roba and piper,

I don’t think either I or syvlestra meant to disparage others’ dressing habits. Big can be beautiful, but it takes a wee bit of thought. As I said before, cover up the wobbly bits and emphasise the good bits. My thinking is that it’s only polite for me not to flaunt my spare tyre(s) and bingo wings at innocent passers-by. And I have numerous reasons to look back and groan.
I never automatically assume that a person is a gluttonous couch potato. Knowing how hard it is for many (including me) to lose weight, especially if the surplus is not due to unhealthy eating. In my case, it was about being grossly overfed as a child, so that at 4ft 8in I weighed nearly 11 stone at the weigh-in at the beginning of secondary school and I’ve been fighting it ever since, with varying degrees of success. Maybe there’s a message there for the parents of the kids that roba is rightly concerned about.

I don’t think I was being disparaging and yes – people, fat or thin, are entitled to wear whatever they want. I’m the first to admit to loads of ‘got it wrong’ times – and unfortunately have some cringeworthy photographs to prove it 😀

I wouldn’t mind betting though, that there isn’t a person on these forums who hasn’t looked at someone, somewhere and thought ‘what the hell made him/her think that was a good look?’ It’s human nature – and we’re just humans.

Gianna – survey done. I look forward to the results.

Oh s**t! I’m so ashamed. I just caught myself using “elderly”! I was referring to my ma-in-law, aged 93, who is currently unwell, falling about all over the place and, shall we say, very confused. I was explaining to a London college, where my hubby is about to have an interview for a training course to teach lifelong learners, why he has not yet submitted his qualifications. He has been with his mum, 100 miles away, all week trying to sort out social care for her. I suppose if and when I get to 93 – hopefully with marbles still in place – I’ll be happy to call myself elderly. As long as nobody starts addressing me as sweetheart, darling, poppet etc, in which case they might be surprised how creatively an old lady can swear! And if necessary aim kicks at the groin!

Certainly, rocky. But in this case there will be the element of surprise. They won’t expect a little old lady to be lashing out with her feet – I should be so lucky to be able to do it at 90+! However, a clip round the ear is rather easier to administer.

Oh lor’ rocky – I already had one picture of hermaj in my head – you have just added another dimension!!!

Rocky – you have now added another mental picture to my ‘gallery’ with your comment about the mirror only showing your top half 😀

Piper – I agree. People, especially younger people, are subjected to a great deal of peer pressure and the need to ‘fit in’. We’ve all been there 🙁 Unfortunately this frequently results in the larger ones trying to wear what their slimmer friends are wearing.

I have, in the past, been guilty of having ‘an over-active fork’, haven’t we all or we wouldn’t be here trying to lose the results, and of secret eating (if no-one sees me eating this, it doesn’t count!) but we learn eventually that we are cheating no-one but ourselves. To make unsubstantiated remarks, however, is both unkind and unhelpful.

I certainly have overactive fork! Caused by overactive insulin I think (or underractive insulin, I’m not sure which way around insulin resistance is!!). Fork is much less active when I’m consistently eating wholesome food.

Yes, sylvestra, I understand what you are saying but the interesting question is : what is driving you to over-eat? I think a lot of it is driven by hormones not ‘greed’ etc. What is causing ‘the I feel full’ mechanism to not register or be over ridden?…I think it’s much more complex, but I get it, you have your ideas and I have mine….

Sylvestar….tee hee!

