This topic contains 3,042 replies, has 111 voices, and was last updated by Delayedgratification 5 years, 3 months ago.
Regarding the sugar addiction, a very interesting book ‘that sugar book’by Damon Gameau is a great read. For 60 days he consumed 40 tsp of sugar a day that was hidden in perceived ‘healthy’ food and there are the results and photos to show what happened, but also what we can do to consume less. Rats will choose sugar over cocaine…no wonder we are addicted!
Hey fizzy, we’ve missed you – I’m sorry to hear about your bereavement. Grief is such a thorny emotion, as mcca indicated. Best to put eating behavior on a back burner for a while. 5:2 will melt it off when it’s time.
Wow, clubbers, no kidding about the aftermath of overeating. I didn’t binge but did overeat this weekend, despite skipping breakfast and jogging. I guess it’s a victory to be “more in control than before” but 3#? Some is water but I’m not kidding myself. My TDEE seems incredibly low, but somehow my incredulity has not caused it to grow 🙂 I suppose I am stuck with it. And today I am RAVENOUS. Hello mfp my old friend….i’ve come to talk with you again.
For the first time in almost ever, I needed a FD lunch. Lucky I brought a boiled egg, because the next thing was fingers and toes. Just goes to show me (a) stop the Sunday snack-festing, if only to keep Monday from being a misery, and (b) some days are really harder than others, so don’t be an idiot, eat the boiled egg.
Mcca, that’s fascinating about the sugar fix. I have had that happen. Choc rice cake seems reasonable! Hope it did the trick.
I believe Kitty must be on her Mexico adventure? Hope she is having fun and getting super tan.
Where is Michel? Surely not devoured by the workplace kraken.
Annette, good luck with the new FD coping strategy – it must be about 8:30 your time? Hold fast to the lard baton.
Keep it going fast club – we can do this! xxx
I joined you in the cave, Annette, only with crackers and grapes (WTF, that’s not even interesting). It was that kind of Monday here. Tomorrow it’s TDEE and time to get this beast of an appetite under control. Son of a Kraken!! It is seriously annoyed that I turned off the calorie spigot today.
Hoping to make it to bed without a detour through the kitchen. I’d get a cup of tea but that’s in the kitchen. Nope, not gonna. xxxx
Yes, moving on…. yesterday was rugged. TDEE is the mot du jour.
After your HM experience, Annette, popping a FD had to be a shock to your system. Not sure what my excuse is, but I had a bad case of the grumblies.
Hand me that lard baton, I need to go kill a few snack-kraken. Let’s find some control clubbers. Stay strong! xx
Aah Queen,
We have all been there and feel your pain. I can’t have chocolate in the house I cannot be trusted when I am tired or low. I am menopausal and sleep is often disrupted, so the TDEE or FD can be a complete struggle. You could try another FD rather than 2, enjoy the massive event and then get back into the groove next week. Take the pressure off.
We have ages to build our reindeer……..
Queen, I have a hard time throwing away food too — is there someone you could give the choc bar to? I am “that person” who brings unwanted goodies to work, but plenty of skinny young guys here snarf that stuff up in a flash, so I don’t feel I’m sabotaging anyone. I agree about the FDs, I’d just try to do a regular week so that you don’t feel deprived before the event Friday. Might make you feel more in control. Psychology is such a big part of us, it’s not fair we didn’t come with instruction manuals.
Annette, pardon my interrupting you in mid-flagellation, but mfp has a WIDE range of calories for whatever a “rock cake” is. Is it a cake or a cookie? I have a hard time believing yours have >250 cals if you had 4 in one sitting. I know you wish you hadn’t eaten them, but seems more like a food misdemeanor than a felony 🙂
I slipped and fell into the candy bowl at work, HA, but managed to climb out with only one mini-hershey (45 cal). That was after fruit and yogurt for lunch, followed by fruit and peanut butter, so really two lunches 🙂 But not too awful I guess. I don’t feel like an orca, with some (not all) of the bbq lbs now vaporized. See if I can be a normal person for the rest of one bloomin day.
xxx to all — jade
A rock cake is a small heap of fruit cake-type mixture that is cooked on a baking sheet in the oven. They are all different sizes-well mine are- and are supposed to look like rocks. They are made of flour, dried fruit, sugar and egg with some milk. I used MFP for ‘homemade rock cakes’ which are like little cakes..and scrumptious!I should have eaten them all tomorrow, so problem solved!!!!!
