This topic contains 7,289 replies, has 660 voices, and was last updated by Opal Shine 1 month, 2 weeks ago.
Good morning from cold, windy Melbourne!
Hi Britbabe, Welcome here! It sounds like 5:2 does suit you. Playing the long game, and letting it be a sustainable way of life is key for me.
K-Lo, Congratulations! All power to you for that next 4 – 5 pounds!
Hello everyone else! Especially those of you fasting today, I hope you have a great day.
Hello every woman of a Certain Age,
I hope you are having a good 5:2 day. Are you 5ing or 2ing?
Tomorrow is my fast day so I am enjoying the wonderful privilege of three healthy, normal sized meals today!
I’m catching up with things, doing some nice cooking (last thing I made was Bhartha, a yummy Indian eggplant recipe).
What are you up to?
Hi ladies, just started 1 month ago. I live in France and spoke to my doctor about menopause and dieting. Basically it told me it makes no difference to weight gain. His advise is less calories in and more exercise, obvious really. Exercise works for me especially Pilates, it actually changes my shape, not much weight loss but definitely smaller around the waist and hips.Lost my Pilates teacher a few months ago she returned to the UK so have a DVD I follow at home. Have lost 6 pounds so far in 1 month using the fast recipe book. I dont eat many carbs these slow my diet down drastically. Look forward to hearing from you.
Hello all, I feel like I’ve been away for ages! I was at my daughter’s new home for a week then to my son’s home for a weekend. It was a lot of fun, lots of walking, fishing, playing, but also lots of ticks (yuck). My daughter doesn’t have internet access so I wasn’t able to log on to see how everyone’s doing. I missed keeping up with everyone. I have a hard time sticking to the fasting schedule without some feedback and inspiration from all of you. Plus, it’s harder being in someone else’s home and not having the food I have at my house at my fingertips.
Yesterday was supposed to be a fast day but I wasn’t feeling well and was driving 8 hours (which turned into about 12 hours because of a flat tire). I felt sleepy all day long so I didn’t dare not eat something along the way. But today’s a new day. I’m happy to be home and back in my usual routine with my own kitchen. I’ll do a fast day today. It’s all good.
Have a great week everyone.
Patty
Hi Patty,
Lovely to hear from you. This poor old thread has been very quiet.
Lucky you popped in Uriel!
6 lbs in a month is great!
Wow Patty, I am glad you got to go and see your daughter’s new home, and I hope they are having fun settling in.
Have you had a good fast day?
I have been going well, and gearing up for my fast day tomorrow.
Best wishes all!
👀 where has everyone gone. Pore lonely thread took me a while to find 😕
It’s been over a month since I last posted on the forum, up till this week i have been spending the week days at our caravan and only returning home for the weekends. We don’t have internet access at the van soi have got out of the habit of coming here. I have been good and continued to do 5.2 and I have finally reached my goal of losing 2 stone/28 pounds/ 2.7 kg.
I chose 2 stone as my goal as it was a nice round number and would be 5 pounds less than I have managed ever over the last 8 years of yo yo dieting and I have finally made it. My other goal of getting my waist to measure less than my height has also be reached but only just as it only by half an inch 😊.
I need to lose another 5 to 7 pounds to get back to the weight I was in my late 50s, hopefully it won’t be too long before I get there.
Hope everyone is doing well where ever you are. 👀 🙃
Oh well done Stepping Out! That’s my goal too but I’ve another 10lbs to go. I’d like then to lose another 6/7 also, for the same reason, but I’ll see when I’ve lost the two. I’ve lost my way a bit the last couple of weeks with a cold and a cough, but have managed to lose another pound before a plateau and some poorly done fasts. So encouraging that you’ve reached it. And the maintainers on here are encouraging too, I hadn’t originally thought that far ahead but know now that I must. Lovely to be at your caravan, if you are in UK or Europe you’ll have had some good weather of late, which I’ve wasted languishing round the house. Keep posting and the thread will come alive again, I expect.
I’ve just been weeding the grass from round my little fruit trees, an exhausting task when I’m feeling so feeble, but done now and all mulched and watered.
Keep on fasting!
Hi Apricot 😊
I’m in the UK and the weather has been nice, I am on the wrong side of the country this week though so the weather has been rotten, rain rain and more rain. I am clothes sorting waiting for the weather to improve. My summer clothes ( 4 different sizes due to my weight going up and down each year) were up in the attic in vacuum bags. I have filled two bin bags with clothes that are now waaay to big so will be making a trip to the charity shop soon 😀
Keep up the fasting you will get there soon. The great thing about 5.2 is its OK to have a break if your ill or have celebrations/ holidays you just chalk it up and pick up were you left off.
Shirley 🙃
Oh, hard luck. And thanks for the encouragement, it does concentrate the mind a bit. I’m in the south west and it’s been nice til today, now gloomy and preparing for wetness. But driving to the east at the weekend so will see what I get…..hope it’s fairly nice down here for Amazon’s holiday.