Just checked in after a while, interested in the posts about what’s suitable attire for fatties.
Having worked as a Designer in the fashion Industry all my life, and now as well in film &T,. I naturally have a lot to say about this which I won’t bore you all with.
But a few thoughts: fatties are always complaining that they can’t get anything nice to fit them in the shops- as the former designer for one of Austrlaia’s largest retail & manufacturing chains, and having had a retail store of my own, and now market stalls, here is the truth: first of all, the styles that are most suitable and flattering for big bodies are usually ignored by those they are designed for: instead they choose something totally wrong, and say ‘it makes me look fat’ which is, of course, correct. So they don’t buy it, and usually end up buying nothing, leaving the big sizes on the shelf to be sold at a loss at sale time, which does not encourage the retailer to stock those sizes. Or they buy something that’s too tight for them , and say ‘I’m going to lose weight, it will fit me soon’- yeah, right. As a designer, fortunately you aren’t normally exposed to this behaviour but I was when I worked in my own shop, and now at my market stall. And while I’m on a roll, what about all the pathetic women who try on something then ask their sister / mother / so-called friend, or, worse still , their husband/ partner / boyfriend (who is invariably wearing something unspeakably hideous) what they think? Get a grip, girls, accept what you look like and make a decision for yourselves!
And what’s wrong with using words like elderly, old or fat? Better than cosy euphemisms, I say.
Rant over. Did my fortnightly weigh-in yesterday and have gone from 63.75 to 63.1- so discouraging. That’s probably why I am so crabby today. When I started 5/2, I was certain I’d be below 60k for the New Year-maybe by next Easter?

Roba ….my gallery of mental pictures is growing fast. Thank you for the image of your ‘gardening gear’!!! 😀

Hi Ladies…gosh, I’m so surprised, I’ve only be on 5:2 for ONE month! I thought it was longer…but I’m doing pretty well..I was thinking of adding an addition fast day to ramp things up but I think I had best be slow and steady….because it’s doable…not sure if I could actually handle an additional day. I just want to ‘get there’ faster…

Yesterday I wore a pair of jean trousers that I was a bit disappointed weren’t falling off me, but hey, I haven’t worn them in some time and they are quite roomy in the bum and leg area. My waistline is still my main problem but it’s not as big as it was 4 weeks ago!I think I’m slimming from my ankles up.. Glad to know I’ll be able to fit into my holiday clothing, well, some of them.

Loretta 1, hang in there….I dread weighing myself after the holidays…may have to wait until the end of January! But I’m below 180#s, without starving myself, for the first time in about 3 years. Can’t wait to take off the next 9 pounds!

WELL!!!

Last time I lost weight – some years ago – I bought a pair of trousers which I loved. They weren’t cheap but they fitted really well in all the right places.
I kept them at the ‘thinner’ end of the wardrobe after I grew too big for them.

I tried them a few months ago but they wouldn’t do up without a struggle and they weren’t comfortable.

Today I decided to try the trousers again and wear them to go shopping. So I got them out, off the hanger and put them on.

No problem zipping them up or fastening the waistband ….they’re TOO DARN BIG FOR ME!!!!

I’m not sure whether to be glad I’ve lost so much or sad because I loved those trousers and won’t get to wear them. A bit of both I guess 😀

I may do that hermaj….or I may just let the charity shop have them and buy a new pair when I get to target. Which sounds like a good idea 😀 I did wear them a lot last time round.

RoBa – that’s another picture for my ‘gallery’. It reminded me of this poem by Jenny Joseph

….it’s how I want to be – if I ever grow up

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me,
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals,
and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired,
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,
And run my stick along the public railings,
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens,
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat,
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go,
Or only bread and pickle for a week,
And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats
and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
And pay our rent and not swear in the street,
And set a good example for the children.
We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised,
When suddenly I am old
and start to wear purple!

Jenny Joseph

Audrich and sylvestra,

I see Scotland is being blasted by gale-force winds. Hope both of you and your families are OK.

If you do have to venture out – hopefully not too far – this is one situation where being short and solid with a low centre of gravity is a definite advantage . A few years back, 5 days before the millenium in fact, there were severe storms right across northern Europe. We were in Germany. Stopping at a service station for coffee and the loo, I noticed slender souls being blown about all over the place, while low-slung hermaj kept upright – head down a bit, for sure, but still standing firm.

