Thank you, I’m thrilled! Especially after dropping 4 lbs. last week.
Oh dear, Ikea is my nightmare. So much walking. I reckon you could do a 10K right in the shop and never find a way out, annette!
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Say what, Lolly? FOUR POUNDS last week? Girl, I’m speechless in awe! And are you not fasting with your LCHF regimen? I still know true LCHF is not for me but it seems like a match made in heaven for you💕- yay!
Ha, yes IKEA is rather like a 10k but we made it out alive. Even managed to find the right parts in the self-service bins for the desk. It was funny, though, I’d been there before and knew how they make you walk every inch of the showroom floor AND the lower floor where you check out. Clever, those Swedes! But hubs thought surely we were “just about done” after we finally found the desk we wanted on the showroom floor. No, sorry dear, you’re at the 5k mark of your 10k! But we endured and were quite pleased after hauling and assembling it, it really is perfect in D’s little house. And after that day’s work, we had baked potatoes for dinner with butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon bits mmmmm. Def HF though not at all LC 😋 – but on the bright side, it wasn’t as bad as some choices in my past!
Annette you and I are in the same boat with the scale – let’s throw that thing overboard😏. Well seriously though, we’re getting a lot of other things in the meantime, and as Chubs said a while back, if it has to be a long battle we will still win it.💪 Sometimes I can’t believe how much more tuned in I am to the power of food to either make my day or wreck it. And look at you, with the bedtime snack of nuts, THAT certainly isn’t anything I’d have “caved” with last year. I can remember patting myself on the back for buying 3 doughnuts and eating only 2 HAHAHAHA. All right, I’m fasting today so better stop talking about all that! Loving all the excitement on the island🌴🔆👍hugs to all – jade xxx
Annette, don’t the treats taste better when you only have them now and then? Though I am having 85% chocolate quite frequently, though not on FDs. And strawberries. Sitting here on my FD thinking choc cake! I had a really nice one at a party recently made largely of beetroot, grated up with cocoa. But of course sugar, no magic freebie.
Hope your Ikea trip went well, Jade. I’ve got to go sometime soon for more bookshelves.
Hey ho, cup of tea then on with the shed sorting. I put some of the boxes on my kitchen floor so I can’t escape!
If you can make it all the way through Ikea without needing an emergency rescue, then you’re fit in my book. 🙂
Yes, that’s 7.5 lbs. in 2 weeks. It took some experimenting but I found the right balance for me and I’m not stopping until I’m done this time! I’m doing LCHF 16:8 with two 24 hr fasts, and it’s working a treat. I had to figure out the point where I felt satisfied, as feeling deprived is not in my playbook. This now feels completely effortless and life is so much simpler.
It’s a “take what you need and leave the rest” thing we all do, and I love hearing what’s working for everyone else.
For those who have addictions to sugar,
http://www.dietdoctor.com/now-ive-got-the-rest-of-my-fantastic-new-sugar-free-life-to-live
Very interesting fight addicted to sugar, with me was almost like that.
Oh, that’s interesting. I’m doing something similar most of the time, though I don’t push it but eat my first meal when I’m hungry (1145 today). Sometimes on a FD I only have dinner, or sometimes a small snack mid afternoon as well (yesterday a small piece of cheese and a hard boiled egg). I agree that it’s uncomplicated, though it took a couple of months to try different routines and settle to something.
We’re on the same train today, Apricot – just had lunch at 11:45 too☺️ Sausages and eggs, so really brunch I guess. Lolly, brilliant plan, so happy it’s working so well! I think you are having the bulletproof coffee, did that take some getting used to? I tried mine with butter but…far prefer with heavy cream, lots of fats either way. Love your “take what you need” approach (now hearing “The Night They Drove Old Dixe Down” in my head) – I’m aiming for LCHF but relaxing if I have a true yen for the good carbs.
Managed 2FDs this week, and waved off the 1.5 kg I gained from recent lunacy. Give that girl a yo yo😜! However, better than constant up up up. Some loss is temporary I know, so if I can just stay in control…ha, I’m still sure I can do it, even every single time I don’t do it! That’s the island spirit isn’t it😎
My main problem on nFDs – I tend to undereat at meals, which then leads to snacking, and soon I end up over tdee without even thinking. We’ve all had that feeling post-FD, where it doesn’t take much to feel full. I mean, just a few bites and I think “yay, that was awesome – compared to yesterday!” But then I’m hungry half an hour later.
