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Well said, PVE. Yesterday two friends suggested we get together for an impromptu lunch. That was the end of the fast day. The joy is we had fun, and now I’m fasting today. What a WOL.
Hang in there, Cheeseplease. It’s only a day. You could try miso in hot water, or ginger or fusion teas in hot water. Experiment with different drinks to change your idea of the FD. 🙂
Hello All,
I’m 54 and have been a 5:2 eater since April 2013. Before menopause, I was a fit size 6-8 (US size). I experienced menopause young, age 44 (one medical reason and one genetic reason). Then I ballooned multiple inches and pounds despite being an avid exerciser. Tried all manner of restrictions and exercising, exercising, exercising. Saw Michael’s program on American TV one night in early April, 2013 and thought why the hell not. I had concluded that like many of us, I couldn’t live with restrictions every… bloody… day. For some reason, being restricted two days a week was quite manageable. I didn’t notice much change for about three months. Then wham-o! It really began to come off. Today: I am 40 pounds lighter, multiple inches smaller, and back to a size 8 after bursting out of a size 14 when I began this journey. As many say, some semi-fasting days can be a preoccupation, but all I do is remind myself that tomorrow I’m going to eat what I want, and all is well again. Food suggestion: chicken broth with (healthy) veggies. VERY low cal and the warmth of the broth is satisfying (add spices!) and the veggie dose is good for us. And cabbage. So filling and so low-cal. Four cups of the stuff is a mere 50 calories. I make a salad with a few bits of other veggies, a couple whites of cooked eggs, and 90 g cooked ham or turkey (90 cals) and only apple cider vinegar, pepper. No oil. Try it! Nonfat yogurt: 1/2 C (65 cals) with a coup of strawberries (40 cals) or other healthy, low-cal fruit. Dee-lish! We can do this!
Hi Bayleafoz
Thanks for the tips. I think you are right, I need to change things a bit, I have got into a rut as to what and when I eat on fast days. I do have miso soup, I like it a lot and it really feels like food with so few calories. Despite my moaning I weighed myself on my erratic scales this morning and have broken into the sub 11 stone area, so am delighted with that – and it’s a great incentive! Glass of celebratory wine tonight!
littleliz and gibbygabby: thanks for sharing your amazing stories. So great to hear that the commitment and patience pays off. We all have hit plateaus before where nothing seems to be happening. Gibbygabby, your experience shows that sticking to the plan will pay off in the end.
Cheers to both of you.
Also congrats to Cheeseplease. A well deserved celebration glass tonight.
So wonderful to have so many LOACA doing so well, because it is TOUGH to loose this weight after the BIG M.
Bayleaf: thanks for the suggestion of miso soup. What a great idea.
One of my favorite super low calorie soups is this Weight Watcher Zero Points Garden Veg Soup. Many of you may know it already, but thought I would share for others that might not.
WEIGHT WATCHERS ZERO POINTS GARDEN VEGETABLE SOUP RECIPE
Makes 9 cups
6 cups broth (made with canned or using bullion fine)
Cooking spray or tiny bit of oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 cabbage, chopped
1/2 pound frozen green beans
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large zucchini, diced
Bring the broth to a boil in the microwave. (This is a time-saving tip that can be skipped if there’s no hurry.)
Spray a Dutch oven with cooking spray and heat on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to MEDIUM and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the beans are tender.
Add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini are tender.
Serve and enjoy!
Hi Cheeseplease
That’s how I felt when I got sub 9 stone for the first time in 16 years! I was well pleased with my B2B last week I will do it again, not necessarily to lose much more weight, just the inches around my middle and hips. I have been busy trying new recipes on fasting days and taking a chance I will like them as I am making extra and freezing it! Currently enjoying watching the Djokovic/Dimitrov match as I have an unset day. Did get my daily allotment of Vitamin D when I planted up some new plant pots for the garden this morning, making the most of it as rain is forecast for tomorrow. Ali
Hi Ali61
What brilliant tennis! We have an allotment too, and I love it. Mega quantities of Swiss chard, sugar snap peas, courgettes, carrots, beetroot (and beans to come, help!) – so definitely getting my five a day veg. We need rain here for the lottie, wish it rained overnight only, it would make life so much easier! Good luck with your B2B, don’t think I could cope with that just yet.