Hi ladies, I am 49 and peri-menopausal, and have struggled in the past to lose and maintain weight after the birth of my last child.
I have been talking with my doctor a lot about this and two main factors keep coming up- sleep and exercise.
If you have too little of the sleep, and too much of the exercise- both of these work against weight-loss.(As we all know the hormonal thing works against our ability to sleep). Herbal supplements are helping this.
In order to lose weight you only need to do enough exercise to kick your metabolism into gear. Once you have lost some decent pounds then you can add more exercise. I’m not saying everyone has to stop running etc- I love being able to move and exercise and feel fit too, only I can’t seem to get the fitness happening at the same time as the eating less…and wonder if most others do too- especially once at a certain age of life. I think we have our own base-lines, and one size definitely doesn’t fit all- but doing TOO much exercise, when heavy isn’t helpful.
I have a lot of joint pain, and have to be careful about doing too much, but I am dedicating myself to 2 regular walks, 1 bike ride, and hopefully will sneak in a swim. Is this too much?> time will tell. I’ve just begun the Fast diet, so wish me luck!

Dear CheeseonToast,
I remember the tired and not sleeping thing from the peri stage ..very enervating ( and depressing I found. BTW I am now 57).Maybe if you just concentrated on 5:2 for a little while to shift a few pounds the joy of the loss would motivate you to exercise. However..you are already walking, which is great especially if you have joint pain, and possibly bike riding which is more than I’m doing ! I am so lazy about exercise which is awful, but I managed to lose weight on 5:2 pretty easily and I have finally got off my bottom and have just started on my husband’s cross trainer ( a bit). Point is that now I am feeling better about myself , and don’t feel in such a mental slump about body issues, I am more motivated ( not much more) to try and stop my metabolism quitting completely! You will know what weight will give you a thrill…we all do, and the closer you get to it the more mentally energised you will feel. Hopefully the dread insomnia will pass but maybe not for a while, so be kind to yourself and one thing at a time.I know it’s the wrong way round but I think looking better ( to oneself) is the key to all kinds of motivation. That smug feeling you get when you wake up after a fast day feels pretty good!

Hi hermajtomomi,

doesn’t sound to me like you fell off the wagon. You eat healthily, you don’t stuff your face and you don’t even have a sweet tooth – lucky you! As I belong to the “no-calorie-counting-fraction” (there were some heated debates here on this topic at one time), I believe you can succeed on 5:2 without counting, especially given your obviously sensible approach.

Isn’t it the best when you put something on you haven’t been able to wear for a while and now it fits ? I’m so glad I didn’t get rid off all my smaller clothes, although there were times I thought it was foolish saving things I would surely never be able to wear again – surprise, surprise :).

Hope your stressful situations will sort themselves out and you will be able to enjoy your holidays in the south of France as planned.

sylvestra – thank you for posting the beautiful poem!

Hermaj – hang on in there.

From what you say you haven’t fallen off the wagon, you’re not gaining which is excellent if you’re in the middle of stressful situations. You don’t have a sweet tooth – which is lucky – you are not ‘face stuffing’, your smaller clothes are fitting again and you are, hopefully, eating ‘mediterranean style’ over the over-indulging, ‘festive’ season as well as walking and enjoying some sun.

You know from experience of the 5:2 how much you can eat to stay within limits and if you don’t do your fast days while you’re away you can make up for them when you come back.

From all that I’d stay you are still firmly ensconced on the wagon.

Hopefully things will be resolved and you can go off and enjoy your trip …guilt free!!!

sylvestra – it’s so nice to get words of understanding and encouragement from you and our friend in Berlin. I’m half expecting someone to tell me to get a grip and stop whinging, although most 5:2 posters are kinder than that

Let’s say I’m walking alongside the wagon, waiting for a good moment to jump back on. I doubt whether that moment will come until after Christmas, probably after Twelfth Night, on which day I have to hand in the MA assignment which is one of the more benign sources of stress, although it won’t be once I get a firm idea of where I want to go with it. At the moment it’s like a jigsaw puzzle – bits and pieces which will gradually fall into place to create a coherent picture.

