Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

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  • MerryMe I did the Austaralian Women’s Weekly Monday to Friday diet a little while ago and lost 3kg, some beautiful recipes in that book, but I spent $500 the first week with all the exotic ingredients. Bit less after that as I had the staples, and I thought my pantry was well stocked before. So the book you mentioned sounds quite good.

    Wow, gaining a foot! How’d you do that?

    The Star Wars movie last night was great, but the ads left a lot to be desired. A KFC ad with these young slim gorgeous people prancing around in bikinis – I bet they don’t eat KFC, ever. Also one for a local Indian restaurant, looked delicious but I just thought back to the last couple of meals I’ve had from there and how they were not a great example of Indian food. I came home, had a small handful of blueberries (went to blueberry farm on Monday so I have heaps) and went to bed, satisfied.

    Received my Fast Day Cookbook yesterday (Mimi Spencer) and it looks okay, but a bit too American for me, although there is a great section of things to throw together for a quick meal. Also the dressings section looks good. But I think I read somewhere the calorie counts are underestimated, and there are a couple of sections for men and none for women?!

    Just a question, some places I read on fast day it’s important to have a big gap between meals to give your system a rest. I’ve been trying to spread the food out over the day so I don’t get too hungry and it has been relatively easy like this, but a lot of plans say one or two meals a day only, and a lot of people skip breakfast. I could see myself doing this when I didn’t have to work, but skipping breakfast on a work day? Hmmm, I just don’t know about that, especially when people often bring tempting cakes and biscuits to work for morning tea. Or do I skip breakfast and bring a snack for morning tea instead? How do others do this?

    Hi Jody! Yes, the advertising industry sure tries to brainwash!

    With regard to when to eat one’s 500 calories on FDs (Fast Days), I started out like you, by eating small amounts through the day. What I found is that after eating anything on my FD I would be very hungry within an hour again or sometimes earlier. It was like a ‘hunger dragon’ was unleashed. On this forum I read the success others were having by waiting till later in the day to eat anything. Like Thin, I find I do best waiting until after 2 pm. This works for me and I always look forward to a hearty evening meal that sustains me overnight. However, this is what works for me and 5:2 is about finding what works for each of us. Your reasons for eating breakfast are very sound and there are no 5:2 rules that specify when to eat the 500 calories. I remember reading that Michael Mosley always ate breakfast when we was in weight loss mode, he’d skip lunch and then eat dinner. What I so appreciate about this WOL (Way of Lie) is the flexibility. I love that there are no forbidden foods! Psychologically, that is why I’ve been able to stick with this! Sometimes I avoid certain foods, though I still feel that I can eat them if I choose to.

    Now, as far as timing, there are theorists out there who say that the longer we can go without food, the better because the longer we go without food, the more likely we are to use stored fat and move into a state of ketosis. There are even those who practice pure water fasts for this reason. However, like Merry wrote in an earlier post, it is easy to be influenced by others who are pushing the envelope farther and farther to the extreme. Of course it sounds better to fast for longer hours more days, back to back. However, I personally have found when I’ve pushed the envelope in most of these ways I’ve found the practice less sustainable.

    So Jody, I support you in keeping with what works for you and I also trust that as you continue on the 5:2 journey that you will continue to find your way that works for you best. When I think of what is ‘best’, for me it means what I can keep doing happily.

    Hi gals, I started today and will follow your posts to keep me in check. I am in Perth too. I am a shorty who has gained 10kg’s in 7 years…slowly crept up.
    Anyway, lovn life but grog and a good feed are my weakness. Beer n wine and champagne under our beautiful WA sun. Turning 50 is awesome so have a great time. It is cool being a ‘grown up’ ha ha.
    We can do this. I just read the book and am in a good mind set. Will contribute more helpful info once I work it all out. Ciao.

    Hi Vaderz. I think the issue of goal weight is a tricky one. There is no point setting something you have no belief you can get to or maintain. But there is also no rule that says you can’t make adjustments to your target as you progress. Because progress can change your perception of what you can achieve.

    I was 147kg at my heaviest (in the late 1990s). I’m around 80kg now and trying to get back down to my preferred weight of 75kg (This is actually 11kg above my “healthy” weight range, but it works for me).

    I also found the healthy weight range to be an impossible dream. In my mid 20s I lost 50kg on Weight Watchers. They didn’t let you set your own goal weight, you had to get to the healthy weight range to become a lifetime member. For my height that is 47.4 – 64.0kg. I spent my last 4 months with them stuck at 69kg. I stuck to the program, went to the gym most days and my weight just wouldn’t shift any further. I became so disheartened I stopped going. As I didn’t get to their goal, there was no ongoing support and no access to the maintenance diet plan and I gradually regained all the weight I’d lost. It was my first harsh lesson about letting someone else dictate what my goal weight should be.

    I think it’s better to set your own goal. It needs to be a compromise between what you & your doctor think is a healthy weight for you and what you actually think you can maintain. My GP is happy if I keep my weight under 80kg. For me it’s the tipping point between normal and elevated blood pressure and my inflammation levels seem to get quickly out of control when my weight gets into the 80s. I also find it reasonably easy to be active and do gentle exercise if my weight is in the 70s, so for me it’s a sensible target and I don’t care if it means I’m still “technically” overweight. I have normal BP, normal blood sugar, low cholesterol, no nutrient deficiencies, no heart disease… I do have rheumatoid arthritis, but no amount of dieting will cure that, although it does help a bit with the inflammation and the weight my joints have to bear.

    The idea of being honest with yourself about what weight you truly believe you can maintain long term is an important one. I have regained lost weight too many times to be under any illusions about this. I think it better to succeed with a modest goal than to fail at a really ambitious one because when we fail to meet a tough weight loss goal our tendency is to lose ourselves in overeating again to “drown out” our sense of failure. This is something I’ve done too many times and it is not a healthy cycle.

