Congrats Chub on making it to BC and especially for that stare down you gave Taco Bell. Now there is some serendipity, to see an organic deli. I might have thought it was a mirage! Your lunch there sounded delicious, much more so than anything at TB. Ha, there is an acronym for you, yum, respiratory disease! 😆 I do hate driving in the rain, glad you arrived safely. I know exactly what you mean, after the hard work of packing to move, only to get the hard work of unpacking. Take some mental vacations so you don’t overdo – even though it’s raining, you could cook a wonderful soup and relax in the ambiance of good kitchen aromas 😋
Hey hey Annette, girl we are almost done with winter. I sense we have a kindred struggle there. I don’t feel any different, not really the SAD thing, but just less motivation. Much more of the “oh what the eff let’s buy a 2# bag of chocolate, nothing could go wrong there.” And then there is some sense of accomplishment when I don’t eat the entire bag at once 🎖 hahaha. However, with warm weather coming I think I’m feeling a renewal. I’m oddly pleased to say I’ve eaten enough candy lately to see it’s not really the nirvana I imagine beforehand, So my intellectual (i.e. nonlizard-brain) self is gaining ground. I just have to engage it every day. It’s like starting up a rusty old car some days, but darn if I can’t get it started if I try.
So…a post-Saturday FD here, those have helped put the breaks on my typical Sunday mania. I peeked at the scale because I was feeling rather impervious (in that sense of usually being a nutcase), so I’ve welcomed back the kg I keep losing, but I’m acing maintenance so it’s not all bad 😉 We can do it, islanders, good luck to all this week!! 💪😎 jade xxxx

This is an experiment to see if I can post a picture.

This is the view from the coffee shop where we had breakfast this morning. It’s just down the hill from our house. The Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal is on the right and the marina is on the left through the trees. An expanse of park is all along the waterfront. (And that damned utility line is in the way. grrrr)

It was very overcast (I brightened it up) so I’m sorry you can’t see the majestic column of mountains all along the bay.

The cherry tree in the right foreground will soon be in blooming pink. And all the Spring bulbs will be up along the park before long too.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/75667634@N00/24730121223/in/dateposted-public/

It’s supposed to be my second FD but I haven’t seen my husband in a week and there was nothing in the house to cook so I wasn’t going to sit there without ordering. I had a bowl of tomato based fish chowder and a big glass of tomato juice. Not much damage done.

PS: It doesn’t look like I’ve mastered posting a pic but you can at least follow the link…..

Indeed it is, Spring – now no fantasizing on big coffee shop breakfasts until tomorrow! 👿 I’m sure I’d have had a very sedate 2lb cheeseburger and fries. Nice going Chubs, and wow that is a gorgeous view ⛰ so, you’re up the hill from that?! I’ll bet the hikes are phenomenal. Hope you have good footwear! And a parka. Looks a bit damp there ☔️ Not TMI but I’m afraid I’m past all that hilarity. 😅
Annette the emojis are courtesy of my new iPad mini, which replaced the one I killed with a fly-swatter as the fly flew off in fits of laughter. I missed having a touch screen and, ok it’s true, I wanted a toy. I too am getting over a cold, and I’d have thought the lack of taste would have had some effect on eating habits, but golly I am just strong enough to be hungry no matter how congested I am! Go me! However, despite having spaghetti for dinner I’m managing a FD. Very small portion of angel hair, honestly that stuff seems to disintegrate into dust as soon as you bite down on it. Can’t be very many calories in that, and with a few grapes and yogurt, I’m done.
Gotta watch Chris Rock host the Oscars. Catch you all later! xxxx💕

Josie, I’m sorry to hear that you’re fighting a couple issues. I’ve felt the same way in the past so I understand how overwhelming it is and I congratulate you for the success you’ve had so far.

