This topic contains 27,925 replies, has 832 voices, and was last updated by Neilithicman 2 days, 8 hours ago.
Good morning Southern Hemisphere!
It has remembered it is summer here so we have a run of days in the thirties. Warm already!
Jilly I am so glad you are finding 5:2 a good thing in your life. It works so well for me I have this temptation to go up to total strangers and suggest it to them. Luckily I can restrain myself!
Did it end up being a Fast Day Thin? I have kind of presumed that I would need to keep doing one fast day a week when I get to normal weight.
Best wishes to everyone, hope it is a good day today.
Morning Cinque, about how much weight are you hoping to shed before you switch to maintenance? Yes, I completed the FD with 18 cals to spare! I am 58.9kgs this morning so plan to skip this Wednesday’s fast and see how one FD a week works out. Hope yours went well and you soon get your coffee pot back. I miss my Spanish cafe con leche for euro1.1 – consistently served strong and hot. I find in Perth I often have to ask for my $4.30 coffee to be served hot.
You may recall that I’ve met two of our Perth contributors to this thread. CM and I sat in a coffee shop estimating the weight of passers by and restraining ourselves from shouting “5:2” at them. You just want everyone to know about it.
We have a little rain drizzle and it is so much cooler this morning. Lovely!
Good morning everyone,
Welcome back Thin, and congratulations on a brilliant job of looking after yourself while overseas!
Jilly, it’s a bit like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow isn’t it? 5:2 is much easier to do than people expect, and it works. Well done to you, on committing to this and now you’re beginning to see what is ahead of you. Good things ahead.
Hi Cinque, hope it doesn’t get too hot for you today.
Check in, graphing day for me each Monday. 68.0, so down another 400gms over last week. Still under the gun quite a bit here on the home front, so only got in 1 FD. Foodwise there was a day that was just so yuck that we decided not to go home, but eat out, and another where we had lunch out with OFM who are also involved, so it was up and down. The 1st meal out we just treated ourselves, and the 2nd I was more careful. Up and down a bit the rest of the week foodwise, all closely stress or non-stress related.
This is the most continuously personally stressful period I’ve gone through since I started 5:2. It’s really bringing home to me how I’ve reacted with food under stress throughout my life. How yo-yoing it is. There are times where hours are spent really non-stop handling events where I don’t think of food at all, but also not drinking. Stopping to drink or eat is more related to getting a brief respite from the immediate stress/activity. Sometimes I feel thirst as hunger. I’m trying to eat a to stay healthy as possible during this period. Other times when I can stop for an extended period, I’m craving sugar, carbs, and quantity – just straight stress eating. The good part is that I’m not stressing about the stress eating! I’m just concentrating on staying healthy, getting rest, and a bit of time off for distraction.
FD for me today, and then another on Thursday. Wishing a good FD to all the Monday fasters.
Onwards and Downwards!
Merry
Thin, our posts crossed, mostly because I had a 1 1/2hr phone call in the middle of mine. I 2 nd the coffee comment. A Spanish cafe con leche is great, and so cheap. Here, I ask for mine extra hot. I’ve had a couple of baristas say something about burning milk, and I say, ‘yep, that’s the way I like it’. Doesn’t taste burnt to me. It’s only 1 cup a week, but It’s gotta be hot.
Wow, 58.9kg. You get the gold 5:2 logie Thin. Well done 🙂
Merry
Thanks for the welcome back Merry. Poor you, but if anyone can cope, you can with your sometimes worryingly positive attitude! It’s good that you are so aware of that tendency for emotional eating that so many of us have experienced. I still can’t understand how overeating can be explained away as ‘having control over something in our lives’ – for me it was exactly the opposite, I had no control at all.
Good to see you back, Thin – although I have loved hearing all about your holiday.
Well, I did do well last week, with another loss. Someone asked me how much I have lost now on 5:2. Well, I am delighted to say that in the 5 months since starting 5:2, I have lost just over 11kg.
Now, some bad news. I had to see my GP today, due to the dizziness being so much worse. I have orthostatic hypertension. The GP said the drop when I stand is huge, and they want to find out why – so I start with blood work tomorrow and go from there.
But, he said no more fasting until we work out what is going on. He was very nice about it, but said that with my body obviously going through something at the moment, the fasting just puts increased pressure on the body.
I feel terrible about it. I feel worried I will pack the weight back on, and feel guilty that I can’t fast. It is obviously so important to me now (even though I have to admit I sometimes dread fasting days) that I don’t know how I will cope not doing it.
Hi Nap, thanks. Congratulations on that impressive loss. That 5 months passed in a flash! Sorry to hear about the other issue. Don’t feel guilty, it’s not your fault that your doctor has suggested you don’t fast for a while. Maybe you can incorporate some other strategies like mindful eating and perhaps some other form of reduced calorie intake over the week that isn’t called fasting – reduced carbs, smaller portions? Your doctor will understand the importance of your not gaining all that weight back (and hopefully knew you when you lost the previous large amount before you discovered 5:2). Did the dizziness symptoms begin when you started fasting? Keep us posted even if you’re not fasting.
Oh Nap,
What a blow. Why does life keep doing this to us every time we just about get organised?????
It is similar to what I have, except mine doesn’t drop quickly on standing, but as soon as I am standing for a minute I am in trouble. I have to avoid queues! (Most people with me/cfs have it to some extent).
