Hello Everyone,
After 3 weeks on not weighing/fasting/measuring/puddings, but eating more wholefoods and avoiding sugar….I am 2 lb lighter, but the really exciting part is that my actual waist(around the belly button) is half an inch smaller, my thighs are half an inch smaller and so are my hips!!!!
I am sure that less sugar in my diet has a lot to do with this, as my actual waist size has not budged in many months. Just 5 days of no sugar in my tea, but I have had the odd piece of cake and some chocolate and yet there is less of me. I have also reached a 2 year goal of both my weight and my waist measurement, but my waist is much more important.
The pink shorts are still snug and sadly I don’t look anything like Ursula Andress! I am thrilled and will continue for the next 2 weeks until the end of term(still got 2 Christmas dinners in the last week) and then see where I am.
Don’t worry about over eating whole foods, just ask yourself whether you are hungry before you do, it’s what i do all the time now. Glad the little one is getting better.

Thanks Jade. I eat my main meal at work and just make my choice on what I like to eat, those portions are not under my control. If there is nothing much that I like then I will have salad and eat in the evening with the boys. I weigh pasta and rice to the recommended portion size and eat brown of both. I like fruit so eat it when ever I like. I have a 2 slices of wholemeal bread a day with peanut butter or an avocado as my evening meal, when I have had a main meal at work.

I haven’t logged what I have eaten at all or counted calories in those 3 weeks. I just thought that I would try Lustigs comment that by eating wholefood, there was no need to diet…and see what happened. I have been on a plateau for the last 3 months although my clothes were showing that I was getting smaller.

I became convinced after 6 months of the 5:2 that the scales were not reflecting the change in my body shape or were an accurate measure of health, and as the tape measure only works on that bit of body that is measured wasn’t very accurate either. Not using the scales for 3 weeks has been liberating, they are going away for the next 2 weeks and then I will see what the damage is from 2 Christmas Dinners and a meal out with girlfriends.

Clothes try-on last night and my wardrobe is shrinking again. But dresses that were straining across the bust in the summer….are not anymore which is lovely. I have been leaving a bit later for work, so that I have to walk faster, which is helping to trim those inches along with less sugar in my diet, I think.

There are storms here of high wind and driving rain this weekend, so i am not running this weekend either. I have been relying on a brisk 45 minute walk each way for 5 days which works out to be 10,000 steps plus whatever I do at work.

Glad that you are enjoying the wholefoods. They make me feel better too. My shopping is much quicker as I only shop at the edges of the shops now too.

Thanks Annette – very helpful! Walking does so much good for the mood as well as the bod 🙂 And clever you, leaving later and walking faster. You almost make it sound like fun.

I have trouble even figuring out how to “avoid” food. Well sugar is easy enough, but wholegrains and such I don’t want to eat with guilt. So thanks also for the two slices of bread idea — sounds like a nice doable portion. I think I’ll aim to postpone until the evening, so as not to awaken Breadzilla during the day.

Right, Queen – why do I buy things and then expect them not to heckle me until they are consumed. Lately I’ve frozen excess bread/rolls and just kept out a reasonable 1-2 days’ portion. Like you I have bounced this same weight around for a while. I’m gradually coming to terms with the fact that I do have a TDEE and it is not as high as I’d like.

So, embracing the wholefoods thing, I made “spanish brown rice” from Fat Chance cookbook last night. Not spectacular, but hubs loved it, so maybe my experiments will help deflate his spare tire. I did feel full – of course had well over the 1/2 cup (~250 cal) serving but as a main. My problem is then wanting a snack before bed. I’m starting to think I have breakfast after all, just at 9 p.m. 🙂 Maybe that’s my next mini goal – stop the bedtime snack.

I am off the scales for a bit, too – I’m always curious, but right now I feel great. I know how quickly that can change just seeing a number. I need to invent a scale that says “nice going, Slim!” or “it’s just the rice – water weight” or even “maybe lighten it up today, but don’t worry, you’re still the same size.” Instead, all I see is “Wow, hungry??” or “You are a cow.”

All right, it’s off to work with me – grading papers in hopes of being done well before Christmas. xx jade

Hello Dear Island friends,

Good to see so many posts and lots of great ideas sloshing around. I’ve had the worst possible couple of days over the weekend with over eating galore – seems this is one of the ‘not so good’ weeks in my so called winning streak!