Hello to all you 5:2ers! I weighed this morning
and found I haven’t lost anything this week so am feeling a bit mis especially after a real struggle on my fast day yesterday. But at least I didn’t gain! Must keep positive. My other half has lost 7lb in 2 weeks. It does seem to be easier for men!!! One thing we’ve noticed is that the fridge is staying full for much longer so hopefully we are saving a bit of cash as well.
Cheeseplease: Zero Points Veg soup has about 360 calories for the pot, and makes 9 cups so that makes about 40 calories per cup. Perfect for a fast day.
Wilbersnanna: that is so disappointing but weigh again in 2 days and see if it was just hiding from you. My son (age 34 and had only 10-15 lbs to loose) joined my on my diet 4 weeks ago and for 2 weeks saw nothing. Said the waste on his pants felt looser but scales showed nothing. Then 5 lbs dropped off over night (I mean that literally….one day 190 and the next day 185). Two more weeks in and he is down 9 lbs. I have had similar experience with my own weight in the past (but never quite so much….but we girls never do, do we!).
I wish some foundation would fund research to find metabolically where this is hiding. It has to be water weight filling up depleted fat cells because nothing else could flush out of you like that overnight.
I bet that you will see those results shortly …..just like a credit on your account waiting to pop up on your next statement. All that hard work will not be for nothing….bet money on it. Hang in there.
Excellent advice LUVT!
Wilbersnanna, hang in there. Weights go up and down but that’s because you are a living organism, not an empty jug. 😉
This is a long term health gain. Not a quick fix instant weight loss.
The soup can be made with basically any low cal veg from the fridge with lots of garlic, chilli and ginger. Freeze the rest in portion amounts for instant food on fast days.
All the best, PVE
Good morning/evening LOACAs all over.
Great veg soup recipe LUVT – I do something similar but also use swede and celery which gives it a little extra zing. I also blitz it with the Bamix (stick mixer) so it is thick and psychologically (for me at least) more filling.
Day 4/5 non FDs for me with B2B Mon/Tues coming up. It’s no harder for me than any other routine. I certainly don’t have any sleeping issues on those nights, often dozing off for a ‘nanna nap’ after dinner. I thought it was because I get up at 6 for work on those days, but Wednesdays is just as easy to sleep. For the scientists, it’s a good control because the only difference is fasting/non-fasting. We’re all so different but on the same journey.
Gibbygabby, great story and congrats on your perseverance. Not sure I would have been able to keep it up with so little initial encouragement.
Off shortly for my grand-daughter’s end of term dancing concert.
Enjoy the weekend everyone.
Hi PVE. Thank you. It stopped sometime during the night. 🙂
Hi plateau people, please keep at it. I am one of the lucky ones who lost 10 kg quickly so the WOL was reinforced quickly. However, since then I gave had many small plateaus. I do not worry as my shape keeps changing.
Since 25 January 2014 I have lost 15.6 kg and 17 cm from waist and my BMI went from 28.8 to 23.8. None of this happened in a straight line. Just stick at the basic 5:2 with plenty of soups. We’re all different. 🙂
Morning all! Thank you for all your encouragement Purplevegieater and Cheeseplease.I feel much better today and really determined to stick with it. I realise the health benefits are really what are important and that weight loss is an in fact a side effect of that. Thanks to LUVTCOOK for the soup recipe. I will be making a batch to freeze asap! Like the idea of giving it a wizz to thicken too.
Bonjour LUVTCOOK and everyone – my FD 5 went ok, I even managed to watch Masterchef without having to raid the pantry/fridge. Friday was spent with my lovely daughter and granddaughter (3 months old today) and we went into Macon to shop at Lidl (I am a convert and they have such bargains – our trolley was 30 euros cheaper than our usual large supermarket and the quality is excellent. We had a tray of sushi for lunch which was cheap and deliciously fresh).
Everyone’s talk about changing our routines is a good idea, it’s so easy to get stuck in a rut. On Monday I shall be going to my Book Club – we have been reading Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch (I can highly recommend it if you’ve not read it), and I know there will be tasty canapes and patisseries, so I am changing FD 6 to the Tuesday. Think how miserable I would have been, and anti-social, if I sat there and not eaten a morsel!
Your recipe for Garden Veg Soups sounds delicious. Last week when planning my FD evening meal I cobbled together the following ingredients and made a tasty Thai-flavoured soup:
Cals
100g scallops (frozen, thawed) 85
half a Knorr stock pot (chicken) 10 (15 if you use it all)
Fresh grated ginger, to taste 0
1 clove of garlic, grated 0
30g frozen peas 20
50g sliced mushrooms 5
A couple of large spring onions (scallions)
sliced 10
Fresh thyme (or whatever herb you prefer) 0
Water, 250 – 300 ml, or more if you like 0
Black pepper, little salt if needed 0
TOTAL 130
If you don’t like scallops, you could use other white fish or prawns,etc.