I hope you can work out an eating regime that will help you continue your weight loss journey. I am thinking like Thin, that you could work something out. Maybe have three days a week where you just eat 1000 calories over the day: check with the doctor, but that might not be a worry for being a strain on your body. Or have dedicated days a week where you don’t snack, or don’t have sugar. I am sure you will work out something that suits you.
Sending lots of good wishes!
Merry yesterday was too hot! Luckily they changed the forecast for today and it is 32 instead of 38.
How sorry I am to hear that your family stress continues. Is there an end in sight? It is so hard that when life is busy and stressful there is no time to prepare the good foods we need for out health, and to nurture us.
Get over the rough ground as best you can, and hopefully there will soon be a respite when you can stop and nurture yourself.
Sending lots of good wishes to you too!
Thin, I can just imagine that Perth meeting of 5:2ers. Wicked women! What a laugh.
I think I have about 5kg still to lose. It is interesting doing it without scales because of course my perception varies as I go. My waist measurement hasn’t changed much the last couple of months, infact I realise it goes up and down like the scales – I measured my waist one evening after a great fast day, and it was 3 cm bigger than the month before. Next morning it was 3 cm smaller than the night before. In the same time my arms and breasts have lost fat: not complaining, I was hoping for exactly that! I was feeling lovely and skinny a couple of weeks ago. I am pretty much the same weight, maybe lost a bit, but I am feeling very bulgy at the moment!
Oh and why not… Lots of good wishes to you too! 🙂
Morning all,
Nap, Wow! 11kgs in 5months. Well done , and that has gone so fast. Just 2nding and 3rding what Thin and Cinque have said re mindful eating over the period you’re working out the orthostatic hypertension. I’d add don’t drink calories except a little light milk in tea/coffee. Keep to low Glycaemic Index foods. With and veggies keep to the non-starchy ones. Keep to the lower calorie proteins, eg skinless chicken breast instead of chicken thighs, etc, prawns, calamari, basa fish instead of salmon. Skip that last snack before bed. Orthostatic intolerance or hypertension is very common in ME/CFS people, as Cinque said. Hope this period of working it out goes quickly. Please stay on here while you go through it. Keep your eye on the end result. We’ll be here for you through it.
Cinque, good that today will be less than yesterday. 32C is much more manageable than 38C. How does your moggy handle the heat? Do you have air con or is that a n-no for you?
Thin, if I didn’t stay positive I’d go under. Been there, done that, it’s as crappy as hell, and not going back there. I’m a glass half full rather than half empty person anyway, but basically I’ve learnt to only get rrreeeeaaaaalllly worried about the big stuff like heart attacks/bad car accidents etc. That doesn’t mean it’s not taking a toll, it just means I work at not letting stuff get to me too much. ATM I’m the support person. It’s all happening to my OH. Elderly FIL with dementia being groomed by a predatory female. Have checked with several professionals in the field and all say all the red flags are waving. Now getting into more legal stuff. Some tough calls are having to be made. Basically we have multiple situations happening at once, which is stressful, but we’re taking it day by day. Eating the elephant 1 bite at a time etc etc…
On a goid note 67.7 this morning, same as a week ago. Hoping to get a 2nd FD later this week.
Merry
Hi All, I hope everybody is surviving the heat.
Thanks for all the support. I didn’t know orthostatic hypertension was common in ME/CFS. I wonder if it is common with autoimmune as well?
Merry, sorry you are still having so much stress at the moment. I admire your positive attitude – I hope things are soon worked out for you and your family.
Only about 5kg to lose, Cinque? How awesome does that feel? How much have you lost in all?
Thin, I didn’t have any dizziness before 5:2, no – but it didn’t start at the beginning of my fasting, either. It has only been the last 2-3 months. So, it is confusing as to what it is related to.
I am not doing well with the food at the moment. I think partly it is panic, due to not fasting (or more, the thought of not fasting) and I worry about how much weight I will put on. And also OH is home this week, which always results in over eating. I wondered if I can go back to calorie counting everyday, instead of fasting – but the whole reason I switched to 5:2 was because the counting calories was not working anymore.
Enjoy the day tomorrow everyone. I hope you can all stay cool.
Cinque, I find it hard to be consistent in measuring cms. I remain an obsessive daily weigher. You have done so well. I know from your posts that you tend not to focus on the numbers which is commendable – unfortunately, the rest of us still want to know! So I second Nap in asking how much you’ve lost so far (only if you feel like sharing). I must get the tape measure out though as I haven’t done that for so long. I was 58.8kgs this morning so I will skip tomorrow’s fast and see how I fare with Sunday only fasting.
Sorry about all this Merry – I expect I missed a lot of the dramas you’ve been going through but I was reading about the identity theft while I was away and is it you that has the worthless SIL? or was it a nephew? Everything will work out well in the end. BTW, I met a lady this weekend who says she USED to have CFS but has now overcome it. Took an early retirement. She’s here in Perth doing some house-sitting and looks very relaxed (but could do with a bit of 5:2 if I’m honest).
Nap, I’m glad you’re still posting. Some of the ideas above seem well worth exploring. Great idea about not drinking calories – we can all benefit from that. If nothing else, you will get support on these pages. I can’t begin to express how much help and knowledge I have gained from this forum. Don’t let things slip away – you have come so far.