Great sending stuff to the charity shop! I’m trying to wear mine a bit longer (belts on trousers), and because I put on some weight last autumn my summer clothes still fit though rather loose 😊. I’ll get some smaller ones when a few more lbs have gone. I’m still 5 lbs above where I got to when I dieted 4/5 years ago (Dukan), it took a while to get back up but (sigh) it did. More determined and eye on the ball this time, sez I.
Hello everyone, I’m 56 and started 5:2 on 1st May to lose the stone I put on whilst training for the London marathon, plus a bit more, completely counterintuitive I know, but I saw each long training run as an excuse to carb up without limit! And afterwards, to celebrate of course. I’ve lost about 8lb so far and the loss has slowed down as I expected it would but I’m enjoying the discipline and the calmness that comes with a fasting day and hope to establish this as my new life pattern of maintaining once at goal. Generally I eat around 800 calories on a fast day (I call it a “down” day as it’s a bit more than recommended) and just below my TDEE on the others. I walk a lot and run about 20 miles a week so get a fair amount of exercise too. I have found that eating (and drinking less wine!) has helped with hot flushes which can’t be a bad thing! It is so much harder to lose weight than it was when I was younger but 5:2 makes it more manageable somehow. Good luck everyone with your journeys.
Hi everyone, I am 51 year old Brit who moved to NZ 1O years ago. Have never been one for diets because I love food and wine too much. However over the last few years the weight has been creeping on and about a year ago I started going through the menopause. A few UK based friends had reported success with 5:2 so I decided to give it a go…. I started doing it on 16th March this year and my weight was 70kg -the heaviest I had ever been. Like you Parkrunner I have been doing around 800 cals on my fast days and it has still worked for me. I am now around 64.5kg and feel so much better as I can fit in to my favourite dress again. I am also feeling a lot better when I run as I don’t have so much weight to carry round with me. My goal is 62kg-60kg and I feel confident that I can get there with 5:2. One other thing is that on my fast days I just try to eat fruit and vegetables, so I use it as an opportunity to eat more healthily than I do on the other days of the week. Keep up the good work everyone, you can still lose weight through menopause!
Hi, I’m 55. I started the 5:2 regime in the first half of March. So far I have lost just over a stone (~6.4 kg). Initially I felt tired on a ‘2’ day, but now I have TONS of energy. Stairs were starting to be annoying especially as I kept forgetting what I had come up them for and had to go back to retrace my steps to try to remember. Maybe ‘senior’ moments are Nature’s way of making you exercise. Ha! 😉 Still got 9lbs (~4kg) to go but making steady progress.
Good morning! Good morning! It is cold and rainy in Melbourne, Winter is here!
Congratulations Stepping Out! How lovely to be walking around without that excess two stone!
It sounds like you have had a wonderful month at your caravan!
Cheers for your next goal!
And what a lovely ritual it is to pack up those too big clothes for the charity shop!
I hope you can do it again soon too Apricot!
Hi Parkrunner! Welcome here. What an unusual way to put on weight! How did you go in the marathon? Did you make it to the end? Isn’t it a trick to get used to the way our older bodies behave. So many women find that losing weight helps with those nasty hot flushes. I think it has for me too, a bit hard to tell because the thinner I have got, the closer to the end of it anyway!
Welcome to you too Shelleymel! I’m a Southern Hemisphere neighbour! In Australia 🙂
I have also been anti diet, and avoid calling 5:2 a diet, even though I guess it is. But I am concentrating on the longterm and love the way it is simply a healthy and sensible way of life.
And welcome also Veggie Digger, it is so nice to have companions on this journey! Great thought about old age making us do more exercise! Sigh. It is so strange to be closer to the other end of life.
It is interesting that you and Shelleymel both do 800 calories. Did you watch ‘What’s the right diet for you?’ It was that, and friends who had begun doing 5:2 who inspired me to start. I started doing just less than 700 on a fast day, but I found I gradually got less, and over summer was just having cuppas (with milk )and a big bowl of miso soup in the evening (with chicken, mushrooms and greens in it). That has been really good and made the fast days feel really fasty! But now winter has rolled in, I might be like the cat (who is eating much more!) and add another bit of something in.
Isn’t it lovely how it works anyway! Persistence is everything!
Cheers to anyone fasting today! I’m fasting tomorrow!
Good morning ladies. It’s been a long time but life’s been hectic lately. I wrote an update, submitted it, but it disappeared. Now I’m out of time. Dang.
Anyhoo, welcome to the newcomers. Sounds like everyone’s doing well. I started a 30 hour fast last night. Things have been hectic for a while so I haven’t had a good fast day in weeks. Today’s a restart.
Have a great week everyone.
Patty.
