65.0 and 63.0, and then my final goal of 62kgs, and then gettiing used to maintainence.

Onwards and downwards !
Cheers, and hope you have a great NYEve,
Merry

Happy New Year, to all SH – whether here or away at the moment. Hopefully 2016 will be a good year for everyone.

It is hard to believe another year has gone – they definitely fly by quicker the older you get!

Official weigh in after Xmas – and I only put on 1.8kg. I am stoked by that, as I dearly hoped I would keep it under 2kg, but thought it was not going to happen.

Happily, the Xmas food is just about gone, apart from a few munchies. The chooks finished off the rice salad yesterday (much to their delight) and, apart from ham, all the meat is gone.

I guess leftover are yummy, Cinque – to a point. I honestly don’t understand why we (our family) has to go so overboard with the food. We had four different meats, and half a dozen salads – for four of us! Ridiculous. Next year, we are reining it in – it is ridiculous to stuff yourself so full you feel horrible.

I forgot to say, congrats Coast on finishing your thesis. That is a huge accomplishment. What did you do your thesis on?

What are you all doing for New Years Day?

Happy New Year to you all. We enjoyed the celebrations and fireworks in town last night, after dining with fellow fasters we have met from this forum. It’s a wonderful place to meet like-minded travellers 🙂 Glorious day in Wellington today, but I do hope the rain forecast for the weekend arrives as things are getting a bit dry.

I agree with the flight of time, Nap, put it down to more awareness as you get older (not that we admit to that, of course !)

Well done and good luck with FD number two, Christine. No need to tell you, but remember to drink lots of water.

Cheers
Barata

Fast day number two went very well; thank you to those who wished me luck! I’m very glad I started this in the summer – although I don’t particularly like salad (yet! I’m sure its time will come) it is an easy way to ease into it. Today I’m off out to meet a friend for brunch and it’s lovely not to have to worry about it.

I weigh every day and I keep a spreadsheet and graph of my progress and the graph is already encouraging me. I’m really looking forward to this year.

I know daily weighing is discouraged, but it’s how I make weight loss work for me and I’m happy to recognise plateaux and even spikes – when I lost 30kg four years ago it was amazing to see how even with those the trend was so clearly downwards over the year.

I hope everyone’s New Year has started well and I’m looking forward to getting to know you all over the next months.

I spent some time after Christmas away from home trying to sort out my sons problems. His boss told me that he has come back to work in a better frame of mind. He is still waiting to shift into a house so is crashing at his sisters. During this time I could not do the fasting as some of my children are quite against it. (Ulterior motives I think.) This has really thrown out my system as I am trying to get the sugars and cereals out of my body again. This has only pushed my weight back to 64 kgs, I still have 10 kgs to go, but considering I was 89kgs last January I am not complaining.

The garden is not doing to bad with all the extreme heat. Although the lettuces have all gone to seed. Much to hot into the 40’s. Most of the others are okay. I am trying to catch up on all my jobs in the cooler weather as the hot spells are not over yet and you don’t feel like doing them in the heat.

Happy New Year everyone. I had a very stressful Dec & only managed to do about 6 FD’s. I feel I need to be strict about routine too & am going to be this year. Mon & Thu suited me well when I started 5:2 back in August, so that’s my plan again. I’m not sure what the damage is so far, but I’m fasting today & weighing in tomorrow & then again Mon etc. I think I may have gained about 1.5kg, going by the feel of my clothes. I know that a couple of FD’s will fix it.
Although I post in another forum daily I am going to check in here as well this year, because I can see that you are a great support for one another & also post so much helpful info & tips. I didn’t feel capable of keeping up before but I’m shedding some responsibilities this year. Cheers, Cate.

Congrats on the second fast day, Christine. I hope you continue to find it an easy eating plan to follow.

I am much like you, I think, Cinque. Our family was all about the food at Xmas, and it was truly in excess. Yes, we would have a full lunch, with three kinds of meat – then have the Xmas pudding, mince pies, etc. I think my mum was a bit disappointed this year about us not having such a massive spread. Yet, I looked at it and thought it was just ridiculous the amount we had. And considering we ate Xmas Eve lunch and dinner and Xmas lunch – it was just silly.