If it’s helpful I’ll tell you that my experience on this way of eating (as opposed to *all* the other things I’ve tried in 50 or so years of being a binger and a chronic overeater) is that sticking with it actually *changes* my food impulses. It’s my personal unscientific point of view that intermittent fasting has the potential to change the flora population in the gut and that that can stop or mitigate the unconstructive obsessions some of us have with food. At least I know that in the 10 weeks I’ve done this I have *enjoyed* the sensible foods I do eat and lost interest in the problematical stuff.

Of course, I am pretty consistent in keeping to veggies, salads, protein, beans and ordinary fats like oils and nuts, etc. I don’t *want* the sweet and starchy stuff anymore for the *first* time in my nearly 70 years. On the two occasions when I *did* indulge, it wasn’t followed by the inescapable compulsion to continue eating more and more of it. Life changing!!!

I also have an enormous appetite and capacity for food. So I still eat a rather large volume of it. I have a salad that would feed a family for lunch. And I have possibly 2 – 3 recommended servings of protein (usually salmon, I LOVE it) for dinner. It is more satisfying for me to really feel full and sated a couple times a day than to walk away from the table wishing for more more often through the day. And I think it’s more productive too. It may take me sweet forever to get rid of the extra weight I’m carrying but I’ll be able to stick with something that doesn’t frustrate me.

So, I celebrate the healthy, sensible foods I eat and the change in my metabolism that makes them enjoyable. And I keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving from FDs to food days to FDs and so on. I find it all, really, very simple (I don’t weigh and I don’t count calories) and easy.

I hope there’s something there that’s worth thinking about or, even better, that is helpful. Don’t be discouraged. Just experiment with what you might still be eating that interferes with your getting into the balance and productive urges to eat that your body was always meant to have.

Glad you’re still here and sharing your experiences!

Hey everyone,
Josie and Becki these are issues we’ve struggled with here on binger island. First step in solving the problem is to recognize it, but after that we’ve found that different solutions work for each of us. Sometimes, as Spring noticed with her famous “gotta sway, people!” mantra, each day can require a different solution. If you read through the thread, you’ll see all sorts of tips. Biggest for me was cutting down on sugar. Cutting out the candy and eyeballing labels on foods like pasta sauce. The sugar monster is a strong one. So is that PMS one. I started losing the battle during menopause, feeling hungry all the time and seeing the scale creep up and up. Now after almost a year doing this, I’ve cut myself slack on days like that. No reprimands, it just happens to normal people too. It’s what is so great about this plan, you can go hog wild, as long as you don’t go hog wild for days on end. What happens is that the controlled days outgun the wild days.

Yes, the day after hogwildness can be tough to fast, at least at first. Often though I think of my FDs as sanity restorers, and of course it helps a LOT to know it’s just one day. A million do-overs are possible, it’s the giving up and staying fat or getting fatter that feels much worse.
I sometimes track my cals, but agree that it is tedious. As long as my appetite is less and I listen to it, there is no need to make this harder than it is! But some days, I know I need a bit more accountability, so I’ll check in with MFP to make sure I’m not sabotaging myself.
Chubs is onto a great idea by eating the whole foods, perhaps even to excess, when your hunger keeps calling. So much better than the other stuff you could be chugging down! Once again, though, I find I’m a bit different, in that if I eat past fullness, my body is like “oh really? You did that? I’m going to make you crave chocolate now.” So I try to be careful not to eat past the point that those whole foods still look delicious, if you know what I mean.
But it’s a process for each of us to find what works. I love this plan and am a lifetime convert. So much bad nutrition advice is gone for me now, I.e., eat a big breakfast. I mean, are you insane!? Every time I eat a big breakfast, just forget portion control the rest of the day. Or any control for that matter. 😜😛
Back to work with me – stay strong, Islanders, you can do it for one day!! jade xx

Jade, glad you mentioned PMS! The week before my period I just could not complete a fasting day, tried three times but the hunger was like a monster. Was shouting at everyone and getting really angry – had to abandon fasting completely that week. Then when my period started it was fine and I could manage fasting again.

