This topic contains 27,922 replies, has 831 voices, and was last updated by Anzac65 1 day, 2 hours ago.
Hi All
Second fast day today. Hopefully tonight I won’t be awake half the night like I was on fast day 1. That wasn’t fun. Had half a glass of milk in the middle of the night and that settled me eventually. I’d lost a kilo at the morning weigh in so that was exciting. Broccoli soup tonight – 65 cals a bowl and I’ve saved some calories for milk before bed. See if that helps. Hope you’re all going well.
Didn’t realise i’d feel like absolute crap on day 2!!! Im cutting my carbs and swapped all my oils (always used butter, so that wont change). Since about dinner i’ve been laying on the couch debating whether to go sit next tot the toilet or not, thumping headache and can’t be bothered moving. Knew there would be tough times ahead, didn’t expect it so soon. Have read up on other posts relating to this, so will up my water, spread my carbs over the whole day rather than the main meal times. I haven’t made any massive changes (halved my big meal carb intakes) so i’m guessing that is the cause! 2 needy little people certainly aren’t helping!! Can’t even think of what our BBQ is going to the rn into tomorrow if i feel like this! Not giving up though…i’m tougher than that!
Quick check in: away from home for a few days, family stuff, going well, transferred my usual Mnday FD to today, and had 1 meal this evening for my FD calories. A bit haphazard, but about 500-ish, and that will have to do. Thurs is my usual 2nd FD but b2bs aren’t healthy for me so will be doing a Friday FD instead. Amazing occurrence just occurred – went shopping with my daughter for exercise tights – no you didn’t misread that – exercise tights- to wear to my rehab sessions. Who’d’ve thunk an older lady would look OK in tights, but I trust my daughter’s judgement. Wonders will never cease and all that!
Amanda, sorry to hear you’re having a rough 2 nd day. It will pass. Gut bacteria/flora need to adjust, sometimes there’s a withdrawal headache from something we didn’t know was silently causing us problems, more water to keep hydrated, a little extra salt can help too. On a FD we are missing the naturally occuring salt in food we’re not eating.
Oneards and downwads,
Merry
Good morning everyone,
I had a big day yesterday, but a good one. I am glad I can take it easy today.
Fast Day!
Woot Merry! Exercise tights!
I hope your days away home can be easy and pleasurable!
Have a lovely non fast day today!
Amanda, Oh dear, I hope yesterday was the worst day! Being a mum is hard enough without feeling awful and having a thumping headache.
I hope you can ride through.
My instinct is that you need lots of soup! Good broth full of vitamins and minerals, especially some salt!
Sending best wishes to you today. I hope you feel wonderful after breakfast.
Monkeydo, did you sleep any better? Fingers crossed that you did.
Intesha those porkballs sounds so good, and a treat to be able to pull them out from the freezer. I will have to check out that book.
Are you feeling recovered from your exhausting Qld trip? I do hope you have been able to do some enjoyable, indulgent things!
Thin I hope you had a lovely fast day. I don’t feel like mine today, but reading and writing on this thread is getting me into the right mindset!
Thanks for the green miso recipe. I plan to try it!
Lovely to hear about the cafe meet up and that everyone is going well. Oh dear, I so hope 5:2 may help stave off Alzheimer’s. It is very big in my family. Both parents had it, and my oldest brother has already been diagnosed.
You’ve got another hot day, I hear! Sending cooling thoughts!
Susannah, yay that you are finding 5:2 easy so far. That must be a sign that it is just what your body likes!
LJ I hope it was a great fast day, and a nice lot of gardening done.
Just remembered that I feel crook today because I did gardening last evening. It was nice to be a bit active after sitting all day, and I had to empty a compost bin (well rotted) because the other one is full. so that involved a few different steps. I’ll go out and have a look soon. I love to see the garden looking happy!
Jody, so glad you are find 5:2 working well (so far!). Your knowledge of cooking, especially low GI must make it easier. I’m the same with cooking, never have used cake mixes etc and always bewildered by American recipes that use cans and bottles and packets in them, instead of straight produce!
Hi KiwisGoFaster,
I’ve researched the ‘bad breath on fast days’ issue after someone else asked about it. It is almost certainly that the little bacteria that live on your tongue (as they should!) have gone crazy because there isn’t enough saliva to keep them in check.
You usually have plenty of saliva by drinking lots of water, and by making saliva as you chew. On fast days we do so much less chewing, and we are not getting the liquid that is part of our food.
So drink water, and those sugar free mints could be just the thing if they stimulate more saliva!
Re eating on Non Fast Days, is there a reason you can’t just eat what you feel like, even if it isn’t very much?