I am still struggling to get back to some sense of normalcy. I think I will have a fast day tomorrow to try and get some control over the eating again. I am in the stage of craving (and eating) some leftover junk (today was salted mixed nuts – a LOT of nuts ;-() and then hating myself. Hopefully I can get back on track with the last of the food being gone, and then lose this extra Xmas baggage. My long term goal is to to be at my ideal weight by the end of 2016. 20kg roughly to go!

Merry, I think I have asked you before about your 16:8 – how do you cope with not having anything at all for 16 hours? I am fine without food and I drink a lot of water and diet cordial, but need my coffee or tea with skim milk, or I just don’t cope. When do you consider the start of the 16 hours? And then how much (cals) do you eat in your 8 hours?

On a side note, my dizzy spells were so much better over the Xmas week – but now they are back. The only difference is excessive eating over the week they were better, and then have been worse again now I have had two fast days. Can anyone tell me if this is related to the fasting? The dizzy spells are not worse on fast days at all. Just wondering about other people’s experiences…

Happy 2016 everyone! I’m sorry to be missing out on the conversation about Xmas excesses. I can certainly relate but it seems I’m better at communicating in Spanish than on these microscopic devices. I have dropped in to read the chat now and then but find it so hard to type.

Anyway, Xmas came and went with no fanfare, we drove to Salobrena on the Mediterranean coast and had a marvellous fish paella lunch plus vino for 15 euros a head. No reservation, no inflated xmas day menu prices, no big fuss. Right on the beach too.

So far my travel scales tell me I’m a kg less than when we left home 5 weeks ago so very happy about that. Look forward to properly becoming part of the conversation again in a couple of weeks – not that I want our holiday to end of course! Take care all and welcome newbies.

Hi everyone, great to hear from you Thin.

I have tried to do 16:8 and have succeeded to some degree but having days when I just feel what’s the point. I am feeling so not in control of my emotions. Being here with my daughter and grandchildren makes me so emotional. It tears at your heart to have part of your family living on the other side of the world.

Enjoy reading all the posts and welcome all the newbies.

Happy new year and great work to all of you for keeping the faith 💐😉

Intesha, sorry you’re feeling a bit down. I know you said before you left that life is short and you were just going to enjoy yourself and not beat yourself up about food while you’re away. Hey, that’s good – and you’re keeping up your ties with the forum – like me, it’s our lifeline – so there’s the answer to your question ‘what’s the point?’. You’re doing it for you and your health because you deserve it. Remind me, how does 18:6 work? I l know you can do it. Remember how good you felt when you achieved those goals, all the comments you got from friends not seen in ages. And the size 12 clothes! Buy yourself some more in the UK.

CateAus, loving it here thanks. People very friendly, learning a bit more Spanish every day, it’s a mild winter here in Andalucia and we are walking so many hilly tracks every day. Saw four ibex today! Unless I can find a mountain in Perth, it will be straight back to 5:2 for me on 14 Jan!

Well done Cate and Christine! Congratulations :-). It’s a challenge to lose weight over the festive season and you’ve cracked!

Nap, re 16:8. I can’t claim to know the science bit, but practically, this is how I do it.
Typical 16:8 day is no calories till 12noon. So water or pepoermint tea, or more usually very weak Earl Grey tea, as I find the extra fragrance or taste in the EG tea works better without milk. I’ve never been real hungry first thing in the morning anyway so maybe that makes it a bit easier for me. I often get a little hungry about 11am or 11.30, but I just stay away from the kitchen and do something to occupy my mind. Outside in the garden is good. I have a bottle of water in a couple of rooms so I don’t have to go far to get a drnk. Glass of water is always good. Because I spend more time being home than some, and do stuff a bit slower than others, I use iview to watch/have whodunnits playing on my ipad while I do stuff. I also use MP3 talking books from the library with an earphone. I put the MP3 in my pocket.