Really nervous about the next week before my period 😱 Just going to try and do my best, fingers crossed I manage better this time

Dear keeptrying-

How could anyone who hasn’t experienced it ever understand? We have all probably experienced it large parts of our lives if not our entire lives and who among *us* understands or can explain it?

Here’s a ((hug)) that I hope will get you through a rough patch.

It really does get easier.

Dear keeptrying – I’m sorry, I meant to say super-strength vibes to you in battling what other people wrongly imagine, despite their having no idea whatsoever. I guess we all have similar failures of imagination on lots of issues that we don’t know about personally, but being on the receiving end (especially from someone like a mum) definitely has an extra sting in the tail. That’s why this Island is so wonderful because the folk here do get it, and that means there’s a good chance they’ll get you too. Visit often and we’ll give you all the support you need. Spring xxx

Chubs-glad that you arrived safely. It looks amazing.
I didn’t feel that I could join in with the discussions about binge eating as it wasn’t something that I did, but thought that the comments were interesting and thoughtful.
I am sick of soup though, I ate too much last year and just cannot look at anymore, so I made a casserole of chicken(in the slow cooker-prepped the night before) which we had with vegetables as my FD meal yesterday. It was delicious and warming on such a chilly day and I didn’t feel deprived at all. So I will do that again.
We are eating less carbs now as a family, now 75g per person of pasta rather than 100g. The reduction of a roast potato on Sunday was fine and there were no comments either, so that will be repeated next weekend with loads of vegetables.
One son who is autistic and struggles with change, finds the size and texture of some foods very off-putting and he will not eat them. We have had a frank discussion about food and I am now much clearer why he refuses to eat/try some food when he likes the constituent parts. He has also told me to feel free to cook and then liquidize lentils so that he doesn’t know they are in some meals. He has been over weight for years and is finally losing weight, which is brilliant.
We sit down as a family and plan the meals for the week around who is in and out. The result is that I can plan, it is cheaper and we all know what we are going to eat of our expanding range of meals that I am trying out.

On a random note, tried a different approach to fasting day today – have had only liquids all day saving all my calories for dinner and I think it is actually easier than what I normally do, the classic 200 calorie breakfast and 300 calorie dinner.

I have a healthy choice shepherds pie to look forward to when I get home, it is 350 calories and then some brocolli and asparagus so hoping it keeps me fuller in the evening when is usually when I struggle most.

How does everyone else fast? Smaller meals or one 500 calorie meal?

Hi Becki:

Many find one evening meal high in fat and moderate in protein works best. Many of us have concluded after years of experimenting that eating nothing on diet days works best.

Here are some tips that might help: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

I have been there and got the T shirt Jade!

It does help to leave it alone when it makes you feel rubbish, on the plus side.

I accept that I cannot have ice cream in the house.

Here is something to make you smile. Woke and started the day as a FD, without breakfast and all was going well until a Pain Chocolat appeared and was eaten within moments and the day went downhill…On the plus side, I was very very good on Monday. So the plan is to have a proper FD on Saturday, which is going to be interesting as I usually buy the food that day, but my own silly fault for caving in today.

I shall look forward to the video Chubs. I walk 45 minutes each way to work and the final 30 minutes are up one continual hill, so I suspect that I might win! But I used to have several breaks to ‘enjoy the view’ while the sweat dripped off me. I can walk without stopping and don’t even think about the hill anymore. You will get fitter and faster and I suspect that you will reduce the need for the inhaler over the weeks.

I do feel silly about today. Never mind onwards and downwards fast friends.

So glad you’re getting some time off for good behavior, Jade! Use your downtime for something that gives you a lot of pleasure!

annette, I bow to your Iron Woman climb up a 30-minute hill and 45 minute total walk! Do you do that *twice* a day?

