I am a binger – any info on fasting and bingeing

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I am a binger – any info on fasting and bingeing

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  • Jade – Hmm, I might give’m a go.
    Good job on your lunch! Wine always helps 🙂

    Michel, you’re so funny — I’ve been clobbered by the mini-Kraken, HOW can those little things have 50 cals each?? Mentally I can see blocks of food falling off my dinner plate, yet I still have several. My lunch was lovely if not exactly low-cal. Ah well, MFP will guide us safely through the day!

    And another thing 🙂 I’m still amazed that I’ve come (kicking and screaming) to enjoy MFP’s guidance. It provides the structure of FDs that I need every other day. I hated to admit that I need it, but I do.

    To anyone reading who isn’t losing weight, you are probably like me, underestimating calories because darn it, you know all that after being on x-teen million diets. But you’re likely overeating if you’re fasting but losing nothing week after week.

    Jade…you have crossed to the dark side!

    Annette — I know, and it feels creepy! No denying math’s simple logic though. I’m holding on to my love of doughnuts lest I become totally normal.

    I blame my previous aversion to MFP on Dr. M’s idea that you can eat normally on nonFDs, without counting calories, b/c you might eat a bit over tdee but not enough to cancel out the FD deficit. HAHAHA. Yeah, I might have done that, just a BIT. I conveniently overlooked that I hardly ever “ate normally.”

    Quick drop in to say: today was a total FU.
    Sometime during the day my brain switched off and I stopped caring about calories. I ate my way through the day. OH worked late & there was nothing between me and the fridge. I wish I could explain it, but I guess everyone on this site understands. Not beating myself up, just disappointed.

    So, tomorrow I will start again trying to stay in TDEE.

    Hope everyone else had a successful day.

    Hey Michel…. Aaaah sorry to hear that 🙁 FUs happen… Its a bit like tube strikes, late airplanes, people who cancel on you… Definitely not enjoyable, minimal added value but part of life :/

    Woohoo I finished my first FD! And Godzilla (love how you name it!) stayed away (he was probably still a bit tired from the M&Ms and chocolate the night before).
    Felt a bit light headed in the evening but had a good night at my meditation group so was okay.

    Staaarving this morning! Btw, what’s TDEE? I thought on the 5 remaining days, you could just sort of eat whatever you wanted (within reason of course .. ?)

    Hi Lolo
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure-TDEE is the amount of calories needed to maintain the weight that you are currently. You can eat what you like on the other 5 Days, but not how much you want. I don’t know about you, but the phrase ‘eat normally on the other 5 days’ has always bothered me because if I knew what it was to eat normally, then I wouldn’t be fat.
    I followed the principals and did lose weight and inches at the rate of an average of 1 lb a week. Gradually my food choices began to change to more healthy options but I seemed ‘stuck’ at a weight that I didn’t seem to get past. I had resisted the notion of calorie counting but thought that I would for a week to see what happened. I ate up to my TDEE for 5 days and no more than 500 cals on 2 FD and lost 2 lb. What I learned was the calorie cost of foods that I liked and then learned to make choices throughout the day to make sure that I kept to that figure. This is a way of life rather than a diet and I need to learn which food choices and portion sizes to consume to ensure that I m a healthy weight for my height. To find out your TDEE just look under ‘resources’ and then ‘bmi calculator’. Try it for a week and see what happens. I found that I was shocked just how expensive some foods were in calorie terms which has changed both what I consume and how much.

    Soup is very good on a FD especially when it gets cool.

    Hi,

    Lolo, hi, I think the others have given you a great welcome. I’m more of a lurker, but this board is great for support, especially on the days it all goes “belly up”. You did a FD well done!!!

    Jade: Brilliant, that’s fantastic …you made the oatcakes Jade?!!! wow, literally from the time I had posted to the time I checked the posts, voila! well you really are amazing. Now, I’m sure yours are lovely but the ones in the UK are very yummy- but that might just be me… I am the girl who can binge on porridge, so maybe my tastes are a little less “exquisite”. I.e just call me the human dustbin.

    Annette – I think you make some great points, I think explaining it to Lolo helps clarify it again for the rest of us too. I think he simple math of calories (I think a calories is a good approximate to work out if you are just eating too much and this whole experience for me is learning to eat the right amount..), I have to be mindful all the time. I can clear up the leftovers after dinner or accept a few bites of this or that, and can have huge bowls of healthy stuff and afterwards find out the calories and think whoops. I have said time and time again, but I think I will always be the girl, when everyone has finished I’ll be thinking … seconds? thirds? however, I think this week my appetite has really reduced (apart from yesterday- see below) and feeling when I am truly hungry is such a help. I also realised most of the children around here – seem to be permanently hungry and I think that’s because so many snacks are available, they are forgetting to recognise that true feeling of hunger.

    Although calories are odd, in that I haven’t calculated my tdee (I imagine it comes in at 1800) but just thought I would think 2000 kcal for my other days and i actually lost weight this week doing that. So with you about the soup, I have always loved soup as you can eat loads of it. Anyone in the UK, Sainsbury’s does a ready cut up butternut squash, red onion and chilli mix, it comes to 200 kcal for the whole lot and it is divine. i do you use a whole stock cube with it so it’s probably very high is salt but anyway, it helps keep godzilla away of a fd.