You not eating the chocolate is not going to feed the starving, now is it? Nice try! Could you put the chocolate in the freezer until you can give it to someone else?
The menopause has been fine. But I am very tired after work and just get hot at night (no hot flushes) I get up drink water, strip off and turn on the fan.Sometimes I am awake from 2 am, which is grim.
On the plus side, all those folk who told me that it would be impossible to lose weight after 50 are having to eat their words as I am the lightest that I have been in over 20 years!
It’s me again, lil’ ol’ penguin. I fell off the wagon a ways back and have been trying to get back on ever since, but I got pretty lost along the way and maybe took some purposeful detours… Anyway, I’m back and as school starts for me this week, I decided that I should begin again with fasting. I completed a triathlon on Sunday and though I was really pleased with my performance, I was shocked and humiliated by the photos my husband took of me. Sometimes I kid myself into thinking that I don’t look “that” bad, but there’s no talking myself around it after seeing those.
So here’s what I’m thankful for: you amazing, determined ladies still being here after I, less determined and much weaker, decide to join you again. The other thing I’m thankful for is how much more in control I feel of myself today, my first fast day. I was worried that I would really suffer, but to the contrary, I actually feel better and more at ease with myself. So thank goodness for that!
And I’m also really thankful for caffeine. And Law and Order SVU.
See you tomorrow!
Penguin – you’ve been missed! Glad to see you back on Misfit Island. Somewhat like the Hotel California isn’t it…? HA.
I’m glad your first FD has gone well. I’ll be back on the fast bus tomorrrow. That feeling of control is irreplaceable, isn’t it. I feel it even just skipping breakfast. I haven’t been the most behaved islander lately, but I’m a HELL of a lot better than I used to be. No matter how many candy bowls I fall into, I know how to get back in control. I’m seriously happy that you slipped back into it like an old glove. And I agree that caffeine and L&OSVU make life better all around.
Annette, rock cakes sound delicious. I could definitely eat rocks if they’re made out of those yummy things. I’m such a sucker for baked goods, and it’s all comfort and memories and holidays and GAAHH what am I doing. I need a good dose of sleep instead of fantasy-food daydreaming. Night all!! xxx
Oh and Penguin, congrats on the triathlon!! WOW, that is a tremendous accomplishment. Stand right there in the winners’ circle with our half-marathoner full-wizard Annette. Really, if you can do that, you can do anything my dear. Sorry that I focused only on the “eating” part of your post (gosh, why would I ever do that).
Riding that fast train this morning, Clubbers, full of confidence and hoping not to jump off. Happy Wednesday and the start of fall, everyone! xx
Morning Fast Clubbers!
I’m back and riding the Fast Train w/ Jade today.
I’ve been living in “I don’t care land” and the scale was screaming at me this morning, “What the F***!?”. Hubby & I are both struggling with healthy choices and portion control. We took a road trip this past weekend and ate everything that came our way. I followed that with free breakfast & lunch on Mon & Tues. THEN, I topped it all off with a pint of ice cream both days.
Does anyone remember Susan Powter’s “Stop the Insanity!” Well, that is my motto for the day.
I must take back my control.
Good luck to all of us fasting and I hope we all have a Kraken free day!
Michel, I had a feeling . . . but I’m so glad you are back! I’ve been missing your daily doses of inspiration and exploits with the lard baton.
I’ve had the same, stretches when I wanted to throw in the towel. Seems as though every time I have even one off-day the scale is a complete b*tch, and I’m thinking “OOH, you thought THAT was bad!? I’ll show you a REAL binge, jerkball scale.” (Last weekend comes to mind.) Wah, I never get to be the one who surprisingly loses weight after a trip or whatever. I keep thinking it will happen 🙂 but invariably if I’m not toeing the line, I’m gaining.
