Welcome Suejen and, for those that don’t know, SJ’s from WA. Hurray!

Intesha, don’t keep us in suspense – did anyone recognise you at the picnic yesterday?

Thin it was a bit of an anti climax. I was geared up to make a grand entrance in figure hugging clothes but the weather had other ideas and it absolutely poured. When I did venture out of the car I had a couple of comments about how good I looked but that was about it. The picnic was a wash out.

Merry just stick with us we are all heading towards the same goals and there are plenty of curve balls to test our faith. I think we are all winners👍

The exercises were in the Better Homes and Gardens Nov 2015 issue. All in 12-16 reps. With hand weights. Overhead shoulder press, tricep kickacks, bicep curls lateral raises, upright rows and finally chair dips. I do these every second day and the other day I do 4 mins HIIT session on a stationary bike. I don’t do any other exercise regime.

Woohoo Cinque. 💐💐

GL. Thanks for the exercises. 💃💃

Hi Merry, congratulations on lovely management of ‘tired’ eating.
I had an episode myself yesterday evening after taking the girls to the airport. Part tired eating, part unwinding. I decided to give my psyche what it was craving and went down to the chicken and chip place, but it was so full of people queuing (not wanting to cook on such a hot day) that I came home and was more sensible and economical eating the last of the chicken and mushroom stew and making potato wedges. And then some raw cashews. And then I said ‘remember how painful it was last time you squashed too much in that tummy of yours?’ and so I gave myself a rest and after half an hour I wasn’t hungry, wasn’t in pain, but still felt like I had treated myself.
Back to healthy portions today, and fasting tomorrow!

I am going to a community lunch today at the Neighbourhood House I am involved in. It will be fun dressing for it!

Hi everyone. Simpatico here and I’m from Sydney.

I’m new to this forum but have been a long time lurker. I have been so inspired by your comments and tips and success stories to the point that I have started the 5:2 diet AGAIN this week. I’ve tried it before with some success ( I usually lose about 6 kilos then too many social things take over and some of the kilos creep back on…) but this time I am determined to start again properly and make this a way of life. Turning 50 two weeks ago has also been a great incentive, I think 🙂
Monday was my first fast day- 1 kilo down! And today is Fast day 2- going well so far. Currently I weigh 86.4kg and I’m 175 cm tall.

Hi Merry, Bay, Cinque, lovely to read your posts and insights. Thanks for the exercises GL but I was hoping it would be something pain-free like 5:2. 😆

Intesha – thanks for the update on the picnic. Don’t you worry – they’ll have noticed! Good attitude about the pesky scales – as Cinque says they’ll be showing 60 something soon.

Welcome to our two newbies, Teen and Simpatico. Ask us anything. We don’t pretend to know everything but there’s always someone who’s been where you are now. Tell us a bit more about yourselves on your profile if and when you’re ready (it helps those of us with short memories keep track of who’s who plus, speaking for myself, I’m nosey).

Jilly, trending down, yeah! Hope your FD has gone well.

Nik, are you lost somewhere on the N.I. of the land of the long white cloud? Mindfully eating and not partying at all of course. 😆

Simpatico, Happy 50th. My GP loves to remind me that when I first became his patient five years ago, I weighed in at 87kgs. I don’t believe him as my scales only ever got to 83kgs but it doesn’t matter because today I’m 59.4kgs. You can be too. Stick to the forum. Lots of people fall off the wagon – and get right back on with help and encouragement from these pages. Go us!

Teen, we have others here from Canberra. We’ll all love to help you get into the obese range. Please don’t think I’m being bossy but do tell us if you’re actually a young teen because obviously some of the advice we might give on here may not suitable for someone aged, say, 13.

Gorgeous cool wx for us in the west today – 39C forecast for Saturday but I can almost deal with it when I know summer’s coming to an end. Lots of gardening today, feeling great, comfortably under 60kgs so one fast a week is going OK for me so far. Probably because, unlike most of you, I don’t have that exciting of a social life.