    Michel, I am sorry to hear about yesterday but I did the same. I was up at 5am and by 10am I wanted stooge, bread, cereal you name it. I think we will always have days like these but as you know it’s a case of getting back on it as soon as you can. Everyone overeats. I try and work out a way to avoid it but some days it is unavoidable – it’s a case of managing it best I can.

    Ah also, I am introducing a few of the latest fads into my lifestyle. I have started to have 12 almonds mid morning (think that comes in at about 84 kcal) and I am drinking a pint of water before meals.

    Good luck peeps xx

    PS Michel I am so glad to have had you to share this with but I am absolutely certain my huge breakfast was my biggest downfall… without doubt it made me feel tired and lethargic…

    Thanks so much Annette for the explanation, I did calculate my TDEE (not sure whether my exercise routine falls into moderate or light… Probably depends on weeks!!). Thanks for sharing your tips on how to figure out your calories… The few bites here and there and piece of cake for coworker’s bday do certainly add up… I’ll have to work on that, grazing is probably one of my biggest pitfalls (okay, bingeing too, much thank god its less frequent ?)

    Bingeingqueen (love the nickname haha!), I SO binge on breakfast stuff do. And I love porridge, I adore it 🙂 a few toppings on it and I’ve been seen to scoff down two or three bowls … And the most embarassing thing is… I’m not even British so I can’t blame it on childhood comfort food hahaha!
    Sorry to hear you had a binge ytd… Morning binges are the toughest for me to recover from but eh you made it 🙂 new day, new chance 🙂 and like you said, EVERYONE overeats. I’m sometimes shocked at how much crap my colleagues eat… (Yes, me, the girl who downed the M&Ms pack she brought back from the airport as a gift to her brother on the street, I am still shocked… Just means that no one is perfect and we all have our little quirks and slip-ups!)

    Very mindful morning, did pilates and meditation at home and just had oats with yogurt, fruits and a (tiny) drizzle of honey… Hope the day stays as easy peasy ????

    Happy bank holiday to everyone in the UK!

    Glad it was useful lolo. If you’re not sure which level the exercise is then opt for the lower option.

    I am training for a half marathon which is a week tomorrow-very scary. My TDEE is 1800 and I am consuming around 200 more per day at the moment, but then I am also running/walking 20 miles a week and not fasting these few weeks either. Just in from 9 miles=1000 calories. I am maintaining my weight at the moment, which is fine, but just goes to show losing weight comes down to what you put in your mouth.

    Birthday Boy tomorrow, so there will be cake and a meal out…and I will enjoy it after 7 miles.

    Oh great!!! Is it your first half marathon? How exciting 🙂
    If you’re training then surely you must be burning more than 1800 a day ??

    Whose birthday is it? The trouble with cake is that, although I’m a firm believer in the fact that a reasonably sized slice of cake every week is not going to make you fat… I always end up having 3 or 4 and just stop when I’m feeling embarrassingly nauseous :/
    Maybe try to keep busy so you can keep it to one slice? 🙂

    Michel and Queen – I blame breakfast, NO doubt. It sends my appetite off a cliff. It almost seems chemical (another subject I’m bad at). I accept I’ll always have crazy days, whether from breakfast, lack of sleep, sugar, whatever.

    So why not lower the bar those days. Smaller goals. Aim for no snacks and 3 meals without stuffing. Aim for TDEE too, but don’t obsess. If we can hit interim goals, we’ll feel in control. Otherwise, I can almost guarantee I’ll snack all day, never feel full, likely turn into Godzilla. Bleah.

    Another thing to keep in mind. It’s normal to be hungrier sometimes. Our bodies don’t uniformly burn the same amount of fuel every day. For me, a mental stress day is a calorie fire. But we hear the scale say “you’re fatter” when often it’s just food moving through our systems that may very well get burned up or exit out the rear door 🙂

    Congrats Lolo on a successful FD! Feeling light-headed at first is common. It appears the Breakfast Kraken doesn’t visit you, and I’d say “woo she’s lucky” but I know they visit other times. Glad you’re here with us to share the fight.

    Annette – go you, that cake will be pre-burnt by your run, and best wishes to the birthday boy. Now slow and steady for next weekend, you can do it! Hope the finish-line goodies are delicious. You’ve inspired me to start thinking about a half, maybe next spring. I never lost weight from running either, though the endorphins sure help.

    I had to look up “stodge” – so it means starch but also a “dull, boring person.” HA. If I could just visualize doughnuts as a dull, boring person. Of course, I’m usually eating them when I’m not thinking, much less visualizing anything.