Re eating on fast days: I fast from after my evening meal the day before, to breakfast the day after… but as for when I have the 500 calories through the fasting period, I think the only rule is that it works for you.
What works for me is cuppas through the day (with a bit of milk in them) and then soup for my evening meal. And now I am on maintenance I often have a salad at around 2pm. I find it much easier to go without food through the morning.
Joffy I am thinking of you on the Murray! I love that river!
Lael, I remember Dr Mosley showing the ‘before’ photo in the documentary, but seeing the ‘after’ photo next to it makes it so much clearer! Thanks for sharing that!
Off to look at my garden! Best wishes everyone!
Good morning all… I don’t know whether to fast today or not… I usually do Monday/Thursday, but with Australia Day holiday today, it might be easier to do tomorrow instead (not that we’re doing anything much today, although the kids will probably make damper at some stage)… in fact, Monday/Friday might even be a better way to split things as the weekends are usually a little more indulgent food-wise and having that as a 2-day break before the next fast instead of 3-day might make more sense.
…anyway, got a few things to do in the yard first before it gets too hot – will probably decide after that whether I eat anything or not, but sounds like a good chance to experiment a little anyway 😉
Amanda – I would start by drinking more water too… and when you think you’ve had enough, drink some more 😉 I go through a crazy amount on fast days (like 4-5L… I really have to measure that one day) – yes, you go to the toilet a lot, but it really does help!
Happy Australia day all,
FD today, which is great as this morning everyone is meeting in the village pool and we are having ” noodle races” ( senior daft thing) then we are having a BYO bbq so I can still control what I eat.
I have 1 problem with my fasting day! I WOULD like to eat my first bite around 2pm and then eat my main calories at dinner time which is around 5.30pm for me BUT if I don’t eat something when I have to take my meds in the morning I end up vomiting the meds up! So I eat a slice of toast, but that makes me hungry! Vicious Circle!
Scales: mine are under the stool in the bathroom on tiles, when I weigh I just lift the stool out of the way so my scales are in EXACTLY the same place EACH weigh in. lol
Water: I usually drink about 3 liters of water everyday but in the weather we have been having it has been more, plus I used to drink NON FRIDGE water, never liked water from the fridge, but now I can’t stomach ” warm ” water. Funny isn’t it!
My exercise is all done in the village pool. I usually start off with 15 laps in breast stroke, slow as I am not a good swimmer. Then I stop at the deep end and do 600 knees to chest up and down ( that’s the easy part) then I swing my hips round and back ( to work the waist)around 100 times, then 10 more laps and top it off with 200 bicycle legs swings. Usually takes me around 20 mins. Then home for cupper. When it gets too cold for the pool I shall have to revert to my treadmill but I am not one for too much walking these days as I have bung hips. At least in the pool it is not a hard contact with concrete roads!
I do have a Recumbent Bike as well.
I read somewhere ( cant remember who posted ) that on fasting days you should eat around 1/4 of your non fasting day calorie intake, is that correct?
Plus I think I know what I have been doing wrong, not eating enough. Up to starting this diet I did not eat enough. I have realized that even now on my NFD I am not eating the calories I should be. I EAT LESS.
IS THAT OK? or should I be eating the 1435 that my BMR says ?
I really should start making out a menu!
Have a fun day today all.
Hi Charlotte – taking meds in the morning does make the spacing a bit more difficult… in fact it’s currently what’s stopping my wife from doing 5:2 (it’s the main point that worries her at the moment, she’ll probably come around eventually if I lose heaps of weight). I’d definitely be interested to hear how you go fitting that in – one option, since you’re having breakfast, is that you probably don’t need that 2pm snack – go right through till 5:30?
Toast might not be the best way to start either, low GI (low carbs in general), is usually the way to go on FD’s… porridge might be a good option? I got some ‘Quinoa, Choc/Vanilla Porridge’ from Coles a couple of days ago (never seen it before). Each pack is just 45 seconds in the microwave and comes in at 103 calories… not totally convinced on the taste yet (only had it once so far), but they also had a ‘Mango/Coconut’ version – might try that too.
…anyway, decided to move my FD to tomorrow, for this week at least, damper and golden syrup might be too hard to pass up later 😉
Have a happy Australia Day everyone – I’m so happy to have found this site –
Cinque I’m not yet doing the 5:2 – I’m giving myself a kick start on Michael Mosley’s Blood Sugar Diet – cos I’m desperate to get my eating under control and help all my joints!!
It’s my first “holiday” day on this 800 cals per day – a lot more difficult than normal days I can already feel that and it’s only 10.55 a.m.
Thought I’d try making a couple of the snack foods from the recipe book so I’ve got something to offer friends this afternoon.
Have a good day today all of you!
