Holding Fast – the December 2018 Monthly Challenge

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Holding Fast – the December 2018 Monthly Challenge

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  • “December has the clarity, the simplicity, and the silence you need for the best FRESH START of your life.” (Vivian Swift, When Wanderers Cease to Roam)

    Welcome to the December 2018 Monthly Challenge! I’m delighted to be hosting this month’s challenge – at what’s probably the most challenging time of the year! Surrounded by food & drink, it’s easy to lose track of our bigger goals for a healthy and sustainable way of life. But here’s a helping hand and a friendly space to share support and encouragement on the journey.

    The first monthly challenge was started by @coda in May 2016, since when so many of us have enjoyed the amazing support to start or continue our 5:2 journey. Here’s a note about how it works:

    1. Brief introduction – will help us to get to know each other, esp newbies! Please use your very first post of the month to introduce yourself – perhaps say something about your beginning, your journey so far, what you’re aiming for or how you are benefiting from this Way of Life (WOL). You might like to include your starting weight, any other measurements (waist, hip, bust etc) you’ll be tracking this month, and your goal(s) for December.

    2. Spreadsheet – Thank you @shinything for setting up this month’s spreadsheet, which is in alphabetical order by username. Here you can record & track your progress – add your monthly targets, mark your chosen fast days (FD) and keep track on how others are doing too. It can help with perspective or accountability, or to plan ahead. Any problems with the spreadsheet please ask – there’s always someone happy to help out.

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KBmMuGEr6UXSBhHRodGDruAUnUtkysrRqd5fz8SaQr4/edit#gid=0

    3. Format – Start each day’s post with the date where you are, where you’re from, and if you’re on a fast day (FD), non-fast day (NFD) or controlled day (CD). Members live all over the world and in different time zones; it’s helpful to know which day we’re talking about, who else is fasting etc. Eg I’m in the UK and don’t fast on Saturdays, so on Saturday 1 December I’ll begin my post Day 1 UK NFD

    4. Frequency – Some people post daily and briefly, some check in every few days, and others come every day and share experiences and ideas. There can be maybe 80 people around the world taking part in a monthly challenge so we’ll mostly post once a day. If you ‘re posting for a second time in a day, please head your post accordingly eg Day 1 second post.

    5. Content – Post your comments or questions, complaints or causes for celebration – anything you’d like to share with the forum. Recipes, tips, tricks ideas welcome too. Remember – we all have good days and bad days, days we fall off the wagon or days when we are hanging on by our fingernails. Whatever it is, you are not alone!

    6. Community – This is a worldwide forum is there’s almost always someone online. We all do our best to offer advice, support or solidarity.

    7. Pocket lists – Over the course of these monthly challenges, small groups have added their own mini-challenges. A ‘pocket list’ is a group who’ve set themeselves a target and are supporting each other through it, mostly by knowing we’re not alone. Anyone can join one a pocket list or start a pocket list for a FD– it’s entirely optional and flexible.

    8. 5:2 basics – answers to many FAQs plus top tips:
    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/ 🙂

    As host of the December 2018 Challenge I’ll be trying to read the posts & respond each day. Please forgive me if I miss something. Here’s to a helpful and hopeful month together…

    “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

    Count me in @Michelineme. I’ll be back for an intro on Dec.1 🙂

    USA
    Thank you, Micheline, for hosting December! Count me in! 🙂

    @michelinme: I’m not the best at this, but I love this forum, and hope to re-enter the fray, sometime.
    So, here I am.

    Thank you for hosting, @michelinme……please count me in for the December challenge. I’m looking forward to the challenge of maintaining where I am right now, throughout birthday celebrations, Christmas dinners, parties and treats, and the dreaded New Year’s Eve/Day festivities. If I would happen to lose a pound or two, that would be a bonus.

    Please count me in. I don’t post much but I read everything and this forum is so lovely. Happy December everybody.

    Thank you for hosting December @michelinme – I’m definitely in and looking to celebrate my 2nd full year in maintenance with this awesome forum 🤗

    Thank you for stepping forward to host December @michelinme 💐

    This tortoise is definitely joining the challenge 🐢

    Count me in @michelinme and wink you for hosting. Another tortoise joining and I’ll be back later to introduce myself!