    Today is a new day, everyone – no one’s left Misfit Island, so let’s all plan for a successful kraken-battling day together. xxxxx jade

    Annette52, great explanation of TDEE. I started off by eating everything I wanted to on NF days (aka, pigging out at random) and I still lost weight at the beginning. But after I’d lost about 20 lbs I hit a plateau and I started actually finding out what TDEE meant and started counting calories. Now I’m starting to lose consistently again each week, although I still have my days. Today might be one of those days… we’re going to the CNE (An exhibition in Toronto, Canada with rides, demonstrations, displays, games of chance, and a whole lot of weird and highly caloric food such as — NEW THIS YEAR!! — Deep Fried Red Velvet Oreos and Coffee and Donuts Milkshake). Wish me luck!

    Lolo, I totally get the M&M disaster. I sometimes used to think that M&Ms (peanuts are my downfall) must be the major cause of the recent great increase in obesity in the world. Their bags keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I used to eat a big bag (not the huge size, just the big one) at least once a week. Now I haven’t had any M&Ms for weeks (just realized that!) But they are addictive. Can you imagine eating only one M&M? Never. And you can eat them no matter how full you are. They are evil!!

    Anyway I stopped by here to tell you I had an article published on a blog called Cranky Fitness. The article is called “Becoming the Person I want to be (instead of the one I was afraid I would become).” It’s here and there’s a draw for a copy of the book if you’re interested. http://www.crankyfitness.com/2015/08/fat-and-fiction-guests-and-giveaways.html

    Mary, you MUST report back on deep-fried oreos and doughnut milkshakes. I’m almost proud that they don’t sound too good (it’s early here though!). Anyway, have fun! Thanks for the blog link, sounds funny and I can always use a dose of that. Congrats also on publishing!

    Yes, Annette is our resident wizard and mathematician. I have a small shrine to her in my kitchen. OK just kidding but I could. I whined and moaned and threw tantrums when my weight loss stalled. Then Annette comes along with math. I hate math, I said. She just kept on about math. Turns out I do not know how to eat normally, I mean who knew, right? Me, a binger, not good at normal eating. But lo and behold, math shows me how, that even I can do it. Not that I always do. But boy does it help to have help, you know?
    xxxjade

    Hi all! It’s bedtime in London 🙂
    Thanks for all the helpful advice! And good luck with those deep fried oreos (okay, I have to admit that to my French brain, that sounds horrendous and fatty… ) and the milkshakes (that DO sound amazinnnng)
    Hope it all goes well!

    The article looks really funny as well,I’ll have a read!

    Jade, totally agree with the lowering the bar concept… on a bad day, you need to be nice to yourself (not nice as in have a whole box of cookies but nice as in being supportive to yourself and not beating yourself up if you slip up!)

    By the way, if anyone has back pain or wants to do beginner’s yoga, videos on the channel PsycheTruth with Jen Hilman are GREAT! Really helps me to relax at night and keep Godzilla all nice and asleep haha!

    Quick question: is it okay to drink one or two glasses of wine on a FD? (assume the answer is no but still asking… :D)

    Lololondon. Everything that you consume is calorie counted whether you eat it or drink it. There is no reason why you can’t have wine on a FD, but it won’t leave you with many calories to eat, but it is your choice. Also just have a look at how many calories that cake is and then see what you have left out of your daily TDEE. I found that quite an eye opener. I am consuming more than 1800 at the moment, yesterday it was probably 500 more just to maintain my current weight.

    Jade. If you make a shrine then it should have both chocolate and vanilla ice cream in it! I have always struggled with the notion of ‘eat normally for the other 5 days’ when clearly if i knew what that was, I wouldn’t be fat! The calories don’t lie and for me are a very useful tool that helps me to make choices about what and how much I consume. Are you finding Jade that it is really shocking how little food we need just to keep ticking over? If I simply ate 3 meals a day with a bit of fruit for the odd snack, then I would be up to my TDEE every day without any effort at all. Very much a work in progress here…..The birthday cake(Colin the Caterpillar to the UK folks from M & S) come in at 375 cals a slice assuming that there are 10 slices, but I know that the slices will be rather larger. Remember Jade that the cake is already part of my TDEE, and if I want to shrink then I cannot earn it and then eat it=no weight loss! My shape certainly changed due to running, I now have lovely toned legs and arms as well as very small abs, if it could just move down a bit further to the tummy that would be great. Now that we know the TDEE Jade, I suspect that we will be able to lose weight too with running and after the half I will do a trial to see what happens.It is quite possible to consume the calories burned on a long run with those consumed during and after, BUT the body continues to burn calories hours after the running shoes have been taken off.
    My first HM was in March 2013 when I was 14lb heavier that I am now. It was hell and i have never felt so dreadful than I did afterwards. Then I trained over the summer and did another one in September 2013 when I was fitter than I am now and 3 lb lighter too. Another local one in 2014 in freezing March and then September 2014 when I was ill during but managed to get round and complete. I had planned to go to the gym over the winter, but I didn’t go often and then watched my son take part in the 2015 local Half-very weird to be cheering on the masses and not taking part. I haven’t run much this year at all, but decided that I would follow a beginners 12 week plan, but then had a recurrent ear infection which meant that I missed the first 4 weeks.So in 7 weeks I have gone from no running at all, to 3 and then in the last couple of weeks to 4 times a week.I am not fast and I certainly don’t find running easy as a non-sporty curvy short menopausal woman, but is a challenge and if I can do it………then anyone can.