Hi Sussanah – I’m seconding the egg. It’s mostly any sort of starchy carb or sugar that really causes challenges with hunger on FD for the majority of people. For those people staying away from them on FD works best – not just grains but also potato and high sugar fruits. Then there’s a group of people where whatever they eat ‘the hunger dragon’ wakes up. This group does best having 1 meal at night, and a few have very minimal cals at night before bed or no cals on FDs. But, for you, you need something with those tablets, and protein is probably the best, hunger wise. Keeping some boiled eggs in the fridge has been a staple of my 5:2 journey. No prep needed. How much food is the minimum you need for the taking tablets?
Merry
Hi All,
I’m over the moon at the moment! I went for a job interview yesterday and before attending, I realized that I hadn’t been to a formal job interview since I was about 21 years old and I’m now 60! Why I’m over the moon is that I had a lot of anxiety about this as the date got closer and 5:2 helped me deal with the anxiety in a way that I hadn’t ever experienced before. Normally I would binge in the days leading up to such an event (I was so scared, I was explaining to Mr. L. that it felt like going to get a tooth pulled at the dentist!). In the past I’d binge to escape the anxiety and my brain would end up feeling really foggy in the aftermath and I’d then lose confidence. However, my planned fasting days were set up to help allay the binge tendency and it worked!
The interview was on Wednesday (yesterday) afternoon and so the previous Saturday and Tuesday fasts worked in well/assisted greatly! Admittedly, I did go on a snackathon and vacuumed up quite a bit of extra food on Monday night, but because I was fasting the next day, on Tuesday, that rampage was cut short and stopped in its tracks! During Tuesday’s fast I re-gained a feeling of clarity and balance, partly helped by reading some Brene’ Brown! I then broke my fast gracefully Wednesday morning which saw me feeling both mildly nervous though also surprisingly confident walking into the interview. I’m happy with how I responded and walked away viewing it as a positive experience (I’d had so many visions of worst case scenarios in the lead up – like being asked a question and fumbling or spacing out)!
After the interview, I realized that the dedication that this WOL entails is a confidence builder in itself. Though I still say it has been the easiest way, I’ve ever shed fat, it isn’t always smoothest going and navigating through difficult times takes commitment. Just that we stick with it, is ‘something’. I’ve been well aware of the health aspects, and this experience underscored the emotional/psychological benefits! You see, I have such a history of self doubt and so it felt almost unbelievable that by the time I was sitting in the chair with the interviewers, self doubt didn’t even enter the equation! Instead I felt a bit nervous though the overriding feeling was strength and clarity having practiced those FDs in the lead up. The strength came from knowing I was doing my best even when I couldn’t answer one of the questions!
Good for you Lael, what an achievement. It’s just so empowering to have this fasting tool that puts the breaks on the hoovering up of food! I think I mentioned last year that I’d had to do some public speaking and the confidence that being slim gave me was enormous compared to the old ‘arms covering over the stomach area’ stance I held before.
CharlotteR, I recommend you buy Dr M.’s fast diet book. It will answer all your questions in a simple, yet scientific way and it’ll be the best $11 you’ll ever spend. I have read mine several times over the past couple of years. There’s a link to the Fast Books near the top right of this page. I was also wondering whether you need a meal to take those tablets with – would a spoonful of yoghurt or cottage cheese suffice? Or a boiled egg as others have suggested. I’d tend to ditch the toast on a FD.
Vaderz, probably a good decision so you don’t have to struggle all day. I like to plan out my fasting week ahead taking into consideration any changes due to social obligations. I tend to do mine before the day I should have so I have an extra fast ‘in the bank’. Enjoy your Australia Day and your damper!
Cinque, you can do it. So sorry to hear of all the dementia in your family. Keep fasting! Yes, I did have a good fast day yesterday thanks. I felt a little hungry in the afternoon but spent two hours of it in a traffic jam on the fwy with just a bottle of water so that took my mind off it. I hardly ate anything last night (just the leftovers I mentioned) and enjoyed a nice 600gm drop on the scales this morning. After an early walk (you’re right, it’s going to be 40C again today), I made OH’s day by cooking breakfast – so there goes the 600gm drop.
Merry, enjoy the rest of your time with your daughter. Having seen your ‘after’ photo, I bet you look great in the exercise tights. I’m still waiting to see the ‘before’ photo btw! I enjoyed your email SO much, thank you. I haven’t replied yet because I don’t want to add to your list of things to do!
Well, have a lovely Australia Day everyone. Enjoy everything on offer with mindful eating, moderate drinking and no regrets tomorrow!
Hi all, Happy Australia Day
Hope you all having a nice day with good company.
