Oh Michel, the Chinese buffet….talk about a wagon load of kraken. I can never get enough, until all of a sudden I feel like the rice is exploding in my stomach.

Spring, that’s so interesting about the exercise experiment. How quickly we feel the need to reward ourselves or overcompensate. I certainly do it after a FD or seeing a drop at the scale (I’ve just had to avoid the scale lately). It’s good to know what sneaky things our brains are up to! Hey, maybe we ARE normal :). Speaking of the subconscious, I tried listening to one of those hypnosis things, but my brain was having none of it. Every time he said to relax some part of my body, that very part would start to itch.

Kitty!! I’m sorry to hear you have more surgery to contend with but,.,sounds as if it will make your life truly better? Mobility issues are tough, but you are tougher! I am sending a great big fat HUG to you for your determination and spirit. I’d love to buddy up for FDs. I’d say I do Mon & Thurs, but sometimes those turn into whoopsies. So, honestly, I can do any day. And I’ll still cheer you on even if a kraken takes me down. 🙂

Ah,,,I’ve had a lovely Cadbury highlights nightcap (38 cals!) so good night all and let’s kick some ass Wednesday! xx jade

…and I live in the past here in the states. So, perfect — Spring will blaze the trail and I’ll sweep up. Kitty, we call that being “in the catbird seat” – you shall coast to victory now!

Aw I love you guys, thank you so much for your kind words and support…. Monday’s and Thursdays it is! I absolutely love the idea of a global network of FDers reporting in at various times warning of impending krakens, that made me lol so much!
And as it happens, I had already decided today was an FD, how fortuitous! Ok buddies, it’s on!

Also, don’t have the energy to respond to each individually, but all of you please know that your posts bring me much needed cheer and empathy, as I can always relate to whatever kraken related disaster has gone on that day!
Oh, weighed myself following the two week insane sugar festival and I had put on 4lbs! Jeez Louise! But I’ve now lost 2 of those so I’m back on track. Aiming for 14lbs off in the next 8-10 weeks….a pre Mexico swimsuit push!

Hugs xx

Ah, back on the horse that kicked you off, and well done Kitty 🙂 The power to right oneself is what I love about 5:2. And you have the ultimate carrot on a stick with your trip to Mexico! You can do it!

Only mid morning here, so just coffee so far. I often think I’m hungry when I first wake up, but I’m too foggy to think until I’ve had coffee, so I always wait. DD preaches to “listen to your body,” and that’s fine when one’s body always sends out reliable signals! My body (like my mind) is often a bit mixed up, probably due to engaging all those Kraken over the years. (Side note, I looked up “fighting kraken,” and per the urban dictionary it means loud and feverish masturbation?! Oops, nvm then!! Although I suppose that could burn a few cals…)

Anyway, DD has no sweet tooth (wtf, how did I birth such a creature) and actually stops eating when she is full. No matter whether she has one bite or 20 yet to go. I on the other hand will mentally calculate either my calorie allotment or the $$ wasted if that food isn’t eaten. Or both. Well I’m working on that but in the meantime I have to remember that listening to MY body involves a bit of coaching past to all my idiosyncrasies 😉

Stay strong Spring and Kitty — how are you doing Michel? Penguin may still be in the foggy early hours. What has become of fizzy, mcca, queen, ltd, moturam, Christie, Helen my dear salad hater, sorry to omit anyone…even with coffee the memory only goes so far. Onward fasters, let’s get this done! xx jade

Jade: My step-daughter is like that. At 18, she is 5’2, weighs 95 lbs and is “ok” with just a couple of bits of sweets. I will never understand.
I was also wondering about all our missing fasters. Hope everyone is doing well.
I wanted to comment on your hypnosis experience. I have had success in the past with hypnosis (I should really pull out the CDs & give them a go). For most people the distractions will go away with a little practice. I found the more I did it, the faster I went under.

Kitty: Way to get back on the wagon! 2 lbs down already. Good job! And what is more motivating than a vacation. We are here for you.