    Fell off the wagon last month. Count me back in this month.

    Count me in as a newbie from Melbourne Australia, only starting the 5:2 diet on Friday Nov 30th.

    @michelinme, thanks for hosting Deadly December!! I’m in, since I lack a certain amount of self-control during any celebratory or festive event!!!!

    @ichelinme thank you for hosting, I am in 🙂

    Hi @michelinme thank you for hosting December and count me in!

    @michelinme, thank you for hosting December.Please count me in!

    @michelinme, I also thank you for hosting December and I’m all in!

    Day -2 (28 November)

    Wonderful to have such great gang assembling already!

    A warm welcome back to old friends @annemarilyn @ccco @ciren2 @northerndawn @emma-taylor @at @shinything @debster251 @beththenew @flourbaby @basyjames @dingping @jaifaim @mogaman

    @betsylee – welcome to 5:2, the forum and the December challenge! looking forward to getting to know you, and Best of Luck with your first fast on Friday 🙂

    Thanks for hosting @michelineme, I’m in!

    I’m in 🙂 I will be in NZ with family from the 16th-27th and may not be in a position to stay at/under 500 though I would like to fast if possible. I would like to pay close attention to my hunger signals and only eat when I am hungry so I hope this will help me to be accountable.

    Sydney Australia but back home to New Zealand from the 16th. I would like to: 1. Do at least a couple of 16:8s over the holiday, and if I can keep under 800 cals I’ll call that a proper fast day; 2. Do my 5:2s prior to the 16th, and 3. Not go up while in NZ (which will be a first for Christmas if I can do it!).

    Day -1 (29 November)

    Welcome to December challenge @gretta @ymgiles and @flyingplanes – good to have a strong show from the Southern hemisphere 🙂

    hi @michelinme, thanks for hosting December, I’m in!

    Day 0 (30 November) UK

    Let’s start some introductions….

    I’m F54 & have put on weight in 3 main tranches over the last 15 years – illness restricting mobility, stopping smoking and hormone changes. I’d been a vegetarian since 1991 and had a pretty healthy diet but somehow put on 3 stone/42lbs/19kg and still going up & I didn’t recognise myself. This time last year i was feeling a fat suit growing between me & the world – and between me & Me; wondering who I was becoming & on earth I could do.

    Today marks the end of my first year on this WOL. I’m easily bogged down in the detail of weight lost this week or this month so it’s great to look aback & get some perspective! I began 1 December 2017 at Wt 179lb/81kg Bust 41″ Waist 36″ Hips 45″ BMI 28.7 HWR 0.55. One year on… Wt 144lb/65kg Bust 35.5″ Waist 30″ Hips 39″ BMI 23.2 HWR 0.45 That’s a 35lb/16kg lost and 6″ gone from my fat suit, DMI & HWR into healthy range 🙂

    I’ve also gone down several sizes in clothes such that everything I wore last year has either been taken in or given away. I’ve just booked a bra fitting for the weekend and tonight I’m going over to my DD’s to go through her wardrobe for helpful cast offs – something unimaginable when I was 6 sizes bigger than her last year!

    I’ve also got more energy, I’m sleeping better, have better focus and feel far less sluggish. I understand more about food, have made small but significant changes to my eating habits without feeling any sense of lack or loss. My brain wants to do it because it’s what my body is asking for, and now I’m able to hear it. It’s doing exactly what I was hoping for this time last year – and more!

    I’ve got a little way to go to my original goal of 140lb and revised goal range of 133-140lb. I’m learning about the shape-shifting that happens while on a plateau, and that my body is always doing something helpful in response to 5:2. It’s all about small decisions made consistently, and being mindful of bigger goals – something I hadn’t even been aware of this time last year.

    My goals for December are to stick to 5:2 basics with 2x 500 calorie FDs each week while enjoying festive food in moderation. To restart habits of daily yoga stretching & meditation – even if only 5 mins/day – and get into a helpful sleep pattern bc sleep is foundational! And To enjoy the time of Advent & Christmas without getting stressed by lists or preparation – aiming to go slow and with the flow!