So my question – how do you gauge how much to eat at mealtime, so that it carries you through to the next meal? I really want to stop thinking about food in between meals without a lot of mental gyration. Hints, tips, anyone? Thanks all for the guidance, I should start writing an encyclopedia for the rehab cave – would be worth 💰💰 not to mention great mental and physical health! Happy controlling islanders🔆🌴♥️ jade xxxx
Go, Jade! I can see the wheels working away in your head, and I’m so glad for your weight loss. You’re so right about not wanting to be constantly thinking about food. Who needs torture as a constant in their life? Apricot’s mid-afternoon snack suggestion is an excellent one, being protein and non-triggering. Adding more healthy fats (say, olive oil to a lovely salad?) will also tide you over far longer than a low-fat option.
I believe you’re in the process of creating your own very personal plan, testing and trying, keeping an open mind and your wonderful sense of humour. And I’m cheering you on!
Good morning campers!! It’s a beautiful sunny day here in wintry South Oz and I’m venturing out of the rehab cave for a stint in the sunshine. In fact we’re about to pack the bus for a jaunt into the bush for a week or so, so I’ve been crazy-busy trying to tie up end-of-semester stuff so I can go off-grid for a week. Food will be whatever we take with us and I find it a real relief to not have any temptation on hand. I just don’t do well with temptation at the moment although, like you dear Jade, I have managed to claw back on a few kilos after a hormone-induced frenzy of eating.
Lolly, well done, keep up the great work!! It’s all about finding the right groove and also being prepared to get out of/change up/tweak that groove if needed.
Apricot, thanks for the link, I do love a good before and after story! 🙂 people are very brave to put themselves out there like that, don’t you think?
Jade, it’s so lovely having your company in the rehab cave, although I suspect your discharge papers are well and truly signed?? I’m currently a long-term resident but feel free to drop by whenever you need to and I really appreciate the encyclopaedia idea, it’s bound to have an effect on me eventually 😉
Annette, I hope the fight is going your way atm? Mind you, the fact that you can actually run makes you a complete winner in my book.
So, how is the 90-day-challenge going folks? It occurred to me that it must be getting close to the end and from memory there’s only about 2-3 weeks left to go? I’ve been amazed at my tenacity and moving more has become a part of everyday which is, quite frankly, beyond thrilling for someone who was probably a walrus in their last life. I notice it most when I’m getting out of bed now in one smooth movement, rather than a number of pushes and pulls!! Who’d a thunk it??
A shout out to Tango, Queen, Karen, penguin (where are you girl??) CaliB, FastC and dear Chubs in transit. Have a great week and see you all soon, hopefully a little lighter. Love Spring xxx
I’m still working the 90-day challenge, comespring. I’ll never be an athlete, but even my 30 minutes of daily walking has shown me that I can have more stamina and strength. Can’t say I bounce out of bed with a “Yay — exercise!” but I’ll keep this up because it’s do-able and I can feel the benefits. I’m so glad you started us off!
Oh Lolly, I love your sense of joy, really brightens up my day. Thanks for the cheers♥️ Yes, I had a snack yesterday of yogurt and nuts, though I’d really like to be able to last 5-6 hours and just eat at meals. I’d also like my own personal unicorn, so I realize that this path to self-discovery may lead me simply to acceptance that some things are not to be😐
Hey there Spring and Queen, glad you are still hanging around rehab with me! I may leave the cave occasionally but suspect I’m a lifer. Wouldn’t want to get too perfect would we😏 Queen, FDs are hard and long for me, but doable. My days aren’t strenuous so I’m just a whiner lol. Water fasts would actually be easier, but I like sharing the evening meal with hubs. The key for me is to NOT eat too early in the day, much as I would like to sometimes, it always leads to more nibbles – and to drink enough water not to feel weak or nauseated. I sort of hate FDs now, but I’d still much rather be super hungry just two nights than every night.