Penguin: I’ts always nice to have your house back after company leaves. Sounds like you will be busy this summer. But all those wonderful foods ready to eat come winter.

Stay strong everyone!

Good morning all and I do hope your FD’s went better than mine this week (insert embarrassed emoticon here) I don’t mean to be a downer on here but I guess my resolve just wasn’t there. Monday I put down to the unexpected lunch but yesterday was a wash too so I’m going to spend some time today and over the weekend thinking/writing in my diary about just what is going on here. It may be the whole “I need a break because this is hard and I’ve been doing this for so long” kind of mentality seeping in or maybe it’s because now I’ve lost a lot of weight and I think I don’t need to be working at it so hard or some other weird metal aberration or cross-wired brain spasm just below the surface.

The really odd thing is that while I made myself get on the scales this morning in the spirit of ‘don’t hide the damage from yourself’ I had actually lost 700gm (about 1.5lbs) since last week and I just don’t get it as yesterday FD ended at lunch followed by 5 Chocolate Frogs and a peanut butter & honey sandwich before meeting hubby for a pub dinner of fish & chips… WTF?!?!? Short of doubting the accuracy of my new scales I just have to accept their verdict but it is very odd (happy-odd admittedly).

Ah, Krispy Creme donuts fizzy – I feel for you with all those hungry boys around and I’m grateful I don’t have those demands anymore. We’ll all be here when your ready to start again.
Michell & jade – I have 2 beautiful slim daughters but they do need to keep an eye on their intake. Both of them LOVE good food so they stay active and watch what they eat although fortunately neither of them is ‘obsessed’ with food the way I have been in the past (??Past, what do you mean, past?? 😉 )

I had to laugh about the ‘just do what your body tells you’ philosophy. I was moderately overweight about 20 years ago and talking with someone who said ‘just listen to your body’ was the best way to lose weight. I was young and naive (and am something of an old hippy) so I though ‘yeah that makes sense’. I quickly put on about 20kg (45lbs) which then became incredibly hard to shift and I’ve cursed that woman every since (not really!). I’ve often thought about that approach since and while I think it would work well as a way to raise kids it totally back-fired on me as my body only seemed to say EAT!!! Of course the problem was I didn’t know HOW to listen to my body as my brain had the megaphone. And my body speaks a different language to my brain it seems and I had never learned that language so even if I could have HEARD it I couldn’t understand it, especially with the megaphone-wielding brain at full volume. I am only slowly, ever so slowly trying to learn the language of my body and I am a very slow learner!

I am however committed to fasting on Monday and making a success of it especially with that wonderful picture of us all across the globe supporting each other 🙂 Thanks for the support!!

Hey fiz, so nice to see you again! Michel nailed it, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t need support and free rein to share both good and bad. I’ve sure given the latter a good rip every week. And it is much harder for those of you with kids in the house. I can’t even walk past the stuff in my own pantry, and I don’t even have to watch anyone else eat it!

Congrats Michel on your victory over pie! You are kicking ass for real today. I would have to be physically restrained if there was pie in the offing. And don’t get me started on Planet Krispy Kreme. I had no idea how widespread those little sugar bombs were.

Spring I don’t know WHAT to think about you. That is just fantastic. Seriously, you may have morphed into a normal person. You are eating according to what your body is burning up (whether you are listening or not lol). What in the HECK is up with that. Haha well enjoy it and try to figure it out for the rest of us!

I know I felt some malaise after returning home from travels. I was happy to have (mostly) maintained but I was also bored. There is so much emotion in either losing or gaining. We logically expect the reward or the kick in the pants. But maintaining . . . is kind of meh. Well, except for me it was quite an effort, and I think i secretly hoped the scale would show a loss, was terrified it would show a big gain. And then, meh – very small gain. I would be the last one to understand how my wacky brain works. So maybe I will give the hypnosis another try, now my poison ivy has cleared up perhaps I can control the itching 🙂

My FD today went well – very busy preparing for a road trip, never around food when my stomach was grumbling, so my light dinner at 8 pm should carry me through. These crystal light packets I add to ice water are a nice cool drink on a hot summer’s day, too.
Night all – big hugs for the effort today! xxxx

Morning, fasters! Oh my, Kitty, I’d say “winner winner chicken dinner” if I didn’t faint first, were my hubs to cook that up. Wise decision to eat such a lovely offering. But you know, even a partial day’s resistance helps the overall goal. It’s why I try to skip breakfast even even on nonFDs — I usually hear the binge-brain-cells say “you’re starving” but tell them “psshhh you are not either,” and the silly things do give up more often than they used to. The brain is such a mystery…. Good luck with FD take 2!