Rats, I guess the only thing I can do with THAT sad info is to toe the effing line. Or give up (NO). I really want to donate 5 more lbs to baby reindeer, but it isn’t going to happen by accident, that seems clear.
What did we say before about success? It’s great at first, then we think it’s not that great if we could do it. So I have to keep reminding myself I’ve lost and then maintained and I have never in the history of ME done that for much longer than it took to get on the airplane to whatever destination I had lost weight for. If it takes effort to keep the weight off, then I guess I’m a lifer.
So here I am, folks, soaking up my regular dose of inspiration, psychology, tips, pitfalls, recoveries… Keep them coming, we’re all in this together and I’m Exhibit A for whatever bad label fits (eating disordered, uncontrolled, food-obsessed binger?). xxxx
Hi penguin & michel – welcome back!
Penguin – there’s nothing like some bad photos for a dose of harsh realities. Sometimes for me as horrible as they are, the memory is motivation enough. Somehow in the mirror I can contort myself into all kinds of delusional poses and it’s not til I see a really bad photo that truth hits home.
Anyway as usual I have been avoiding the scales.. I know from the way my clothes fit that I have gained and am being too much of a scaredy cat to face it.
However I have done my first proper fast day for a long time and yes, it feels good to not go to bed feeling sick and stuffed.
Hi All!
It’s 2:30 here and I have yet to be hungry. I ate so much in the last week my body is still stuffed. Sad, but true.
Jade – Hope your FD is going well.
I hear ya on “toeing the line”. If I’m not “dieting” then I’m gaining.
Mcca – Congrats on a successful FD!
Sounds like we are in the same boat.
The clothes I can wear are taking up less & less of my closet.
Penguin – Well done! Completing a triathlon! Huge accomplishment!
And congrats on a successful FD!
Stay strong Kraken fighters!
Hello All,
I am staggered that anyone can complete a triathlon. Well done Penguin. If it helps my race photos of my first half were very grim and I was in far worse shape than I thought. I vowed that I would look better in the future…and I did.There is some way to go I suppose, but I am very pleased with the change so far. I am very much a work in progress.
Rock cakes finished when I got home! I am on a FD tomorrow, so I hope to do better tomorrow.
I think that we may need a new thread to build a reindeer family and then we could invite everyone to donate their lost lbs and keep a running total going.It is 12 weeks to go before that festive week, and I am trying to motivate myself to shift that 5 lb before that date.
Thank you all for the wonderful welcome back! I was successful with my fast day yesterday but I’m up to my old tricks today, having eaten nothing but sugar and bread-y things. If I don’t have protein and salad made, I always resort to the ease of boxed food – cookies and crackers, mostly.
Anyway, tomorrow is another fast day and my first day back to school/teaching, so I anticipate it’ll be a good one – I’ll be busy, at the very least. I still haven’t decided if I want to go back to weighing myself, but I think the real reason for that is my not wanting to see/admit how much weight I put back on. Jade, I’m with you – having to toe the line or nothing at all. I’d like to believe that I won’t spend the rest of my life fighting the scale, but I’m beginning to worry.
Can someone explain the reindeer baby/family to me? I’ve been out of the loop too long!
Good luck to everyone today and tomorrow – it only hurts for a little bit!
I had this idea that if we all donated our lost lbs then together we could make/build a reindeer before Christmas. I have seen on other threads that they have used their collective lost lbs to make an animal and I thought that was brilliant as a goal both personal and collective. I read somewhere about the weight of a newborn reindeer and then how much an adult males weighs which is rather a lot. If we open up a new thread, I suspect that there may well be enough lbs to create a family of reindeer. Does that make any sense?
Wow those adult reindeer are ENORMOUS – an average adult couple could weigh 500 lbs or more. I’m not sure our group can handle that BUT the babies are tiny, 5 lbs up to 20. So we could surely have a herd of babies for Christmas. I need to birth one that I’ve been working on for weeks. Maybe I could have twins.
Penguin, congrats on being back in the groove with the FD. Day after FD is always tough. Being busy at work helps! I did a little hunger tour around my building today around 2 p.m. and there was no fun food lying around, thank goodness. If I worked where Michel does, I’d be diabetic and the size of a tanker.