1.5lbs to go mcca!!! That is an awesome achievement!!! Let us know when you get there and we’ll have a good old Misfit Island celebration!! There is some stuff below about the link/s between the gut and the brain (as in, neural pathways) but just exactly how it all works is still under investigation. However, there are some scientists hopeful it may help with obesity and eating disorders, as it is also implicated in anorexia.

Queen, I’ve been doing a bit of reading around work done by John Cryan and Ted Dinan in particular who are researching gut-brain communication and mental health and find it a really interesting hypothesis. It would of course be lovely to think that prebiotics & probiotics could help (or solve!) the problem but a further issue for me is the lack of specificity in the probiotic profile as probiotic preparations often give little indication beyond Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium and certainly no information at strain-level. As the strain of bacteria used in various studies differ and the effects are believed to be not only species-specific but even strain-specific, they obviously can’t be generalised. For now I’ll stick with the prebiotics and all those yummy foods you mentioned!

Jade, my lovely normal friend. Sugar is part of the issue I’m sure but is perhaps unlikely to be the whole story? This is a long slow struggle so be kind to yourself (she says, telling herself off for such terrible weekend behaviour… 😉 )

Annette, well done to the incredible shrinking woman!! So glad for your success in this venture and I know your boys will also be benefiting.

Okay, well time to get back to work. Happy fasting/healthy-feasting everyone! Spring xx

I got sent this link today which is rather interesting. http://time.com/4125083/why-losing-weight-is-hard/?xid=newsletter-brief

Queen, put the chocolate in a freezer bag and pop it into the freezer. Then have a look at what you are actually eating. I suspect that dark chocolate is just keeping you on the treadmill of wanting more, so remove it and eat fruit. See what happens for 7 little days and see how you feel.

I am on day 8 of no sugar in my tea, which after 40+ years is rather remarkable. I have also realized that the shakes that I used to get when I was hungry have been gone for months. I suspect that was my blood sugar ping ponging all over the place, but not any more.

If anyone’s interested, Lustig’s Fat Chance Spanish rice has grown on me. It made a huge batch so I just threw some into chicken broth and it’s a fantastic low-cal soup:
2 T olive oil
1 cup each chopped onion & red bell pepper
1 T chopped garlic
2 cups uncooked brown rice
3.5 cups water
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 T each chili powder and cumin
1 t salt
Saute onion, pepper, garlic med heat till tender. Add rice, brown ~2 min. Add water, tomatoes, spices, bring to boil then simmer uncovered till rice is done. Says 45 min, mine took longer AND I had to add water. It says it makes 4 cups, 230 cals per 1/2 cup serving. My batch turned out way larger than 4 cups so one serving might be <230 cals. I added chicken and some turkey sausage, so that brought it back up 🙂 But overall just chock full of good nutrition. Cheers xx

Ooh that Spanish Rice looks good 🙂

Ah, dear Annette, I had to laugh as I imagined a new reality TV show “What Not To Eat” with you clearing out cupboards of illicit sugar. My daughter and I loved watching “What Not To Wear” — she actually submitted photos from my closet, sure that I was a worthy contestant. No doubt I’m a good subject for what not to do in a lot of situations 🙂

And speaking of which, I’m just flunking the hell out of NFDs. I’ve tried various approaches:
1. Eat what I like. HA.
2. Log everything on MFP. Feels like prison, hate it.
3. Eat only whole foods. Still overeating, though not craving.
4. Ditch the scales, eat mindfully. (Still overeating.)
5. ?? (I’m thinking I’m thinking!!)

Well I’m no genius, but I guess #2 MFP is the winner. Still, I hate it; every bite feels monitored and not in an enjoyable way. I’m going to go back in the cave and ponder this over a bowl of air (trying a FD today). xxx

It’s true, I’m grateful to have (almost) conquered my sugar habit. But I’ve picked up 3 lbs now, doing the whole foods thing. That’s OK, I’m not giving up on them. But I’ve figured out that I need to go back to the 5:2 basics that worked in the beginning.