I too love the idea of our strength circling the globe. Part of my eating problem always was feeling disgusted with myself but unwilling to talk about it, having been told (when I did talk) that the solution was simple, just don’t be a compulsive eater, take a walk instead. Right, thanks….well, it did teach me not to judge or belittle another person’s struggle, just because it’s not my struggle. [jade now steps off soapbox] It’s so nice to think of you all wishing me well in this effort. Stay strong fast clubbers, and have a wonderful Friday/weekend 🙂 <3 xx jade

Afternoon!

I just tried a new Quest Protein Bar. S’mores.
Not my favorite, but in the top 3.
Does anyone else eat Quest bars?

Have a healthy day!

Morning Fast Clubbers!

Yesterday’s eating did not go as planned.
Why-oh-why can I not get it thru my head, eating in the morning never works for me. I just want to eat & eat for the rest of the day. And I did. I tried to have the protein bar and not the mini Snickers. All I ended up doing was having both. Then my OH worked late & I just ate & watched TV. And surprise! My weight is up today.

Ok, enough of that. Today is a new day and I can make different choices than yesterday.

Kitty: How did your day go yesterday?

Jade: Hope you’re hubby is feeling better and you can go on your trip.

Going to work on not eating alone today.

Strength in the face of food to all my club buddies!

Way to go Kitty! I’ll be fasting on Mon too.
I don’t wake in the middle of the night to cravings. I tend to sleep thru the night. But, I do go to bed thinking of donuts and they are usually the first thing I think about in the morning (I could stop & get donuts on the way to work). I realize this obsession is not normal but not sure what to do about it. I’ve never met anyone who can relate.

I’ve done good today not eating alone & being mindful.

Hope everyone else has had a successful day.

Hi all you dear fasters – we are on our travels finally but I’m dropping by for my daily inspiration. What would I do without you all…

Well done Kitty, on your FD! Under 600 is definitely a win, you cheeky thing you. Fizzy, I don’t know what it is about the morning, but it is a very common problem around here!! Some days I find it just too hard to wait – but it pays off when I do.

Michel if I had to pass a doughnut shop on my commute I would turn into a doughnut. You all know what happens when I even get near a Krispy Kreme. The world shifts on its axis such that my car is propelled into the drive thru lane before I even know what’s happening. Maybe if we just think of them as treats and eat them later in the day it wouldn’t turn out to be such a fiasco? Sometimes I see my weird sweet tooth as a version of alcoholism, which runs in my family (but skipped me, as I drink –and can drink plenty –but only if there’s a party to be had). But after a meal I am insane for a bit of sugar. It sure acts like an addiction.

I am just talking about me though, not calling anyone else an addict. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be told I have food problems, even though I know I do. It’s kind of like your family, you can criticize them but non-relatives need to MYOB. Anyway, that happened on this thread a few weeks ago to mcca, by someone who doesn’t post here otherwise. I remember feeling a bit put off, though didn’t know how to express it as I thought well we all are that way so thanks for the news flash, I guess? Anyway, I hope it didn’t cause her to leave.

Well off I go to fight the good fight against of all things pound cake, sitting right there on the kitchen counter being ignored by everyone else. It sings to me. I need earplugs 🙂 Stay strong clubbers as we face a new week together! xx

Morning All Seekers of Normal Healthy Eating!

Fizzy: Good luck on your fd. You got this!