Thank you Cinque, I did indeed finish the marathon, it was a bit of a bucket list thing and I just went out to enjoy the atmosphere, so did a rather pedestrian 5 hours (my slowest ever) but it was one massive street party. I actually don’t like running long distances as they make me hungry, much prefer heading for some grass and doing a few all-out short sprints, so this was the Last One Ever! I’ve lost 10lb now and have decided to go for another 10lb if I can, although currently trying to move house and keep hitting snags which is a bit stressful, normally I’d reach for wine and chocolate but this time, no, I say to myself, maybe tomorrow, by which time the moment has passed. Summer has arrived at last in my part of Yorkshire so salads are back on the menu which makes the fasting a bit easier. How is everyone doing? A 30 hour fast has got my respect PP, wow!
Im 40 something…i think…i stopped counting. 🙂 Im fairly sedentary due to an injury last year, and i have young children, so fixing them food all the time!
So I read all the research on mice and how fasting intermittently for 10 fasts turned on all the fat burning genes and allowed our ancestral ability to live off fat stores. So seeing as Michael did a 4 day fast originally, I thought perhaps he had turned on that ability prior to his 5:2. Seeing that I was 40 something with major hormone changes and sedentary, I figured I could use all the “gene turn on” I could get. So I did the every other day for 10 fasts…i figured I could do it if i knew there was a more sensible approach afterwards. I did not count calories on my up days, but i did try to get in a green juice, and lots of whole plant foods as my first meals to nourish myself first…but i do not restrict myself otherwise. So finished my ten fasts 8 solid pounds lighter and just started 5:2, so far so good. 🙂
Forgot to say that I am in Austin Texas, though Im from the Northeast. It’s lovely to hear from everyone in the UK, Australia and NZ. I think if I can lose weight in Texas, it might inspire someone out there! LOL. I have 16.5 pounds to go before goal weight. Im glad to hear of all your persistence and success with 5:2. I do 400 calories or less 1x late in the day, then lots of water and herbal tea.
Hi All. Had a good ‘2’ day today. Woke at 6am (funny how I can’t lie in on my day off) so went out into the veggie garden first thing. The sweetcorn was bashing its head on the net mini tunnel so I contructd a 5 foot high one from blue water pipe, ripped down roofing timbers and old windbreak netting. Worked in the garden till after 8pm so didn’t get too distracted by food. Just had yoghurt and strawberries for lunch and copious amounts of milky tea. That’ll do until tomorrow. Absolutely shattered now. Maybe I’ll get that lie in tomorrow. Hope those of you fasting had a successful day. 🙂
Hello Everyone,
It is a cold winter morning here, and I am having porridge. It is lull day for me, as no Fast day til Thursday.
It is nice to think of sweet corn shooting up in the sun Veggie Digger. I hope you have a lovely restorative sleep tonight and wake up with that lovely ‘morning after fast day’ feeling tomorrow.
Hi Patty! How dare the site eat up your post! I hate it when it does that, and I am keen to hear what has been happening for you! How are the thirty hours going?
Parkrunner, it does sound like a wonderful marathon for your last one!
My heart goes out to you, moving house. It is almost always so exhausting and stressful. Especially if you have been in your home for years and there is tons of STUFF to go through!
Cheers for putting off that chocolate and wine, it must be so tempting, but best not!
Welcome SlimnHealthy, there’s a mantra in a username! Life must be tricky with an injury and 4 kids! Congratulations on the alternate day fasting, what a great start to 5:2.
I bet you will love 5:2, it is so sustainable, and somehow, the fast days help with eating better on the inbetween days (for most people anyway) so that excess weight will surely go, and stay off.
It is so nice to feel normal.
Best wishes for a good day, or evening, everyone!
Hello all. The 30 hour fast turned into a 24 hour fast. Still good. Had a small, quiet supper with Dennis. Salad and marinated mushrooms along with a little piece of roast pork.
Hello to Parkrunner, SlimnHealthy, and Veggie Digger. Loved reading your stories. I’m also from USA, Pennsylvania to be exact. Right now it’s 10 p.m. on Monday night. I think we’re all in different time zones.
My daughter’s family is finally all moved. They’ve moved to southern Indiana, a 12 hour drive from here. She and the girls were living with us for the last couple of weeks while little Sylvie finished school (6yrs old). They left at 3:30 this morning for Indiana. It’s nice to have a quiet house. For now. I know I’m going to miss them terribly. Evan’s enjoying his job and they’re going to be loving having him home every day. On his old job his schedule had him away from home 2 weeks then home a week. It was hard on them all. The girls are so close to their daddy.
While they were all here I had a very hard time fasting. Seems like we were always on the go. Plus I was working quite a bit. It was hectic and chaotic. But now I’m back in the game. It felt great to fast again. Went to the gym, walked the dog. Life’s good.