    Here’s to a helpful December challenge – a place to support and encourage, be accountable and honest, because together we are stronger!

    Count me in too – haven’t missed a challenge since @coda began hers in May 2016, and now I am happily still posting daily on maintenance!

    Warm welcome to December @songbirdme and @snowflake56

    (And sorry to get your names confused earlier – it’s the country/initial letter thing for me every time!)

    Day 1 Australia NFD

    @michelinme you’ve done exactly what I’m trying to do! I was 80.1kg two weeks ago and aiming for 65. I’ve done that before on paleo/keto but it wasn’t sustainable or healthy, so I’m enjoying this so far. I’m 77.5 this morning but this glass of wine probably won’t help me along. 😉

    Day 1, Emden Germany, FD

    Hi old friends and a very warm welcome to my new friends!

    My journey so far:

    I’m Dutch (from Limburg), 62 years old and recently retired. I never had any weight problems and always was a stable 56 kg until 7 years ago when I started a new job as a practice manager. My weight got more and more due to ice cream and sweets, it was 72.9 kg December 2016. In January 2017, weighing 70.9 kg, I decided something had to be done and started to lose weight on my own. Started 5:2 at the beginning of February. From March on I joined the challenges. It worked very well, the weight just fell off, the support I got here was amazing. I reached my goal being 56 kg on March 29th 2017 and maintained until July this year when I left the challenge. Without support my weight crept up again. Lost the excess weight during the September challenge, so I was back in maintenance again. This morning my weight is 56,9 kg. My goal is to keep my weight in the range of 56-58 kg, below this weight I think I’m too thin. I only weigh once a month but I have a dress that fits me well being 57 kg, so I go by that.

    @michelinme it’s fine, I know you meant @songbirdme and I think she did too.

    @dingping our first FD of the month today?

    Pocket list day 1, if you want to join me, please copy and paste and add your name to the list

    @snowflake56

    Have a great weekend everyone!

    Day 1, Cornwall UK, NFD

    I’m in – thanks @michelinme. Hoping to reach that illusive BMI of 25 this month. Starting at 71.9kg and only need to lose 0.5kg to do it. Inching down as a long standing Tortoise Club member. @northerndawn my waist height ratio is 0.51 so also very close to 0.5. Need to lose more next year but one month and one target at a time!

    Off to our local Christmas market today with my plants and various gifty things. Official start of the festive season!🍷🍫 some control is required…

    Hi trying to sign up on the spreadsheet and I can’t do it

    Day 1 UK FD

    Yes @snowflake56 I’m in for our first FD of December, feels good starting the month with an FD and also our first Saturday together! Stay strong.

    Will post again with a bit about me etc later just wanted to put my name on the pocket list.
    Ta x

    Pocket list day 1, if you want to join us, please copy and paste and add your name to the list
    @snowflake56
    @dingping

    One day or day one
    Belfast NFD

    I love the first of the month. We start anew with such optimism.
    Thank you @ Michelinme for your eloquent and comprehensive introduction and thank you for holding our hands.
    Hello to old friends and new in this festive month.

    A little about me:
    Weight : 147lbs
    BMI: 23.6
    Waist 33”. (needs to be less!) (still!)

    I’m a 64yo retired primary school teacher and have been doing this WOL for a couple of years now. I’ve lost about 30lbs VERY slowly so I’m a fully paid up member of the tortoise club. I enjoy exercise; walking the dog daily, 1 – 2 60 length swims per week, yoga and Pilates. I have been maintaining for a couple of months now. My big bug bear is SUGAR. I lurve jelly sweets, but truthfully, anything with sugar is my downfall, so yet again, my goal is to avoid as much sugar as I can (not a mean feat this season).

    @flourbaby – I love ‘ Deadly December’. Let’s work to make it less so!
    @michelinme – I’ve just made a batch of raspberry and mint shrub for my hampers. Where have I been all this time to have missed ‘shrubs’? Totally delicious. Thank you for the idea. Next year I’ll be picking elderberries.