Jade: Happy travels and safe return.
I remember that post. “It sounds like you are addicted to carbs”. Really? There’s something I’ve never heard before. I agree that for me it verges on a true addiction. No matter how long I go w/o sweets, the cravings are always there. And 1 is never enough. I heard an alcoholic say “there is not enough beer in the world to satisfy me” I have felt that way before. Sick & still wanting more. Luckily I don’t drink much or I could have bigger problems.
I post about the donuts as if I still stop get them. I used to all the time. But during therapy a few yrs ago I changed my route to work so I did not pass the donut shop w/ a drive thru. The drive thru made it so easy. I pass a couple of others but I’ve never gone in. I don’t stop & get them but, I still think about them all the time. Addiction. Sorry if I’m droning on. I just think “carb addiction” as used in diet books does not describe my issues.

Yesterday was a sugar free day & I managed to eat “normally” and not alone. Big success for me.

Now for today…….
Here’s wishing all of you strength & control!

Michel – it rang so true with me when you compared your sugar cravings to alcoholism. I too have read articles about either alcoholics or drug addicts and thought “but that’s how I feel about food” (sugar particularly). Maybe sugar free is the way to go though it pains me to even write that. Really well done on your sugar free day yesterday and not eating alone – I know what a big thing that is.

Hi everyone – it’s me, from the shadows. Like you, mcca, I’m usually away feeling sorry for myself and not wanting to get on the scales. I felt great last week about my “win” of 185 but feel that I won’t be so lucky this coming week. But then I get here and read all that has been written and find myself inspired.

On the topic of addiction: I’ve often wondered how addiction works, because it seems like I can go SO long without having a “relapse?” but when I do, I do it in style. Most famously: eating a loaf of zucchini bread in one afternoon, scarfing down bags of chocolate morsels, eating entire boxes of graham crackers, etc. But then months will go by until I do it again. It’s hard to predict. Alcohol, too, is a tough one for me. I don’t think I’m an alcoholic, I don’t act like those that I’ve known, but I’ll happily drink a bottle of wine by myself. There’s got to be something about the consumption itself, the very act of eating or drinking, that satisfies (however temporary) some need I have.

Anyway, I’m most of the way through a fast day and not struggling too hard. Just bored. Husband is away on business, which is good and bad for my eating. Good because I don’t have to eat at normal times, bad because there’s no one here to witness what I do in the dusky nighttime before bed evil TV hours.

Good luck to all!

Hello faithful fast-clubbers 🙂 I’m just quickly popping in to say I have SURVIVED today’s FD and to hand over the global baton to those fasting (Kitty? Jade?) and send you kraken-sized strength-vibes so that tomorrow you can celebrate how amazing you are. Tomorrow morning I intend to come back and spend some quality time s-l-o-w-l-y reading and enjoying all these great posts and feeling slightly smug that I DID IT!!! Stay Strong!!!

sorry,I am new here.

Morning Mon Fasters!

I’m fasting today and so-far-so-good. Looks like the only temptation is some not-so-good cookies in the kitchen. I should be able to resist them. And I’m committing to the group “I will not stop & get ice cream on the way home” (need too be held accountable) Yesterday was not a success.

Steward: Welcome! There is no reason to be “sorry” This forum is open to anyone seeking support. It is true we have a focus on overeating and associated issues, but we are all here trying to figure things out. That being said, Spring is correct, the FAQ may be a helpful place for you to find some answers and unfortunately none of us can lose weight when we over eat on our non-Fast Days.

I’m loving all the posts and amazing support.

Mcca: I went “sugar free” once while in therapy. I found it impossible to maintain long term. I just was not strong enough to never have BDay cake when everyone else is eating it. But, I do believe it would be a great thing for us to work towards.

Kitty: I consider my confessions “keeping it real” not “shaming myself”. OA, Weight Watchers & therapy all require one to face reality. What better way to face reality than this forum. Anonymously and with no condemnation.
Good luck on your fd today!

FYI: Saw post by GoldenSun on “6 month challenge”.
She/he linked a couple of YouTube videos. The drink looks delish & I found the other one interesting.