Just put all the ingredients (apart from the scallops) into a pan and simmer for 10 mins, add the scallops for the last 3 mins.
I shall definitely be doing it again soon as it was delicious and more importantly very satisfying and filling. Perfect for a fast day.
Enjoy the weekend and I’ll be back soon
Femme anglaise
Femme Anglaise: your scallope soup sounds devine….as PVE said, great profile of flavors. Will be trying that one for sure.
Congrats bayleaf: thanks for sharing and good point about your success not being a straight line. It does get discouraging when you work so hard and have a “pristine” week by the book…and then no reward at the end. The long view is the only way to look at it. I wish I could restrain myself and weigh once a month insead of weekly (or more) but I do take some pleasure in seeing the new number even if only down a bit.
Nicky & AliH61: I found B2B not at all difficult and actually easier on Day 2 than when doing a split fast. I do wonder if the weight loss and health gains are proportional to the “suffering”. That if your body feels more stress that there is actually some benefit in that. But I sure would like some proof first before giving up B2B.
Wilbersnanner: you are so welcome.
Must be off….OW & DW all. luvt
Thanks for the encouragement, LUVTOCOOK, and for recognising that I was trying to say that I had more than a few plateaus in the weight loss. And without the support of fellow 5:2 ers it would be much harder to lose and to maintain. It’s great to have a supportive group and to feel that when I indulge, I can forgive myself. And then go lean and mean the next day. 🙂
I will be trying the scallop soup recipe soon.
Thank you very much, PVE. I’ve been cooking and freezing kid friendly dishes like Mexican meat and spicy chicken, ready for the week at the coast. Hope you all have a good FD or two while I’m gone.
to Wilbersnanna, I’m sorry my post was a bit mixed. I meant to support you and say that it took quite a few plateaus on my way down. 🙂
Others have commented that when we plateau, we need to look at types of food to jolt the body to start losing again. Mine is sugar in any form whatsoever. I have to give up all sweeteners and honey and alcohol and fruit, just for about 2-3 weeks while the body kickstarts itself again. Your trigger could be something different. BTW. Absolutely not even a grain of sugar or substitute on any day of the week. 🙂
Good losing and enjoy the journey. 🙂
Good evening LOACA, deputy PVE, checking in from Aberystwyth in North Wales,
It is nice to know you are wondering about my meeting up with BooBoo, Well we met up yesterday (Saturday) and we got on really well, I am not going to give anything away but BooBoo is nothing like I imagined her to be, to look at I mean by that, isn’t it funny how we have an idea in our heads of how we might look.
she is really lovely just like she is on our thread, we had a chat about lots of you and talked non stop and about 5-2 and our struggle with different ways when we only want to get the results for our efforts. we had about an hour and half before we had to go our different ways.
BooBoo I hope you and your hubby will have a safe and good journey home tomorrow.
We travel home tomorrow and we are going to call into Lampeter about an hour from here it’s where my grandfather was born and it will be nice to see the area before we travel on home.
So keep up the good work PVE. JIP.
You have heard from me before about how many inches I have lost on this plan. I do not even call it a diet anymore, it is a “way of life”! I think this is a “must” for menopausal women.
With my sports science background, I thought I knew everything about diet and exercise but whatever the doctors try to say after menopause your whole shape changes. After the chaotic change to your hormones, your metabolism dramatically changes. Look at puberty, how many girls suddenly gain weight dramatically whilst their bodies react to hormonal changes.
Sorry men but most of you male doctors really do not understand.No amount of exercise was helping me.
Also I did not want to lose much weight, only about half a stone, but as a slim faced women know from experience being too thin is very ageing.
After being on this plan since mid January, with only one week off when on holiday I have lost 9 pounds but now 15 inches off my body.
Back to my size 8, I am 5ft 2inches and only size 3 foot so not a giant but more importantly have lost my spare tummy fat and thigh fat. 2.5 inches off each thigh and now 4 inches from waist.
If I had been doing this just concentrating on the scales, 9 pounds is not much in 6 months of never cheating, only abandoned one low day when was upset and just felt the need to eat!