I did FDs Monday and Wednesday this week (and am debating about squeezing another in Saturday.) I was really active on Wednesday – weeded the garden all morning and then went for a 45min walk in a hilly area late afternoon. I normally breeze through my FDs (it’s NFDs where I have trouble controlling myself), but the extra activity seemed to trigger my appetite and I really struggled with hunger pangs all afternoon – I ended up cooking my stirfry at 4:45pm just the hunger pangs to shut up for a while.
I’m just waiting for a friend to arrive for afternoon tea and have a batch of scones ready to go into the oven – my Mum’s fail-proof recipie. Depending on how many I eat, the extra FD on Saturday might become necessary! I think I might send all of the leftovers home with friend, otherwise I’m liable to keep eating them.
I thought I’d share a couple of interesting links.
Firstly, a blog offering some inspirational recipes for fasters along with ten top tips for new fasters.
https://feed5fast2.wordpress.com/recipe-finder/ It seems the blogger hasn’t been around since July 2015.
This led me to me to a website showing calories consumed per capita by country. It hasn’t been updated for 10 years but nevertheless, I found the trend eye-opening. Southern Hemispherites, look where Australia & NZ fall! South Africa, you’re doing a little better.
http://chartsbin.com/view/1150
Hi All
Lael – Interesting post.
I’m also susceptible to overeating when emotional or stressed or tired. I wonder if it’s the tummy shrinking that makes it so much easier not to overeat on non F days?
Cinque – thanks – all went well with the day 2 fast. I slept fine. Maybe my food for the day was what made it easier?
Day 2 Fast
7.30 tea and milk
8.30 boiled egg
10.30 to 3pm grazed on a celery sticks at work
and drank lemon and ginger tea with a dash of apple cider vinegar from my thermos
5.30 50g smoked salmon
7.15 broccoli soup – 2 bowls
10pm 2 dates
10.30 1/2 glass of milk
water, herb tea, rooibos tea as well
slept like a babe
Broccoli soup recipe:
2 heads broccoli chopped up
1 carton chicken stock 500 mils
3 cloves garlic
water to cover
cook till tender
put all through blender
serve with himalayan salt and black pepper
lost another .5kg. Hope it stays lost.
Monkeydo – thanks for posting that broccoli soup recipe – so few calories – and sounds delish and sustaining too.
Today’s been harder as had friends for afternoon tea – had made Parmesan crisps which went down well and work out to be 120 call each – and lots of fruit inc beautiful Tassie cherries which I hadn’t realised are so low calorie – shame the season is so short and they are so pricey!!
Hi all.
Well my Australia FD went very well. Apart from the toast with the meds I had a homemade hamburger pattie and salad for lunch and have just finished dinner. Leftover veg fried up, no oil. A total of 476 calories for the day.
Definitely a boiled eggs with medication from now on. I always have boiled eggs in the fridge. I was good as well. Drank water all day, no grog! Might be an early night for me. 😊
Yes I have to agree Lael and Thin. This WOL changes your mindset and I’m sure you can say an amen to that Thin knowing where my mind was two years ago. This WOL literally saved me, the discipline needed to keep going and have faith as well as the fabulous support on this thread was a lifeline for me.
FD yesterday and weight this morning 65.5 my lowest was 65.1 at the beginning of December. Unfortunately it will probably take me another month to get back there again as the next 8 days I will be socialising but as I keep saying I just get back into it as soon as I can and at this stage there is nothing much happening then until April when it is my Dads 90th and Easter.
So as Merry says Onwards and Downwards.
Good morning everyone.
Sadly, I jettisoned yesterdays fast day. I was suffering increasing payback from my trip to Bendigo the day before (unfortunate feature of ME/CFS, the illness I have). Yet I still thought I could take my granddaughter overnight. Oh dear. First realised I’d better eat so I could cope, but then succumbed to trying to get her to bed a bit before she was ready. Oh dear. Big crying, and I ended up taking her home. Grandma fail.
I’m concentrating on doing all the things that are good for me now, and will have a good big fast on Sunday.
Thin, so glad Perth is not quite so searing today. But so awful to hear of the plane accident.
Charlotte, yay for a good day!
Intesha, have the best time socialising! Enjoy every minute!
Monkeydo, so glad you got your sleep!
Hope people had a good Australia Day. Have you seen the suggestion to change the date to May 8…. Maaaate! Ha, what fun!
LJoyce, there is research that says that the way exercise triggers appetite, means that it isn’t a particularly good tool for people trying to lose weight. Doesn’t that make it tricky! It would have still felt wonderful to garden and walk though!
Cheers all!
Morning All! Hope you all had a great Australia Day.
Ours was very hot (I’m in Perth) and sadly, ended in tragedy on the Swan with a plane going into the water and the couple (I believe Husband and Wife) sadly died. Small mercies in that it went into the water and not into the crowds on the foreshore, however very sad for the family and friends affected.