    Hi all and a huge welcome to the newbies 🙂

    I haven’t posted for a while as it’s been a FU’d couple of weeks for me but I still drop by to read and to see how well you’re all doing (which is AMAZINGLY!! ;-0 ).

    I’m off later this week to SE Asia on a work trip for a few weeks. I don’t plan to fast while away (a relief after 2 weeks of FUFD’s 😉 ) as I usually lose weight on these trips to countries with great food that comes straight out of the garden or out of the sea. Wifi is likely to be dodgy though so I may not be able to catch up as regularly on the Kraken-Slayer Chronicles.

    Keep up the good work girls!! Spring xx

    Spring, safe journey and enjoy the fresh seafood! How lovely that it’s part of your work, and a nice change of pace from FUFDs 🙂

    Annette, oh no I wasn’t burn-eat calculating, just saying enjoy! On that note — Lolo, I’ve had FDs with wine AND pizza. One glass of wine (120), SMALL slice of pizza (250), very light tossed salad (70-100). I don’t recommend it often, but it’s doable. The others don’t mind getting more pizza! I like that 5:2 allows me to fit anything in, with planning. Right, just another normal eater over here….

    I poked Godzilla this morning, really just wanted banana and yogurt (there’s a miracle) and darn it, such a trifling breakfast should be possible. We’ll see if she wakes up. I am quite the little science experiment :)give me a bit of control and watch me test boundaries. But a girl has to have a little fun.

    Happy Sunday everyone – who else is riding the fast train tomorrow? I have my ticket and lard baton in hand. xxxx

    Hi Queen and Helen.
    Finding something that you REALLY LOVE to do, say an activity, could help take your mind off food. The activity could be any thing. It works for me.

    Lolo – So happy your 1st FD was a success.

    Queen – I’m with you when you say you’re thinking: Seconds? Thirds? Deserts? It is so rare I’m satisfied after I eat.

    Annette – Enjoy your BDay cake. You have earned it and you sound like you are on the path to truly enjoy only having one piece. Huge success!

    Mary – Thanks for sharing the link. I entered to win a copy, but I’m interested to look at your other books.
    Hope you enjoyed you time at CNE, sounds like fun. Please keep dropping in with your words of wisdom.

    Spring – Good to hear from you! I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip to SE Asia. We will be here when you get back.

    Jade: Hopefully Godzilla has been sleeping the day away. Keep you the good work.

    I’ve had a couple of rough days. No nausea induced binges, but still in the “I don’t give a sh!!” zone. The “I’m tired of caring about this all the time” zone. I’m realizing I get here ever so often. I will go along motivated and trying to pay attention to everything I eat and then I just don’t care any more. I just want to eat and enjoy it. To he!! with writing it all down.

    Well, today I’m trying to pulling myself out of the “eat fest”. So far I’ve entered everything in MFP. I may not stay in TDEE, but I’m trying to track it all.

    Motivation – for me this remains the key to my success. I have to have the motivation every day to stay the course.

    I hope everyone is having a successful & healthy day!

    ????
    Godzilla had babies IN MY HOUSE.

    Thank you so much for posting that Michel. It is the same for me today. After logging my ass off I just told MFP to suck it. No binge but OH I’m sure over tdee. Well some days that’s just going to happen and it might as well be a sunny Sunday.

    Cheers all, I will climb back on tomorrow. I hope! xxx

    Surprise, surprise, surprise (said in the voice of Gomer Pile)
    I came in at TDEE!

    Jade – I made your roasted veggies again. They are so tasty. Sorry you had baby Godzillas at your house. Sometimes there are just to many of them to fend off.
    We’ll get them tomorrow!

    Kitty – How are you? You were quiet this weekend.

    Ok, who all is fasting tomorrow?
    We’re gonna kick some Kraken a$$!

    Thanks for the honesty Michell, it’s what makes this thread so good and it was helpful to read what is basically my experience at the moment after a year of hard work:
    “… in the “I don’t give a sh!!” zone. The “I’m tired of caring about this all the time” zone. I’m realizing I get here ever so often. I will go along motivated and trying to pay attention to everything I eat and then I just don’t care any more. I just want to eat and enjoy it. To he!! with writing it all down.’

    I know I need to find my own strategy for this but it’s proving difficult – that said, I’m having another go at a FD today (thanks to the inspiring folk on this thread!). A friend suggested I go back to the way I started on FD’s and that made sense so I’m having my original FD again today (luckily I kept records of those first few months) and it’s going okay. Still early in the day, but I’ll keep my fluids up as I tend to not drink enough on FD’s and focus on tomorrow morning when I can wake up with a smile on my face 🙂

    Thanks for the support and happy Kraken-A$$-kicking to all xx

    Yep, I’m searching too,Spring. I have never minded the idea of FDs, but I need a way not to mind this 24/7 mindset.

    I believe this week I’ll go with “no breakfast, seriously do not ever” (b/c yesterday was pathetic) and see if I can ease up on MFP’ing. Surely I have some sense of calories about several weeks of logging everything. Michel, yes yes yes, it’s the thinking about this all the time that has to go. It feels silly, as though it’s the most important thing in my life.