Tonight I’m baking cakes for a bake sale, so my FD might be a few cals over 🙁 but ladies, honestly those spoons and dishes were NOT going in the dishwasher without a few samples going into my face.
Good night all – good luck to our Thursday fasters! I’m just hoping not to buy out the bake sale myself tomorrow. xxx
Ha ha Queen. I thought that it might make you smile.
You can give up smoking, but giving up food really isn’t an option is it?
When the threat of statins was hanging over me that was a great incentive to lose weight within a 2 month window. I was focused and determined to prove to my very overweight GP that the 5:2 worked and that I really didn’t want to take tablets for high blood pressure. I lost weight, GP amazed, normal BP, no statins….and then I found it hard to keep going. I need goals that have a time frame and that are achievable, hence the reindeer idea.
I do have to remind myself how far I have come and remember to be proud. Change is difficult and habits are not easy to change, but I want to be as healthy and fit as I can be. I am going to be 55 in January and would love to be 10 stone and not put on 10lb again over Christmas.
Food occupies my thoughts with 4 young men to feed. That is the reality and one that I have to live with, so I best keep up the practice!Food is everywhere and something that we are all going to have to grips with. Fact.
Queen, let’s face it you are in a tough spot, being home feeding kids. Michel is, too, being surrounded by food, but you more so because you are home and in charge of food all day. And being sleep-deprived is a hormonal nightmare. And yes, food any day provides structure, socializing, relaxing… i.e., good things in life.
Others here have mentioned the importance of planning. Not buying the bad stuff we can’t resist. Having fruit, veggie sticks, whatever just THERE in case. I have no excuse for buying candy, as hubs won’t eat it. But really, if we’re talking about junk food, kids don’t need it either.
So I guess the problem is all the “in between” stuff, right? Mac and cheese, etc. Good kid meals, and good adult comfort food. So the first plan of attack seems to be not to overload yourself with temptation unnecessarily. I.e., keep out the junk and candy. Your kids will thank you later. Maybe. And then force yourself to throw out the leftovers, or freeze them, or seal them with duct tape, or just don’t cook enough to have leftovers.
Hobbies…if only I had one. Painting would be a good one to keep your hands busy 🙂 I’m with you, my good days are full of activities, but I couldn’t really handle a whirlwind life of constant activity. I do try to get outside as much as I can, and there are few edible things out in my yard or on a hike. As long as it’s not to the local bakery 🙂
I am a big advocate of the no-Breakfast Club (ha, yes I just thought that up myself). More than anything else I’ve done, waiting until noonish every day(no matter when I get up) resets my appetite and guarantees I’ll want good food, not junk. Also, I get a boost from knowing I can have a decent lunch and dinner, without the deficit that breakfast cals cost. Feeling satisfied is mostly a mental thing, but so important to the anti-binge mindset.
All we can do is approach each day as a new chance. If out of 7 days, we succeed on 4, then we’re better off, mentally and physically. Well really, if we succeed on ANY, it’s better than 7 days of not trying at all. It’s a long process to gain a new habit. I think I’m stubborn enough to do it. The only other option is to accept feeling miserable and we’ve all recognized we don’t want that.
OK,I’m rambling now, and I need to be off and get some stuff done. Good luck fighting the good fight all — xxx
Go Michel! Congrats on sidestepping the cake. I ate your share and mine here. Bad decisions at the bake sale. But I ate a balanced dinner so at least it wasn’t a descent into complete hell.
Here’s an interesting link to an article explaining it’s not just us — EVERYONE is into “constant snacking” mode these days. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/you-say-you-eat-three-meals-a-day-this-app-proves-you-wrong_5602f3f3e4b00310edf9ba42
And get this, they found the key to weight loss was extending the “fasting” time (without any food). I knew I was onto something with the no-breakfast club. Now to “accidentally” lose 7 lbs like they did.
Better behavior on the horizon. xxx
Michel – well done on avoiding the cake!
Jade – YOU ARE ONTO SOMETHING, GIRL! I was on a non-FD yesterday, the day after a FD, so tried skipping breakfast… made it to 11:45am. I KEPT WITHIN TDEE (was thinking of you, Annette!) which I don’t think I have EVER done… would have been utterly impossible if I had eaten breakfast.