I decided not to do my FD yesterday as I knew I’d want a few glasses of vino and we had a bbq at home so I did it Mon & Wed this week instead. I’m glad I did 🙂
Someone (and I do apologise because now I can’t find who it was) asked me if I was sure I was sticking to under my max calories on NFD (since I didn’t lose any weight on my first week of 5:2) – Answer is definitely yes. I am positive that i’m staying well under because I’m being very conscious of what I’m eating now at all times. Anyway, we’ll see what next Tuesday brings (my weigh day) and I hope to be able to report better news.
Again, thanks heaps for this forum. I am enjoying reading immensely, even if I don’t post too often. It sure keeps you focused and it’s great to know there are so many other people doing this and that everyone seems to be having great successes.
I made a really delicious Chunky Pumpkin Mulligatawny on Wednesday – comes in at 212 cal per serve and is SO filling. If anyone’s interested in the recipe, I’d be happy to put it up 🙂
Have a great day everyone 🙂
Hi all
We are having an unseasonally mild week here in Adelaide. Normally our summers are very hot and dry (similar to Perth), but not this year. We’ve had few really hot days (although our Christmas day was 40 degrees). We’ve had storms, lots of rain, humid weather – it’s been very weird. Normally I have to water the garden morning and night to keep it alive in summer, but not this year I think I’ve averaged 3 watering sessions a week since the beginning of December.
Another benefit of the mild days is that I’m more encouraged to get into the garden or walk most days (things I usually don’t enjoy much in the eat of summer).
Some things about summer here haven’t changed. It’s koala mating season and the growling (males) and squealing (females) is carrying on until 2am some nights and keeping me awake! They ran across the roof one night and you would have thought it was a herd of elephants landing with the amount of rukus. I actually went out the next morning and checked the roof because I was worried they’d dislodged some tiles – thankfully they hadn’t.
Then the sulphur crested cockatoos invade my huge walnut tree at dawn and they stay there until dusk eating all my green unriped walnuts and screeching at each other as they fight over the best nuts. So the koalas are keeping me awake at night and the cockies are waking me far too early in the morning. I guess that’s what happens when you live in an area that’s surrounded my wildlife. It’s a lovely spot, but the neighbours are noisy!
Lael, hope you get the job. It’s wonderful that you have acquired a new sense of self-confidence. I’ve been retired for a couple of years and I feel sick at thought of ever having to ever apply for a job again – hopefully my superannuation will see me though and that won’t be necessary.
Cinque, exercise is definitely a double edged sword. I persevere, as including enough movement/activity/exercise in my day really does help my joints. I also have a very low TDEE (in the 1400s) and the only way I can increase it to what I consider a more reasonable level is to add exercise. I think though, that doing too much on a FD is not a good idea for me. I might stick to HIIT and walking on FDs as they don’t spur my appetite the same way that a few hours of gardening does.
Spiritedpagan, yes please, I eat soups most days unless it’s really hot weather, so I would like your Mulligatawny recipie, thanks.
Spirited pagan. ….Can I have your soup recipe as well please. Plus I am not the expert here but I noticed you said you were eating ” well under ” your calorie allotment on NFD. I have been told to eat the allowed calories and not way under as it alters how your body stores or uses those calories. I try to eat my BMR or as close to it as I can. Correct me if I am wrong people.
Daughter here today so have just had an extra exercise session in the pool.
Hi Charlotte – I think the answer to your question is ‘yes and no’ 😉
Yes, the idea is to eat your TDEE (rather than BMR) on NFD’s. (this article explains things pretty well: https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/difference-calorie-restriction-fasting-fasting-27/ )
The idea is that one of the problems with traditional diets is that if you reduce your calories on a daily basis, then after a period of time (maybe six-months?), your body will take that as being your ‘new normal’ and reduce your metabolism to operate at that level (meaning that your BMR and therefore your TDEE, reduces to where that’s not going to be much of a calorie reduction for you)… when you do 5:2, even though your average calories are still reduced, you aren’t giving your body a chance to operate at those ‘average’ levels (so keeping to your TDEE on NFD’s will prevent that from happening – at least that’s the theory).
…now for the ‘no’ bit. Just because an online calculator says that’s what your TDEE should be, doesn’t mean that’s what it is. Everyone is different and a mathematical formula that is ‘about right’ for everyone, doesn’t mean it’s exact for you (it’s probably not). And I don’t think there is an easy way to figure out what is right for you.
I don’t think we should be eating, just for the sake of eating so that we hit some theoretical number. You will be much better off eating better foods and not over eating IMHO. Your metabolism may already be low – in which case, 5:2 should help with that over time apparently. If you’re worried that you’re still eating too little, maybe look at increasing exercise on NFD’s that should help kick up your metabolism a bit as well… I don’t think any of this is an exact science though.