Three of my friends have now joined in, no one noticed until I have started wearing quite fitted Summer dresses. I have not lost any weight from face or any from bust which has delighted me as I am only 33 inches round there any way. All the inches have dropped off tummy, hips and thighs, no amount of exercise could have achieved this.
So this is to all you post menopausal women. YOU DO gain weight around your middle but YOU CAN do something about it without starving yourself. Do not be obsessed with scales, stick to tape measure, so much more rewarding. I only weigh once a month now and then really don’t worry if slight variation, my clothes say it all!! We menopausal women must stick together, hot flushes and all, if men went through this there would be a cure.
Oh and on the plus I am 58 next month and last week was taken for my 34 year old’s younger sister. What a boost that was, maybe they were partially sighted !!!
Hi Girls and BooBoo and JIP,
Like most of us I’m so glad the meeting in Wales went well. I know we all like Mimi and Michaels’ recipes but a change is good for you, I’ve found another website and am trying two new recipes for my B2B fasting tomorrow and Tuesday. Tomorrow it’s Monkfish and Chorizo with courgette spaghetti and Tuesday it’s Spicy Saag Aloo, both days I’m also having a homemade Cocoa Raisin Cereal Bar. Let you know how I got on. BTW thank heavens for YouTube, it showed me how to fillet a Monkfish tail! Never too old to learn new tricks, Ali x
Ha Ha ! Yes both blonde but think the younger looking body helped, face was at a distance !!
Just feel really important to encourage us more mature ladies that you can actually take control again after menopause.
I am still having night sweats though, was hoping diet might help these, think slightly better, but warm nights and I do not match !!
Sounds as if you are really in the swing of the new cooking, ali.
I made beans, passata and chorizo from scratch for a non fast on toast yesterday. But it is SO spicey it would be good on fast days sans pain and just a little. I used Hugh Fernley-Whittinstall’s recipe, but with “Coat of Arms” chorizo (kangaroo and emu …Aussies will get it 😉 )
Bayleaf’s suggested veg and fruit tagine would be good too (www.theage.com.au)
Happy fasting
PVE
I do not know if this will help or not but I find whilst the weather warm it really easy to have a fruit day as one of my low days.
Morrison’s sell a pack of mixed melon and grapes which are enormous for 110 calories.
I find I need to be lazy on low days and prefer to have my calories counted for me as I do not want to be dwelling in the kitchen.
I have 2 packs of fruit, and a weight watchers tomato soup with 2 slices of hovis light wholemeal bread and allow 100 calories for skimmed milk in my tea.
Total fruit 220, milk 100, soup & bread 178 total 498
If not particularly hungry do not have bread which makes 398. Very easy and best of all no calorie counting. Hope it helps someone.
I start pre – menopause at 52, took until 55 to stop periods but dreadful night sweats since 54 so now nearly 4 years. Did not want to take HRT but it is so disruptive to sleep and I am a rubbish sleeper anyway, often staying awake all night. Thank God for computer and audio books!
Started with 13 tog duvet, each year reduce now on 4.2 yes in winter!! Poor hubby wore long sleeved pyjamas all winter ha ha.
Ironically my extremities always feel cold and I am lucky that I do not show I am hot when I have the occasional flush in the day. You could fry an egg on my neck though!!
I have always bee a very “in control” person and this menopause thing has really knocked me about! Don’t like taking artificial anything but may have considered HRT had I known it was going to drag on SOOOO LONG !!!
Hello everyone
Glad you had a good meet up JIP and BooBoo. So nice to put faces to names. JIP – enjoy the rest of your break.
It has been a busy few days moving furniture which has been in store for a few years to the holiday house in Wales, and fortunately there hasn’t been a lot of time to think about food! I got through an FD on Thursday and was due for another tomorrow until we were invited to some neighbours for drinks. It will now have to be postponed until Tuesday which is no problem. That’s the great thing about this WOE, it’s so flexible.
Thanks for the soup recipes – low cal soups are great for the chillier weather, but as it is quite warm here in the UK at the moment, I am very much into salads and stir-fries on fast days. This has been my first week of not counting calories after the strict 6-week Fast Beach Diet, so it will be interesting to see if there has been any further weight loss when I weigh on Weds.
Stick at it Wilbersnanna. I know how galling it is when the other half loses with apparently far less effort! I keep telling myself that even if the weight doesn’t come off as quickly as I would like, this WOE is going to do me so much good in other ways.