P.S. No heat here. Lovely ‘cool’ day topped off with a nice rainstorm.
Hi Thin,
Feeling somewhat anxious this morning, and headed for chocolate last night, so my weight is up a bit this morning. Have only done 1 FD a week since Mid December, but hoping I can get the 2nd one done successfully tomorrow. Quick explaination – Identity theft issue still going on, though reduced effort needed now. Drivers’ licence stolen from mailbox along with other stuff. Ice addicts trawling through mail in our neighbourhood, then selling stuff on to criminals. We’re not the worst hit. OFM is FIL almost 100, with Alzheimers who was being groomed by a female predator, trying to marry him. Complicated situation without a simple, non-distressing solution. Won’t bore you with the details. Health stuff happening also. All happening to my OH. Important event happening today, so hoping it goes well. Wish I could just go and walk off the adrenaline. I keep yanking my brain back to other subjects. Will get the talking books out to keep my mind busy.
I keep going back to remembering I’m now down 16 kgs(and 10 before that over a number of years) OH is down about 7kg and we’re in much better condition than we were to be handling this. It is a joy to be a normal size now!
Merry
Good morning, nearly afternoon. We’ve had a lovely, cool, rainy morning and the flat is cooling down. Dry sunny afternoon coming up to dry my sheets.
Nap, you can do it. You will work out a way. If you have fallen in a heap, you will get up again.
One of my best tricks is to have 3 hours between eating. That gives me time to think properly about what I will eat and how much I will eat: and to make something nutritious and delicious. I eat it and then have to wait 3 hours for the next one. Maybe that trick would be helpful for you.
Thin my lack of measurements and my bad memory make it really difficult to satisfy the log keepers! For a while I accidentally added another 10 kg on my fattest weight because I couldn’t remember properly…. but I think I was around 80kg at my fattest, not 90. I’m a shorty, comparatively, at 5’3″ and I think my healthy weight will be around 53kg. I lost the bulk of my excess weight when I cut out sugar 5 years ago. But I got to a plateau just above 60kg and then it started creeping back in an up and down sort of way.
It is such a relief to find something that finally will get rid of those last excess kilos! I am within the normal range now and it is awesome! But I am still too bulgy! I think I have lost 5 or 6 since starting 5:2 and have 4 or 5 to go. But I don’t really know that 5:3 is my best weight, maybe it will be 54 or 50. I think I need to get there and then see what I weigh!
It is healthiest for me to keep 5:2 as un dietlike as I can. If I just concentrate on good fast days and practice eating well and ‘normally’ the other days (with my bag of tricks), then I will get there in the end. I feel like I go against the tide a bit on these forums, but I am sure it is the best way for me.
Merry that is a nasty situation with your FIL. I can imagine what a worry it is. I am glad the credit card issue is proceeding towards being sorted. Good wishes to you. The worst thing with me/cfs is getting rid of that adrenaline!
Hooray that you aren’t carrying around all that extra weight now!
Miso the cat LOVES the heat and won’t come in on hot nights because warmth is better than food! She must have all the genes of her desert dwelling ancestors. My flat is slow to heat up (which I love!) and I have an evaporative cooler which is great if it isn’t humid. One day I will have air conditioning!
Look it is afternoon now! Time to hang out the sheets.
I am fasting a day early this week. ie Today!
Best wishes all!
Happy New Year Southern Hemisphere folks! A little late, but we spent 2 months in the chilly UK (snow for Xmas Day though!) and I’m just starting to resurface.
We took our trusty travel scales with us and gained no weight. Mr P’s bloodsugar levels were excellent (his insulin dependent Type 2 diabetes was reversed by 5:2 2 years ago) We tended to eat only 2 meals a day, with very little snacking and mindful choices..eg low carb. We sampled everything, but didn’t EAT everything if you know what I mean. 😉
Sorry about your dilemma Nap. I agree with the other advice, but eat full fat products. Research is showing it is beneficial and satiating. Instead of official fasts, skip breakfast and snacks and eat 2 healthy (low carb/ high fat) meals a day.
I suffer from BPPV (benign paroxomal positional vertigo), especially in February when it is humid. It took me YEARS to find out what it was and about the simple Eply maneuver that fixes it. Utterly debilitating when it is happening. I hope they can sort your issues promptly.
33 deg here, but manageable. Off to WA tomorrow . Cheers Purple
Happy New Year Purple. That PPVertigo sounds absolutely awful. I hope your chilly two months were happy ones!
Nap, from what I know of doctors (I’m the daughter of one 😉 ) I think that if you wanted to, you could put a good case to yours that NOT fasting is more stressful on your body than fasting. The damage putting on weight would do to you, the anxiety you are feeling, are surely more damaging than eating only a small amount of food twice a week. Remind him (even if he was the one who pointed it out) that the orthostatic hypotension doesn’t seems to be a result of fasting, and let him know (if you haven’t already) that it is an easy fast, with all the liquids you want and up to 500 calories.
It is cool and muggy here, planning on getting hot and muggy. I had such a good fast day yesterday: didn’t need my miso soup til the evening, so that meant I only had about 300 calories for the day, and I think that is how my fast days will be from here. Woot!
Good Morning,
Hi Purple, well done on your chilly UK trip. You and your OH must feel like you’re living in a different world than pre 5:2. So fantastic that you OH’s situation with diabetes is so different now. I’ve followed your posts on that previously, and the vigilence. Such a great outcome. Thanks for the info re your PPVertigo. Haven’t heard about that before, or the Eply. Will look that up.