Parkrunner, my daughter got me going on a couch-to-5k program. I never thought I’d be able to run that far. So far I’ve run a two mile but haven’t been able to do the whole 5k yet. There’s no way I’d ever be able to do a three hour race. I admire those who can. I like lifting weights. I was going to be in a bench-press and deadlift competition but never got around to signing up. Maybe next time….
Veggie Digger, like you I can never seem to sleep in either. I don’t mind it this time of year. I can sit on the porch and enjoy my coffee in the morning. Lots of wildlife to watch. We’ve had snapping turtles lately. Laying eggs in the yard and garden. Hubby put a mortar pan over one of the nests to keep the dog from digging and she must have thought it was one giant turtle, she kept barking at it and would’t go near it. 🐢 hahaha. We’ve had deer, bears, foxes, and even a coyote go through our yard.
Cinque, I only consider this a diet in the sense that it’s a way of eating for life, not for short term-which is what we generally think of when we think of dieting. I have never felt better and will keep fasting always. Is your daughter’s family all moved into their own home? I’m jealous that yours is moving closer as mine’s moving further away. 😩 But I’m already trying to plan a vacation out there. I think I said before that my son also lives out that way. He’s 8 hours away and Kelly’s just 4 hours beyond that. I can visit them all in a single trip.
Have a great week everyone. Hope your fasts go well.
Patty
Hi y’all! Let’s see if I can get everyone. Veggie Digger, Cinque, Parkrunner, Shelly, Apricot, Uriel and Stepping Out. Thanks for the shout out Cinque…I must have sounded tired when I said I had to fix food for children…I actually have two children. Lol.
I’m finishing up my fast (it’s almost 10pm). . I always feel victory when I get to leave the kitchen and go in my bedroom for the night. Yes! I did it. Approx 300 calories around 6:30 pm and I’ll wait as late as possible tomorrow before breaking the fast. I’m generally not hungry until late morning or early afternoon. I’ve got a busy week ahead of me with children out of school so probably won’t post until the next fast. Going to the pool for the first time this summer tomorrow. Wish me luck in the swim suit ladies!
Well, i woke up after such a great fast, got on the scale and nothing, hadnt lost anything!
But i will not be deflated! I know when i have a great fasting day that there are a myriad of biochemical pathways and DNA repairs which got an overhaul yesterday! I can really geek out on the science…it helps me stay motivated.
And despite no scale change, my tummy feels flatter and i feel lighter, all good!
Good fast to anyone fasting today!
Yay SlimnHealthy, not being deflated is the trick. Think long term.
I don’t bother with scales because they are so unreliable. 😋
My clothes are my favourite test and I notice it seems to go in jumps. Suddenly I put on something and it is too loose, then I try on the things that used to be too tight. Such fun.
Then I think, well, I’ll probably plateau now, but a week or so later, and oo that skirt slides down! I am very particular about how things feel around my waist, so I do notice small differences…. Which adds to the 5:2 fun!
Cheers to everyone fasting today, and non fasting!
Fasting again today. Been reading about the effects of fasting on arthritis and allergies, so i decided to go ahead and keep up the every other day fasting until my allergies and injury are healed, then shift to 5:2. Should i leave this site until then? Im sure 5:2 would get me there eventually, but i figure this will speed up the process and i really want to be able to do Yoga again this year. Also its so hot here right now and my chilly nature seems to find fasting easier in the summer. At any rate, i’m definitely going to shift to 5:2 eventually, so ill be back at some point!
Hi everyone,
I agree with Cinque -there are all sorts of people doing different variations and we all have different lifestyles and metabolisms etc. It seems that the important thing is finding something that is sustainable for you. The beauty of this approach is that we all know it works -even if it is at different rates for different people at different times. I started out with a roar and a hiss but now my weight loss has slowed down but maybe that’s because we have moved into winter here in NZ and I like my creature comforts. I also agree with you Cinque about the way of measuring the change being in terms of the way clothes fit. I was so over the moon the other week when I got into my favourite dress. I think we need to be kind to ourselves, recognise the progress and keep going even if we have lapses from time to time. I’m probably having one at the moment lol!!
Hi Speedy – I can related to not only a lot in this thread (read a lot but not all – sorry) but to your post too…
I’m 54 and have family inherited cholesterol, so that’s very high at the moment!
From the few diets (I too dislike that word & it’s connotations) and all, show the weight loss at the start is lost water weight.
I love that the more we as a society learn about food/weight scientifically we are very gradually beginning to try and help people like me who find is so very hard to lose weight.
If I ate the 1700 they claim I ought I’d gain weight! I’ve found that I need to eat a max of 800 / day if I want to really drop weight. (plus less than 5%fat)
So my aim is to have a 1200 standard day and 500-600 fast day.