LUVTCOOK – I love your rationale that not losing, then dropping a considerable amount, is due to empty fat cells filling up with water! Makes me feel like a water bomb! It’s a lovely one to keep us positive at those frustrating times.
Littleliz – what a tremendous boost to be mistaken for your daughter’s younger sister! I was so pleased to read about losing the tummy bulge on this way of eating. My weight always used to go on my boobs and hips, and I at least always had a waist, but in recent years has tended to settle around my middle. What you have said is very heartening!
Thanks for your story too Gibbygabby – it’s all so encouraging.
Bayleafoz – it was interesting what you said about sugar and starchy food affecting you. For some reason my other half bought us each a large choc chip cookie the other day, and although I ate it (a non-fast day!) it gave us both a very uncomfortable tum. We have never eaten much in the way if processed foods, but have never had this sort of reaction on the odd occasion we have. Very well done on the BMI!
Hello Ushush. You will find all the support and encouragement you need here. They’re a great bunch. Good luck!
Hi also to everyone else and goodnight – have a good one tomorrow whether it is a fast or feast.
Smiffy x
Good morning LOACAs, old and new fast friends.
While I can’t say I LOVE Monday fasts, they are certainly good if the weekend was a bit OTT.
Yesterday took a family trip on a restored steam train Mt Barker to Victor Harbor (South Australia). Weather was fine all day – not bad considering middle of winter.
Didn’t attempt to count calories but tried to be moderate. Fitbit reported 12,300 steps for the day so hope any naughtiness partly counteracted and also by very low-cal veg soup for dinner.
Hi Littleliz, even after 18 years since menopause started I still occasionally get hot and sweaty but it has certainly declined in frequency and intensity over time. Resisted GP’s offer of HRT and took up weight training to stave off osteoporosis. I discovered how HRT was prepared – so inhumane and decided I could live with my discomfort. I just toughed it out with the bedclothes off/on/off … routine as OH was away a lot for work. A few years later of course there was that scare about HRT and increased breast cancer risk.
Hi LUVTCOOK, looking forward to more of my fat cells becoming water bombs 🙂
Happy Monday fast day all.
Thank you for all your replies here I am as usual at 3am no sleep AGAIN but so glad I did not go on HRT, I wanted to do it naturally and with I feel an increased risk of breast cancer just am prepared to slog it out but I have found it a most unpleasant experience!
I have gained immense confidence from my new shape and am just using that to help see me through the other end. Thanks again I love this site and this section particularly as we all seem the same ages!! Keep up with the 50’s there is still life in us yet!!! Liz
Hi everyone-
What amazing stories are coming out! It really does help to see the plan working for such a diverse group of women.
Cheeseplease- I second what PVE said. Some days are much easier than they used to be, but occasionally, I hit a hard one. I try to last it out, but if I don’t, I try the next day. Sometimes the second day is the charm, but if not, I just do my next scheduled fast day.
I fast Mondays and Thursdays, most of the time. Mondays are harder. Once I’m on a roll, whether eating or fasting, it seems easier to keep going in the same direction, for a while, then it flips again. I’m hoping to knock off quite a bit while it is still summer here.
Boo, Jip, hope you both had a grand time. Also wish I could have been there!
xxP
Liz, I’m hoping you’ve gone back to sleep. I’m on my Monday fast. Nearly quarter to 1, no food, but lots of cuppas. Had to find a loo on my walk:)
As the other girls say, it can still be a struggle, but you feel SO good achieving another fast yourself and doing your bod so much good.
All the best for those fasting today and those still revolving towards Monday.
Cheers PVE
Thanks for your post Littleliz44 which I found really encouraging. I have always been someone who thinks the numbers on the scales matter but now I am going to pay more attention to how my clothes feel. I’ve got clothes I’ve stopped wearing because I’ve got fatter so I will be able to tell in a month’s time if there’s been any improvement. I also hoped I wouldn’t be so “hot” on the 5:2 but that’s another illusion I can knock on the head!
It’s so nice to hear others that have similar problems I am 51 at the start of the menopause I am around 4-5 stone over weight I also have chronic Fatigue & ME I am really sick fed up of trying to squeeze into clothes I feel ugly , I am going on this diet because my weight loss has been very slow the last couple of months and I am under doctors orders to lose the weight as I have abnormal liver results resulting from the weight not the alcohol, I gave up drinking two years ago and don’t smoke I skip meals and don’t eat junk food, I think my age has something to do with the very slow weight loss, even though my thyroid results are normal.
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10:46 pm
3 Jul 14