If I know I’ve got something on in the evening, I shift my start time to 1pm or even 2pm, so the 8hr window for last food is at 9 or 10pm. I’m so used to doing 16:8 now that sometimes I get to 1 or 2pm without realising how late it is. I ‘ve made 16:8 a habit now for so long that impulse to get breakfast or hot drink etc just isn’t there anymore. I also have to be very careful with caffeine, so I don’t need the caffeine kick on wakeup.

My wakeup routine is loo, weigh, back to bed, take tablets and large drink water, stay in bed 1/2 hr till meds kick in, then the day starts. Thinking through this, I’m thinking routine and habit has a lot to do with doing 16:8. When up I just get started on my routine. OH still has breakfast, but he has it on his own. I don’t sit there with him, and I’m not near the kitchen. He usually has it while I’m still in bed or in the shower. He’s someone who really enjoys(needs) meals taken together, more than I do, so occasionally we go out and have brunch in our favourite cafe at 11ish and have an earlier dinner at 6pm so I’m finished by 7pm. Then he doesn’t feel like I’m abandoning him at breakfast time all the time. It’s about compromise and working out how we handle different needs. I enjoy those breakfasts out too, and try to have a lower calorie dinner on those days e.g.fish and salad.

On a 16:8 day I stick to my TDEE. I have la midday meal, a snack and dinner, with piece of fruit after.

Lunch iis usually salad with boiled egg, maybe canned salmon or tuna, maybe some cheese, and lots of salad vegies with low cal dressing.

Snack is often a few nuts, maybe 10 almonds, and a couple of prunes or dried apricots. Or piece of fruit, or 1 boiled egg.

Dinner is skinless chicken breast, lean pork, fish, calamari, prawns, soups with lots of lowercal veg with protein of some sort. A piece of fruit after or for supper .

I don’t drink calories very often at all. At dinner we have sparkling water or iced water with lemon or lime slices. OH invented a drink of an inch of diet ginger beer topped up with sparkling water and lime slices. I really like it. Occasionally I have diet ginger ale or diet tonic water and ice with dinner. Again, this drink with dinner is like a new habit or ritual, and the lemon/lime slices have become a thing we do everyday. Our fruit is now smaller in size than it used to be. Apple, pear, orange are usual choice. I cut 2 and we have half each.

I only count my TDEE calaries aboout every 2 months nths for a couple of days, to keep me on track.

Cheers,
Merry

Hi SH,

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!

Glad to see some of you have been keeping with the WOL over the festive season 🙂 I have been off the radar, recuperating from all my writing the month before Christmas. I then had a delightful time with family and then more fun and frivolities at New Year.

Hi Barata, Bay, Cinque, GL, Intesha, Merry, Nap, Thin –
nice to catch-up with your updates.

My big confession: I have not weighed myself since just before Christmas!!! but I have been fairly sensible – I have had some pretty pointless wine daily, although I enjoyed it at the time :). I am expecting a weight gain but know that I can start that downward trend immediately I start back on the FDs.

Welcome to the newbies, Cate and Christine – glad your second FD has gone well Christine, well done.. You’re doing well too, Cate and sound very ‘up’.

My first FD will be tomorrow.

signing off

Coast

Happy new year to old and new alike! I’ve been missing in action for quite a while, and thought it was time to get back into seeing how all of my old fearless fasting friends are going.

Since I last chatted, I’ve continued on my plateau (61-62kg) with a blow out over the Christie period (63.7kg)….making homemade fudge a few weeks before the visitors came was the first big mistake….then making another batch because the first lot got eaten, was the next big no-no, then of course the kids and darling hubby aka ‘mr skinny’, all thought I needed more sabotaging, and gave me chocolate for Christmas….grrr….so I’m now having a calm and clear fast day, free of temptations and chocolate of any kind!

It’s a curious thing, this festive eating and drinking we all do at this time of year. And even though it’s my third Christmas doing 5:2, it doesn’t necessarily get easier to ward off those sneaky treats I never eat any other time of the year. So I’m keeping well away from bread, chocolate, alcohol and all things salty, for today and Thursday at least, as well as being extra strict with my calories.