    All righty, climbing aboard the fast train here. Good luck, we KNOW we can do FDs so let’s go kick some ass. xxx

    Ah ladies, I have to get my motivation into drive every day too. Actually this is useful for me generally, if I’m “on it” and focused I am much better at achieving things . I tend to find on my days where by i am eating “whatever” I’m also unmotivated in getting anything else done either.

    Had an early start and a poorly child so little sleep and ended up having coffee cake (of all things) at 5 am… Needless to say the rest of the day I was searching for food.

    It’s a fine line isn’t it, not being obsessed but also remembering to be mindful. I am slightly worried about my food forgetfulness, I can find that I’m eating stuff of my child’s plate then catch myself and think “what am I doing” or the other day for example , there were tea cakes on the side, I wasn’t hungry and was chatting on the phone and I just ate one without thinking…. So maybe it’s also retraining the habit brain.

    Good luck to all.

    Oh and I can’t remember the name of the poster but thank you for your comment about needing to find something you love doing (I have, unfortunately it’s eating!) but you make such a good point, sometimes eating is just a case of boredom, lack of stimulation. I am deodnohely reevaluating my hobbies and what I want to achieve philosophy. I am always interested in hearing what others do that they really enjoy (ie a hobby…! ).

    Morning All!

    I’m fasting today, but not really feeling it.
    This is a habit I’m forming….Mondays are fast days. It doesn’t matter how I feel, I fast on Mondays.

    Having said that, the cravings are on me today. I’ve gone a couple of weeks w/o really having a craving. You know the ones I mean, the ones that will not go away no matter what you do. I’m going to try eating the imaginary cookies over and over. Hopefully it will cut the craving before I have to go to the grocery store.

    Spring – I hope you are having a successful FD.
    I like the idea of finding what originally motivated is to start 5:2. I know I was energized after re-watching the documentary a couple of weeks ago.

    Jade – I’m onboard the “no breakfast ever” train with you. It is just a bad idea for me and always awakens Godzilla.

    Queen – Your statements ring true for me. I have to find my motivation every day. Sometimes “getting healthy” or “loosing weight” is not enough. I just think, I’ll worry about “that” tomorrow and eat today. I need to find something different to motivate me on those days.
    And eating w/o thinking? That happens all the time in our breakroom. If I walk in & “surprise” there’s a sweet, Katie bar the door. I can eat a lot w/o thinking.

    Hobby? – Hmmmm, I don’t have one.

    Stay strong fasters! We can do this!

    Great idea, Queen – focus on hobbies. Hmmm, wish I had a true hobby. I love being outdoors (bonus, it’s usually away from food). I need an indoor hobby that isn’t cooking and doesn’t feel like work.

    I really need to think less about food, period. Not sure what the solution is. When I’ve decided not to eat, I usually put it out of my mind. So 4:3? 18:6? Brain transplant? Well, time to go think about work now. Happy fasting for all on the train today 🙂 xxx
    ps: just saw your post, Michel – stay strong! Monday Funday Fastday, I’m with you.

    Me too ladies with the lack of hobbies although I am just like you Jadelark I love being outdoors and that’s a good opportunity to not be in the kitchen.

    Michel, vanity rarely works for me these days, and I think I can have a head in the sand approach to health and so I really need to give myself a shake! Remind myself why.. but then not feeling too stuffed, that awful tired feeling and reminding myself of my constant lack of energy can help! However, if I’m in the moment and tired… usually it’s “oh blow it”. Breakfast, again, is where is starts but I find if I can get my motivation going in the morning I’m better off for the rest of the day. The HALT thing works but I seem think I can recognise what I’m feeling but if those bagels or chocolate brownies are in front of me during a godzilla moment – I’m doomed. Yes I win the award for having the least willpower on this earth. I am so contradictory, like I have said before, I can know what my goals are, know 100percent that eating all that bread or biscuits will make me feel awful, but in the moment I will just think oh well and eat.

    Today I wasn’t fasting but trying to not have too much. The cold and lack of sleep got to me by four pm and I ate a whole pack of almonds… with raisins… so at least it’s not doughnuts but considering I’d already had lunch and breakfast this morning…

    Ah well…

    I meant to ask, when you have a day at home, or with the family, I find that I really look forward to my meals… intact that’s part of the problem… finding another fix… my poor little one can only take so many cuddles!

    Jade I was wondering about every other day fasting but increasing the kcal slightly so that I might get a better night’s sleep on a fd.

    Michel,,, our challenge…find a non food hobby! Good luck xx

    Queen, dinner = “time w/ hubs” so yes, meals are tricky. With little ones, you have more to contend with each day. It might be easier to focus first on just eating your portion, as big as that may need to be, and cut out snacks and cleaning up off other plates.