Hi thinatlast

Teen is a shortened version of my name, T or Teen is what my friends call me. I am actually 45yrs old 🙂

I have recently had the lightbulb moment and dug my head out of the sand as far as my weight is concerned. So I have researched diets and what I think would suit me, I am seeing a counsellor to help with my eating issues and I have signed up with a gym, so I hope that this year will be a good one.

I hope to post next week that this week has been a good one and I have had a loss in weight:)

Thanks for the great welcomes and for listening

Teen

*supportive people 😆 but not always terribly attentive apparently:

OMG, Teen, just read the ‘peri-menopausal’ part of your post and there’s me asking if you’re a teenager. D’oh! And I’m not even fasting today. Sorry.

Good morning all and welcome to our newbies. What a journey you have embarked on. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

This time last year I was 85kg. FD today 71.9 down from Tuesday FD of 72.4. I am still amazed. It has been a very hard slog at times and life’s little ups and downs can play havoc with whether you will stick to it or not but I have to say it is well worth it.

So stay tuned to this forum and you will achieve wonderful things.

Hi from hot Sydney! I’m on grandma duty again, at the end of fast day, but luckily my son in law will be on duty too. I had a bad trip for my ill health with a cancelled plane and then the next one was late. Too much for someone who needs to lie down every couple of hours. Glad to get here and have cups of tea. And why not get the fast day over and done with too.

Hi Intesha!
Simpatico, very nice to get that encouraging start!
Re tracking calories… You’ll need to work out what works for you, some people find they need to carefully count everything.
I don’t: I concentrate on eating as healthily as I can, with sensible portions and only as much snacking as I really need.
I have found that the fast days help me. My tastes are changing away from junk food and snacks, and my portions are naturally getting smaller.
It is important to me to be in training for eating normally once I have got to the healthy size, and this is my way of doing it.🎋🌺🐚🌸🎋🎋🌺🌺🌺🌾🌺🌺

🍓🍓🌎🌰🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🐾🍀💐🕸💐💐🕸🕸🕸🕸

Emojis by my granddaughter

Hi Nap, it was hard to read your post. I’m hoping that writing it down in such a frank and honest way has been cathartic for you. Good job keeping up the fast days.

Cinque, sorry about that journey from hell. Now that you’ve had a cup of tea, what do the dodgy scales say? Yep, my brain is addled. Have a lovely time with your family.

Intesha, hurry on down to the 60s, OK?

Hi Barata, how’s everything in the windy city?

Simpatico, well done on your encouraging results so far. While you’re getting good results, I wouldn’t bother counting calories on non-FDs for now. This WOL is sustainable because, unlike conventional diets, we can have what we like most of the time. You will probably find that 5:2 will shape your portion control and food desires naturally over time. You do need to be aware of your TDEE and try not to go over it though – having what we want on non-FDs doesn’t mean having ‘as much as we want’. We all have a tendency to over compensate before or after a FD but we learn from that. Ultimately, you need to be learning to eat for the weight you want to be, not the weight you are now – but that can wait while you settle into your new WOL. Good luck!

Hello Everyone,
HELLO NAP!
🌺🌸🌷🌸🌺
Sydney was very kind when I arrived yesterday and didn’t reach the expected top temperature ( but sympathy to those in other parts of NSW.) But I was still exhausted. A lot better this morning. Hang on I’ll go and find the scales. ( I’d have forgotten if you hadn’t reminded me Thin)

3 minutes later….
Oh well the scales say exactly the same as when I was last here! 58kg And that was about 4 months ago. Just as well I don’t fuss about weighing! They are dodgy scales but that is a bit ridiculous.
I fit into clothes that didn’t fit me back then. It just goes to show I am better off without scales!
Or else I am completely deluded!