Hi to Barata too, how are you going? Hope the weather is good over there.
Hope our SH friends in WA are going OK.
Hi Cinque, Jilly, Thin, Nap, and the readers.
2nd FD of the week and lots of water and weak Earl Grey tea for me today. No food till 6pm, then 600cals for OH, and 400 for me. I’m going to do a check on calories today by writing it all down. Dinner will be either a soup with basa fish and low cal low GI veggies, or kangaroo meatballs with salad. After that 2dspn plain yoghurt, with no sugar jelly and diced fresh fruit. Low cal low GI fruit We have in the frig are rockmelon, pear and blueberries. (No joy on the home front yesterday, sigh).
Best wishes to all the Thursday fasters,
Onwards and downwards,
Merry and OH
Hi All – A slow few weeks for me, still haven’t reached my next wine goal of 74kg.. but weigh in tomorrow, might be inching closer. Still fasting hard, but just had a few too many sandwiches / cakes / biscuits during the week which really seem to do me in. I clocked up my 100’drth fast this week, after starting in May 15, so that has perhaps inspired more rigor this week.
Wecome back Thin, was really good reading about your travels, and just amazed that you managed to live the (mindful) good life and come back 800g lighter – what a great effort and inspiration.
Nap – I can’t imagine how devastating to be told you can’t fast… so I do hope you’re finding something to do that works and what ever you do “don’t panic, Mr Mannering!!!” My theory, proved twice now is if the weight goes on quickly over the weekend, up 2-3kgs, I don’t let it settle and if I do a couple of FD’s and a liquid fast, I can basically get rid of the big excess in 2-3 days… I have it in my head if it “settles” it’ll be much harder to loose.
Great to hear from you again Purple!!
Hi Merry – sorry all your stresses are still continuing – but having the right attitude must be doing you the world of good. Hope you’ve found a tasty way to make the elephant palatable!
I still have pain in leg, but I’ve got back on Bluff hill, and just walk it to try and keep my fitness from totally collapsing. We have our road trip at end of Feb to the family wedding in NPlymouth, so I’ve agreed with my OH that I won’t try running prior to then and will just keep walking to try and get rid of the leg issue once and for all and make sure I’m not hobbling for our holiday.
Big weekend for us with OH’s Bro & wife coming over from Melbourne for a wedding, and the in-laws travelling down, staying in motel down the road, so will be big meals / drinking sessions – so this is my last “big” weekend- that I know about, so even though I fast well during week, it is blown each weekend with too much kai – so am hoping the lack of distractions will see me getting past the nearly 2 months of stable weight.
The only positive I can see is that in the past I would easily put on 4-5kgs over the Xmas period / summer eating (wines and chips etc) so at least with being mindful this year I haven’t gained anything (longterm!).
tonight I’m making my own beetroot humus, to be spread on platter below roasted carrots and beetroots (and nuts and yoghurt and herbs etc) – It’s called a “Superfood Salad” from an Annabel Langbine recipe book, which I will assemble tomorrow night as part of our visitors bbq tea – so quite looking forward to making that.
Hi Merry, 16kgs ++. What an achievement for someone who can’t exercise. You can be so proud. And Cinque, what a good weight you are too, no wonder you always seem so relaxed & calm about everything. Nik, happy 100th fast. I loved reading your last post – read it twice in fact. Except for the beetroot bit, it’s the only food I just can’t eat. Even so, I can imagine it would look very colourful on the platter as you’ve described it. That’s good that you didn’t gain any weight over Christmas, I was the same last year, it ended up being a very long plateau which was a far better result than my standard 3kg gain at that time of year. This year, there were no temptations so I can’t make any self-righteous claims.
My maintenance regime is still a work in progress. I skipped my Wednesday fast and still seem to be staying at 58.9kgs which I acknowledge is on the slightly too skinny side for my height. At my age, you just look scraggy. Nevertheless it’s a very strange concept for me to be told I shouldn’t lose any more weight. I will stick to the Sunday fasts just to keep vigilant and see what happens. In the past, I’ve sort of ‘got away’ with this and that and then suddenly without warning the weight started piling on like a runaway train. I’m scared of that.
Intesha will be back soon. Where’s Bay? Nap, don’t forget to check in with us.
Afternoon, all fellow fasters! We have a cool change that has just come through here in Canberra, which is lovely. I hope everyone is having a cooler day today.
Another person who went away and didn’t pack on the kilos – that is great Purple! It just goes to show that 5:2 really does change the thinking, doesn’t it.
Merry – I admire your positivity, in the face of such stress and crisis. And such a great weight loss, too! Awesome.
Nik, congrats on 100th fast! That would be an awesome feeling.
Thin, so now you are in real maintenance? That must be a wonderful feeling – kudos! Did you have a lot to lose initially? It is a good point you bring up about looking ‘scraggy’. As we age, we need a bit more weight on us, I think.
Cinque, it is funny you mention putting it to my doctor about the stress of not fasting. I decided I needed to fast and blow what the doctor says. So, I fasted yesterday, and will continue to fast as per usual – until it is proven that to do so is bad for me. The little trick the doc showed me that I can do before I stand up has really helped, and I am not willing to give up fasting while they try and work out what is going on.