I’m only about to start! Just eating up the bad (few) things in the cupboard. I am alone apart from lodgers so can’t get help eating much – unless I bake muffin or cakes! 🙂
I have a really hard problem with eating emotionally! 🙁
I hope I can do this… 🙂 Sounds like many of you ought to have a medal for the efforts and sticking power! 😀
Hello Everyone,
Welcome AuroraMagic!
I hope you find 5:2 works for you. The best bit about it for me is that it isn’t hard to stick to! Only 2 light fasting days a week. The rest I just eat normally. Better still, for me, the two fast days make eating on the other days easier. It has become a sustainable way of life. I hope it works like that for you too!
Hi Shelley, I hope you find a gorgeous new swimsuit! And yay for your favourite dress!
It is the day after fast day for me!
Best wishes for your day, fasting or not fasting!
Hi y’all!
Startin’ to feel right at home! So glad im surrounded by acceptance of whatever i need to do…this is def the right place for me!
Great swimsuit moment Shelly! So my swimsuit week (it turns out) has been great! Just that initial weightloss brought the legs to a comfortable chubby. 🙂 My suit fit (whew!) and felt a little sexy. I think the fasting is waking up some hormones lol!
But the most exciting thing is…i woke up with No fluid in my ears and sinus pressure gone!!! I must have hit that magical fast bc allergies improving!!! So excited!
I hope you find a maneagable way to do it AuroaMagic! The health improvements are wirth it!
Hi all. Sounds like everyone is doing very well. I had another fast day today. It was a pretty good one. I kept myself quite busy. Since Kelly and the kids left I’ve decided to go through the house 1 room at a time and do a very thorough cleaning. Donating a lot of stuff. Including all the clothes that are now too big for me! WooHoo. Congrats to all of you who are fitting into new swimsuits and favourite dresses. It’s such a great feeling isn’t it?
SlimnHealthy, I found that fasting has absolutely done wonders for my arthritis. Not sure about allergies, though. I was never allergic while growing up but as I got older I’ve noticed that I seem to be stuffed up at this time of year. I seem to wake up with a headache most mornings and my eyes are itchy and watery. After I’m up for a while those symptoms disappear. I’m assuming it’s allergies.
Today was a fast day for me. I went to my daughter’s house and mowed their lawn. It takes about an hour. When I left I had an almost overpowering urge for an ice cream cone. I even pulled in to an ice cream stand and sat in the car trying to decide on a flavor. But I talked myself out of it. Never even got out of the car! Whew. Close call.
Enjoy the rest of the day (or night) everyone.
Patty
Hey Patty,
I completely missed replying to your lovely long catch up! I read it but then got sidetracked by life. My head is in about 6 different places at once at the moment!
My heart goes out to you with your daughter’s family so far away. My daughters family was 10 hours away (although I never actually drove! Hooray for aeroplanes) and they stayed with me for a couple of weeks or so while they looked for a house close by, so it really was your situation in reverse, and yes, I am so grateful they came back.
They are a couple of suburbs over, in a big house, perfect for an expanding family. I minded toddler granddaughter overnight on Wednesday, it is so nice being able to help more, and having little Josie cry ‘manma’ (grandma) excitedly when she sees me!
I know you will make the most of all the technology etc to keep as close to them as you can, and what a nice foundation you have made with them, so that will be there forever. And you do have them all staged well for a visit!
Now, at least, you can enjoy your quiet house and the time and space to manage work and get back into the rhythm of 5:2.
And get up to that 5km run 😉
I’m working on my Community Food project, which is serving a delicious hearty soup at the Neighbourhood House (Community Centre) at lunchtime Monday week. We want to make it a sustainable not for profit business and end up with local cafes selling delicious, affordable healthy food to make eating well easier.
Even though this bit is just a small project I am struggling to get it organised (high chairs for toddlers, negotiating with our wonderful cook for the perfect recipe, posters, takeaway containers). It is like trying to get an octopus into a string bag, every time I get some piece neatly tucked in, three legs slide out.
So I am off to do the next things on my list!
Best wishes all!
PS SlimnHealthy I am afraid that getting down to a healthy weight didn’t help with my allergies. Sniff sniff 🙁 But I am SO glad it is better for you!
Hi SlimnHealthy, (& everyone!) 🙂
I am ‘worried’ that I will slip and every slip to a small degree will count. I’m in an up mood so feel so very positive. Sadly I know this won’t last… especially as those life pressures (of which I have plenty) will hit me around the face anytime soon!
I think you’re experiencing purpose and pride and quite rightly feel sexy! Why not! 😀 I’m sure you were before but I ‘get’ that we don’t feel it when the image in the mirror is so different to our ‘dream’.
But I know I can drop some weight – just must keep on to get over those final hurdles too. But I’m one of the heaviest I’ve ever been… so it’s going to be tough. However it’s being addressed! 🙂 I even bought a pretty dress off ebay that is currently too small, as an incentive ! 🙂
Hi Y’all!