    It’s also perfectly sensible to set an interim goal than can be reevaluated when you reach it. In 2013 I was 127kg and my initial goal was just to get to double digits. I got there just by changing a few high calorie elements of my normal eating pattern and keeping control of my weekly calories. The next goal was forced upon me as I needed to have a BMI of 35 or less to pass the risk assessment at my chosen hospital for a knee replacement. That meant I needed to get to 89kg. So that became my next goal (as I was under time constraints I lost this weight with a VLCD meal replacement diet). When I got there I decided I wanted to lose the “obese” label, which meant a BMI of 30, or 78kg, so that was the next target. Once I got to around 80kg my GP was so happy with the improvement in my health that he spoke to me about how important it was to maintain what I had lost and the health benefits I’d gained. That was more important than losing more weight if I thought I’d become disheartened about not getting to a lower goal weight. (I should point out that he’s been my GP for over 30 years and has seen my weight fluctuate wildly over the years, he knows my pattern when it comes to weight loss.)
    So once I got to 78kg I stopped trying to lose more, although in the aftermath of surgery I lost another 3kg and my weight settle comfortably around 75kg for 18 months. I gained some weight late last year when experimenting with changes that the dietitian had suggested that I didn’t handle well. I’m now using 5:2 to get back to 75kg.

    The temptation is to always want a lower and lower target but it isn’t always the right choice. I think we also sometimes set ourselves up to fail by moving the goal further way all the time. I’m grateful for my GPs plain talking because I probably would have fallen into that trap again had he not got me thinking about what good health meant for me. It’s a personal decision that each of us must make for ourselves, but I don’t see why we need to be locked into an weight range that someone else had dictated, especially when good health is defined by many things, not just what we weigh.

    OK, I think that’s the end of my rant for today! Sorry I do tend to get carried away with issues sometimes.

    LJ – you are Officially Awesome!!!

    So glad you are here too. Wisdom and inspiration in abundance.

    Merry

    Thanks LJ – very inspirational, you’ve done an amazing job, hopefully I can be at least half as successful!

    I totally agree with all your points – some of my posts may seem a little disjointed at times, but that’s because I’m trying to rationalise it all so that it makes sense in a reasonable and sustainable light. I’m totally on board with not looking too far ahead and keeping things moving in the right direction. 110.8kg would slide me just under the BMI 35 mark, so sub-110kg is definitely the right ‘next’ goal for me right now. 100kg is a sensible target after that… at this point, I really don’t care beyond that, all that talk about the healthy weight range really is just too far away to contemplate right now. The last 3.5 years has proven to myself that I can do this… still pretty new to 5:2 (although, I’m just about to hit the 2-month mark now – that’s flown by!), but the last few years has given me so much confidence in my mind set – that I know it’s just a matter of time.

    Thanks for taking the time to write all that, appreciate it.

    Good morning. Rain rain rain in Melbourne. Cool house, happy garden.

    Jodie, I also wonder about how much of a rest we are giving our system if we don’t go for long times without any calories at all…. remember those cuppas with milk in that I have on my fast days?
    Four or five hours would be the longest I go without any calories (apart from overnight). However, I have still lost my excess weight and show other signs of being healthier.

    I’m thinking it’s a bit like running my computer. If I am playing Diablo (action computer game) with my young friends the hard drive is working like mad and heating up and sometimes overheating. If I am just writing posts on the 5:2 forum it is so small it is like giving it a rest.
    I think our big meals are Diablo! The 500 calories on a fast day are so easy on our digestive system that it, and our whole body, has time to rest and repair.

    Okay, I know there are the theorists Lael mentioned, but I’m going so well that it is hard to convince me that this is not good enough!
    Especially because you have to go without any food for a couple of days and more to get into ketosis.

    Trace The Ace! Welcome here! How did your first day go?

    Ooh young friend has woken up. Get ready for Diablo computer!

    Thanks so much for your post LJ, hooray for honesty and plain talking.

    Best wishes all, Bye!

    I could be way off on the theory, but I doubt that 100 or so calories from milk over a 5-6hr period is enough to replenish glycogen stores (at least that’s what I tell myself, because I do the same thing, lol).

    The time to switch from glycogen stores to fat stores is probably dependent on a lot of factors, the main one being activity level. Even elite athletes who carbo load before running a marathon will hit that point somewhere just before the 2-hr mark (google ‘hitting the wall’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitting_the_wall ). That wiki article says a typical person stores around 1500kcal of glycogen (it’s probably not a case of using all glycogen, then your body suddenly switches to fat cells, I’m sure there’s plenty of overlap there – people lose weight on standard diets afterall)… and just because you’re starting to burn fat doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re in a state of ketosis (yet).

    That probably oversimplifies everything, but the point I’m trying to make is that we shouldn’t think that it takes at least 24-48hrs before we start burning fat cells (there will be some benefits way earlier than that), and also that having small meals on fast days (keeping under that 500cal), isn’t likely to have much of an impact on that process (especially if you avoid carbs during those meals).

    …and I went on bit of a Diablo binge over the past couple of weeks, have hardly played it at all this week, so that counts as a rest, right? πŸ˜‰

    Good Morning all, As promised I bought a new set of digital scales yesterday. Got home, put the batteries in and eagerly stood on them. Oh Dear! it says I am 1 kilo heavier than my old scales say, very disheartening and misleading as I know I still weigh the same no matter which set of scales I use. Old scales in the bin today!! Never mind, get the old mind back on track. Today is my second fasting day of the week. I have had a breakfast and I am going to try missing lunch and having a decent healthy calorie counted dinner. I only drink green tea and black coffee so milk isn’t a problem for me on the calorie side.
    LJoyce, back in 2011 I joined weight watchers and avidly stuck to the program. Went each week to the meeting but after 2 months I still had not lost weight, the staff at the meetings said I must be cheating and on the last weigh in day I went to I had actually gained .3 of a kilo. Never went again!
    I have tried all sorts of diets, Body Trim, Fat Blaster, the works but as soon as I go back to eating a sensible way I put the weight back on so seeing as the 5-2 is meant to be a life style eating habit I am really hoping I can get to my goat weight, EVENTUALLY, little steps at a time but more important is to loose dress sizes. I am in between an 18 and a 20 at the moment. I want to get down to a 14 if I can inch by inch it does not matter but the feeling when one can get into a previously tight fitting dress is rather awesome. That’s a high for me.
    I woke up this morning an really didn’t feel like going to do the exercise in the pool as it was drizzling.
    MADE myself go and I feel better for it. At least it’s not stinking hot at the moment so I don’t feel all lethargic and hopefully it will stay like it all day to give us a break from the heat.
    Bye all.

    Lael, your idea of Merry, you an me getting together for a coffee date in February sounds great to me.
    Keep me in the loop with the plans.

    Hi All
    Have to admit to being a little ordinary today. After the success I have had with this WOL over the past months (lost 6.6kgs), I have suddenly lost inspiration and yesterday’s FD went right out of the window! I have given myself a good talking to, ie I am now at my lowest weight for the last 8 years and know that this WOE works for me so I MUST stick to it, etc etc.