As for nFDs, I like that term “disordered eating” Queen. Let’s have some orderly eating, stat! I’m trying! Eating enough at meals, with a sensible mix of protein and veg and throw in a bit of carb, sounds like a good idea. Your detox sounds interesting – hey it could work! Go for full fat yogurt. I’m even trying the full fat with my dogs who are slightly pudgy – and ALWAYS hungry – so maybe adding fat to their meals will help them. They sure seem happy this morning with some fatty brisket added in.
Congrats on kicking those kgs, Spring! We can have a yoyo tournament when you get back from your trip… to the bush? I know that’s an Australian thing but not sure what it means, Will you be foraging for wild berries? Living in tents? Isn’t it cold there now? Well, have a blast and pack some warm socks!😘 Oh, the 90-day challenge…oops. I haven’t been moving too much in this heat, I’m afraid. Was that Penguin’s thing? Where’d she get to anyway – such a jail breaker 😂.
Carry on islanders🌴I’m rehabbing and grading while it’s close to 100 outside, gotta say heat is helping my appetite – pass the salads🍃🍃🔆✨xxx
Ah, yes Jade, the bush. Ne’ery a bit of vegetation to be seen and most definitely the outback, where we’ll do the whole Aussie-tragic thing with swags and billy tea. I’m really excited to be honest, there are few things that give me life perspective like sleeping under a starry sky in the middle of nowhere.
Queen, non-food rewards are a great idea and I’ve also moved to defining success with more non-scale/weight related markers of health such HbA1C and lipid ratios etc. As well as the overall well-being scale used in the wonderful land of Bhutan 🙂
Must away to finish packing everything but the kitchen sink. Camping may be simple but it’s not easy 😉 Love Spring xxx
Hello Everyone!
I suspect that I will be in the rehab cave forever, but that’s OK as there will be great company there. So much great wit and inspiration!
My kitchen cupboards that used to have a cake or two within, now have pumpkin/sesame/linseed in rather lovely jars. My fridge has homemade tahini, hummus and yoghurt made from full fat milk, which is so much cheaper and tastes much much better, but most of all, I know exactly what is in it all.
My shopping bill is much lower and consists of mainly whole, unprocessed food. I am not a purist, nothing is banned, just merely avoided. For me, that approach works. I am clocking up trips to the supermarket without leaving with a 6 pack of ice creams enrobed in chocolate with chopped almonds-delicious. Sadly I have some way to go before I leave without a pastry! I am trying to avoid food shopping when I am tired, hungry, stressed or fed up.
I have had inexpensive handbags, ear rings and scarves as a non food reward. Buying new knickers when the others were baggy was a complete joy too!
I am trying to do better Lolly. By that I mean to learn more about food and what is good for me as well as good to eat. I thought that I was reasonably well informed with an interest in food and cooking. It would appear that I know very little.
From all of the comments on here about LCHF and my own research, I am making better informed choices about what might be better to eat to nourish this old body to help it slim down as well as feed it with good nutrients.
I heard about one GP who started all his diabetic patients on LCHF food and found that not only did they lose weight, they also came off many of their drugs. While it is great for them and his drugs budget, I don’t suppose the pharmaceutical industry are going to be thrilled.
I don’t want to make the pharmaceutical/diet/food industry any money. I want to maintain a healthy size for my height and to enjoy what I eat. Not much to ask is it?
I am one of those people, annette, who have been pulled back from diabetes through LCHF. My doctor told me I had to go on the medications and that was the point of no return for me. Now, and simply through changing what I eat, my blood sugars are stablised and normal. And I am far from alone with these results. If you haven’t seen them already, I very much recommend the lectures of Dr. Jason Fung available freely on YouTube.
I thought I knew a lot but the more I learn, the more I understand how my body really works and the important role of insulin in weight gain. It feels like magic to have the weight dropping now, but there is real science behind it.
If these results came in a pill, the pharmaceutical companies would be all over it. But there’s no money to be made from someone like me who’s just eating real food! But come on, people — we’re reversing diabetes here, for heaven’s sake. This is major stuff.
Wow! You must be thrilled Lolly.