I will pay for the stress and anxiety on the scales this week, as I ate badly. I will try and have another fast day tomorrow, or Saturday, to try and lessen the damage.
I forgot to say, at the docs, I saw a nurse first. She was thinking of trying 5:2, but after meeting me (and hearing about my dizziness), she has decided she will just go and buy another block of chocolate! I tried so hard to convince her that a) it works and b) my dizziness is not related to the fasting. I felt bad that she may have tried 5:2, but now may not because of me. Hopefully I will see her again, and can convince her to give it a go.
Hi Thin
I’m sitting here in a lather of humidity waiting until the cool air of evening arrives. I’ve just finished reading the latest Ian Rankin Rebus book. ☀️☀️😎😎😬😬
Off on the road again tomorrow morning for our third trip since Christmas. 🎉🎉. We’re visiting friends and relatives interstate. Keeping the travel industry in funds. 😜😜
It’s so encouraging that you and Merry and Purple are all maintaining. I’m having a roller coaster ride this year. Will get into proper 5:2 mode in February. This week and last week I’ve managed 6:1 and am staying at level.
Cheers, Bay 🌺🌺
Hi Nik and Bay! Thank you, and back patted 🙂
8.30pm, watching the tennis, and possibly Leighton’s last professional match. Up to 307cals for the day. Had the basa fish soup for dinner. This is my first successful weekly 2nd FD since all the drama began in early December.
Have suggested to OH that they could list their father on Gumtree or Ebay, going cheap or for free even. Well, sometimes ya just gotta find something to laugh about! 60 million phone calls happening in our house today.
……but my FD is almost done and the therapeutic dark chocolate is twiddling it’s thumbs in the fridge.
Merry
Good to hear from you Bay. I read two Rankin books while away. Have a safe trip and look forward to getting regular posts from you soon. Purple, I forgot to say great job on not gaining any weight on that long trip, it sort of goes without saying you & Mr P would have but you deserve a pat on the back just like the rest of us.
Nap, you made me laugh with that story about the nurse. Cinque said exactly what I was thinking but didn’t dare say. It’s hard to imagine a worse health issue than being overweight and feeling depressed about it. Just keep educating yourself and presenting facts to the docs. Mine is so supportive of 5:2 so I’m fortunate. My neighbour’s GP has told her not to fast because she is pre-diabetic. Which is exactly why I recommended it to her in the first place. She needs to get the weight off first and foremost. To answer your question, I’ve lost 24kgs and been around 60kgs since September last year, now a bit less.
Stay cool everyone.
PS Merry, ours crossed – I once listed my teen on gumtree. I received dozens of hilarious responses in the half hour or so before someone must have reported me and it was removed. Recommend they go ahead, it was such a hoot.
Hi all from a very very chilly UK. Only 3 degrees at 11.45am. Welcome back Thin, Purple and others.
I wish I could reply to all the posts but there are far too many but please know that I celebrate, commiserate and sympathise with what is happening to you all.
My weekend trip to Bruge was wonderful. Weather not so -2 and lots of hail but still managed to see lots and ate Belgian waffles and chocolate. I will not be coming back the same weight but I am enjoying every minute. Even though I don’t feel bloated I know that I have put on a few kgs but normally when I have my overseas trips I could put on in excess of 5kg ++++++. I think with my still trying to not eat for 14-16 hours I am controlling the weight gain to some degree.
Even though I am not looking forward to leaving I am looking forward to getting back to my normal eating patterns and fasting.
Happy to see that some of the old gang are still posting. Thin what has happened to CM?
Bye for now, take care all.
Hi Fasters – at least I’m not going to become an alcoholic! Weighed in at 74.4 this morning, so missed out on my (wine) goal by 400gm…. so with the big weekend planned, I think it’ll be 2 weeks before I’ve got a shot at cracking it…. anywho…. have a great weekend all, and better luck with your own weigh in! Oh Intesha, waffles and chocolate …. devine!!!!!
I am still about but the hot weather has been quite draining. Managed to maintain my weight. Finally got some rain over an inch as we had had not any since Christmas eve. This will give me a chance to catch up on my gardening and replant some of my vegetables that died in the 40 plus days. The rest of the week should be milder so I can stagger the gardenwork. Down to my before Christmas weight.
Good afternoon,
I’ve got a little bit of space between visitors and a nap! I’m using it to catch up here. 🙂
Merry, hi! I hope all the written down things showed you what a good job you are doing. I hope the chocolate did its therapy!
Nik you were so close to that wine prize! You will get there. Is the walking getting easier and easier? Fingers crossed this big weekend isn’t too destructive. Enjoy!
Thin, do I really come across as calm and relaxed? I might be giving an untrue impression of myself! Although I am going to lie down and nap in a minute and I really do plan to be calm and relaxed then.
It is true that there is an easy peaceful feeling that came with realising 5:2 suited me so well, and getting into that ‘normal’ weight range.
I can see that the slide back into overeating is scary and frustrating, but I bet it is simply another thing to learn: and it might take a few times of ‘damn I am suddenly packing on weight’ to refine being able to notice just before it happens. Every time you do it your skill will sharpen!
Did your teen know about the the gumtree ad? It must have been so funny… but something tells me they wouldn’t have found it funny.
Nap, yay for working out what is best for yourself, and having a good fast.