If you ‘force’ yourself to eat more to reach that TDEE level on NFD’s do you still lose close to 0.5kg per week (over say a month?) I guess that’s one way to experiment to see if that number is right for you – if you don’t lose weight (or put some on), then you’ll know that what you think your TDEE is really isn’t your TDEE afterall.
So Vaderz, bit thick on the uptake here, lol.
If I eat somewhere between my BMR ( 1425 ) and my TDEE ( 1951 )you reckon I should loose weight? That is a hell of a lot of food and I do 20 mins of water aerobics every morning. This is getting very complicated and I have read the book. I will definitely give it a go…might go lets say 1550 per day on NFD’s
I manage my FD quite easily and I have also worked out my TDEE on the goal weight as well and that is still quite high.
Perseverance, that’s my motto!
I also bought some of those tins of Aldi Rainbow Trout, yum yum, neat change to plain old Tuna.
I think you should ignore the numbers… eat what you’re comfortable eating. Enjoy the food, don’t deprive yourself, focus on healthy, whole foods, but don’t stress if you deviate from that a bit (as long as you’re not consistently going over your TDEE, which sounds like you’re not).
I got some more of those trout fillets the other day too, really enjoying them 🙂
Good morning everyone,
It is a glorious morning here!
I feel heaps better so I am looking forward to a really good fast day tomorrow!
Charlotte, I agree with Vaderz… not only with the ‘Yes and No’, but also with the ‘ignore the numbers and eat what you are comfortable with’.
Remember that for all our history the best thing for humans has been to eat until we are satisfied, and then stop.
Oh dear, our modern life has messed that up! Now we need help with calorie counts and portion sizes and TDEEs and all the rest!
So I spend my Non Fast Days doing my best to be mindful and eating good food made from fresh ingredients, and Practicing eating until I have had enough, and then stopping. Turns out I am very bad at that! So it is lucky I have 5 days a week to practice!
Anyway, if you are eating what you feel like on Non Fast Days, and after a month or two you haven’t lost any weight, THEN you can start trying things like eating to your TDEE. But for now, why not listen to your body if it tells you that you aren’t hungry.
Hi SpritedPagan. great to see you here! That chunky pumpkin mulligatawny sounds wonderful!
LJ, what a cacophony! And wonderful!
I’m going to Preston market this morning, with my daughter. It will be so crowded! Hoping we will find a park, and be quick. Hope we can have some pork dumplings to celebrate the Lunar New Year!
Best wishes for a lovely day!
Hi Fishing Gran and Cinque, and good morning everyone,
Fishing Gran – fresh fish cooked ASAP is wonderful. Fresh fish, though shop bought, , and frozen, is a staple on our fasting WOL (Way of Life) or WOE (way of Eating) now. Liking seafood has been an excellant and healthy way for me to reach my target weight. Have a good FD today.
Any other Saturday fasters?
Cinque – good to hear your much more rested now. Markets are great, though finding the right timing is key.
Charlotte – you’ve had some good advice. I’d like to offer some more, but first a question – how tall are you? TDEE of 1951 cals for a female who is in the sedentary or light exercise category of fitness is pretty high.
1.Some successful fasters have put their target weight in the BMI/BMR/TDEE calculator, then eat according to that on FDs and nonFDs. Use the calculator on this website only for continuity. Don’t use different ones, just keep using the same one so you don’t get different figures(confusing) and it’s also in alignment with what others on the forum are using, so us oldies can maybe spot something.
2. do 1/4 of TDEE as Dr M recommends on FDs. The 500cal is an estimate of average, but we’re all different so you may need to do just a little less. That small amount of difference on FDs can make a difference. When I was starting 5:2 I used 500cals, but over time I found I needed to drop to 1/4 of TDEE.
LJ – my BMR is1190 and TDEE 1422, so you have company in the lower TDEE’s. I use 1/4 of my TDEE for FDs, currently 357cals, but I don’t sweat the small stuff. If it’s 370 or 380, no worries. Also, because of circumstance I ended up having salmon for dinner instead of my usual basa or hoki fish, so that added about 150 extra cals to the
total cals for the day.
Check in: FDs this week were Wednesday and Friday,
Wed : didn’t weigh, FD
Thur: 62.0kg (yay 1st time back to goal after Silly Season), travel day, had 2/3 of rice noodle dish at airport, wasn’t near any salads, just filled rolls etc, it was 4pm and I’d had nothing all day and needed to eat.