It is major stuff..HUGE. My friend who is 10 stone overweight(and is now insulin dependent) is losing weight with Slimming World(2.5 stone so far) and I was telling her about more fat and less carbs. She is worried about messing with a system that is working for her although she tells me that she can eat as much pasta and rice as she likes with SW which seems mad.
I will have a look at Fung and point her in that direction too. The thought of less diabetes is extraordinary.
Lolly-been watching Jason Fung. Very interesting and I shall watch the Obesity Code ones too.
Chubs-nightmare! Hope you get it sorted very soon. Miss you too.
Queen- Never mind. Tomorrow is a new day. I suspect that we will all be in rehab for ages, but I don’t mind with all the wit and repartee to be had there! Giving yourself a hard time achieves nothing except guilt and then probably a binge to comfort yourself. I have just eaten chocolate which I really enjoyed, but I wonder what made me turn to the comfort of past times. Is it that one son has moved out and the other is about to as well and i am feeling rather redundant?
I suspect that we shall all have to find new ways of coping with our emotions that doesn’t include self-medicating with food. I have days when it all goes well and others when it doesn’t. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Oh dear Queen, I definitely find carbs soothing! And can we just say I was VERY soothed last night. I don’t know, really, what my deal is. I’m fine for days, then I think I almost would kill for a pastry. I don’t really binge on them, but nothing else will do. I could have 45 steaks and still want the pastry. And today I am fine again.
I know I am the master at making an easy thing difficult. But I can’t seem to control myself on the 5 days without something more than I’m doing now. Tried LCHF 24/7, nope. Tried just whole foods, nope. Tried grain free, and that worked but I was so bored. Lolly you explained well how to live with that but I’m not on board just yet! I’m thinking maybe EOD for a while might help – not necessarily alternate FDs but minimal cal & carb days. I need to capitalize on what seems to work for me, which is to truly eat what I like often enough that I’m not on what feels like a never-ending diet.
I feel sort of like the privileged teenager who gets a generous allowance and just wants more and more. I want control that is effortless. Or maybe I’m simply bored and need a new challenge. I just know that when I was face to face with a doughnut yesterday, I was almost in another dimension of food joy.😍😜 Like you, Annette, I do enjoy a good experiment! And probably will always be in some corner of the rehab cave, but there are a lot of fun people in here!🔆🌴🎉
Happy travels, Spring! The bush sounds like a gigantic adventure, wish I could tag along! Someday I hope I get to visit your beautiful country🇦🇺 Have a wonderful time💕
Chubs, I’ve had the same problem on my phone, the site keeps asking me to log in and then throws me back to some general webpage instead of the forum. We miss you! Keep trying. Lol that is our motto on binger island, isn’t it??😂💪- many hugs to all you fine natives 🌴🔆🌴💕xxxx
Hey islanders, I’ve been reading Jason Fung’s explanations and thank you Lolly! Well, more skimming than reading, there is a lot of science that sounds like vague humming to me. Fascinating stuff. Basically his dos and don’ts as far as how to combat insulin resistance:
DON’T*****
Snack (even protein causes some insulin to be released) – in fact ALL food does this to some degree, that’s why prolonged periods without food help lower insulin resistance. I KNEW IT!! Darn I love snacking.
Eat enough at meals – but skipping breakfast is great if you’re not hungry, less insulin released
Bad fats (veg oil, margarine, polyunsaturated)
Sugar or any sweetener added to food – it won’t kill us to have occasionally because it’s a celebration food, but it’s just bad habitually
Artificial sugar, because who knows what it does to us
Stress/sleep deprivation (releases cortisol, bad for insulin somehow)
Processed food, of course. And Modified grains like wheat, corn because who knows what they do inside.