    I have decided that I can muddle along today and tomorrow but on Sunday, the start of the new week, I will fast and then continue on with this WOE.

    I am hoping to wake up in a better frame of mind on Sunday, so wish me luck

    Good luck to all

    wwall – that’s the beauty about this WOL… there’s nothing wrong with having an ‘off’ week, as long as you get back into it soon after – keep the overall trend down, not on a daily or weekly basis, but quarterly and yearly are the important ones.

    I started 5:2 about three weeks before Christmas… didn’t fast at all Christmas week, had parties with both sides of the family, drank way too much beer, had way too much chocolate – when weighed myself boxing day, I was almost back to where I started, but the next few weeks have taken that back off and then some. That’s one of the things I really like about this – we know exactly how to fix the effects of a crazy food week, just keep plugging along.

    …and if anyone is looking for some new food to try – I saw these tins of smoked Rainbow Trout in Aldi a couple of weeks ago and got one to try, finally just got around to having it now. OMG they are amazing. 170 cal’s per tin, something a little different to the standard tin of tuna. Will definitely be getting some more. I just mixed it up with some salad, quinoa and plain greek yoghurt, but I could just eat them straight out of the tin, lol.

    Hi Cinque & Vaderz

    Thought I’d add my 2 cents worth to the debate about consuming calories during a fast.

    When I adopted a 16:8 eating window a year ago, I did some very unscientific “research” – trolling the internet to see if fasting actually meant 0 calories. Basically I wanted to know if I could have 1-2 cups of tea with milk during the 16 hours that I was meant to be giving my body a fasting break.

    I found a lot of sites that said 50 calories, although many said it is relative to the size of the person and 50 is just a guide. I’ve used this as my upper limit since then as it allows me the 2 cups of tea I wanted. I also remember the Michael Moseley documentary that resulted in the 5:2 program – one of the things he did in that program was a 3 day fast. He didn’t just drink water, he had black tea and coffee (which have a tiny amount of calories) and he also had a miso soup sachet each day (about 20-30 calories depending on the brand). For me this supported the idea that your body can stay in a fasting state even with very small calorie amounts consumed.

    The other personal evidence I have is to do with a reaction I have to pain killers with a high codeine content (Panadeine Forte). If I take them on an empty stomach I get an intense cramping pain in my upper abdomen. The obvious answer is to take them with food. My GP said that the cramping is caused by the codeine being released too quickly into my blood steam. By diverting some of my blood supply to the small intestine for digestion it slows down the rate that the codeine is absorbed and eliminates the cramps. I used to take these particular pain killers between 11pm and 4 am – basically whenever the pain from rheumatoid arthritis was preventing me from sleeping. Naturally I had an empty stomach in the middle of the night. I found that I had to eat about 150 calories to prevent the cramping reaction, any less and it still happened. And oddly enough, it had to be solid food – hot milk or cocoa didn’t work. Thankfully I now have a different pain killer that doesn’t cause this cramping reaction, so I can take it at night without having to eat.

    LJoyce at al, I have found the issue surrounding ‘fasting window’ quite confusing so I welcome this discussion. Actually, it seems it’s more aptly called an ‘eating window’ and I do try to confine my FD intake to within a 6 hour window between 2pm and 8pm to allow a greater ‘fasting window’. Which is really two fasting windows as, almost slap bang in the middle of the 36 hour period, we consume up to 500/600 calories.

    Also nagging at me has always been the 20 cals that I allow for my almond and coconut milk for coffee in the morning. This is the one thing that enables me to make FDs sustainable because I’m addicted to coffee and do enjoy my two cups first thing in the morning.

    Obviously, it’s made no difference to my weight loss or subsequent maintenance but I have long wondered whether, by consuming these 20 cals, I was sabotaging the non-tangible effects of fasting. (Frankly, the problems I experienced with my brain persist after 30 months of 5:2, most noticeably manifested in my word-finding deficit).

    All this made me consider switching to the 24 hour water fast. I have tried this only once just prior to flying overseas and it ended up being closer to 27 hours but, again, I did have a cup of coffee in the morning so I felt as if I’d cheated. It worked wonders wrt to giving me a substantial weight loss with which to start my trip – but did the 20 cal intake destroy potential ketosis?

    I’ve long been reading posts on this forum promoting the 24 hr water fast. Just recently I read a post from one of those proponents admitting that he drinks coffee with milk during his 24 hr fast. This would seem to me not be a 24 hr water fast therefore. I’d love to hear more about the 50 cal exception if there’s any scientific evidence to support that theory.

    If not, I’ll continue to be thrilled with what this WOL has afforded me, the friends I’ve made here and the greater self-confidence that being slim brings.

    Hello everyone,

    Having a lovely day! Off to see a movie in half an hour. Arlo wrote a very funny book ( holiday homework) called Dreadful Grandmas.

    Good to see you Wwall! It is a new day! Good luck and best wishes for your next fast.

    This is a good discussion about incomplete fasting. I’ll investigate more too!

    Good Afternoon everyone,
    wwall just remember what it felt like 6.5kg ago. Go to the shops and count on the shelf 13 tubs of butter probably not enough of the one brand to get to 13 or pick up three 2 litre milk cartons, this should help inspire you. If your feeling a little out of sorts or think you are waning on this WOE jump on the forum and have a read or write what you are feeling (as you have done) the support will come. I am here before I have finished my FD because I am hungry and am thinking about a salad which is OK to have but I want to save it for another 2 hours time to have later because eventually I will have eaten and then I will go to sleep and FD over.
    It’s the keeping busy in the afternoon that gets me through to a late dinner time and my planned afternoon chores got cancelled due to a job not going ahead tomorrow so I thought I better jump on to the forum to help get me through.

    Hi Thinatlast, I read your post above regarding fasting windows, I don’t know about the need to worry about when you eat on a FD as you are taking in only one quarter of the energy (food) needed for your body to operate for a day. An analogy of the motorbike fuel tanks. Motorbikes have a reserve fuel tank that you have to turn a knob to run on the reserve tank normally when your main tank is empty thus you can get to a fuel station within say 50kms. If you only put one litre of fuel into the main tank (which can hold 12 litres) instead of filling up fully and then ride off down the road you are going to have switch back to that reserve tank again quite soon. I believe this is how our body is operating on a FD. The energy in that white coffee in the morning will power your body for about 20 minutes if you are just sitting down then your body will switch to it’s reserve tank. I got this number by dividing 8000kj by 24 hours equating to 333kj per hour to run your body. What do you reckon? Can’t possibly be wrong could it. There you all go workings of the body all sorted we can all go home.