I may need to do a food diary again to get me back into the practice of minding what goes in my mouth.
But I’m so grateful and confident in my ability to change how I used to be, and create a new healthier future for myself. I recently calculated that I’d lost one third of my weight since I started 5:2 in April 2013, YAY!

So this year I hope to do more fun stuff like dancing, travelling and painting the rooms happy colours. As well as getting some more study done about nutrition and well being, and working from home again.

Have any of you got dreams, goals or wishes you’d like to work towards this year? I’m sure you do!

Cheers my dears, let’s make 2016 one wonderful year!

Thin- Spain sounds lovely.
Merry-Thank you. 16:8 sounds very doable. Do you do that every day? My OH loves our time sitting down eating together, so that may be something I do when I get to my GW.
Nap- I have Postural Hypotension & found out years ago when I nearly passed out getting out of a swimming pool, after aquaerobics. My BP plummets when I stand up apparently. The only thing I was told to do is to get up slowly. Adding salt is a no no for me as I have an enlarged ascending aorta & I was told by a cardio that the best advice he could give me would be to really cut down on salt, which I did. I hope the dizziness settles for you like mine did. I just became more conscious of getting up slower & it helped. So far, touch wood, I haven’t felt dizzy on 5:2.
Coast-Hi & welcome back. I do feel up & really looking forward to ACTUALLY getting to my GW this year. I had resigned myself to being btn 5-10kg over it, until trying 5:2.
Ihaveawaist(love that name)- I now have one too (waist, that is). Isn’t it wonderful? Happy New Year to you too!
I’m back into my new routine- Mon & Thu. It feels so good! This is such a friendly group. It’s a nice way to start my day, xo Cate

Continuing on in another post! 😉

Thin is is so lovely having a bit of a virtual holiday by hearing about yours. I looked up Salobrena and would love to wander around the old town.
Don’t you feel old battling with these microscopic devices! I remember my mum’s frustration with technology as the video recorders got more complicated, and I found it all so easy and natural and felt so superior! And now it is my turn as my daughter rolls her eyes when I miss the right button etc.

Intesha I know that tearing of the heart to be away from children and grandchildren, and my daughter is only in Sydney! I am sure you made so many lovely memories. Best wishes for your trip.
I love what Thin wrote to you because it is so easy to say “I’m just going to let myself enjoy the festive season, and then get back to fasting.” And then a week later go “Oh no I have eaten so much, what a failure I am!”
The human mind, what a crazy, contradictory, flip flop blob of grey jelly it is! But we might as well celebrate it and do our best to keep it in check.

Merry isn’t your brain nicely in check with your lovely philosophy and sensible practices!

Hi Coast, lovely to hear from you. Happy New Year, Hooray for sensible eating and a few pointless wines. Cheers for your first fast day this year!

Hi there Ihaveawaist! Lovely to meet you! Wow three Christmases of 5:2! You must have got onto it early!

My dream for this year is about pacing myself well. I need to be a bit more of a hermit for the sake of my health (chronic illness: me/cfs) and that means being more careful about what I say yes to. Sigh. But it will be a good year if I can do that. Even if it is a small life, it will be a gorgeous one!

After a lovely fast day yesterday, I am off to have breakfast. Ciao!

Hi SH,

It has been raining on the coast and is overcast with sunshine at the moment but very pleasant. Hope that rain comes to those who are needing it.

Intesha I hope you managed to warm up after such a fun day at Winter Wonderland. Sounded great.

Did the rain you were waiting for arrive Nap?
Hello, IHAW, thanks for dropping by and giving us an update. Well done on that great loss since April 2013 and maintaining it so well. You will manage that festive season blow-out easily.
I too have also been working on planning out my goals for the year. I have just finished study for the moment so am deciding between work or continuing the study. That is keeping me busy at the moment in between relaxing.