DO*****
These things are “protective” i.e. Good alone and to help other food be better
-Good fats (olive oil, avocado) and saturated fats
-vinegar
-fiber
Otherwise eat Protein, fruit, veg i.e. Whole foods
Whole grains (though modified wheat and corn, who knows)
Like others, he says exercise makes us feel good but it does not typically aid weight loss otherwise. Our bodies instinctively resist weight loss or gain. So if we increase exercise, we probably decrease effort somewhere else in our day – or we eat to compensate. If we reduce calories, it works for a while but soon enough the body and brain work to lower our energy expenditure, i.e. compensate again. That makes a lot of sense to me! I’ve felt that I have been treading water for a while just controlling my weight, a constant diet. I want to stop that!! The key is to keep correcting the insulin imbalance caused by the ridiculous dietary advice of high carbs, big breakfasts even when not hungry, constant snacking to “maintain blood sugar” and etc. – all due in some part to marketing efforts to sell more and more food. Boy do I hate greed.
Dr Fung is also a HUGE fan of intermittent fasting, because it lowers insulin and reduces cals without giving the body/brain (appetite) enough time to adjust or attempt to compensate. As Dr. M found, we may overeat after fasting but ideally not to the point of making up ALL the lost calories. In fact Fung seems to recommend EOD, which is what I had thought of doing anyway. According to his studies, it is the constancy of a diet that our systems tend to adjust to, so if we switch it up, that’s good.
Now I have no clue if he’s right but it makes sense, and I’ve been searching for a reason to continue fasting other than for the various health benefits! Which are awesome, but I really want to finally feel that I’m in sync with my appetite. So do take a look. His website is http://www.intensivedietarymanagement.com – he has a lot of posts explaining various aspects of fasting and hormones’ effect on appetite and weight. He typically summarizes them toward the end of each post if you’re lazy like me. But it is very interesting and I liked his writing and speaking style, very down to earth.
Happy Wednesday from the rehab cave! 🌴xxx jade xx🌴
Hi ladies… I haven’t been posting much as I’m still in the throes of Ramadan, 1 1/2 weeks left!! I still read all your posts and get so much out of them. I am totally frustrated that every time I add any fruit back into my diet the next day my sugar cravings are through the roof. I am incorporating low sugar fruits… Strawberries cherries melon but it doesn’t seem to matter. Am I destined to have a life without fruit in it? We just planted an orchard filled with plums, apricots, peaches… Now I can’t even eat them? Crazy!! But I do enjoy not having the binging and sugar craving problems. Maybe after some time passes I will be able to incorporate more fruit back into my diet without this happening–it seems that most of you have fruit in your diet –do you feel like this does not reak havoc on you?
Btw– I just watched another Jason Fung video this one on calcium. Have any of you watched this one? Totally shocking news to me. Maybe I just had my head in the sand about calcium for a while. Good thing I always forget to take my supplements!!
Hey CaliB – congrats on your strength for Ramadan! I try to have fruit in combination with some protein, either at a meal, or AS a meal with yogurt or peanut butter (apples, yum). All sugar free of course.
I always forgot to take the calcium supplements too, ha ha. Another fairy tale I guess! I like that Fung keeps his advice so simple, mainly he is on about sugar and snacking. I guess on a scale of good to awful, everything else fits somewhere above awful. And it’s a trial and error thing, as you’re seeing with fruit. I had that same reaction when I was eating just grapes last fall (in my first attempt to ditch sugar and eat only whole foods). But at least they finally tasted sweet to me😉
I can’t believe how hard it was to go to bed last night without a snack. Whew! But I did it, despite having an early dinner. I am determined to make the true fast (no food at all) last a bit longer. So today’s goal is to make it to dinner with just water or coffee. Off I go! 🌴👍xx
Jason Fung is that rare combination of scientist and communicator. He’s even more rare in his free dissemination of information — everything you need to know is right out there for anyone to see.
The news is full of obesity and Type 2 diabetes “epidemics”, with plenty of hand-wringing and blame flying. Fung is quite right to say that the cause of both is diet, and so is the cure.
I finally got through to get a new password but now I guess I’m not getting updates. I thought you had all taken your svelt bods on vacation or something. 😎
I saw this this morning and thought it might be of interest: http://www.thekitchn.com/to-fast-yet-feast-3-muslim-women-on-how-they-cook-during-ramadan-232428 I know you’re dealing with these precise challenges, CaliBikini, but the business of cooking without tasting is an ongoing issue for me and I assume we’re all facing it to some extent.