    My mate just called to say he was coming around for a beer to which I warned him I shall not be partaking to his response you can just drink water then. This will help with my FD dinner being put back though so every cloud does have a silver lining.
    I will post my efforts later tonight regarding meals.

    Joffy, I rather like your motorbike analogy and, in the absence of anything more scientific, I happily accept it for now. πŸ˜† It also explains why you have run out of fuel this afternoon …. so a job well done! Stay strong with your friend today.

    Oh dear I have come home from the movies to hear about the awful incident in Melbourne CBD. Heart breaking.
    Until then it was so lovely. We watched the film Moana which was wonderful, just exquisite animation and a great story. Then Arlo had a go on the bungee trampoline thing they had set up. Then we bought food mall food for dinner. Very happy that food mall food is a very occasional thing!

    I also did a bit of internet research on fasting, to see about the complete abstinence of food. I only combed the surface, but found it interesting that, apart from starvation diets, there is not much clarity about it. All the ideas about abstinence from food tend to go back to religious ideas. All the best science seems to go to the idea of calorie restriction, which is about lower calories over life, rather than complete restriction on any day.
    I’m looking forward to looking into it more.

    Joffy, cheers to you. I hope the last couple of hours before salad went quickly. Your reserve tank analogy is a good one!

    Hi πŸ™‚

    I’m a newbie ! This is the start of my 3rd week πŸ™‚
    So a bit about myself… I’m 44, start weight 94 kgs , 1.6 m in height – in essence fat. In the past I have done Atkins – which lost me 20 kgs so I could have babies (I have PCOS). I developed Gest Diab with both pregnancies and on insulin. I was advised by a lovely Diabetes Educator that I could not eat low carb because I would hurt my babies so I was advised to eat cereals etc particularly when I was pg with twins. I tried Atkins again but with those damn bars and the weight that I gained with my last pregnancy did not go anywhere plus I gained. I could not figure it out. So I gave up.
    I’ve had a bit of a wake up call. On Christmas Day, I had a health scare – heart racing, blood sugars where high etc.
    I have a friend who is this rather lovely Dietitian, who has quietly kept in the background whispering Fasting Diets. So three weeks I started reading The Blood Sugar Diet. I think I must of read half the book that day. DH and I talked a lot. It made sense to both of us. So I started.
    I’m down to 90.5 today. I am loving the fasting days. I have clarity. I have less anxiety. I am using Lifesum. I am loving it – and I’ve worked out what I was doing wrong on the Atkins. For me it’s not just about being in Keto, I need to watch my calories and I do need to exercise.
    Currently I haven’t been able to get out and walk. School holidays and DH has been away so I’m struggling as to how to get three kids walking with me – particularly the tween who hates being outside (many allergies). Eying up taking over the Wii πŸ™‚
    Anyways . That’s me πŸ™‚

    KGF

    Welcome KGF and thanks for sharing your background story. I hope you can find a way to get the exercise you need – a treadmill maybe? or exchanging babysitting/playdates with friends who have little ones? Just thinking out loud. Are you following the BSD or just reading the book to supplement 5:2?

    Thanks for your research efforts Cinque. I had a look for scientific articles too. Nothing good yet.

    I’ve read both. I started with the Blood Sugar diet and then have gone back to read the first one. I was a bit scared of going 8 weeks fasting so looked at the 5:2. I think I could actually do the 8 weeks. But I might save that one up my sleeve til I am more confident with portion sizes etc.

    Hi again everyone,
    FD nearly done just got to fall asleep. With my mate popping over to watch me drink water dragged out having a salad until 7.30pm then soup at 9.30pm so feeling quite full and yes Cinque as we all know a watched kettle never boils but if you keep busy time flies.
    Welcome KGF, this is a good place to help you on your journey with this WOL.
    Meals for the day:
    1 x white coffee 150kj, bowl of salad 316kj, 500g of minestrone soup 800kj, 100g of kidney beans added to the soup 400kj. Total 1666kj or 398 cals.

    Hi everyone! I’m going to play ‘role call’ monitor here for the moment and hope I include everyone who is currently active on this thread and that I’ve spelled all your names correctly!

    So, greetings to, Merry, Cinque, Thin, Intesha, Joffy, Fishing Gran, LJoyce, Vaderz, Pintinlin, Bayleaf Oz, Charlotterose, Debdjd, chatelaine, JodyW, Spiritedpagan, Ladyfish, Canberraangel, Chani, Trace the Ace, wwall, Kiwis Go Faster and Canberrawarra

    The thread has been especially busy and I’m loving seeing so many starting and finding their way with this WOL (way of life). This thread has been a main reason I’ve been able to find my way through my own 5:2 snags was able to reach maintenance and now see it as much a part of my life as brushing my teeth. Here’s to even more joining us, for an even healthier population in the Southern Hemisphere!

    There have been so many interesting, intelligent and insightful posts lately and I’m enjoying reading them all. A couple of you mentioned me and though I’d like to respond back at this time, now that I’ve just finished reading the most recent post, I’ve forgotten what it is that I wanted to write in response, earlier! I might go back and re-read and take notes as I go along, though that will have to wait until tomorrow since it is going on midnight here on the Tweed Coast of NSW! (I’ve been busy all day and just got to the internet at this late hour).

    By the way I’m fasting tomorrow, Saturday, just in case anyone else is also, you’ve got company!

    Happy fast day Lael!

    Hello Merry, Lael, Thin, Intesha, Joffy, Fishing Gran, LJoyce, Vaderz, Pintinlin, Bayleaf Oz, Charlotterose, Debdjd, chatelaine, JodyW, Spiritedpagan, Ladyfish, Canberraangel, Chani, Trace the Ace, wwall, KiwisGoFaster and Canberrawarra

    …Yes I cheated πŸ˜‰ Thanks Lael.

    Welcome KiwisGoFaster, what a lot you have to contend with! I’m so glad you have found 5:2 and fingers crossed that it is the wonderful, sustainable thing in your life that it has become in mine. It is such a relief!
    Such a good idea to get 5:2 working nicely and then, when you have your confidence and the time is right, to do the 8 week BSD.
    I had to look up Lifesum (yep, app noob)!
    PS Congratulations if you can get three kids to do ANYTHING! Especially the tween!