    But I’m no expert, that’s for sure. I’ve about decided the effort to control myself is harder than not eating at all. I’m tired of being the Control Police. And the love of sweets has not gone away. Every snack I had yesterday was awesome, so I believe I could eat roasted veggies for 1000 days and still appreciate the wonder of chocolate 🙂

    I wonder if 4:3 (ADF) would let me relax and feel normal on the 4 days, having reset myself with 3 FDs? Guess it could be time to experiment. *sigh* Hey, at least we’re strong and committed, so we will beat this thing or die trying 🙂
    xx

    Jade – do let me know how you go on 4:3 if you go there. I’d never be able to do that and as 2 days was always enough and usually around TDEE on the other days I was very grateful. My experience has also always been that even a 1000 days of ‘good’ eating would not replace the pleasure of forbidden foods! It’s a bit like expecting that 1000 days without sex would mean you couldn’t have an orgasm… Ha, not likely!

    Queen – you are so like me with your comment “I can know what my goals are, know 100percent that eating all that bread or biscuits will make me feel awful, but in the moment I will just think oh well and eat”. While for me it’s cheese & crackers and hot chips with aioli 😉 it’s a headset that seems to consistently be all on or all off for me and trying to find a balanced place is hard. Having a health background and career I know why I’m fat, it’s not a lack of knowledge but a lack of motivation in the face of that knowledge. I think it is also very much tied to self-worth and punishment for me and as if that isn’t enough there is also the basic inflexibility of the control freak, which makes decision-making on-the-hop difficult. So at the moment (which is an ‘all off’ period) instead of adapting to a change in my day I try to compensate with things that I know will maintain my equilibrium, like food. Basically I’m a bit FU’d, but it’s amazing how many of us are out there, highly functional and holding down impressive jobs!

    Btw, what is the offspring of the Kraken & Godzilla?? Krakzilla just sounds like a drug problem but the damage such a spawn could do seems to describe my life right now (okay, a little over dramatic, I know!!).

    My FD yesterday was about 800-900 which for me right now is a huge achievement. It was all good until I got home from work but I managed to limit the damage and feel better for it today and I’m not going to beat myself up.

    I’ve been thinking about hobbies too, Peeolu, particularly the ones that keep my hands busy like knitting and patchwork, or perhaps just having them tied behind my back. My partner is very creative and I’m often envious of his ability to get lost in his craft.

    One of the things I love about this thread is the honestly and absence of glib affirmations or solutions, so I’ll now wish you all insight into what is making it tough – if only I could have you all here in my kitchen to be ‘mindful’ with me, I know it would be a breeze 🙂

    You’re a wonderful bunch. A shout out to Melb, Michell, Penguin, Kitty, fizzy, Writer, Lolo & annette – sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone and I hope it’s going well for you all. Spring xx

    Krakzilla – oh cheezits that’s it! The creature that emerges from a throw-down by Godzilla AND Kraken. Now I understand our collective slump – it’s even harder to stumble after tasting success. We have met the Krakzilla. EEEK.

    OK, somebody famous said character (or honor, something) isn’t the lack of failure, but the response to failure. Let’s insight our way out of this, Fast Club. Your bright idea might be my cure, and mine may be yours. I’m so serious I’m not even hungry HAHA. Let’s beat this #$&@ing beast. xxxx

    Evening All!

    Somehow I made it!
    I white knuckled my way through the grocery store. I used the ninja skills Mel (?) taught us to get by the cookies and the Lard Baton on the donut case that tried to lure me in.
    Hope everyone else was successful!

    Krakzilla – too funny. Seems like a really good name to me.

    We were missing a few fast club members today, check in let us know how it’s going.

    Remember all calories count!

    Here are a few of our shared tactics for normal eating (on nonFDs):
    -Skip breakfast, have a bigger lunch instead
    -Imagine the treat instead of eating it
    -HALT/BALT: test yourself for real hunger; wait 10 min., go do something else
    -Clear the house of naughty stuff
    -If not possible (family), put it out of sight (or in a wicker basket 🙂
    -Include protein (avoid insulin spike)
    -Eat only at meals (stop constant snacking)
    -No “secret eating” (e.g., car)
    -No eating out of bag; serve a portion and own it
    -Have good options ready for weak (sleepy) fridge rummaging
    -Get a hobby!

    Well there’s a start. I know there are more! I need to carry them around in a quiver. Darn krakzillen. xx

    Way to go Michel! A few sips of beer and a restaurant salad for me, should be a win. Way to go in the grocery! I stupidly looked at a recipe for some decadent cookies online and almost ate my computer. Instead I beat it with the lard baton. What a mess. xx

    Comespring, well done with your fast day, sometimes I just aim for 800 when I think it will be unachievable to have less. I am actually wondering if, for me this maybe a better longterm strategy and to do it every other day. That way I can get away with having lunch and supper with others, or having an 800 kcal meal at night should keep me going through the night! Again, well done, it’s extra hard when you aren’t in the “swing of it”.