I laughed about the nurse too. Actually she sounds like she has that dry, cynical worldview that quite a few nurses I know have.
I hope your fast yesterday or today is going well. (Or if you have put it off til tomorrow, then cool, I am fasting Sunday too).
Bay, I hope you are having a lovely trip!
Intesha great news that you had a wonderful trip and only a small portion of your usual weight gain. It is always a treat not to be bloated!
Hi GL, Your garden must be so happy to have had a big drink. How much has survived? Congrats for getting the festive grams off! I hope it stays cool for a bit. I won’t even complain about the humidity when it stays in the 20’s!
Couch is calling! Byeee
Cinque, I feel an Eagles song coming on….
….never mind Nik, those wild weekends will lose their gloss eventually. Meanwhile, enjoy them. And if that’s your happy balance, it’s not so bad, you’re pulling in the reins during the week.
GL, we’re having thunder here and the temp has dropped considerably since it started.
Hi Intesha, safe trip home to you. CM is alive & well and sounds as busy as ever. We have plans to meet next week so if there are any new Perth/Fremantle lurkers out there, show yourselves, we don’t bite.
Oh, and yes DD (I saw that acronym on another thread and I’m hoping it means ‘darling daughter’) was aware of the ad and didn’t think it was at all amusing.
FD tomorrow, see you then.
Snake, I have reported your post because we don’t want spam here.
Thin, I was Eagles inspired (it is my favourite of their songs).
My version of putting my DD on ebay was to suddenly realise what a good plan those traditional societies have, that marry their 13 year old daughters to someone in the next village and let their new mothers in law deal with them! 😉
Miso the cat just vomited on the windowsill. Sigh. Probably best that she did it on my fast day.
Off to clean up.
Hi Southern Pheries,
Started my FD 11 days ago and have lost 4.4kilos only another 25.6 to go. I realise this rate of loss cannot last but its a nice start. This includes two social events drinking moderate alcohol and eating carb rich food but not a lot of it.
I am following multiple strategies to support the FD.
I am focussing on adopting one or two additional positive weight loss strategy each week, to avoid being overwhelmed with a myriad of strategies I feel I should be using to maximise weight loss. Week 1 was drink more water – not hard since it has been sweltering weather and reduce my eating window to 10am to 6pm….reducing my eating window on all days (except when socialising) works well for me.I previously would graze after dinner while working at the computer, just for a break from the screen. That is a thing of the past.
Week 2 – eat slower and use smaller bowls and plates.
I thought cutting out wine with dinner would be a bother but honestly I think the FD has caused my to lose the taste for it.
I also came across the Oxfab study while looking for the Horizon FD documentary and found that the strategy questions and display graph were very helpful in prompting me to adopt new strategies to support my weight loss.
Thank you to all who are posting, its inspirational.
Keep Cool & Carry On – for tomorrow (or at least quite soon) we will be slim
Welcome secretlyslim. It sounds like you are well-informed and off to a great start. 30kgs might seem a lot to lose but, a year from now, you’ll be feeling so proud of the new you. If you have any questions, just ask, someone’s always been where you are now. I’ve also lost my appetite for wine through this process.
Cinque, I reported that post above last night too. I didn’t bother opening the link but it was obvious it’s not in the theme of our thread. I gave my coffee machine its bi-annual internal cleaning yesterday so I’m just enjoying a fresh FD coffee before heading to the beach with DD. We go about once a year – usually on Christmas Day – not very good Aussies, are we? OH, poor thing, left at 4.30am for the USA. Later today, he’s going on the longest flight in the world from Sydney-Texas, 16 hrs. 11.5 hrs is my limit. We’ve only been home 10 days, I don’t envy him. I’ll check in later Cinque and find out what you’re having for dinner.
Hi all! Special hello to Silentlyslim and welcome to this really supportive place. 4.4kg is an awesome start – and as Thin said, before you know it, you will be well on your way to losing your 30kg.
Intesha, it is great to hear more about your holiday. -2C during the day? That is hard to even comprehend.
Cinque, why do cats have to vomit in the hardest places to clean? Ours always have to leave the hard floors to go and throw up on the carpet, or a bed. I guess they want to be comfy while they cough up their hair balls!
Thin, that is a really long plane trip – poor OH. How long will he be away for?
Well, I only put on 400g this week, which I was very pleased about. I knew I would put on weight, so was really glad it was so little. Hopefully I will have a good week this week. FD tomorrow, so we will see how it goes from there.
I hope everybody had a good weekend, and has a good week coming.
Ni Nap, pleased you seem in better spirits today and that’s only a small gain for sure. All the best for tomorrow’s fast. My OH is only away for 6 days – back Saturday morning! At least there won’t be time for any jetlag on the outbound trip.
Cinque, I see the spam’s been removed. I hope your FD went well. Of course it did. I wasted half of mine at the beach and the rest was spent in the air-con catching up with my neighbours. I’ve had two good walks, one at the beach and another just now at the river once it cooled off a bit. I’m happy to report that it’s not that hard to resume fasting after a break although I was a bit lazy and just grabbed some meals I’d prepared ages ago out of the freezer. Which means they were both hearty winter something. I must plan next Sunday’s meals with summer in mind. Any ideas?
Hi it’s late night here. It was miso soup for dinner. New regime, I don’t worry about lunch any more.