    My young visitor sleeps in! It is rather nice. It’s his last day here.
    BUT I forgot my friend from Bendigo is coming this weekend, might arrive this afternoon! Hopefully I can keep up! It will be lovely though! πŸ™‚

    Fast day tomorrow.

    Busy Cinque!

    Morning All,
    Vaderz, when I go shopping I am going to look for those tins of trout in Aldi. I eat a lot of Tuna and this will make a great change. Thanks for letting us know.
    Thinatlast, 24 hour water diet ? No water for 24 hours, are you serious! Does that include green tea? lolol there is no way I could go without liquid for 24 hours seeing as I consume about 3 litres every day at present. Surely your body would suffer in a not nice advantageous way?
    I have never thought of calculating my overweight fat by going to the supermarket and picking up that many 3kg packets of sugar. IT’S SCARY!
    Morning KiwisGoFaster.
    Yesterday was my 2nd FD and I managed OK, all apart from a Dill Pickle Urge about 2pm. I ended the day by eating 536 calories. NO MORE DILL PICKLES! boo hoo as I love them so. lol
    Woke up around 5.30am today, that seems to become the norm for me, contemplated going for my exercise for about 10 mins then told myself not to be a wimp. So there was me doing my own version of water aerobics in the village pool in the rain! I have the pool all to myself in the mornings and I love it. Only do it for 20 mins but that’s enough. Today I am going to have a lovely calorie counted breakfast, I have decided that after each FD it can’t hurt, sort of a reward for the FD before. As long as I count the calories it should be fine. Oh well, today I sew, all day!
    Joffy, my body is equal to a motorbike….vroom vroom. lol

    Charlotte – 24hr water fast means that you can only drink water… not that you can’t drink water πŸ˜‰ In other words, no 500 calories to get you by, you get 0 calories – but drink as much water as you feel like… try to get sloshy πŸ™‚

    …I contemplated going for a run this morning, but it’s so hot and muggy already, that I did take the wimp out option! I might take the dog for a walk this morning maybe… maybe…

    Cinque, yes you are very busy! I trust you are getting time to yourself to rest and rejuvenate in between house guests? Sounds like you got good sleep through the night while your young visitor stayed!

    Merry, your descriptions of SH members make me smile and feel ‘spot on’ as I read them!

    Vaderz, I love dog walking! I live somewhere that dogs and cats aren’t allowed, so I drive over to a friend’s house to walk her dog!

    Charlotte, I also love moving around in the water and wish there were a pool near us. We’ve got the ocean within a 20 minute walk or a creek, though I find pools ideal for exercise! …Also, I’m a fan of dill pickles too! Here’s to you Merry and I being able to meet up!

    Joffy, your motorbike analogy is great! Makes a lot of sense! Also, late congratulations for reaching a 10 kg loss! Well done (and maybe more than 10 kg by now! I appreciate reading your calorie counts on FDs. Somehow I’d forgotten how low calorie cucumbers actually are until I read one of your tallies.

    KiwisGoFaster, interesting your account about your Atkins experience and how it worked initially and then it became more difficult to continue with in the long term. What I find is that I’m able to start out a diet and the novelty of it enables me to bypass any resistance I’m feeling toward the discipline it takes to properly follow the diet. However, over time I observe that I find ‘cheat’ ways around the daily grind of the discipline it takes to continue long term. I completely understand the turning to the Atkins bars for relief! I guess that’s why 5:2 works so well for me, because I only have to maintain a high level of discipline for 2 days a week. When I first started, I was concerned that I’d feel starving and binge on my NFDs (non-fast days), but I found that each morning after a fast day, I’d be less hungry, my stomach had shrunk so I desired to eat less and found that I was naturally making healthier food choices. Others might chime in with similar stories, since it seems to be common. I’ll be interested to hear if 5:2 helps with your insulin requirements prior to BSD commencement!

    I’m enjoying a lazy FD. I’m so happy it’s cooler and hope this cloud cover remains in place!

    Hi all reading the posts on when we eat on FD’s I think what works for you is the way to go I find if I eat breakfast then I am hungry very quickly so I have 500 cals for my evening meal but i do have two coffees with milk which i don’t count.this is what i did a couple of years ago lost 13 kilos lowered my blood pressure all signs of impaired glucose tolerance went also i only fasted two days a week but i caught a bad cold and just couldn’t get back on this WOL now FD’s are quite easy again all you lovely interesting people have me back on track thank you.

    Hope everyone in Melbourne is okay after events of yesterday. My family there were all fine.

    Cinque I loved the Diablo analogy, I’m a bit of a gamer myself, not so much time for it these days though. I have been playing a bit more since a young un came to work with us and I found out she was a gamer too and a PlayStation devotee like me. Once I get my PC fixed though I’m right back into computer gaming also.

    Joffy (haha autocorrects to Jody on my device) the motorbike analogy is pretty good also.

    Lael (autocorrect wants to make your name “Label”) thanks for all the helpful advice on fasting windows, etc. Now I know that if having breakfast works for me, then it’s probably okay. Although I didn’t really have breakfast today on a supposed non-fasting day so go figure. I’ve been on nights and it was more than a little difficult to get out of bed today. However I probably had more than 500 calories for my first meal alone today, so tomorrow I fast.

    Charlotte Rose, I also tried weightwatchers, the online version. I did lose some weight but I found I was starving the whole time. Me being someone who almost never gets hungry too, it didn’t seem right. It has worked for my mother though. I just hate how obsessive people become about it, I remember the online forums and some people were counting their fish oil capsules as a point! And people being all holier than thou about not using any of their exercise points. Also it’s almost all my mother talks about now, all while she’s offering me fattening food and eating it herself. I honestly don’t know how it worked for her, she eats more than I do! I only had 18 points a day (almost nothing) and they didn’t seem to acknowledge any fats or fruits as actually being good for you, which we all know some are. Only green vegetables had no points on their system.

    5:2 does seem to be working for me so far. I just looked at the chart on my Fitbit app, which comes straight from my Fitbit scale, and there is a fairly steady downward progression in my weight since my first ever fast day last Sunday. It’s only a small change in numbers but it is a change, and my BMI has gone down by 0.8 which is real progress. My belly fat feels different too, like it’s loosening up or something, ready to leave I hope. I feel better too, no reflux in bed this week, something which was becoming quite a common occurrence with me. Bending over to tie my shoelaces was putting pressure on my lungs too, and now that’s not so hard either. Although the last two started improving with AWW Monday to Friday diet they have only continued to improve on 5:2.

    So here’s to better health for all of us.