For one, I’ve been anxious about hunger instead of treating it like the the no-big-deal thing it used to be. So FDs creep well over 500, and on NFDs, I convince myself I’m starving or soon will be, so I overeat. So I’ll stick to whole foods (MORE lentils? we’ll see) and try not to scream when hunger strikes. Ever hopeful! xx

Oh Jade, I could so have written your last post, but added to it:

6 Do WW for a few weeks, lose weight, gain it back, feel sad
7 Eat for Australia and feel sadder
8 Beat myself up and feel even sadder still
9 Throw a pity-party festooned with “It’s just to hard” and “Whaa, whaa, whaa” banners & balloons
10 Try to engage smart brain but only succeed in sabotaging the latest effort.
11 ???????

Still, I am NOT giving up and today is a new day. I had a good day yesterday and I’m going to have another good day today (gulp :-0 don’t want to jinx it)

I find the variations in my response to hunger can also derail me. For many, many months I was amazed at just how zen I was about hunger and no longer afraid of it. Now it scares the bejewels out of me again. I think one of my mistakes is to see ‘myself’ (psyche) as somehow static, rather than dynamic. It’s like I’m living on a boat but refusing to learn to sway and wondering why I fall over all the time. I’ve gotta learn to SWAY, people!! Spring xx

Well that worked nicely.
I managed the brain/hunger separation thing for a full day. Maybe reconnecting with real hunger did the trick? Seriously, last night I was thinking about hunger, which I pictured starting in my stomach (hear me out), so then I was thinking how far removed my brain was from my stomach, and how much more complex. So why did I think my stomach could control my brain?

Somehow that showed me how powerful the brain is. My conscious decision to fast was separate, in my head, and far more powerful than my whiny stomach. I wish I could explain it better, but it’s similar to what the BOB author talked about – my hunger just seemed far away, and I could ignore it if I wanted to. I don’t mean I didn’t feel hungry, it just didn’t have the power to bother me.

Now to resolve – whole foods, no snacking, go about my life in peace. Is it possible?
Serving black coffee w/ cream till ~ 1 p.m. in the cave. xx

Good work Jade!!! If I push the analogy, you’re having a ‘calmly looking at the horizon on a still day at sea’. So not a lot of swaying needed. Conserve your energy for the right-in-your-face-storm-wind-and-tempest when you’ll need to not only sway but do the demented dance (kind of like Capt. Dan from the Forrest Gump movie, but possibly minus the cussing).

I’m enjoying a calm day too after some tempest but my approach now is to let go all thoughts (read: obsessing) around weight loss/food/healthiness and think of something else instead. I need to stop obsessing, it is doing my head in. Oh, and not talking about it so much so I may be here a little less often for a while – I’m off to the cave you so recently vacated jade, but definitely not leaving the Island! Spring xx

Good Luck Jade and Spring…and everyone else.

I was ill in bed with a nasty virus for 2 days last week and that led to me scoffing some of the Christmas stash in my misery! It was silly but there we are….and no, it didn’t make me feel better either.

Back to work and this is the week that I have to eat 2 Christmas Dinners(there is no alternative) and a meal out with my friends, so I am aiming for being mindful of what I am eating and enjoying it. I am a bit worried that I will go mad.

I’ll let you know how it went next weekend.

Hi Queen,
Meal out now changed to a meal at one of the girls(restaurant overbooked), so my task is to take bread, someone else is doing starter, another main and another dessert. There will be a limitless supply of food on a table to pick at, but we’ll see how it goes.

I debated about a FD this morning and decided that this wasn’t the week to do it. Walked into a room with a tray of chocolate biscuits and Stollen ‘help yourself’, so I had a piece of Stollen, enjoyed it and had absolutely no desire for another…weird. I just left with a plum and a satsuma. Lunch was salad and a little quiche…and then I was given a chocolate orange and some cake….They know that I like chocolate and as a little thank you, they give me some, which is lovely. The plan is to share with the boys before the week is out and get rid of it!

Evening meal was avocado on toast along with some almonds. Meal at work and then one out tomorrow, Christmas Dinners on Wednesday and Friday….

I am very worried about what will happen over the festive season, which is the key. Goal number 1 is not to put on 10 lb this year like last year and the year before. On the positive, I am in a much better place this time and do feel much more in control especially with the sugar addiction no longer taking the starring role.

I bought a skirt a couple of years ago(huge bargain for great quality in a charity shop) and have never been able to wear it as I couldn’t do it up and had a muffin top when I tried it on…until this weekend.It fits! No muffin top either and I might just wear it tomorrow to celebrate. I am certain that less sugar in my diet has made this possible.

Onwards and downwards fast friends.