I’m fasting today! Last night, after a day with the kids at a play date in the morning and at the pool in the baking Texas sun all day, I actually had enough energy to go out with a girlfriend at 8:45pm!, I don’t think I’ve gone out that late since I had children!
I had my first child at 39 and it ended up a c section after 43 hours of labor at a planned home birth. So I’ve been in recovery and tired ever since. Lol My second child I delivered VBAC but it took me longer to recover than I had expected and she had more “quirks” with nursing than my son….possibly because the economy was crashing and I had to close my private practice of ten years which was supposed to run smoothly without me while I was home in domestic bliss. Lol!!!!! Best laid plans. Life and children have finally taught me to go with the flow.
Anywho! My injury hurt worse than usual yesterday, but today, all the pain is gone! gone. So I’m super excited about that. Maybe the pain was having a farewell party! I hope so! I bought a Diet Journal to start writing down what all the changes are…I don’t want to forget where I came from on difficult days.
Sorry to make this so long, I’m just super excited! Oh, one last thing. David, my handsome lovey husband…gave me the normal goodbye kiss this morning, but stopped, gazed a sec and said, ” you look pretty”…morning bed head and all! ❤️ My husband is always sweet n loving, but not a romantic by any means… He must have seen my fasting glow!!!!
Happy day everyone!
Oh, AuroraMagic,
I don’t know your history so of course in the end, you know best…so for what it’s worth, After 18 days of fasting every other day, I would say it’s easier for me to do less calories on the fasting day (one or two protein shakes at my hungriest times so 300 calories) and then give myself more room to not be so restricted on non fasting days. Then on non fasting days I wait until I’m really really hungry and I have two healthy planned meals ( like a green juice and a hearty kale salad) before I even think about eating comfort food….usually after I’ve had those two healthy meals, my cravings and desires are balanced because of all the good nutrition in me. I can honestly say that I have a bigger appetite than any girl I’ve ever known and I definitely can eat emotionally…but this structure has created a balance in me and my fasting is really having ease and my non fasting is really starting to feel balanced. Last night, I stopped eating n drinking at half a basket of French fries and half a margarita! I was done…not full or miserable, just done. That’s never happened to me before. Love to you!
Hello all LOACAs
I’ve not long started the 5:2 and have been reading posts on a few forums to try and get a handle on this way of life. This forum seems the best fit for me so I hope it lives long and prospers 😀
I need to lose 3 stone to get to a healthy weight. I’m 53 and started peri menopause when I turned 40. On HRT for the last 11 years. I want to feel fit and healthy again and feel sure diet would go a long way to getting me there. I Hope to log a post every day if poss so that I keep my focus. I’ll see how that goes. Haven’t had the chance to read all the back posts yet but I will when I can. Meantime, thanks for being here and good luck on the journey
Laidir
Hiya SlimnHealthy
Thanks that very interesting and I’ll analyse that for a while.
When I ‘need’ a comfort munch it can be like and urgent additive ‘need’ but it’s not always that bad ! Hopefully things will improve. Thank you.
Hi Laidir 🙂
Yeah this place seems friendly, comfy and good to me too! 😀 (& no images that I’ve seen either!) 🙂
I’ve 2.5stone to loose and been on hrt for 19 yrs & 54…. so we’re really similar – at our time of life! 🙂
So far today I’ve had one chinese meal and a peach, without too much effort. Helped that I’ve been busy at my computer too!:D
Does anyone else have a challenge meeting their calories on a non fast day? I do this in addition to Low Carb and I have done my food journal for tomorrow and I can barely get in 900 calories and my TDEE is 1450. Will it effect weight loss having such low calories which ends up being every day? I have 400 cal on fast days and approx 800 on non fast days?
Hi Everyone, from wintery Melbourne,
Welcome Laidir and FloridaGirl!
Floridagirl, the TDEE (and the 500 calories on Fast days) are the upper limits. It is recommended that you don’t eat more than that. If you eat less, it will just mean that you lose weight faster. If you start worrying that you are not eating enough and it is unhealthy, then talk to your doctor. But if you feel fine, just go with what your body is telling you.
Laidir, I also post here most days, often more than once 😉 It is nice to chat with people doing the same thing, and it is a lovely supportive community.
I never did read all the previous posts though!
I like it when people have put something for their profile, so you can click on their name and remember who they are! (hint hint!) (Just joking, you are not obliged!)
Hi Aurora, I hope your positive mood lasts! Having a slip every now and then is normal, and like everything, practice makes perfect. 5:2 is so good because you can adapt to suit your own life. It can take a bit of trial and error to work out which days suit best, how it suits you to eat on Fast Days, what your problem times are, and how to deal with them etc. The main thing is to stick with it. I think you will be fine, even when those life pressures come. If you fall down, let us know and we can cheer you on while you get up again!