Come January, the family issues that are also causing stress will hopefully be resolved, there are a couple of interesting translation projects in the offing and the academic pressure will be off for a while. So I should be safely back on the wagon, hoping that I might actually lose a couple more kilos, rather than sitting on the same plateau for another three months, as I have done for the last three.

Oh dear- ‘get a grip’ sounds like me…..sorry if it sounded unkind! I hope Herma’s problems are sorted out soon and she gets back on track.
As for whinging, I do more than my share of that on this site as, although I am losing a bit of weight, it is terribly slow, and I am very impatient- I was moaning about this to a friend recently; she gained 3k in 2 weeks on holiday in Sri Lanka-then lost it all in the following week on a restricted diet at an Ayurvedic centre there. I don’t think I’ve lost 3k yet after 3 months of 5/2- Her theory was that because she gained it so quickly, she was able to lose it quickly. My waist and belly fat, however, has crept on over a period of about 20 years- she surmised that because it has been there so long it takes longer to shift. Does this make sense to anyone? I’m not sure. I do know that fasting slows my digestive system (trying not to be too indelicate here) right down- considering the quantity of raw veges, lentils & fruit I eat, I have been incredibly ‘regular’ all my adult life- but not so with this WOE. I feel I should probably be eating small quantities more frequently to keep everything moving, but this goes against the advice for 5/2 which maintains that the longer one goes without food, the better. Has anyone encountered this issue ? (no pun intended)

Hello Loretta

I relate to your predicament. I found that I had become very blocked up as a result of being on the fast diet and like you I have always been a big greens and salads and pulses eater (lentils and butter beans and chick peas) and generally speaking I’ve not had trouble keeping regular.

I went to the Health Food Shop and the naturopath there recommended this magnesium powder which worked immediately. I took it for five days straight, then once a fortnight. I also take a probiotic supplement every day.

On your weight loss progress, don’t worry about how long it takes. I think for some of us (as I’ve written previously) it takes a lot longer to shift the weight. I’ve been doing it since early August and lost 6 kilos by early November. I don’t weigh myself, but we had a health check at work just before I started the 5/2 and we were weighed then and at the end of the program in the first week of November, so that’s how I know.

But since then, I’m fairly sure I’ve hit a bit of a plateau because my clothes have not been fitting looser in the last six weeks and I don’t look any trimmer. Mind you, it’s the end of year party season and I’ve been indulging on my eating days at various dinners and Xmas functions. In addition, I caught a terrible virus which prevented me from exercising at my usual capacity.

I thought I would be done by January and on my maintenance phase by then, but it looks like I might need another couple of months to lost the last four kilos.

On the plus side, I want to affirm Sylvestra’s comment that it does get easier to do the fast days. In the first five or six weeks, I was climbing the walls from hunger and looking up the calorie content of everything on the internet and becoming obsessed about what I could have. It was ridiculous as it was really hard work not to eat!

These days, I have some coffee with milk for breakfast, a hard boiled egg and a handful of berries or half an orange and then I’m usually fine until dinner time where I might have some salmon or tuna with salad or some home made soup.

If I need a snack I might have a wholewheat cracker which is all of 20 calories. I might sometimes go over the 500 calories and sometimes I’m definitely under.

I think it’s important not to be obsessive about it and with time you will get there and the weight will come off.

Good luck and keep at it.

Hello Ladies. I’ve been poorly for a few days and was feeling a bit better today so asked my fella to take me for a drive up the east coast. A pie and a beer for lunch, a walk on the beach, and two scoops of ice cream on the way home. Glass of wine in hand I write this to stiffen my resolve to fast tomorrow. I’ve decided not to weigh myself now until the morning of Christmas eve when I give myself a pass or fail on the goal of 70kg. Roll that wagon on slowly …

Lizy ….love that poem!!!

Roba….hope you feel better soon.

luvfasting….congrats on needing the jeans alteration.

😀