I can’t figure out how to get my little wheezie video off my phone and onto my computer but it’s OK ’cause I don’t need the humiliation. 😳 LOL! The significant thing is, once I did it, I found I could do it again and again. I think I did it 5 times over the course of the day. That would be real high intensity work if I repeated it after a rest of a few minutes (as opposed to a few *hours*). ::sigh::

And, having gotten outside (not surrounded by a running car) I did some gardening too. Not sweaty or heavy breathing stuff but I did a considerable amount of clean up. We had half a day of light and some actual *sun* so I put it to use. I guess there haven’t been tenants here since the Fall and the gardener does the blow-mow-and-go stuff rather than any bend-over-and-attend-individual-plants stuff. So I did it and got the satisfaction of a much tidier front garden. At least it wasn’t like 2 years ago when I had to attack — and I *do* mean “attack” — out of control thorny blackberry brambles that barred the stairs down to the beach. Of course, I haven’t gone out to the back yet so I’ll hope that isn’t awaiting me as well. At least it’s a good time of year to attack it when it hasn’t leafed out yet. And wait until I can get the video thing figured out and you can see the stairs down. It might be 5 flights.

I did have one techno victory to report. Since I got a new phone it’s been ringing on my computer. Baffling! This morning I didn’t rush to find my phone, I simply waited until I could *answer* it on my computer. Imagine that!

I had a *serious* attack of hunger this morning. I was “ravenous* and I never wake up hungry. I finished a few bites of my husband’s eggs (muhummara is a great accompaniment to scrambled eggs!). Then I had an enormous piece of grilled salmon, Then I topped that off with a wedge of brie. At least by that time it was bareable so I’m the remnants of it that remain are sure to pass soon. We’ve been having soup for dinner most of this week. Seems comforting on these dark rainy nights but maybe there wasn’t enough protein? I dunno. I hope this kind of hunger is over!

Oh! I forgot to say that bulbs that I planted 2 Falls ago are beginning to bloom. What fun! I grew up in the Northeast where the end of long Winters was marked by Spring bulbs. Then we moved to LA where there *are* no seasons. So seeing the stirrings of Spring is like a drug for me and it feels *great* to have had a hand in it and, by chance, be here again just it time to see it. I see vague hints of yellow on the bare forsythia whips. The dogwoods will flower next. I’m in HEAVEN!!!

Hello everyone,
Yes Chubs I walk up the hill to work and then back down to go home. It has been a great and largely painless way of getting fitter and more toned. I do have to make sure that during school holidays I get the distance in just to maintain.

I am struggling with the ‘rubbish’ and I am not sure why the biscuits and chocolate have invaded my life again.. My plan is to start running again and perhaps try Krav Maga-has anyone tried it? I gather that it is self defence, which would be good as well as making my upper body stronger, which in turn will help running.

I am going to have to follow your lead and focus on the protein. I know that it helps to fill you up and nourish the brain as well as the soul. The plan is to go out for a short walk/run over the weekend as no.1 son and I have decided to get fitter and plan to take part in some races over the summer(we will be at the back and the last ones finishing), with a view to a September Half marathon.

So a full weigh and measure over the weekend to monitor the improvements over the weeks. I want to shift these inches and lbs before the summer.

Can’t seem to get that video to upload to Flick’R but we are having a glorious day today so I took this pic of Howe Sound from the deck. https://www.flickr.com/photos/75667634@N00/24907833754/in/dateposted-public/
The island you see is Whytecliff Island and the waters surrounding it are part of Whytecliff Park which is a prime scuba area. The park also has beaches which are excellent for driftwood collecting and a broad lawn under ancient forest for picnicking and hiking. http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/Whytecliff01.html

On the exercise front I’m charging up the driveway, pacing around at the bottom where it’s level and then charging up again once I can breathe again. I *think* that’s the HIT approach…

I think I’m going to have to go back on my steroid inhaler. There seem to be lots of my allergens in the air here. Makes sense to overreact to them since this is an ecosystem I’m not exposed to and developing any immunity to in LA. Oh well. If it keeps me breathing and being able to be more active that’s a *good* thing.