Fri: 63.2 kg, FD. Any grain food whacks the weight on quick on me, it’s that water uptake with starchy carbs thing, it’ll drop quick somewhere soon to counteract
Sat: 62.5kg,
Because of my forced lack of proper exercise I do bounce up and down, so I graph on Mondays and that’s the trend I follow as my true weight. Some people take their weight after their 2nd FD of the week as ‘the’ weight for goal purposes, and it’s usually the lowest weight of the week. I prefer to use the weight at the beginning of my first FD of the week, when it’s probably the highest after 3day nonFDs. Then when I reach a goal weight I know it’s really done.
Onwards and Downwards,
Merry
Crazy day today. Cleaned the house top to bottom then got on the Recumbent Bike for 10 minutes as it was pouring with rain so didn’t want to go to the pool. Had a nice breakfast of grilled tomatoes with 2 poached eggs. I love my eggs!
Cleaned up under the carport and seeing as it stopped raining I went up to the pool and did 20 minutes of water aerobics ( my type of aerobics )
I have just got the slow cooker out and put in 2 cups of mixed legumes ,chopped broccolli and cauliflower a carrot and 1/2 onion. Bit of chicken stock to cover and I will let it cook overnight. Forgot….seasoning! Lol
I will partially blitz it when it’s cooked and that’s soup for the week. I reckon there quite a few bowls in it but will measure it into containers before I freeze them.
I am going to do what a few of you suggested and eat good food but not be to worried about the calories. As long as I am in between my BMR / TDEE I should be OK. I will keep a close eye on my weight just to make sure I am actually loosing and if I am not things will have to be adjusted.
Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday.
Hugs.😊
Intesha, it won’t let me post the link which might be a spam prevention measure as it says I have posted it before. So I’ll give you a cryptic clue. Using the URL above, delete exactly this and anything that follows:
/page/208
and add exactly this:
-fd-recipes/
Did that work? If so, to the bottom left of the last post, you will see a link that reads, ‘Add to my favourites’. Click on that and the recipe page will be saved below your profile.
https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/southern-hemispherites-fd-recipes/
Welcome KrisAnne! Lovely to have you here! Yay for your new determination!
Hi Intesha, that’s some excellent socialising you are doing!
Ha Merry, I bet we are all bouncing around!
I hope you get your fresh fish FishingGran!
Hi Thin, how come I can post links and you can’t???? Oh well. Cheers!
Hi
Intesha, the link is https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/southern-hemispherites-fd-recipes/ is this the one you meant? There is also another one specifically for legumes.
I ended up doing a 3rd FD for the week yesterday – basically I had a busy day, and didn’t get home until mid-afternoon. All I’d had all day was a couple of cups of tea, so it seemed a pity to not complete the day as a FD. Probably a wise precaution anyway as I know both days this weekend are likely to be above my TDEE.
I learned a lesson yesterday – don’t torture yourself with the presence and aromas of food you can’t eat on a FD. I baked bread last night and as it was a FD I couldn’t have any – not good!! I think this is the first time I’ve ever managed to bake loaves and let them cool completely before slicing them – Normally I’ve cut at least one slice before it’s cooled. Anyhow, I had a couple of slices topped with mushrooms, tomato and grilled cheese for lunch today and it was well worth the wait.
I usually make my own bread as I like bread made from grains like organic rye, spelt and quinoa. I also prefer bread dough without additives that use very little yeast and are allowed to prove slowly over 24 hours – not many of those options available pre-made. There’s a sprouted spelt loaf that my local health food store sells that I’ll buy when I’m short of time, but I enjoy baking, so it’s no hardship to bake. I usually make two small loaves that last me at least 2 weeks so I only have to bake twice a month – I slice it then freeze so it keeps well.
The end of the month is fast approaching, which means my monthly weigh-in. I’m actually feeling a bit excited and impatient to learn just how much this month on intermittent fasting has helped my weight. I know from the fit of my clothing that I’ve lost weight, although some things are definitely still tight, and I can see weight on my body in places where I know it wasn’t 2-3 months ago. I’ve taken occasional measurements and I’ve lost 3-5cm off most areas, so it’s all looking hopeful I think.
Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.
How bizarre Thin, I must have duplicate posted that link 10 times! Don’t let your computer give mine any bad ideas!
LJoyce, I am like you! I am just putting bread to rise overnight. I do the long rise too, so I will cook it tomorrow (fast day) and have it for breakfast on Monday. It definitely tastes better if I let it cool completely before slicing, so I am patient. But doesn’t it make my mouth water! Mine is going to have brown rice and sesame seed added.
So nice that you can see your weight going, and clothes fitting!
Charlotte, I just saw your post. What a great day. What yummy soup!
Hi All, I’ve been super busy! Just catching up a little on posts!