    So….. here we go.
    Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose”
    Even if you ‘only’ lost 1/2 lb a week you’ll lose 26lbs a year.

    Day 1, London, UK, NFD

    Well, I start Decembers challenge at 154.3, that’s 1lb reacquired in November (I can’t call it a gain, that sounds too positive!!), it’s not a huge amount, but I know from experience a couple of good FDs will reverse that. I’m averaging it out with Novembers’ -6.8lbs so, nearly 6lbs down in 2 months ………………. NOW it doesn’t sound so bad!!!!

    My Aims for December are simple, be dedicated, mindful, burn through 1.5lb/week & get below 150lbs by the 21st (which means, for me, booze free!!) then ……………… maintain, maintain, MAINTAIN!!! The pitfalls that are lurking throughout the festive period (Baileys & chocolate) are making me anxious just thinking about them, like you @flyingplanes (& Welcome!!) I aim/ hope/ plan/ need to NOT reacquire any of the fat I’ve lost so far, if I manage that, it’ll be a first for me too over Xmas …………………….. we can do this together …………………….. maintain or lose are the only December options!!!

    Happy anniversary @at & @michelinme ……………………… You know this WOL isn’t a ‘DIET’ when people celebrate years of following it!!! I’ve just celebrated my 2yr anniversary and 41lbs down, happy days in Club Tor-Twah!!!

    @debster251, I agree, we need to smash Deadly December!!! I haven’t been completely controlled (ok, not at all controlled) over the last 2 Xmases nor over my 2 Summer holidays since starting this WOL; so for 8 weeks of the last 2 years, I threw caution to the wind and reversed a big chunk of my good work. I can’t do that again as I can easily reacquire 10lbs in 2 weeks, but then spend 2 months trying to get rid of it again……….. ‘easy on, easy off’ only goes ‘so’ far!!

    Happy fasting everyone!!!!

    Day 1
    2nd post

    Sounds good writing day 1, a new beginning, new vigour! I arrive at the start of the month with a refreshed mojo that has taken some battering these past few months. I started in February but have taken months out due to life stuff but since September have stayed the course and feel better for it and I’m very grateful to the wonderful people on this forum who have helped me stay strong. I stopped weighing myself last month and am putting my faith in the process for now.
    This is a happy funny group of people, who share life’s joys and woes and offer unconditional and inspiring support. Ping a question out there on almost any topic and back comes a fountain of knowledge with well thought out, insightful, inspiring reply’s and if needed heaps of kindness.
    I’m embracing December and all its ‘deadly’ festive pitfalls (@flourbaby & @debster251) and hope to have mindful indulgence’s which can be offset with FD’s and at the end of the month I’ll be happy to have stood still!

    Many many thanks @michelinme for being our trusty guide through December and congratulations to those celebrating anniversaries to this WOL.

    Welcoming all newbies, you really have made a good decision.

    Good luck old and future friends.

    Ta x

    Day 1, Rocky Mountains, US, NFD

    Hello all,

    I am back from Austria and rejoining this fabulous group.😊⚘🎶

    Thanks for hosting @michelinme.💐

    Did well on my trip by doing 16:8 and came home with the same weight. Therefore I am still in maintenance!😊

    The real challenge comes now: December!
    What a month filled with get togethers and parties full of food, drink and especially sugar!!!

    My plan: I will abstain from alcohol- lots of calories saved and will limit the sugar intake to one small piece of cake or other dessert. I also will continue with 16:8 and walk 10000 steps.

    Glad to be back with all of you!

    Have a wonderful Saturday!😊⚘🌸🥀🌲

    DAY 1 – UK – NFD

    Thank you @michelinme for hosting the December thread.

    @northerndawn thank you for your kind words; yes I’ve been quite poorly with a stomach bleed. Origin not yet confirmed. Due to have endoscopies in a couple of weeks. Still feel off it to be honest.

    I jinxed my weight loss by posting as it’s up again today (as is my stomach, looks 7 months pregnant swollen) by 3lbs. Daily weigher and imput in MFP. Over the last 6 months or so my weight has been yo-yoing around but overall MFP tells me I’m 7lbs up :(.