I have wondered if you start eating with the traditional date, Cali, and how that sugar rush worked for you and now I see the sugar of even lower sugar foods is problematical. It is for me too so I’ve just eliminated fruit. Of course, I don’t miss it since grocery store fruit is always so disappointing anyway but if you’ve got truly ripe fruit from your own trees that is going to be harder to give up.
I am still brewing my kombucha and that creates the same push-pull for me. It’s probably stoopid that I put myself through this — particularly at a time when I’m struggling to stay on my program — but it’s soooo nice in the Summer.
I have to start tuning in to Jason Fung! I haven’t heard what he has to say but I have noted that he’s been important and helpful to a number of you and I take it that he’s a believer in HFLC. Is there a good place to start? I need all the help I can get just now!
Hoping I’ll finally catch up with everyone again! …and that the notifications will get through.
Welcome back Chubs- missed your posts while you were gone!! Thanks for the great article!! I really enjoyed it!! Yes Ramadan is a great time to get closer to family- Sadly the rest of our Pakistani family moved away to the city a few years ago because Santa Cruz does not have a very big Muslim community and they really wanted more of that. My husband prefers the American culture so we were not in the same boat as them and chose to stay put out here in the country. I do visit them as often as I can and miss them especially during Ramadan.
You’re right about the sugar in dates so I skip this step- we are not traditional in any sense of our religious practice anyway. It is a wonderful time of slowing down and spending a lot more time with loved ones early in the morning and late at night. Also it’s about thinking positively and not generating any negativity- not easy to do when you are starving!! I’m definitely a work in progress!!
Interestingly enough- I never lose any weight during Ramdan. Staying HCLF as that seems to suit me the best. I’m still jumping up and down with delight about the butter and cream I get to eat!!
I really also enjoy the Butter Makes Your Pants Fall off videos- he’s a Dr Fung follower who lost 145 lbs using intermittent fasting (24 hr fast 3 x wk) and eats HFLC. His videos are short and easy to understand- nice to add to the Fung videos as another resource.
Lolly- I agree what a rare gem Dr Fung is and all the free info he puts out there. Not many like him around!!
Jade- congrats on no snack last night!! I love snacking too and I’m not sure if I can ever really reign that one in!! Wishing you luck and looking forward to hearing your strategy!! Also loved your summary of Fungs ideas- great reminders of what to do and not do.
Annette- I can’t imagine the bittersweetness of sons moving out into the big world!! I’m sure it’s a process to let go and change focus from daily parenting to seeing them only sometimes! My son will be a high school senior this year so I better get ready! I’ll be asking you all about how to cope by
Next year.
Queen- I so understand scouring the house for that last piece of chocolate that must be stored somewhere?? And then the realization that it is all truly gone– frustration and relief all in one moment!! Those kind of cravings are so hard for me to combat!! I usually try to eat more protein- when I was pregnant my midwife always told me if I craved sugar then I wasn’t eating enough protein- it does seem to help reduce cravings but who wants a slab of beef when all they can picture is a nice crisp square of dark chocolate??
CaliBikini and Lolly, thanks for pointing to those videos. I’m not sure how long it will take me to get around to all of them but I’ve made a file of things to put on my To See and To Read list. Of course it’s worth noting that I downloaded Ruth Goodman’s most recent series on building a castle with medieval tools back in February when I was in Vancouver with little in the way of distractions and still have only seen the first one… But I’m starting the Jason Fung series tonight.
What’s the deal with the calcium, Jade? Are you skipping dairy or something?
Good for you for skipping the nighttime snack. I think you’re right that having the longest possible daily fasts is the way to go. I try to eat at 2pm and 8pm and have 16 hour spans between meals on my food days.
Today is the first “normal” IF day I’ve had in forever and a half. It’s a food day and it’s gone pretty effortlessly like my old confident, effortless but effective period between December and March-ish when Sam had his heart attack. …which was followed by the disruptive transition from Vancouver to LA.
I’m sure it’s telling that I skipped the booch last night and had a much easier day today. Now I’m having to decide if it’s important enough for me that I’ll struggle to maintain through Summer and then begin again booch-free when it gets cool again…. I’m planning to give myself at least one more booch-free day. Maybe I could only have one on Friday and Saturday night and see how that goes.