    Hi all,

    I have discovered the flaw in doing 2 FDs back-to-back (Mon & Tues). It leaves too many NFDs in a row, as my week starts on a Sunday. I ended up overeating on Greek food on Thursday (over my TDEE by at least 1500 kilojoules). I went out to a Greek restaurant for lunch and so much food arrived I could only eat half of it, so they put the leftovers in a take away container for me. I though great, dinner tomorrow night – yeah right – I scoffed the lot for tea that night! So, I did another FD yesterday to make up for all the extra kilojoules from Thursday. I’m only 3 weeks in, but I have already figured out the my best eating pattern is 1FD, 2NFD, 1FD, 2NFD… It’s exactly the right balance of restriction and relaxed eating for me.

    JodyW – spellcheck can create some pretty funny corrections. I used to work with a chap called Greg Williams. When our office got its first word processors in the 1980s the spellcheck kept changing his name to Grog Willie! Boy did he get teased about that.

    I’ve started adding HIIT to my routine. I decided to try something I could do at home without buying equipment, so I used my front doorstep for some step-aerobics. As my balance is not good, I was able to rest my hands on the door frame to stop myself tripping and ending up flat on my face. I did 30 seconds at running pace up and down off the step. Took a 2 minute break and repeated 3 more times. I was really struggling with the last round and puffing after each round – which I think is how it’s meant to be. Now despite the fact that I regularly walk in a hilly area, I didn’t take into account what this exercise would do to my muscles. My calves have been so sore for the last 2 days I can barely walk, I’ve been hobbling around! I think a whole lot more stretching might be required in future.

    Good afternoon everyone,
    Lael you are going to make me work now. I was going to break down my salad contents for others to see but got lazy but a quick post by yourself saying it helps gives me the incentive to go the extra yards. (Which is no problem).
    My salad pre dinner includes:
    70g red capsicum 80kj or 19cals (115kj or 27cals per 100g)
    200g cucumber 96kj or 23cals (48kj or 11.5cals per 100g)
    100g cherry tomatoes 65kj or 15.5cals
    40g lettuce 16kj or 4cals (41kj or 10cals per 100g)
    20g red onion 30kj or 7cals (146kj or 35cals per 100g)
    half a squeezed lime 10kj or 2cals (91kj or 22cals per 100g)
    2 tsp red wine vinegar 6kj or 2cal (65kj or 15.5cals per 100g)
    The above equals 319kj or 76cals it will need a salad bowl to make this it adds up.
    I get my information from
    http://www.weightloss.com.au/diet/food-nutrition-tables/food-tables.html
    You can scroll down or you can roll over “diets” and the tables will come up and it has all foods in 100g amounts kjs , cals, fats, sugars, etc. with different tables for calcium, folates, carbs, etc. it has been very helpful keeping check for FD’s.
    Hi JodyW, yes I don’t miss autocorrect when I had to use my phone when on holidays recently, happy to be back at a normal computer and desk.

    Hope this can help others any questions just ask.

    Thank you Joffy! You are so kind! I don’t expect you to spell out all your salad ingredients each time! …Though seeing the capsicum and cucumber again is reminding me to munch on them as a side dish with my La Zuppa tonight! …Okay, off to heat up the La Zuppa!

    Also, your table link is inspiring! With myfitnesspal I have to think of the foods to research. Your table gives me more ideas! I appreciate finding out about this link!

    It hasn’t happened for a while but I just lost my post, grrrr. A reminder to highlight/copy before pressing submit.

    Thank you Joffy for posting the salad break-down, that helps me a lot too. I rarely eat salad on FDs for the very reason of being too lazy to count all those individual calories. And thanks for converting into cals for us; I know we should use kjs but that measurement is meaningless to me.

    On that subject, this is one of the reasons I was oblivious to my food intake when I came to Australia. I always checked the calorie count on the labels when I lived in California. I know it’s roughly 4:1 but it just didn’t mean anything to me when it appeared in a different language. Fortunately, I rarely buy packaged food these days so it’s not really a factor. It probably sounds pathetic but same goes for my weight. I left California at about 145lbs and when I arrived here, I was only 65kg. That sounded much lighter. So did 75kg … and the rest. Oh dear. I know that 60kg is a great weight for me but it doesn’t stop me thinking about it in lbs. Do you do that Lael? Now I want to make that LaBel.

    I like the sound of that Rainbow Trout in a tin, Vaderz. Now that we have ALDI in the west, I can have a look for it.

    Cinque, are you still fasting tomorrow with house guests? Anyone else?

    Good evening,
    Yes I am fasting tomorrow. Houseguest one has gone home, houseguest two is heading off in the morning.

    Oh dear the fridge is so full of food I am going to attack it now and get a lot of it in the freezer. ( I bought extra to make sure Arlo had plenty of choice. )
    I’m still on my mission to eat the freezer empty, but I think I just added another month to the challenge.

    LJ I hope you have a nice, long, hot bath for those poor muscles! πŸ›€πŸ½ But I think you have got HIIT covered!

    Hi Fishing Gran, may the fast days stay easy! And may the people here remain interesting! It is lovely here! 🎈⭐🎈⭐🎈

    Congrats on your second fast day CharlotteRose! 🌹
    What do you sew?

    Vaderz, I hope your dear dog got its walk 🐢 And it is less muggy tomorrow.

    Jody, so glad you are finding good changes already. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have that reflux gone! ⭐

    Joffy I hope it has been a lovely day-after-fast-day! 🍺

    Lael, enjoy that research! πŸ“š

    Thin I know that difficulty with measurements. I had no idea about kj’s. it was calories here when I was a teenager. I like the ‘ no processed food’ solution! πŸ₯—

    Here’s hoping I don’t lose this post. Writing on my iPad which takes me so much longer! But I get to add emojis! 🌺🌼🍁🌿🌻🌸🌹

    Night all

    Hi Thin! Lol! I still do conversion calculations on my weight from time to time just to ‘make sure’ I’m on track in comparison to my past! This is because when I was at both my heaviest and lightest adult weights was when I was in my twenties and living in California and weighing in pounds. Thin, do you think in stones? I recall you mention having lived in the UK before the USA. Now stones completely behoove me! I understand the concept though have to use an online calculator for them to mean anything to me!

    As far as kilo-joules and calories, I think in calories! I’ve never gotten used to thinking in kjs! Like you, I know I should but the overwhelming current seems to be calories (even La Zuppa offers both calculations)! 500 calories is so much easier for me to work with than the more cumbersome 20934 kjs! …And admittedly, I’m a detail person and would be counting every last kj on my FD! I don’t have to split as many hairs with the 500 calories!