Intesha, I think I might have brought some milder weather with me! Aren’t I kind! 😏

Nap, thanks so much for posting. It is a big thing that happens in your life when you have serious and long lasting illness. You have to wobble through all the stages of grief, and at the same time you have to get through the days.
What is the state of your health now? Is it the orthostatic hypotension that is the central issue, or what else is happening?
Cheers and all power to you for looking ahead, and that is a nice step if your tastes are changing.

There was such an interesting documentary on SBS last night about guts and the microbes in our lower intestines and how they can effect our appetite, our weight, etc. the big take home message was that fibre feeds the good microbes, and that a wide variety of (unprocessed) foods, mainly vegetables, helps us most. Oh and avoid antibiotics if you possibly can.

Well it is ten o clock and I haven’t had my coffee yet. Time to remedy that unhappy situation!

It was 10 o clock in the morning Thin. I’m like you and, sadly, have to keep coffee drinking to the morning.

I’ve had two cups now though. Happy Cinque! 😃😃😃😃😃

It was called The Diet Myth! I’d recommend watching it if you get the chance. Everyone!

Yep, cup of tea and a good lie down is my mantra!
(And my morning coffee ☕️)

I am in a good place being within my healthy weight range and still happily losing, if slowly! Must run….

Cinque, I wonder – do you ever get annoyed? You’re like a ribbon of calmness gently blowing through the thread every day. I’ll watch that programme. Oh, 10am! I do get mixed up with the GMT clock on here.

Mixed feelings about the empty nest thing, Nap. Is your son living nearby? How old is he? DD is an only child too. I know that when she finally leaves home, she’s not coming back so I want to make the most of having her around and I do enjoy her company as a young adult (most of the time). We want to support her in any way we can while she’s studying so hard – one of the reasons for ultimately choosing a Perth uni over her preferred Sydney option. On the other hand, I am keen to live in other places and OH isn’t getting any younger (late-life parents) so actually it’s ME wanting to leave the nest! Three more years…….

Good morning, you know I said the scales were dodgy? Well this morning I decided to stand on them again. I realised the zero wasn’t sitting straight by a few marks, so I adjusted it and when I stood on them this time they said 54 kg. Just saying that this might indicate I am not deluded about 5:2 working.

Lol, Cinque. I think we have all had those times when we have written out so much, then edited it to something more polite and ‘decent’…Haven’t we??

Thin, my son will be 22 this year and he now lives about half an hour away, on the other side of Canberra. It was really scary when he first left, and I felt terribly guilty – I had encouraged him to move out for a while. But it has worked out wonderfully. He is very happy and is doing really well. I always said he can come back, just stick out the six month lease – but it is clear he is not coming back then. Somehow I raised a child who is able to look after himself!

Yes, my health goes up and down, and often with no rhyme or reason. If I push things physically, I often end up paying for it, and I do know stress is terrible. I can appreciate that I have been doing well for so long, and, although I knew it was a downhill slope, and I was very gradually getting worse, I have had a good couple of years. I am now stubborn with it, and refuse to just lie down and moan – I keep moving and making sure I don’t turn into a couch potato.

Cinque, I didn’t know you had a chronic illness as well – you probably said, but it is hard to remember who said what when I can’t put a face to the name. And I totally agree with you – it is so frustrating that some people seem to sail through life, being successful, because they are lucky enough to have good health. Yet some of us have days where we struggle to even get up and get dressed – and need to have rests throughout the day.

Surprise of all surprises – I actually lost weight this week. I have no idea how, I have been eating terribly. I did have a couple of days I did not eat much until dinner, but still, it is a real surprise. According to MyFitnessPal, I have now lost 38 kgs. Woo hoo!

Hello everyone. I had a good fast yesterday thanks! Congrats on yours Thin!
My daughter has the miso sachets so that was nice through the day, and veggie soup last.
A bit wonky this morning, but I doubt it is because of fasting, I will take it slowly though.