How Fat Am I? pix and measurements on My Tracker tomorrow for the first time in *months*!
Looking forward to hearing from everyone else and catching up.
Chubs- although I’ve never heard the word “booch” I’m assuming it means booze?? Cute word!!
Glad you are back and running again and feeling ready for this again.
Can I just tell you all that I am so tired of fasting and waking up early to eat when I’m still stuffed from last night but if I don’t eat I’ll die of hunger later. I’m getting pretty worn down and now is when it gets hardest-the last 12 days!! The only thing that helps me is thinking of the millions of others around the globe that are doing this and that gives me the strength to carry on when all I want to do is throw in the towel!! I just need a place to moan and groan b/c I try not to complain about in my daily life. When you subject yourself to this willingly and then complain about it then people’s natural advice is– just quit doing it then! But I won’t stop so I have to have a venting spot and you girls are it for me!! Thanks for being so understanding and supportive all the time!!
Ok– that said– time to get kids up and start my day!!
Wishing you all a great and successful day- fasting or not!!
Dear Cali, a month is a l-o-n-g time and I’m sure it gets very hard. If it helps, you can think of a lady who was our housekeeper in Cape Town. Her name is Narima Nolan. She is fasting with you.
See that smile? Narima is one of the most joyful people I’ve ever met. (That picture *may* actually have been taken during Ramadan but I’m not sure. It may also have been shortly after Eid.) She is fasting with you. And she is probably thinking of you as she does.
Narima works very hard and I’m not sure how all the people she works for are to her. I know her boss is dismissive and possibly much tougher to her privately than I’ve seen her be in front of me. I don’t think Narima makes much. But through the final weeks of Ramadan Narima is already planning the meal she will cook with her sister for “poor people” (and Cape Town has poverty that few Americans ever see or think about!). She and her sister *each* make rice and a 20-quart vegetable stew *after* they work all day and then trek it to a poor neighborhood for Eid. And she tells me with a profound gratitude that she feels fortunate to be able to do that for people truly in need.
I will never forget Narima.
Now let me tell you Narima’s big advantage. She’s fasting during Cape Town’s Winter. So her first meal doesn’t come as early as yours and she can have her evening meal by 6 or 7. And she has that great communal thing in a country where Islam is, if not a majority religion, still an important and publicly embraced one.
So I think you’re right on point making your fast a part of a worldwide event and I hope you can feel buoyed up by Muslims around the world like Narima.
Haha!! Yes I love kombucha!! I didn’t put it together that booch was the shortened form…. Yummy!! Yours sounds delicious!!
What a beautiful picture!! Indeed a very strong and kind woman.. You have had amazing experiences around the world… That is fantastic to have been immersed in different cultures. It defiantly changes who we are and how we see the world. Your words touched me deeply and it was just what I needed to hear today… Thank you so much!!
Yes. That’s so true and I really value those experiences.
We don’t get to travel but we have been fortunate to *live* in different cultures. I feel very fortunate for it. My husband is approaching retirement — at least in age if not in financial resources. It isn’t clear if we’ll get to do it again. And there’s a cost — we have *both* been deferring medical care of some significant (but NOT critical) issues for more than a year now. But I hope there might be one more opportunity for something new one day. OTOH, its going to be *lovely* to be at home for the next year or 2!
Aw, hey Chubs nice to have you back and what a wonderful story and photo, she is a love. CaliB congrats on all the Ramadan fasting, it takes a special perseverance for that! And even harder with your family not there with you, though at least close enough to visit? We are far from most of our family except two daughters, and it makes me sad that we can’t just pick up and visit, we have to book flights etc. And hubs and I are the WORST at sticking to a plan once we make it, so the cancel fees are a drag!