    Amongst other problems I also am aware my thyroid is playing up and I’m over due for my 2nd blood test as was in hospital with bleed when I should have gone to local gp for it.

    I’ve really cut down my food and I’m not drinking alcohol or having snacks. I can’t imagine how heavy and bloated I’d be if I hadn’t reduced what I eat.

    Warm wishes to all.

    Day 1 – Iceland – FD

    Thank you for hosting December @michelinme 💐 please count me in!

    I have been MIA for a while and have been missing this wonderful forum. I started 5:2 in November 2017, lost 30kgs until July 2018, then got a bit (very) tired of fasting and calorie counting and had a three months break…🙈 Have been trying to get back into fasting routine for the past couple of weeks and hope I am ready for the December challenge!
    My goals for this month are three FDs each week and 24 days without sugar. I have been too lazy lately and really want to get back on track and start 2019 with a safe seat on the wagon 🙂 Agreed @flourbaby “maintain or lose are the only December options!!!”

    Pocket list day 1, if you want to join us, please copy and paste and add your name to the list:
    @snowflake56
    @dingping
    @borealis

    Hello everyone,

    I’m reporting as a newbie to join you in the December Challenge.
    Let me see: Dutch F58 – day 1 – 86 kg – CD (as I’m doing the 16:8 I suppose all my days are CD). Is that correct?
    Up till now I just read around this forum, but as I’m interested in the tracker, I thought I might as well enter a post!

    Last February I started the 16:8 and shrunk a wonderful 10 kg without bad moods or the fridge screaming at me… Then last month my dad passed away, which caused me to fall off the wagon. (Too much stress, too much snacks, too high blood pressure, not good.)
    So regular life really must start again and the best timing is now, befóre all x-mas dinners, other Dutch holidays and those three relatives celebrating their birthdays.

    I try to stick to 1600 kcal a day, combined with mild exercise like hiking, biking (well, I’m Dutch) and rowing on our machine in the attic.
    December goal is 3 kg less on New Year’s day. Wish me luck! 😄

    Tante

    Day 1, Finland, NFD

    I had thought I would take December off….my mum arrives from Australia for 4 weeks and I just know the month will go pear shaped….but that is exactly why I should stay here! Keep accountable and keep my eyes on the prize.

    Brief intro…45year old expat Aussie, have lived in Finland for 14 years. Not an excuse to have such a thick fat layer to keep warm though 😉 . Have been a yo-yo dieter all my life, and I want that to stop. Someone asked me last month what work I did when I was talking about night shifts, I am a Registered Nurse doing 3 shift work. And while I complain about it, the shifts fit well into my life, and make this WOL work for me. I am a member of Club Tor-twah, having lost only 6kg this year…slow and steady right??!!
    My goals for December are to make it through with minimal damage! I want to complete 4 good FD and maintain some regular exercise.

    Thanks @michelinme for hosting this tough month
    @gretta hope you had a wonderful wedding and honeymoon
    @tante welcome! Sorry to hear about the loss of your father, always a difficult time

    Welcome to other newbies.

    Good luck for Dangerous December everyone!

    Day 1 UK CD

    …And we’re off! I love Day 1, so full of promise and possibility. May this be a month that’s hopeful and helpful, whatever our goals.

    I nearly added an unplanned FD yesterday after saved my calories for OMAD supper with DD and she fed me hugely healthy veggie chilli with wild rice… derailed only by late evening toast & honey! Thus I’m miraculously starting the month 1lb up on yesterday’s month-end weigh in 😀

    I’ve slept away the morning and distracted away lunchtime, so will now focus the rest of today on gently beginning/ preparation for this month’s goals – yoga & meditation for brain & body, meal planning & prep for good FDs and an early night for better sleep. There’s so much more to do than I can possibly fit in, so the only way to do it is to chip away, plan and keep going, remembering to balance each day and look after myself along the way!