Doing good so far. How’s everyone else doing?
Stay strong & committed!

Nice going Michel!! It is really hard to ignore that voice that tells you to stop whether for ice cream or doughnuts. Yay for you!

I’m afraid I bobbled the baton…it wasn’t a fast but wasn’t a disaster either. I did have a salad for dinner but also had bread late afternoon and with dinner. With the eggs….at least not over the tdee. I may try again tomorrow if I’m feeling better. Bleah.

I have tried to cut out sugar before, but It just didn’t work for me. You have to be too rigid and sugar doesn’t really make me go nuts. HA unless I eat it in the morning, say on top of a gigantic pastry.

P, hope you made it out of Mexico OK! Those margaritas are tasty in the summer. If you need to try again tomorrow, I’m your buddy 🙂

See you all tomorrow – xx jade

Good afternoon all my dear Global Fast Clubbers!! I’ve indulged in a good read of all your goings-on and I’m feeling a warm glow of connection – ain’t the internet grand??
Jade – good work on the FD and I agree about the perils of ‘maintaining’ (not that I’m there yet) but I know how hard it is to not have the regular reward of losing weight to bolster the motivation. I have earmarked that problem for some preventative work in the self-administered-CBT department – maybe others have some tips on how to maintain without yoyo-ing? That has been my previous best effort, followed by the yoyo just going into orbit. I think the problem with people who don’t have eating problems is that they confuse simple for easy. We know the solution is simple, it’s just that it is also very, very HARD.

You made me LOL with your reference to the Bachelor for food choices. Maybe we should turn it on its head and look at ‘Beauty & the Geek’ instead (or whatever it was called) the unhealthier the choice the LESS attractive the man!! –

Kitty – I also think hubby cooking you chicken & potato wedges should be celebrated although on a FD perhaps it could also be classified as spousal abuse… ? That’s assuming your hubby knows your fasting of course as I know there were a few folk here who had yet to ‘come clean’ in that department 😉 (I certainly don’t mean any disrespect to spouses, yours on anyone else’s btw!). I’m with you on the ‘focus and iron resolve’ (which sadly only served to remind me I need to do the ironing…)

Michell – I too am still mulling over the ‘I’ve LOST weight by eating well, so now I’m going to reward myself by eating rubbish and GAINING weigh” mindset. It’s a doozy alright and you are not alone there. I’m not familiar with the Quest protein bar but my experience of diet/health bars mainly consists of eating the whole box of 6 on the way home from the Weight Watchers Weigh-in as I hadn’t eaten for the whole day in the vain hope I had lost some weight… NEVER going there again and I avoid all such bars as they just don’t satisfy me. Not eating alone is also a key for me but unfortunately I still do a lot of it – go you for slaying that kraken yesterday!

Good luck with the FD fizzy and so good to see you back and hopefully we can all be your ‘red-light’ of strength. There was a proposal recently in Australia for traffic lights on food to indicate there status as killers or not (only joking) but I do remember thinking that in some moods, for me ALL food has a big green light on it.

Lovely to see you back mcca and you do not ever need to be skulking around here. Avoiding the scales, well there I have a lot of understanding!! I too had thought maybe the ‘helpful’ poster had sent you packing . As you say, we know we’re just a little weird in this department but I also know from a long life and a long life spent in healthcare that actually, EVERYONE is a ‘little weird’ it’s what makes us both human and lovable. What we chose to do about it is what is important.

Good to see you too sanguine and we need to make rule number one of fight club ‘Everyone has the right to say it like it is’ so we won’t feel we need to skulk if it’s not going well. I LOL over your comment about children – seems as good a reason as any (only kidding!).

Just on the addiction thing, my understanding of neuro-plasticity is that our brain pleasure centers can be wired (and thankfully also re-wired) in all sorts of weird ways and that the drive for pleasure (or the avoidance of pain) is inextricably linked with the nature of addiction. However, technically speaking, one can’t be ‘addicted’ to food or any one component of it without labeling the whole human race food-addicts, just as we wouldn’t call ourselves ‘vitamin’ or ‘mineral’ addicts or oxygen addicts for that matter. The association between pleasure and compulsive behaviours and why some people do better at moderating their pleasure-drive is really only now being researched and understood and IMHO there is a lot of nonsense (and non-science masquerading as science) that goes into trying to explain this in popular media. I think the notion of ‘carb-addiction’ is one of those things and the truth, as always, will lie somewhere in between [getting down off my soapbox now].