    Yes, I know how frustrating it is to write a well thought out post, only to have it disappear! …Also, I’ve been thinking that we are heading toward needing to start a whole new thread like Jo Jo had to do. I think it was when ‘Lose 2 lb per week with Jo Jo’ thread was around 16,000 posts that major technical difficulties arose there and the solution was to start over anew! We’re already 2/3 of the way there now that the thread has surpassed the 10,000 post mark! With all the new members I see us speeding in that direction!

    Sometimes the forum says I wasn’t logged in when I thought I was and the post just disappears. Annoying for ramblers like me.

    Yes, I can handle stones and ounces although I concede that it sounds a bit ridiculous! I don’t think in stones, I just know that someone weighing 8 stone something is a light person and 10 stone is more than I want to be. What about the man on Britain’s ‘Weight Loss Ward’ shown on ABC recently who weighed in at 47 stone? I had to get DD to work that out – and it came to over 650 lbs. The most shocking part of that programme (and which didn’t receive any criticism) was that the hospital housed vending machines dispensing sticky drinks and snack foods like crisps & sweets!

    See you tomorrow Cinque. Guess what! I’ve depleted our freezer surprises (except Christmas ham) and tomorrow I’m making Green Miso Noodle Soup, 198 cals. Mine will be fewer cals as I don’t know what soba noodles are so I will find a konyaku substitute. Perhaps even some of Joffy’s salad ideas. Do you find salad alone satiating? I like to add goat’s cheese or some other treat to a large colourful plate of plants – which won’t work on a FD.

    Ohhhh Vaderz, now I understand the 24 hr water diet… Not for me I think!
    JodyW, I am glad that I am not the only one whom weight watchers did not agree with. My daughter did WW for 18 months solid and lost 36 kilo, mind you she walked for an hour every morning and then when she got home she did another half hour on her treadmill!! Not for me!
    LJoyce, I have 5 steps up to my entry door, what a good idea to hold on to the rail and go up and down. Wonder if my hips will like that?
    Cinque, I sew my own clothes plus I LOVE to design and make artistic Quilts. At the moment I am making a floor rug out of old jeans I got at the op shop. I was in a furniture shop in Brisbane before Christmas and there was one on the floor for sale at $395……I thought I could do that so 2 pair of XXL mens jeans from the op shop for the huge price of $10 each and a couple of meters of heavy felt from Spotlight and 12 17inch blocks later I am ready to sew them all together. It’s to cover the imitation wood flooring that is in my kitchen. I hate that floor!
    Thinatlast, you talk about that British man weighing in at 47 stone. The lady who lives in a house behind mine in the village needs 3 ambulances and men to get her out of her front door. Every now and again she has to be taken to the hospital for treatment, for what I do not know, her neighbor does her shopping etc and told me that she eats a house every day so her weight problem in my mind is not a medical condition as so many over weight people blame, it is her own doing. I feel sorry for her though as we don’t know why she eats so much. There must be an underlying reason.
    I had Steak and salad last night for dinner plus a peach and greek yogurt for desert. Tonight is Salmon Fillet…yum. Cya all.

    Hi Thin,
    It is tomorrow πŸ™‚

    Hi Everyone!
    Started my fast day with food! Good heavens!!
    I had made tortilla dough to have with our soup for dinner last night, but my friend brought some food that we had instead, so I cooked them for breakfast and I had one as well.
    Looked up the calories and the first thing I found said 237, so I was relieved I am on maintenance and have a bit more space to play around with. But that was for 100g, and it seems my tortilla might have been only 41 calories! With 20 calories butter and a sprinkle of salt. mmm it was yummy.

    My friend has lost heaps of weight also. I may have said before. She first had lapband surgery which was awful for her. Then they reversed it and did a gastric sleeve which has worked really well. While I am very glad not to have had surgery, she wonders how I can possibly do fasting as she has a great fear of going without food and has to eat as soon as her tiny tummy is empty. It shows how different solutions work for different people.
    We are both wearing pretty summer dresses today!

    Glorious day in Melbourne. Blue blue sky. But we are in mourning as the little baby injured in that horrible incident in the city has now died. I’m off to cuddle my grandbaby, and I will hold her tight.

    Life is so precious, here’s to us all living it well, and long, and healthily.

    Charlotte your post came through as I was writing mine!
    Your sewing sounds wonderful! (I have trouble hemming!) But I would love to make my own clothes, and make artistic quilts! I do know people who do it, and it is just wonderful. Your floor rug sounds so clever and cool!

    Oh dear I feel for the woman in the house behind you. I had that intolerable, insatiable craving to eat, until I cut out sugar. Otherwise I could have become her. What a hard life she must have.

    Mm what a yummy meal you had last night!

    Must go! My daughter is expecting me.

    Cheers everyone!

    Hi Thin I am fasting today weight this morning 67.1.

    I’ve had a bit of a binge fest this week, for some reason I have been really hungry and today is know exception. It’s funny but I can stay on track for an FD but a non-FD I find it hard. Still I am happy where I am for the moment. The next two weeks I have a lot of socialising so my goal is to get back into it with a vengeance after that.

    Merry hope you are not stressing too much.

    All the best everyone hope you are all doing well.

    Hi Everyone,
    Just started today. Read the book and I’m motivated. I’ve tried WW plus a lot of other programs. They work but the weight goes back on. I need something sustainable. I’m hoping this will be the answer.Your posts are very motivating, thanks for sharing. Have a great week everyone!

    Hi I’m Lesals from a land down under. My city is Adelaide although I live in the country. This is my first post. I want to know does non consecutive fasting mean any 2 days of the week so long as you don’t go over 5 non fasting days? Probably a dumb question but I haven’t received the Eat Fast book in the post yet. Your posts are very encouraging and I am 71 😳

    Hello Lesals,
    Welcome here!
    I’ll put a couple of links with good info for people just starting, but basically yes, you choose any two days of the week to fast. They can even be consecutive if you like! (But I always choose two as far away from each other as I can!).
    Hope the book arrives soon, but feel free to ask as many questions as you like!

    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/

    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

    Welcome to you too, D-slimmer, fellow faster today! I hope you are not finding the afternoon too hard! I am so looking forward to my evening soup! Two hours to go!