Hi Jade,
The news is very sad in the US. Not great in the UK either.

I have a wardrobe now of either skirts or tops that don’t ‘go’with each other, as the correct other half no longer fits and has been dispatched to charity. I had a big ‘try on’ and came to the conclusion that I shall have to make a list of what I need in order to wear the other half!

I had taken to wearing more dresses as it solves the needing a top and bottom half that work together, but there is a small growing pile of that which is becoming ‘a bit loose/too big) but I like and don’t want to part with. So that is a task for next week, to get it out the house an off to the charity shop.

I hope that I am stronger this year. My thoughts are certainly very different , with a feeling of control and choice, rather than hopeless/no control. I shall have to eat all that soup next week as I need the space in the freezer!

Habits do take time to change, but I think that they key to that is to start with attitude. How wonderful, Jade, for you to behave in way that you haven’t had to plan to make good choices. It is liberating though, isn’t it?

For me, the sugar avoidance(no puddings and the occasional biscuit or cake) and none in my tea, plus more wholefoods, have made the world of difference to how I feel. There is a feeling that sugary stuff is a treat that we deserve which will make us feel better, but I have come to the conclusion that the opposite is true.

I no longer eat until I am stuffed because I hate feeling so full that I want to lie down and rub my tummy, so i don’t. I had to think about whether I was hungry/angry/lonely/tired all the time in the presence of food, which has been helpful to change not only what I eat, but how much.

Christmas is just one day. I think that the pressures to have the house stuffed to the rafters with all this food, that then all must be eaten rather obscene. With that in mind I am shopping differently this year and trying hard to avoid the hype.

Youngest son has announced that he has given up alcohol and would like to have ‘healthy’ drinks, which seems to mean low sugar. It is rather challenging to find that combination, so I shall be trying things out next week too. But he does look great a stone less, so I will do my best to support and encourage him.

Hi Jade,
I wondered how you were getting on. I agree with you about the scales/MFP and eating for a number is joyless. Although, I was just pondering whether I would stand on them to see what the damage was for this week so far………..

Weird things have happened this week. One day went into find a table groaning with chocolates and Stollen, so I decided to try a piece of Stollen(has marzipan in the middle) which was lovely but I didn’t want anymore(!!!!) and I left with a satsuma.
Meal at a friends was Salmon(I love fish) and the various accompaniments, which was lovely and a dessert that was served for each of us. I enjoyed it along with the 3 glasses of wine. The first Christmas dinner was lovely but I found that the Christmas pudding was very disappointing(I used to love it) and thought that I might not bother in the future(!!!). I had a mince pie yesterday(another favourite) which was completely underwhelming too and I might not bother again(!!!).

I am baffled that sweet things are just not tasting sweet and scrumptious to me anymore. I think that this is week 3 of no sugar in my tea and I haven’t cheated at all. I wish that I had done this years ago, it would have stopped my craving/sugar addiction a long time ago and meant that I was slimmer for longer too. Ho hum.

One more Christmas Dinner today until the big day.

I left work yesterday with x2 boxes of chocolates(80g sugar/pack and 110g sugar/pack) and 1 box of marshmallows(69.4g sugar per 100g – pack is 180g). I have just remembered another 2 boxes of chocolates that add up to 500g/sugar as well! That works out to be 207 teaspoons of sugar in total!!!As the daily amount is supposed to be 6 tsp each per day..

I am stubborn too Jade, which is why it has taken me so long to stop sugar in my tea. I only did it because Lustig told me it was making me binge…and he’s right. Last Christmas Dinner of the week and I enjoyed it, but looking forward to cooking lots of new meals with plenty of wholefoods next week, now that i am on holiday until January.

I think that alcohol is a trigger for the sweet stuff as well. Not that I drink much or very often, but it certainly seems to make me want sugar. Some of those chocolates are going to be re-gifted as well.

I will be batch cooking lots of good things and freezing them, to make life a bit easier in January. I will have a weigh/measure over the weekend to see what the damage is and give me starting point for the next fortnight until the big day.