Hi Nap, yes I have Chronic Fatigue Syndome (ME/CFS – Merry does too) and one of my main symptoms is orthostatic hypotension, I spend all my time avoiding queues, and it also keeps me fairly housebound. If I overdo things, especially physically, all my symptoms worsen, so I am very glad 5:2 works even for people who have to be sedentary. It has kept me out of the workforce all century, and made bringing up my poor daughter very difficult.

So glad you lost weight this week, I hope it helps boost the new week into being a good one for you.

Hooray for the rain, it is so warm here in Sydney, and I fear my garden is dying at home. But I’ll be home in a week and get it back to rights. Autumn is beginning ( but happy leap year day first!) so my favourite weather is coming.

Best wishes everyone! 🌺🍃🌺🍃🌺

Good morning all,

So, last week was my first week on 5:2 and I managed to have two FDs. I stepped on the scales over the weekend and was greatly surprised to see that I had “lost” 1.8kgs !!!! I know that over the first couple of weeks it is going to be be mainly water weight but it is good to see the number going down.

Its is a cloudy overcast day here in the ACT and I am so hoping for rain 🙂 as I can’t stand the temperatures we have been having recently. Have a great week all.

Teen

Hi Everyone
I am in Brisbane and I have decided to start this program. I’m sitting here feeling rather hungry. I am trying to put off eating as long as possible so that I won’t be tempted to eat more than I should. I have had some chicken stock cube in hot water. that at least will help a little.
My neighbor has started as well so I hope that we can be successful together.
Cheers
Jacqui

Welcome Jacqui – we all manage our FDs differently. When I started 5:2 (Aug ’14) I had three small ‘meals’ on a FD starting with 30gm of steel cut oats. I was never really hungry. These days, I try to go as long as possible with food, usually until about 2pm. Others do much better and save all their cals for the evening meal which is preferable from a ‘fasting’ perspective. We’ve all learned that hunger comes and goes in waves and keeping busy is a good distraction. Having a neighbour to help each other along is ideal. Check in here regularly; you’ll find the people really supportive and helpful. Good luck to you both.

Good Morning everyone, posters, oldies, newbies, just about to starters, readers and lurkers:-)

Well done Teen, Congratulations! That’s a brilliant start:-)

Welcome Jacquie:-). You’ll find you’ve made a great decision starting 5:2 and having a neihbour doing it with you is great. Sometimes people have co-workers who do it as a couple or group, and these companions do help each other along the way.

GL – you’ve done really well! Don’t for a minute think holding steady is bad. What’s happening is still a change from your previous situation. Given the same situation, pre 5:2, you might have put on weight. Now you’re holding steady, and the downward trend will resume again when you’re ready. If you think of it this way it’s actually a gain. These are not the times to give up, and it’s where those who give up make their biggest mistake. They think it’s not working, or don’t perservere through the more difficult times, and just at the most important time to stay on 5:2 they stop instead. Your 1″ off your waist is excellent, arm excercises great, and you know something is consolidating itself in your body. You’re doing well!

This is about where my memory get’s really dodgy and I forget where everyone else is up to. My techie skills aren’t the most brilliant, dodgy memory from ME/CFS anyway, and even if I scrolled back, I could forget something when I get back to the window to write in. Ce la vie! Please know, everyone, that I read every post and am thinking of you and celebrating your achievements with you as we take this journey together!