Okay I have raved enough and I promise to get back here much more regularly so it doesn’t takes me half a day to read all that is going on. The baton is in very safe hands and I won’t need it until Thursday but I’ll be ready and waiting – STAY STRONG my very dear and only slightly weird friends!!

Hand off that lard baton when you’re ready- I’m right behind you! Fabulous rant Kitty. And I’ll tell you who does that – MY husband. In fact he makes it worse by shoving his big manpaw in a bag so hard that the sides rip and all the contents must either be eaten or moved. You can guess what happens…many get lost in the ostensible move!
Spring I wish we could all figure out this “addiction” thing. There are some nights I cannot GET enough sugar and other times even though I love it it doesn’t set me off on a tirade. The only time I can guarantee it is a danger is in the morning. Kitty I am wishing you much strength in your sugar free fight! And good for you for fessing up to your hubs – maybe if he understands the struggle a bit better he won’t leave the ammunition lying about like that.
So… I was faced last night with a FUFD (I know you can figure that one out) and what to do – keep the calls as low as possible and try again? I mean it wasn’t going on the books as a FD so… I didn’t go hog wild but by golly if I’m fasting today I don’t want to feel deprived from the get go. So I ate a bit more before bed and yes it was pound cake. Darn that thing is STILL THERE – so at least i didn’t just chimp the whole thing down. What so you all do when you need to try again the next day?
Love and luck to all today. Going for the win! xx

Afternoon clubbers!

Kitty & Jade: Good luck on your fast today.

I’m not fasting but, I plan to be healthy. I waited to get my “free lunch” until everyone had been thru the line. The salad was gone but I improvised. I took my dry half a turkey wrap apart, added the insides to the lettuce I found on the fruit tray and viola I have a salad. I also pulled out my timer to help remind me to eat slow.

I think the idea of I can eat “normally” on my non-fdays is messing me up. I see people walking by with their plates piled high and I think “that’s normal”. So off I go. And the sweets around the office; everyone is eating them so it must be “normal”. I don’t want to go into diet mode but I think healthy moderation is called for. Seems obvious right?

Kitty: We got your back. No sugar will defiantly lead to weight loss. Besides, refined sugar is bad for the body as well as the waist line. (Note to myself)

Spring: I’ve yoyo’d myself into orbit a number of times over the years. Right onto the planet of “overeating for months on end”. Well no more. Now I have 5:2 to bring me back to earth.
I really like your statement “confuse simple for easy”. We all know how to lose weight. Calories in vs calories burned. Simple right? But not so easy to accomplish. I’m writing that one down.

Nice going improvising that salad, Michel! I watched those videos you found – the drink does look good (though I question the fat-burning idea) and the advice in the other one is some simple wisdom I often forget. That sugar and processed carbs lead to an insulin spike, which is at the root of our troubles. Once we are spiked, it is Kraken time for sure. Fat can actually slow the effect (i.e., butter on bread) whereas pure sugar (twizzlers anyone??) will send me AND my hormones into orbit. Makes sense, though I do wonder why this logic doesn’t work with doughnuts, which are loaded with fat as well as sugar….hmmm. I guess there is only so much a body can take.

But maybe all this is why I DON’T go insane if I have a small dessert after a meal, whereas if I stop for the creme-filled doughnut on the way home, and eat it in the car, like a fat shamed deluxe binge crazy but lovable weirdo, I am ready to sink my head neck deep into a vat of sugar when i get home. Something to ponder. We are all doing great work searching for our exact triggers!

Meantime I’m still on the Fast Train to better health today. A small salad with just balsamic after a morning jog. Holding tight to Kitty’s lard baton!
xx