    Some of my random thinking and reevaluating goals. Something I have noticed, when I can do it, the fasting, I notice my mood is actually really good that day… in the am it’s not – unless I have copious coffee -I’m wondering if this is because I have low blood pressure and I’m always tired after eating.. anyway, another reason that I’m hoping fasting might help is I have high cholesterol- although they didn’t give me the breakdown of my HDL and LDL values, but I’m pretty sure it’s familial. I don’t eat much saturated fat but I eat a lot of carbs…! I think another things with this diet (and why non fasting days are hard), is because calories add up easily. In our society it’s really hard to not overeat when you have a big appetite or love food. A little bite of this here, a gulp of that there and voila you over the kcal, so it is really good, for me to stop and think about what I’m doing.

    Great advice Jade.

    Thanks for all the support. Missing engine, littleweing, Annette, lolo, Kitty, Melb, Amyamey… sorry for dominating the boards recently. I hope everyone is ok today, hope the first day back at work today goes well (for those in the UK). keep busy!

    Jade the list is perfect for me too – thank you! I know if stuff is there… I have to make sure it’s not accessible. I was considering driving to get chocolate when I was woken very early this am!

    Penguin your idea of porridge for dinner (you mentioned it ages ago (not sure if you still visit the board) but was fantastic.

    x

    Hi everyone!

    Yesterday my self-control went a bit AWOL but back on board today with a fast day. A few people have commented on weight loss and I would hate to undo all that work!

    I love the first of the months – so much potential! I would LOVE to lose 5 kilo by my birthday (10 Oct) so hoping to shift maybe 3 of them by September?

    of course, I am on holiday for 10 days in ITALY soon (woooooooooooooo) but I don’t drink and time on holiday means no time for secret eating so for me it’s probably easier to lose weight on holiday than at home.

    Hello lovelies,
    I’ve been in a bad M.E. relapse this past few days, struggling with everything. Can’t get dressed, can’t shower, can’t do anything but feast on the flapjacks that my well meaning MIL brought me (other ill people get grapes, I get flapjacks). I can almost feel the extra pounds stretching my belly.
    Exactly 3 weeks til we fly out to sunny Mexico….hope my body recovers a bit before then.
    No energy to read back posts yet but I will at some point. I hope you’re all well and conquering the evil krakens.
    So much for “fast 2 days a week and eat normally the other 5”. Yeah right, how can one possibly sustain a life of constantly monitoring everything and logging everything into MFP etc….maybe it’s just me but I’m finding that extremely tedious and too much damn effort. Or maybe it’s just my extreme lack of energy atm.
    Sorry guys, I seem to be really good at coming along and demotivating everyone!
    Just thought I’d check in. Hugs xx

    Queen, Kitty, Melb – I always learn from your posts, whether you’re up or down. Glad you’re all here. I hear you Kitty, I MFP’d my ass off for 2 weeks and need a break from that.

    My experiment this week: no breakfast, no snacks (possibly 4:3). My MAIN goal is appetite control. When I cut out snacks before, it helped (then the breakfast Godzilla interfered). Not dissing MFP, it’s a good guide, but I want self-control more than I want to calculate my hunger. We’ll see! If no loss, then I’ll work with cal counts again.

    I tried something new yesterday. Saved all my FD cals for nighttime, had about 400 cals at dinner, then plain yogurt and half a banana before bed (<100 cals). A snack right before bed shouldn’t affect insulin (?) So, I fell asleep just fine and didn’t wake up hungry. So far today, happy with my coffee. I can’t remember the last time I could skip breakfast after a FD, so I hope I’m on to something.

    I am determined to find the answer. And will prattle on here about it, so let’s continue to struggle on together! Kitty, sorry you’re feeling bad, and hoping the anticipation of your Mexico trip will cheer you. In the meantime, try to enjoy the flapjacks dear girl. (Never heard of bringing ill people grapes…??)
    xx

    Morning Kraken Slayers!

    We are having a pool party for Labor Day, so my goal is to save as many calories as I can for Sun. MFP is my new best friend.

    Jade – Thanks for the list. So many options to choose from when motivation/willpower fail us.
    I always try to save my calories for dinner on a FD. Defiantly helps me sleep. I also eat all protein (mostly). Not only do I stay full longer but I don’t stretch my stomach out. I think it helps me not feel so hungry the morning after a fast.

    Queen – Sounds like 16:8 might work for you.
    I think the important thing to remember is – the true health benefits are achieved during the fasting window. I think a 16 hr fasting window 4-5 days a week should yield some positive health/weight benefits.

    Spring – You mentioned having us in the kitchen w/ you and it reminded me of the virtual “hand slap” Mel gave me weeks ago. I still think of that sometimes when I’m standing in the pantry ready to grab something. It’s nice to have friends in your corner pulling for your success. No sabotage or judgement here.

    Mel – Good luck today! Congrats on the compliments. It always feels good when others notice a change.
    10 days in Italy – I’m a little jealous. I would love to go back and visit the country side. I hope you have an amazing time.

    Kitty – We are here for you!
    I believe the more we connect w/ each other, both good & bad, the less isolated/alone we feel. I find strength and motivation on this thread. It helps to read the posts, but I really gain when I post. It’s like therapy, I have to think about my situation and that helps me have revelations. It’s through the revelations that we grow.

    Stay strong fasters & mindful of TDEE everyone else

    Man those admins are FAST. Bye-bye diet product seller, we don’t need you.