Hi Cinque, is Miso still snuggling 🙂 we are the opposite up here – that is, muggy and grey and also getting rain. Nice to be back and into the FD groove again.
You are sounding very philosophical at the moment and also very optimistic. I agree about the pacing – slowly but surely is my motto this year as well.
Thin, I’ll look up Salabrena too. Now I have a bit of time on my hands I might as well have a little virtual trip 🙂

Hi Cate, I’d love to get to my GW this year too. I am taking the whole journey slowly and happy with a slow downward trend. My goal is weight loss maintenance. We are all expert weight losers – it is the loss maintenance that has been an issues for most of us (I am assuming here) and this WOL might be the answer. Fingers crossed.

Started my 1st FD for the year today. Went well this morning with just a tea but got hungry at 11.30am and very fidgety so had a cup of soup. Better choice than other munchies, I figure. Was only going to have a soup tonight, but think I have to train myself back into the FD way as I craved something for lunch, so had a fresh salad to tide me over till soup tonight. No munchies in between – I think that will do the trick to get me back on course.

Started my food journal as well. It is so easy to lapse into mindless eating – I find the journal really helps to keep me on track.

signing off,
onwards and downwards,

Coast

It is a warm grey morning, we got a bit of rain yesterday, could do with more today.
So nice to read about everyone.
Miso the cat is still snuggling, and eating heaps.

Coast I hope you can have the best relaxing time and enjoy weighing up the decision about what next.

Cate I feel the same about actually getting to my best weight. It is such a great feeling. Unless things change in some strange way, I figure that by April I will be moving to maintenance. And I am practicing eating normally on non fast days so that I am really good at it by then!

Intesha I hope you got warm right through! Maybe some more hot wine with amaretto? 😉

Nap it is so true how hard it is for most people to understand illness when we don’t look sick.
I am being kicked out of my hermitage for a while too, I have been inundated by THINGS happening so I need to respond. I wonder if I can give myself two days a week where I can be a hermit. I am going to try.

Thin, that is it exactly. I love reading research that is finally being done about food and the brain and how eating is taken out of control. It is especially fascinating that fasting seems to pop it back on rails.

Well today is non fast for me, so that means the pleasure of trying to nail a lovely natural eating day.
🙂🙃🙂

Cheers Christine, live and learn. It s an excellent experiment, and all you have to do is make it through til the end of the day.
Damn re your arthritis flare up, are there things you can do to help it?

That weather, it has a very twisted sense of humour!

I’m sitting here avoiding starting my list of things to do. Sigh.
Time for a pot of coffee I think….

Good to read your update Hilary, welcome back. Enjoy your celebration. You know how to do it now.

Nap, I do 16:8 most non-fast days, maybe 1 day a fortnight we have brunch out. It varies. My food varies, but what I wrote is typical enough. Some days I’m hungrier than others so might throw in an extra boiled egg, or 3 rice crackers with cheese, an extra piece of fruit, or plain yoghurt with diced 2 fruits in fruit juice or apple sauce. We also have kangaroo meatballs or kangaroo bbq burger patties. I have 1 milk decaf coffee a week. If I’m going through a hungrier, and more weak willed period I keep low cal jelly in the fridge and have it after dinner. I try to keep the sugar free diet stuff to a minimum as they don’t constitute ‘food’ in my thinking, but useful in the short term. I mostly eat food that’s unprocessed, but not entirely.

I’ve realized I’ve tricked myself into thinking our festive season is over, but we still have our son staying with us for a little while longer, and he brings different food in, buys us Thai takeaway. Not sabotaging, just being himself. This was to be my week getting back to 5:2 normal, and I sabotaged my first FD. Down 0.3 today, but I’d already gone up another 0.8 since new Years Eve, so I’m a bit all over the place. Trying not to give myself too hard a time. In the big scheme of things it’s a blip, and I miss my son a lot, living overseas. So just focusing on enjoying our time with him. The 2 dramas pre Christmas have reared their heads again, and still ongoing in some ways. So, I’m a bit down today, but I shall pick myself up, count my blessings and get on with more of the day.
Merry

Thank you for the encouragement Cinque! I’m so pleased – I nailed it! In spite of it being the first day back at work with only 6 of us there and the most boring day ever, aching all over from overdoing the gardening on Monday, and getting a message that I was expecting but didn’t want – I stuck to my fast day!! If I can do it on that sort of day, I can stick with this long term – YAY!!