I’m not doing 10K steps like you guys but my iPhone says I’ve done the equivalent of 13 stories so far today.

Got through the hunger attacks of yesterday in the end and thank god for a couple fast days today and tomorrow to sort me out!

Oh DO IT, Jade! Apart from how fresh things are and knowing what horrible chemicals you did *not* put on them, there’s a special pleasure from eating things you’ve grown yourself.

We’ve been so mobile the last few years I haven’t been home long enough or at the proper times to plant but in the past we’ve been able to grow a lot of stuff. I recommend tomatoes most of all. The difference between a home grown tomato and a grocery store tomato is like the difference between driving a Honda and a Ferrari.

Yes. We lived here 2 years ago. As soon as we knew we’d be coming back we checked with our landlords and found the house was available. Not only do we get this glorious view, we get the BEST landlords anywhere. The tiny cottage we’re living in next door to their big house was my landlord’s mother’s home.

Their family has owned property here on the North Shore from the time when it was fishing camps. The Lions’ Gate bridge had not yet been built when they settled here and people could only cross by boat. Now it’s all multi-million dollar homes. My husband just told me this morning that he had read a story of a house offered for sale that went for $1.2million (Canadian) *over* the asking price. And it’s all about the view and living in an ancient forest on the side of a mountain. So you can see why I’m excited when we can come back. God knows we could never afford to live here! But, still, we feel so at home when we can come back.

Interesting article Chubs which sadly didn’t suggest that I didn’t run. So trying to psyche myself up for a short 2 miles to see just how unfit I actually am. First 10K in mid April, so just 6 weeks to get my/our fitness up.
I had a busy day around town yesterday which included a walk with 1 friend and then the cinema with another, but managed to clock up 15.5 miles! Legs are a little tired today. I hadn’t thought of using my running watch to see what the distance might be, no idea of the steps as I didn’t use the pedometer. The plan is to use my running watch tomorrow along with the pedometer and see what a normal working day is like.
Chubs, it looks and sounds wonderful. Wish I could pop over to see you and enjoy the scenery too.
Jade, gardening can be wonderful exercise as well a balm for the soul. There is nothing like growing your own crops but sadly lots of mine were eaten by the caterpillars despite my best efforts. I am now trying flowers for the bees and butterflies. I will run on my own too, my boy is 26 and much faster than me and will be waiting at the finish line for me. I have no desire to look like a boy either, just less belly would be a big improvement! Can’t you take those cookies into work tomorrow and leave them there until they are all gone?

I found to my surprise that my new iPhone has a health monitoring app. Do you have such a thing, annette? I’d be willing to bet it’s a feature of Smart Phones as well. It tracks my steps, distance and the number of floors I climb (how does it know?). ….if I remember to have it with me. Is this what MFT (or whatever it is) does? Anyway, it was interesting to discover and if I take my phone out of my purse in the shopping cart it will work for me.

It also has all my vital health info and that feature can be opened by a health professional even if the phone is locked with a password. It’s a well thought out app and I’m *thrilled* to have it on my husband’s phone because he has all kinds of cardiac issues as well as a pharmacopeia of prescriptions.

Yesterday (when I mostly remembered to have it) I went less than 7K steps but I climbed the equivalent of 25 floors. Yay me! 👍

Sooooooo empathetic about the clay, Jade. When you said you were gardening I didn’t put Georgia and clay together automatically. We have brown clay that becomes a Slip ‘N’ Slide in the rain and freakin’ century old buildings when you mix straw into it and dry it into adobe bricks.

Do you compost? In the end, compost was the thing that made a real difference in my soil. It’s taken 15 years of working on a bed at a time but I now have pretty arable soil in my flower beds and veggie patch. And, I have to say, I’m waaaaay better at compost than gardening, so you go with your strength, right? 😏 Compost and raised beds! And you’ll be rewarded with luscious tomatoes and fewer last minute trips to the grocery store.