Merry, I’m a Saturday faster! Up until about a month ago, my fast days moved all over the week. However, lately I’ve been fasting on Tuesdays and Saturdays!
I even questioned fasting today since stayed up till nearly 2 am cheering Rafael Nadal onto winning his tennis match with Grigor Dimitrov and woke up feeling exhausted before heading off to work! So, wasn’t sure I was up to it and contemplated moving the day till tomorrow. I even took a lunch with me in case the hunger dragons might fire up (due to the sleep deficit), though thankfully my body really fell into the Saturday rhythm! …Kind of like a dog knowing it is time to go for a walk! That’s how my body now is when FD time rolls around!
Cheers everyone including our newest member, KrisAnne!
Hi LJ, Me too! I love them both! Tonight I barracked for Venus, since she hadn’t ever won the Australian Open and Serena was up for her 7th win at Melbourne Park, which you might have seen, she accomplished! You also probably saw that this win is her 23rd Grand Slam. Apparently she only has one more Grand Slam to equal Margaret Court’s record! It was great to see Margaret Court watching the match!
P.S. KrisAnne, I read your name and only skimmed your post in the most scant way so hadn’t absorbed in my original welcome that you’re not a ‘newbie’ by any means! Hey, you would be one of the longest standing members of the Southern Hemispherites! Welcome back then!
Kiwis Go Faster, one tool I’ve used to help with Fasting Day breath when I sense it isn’t the best is to chew parsley. I find it a breath freshener and I think it is good for the digestion and feels like it helps with detoxification. I remember I used to drink parsley tea to help strengthen my kidneys, by steeping the parsley leaves from the pot on my deck. Another option might be peppermint tea. I also brush my teeth with plain powdered bicarb soda. My doctor recommends this as it is non-abrasive to enamel on teeth. He actually sells an expensive tooth powder that is simply a mixture of bicarb soda, salt and a bit of ascorbic acid and peppermint oil. I find the plain bicarb works just as well!
Hello Everyone.
Firstly, my apologies: I’m really sorry that I’ve been absent from this forum for a week or so; I’m equally sorry that I couldn’t join thin and the others (whose acquaintance I’m yet to make) on Tuesday last.
I’ve yet to read through all the posts I’ve missed. Can’t believe just how many!
Have been feeling a little despondent. My weight has been flat-lining since before Christmas. Haven’t lost a single kg. Feel I must be doing something wrong, but can’t figure out what. Have followed the FDs without cheating. Have been walking for over an hour (just over 6 km) on 5 or 6 days per week. Still my weight hasn’t moved downwards, and measurements haven’t changed since I embarked on 5:2 over 10 weeks ago. Can’t imagine why not.
Good luck everyone
Chat
Good morning everyone,
Hi Chat, How frustrating. 5:2 worked pretty well as textbook for me, so it is hard for me to imagine what it must be like for you.
How hard are your fast days for you?
Do you have the hours of feeling so hungry and just hanging out til the next day? How much does your tummy rumble?
If you have been going through all that, two days a week, for a couple of months and not lost any weight at all, it just doesn’t make sense.
It is fast day for me today, and after a messy week, I am properly set up with the ingredients for my miso soup. Hooray! I’ll have a zucchini, fresh from my garden, with the chicken and soaked shiitake mushrooms. I’m looking forward to it already!
Hi Chat
I wrote a whole post and it vanished. This time I will be brief, and please excuse it as I may sound short. I mean to be supportive and help you reach your goal.
Time to review the basics. Calorie intake, TDEE calculation, type of food, and exercise.
1. Recalculate your new TDEE and therefore your new FD calorie intake, starting with your goal weight. Once you get to goal, you will have to eat accordingly, so you may as well start now. Enter yourself as Sedentary no matter the exercise you do.
2. Fast Day calorie intake should be under 400 calories, given you are short like me. Whatever your OH is eating, you should probably eat around half.
3. Whenever I eat wheat, rice, pasta, or any kind of processed food, my stomach bulks up. To gain shape around my middle, I gave them all up. I also gave up sugar, honey, jam, sucrose, any kind of sweetener. If you still like such foods, then treat yourself to a half piece one day a week.
Portion size. Have you reduced the size of food you eat on your NFD. My stomach shrank after doing 4 fast days, and I simply could no longer eat the amount I used to eat. Think about all the foods you eat and decide to halve everything except vegetables.
No nibbles or snacks for the greatest benefit at retraining your appetite. Do you feel the difference in yourself between being hungry, or eating because you are bored, or emotional, or tired ?
4. Exercise is for health, and not for weight loss. It is essential for good health and to sleep well. However, the amount of exercise you do does not have a bearing on the calories you eat, or the weight you lose.
Good luck, Bay. 😎😎😎😎. Heating up here.
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25 Jan 17