My life is continuing in the world of crazy that has become our daily norm over the last few months., so only read this paragraph if you want to,notherwise skip to the next one. The identity theft siuation has reduced down to annoying but bearable, ongoing police investigation. The-Great-Father-In-Law-Crisis is still ongoing daily. At his peak he made 26 phone calls to 1 son-in-law in 24 hrs, while simultaneously obsessively ringing my OH, his sister, and occasionally me, and all while being abusive and raging. He is like a tsunami wreaking havock through the lives of his children, children-in-law, and dragging in police, several solicitors, a pending wedding. He’s 98, going into mid stage dimensia with a psychiatric streak worsening and has a female predator who the community think is such a lovely nice lady, a carefully constructed outward persona. We are now joking about writing film scripts, hiring prostitutes, hiring hitmen, listing him on ebay and gumtree for $1 but I think we’re downgrading that to ‘we’ll pay you to take him away” status atm, but seriously, if the humour doesn’t come in, then all peace of mind goes out the window. We’ve started hiring a cleaner because we just don’t get past cleaning the dishes, and cleaning the clothes, sheets, towels, and the garbage out., but house routine has gone for a long walk. The Christmas decos are down but not packed away, paper stuff is accumulating in odd places, you get the picture. I’m ready to take off on a long cruise on an ocean far, far way…………… We’re living in the land of ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ . Just to make things e.a.s.i.e.r ….. we now have another challenging situation reared it’s head over the last fortnight. Wider family are helping where they can. 1 is living with DFIL for short bursts periodically, and 1 is arriving to help us for a few days.

How are OH and I doing on 5:2? OH is now doing 5:2 more seriously, his clothes are getting a lot looser and people beginning to notice his weight loss. I’m hanging in there staying steady, yet again, but ‘never give up’ is my 5:2 mantra, so Churchillian. Thank you Winston. Sometimes I do the mental replay of some of his wartime words in my head. No I wasn’t there, but all but the very young should have heard them somewhere along the way. We will meet them at the bakers; we will meet them at the gelato bar, and we may meet the in the biscuit and chip aisles in the supermarket, but we will never, never, never, never, never give up! So, this weeks weigh in yesterday was exactly the same as last Monday. Doing FD today instead of yesterday, and will probably do Friday instead of Thursday as well. Even so, my weight was down 0.3 kg over yesterday. I have got rather irratic in my eating. We never know when the phone will ring and we’re off on another tangent for a few hours. Just trying to keep our nutrition going as best we can, and upping some medication. Back on my Blood pressure meds, sigh, and not expecting it to go down till this is all over. Maybe I should change that expectation?

Anyway enough from me. I have not moved my weight for months now, which is frustrating, but given our extreme circumstances over that time and continuing, I’m reaaaaaaallllly glad I’m doing this 2 clothes sizes smaller, and only 6kgs from goal weight. It is such a relief to be going through this at a normal weight and not putting on weight throught it. Thank you to you all for helping me along the way!! I can’t thank you enough.

Onwards and downwards!
Merry

oh my, just watched Insight with Micheal Mosley, very interesting !

Damn Sally, I missed it. I can watch it on iview when I get home.

Merry, so hard to read about such ongoing difficulties with your FIL. And that predatory woman making it worse. The fact that you are maintaining your current weight is something to be celebrated. Once things settle down you won’t know yourself. I’m just crossing my fingers that it is soon. 🌺🌸🌺🌸🌺

Hilary, hi! About time you came and had a good whinge.
I feel so much for your son. Teenagers seem to get CFS so severely. Hopefully, if he has to put his studies on hold he will have the chance to rest and rest and then do all the good things for his health. The positive thing is that usually when you stop pushing through, things have a chance to improve.
I do hope you can get a good long sleep sometime soon. A whole row of them.
Oh don’t we have a hard time with our daughters! We have to take the flack and be as patient as we can be while they find their own way. Best wishes to her though. Depression and extra kilos are an awful combination.
Btw I am someone else with gluteus missingmus! I have no bum, it is a wonder I can sit down. We just have to try and make it a highlight!
Some good sleep, excellent fast days ans sensible other days, I bet you will be that 2kg down by your anniversary party.
Keep posting so you can hear us cheering you on! 🐝🌿🐝🌻🐝🌿🐝

I’ve just weighed in after a good FD at 64.1 – now to hold most of it over the weekend is my challenge!