Good morning fast clubbers – haven’t looked at the forum for a couple of months and just whizzed through couple of pages -wow lots of new info! will digest this info carefully (along with a side order of nuts and a glass of prossecco)

…and I’ll bet those “2 lbs” are not actually added fat! A smidge off the waist is fabulous – go you. Enjoy your new-found freedom! I’m right behind you 🙂

And HEY THERE Fizzy!! Cheers to you with your prosecco (delicious stuff) please send a bottle round to the cave. How’ve you been? If we could get a party started here I might dress up and bring out the crudites. xx

Lovely to see you back Fizzy, even if just for a short visit! Sometimes the problem is that the wagon is just too damned small – prosecco & nuts sound perfect right now, even though it’s 10:15 in the morning and I’m at my desk working… 🙂

Jade and Annette you’re both going great guns, I’m sure you’ll blitz the holidays. I’m not really dwelling in the cave Jade, as life is fully crazy silly season and there are FAR too many opportunities for piggery. Dinner out 4 nights in a row and 2 work lunches this week. Still, there’s no one shoving food in my mouth but me and no one is forcing me to drink an extra glass of vino or two, so I guess the responsibility lies with…me??! I tried a FD yesterday but had forgotten the lunch so didn’t do so well so I think I’ll just aim for a level or 2 down from ‘complete loss of control’ and call it a win. Power to all you lovely ladies, Spring xx

Hello Everyone!
I am struggling to get back into the groove and think that chocolate is my personal gateway drug to just about anything. The siren call is very much there in the background and if I allow it to be heard, will lead me off into madness. Sugar is my drug of choice and there have been some serious lapses fast friends.

I met a friend for lunch which was lovely but ended up as a main/pudding and a beer. We ate a light meal later, not because we were hungry, but were off out to a gig and couldn’t eat later. Breakfast was paid for and I ate more than I should have and then more that I shouldn’t have one my way home. Somehow a bag of chocolate leaped into my hand and within a few moments they were gone(61.8g sugar!!!!)They were not worth it either. Ho hum.

On the basis that my biochemistry has lead me astray, I am back on the wholewheat pasta and home cooked meals, avoiding sugar where I can. I am a happier/calmer person with less of the white stuff in my diet. Having stopped sugar completely in my tea, has saved me another 21 tsp of the white stuff a week.

The plan is to stay on the path of sanity up to the big day, eat what I like on those 2 days and then get pack on the path again. I am not making dozens of mince pies this year and I might just buy a box instead, on the basis of when they are gone they are gone. But I can’t get past the 22g(5.5 tsp) sugar per pie!!!

Hello Everyone,
I have eaten out, been to parties, consumed x2 Christmas Dinners already and stood on the scales, which was my mistake. The scales claim that I have put on 4 lb, which was depressing until I tried on some clothes and got the tape measure out. I have a much loved summer shift dress that at the start of the year I couldn’t zip up at all, but have been able to do up for some weeks now…and still looks great. The famous pink shorts can be done up but are still a bit tight at the top(not yet fabulous), so a goal in progress for the new year.

I measure both my natural waist which is an inch and a half less and my real(around the belly button) waist which is 2 inches less from this time last year. What I can’t quantify are all those jumpers and tops that I have had for years that are simply too big all over(that were snug) and are off to charity.

Although I had hoped for a special number on the scales and I am disappointed not to have reached that goal, I should be pleased with my progress. Then I put on my old jeans, which are much too big and keep falling down…and remember the joy of fitting into them. I have come a long way.

I am making some sweets as Christmas gifts and I haven’t eaten them either. Result!

Thanks Jade. Like you I am trying to be mindful of what I am eating, rather than scoffing the lot! I did miss breakfast this morning, but then was hungry all afternoon and ended up eating more than if I had eaten breakfast. Ho hum.

I have made a small pile of the food/snacks bought and have to stop myself from bowing to the pressure to get more…and more. I can see how and why I have managed to put on 10 lb every Christmas by looking at the sugar content in both sweet and savoury foods. It is going to be a challenge, but interesting to see how I cope.

I am going to get back to the 5:2 after the big day and combine that with more wholefoods and all cooking from scratch(batch cooking is the secret). I started the 5:2 in January 2013 with a weight of 11 stone 11 lb/BMI 30.5/struggling to fit into size 14 jeans..and was miserable. Before the festive onslaught I was 10 stone 2 lb/BMI 26/size 10 jeans. I know that 23lb less of me is great, but I am really thrilled that I have shrunk 4 inches off my waist(all that visceral fat gone), 4 inches off each thigh and 4 inches off my hips too.

I am going to try and find goods that weigh 23lb just to see how much less weight I am not lugging around on these short legs.