SlimnHealthy, motherhood is relentless, isn’t it. So hard to catch up after an exhausting start, too. So glad to hear of all the lovely things happening already! Fingers crossed the pain stays away, or at least is not so bad if it does come back.
Best wishes everyone! I’m fasting tomorrow, so I am enjoying my breakfast today!
Helooo lovely ladies. Welcome to the newcomers. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this thread.
Floridagirl, sometimes I seem to lose weight slower if I don’t eat enough. Not sure why. Maybe it slows my metabolism too much. I have no idea. I generally eat around 300 calories or less on a fast day. On a non-fast day I eat (generally) around 1200. I don’t count my calories any more. I did for a very short time and I have a pretty good idea about how much I’m eating.
I’ve noticed that several are taking hrt and I’ve looked it up but am still not sure what it is exactly. What were your symptoms before taking it? Is it something you need to take for the rest of your life? How does it effect you? Do you feel better? How do you know when you can stop taking it?
Positive moods really are important. It’s also good to have a support system, such as a supportive hubby, and this group of women. I know when I’m in a negative mood I tend to eat a lot more. Being busy also helps. I’ve been very busy with getting the house back to a two person abode. I took a leaf out of the table today and it looks so small and sad. I’ll be driving out to see the girls on the 22nd of this month. I’ll pick up Lauren in Ohio then take her with me to Indiana to spend time with her cousins. I drive rather than fly because I take my dog and cat with me. Maybe one day I’ll leave them home and fly out there. Dennis is home so he could take care of them. There’s also the train but that takes almost as long as driving.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Patty
Hi Ladies!
Wow! Kept to my fast yesterday despite being at the pool all day with the smell of French fries and pizza coming from the concession stand! I had my treat though…a friend of mine here is a writer and she gave me one of her steamy romance novels from years back to read on fasting days! Lol! What a lovely guilty pleasure. And I’m getting to see inside the mind of my friend which makes it even more interesting.
So my little one, Elliot, can now put her head all the way in the water…which was our goal this week! Give a cheer. For some reason, she never could take the risk on her own, so I put her in private swim lessons this week.A fun young gal helped her get over her fears.
And now for the weigh in ….yes! …I lost another half pound! Haven’t seen that number in a long time! What’s more, I can actually feel the loss finally. I actually feel lighter! Yay!
I continue to have positive results in sinus pain and pressure- gone. Deep shoulder pain-gone, yay!
Going to get a green juice today and make a quinoa kale salad and then who knows!
Patty! I’m from Ohio originally! Say hi to Columbus as you drive through and safe trip!
Positive energy to all the fasters today’!
Hi All from the middle of a common in sunny & showery SW Worcestershire
I hope you are all happy and feeling well.
I didn’t bother to update my tracker this week as I know it will be crap; had tea and cake with my mum last Tuesday and on Wednesday went to the local hospice with a client for a Tea Party (in a huge white marquee on the lawn no less!) The cakes were so FAB, so I indulged YUM, YUM and what with Queenie’s celebrations it’s all gone a bit Pete Tong. But hey, tomorrow is a new day.
Normally, I eat low carb with the 5:2 and don’t eat my TDEE on my ‘5’ days so I stopped counting. Greek yoghurt and fresh soft fruit seem to becoming my go-to snack of choice, although now I’m cropping the young spinach, I’m trying to come up with as many meal ideas with it as possible. So far I have added it to my salads and made a spinach and Puy lentil curry. Any other low carb suggestions?
Evening all
I wrote a post earlier, pressed submit and it disappeared! Do you think if I plonked myself on the keyboard a few pounds might disappear as well?
Patty, I had a well-crafted response to your questions (no really, I did) but here’s the short scrappy version (it’s never as slick second time around)….I had rotten symptoms after my son was born 15 years ago and it got to the point where I couldn’t think straight – really fuzzy head. I became anaemic and was always tired, partly due to fierce night sweats. I’m normally a very high energy person but the peri menopause (I didn’t know about it til the doc told me at the HRT clinic) did for me totally! Anyway, I’ll have to come off the HRT eventually but I’m not looking forward to it. It’s not today, though : ) I’m sure others will have some good info to contribute – everyone is different and hormone levels are notoriously tricky things to get right.
Today I fell off the wagon and had chocolate (etc) so I’ve decided to chalk it up to the 5:2 equivalent of a duvet day. I’ll get back on track tomorrow with a fast day. Signing off now with a little motivational word from a friend of mine – when I mess up or think my day / diet is ruined she reminds me that I can start my day again at any time. It’s simple, but I like it!
Clinque, I’m going to get changed into my cozies now and settle down to write a wee bit of a profile. I just wanted to get started the other night and decided to do the back story later …. I warn you though, it’ll be snoresville zzzzzzzzzz
Bye for now!
I was told after I’d had a few years of hassles getting onto HRT that they could have checked my hormone levels and then got a rough idea… (from a gynae Dr!) However although this has since been poo-pooed as ‘it’s very tricky’ doesn’t mean that they (perhaps) can’t – it’s just difficult.