    Good luck Michel on banking those calories 🙂 I enjoy anticipating a party – hope you have great weather to toast the end of summer.

    And Melb, off to Italy? What a jet-setting crew, you, Kitty, and Spring. Have a great time, enjoy the local cuisine, be adventurous!

    Annette, how are you holding up? This is your taper week before the big HM. You will NOT be last 🙂 but even if you were, think of those who didn’t try or started but quit. You are amazing.

    I’m holding my own after a late lunch of banana and Greek yogurt (right, same old, but it was eat or toss the bananas). No problem skipping breakfast – now to power through every morning as a new habit. Perhaps the “fasting window” will reset me each day? One can hope. xx

    Jade – Thanks for getting that removed. You are right, not what we need here.
    I think once your body adjusts to not eating breakfast you won’t even miss it. I never eat it on a normal day.

    Came home early to meet pool repair guys (they are an hour late 🙁 ) and I’m feeling very snacky.

    This week’s mantra: Pool Party, Pool Party, Pool Party

    I am holding up…just. Ran 9 miles on Saturday, should have done 7 the following day but there was heavy rain so that has been quite stressful. Ran 5 today in hot sunshine after work and then there is just 2 on Thursday…that’s it until the 13.1 on Sunday!
    Thanks for your support Jade, but it is a small HM- up to 2K entrants and it is regarded as a flat fast course so there are lots and lots of very fast club runners that take part, so being last is a real possibility!

    I will be back with you all soon. You are all doing very well, keep going with what works for you. I love HALT.

    Annette – Good Luck on Sun!
    Doesn’t matter where you finish, the important thing is “you are doing it”.

    I don’t think I stayed in TDEE. Finished off an order of Italian Nachos. No telling how many calories were in that.

    I’ll be fasting tomorrow, hopefully the day will be Kraken free.

    Pretty quiet day, hope everyone is doing good.

    Fast on my friends!

    Now that I lowered the bar, I had a successful day – NO SNACKS and NO BREAKFAST. It felt good knowing I easily had calories to spare for a nice dinner, even though I didn’t log them. I don’t feel deprived or guilty, which is refreshing. I’m so hoping I don’t gain 5 lbs from doing this 🙂 You’ll be the first to know (ha, you’ll be the only ones to know).

    Now enjoying ice water with fresh lemon. Thanks for that idea, Michel. And thanks to Costco I have a whole fridge shelf lined with lemons.

    Annette, you can’t really think you’ll finish last? No doubt there will be walkers (or eventual walkers), those who didn’t train, etc. And some will drop out, which has to feel worse. Good luck and I hope you get a runner’s high that lasts for days. We’ll be cheering you on (in our sleep perhaps)!

    My only useful tip for today is that sometimes we need to toe the line and other times we just need to try a new twist. I’m jumping on the fast train tomorrow though – see you there! xx

    Try warm lemon water with sugar or honey for taste in the morning before eating anything and in the afternoon. Do it for 2 weeks everyday, of course with eating moderation. I hope it can help. Goodluck

    Annette – just quickly jumping in to offer support. I have done a couple of runs and there have always been walkers, run then walk entries. I was trying to explain this to my siblings some people turn up without having done training. You do get the pros that may lap you (they did me and it’s slightly funny how quickly they did it) but it’s such a lovely sense of team work when you struggle people offer to run with you and as I said, on runs I have been on, someone is always walking (ie me!) at least for some of it.

    Enjoy!

    Slightly jealous, if only my knees were better. Xx

    Think I need a kick up the bum this week after ANOTHER failed fast day yesterday (or rather, a very successful fast until 6pm, after which best to draw a veil on proceedings). The good thing is that with one meal a day even my crazy eating meltdowns make it pretty hard to go over TDEE.

    My watch word is for the next week is ACCOUNTABILITY.

    No one else controls what goes into my mouth. No one is going to magically make me thin. No one forces me to buy the same crap that I know made me put on weight. And no one can defeat the math.

    Good luck fasters!! (And Annette, carrying the flame of maths before her like an olympic torch!)

    Howdy,
    Sounds like there’s a few of us struggling this week, maybe it’s the full moon!
    Thanks Jade, you’re a wonderful shining star of support.
    Michel – you’re totally right that we shouldn’t hide away when things go pear shaped, I just felt bad contributing negativity to the group when we all need positivity. Thanks for always being here, it’s very much appreciated.
    There are now no treats of deliciousness in the house so I’m hoping today’s FD will be a win. I think despite the flapjacks yesterday I came in under 2000cals as I never ate any meals, just damn flapjacks! What is wrong with me!?!
    Holidays, pool parties and half marathons are on the horizon. What will this week bring? Who knows. I’m thinking of trying 4:3 and 18:6 simultaneously….maybe if I can only eat between say 1 and 7 it’ll curb me a bit. I certainly need to kickstart things again anyway. So…I’m thinking today, thurs and sun for FDs. Whatever happens, I will update you all. As long as the horrid fatigue doesn’t get me.
    Best wishes to everyone, and good luck.

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