    @flyingplanes excellent goals & an excellent start! I’ll be rooting for you

    @cornish-jane great to have you with us, I always look forward to hearing about your business, plant-based diet, yoga and all things Cornish! Hope today’s market went well and temptations duly avoided 🙂

    @jan1110 welcome to December challenge. Hopefully @shinything can get you onto the spreadsheet…

    @debster251 aren’t shrubs great?! I came cross them on a foraging website a few years ago when looking for elderberry recipes and have been making elderberry & blackberry shrubs every autumn. Thanks for the reminder- I’ve just bought some pretty bottles to decant mine into for Christmas presents!

    @flourbaby that was a wonderful whoosh to sustain you through the dark months 🙂 Great post!

    @at happy 2nd anniversary!Thank you for being an wise & encouraging model of what’s possible on this WOL

    @redrockgirl302 welcome back & well done for sustaining while away!

    @tante Welcome! And Sorry for your loss. Bereavement is such a hard time to keep anything else on track, well done in getting back on the waggon so soon. Most people do their own variation on 5:2, eg 2 Fast Days each week of 500/ 800 calories, or perhaps liquid fasts or water fasts. Some follow an eating pattern of 16:8, or 20:4 or One Meal A Day. It’s for you to do whatever works for you, as a sustainable way of life rather than a diet

    @kerryn73 great to have you with us 🙂

    Day 1 Canada CD

    Great to be here, thanks so much @michelinme for hosting this month.

    I have been fasting for just over a year but needed to take a big break after some nasty health issues. I am fighting fit and healthy now, what a motivator a health scare is! I have almost dropped alcohol and added lots of fermented foods to my diet. @debster251 and @michelineme would love a shrub recipe. What I love about this WOL is that I feel my eating is healthy and still very enjoyable. There is no guilt when having an indulgent meal, I know a FD will reset when needed.

    Looking to maintain this month, I have a constant stream of guests so it will be good time to test how maintenance would work when I get there.

    Welcome everyone, I really appreciate the posts and community!

    Day 1 (USA – Illinois is home, visiting DD in Utah)

    Excited to see all returning members of the Challenges! And welcome newbies! This is one of the best groups around for support, help, fun, and adventure!

    My name is Gwynne, I am a singer, choir conductor, pianist for church, and retired public school music teacher. I am 70 years young and do my best to not look or act my age. 😛 I routinely attend Silver Sneakers and yoga at my local fitness center. Losing any more weight, I fear, would show up all my age wrinkles.

    I began 5:2 at 195 pounds on 15 March, 2016. I found this wonderful website and group with @coda leading the May challenge. During the rest of 2016 I lost the 35 pounds I hoped to and have been pretty much at maintenance since January 2017 doing 6:1. When my weight creeps up from enjoying life (wine, usually 🍷) I have been able to get back to 160 +/- 3 pounds. That keeps my BMI right about 25.

    I have been able to meet @coda and her wonderful OH as well as @redrockgirl302 in real life on various trips. It’s fun to connect! Sharing smiles, reciipes, sports, weather, family life, etc. has been a terrific part of being here.

    As always, my slogan is “Onward and downward.”

    Day 1: Gloucestershire, UK: NFD
    Here we go again, another month alongside the wagon. You never know; one day I may climb back on.
    For those who don’t know/remember about me:
    I’m 65, working delivering the mail in a small, nearby town. So very busy this time of year. I live in The Cotswolds. I have a husband (retired) and a daughter (shortly off to work 3 years in Melbourne in Australia.
    I’m hovering around 64kg, and should be (and once WAS) about 50kg….ha….ha! I was successful on 5:2 then blew it, after maintaining for about 6 months in 2016.

    Second quick post
    @dingping – forgot to say in my last post. As part of the hampers for my kids, I got little photo frames to hang on the tree and have put in pictures of those no longer with us. I finished scanning and printing this afternoon and it brought a lump to my throat. I bought the frames online pretty cheaply – about £3 each. The range has them too I see. Just another idea!