I hope you can think of some good summer meals Thin. I will still stick to soup as the salty broth suits me so well on fast days. I enjoyed it so much today.
I hope your OH has a good trip, and that you and DD have a lovely time at the beach.
Hi Secretly Slim, what a lovely start to your 5:2ing!
I like your strategies,, keeping things fresh and on point.
Nap, I think the cats plan it all, to keep us on our toes!😼
However this end of the day I am sitting up in bed, and she is on the doona, grooming herself ( swallowing more hair, ready for her next vomit, no doubt).
Glad you didn’t put much on, and next will get some off!
Goodnight. PS I love the way they email thanks when we report spam.
💫⭐️🌟⭐️💫
No matter how much watering I do it is just not the same as a soaking rain. It’s a bit hard for a while trying to establish new plants. (Lost my garden to Black Saturday bushfires and then two years later to the flooding the affected most of Australia.) Some parts I have planted out three times. The decidous trees are finally starting to create their own microclimates so the filler plants I bought yesterday should survive under them. Some extra incidental exercises which you don’t get during the extreme weather as you just stay inside.
HELP -big question- do I spend my last 200 cals today on red wine or salad? Haha.
Good to catch up on all the news as I haven’t had a chance over the last couple of weeks. It’s good to see that 5:2 works even when life gets tough 😖.
My FD’s are going well but it does really help to read the forums too.
I got my dad the latest Ian Rankin book for Christmas but managed to read it before I wrapped it tee hee.
I am drip feeding my garden today too, having droughts over the previous 2 Summers means that most of my weak plants have already been eliminated so I limit myself to establishing only a few new ones each year.
Ha Jilly, what did you decide?
I hope you ended your day very nicely.
I agree about 5:2 working well, even when life gets tricky. I also agree about reading books before you wrap them as presents! 😎
It sounds like gardening where you are is very much like gardening in so many country Australian places.
GL isn’t the garden happy after good rain! Apparently they get nitrogen from the rain too.
I know, from living in Central Victoria, that gardens take so much persistence, over years, to get those microclimates happening. Fingers crossed you’ve had your natural disasters, and you get years of positive growth now.
Nice to hear about the good people up for Australians of the Year.
Best wishes to anyone fasting today. It is my lull day, but I am practicing my normal eating and hoping I’ll get that ‘replete’ feeling right today.
Woe is Me! Don’t know how I do it, but the last weekend saw me gain 3.5kg, so started Monday at 77.9kg.
Because there are so many leftovers and YUMMY bacon & egg pie etc, I can’t bring myself to do my Quick on / Quick off fasting routine, so this week I will be fasting during day, and just having a main meal at night, but seeing as I prob won’t get a “liquid only” day in, am thinking that even fasting thru the day will not be enough to get back to where I was. (So, Thin, I think I’m still struggling with Wild Weekends.. and I wish they’d go away!!)
All this boils down to “not wanting to miss out!!” I cooked the yummy food, so will feel right royally ripped off if I don’t get to eat it…. so plans on hold while I try not to stress about over eating… and just hope I can have a few good weeks in Feb to reach my 74 goal before the family wedding.
Happy Ozzie day to the fasters over there! The ozzie’s in my company here are all feeling a little ripped off that they don’t have the day off – ahh well!!!
Welcome SecretS – I like that sound of your strategies – grand idea.
Hey Cinque – unfortunately no, walking is still a hobble at times and running a distant dream… one step at a time aye!
Never mind Nik, you’ve come a long way so you have a lot to be proud of. I completely understand the emotion of not wanting to miss out on food items. Could any of these items be frozen for later enjoyment? That way you can sort of have your bacon pie and eat it too!
It felt much hotter than the forecast 33C when I was out for my walk at 7.30am. Many revellers had staked out their front row seating and some were already drinking beer in the hot sun with 12 hours to wait for the fireworks show.
Poor Nik, good luck with your plans. It is so hard when you feel you might miss out.
I hope you can flip your thinking and feel that you are the centre of the world, and you are not going to miss out on your own body working the best it can.
Thanks for the Ozzie Day cheers! There are some nice things happening. I heard a fabulous version of our National Anthem sung translated into an Aboriginal language, and then accompanied by being translated back into English. Fabulous, stirring harmonies , and it came out as ‘Rise up beautiful Australia!’ Which I like much better than ‘advance Australia fair’.
Thin, did you see the fireworks?
It is amazingly mild here. Quite humid, but I don’t mind that when it isn’t hot.
The garden loves it too.
How is everyone going?
Day before fast day for me. Life is good.
Hi Nik
As Cinque says, try to flick your thinking to the reverse about the food you are cooking. Maybe you could think of yourself as a chef to the family. My sister who has never been fat, cooks “for others”. She will make a whole special meal for the extended family and only eat a teaspoon of each dish to ensure they taste ok. She says she focuses on the pleasure that others get from her food. She doesn’t eat sweets.
For her own meal she makes homemade vegetable soup or salad, or a very simple dish of slow cooked meat and vegetables. Her day consists of a coffee with milk, then one meal later in the day. If she is hungry, she will eat an apple or some celery or carrot or a few raw nuts. She usually has eaten her main meal of the day by 5 pm.
She has recognised what we all are taking time to do, that after we turn 50, we do not need to eat anything like the amount of food that we used to eat. She does not fast but has control of her total intake of food.