    Hi Intesha! So glad to see your post. Keep being kind to yourself! I hope you can really enjoy your sociable two weeks with some easy eating, and not that much bingeing, and lovely 5:2 to look forward to at the end. Hooray for maintenance!

    πŸ™‚

    Welcome D-slimmer. I hope your FD is going well so far (depending on where in the time zones you fall). For me in the west, I have 30 mins to wait until my first feeding at 2pm and I’ve been shopping for the veggies for my Green Miso Soup tonight.

    Hi intesha, I am exactly the same. I would never blow a FD because I’m too stubborn. I’m sure it has something to do with an addictive personality, re-directing the addiction from food to fasting (& forum). All the Fs. NFDs are another matter – I’ve blown plenty of them.

    Actually, I did once unknowingly blow a FD when I first started in 2014 – I’d made some bite-size Chinese dumpling recipe thing. I was into my third one of an allowed eight and thought, ‘this just can’t be right’ so I counted up the calories myself and found that recipe was so far off it was ridiculous. I was straight onto this thread in a panic about what to do. OH, who was fasting with me at that time, quickly wolfed all eight of his down before I could get the answer!

    Regarding those very heavy patients in Sunderland, England, the two featured in the first episode both stated that they comfort ate for emotional reasons (death of a close school friend/marriage break-up). The aptly named surgeon, Dr Small, justified the huge cost of the surgeries against the potential cost to the NHS from all the medical issues, lost employment, etc arising from their morbid obesity.

    This is the second time I’m watching the series and I find that I feel less empathy this time around. I understand the comfort eating aspects but I have less tolerance for the patients not sticking to their commitments when such huge resources are being put into saving their lives. Cinque, I think you’re right, the types of foods they show them ‘snacking’ on are sugary, addictive foods. Perhaps they just can’t stop. In an upcoming episode, they’re going to feature an American woman who I recall was too big to leave her house and spends her days stock-piling sweets that she buys on-line. My daughter was horrified to watch her also fattening up her little dog in the same way.

    Would 5:2 be too slow for these patients as their lives are literally in danger requiring immediate intervention & drastic weight loss? And could they even manage a FD?

    Hope your FD is going well Cinque. It’s a perfect 26C in Perth. Yesterday I had a lovely, long walk along a different part of the river and I just google-earthed it and found that I covered 11.5km (sorry Lael, I exaggerated when I told you 13km).

    Oh and now there’s another newbie while I’ve been rambling on. Welcome Lesals from Adelaide! Cinque has answered your question.

    Hi All and welcome D-slimmer and Lesals!

    I’ll have to check out that series about the obese people. It sounds interesting! Mr. L is right into the Australian Open tennis so that’s all we’re watching at the moment!

    So I guess none of the obese adults were diagnosed with ‘Prader-Willi’ syndrome? ‘Prader-Willi’ is a genetic condition which among other things, compels those with the defect to incessantly eat and binge. There is no cure and the condition is diagnosed often as early as infancy. I have a lady friend who has a son with a different disability (not Prader-Willi) and her son invited one of his friends over to spend the afternoon (they are both teenagers). After her son’s friend left, she discovered that her refrigerator and all the cupboards had been raided! There was not much left to eat! She found out that it had been eaten by her son’s friend and later found out that her son’s friend had ‘Prader-Willi’ syndrome. She’s now very careful about how and where she stores food when that friend of her son comes to visit!

    FD over really struggled today. Had a protein shake at 2.30, dinner at around 5.30, cauliflower fried rice and strawberries with diet jelly. All up about 320cals.

    Welcome D-slimmer and Lesals. Age is no barrier to this way of life a few of us are over the 60 mark. I am 66 and 5:2 has changed my life.

    There are some very wise people on this thread who will give you all the tools you need to succeed in following this way of life (WOL). Just stick with the basics as outlined by Dr Mosley and don’t try to invent the wheel. It takes time and commitment and a will to change your eating habits.

    Hi peeps

    I’m the newbie tonight – living in Sydney, 55 yo woman.

    I had a hysterectomy in 2009. My weight had crept up a little pre-operation, but post-op I put on 16kgs. Menopausal symptoms have also been knocking me around – flushes, puffiness, tiredness, brain fog, food and alcohol cravings etc. This has also contributed to weight gain.

    2017 is my year for change and I’ve dropped 1.5kg since 1 Jan because I’ve quit drinking. I know drinking has been contributing so much to the menopausal symptoms. For anyone else suffering in this area I haven’t had a hot flush in the 3 weeks I’ve been off alcohol. I’m also feeling a lot more energised, but there is still a way to go.

    I’m committed to dropping 15kg. I suspect I have some insulin resistance and this diet appeals for that reason and also I am really quite anti-dieting. This seems to be the diet that isn’t a diet if that makes sense.

    Anyway that’s my story – will have my first fast day tomorrow. Looking to forward to a successful journey and meeting some new people along the way.

    Good for you monkeydo, making the tough changes and a great handle to go with it! Welcome to you and have a great FD tomorrow – what’s for dinner?

    Cinque, I’ve just had my Green Miso Soup. It seemed to go on forever and I couldn’t finish it. Sorry yours wasn’t easy today Intesha, but imagine how great it will be to step on the scales tomorrow. It’s 7pm and I’m up to 320 cals too.

    Lael, I’ve never heard of that Prader-Willi diagnosis. How old were those teenagers when that incident happened? I once thought a friend of my daughter’s was a bit cheeky for opening our fridge uninvited and helping herself to a tomato in primary school! Imagine discovering that all your groceries were gone.

    Hi thinatlast

    Thanks for responding. I planned out my day’s food as follows:

    Breakfast: 1 medium boiled egg, 50g smoked salmon, 2 cups Early Grey tea and milk
    Lunch: 2 small carrots
    Dinner: 1 skinless chicken thigh, 2 olives, steamed spinach
    Drinks: (tea as above), mineral water, black coffee, apple cider vinegar and water, herb teas

    Does that about right? Any comments appreciated.

    Monkeydo, that sounds wonderful to me. I’m a big fan of planning ahead. It’s exactly how I tackled FDs when I started (August 2014), having three little ‘meals’. These days, I try to hold off until about 2pm as I find that eating just makes me hungrier. One of my favourite FD meals sounds like your breakfast – poached egg, 50gm smoked salmon, 80gm steamed asparagus, 1tbs plain full fat yoghurt mixed with lime juice and fresh dill, 195 cals. Don’t forget to measure and count the milk in your Earl Grey. Let us know how you get on. There will plenty of people on here to support you as we have a lot of Monday fasters.

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