    USA Day 1 CD

    So good to see so many old friends and a few new ones as well. Debster251, I love your Christmas idea with the photos. I have a photo gift for my son that will be a special surprise for my him. He was close to his grandfather who passed 11 years ago, so I came up with this idea. It’s a two pronged gift. First I obtained a model replica of the plane my father flew during WWII. It really is beautiful. Then I got a copy of a photo of my father and his plane crew standing in front of his real plane. I know my son is going to be very surprised and happy with this. On my side, it’s good to know I still have some creativity left in these old bones! LOL

    I wish everyone good luck in this new month’s challenge and congratulate everyone on all their November successes! 🙂

    Day 1 – Eastern WA USA – NFD

    Hello everyone! So glad to start this month having nudged the pounds downward in November by 4.8 lbs to 194.6. That takes me a little more than 50 lbs down from my heaviest of 245 lbs. I recently retired from full time teaching and am now working part time as a field supervisor for aspiring teachers with a local university. This month I’d still I’d love to dispatch a few more pounds but will also consider it a win if I maintain. I meant to find a gym in my new city last month but looks like it remains a goal for this month.

    @ccco – love your gift idea for your son. That will be really special for him.

    @kerryn73 – great, glad you’ll be with us this month

    @tante – welcome! As @michelinme mentioned different folks are doing different things on this forum. If you haven’t yet, do watch Dr. Michael Mosley’s BBC video and /or read his Fast Diet 5:2 book. That is at the foundation of this group.

    I love reading people’s stories, even if I’ve heard them before. They are encouraging!

    Yes, and together we are stronger!

    USA Day 1 CD
    Second Post

    AnneMarilyn, what an accomplishment to have lost so much weight and what a great inspiration for us to start this new month’s challenge!

    I’m so glad there are a few successful maintainers staying with us.
    @at, @songbirdme, @debster251, @beedoo, @snowflake56 @missybear…and others. Thank you; you are an inspiration for the rest of us.

    And….more than anyone, to @coda for starting these challenges off in May 2016. Who knew they would go so far and help so many. Thanks coda xx

    3rd post

    @debster251 and @ccco – your photo presents sound beautiful ideas, I can imagine the happy tears and the flood of memories.

    @ciren2 and @kerryn73 – very happy to have you along side.

    @tante sorry to hear about your dad, tough times, but offering you a warm welcome here and a comfy seat back on the wagon.

    Welcome back @redrockgirl302 – hats off that’s impressive!

    @judyjudes – well done with sticking with it, I’m sure your body is thanking you, best wishes for a fully restored you asap.

    @snowflake56 – it’s seems to be just you and me! How’s it going?
    I’m cat sitting for DD, so back in Twickenham where we used to have our family home until we sold it over a year ago. It’s great to have space bigger than the studio we have been living in since moving away – such luxury! Meeting up with OH’s sister tomorrow for lunch and plans to meet up with others before heading back to north London late Monday, have to remember to be mindful and not undo today’s successful start to the month!

    Hope everyone is having a positive start to the month.

    Ta x

    Day 1
    2nd post

    @dingping just got in to write to you, FD is going well. To have space around you is so nice, the friends I stayed for a week are living in a small house, after a week I started to feel a bit claustrophobic. I don’t know, how often I’ve said to my husband how nice it is to be able to go from room to room (11 of them). It’s a pity you don’t have to walk cats, we would do a lot more steps in a day. I miss the dog walking and the dog, he was so nice. Have fun in your old home town.

    @annemarilyn what an achievement! What kind of exercise you plan to do?

    @redrockgirl302 welcome back from Austria!

    @tante welkom en gecondoleerd met je vader.

    @ciren2 you will get there, just keep posting. How’s your hand?

    @beedoo, @lilymartin and @bert1802 are you joining us this month or perhaps just let us know how you’re doing?

    Going for a drink (in my case water) and a chat to the neighbours. See you all tomorrow!

    Day 1 Wales NFD

    @michelinme Thank you for taking on the hosting of December.

    This will be my first December of maintenance, having lost 30 lbs in around 11 months on 5:2 I have been successfully maintaining since May….but the approaching party season is making me nervous. I aim to remain within my maintenance weight range and desperately don’t want to exceed the top of that range by 1st January. I will need to be very controlled and carefully plan for treats, just hope I can keep it together when the bottles of Baileys and cognac are opened!!!!!

    Glad to be in the company of you lovely people xxx

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