Anyhow I had a lovely day where everything I ate I was really hungry for, and I ate mindfully, and for once enjoyed dinner with my family (usually I am either not eating with them if fasting, or am so full from my late-afternoon binge that I don’t enjoy it at all). My TDEE was really only the equivalent of two ‘normal’ meals (as opposed to three ‘dieter’ meals) so maybe that’s the way forward.
It took A LOT of thinking about (constant internal monologue to myself telling myself “you don’t really want that, just wait to eat this…”) so this is the part where I wonder if it is sustainable… however I am going to try just for this week (thank you, Annette!) and see where I go. Maybe if I can train my body not to expect breakfast, it can work.
Fingers crossed! (Still too scared for the scales, so I can’t tell yet if it is ‘working’)
Queen – in response to your question about how to fill the time void created by not constantly eating… on a fast day I usually have a hot bath once the kids are in bed, and I put my iPad on the top of the loo and watch some comedy on the i-player at the same time. Feels like a treat when i’d usually be in the kitchen looking for a treat.
Also I have resumed reading for fun… for a long time I was too exhausted at the end of a day looking after kids to enjoy reading. I would just crash in front of the TV. However a book is far more absorbing and satisfying… although it takes more energy than vegging out in front of the TV somehow it feels like mind food. I’m not saying I am reading Proust mind you, it’s all fairly easy going stuff!
Morning All,
Another 1 lb down, which is completely thrilling and inspired me to be more mindful around food. I think there has been a bit of shrinkage on the bod too, but will check tomorrow when I have more time.
I sit down with my chaps and watch them eat whatever I have cooked on a FD, as it is the only time that we do sit down together and catch up. It doesn’t worry me now, but used to be very hard to do.
When it was warmer, I would spend much time in the garden, now it is cooler I am stuck indoors trying to stay out of the kitchen. Pilates is taking all my concentration as I learn a little bit more each time I do it.The tv is my escape, but I must give reading a try and see how that goes. I may even try giving up breakfast…
Ha, Queen I laughed at “a bit too perfectionist” but I know what you mean. I think sometimes I get a bit too obsessed (like logging with MFP) and then I ricochet in the other direction, a la “I will NO LONGER DO MFP EVER EVER.” And then of course I think I can eat 15 whole cakes and get away with it by eating veggies at dinner. hahahaha. I felt so weird yesterday after all that sugar – sorry to say, not weird enough to think I’ll never do it again, but still.
When I say I’m a lifer, I’m saying I know I will always have some off-the-rails times. I’ve never been the prim and proper type. My body can just thank its lucky stars that my biggest health vice is food. It’s nice to know that FDs are good for us longevity-wise, because I’ll either continue 5:2/6:1 till death do us part, or I’ll be an orca. And being a senior-citizen orca invites all kinds of problems I don’t want. I’m not revealing my age but I will say I was thrilled when the cashier recently was unsure if I “appeared to be 40” (their test for when to card people for alcohol purchases).
Congrats Annette on another lb – soon you can name your baby reindeer! Your advice is always so reassuring. Happy for you that Godzilla is back in his cage.
FD for me today in pure atonement for my Godzilla rampage yesterday. xx
Happy Friday!
I made it till 10am then gave in & had the last 2 chick-n-minis from Chick-fil-a. MFP says it was only185 cal, not as bad as I would have thought.
Still avoiding the leftover cake…….
Jade – Sorry the bake sale Kraken got you.
Mcca – Congrats on joining the No-Breakfast Club. I’ve been as member for years, but Jade is the newest member & advocate. I would never eat in the morning if we didn’t have so many events in our office, but it does unleash the Godzilla in me. I found it got easier as my body adjusted.
Annette – Good job, another lb down!
Queen – So much of your posts ring true for me. I think only another binger can understand. None of it makes sens if you try to apply logic to it. To continue eating when you already feel ill seems crazy, but I do it all thwe time.
TDEE, TDEE, TDEE I can do this!