I blew my FD last night when we got a dinner invitation. But I stuck to a simple salad, a piece of grilled fish and veggies. And I’ll roll my FDs over to Sun & Mon. I LOVE how flexible this program is!

Fifteen and a half miles is *stunningly* impressive to me. Tell me you *are* 40!

Where did you go? Was it a get-from-point-A-to-point-B exercise or a recreational hike? Most impressive in either case. …but I hope there was some pleasant scenery.

Sounds very pleasant!

I find, at least for myself, that’ it’s the easy painless stuff that works because it’s so much easier to stick to. Or maybe it’s “easier” because it’s so “right”. Doesn’t seem fair that sometimes you work and work at something and barely manage it and others you hit the sweet spot and get great results with minimal effort but sometimes that’s the way it is. I guess the effort goes into finding the magic combination of attributes, interests, abilities and methodologies.

Not complaining. Intermittent fasting obviously works for me in ways nothing previously has. But it does seem to be one of life’s devilish little tricks.

Wow, Annette, I was so amazed that I hadn’t slurped up every last girl scout cookie that I forgot you had walked 15+ miles. HOLY SMOKES. You made it seem like “eh I had places to go” but Chubs you said it perfectly – things don’t seem so hard when one isn’t constantly thinking “this is hard!” Some FDs do fly by, at least until I get home. Today on the other hand has lasted 67,000 hours.

But it’s the eating normally on the 5 days thing – I can turn that into advanced calculus. I’m suddenly in the Garden of Eden living IN an apple tree. Ah well, I’ll keep working at it. I did get out and walk 9000 steps with the dogs today. My Fitness Pal is MFP, Chubs, and it has a step counter along with everything else. Pretty decent for a free app.

All right, islanders, time to see what’s for dinner besides the pasta that OH wants. It’s cheese ravioli so I’m not even tempted. I had a bit of his ice cream the other night and my stomach spent the rest of the night yelling mean things 😡 lol I’m a stubborn one! jade xx

Hello lovely ladies and gentlemen, I’m very impressed with all your efforts – 15 mile walks and mad dashes up steep hills and walking dogs into the ground. I enjoyed reading the exercise link and wished I was in my 70’s as it appears you don’t have to do anything then…? I think the photos you sent would inspire anyone to get outside Chubs.

I’m having a tres terrible time right now, no excuses, just a willful disregard for all my hard work and a FD that has been so FU I can’t quite believe it myself. Thankfully, I can always channel Viviene Leigh and start again tomorrow and my friends on the Island will still be here, albeit skinnier and fitter than I am 😉

Well, I too have student papers due and an exam to administer shortly so I’d better get my act together and quit the pity-party in favour of some steely self-reflection. We can do this folks!! love Spring xx

I’m doing calorie counting on non fast days to counteract my bingeing so fitness pal app to work to a calorie intake of 1800-2000 on non fast days which means l am full but not bingeing. Fitness pal app really useful for calorie counting on non fast days
Xx

Sounds like a great plan Annette, steady and slow increases and an everyday regime that is very impressive!. I know one of the traps for ‘older’ and ‘less fit’ folk is to go all out on a new fitness campaign and then injure themselves so that 6 months down the track they are worse off.

Welcome to the Island Slim and yes, MFP seems to be a good thing for many people and anything that helps keep non-FD eating down is great. Unfortunately for me I find it too easy to blow off all the helpful feedback from various devices (and well-meaning friends and even my own damned head) and rebel like an oppressed teenager. What I think I need is an implant in my brain that stimulates my executive function to kick in and take over and not let the lizards have all the play. Maybe I should find a little electrode of my own, or perhaps wander down to the psychology lab when no one is looking…

Keep up the good work Islanders, Spring xx