OTOH, I prefer to fast twice a week and thereby be able to have a drink or a sweet treat once or twice a week. The only way I can control my food intake is to severely reduce my intake of grains, sugars and starchy foods. When I indulge in these foods, I put on weight. In some funny way they also undermine my desire to eat healthily.
Over to you and your individual solution. 😉😉🌺🌺. I hope this doesn’t come across as preachy. I am a work in progress, always dealing with temptation.
Cheers, Bay ☕️☕️🌶🌶🐾🐾
Thanks for the great ideas Bay, Thin & Cinque – Still one more meal of bacon & egg pie at least, but I am conditioning myself for it to be the last for me, and then it’ll just be a matter of getting back to proper days.
I am the same Bay, anything bready or cakey just puts a total pause on any loss.
Cheers Nic
Hi all,
Nik, I totally understand that ‘missing out’ feeling. It is what is usually my undoing. I cook it, and I want to eat it – or OH brings out some sweet things, and I feel like I am missing out if I don’t have it. I am doing well avoiding the chocolate he drags out – but at the moment, chips are my undoing. Sigh, we are all a work in progress, aren’t we?
Gee, Bay, I don’t know how your sister does that – cook for others then eat something small herself. I get pleasure from others eating what I have cooked – but if I don’t eat it, I feel so deprived and take it out on everyone else.
We had a terrible hailstorm the other night. I had an amazing crop of big, healthy tomatoes on six plants – still green, but getting ready to turn colour in the coming weeks. The hail really did a number on them – so many have big holes in them from being hit – and the top of all the plants and quite a few arms have been snapped. It is such a shame, after all my efforts.
Had a good fast day on Monday, but am struggling with the whole junk food thing at the moment. I don’t know why it is so difficult right now – maybe because OH has been home a lot the last week, or is it because my health has not been good again? I wish I knew!
Good morning everyone. I am sitting outside listening to a crow calling, sound of summer. My hands smell of tomato plants ( not very productive, I haven’t picked a tomato yet. But there are a few coming). The big moon is still in the sky. There is a lovely silky breeze.
I hope it is as nice where you are.
Bay I love your sisters attitude!
I notice that eating and socialising is a bit of an overload for me. I am better eating when I can be a bit more mindful, and enjoy every bite, and if I am socialising I like to make the most of the people who I am with. So I am more and more downplaying, downsizing, the food when I am socialising. ( because what is the point of eating if you can’t enjoy every mouthful?)
Enjoy that last egg and bacon pie Nik. Then you will love getting back into the swing of things.
So sorry to hear about your tomatoes Nap. Weather is such a great friend, and such a cruel, thoughtless foe.
Does a fast day help you by taking a break from the junk food? It is so hard that once you start the sugar fat mix keeps you coming back for more. I hope you can make today a really good day for yourself. Sending best wishes.
Fast day for me, and I woke up hungry. Damn. Maybe that means it is going to work very well? Hopefully?
I’ll treat myself to a pot of coffee.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
I thought my ears were burning 🙂 Hi, Jilly. I’m in Wellington. Welcome, and to Secretlyslim.
I’m saying no to a lovely morning tea at work this morning, never could have (halo shining on FD). Still have a kilo or two to lose after the Aussie trip, no fasting while away. Sadly we missed out on seeing our younger son and his family except for one evening. They were to have come to the Hunter Valley with us for the weekend, but came down with a nasty bug. Little fellow starts daycare this week, his mother (reluctantly, but needs must if they want to buy a home) is going back to work.
Yes Cinque, I could see most of the fireworks from our upstairs windows.
Nap, not sure if you mean hot chips or potato crisps but I was cured of the latter forever by checking the ‘nutritional’ info on the packet. Not worth the pain. Calories in hot chips I suppose varies considerably depending on how they’re cooked but I bet a quick check on myfitnesspal would help curb your appetite for them.
Best wishes to all those fasting today.
Hi all, am doing a liquid only day, so finally heading in the right direction. Yeah Nap – am totally with you re the “Missing Out” thing that I can’t ever see me being cured from. Can’t imagine how Bay’s sister can do what she does!!!!!
I am now 3kgs away from the goal I had set myself for family wedding, so am aligning brain to have a big effort come Feb.
Something interesting is that I haven’t really lost any weight since start of Dec, which is co-incidentally when I had to give up running, and also had big weekends with Xmas functions… so I’m hoping with no more big weekends, I can start loosing again. I have a horrible feeling that I may have reached the point where I have to look at calories, as when I do eat, it’s prob way above my daily “allowance” and I’m more just maintaining my weight with big fasts during the weekdays. Will be interesting to see, as I will be doing eveything I can to avoid counting of any kind, as am just too damn lazy and quickly lose interest (I have in the past) when counting points or calories etc. I think when I ran twice a week, it was that, along with my fasts that lost the weight, and now I don’t run, simply fasting isn’t enough to maintain my excess calorie ways.
Despite all the advice on here to reduce my TDEE portion sizes, I have just kept eating my usual plate size (from 90kg days) when I do eat…. so something will have to change. I know! I know!!
But I will be doing everything I can to avoid that day coming!
Well done on your morning tea decision, Barata – stirling effort.
What a shame re the tomatoe plants, Nap.
For those that weigh in tomorrow, I hope you have something happier than I to report 🙂
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7:51 am
17 Jan 16