Had they got my Hormone levels then they could have got me on the right dosage – the dose I was initially getting was nearly 200 times more then I needed! OMG!
I almost came off but had problems so resolved by staying on for another few years ! I dread coming off! 🙁 Really sympathise !
No profile is boring. 😀
I knew this weekend with a friend round was going to be a bit bad.. and to me I officially start Monday…
Even had a slice of toast for brekky a bacon buttie at lunch and fish (chunk of Rock) and chips ! Oh My! however since that must be about my 1700 allowance I don’t feel too bad! After all tomorrows another day to get it right – it’s the consistent achievements that count up! 😀 the day before was way better (1 meal) … but I had the bacon buttie (cheapest on menu) as I felt very light headed.
Hiya PatriPer317 – HRT
Upon re-reading I realise that I didn’t answer your questions :
—PatriPer317
I’ve noticed that several are taking hrt and I’ve looked it up but am still not sure what it is exactly.
What were your symptoms before taking it?
Is it something you need to take for the rest of your life?
How does it effect you?
Do you feel better?
How do you know when you can stop taking it?
__
It’s a replacement for hormones that the body has lost. In my case I had a hysterectomy when 36, which would have sent me into the menopause at a very young age. So the HRT is used to delay it, and in doing so delay any onset of osteoporosis. Some evidence is present to show an increase of breast cancer on patients who continue to take it after the age of 50 onwards. However it is a low risk. So recently after I tried to come off and had a few problems (vaginal lining bleeding) I remained on it. Hopefully as I age naturally when I come off again it maybe fine, even if that’s only 4 or 5 yrs away.
As I understand it, it would be highly unlikely that any one would take it for life. We all ‘need’ to go through the menopause…
For me it was difficult to get which HRT was right for me at the beginning. hormones normally keep all sorts of ‘you and your systems’ at the right balance, throw any of these ‘out of kilta/balance’ and you can change your mood to being ‘snappy /annoyed, upset, more sensitive etc etc. (not usually happy usually negative, even in extremes violent!) A bit like men who take steroids to body build but become aggressive too – it’s hormones and can change people’s moods.
After finding the right one I have been ok. 🙂
I didn’t feel ‘wrong’ before – it was purely medical ‘sense’ after the hysterectomy.
It will only be prescribed through a doctor. They check blood pressure regularly (about twice a year) and of course if one experiences any issue they ought to be reported.
HRT is manufactured through urine produced from pregnant (& highly lab tested and extracted) horses. I see one article says plants too but I’ve not seen that previously.
So as one ages they want to see you off the drug to allow the natural processes of the menopause develop, I will come off it over a year or so. It must be gradual to allow the bodies hormones to adjust gently.
Medicinenet.com :
Formerly, hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Estrogen therapy (ET) is used to treat the symptoms of menopause. It reduces or stops the short-term changes of menopause such as hot flashes, disturbed sleep, and vaginal dryness. Estrogen therapy can prevent osteoporosis, a consequence of lowered estrogen levels.
—
more here :
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hormone+replacement+therapy
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/181726.php
HTH 🙂
Like you, VeggieDigger, I had an off the wagon day yesterday, with a large brunch of eggs, sourdough toast with tomatoes and a courgette and onion mixture cooked in olive oil. Very yum. And evening meal was substantial too, chicken, veg and potatoes which last I don’t normally eat these days. So carbs up, especially after stewed gooseberries and cream + a glass of wine. Hmmm! But I did walk 7 miles, have a Pilates class and swam in the sea for 40 mins, so hope it’s mostly used up!
Spinach is so good. I used to hate it as a child, but not any more. I’m using it on fast days as part of a broth ( either home made if I’ve got it, or with a bouillon cube) with carrots, rainbow chard and about 100gr chicken all added. It’s very satisfying and not hi cal.
I was on HRT for about 10 years, from age 50-60, not after a hysterectomy but to evade menopause symptoms while still working, as getting anxious and wound up plus hot flushes etc was bad news. When I came off it on my doctor’s advice, as research from the U.S. had suggested it was not good unless really necessary, I had a normal menopause that lasted about three months, which was good as I was still in a demanding job so didn’t want all the symptoms any more than previously. I did try to use plant oestrogens a bit (eg soya beans) but was rather intermittent about it.
Just had a delicious cup of cocoa for breakfast, made with cacao powder and boiling water (not milk) and added cream plus a little sweetener. You make it much like coffee except you mix it to a paste first. My doctor uncle used to make it like that and I think it’s delicious. High in potassium and magnesium plus other useful things. But not for a FD!
Must swim again this pm. The water is now 17 degrees and still rising, most unusual for June and great for swimmers though probably less so for cold water corals. I hope Anazon is having a good hol in Cornwall.
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2 May 16