Thinking about Food Obsession:
This past weekend we went to visit our daughter for Family Weekend at Baylor University. We stayed at a B&B (B= breakfast 🙂 :'( ) When we checked in our hostess pointed out some baked goods available to us. The seed was planted. I wanted one soooo bad, but didn’t want to jump on the display so I decided to wait. For the next 2 days, even if I was eating, those cinnamon bars were on my mind. It was insane!
We were very busy and had tons to eat (including desserts) and I was still obsessing about those da## bars-all the time.
We ate so much I was never actually hungry. But that didn’t matter.
Does anyone else do this?
Hi all, yesterday at school kept me busy and unable to post, so I’m catching up now. It was also a fast day. I did relatively well, cheated with one chocolate covered macadamia nut (someone left two HUGE bags of them in the break room!!) and a small chocolate that my husband left on my pillow for when I got home – I love him, so what else could I do but eat it? Right… anyway… I had my standard oatmeal for dinner but then got to watching TV and HAD to eat something else, so had a 100cal bag of popcorn. I probably came in around 600 yesterday, which I’m OK with.
Michel – heck yes, I know all about the obsession. Honestly, I think I think about food more than anything else in my life. If it’s not thinking about my next meal, it’s about how I’m not allowed to have something. While it doesn’t necessarily make me want it more, I just hate the obsessive thoughts. Like, I have plenty else to think about, so why does my brain always go to food??
I still haven’t gotten up the gumption to get on the scale. I don’t know when I will, but I want my clothes to start fitting a little better before I invite that sadness into my life again. Another obsession, the scale.
Jade, I’m probably a lifer too. I would be OK with weight fluctuations if only I could get to where my highest weight doesn’t put me in the overweight category. But that’s a LONG ways off. I’m hoping this time around I’ll see my weight dip back down to where it was when my 5:2 train came off the rails and that I be able to keep going, thus “training” my body into thinking it’s OK, and that it’s going to die, imminently.
Today is beer and tater tots day – here’s to keeping the snacking in check today!
Michel – how perfectly you described the obsession. EXACTLY – even if I’ve had plenty of other stuff, darn it I want the thing that caught my eye to begin with. WANT WANT WANT. Drives me batty. So often it’s not even tasty.
And the reason I was a nutcase yesterday? The variety. I am not happy unless I have tried every new delicious thing. Then I want more of the ones I liked BEST. I seriously almost had to lie down from the sugar shock.
Penguin, I’m positive that once you drop some pounds and start feeling really good again, the incentive of feeling slimmer will motivate you. Till then, you may have to do cold-turkey mfp-ing to keep the 5 from undoing the 2. That’s still my problem, but I find that I’m still feeling good enough about my initial loss that I’m committed to 5:2 in whatever ugly form it takes in my week.
Happy Friday y’all – mcca has motivated me to start reading a good book or two. I tend to neglect that lovely pastime. Wonderful thing to do especially on the weekend. xxx
ps: so far, just a banana, despite many goodies still at school today. So something about 5:2 must be working if I have NO desire for sweets today.
Hello All,
I think that stopping eating at every opportunity whether we want it or not is complex, but for me a change(however small) gives me the determination to carry on and notice the next small change, which, of course all add up to a big change. If you want to see a change in your body, then forget about the scales or the tape measure and try on those clothes that were too tight or do not look as good as you would like.
I have a favourite skirt that I wear to work throughout the autumn and the winter. It was very tight in January and helped on fast days as I was uncomfortable and helped strengthen my resolve. I have tried it on every now and then over the summer and noticed that it was starting to fit. I have just tried it on this morning and the waist band is no longer sitting on my high waist, but is now much lower so I can see where the fat has gone from. I tried on another couple of skirts that I couldn’t do up and can with ease now, but there is muffin top that needs to shift before I wear them anywhere.
I suppose I have tried to ‘have faith’ that it is working and that every little change that I make which means that I am consuming less, will mean a difference not just to the scales but also to the tape measure and the clothes.I have often thought about fat melting away around my organs on a FD, so I never expect a great change on the scales or the tape. Have a look at what a lb of fat looks like in comparison to a lb of muscle on the internet and you will see that fat takes up far more room than muscle, so less fat.. a slimmer you.
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Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
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