I’ll have to watch that butter makes my pants fall off video, sounds interesting! I did have scrambled eggs with butter the other day and thought hmmm, I could get used to that. Have cooked them with the spray for so many years that the change takes some getting used to. Right now, just trying (again) not to snack between meals is giving me fits. It is a habit, for sure. But we know how to break those, don’t we💪😍
I will have to catch up more later, must get on the road, with a side trip to Costco on the way home. Can I bypass the sample ladies? We’ll see! Stay strong lovely comrades.🌴💕🌴xxx
Greetings lovely Island ladies from a chilly South Oz. We’re safely home from a week on dirt roads that were thankfully re-opened a day or two before we wanted to travel on them and are now firmly closed again due to the rain. We were lucky enough to generally avoid any rain and were thus able to sleep outside and listen to the dingoes howl in the night. I have to confess that unlike the virtuous activity reported on this thread I had a let-it-all-hang-out week of eating when and what I wanted, and enjoyed some good pub meals in little, out-of-the-way places. Also did fair bit of self-catering so all in all I think a balanced ledger in the weight-loss/gain stakes.
There’s just so many new posts on the thread and it’s good to see you back Apricot. And Queen, so glad you’ve stayed on the Island for a bit this time.
This is a long-time thing we’re doing here and the more we can share the load the better.
Great to see you back on board Chubs and they are really interesting posts about your various travels. Have the knees settled so you can exercise again?
Jade, what a star*** Thanks for summarising the info from the site and I think your conclusions are sound. From what I’ve read about various approaches, it would appear that IF or some form of fasting is important, as where a variety of different combinations of food have been used in studies (i.e. LC/ HF/ LF/ Mediterranean etc. etc. and some weird combinations have been used 🙂 ) then weight loss/improvements in lipid profiles and blood sugars and HbA1C etc. have been broadly similar. As the addition of IF or similar seems to kick start improvements (or is that arrest a decline?) it may be that the key is the length of time without food (i.e. the lack of snacking and the fasting) rather than the kinds of food/combinations eaten. Many large-scale prospective studies are needed, with a clear primary outcome measure continued over time and in well populations. This is expensive and slow research that is hard to fund. Unfortunately for me, having tried every combination known to (wo)man, I know that it doesn’t matter what I eat because the triggers for over eating are not about the food. If I only ate when hungry I’d be a lean, mean fighting machine but instead I’m a long way from that 😉 so the fasting is a good way to not lose complete control.
Annette – I’m thrilled you’re in the rehab cave too 🙂 I think it’s definitely a place of great reflection and that it’s a great place to regroup.
Okay, well bed beckons and a FD tomorrow after a week off. Strength to all. Love Spring xxx
HI spring. So nice to be able to share the same time with you. I think it’s been a truly long time since that’s happened!
Sounds like you’re having some pretty interesting travels yourself!
My knees are OK at the moment because I haven’t done any exercise at all in a couple months. I will have to begin a series of injections before there’s any real remediation. They take place over the course of a month or so and I am still trying to settle in and get unpacked before I begin the round of doctors that I’ve deferred for over a year.
So are you posting from your vacay or are you back to your regular life again?
Hi Chubs, yip, back into my ‘regular’ life which is very often not regular but just a tiny bit…out there :-0
I’m glad you’re getting the work done on your knees shortly as it’s very frustrating not being able to move easily, quite apart from being able to exercise more vigorously/regularly. Getting a lot of weight off made a big difference to my joint pain but there is still a lot more weight that, if I can lose it, will make an ever greater difference.
Jade my dear girl, you mentioned vinegar in your list and I’m assuming you’re referring to Apple Cider Vinegar? Do you (or others on here) know of a way to make it more palatable, or do people just throw it back and think of England, so to speak?? I bought some but I have to say, it doesn’t exactly invite consumption… 😉
Also, I thought I’d mention the recent MM show I watched which looked at pasta that had been cooked, cooled and reheated and the way in which it drastically reduced the glycemic index (cooling it also did so but not as much as re-heating as well). I’d read about this quite some time ago but seeing it recently reminded me that it might be useful for those of you wanting to reduce the effects of the carbs you do eat. The theory goes it turns a lot of the starch into ‘resistant starch’ and the body is not able to easily access this form of starch.
Okay, I’m well into my FD on fluids only so far but will probably have a ham salad at 7pm if I’m still hungry then. Power on fasters if Monday is your day to fast. Love Spring xxx
Dear all
Have been a bit quiet at this end, apologies 😉 and greetings from rehab cave.
I’ve not lost any weight, but neither have I put on..Jade, I agree with the non-snacking, and Spring I agree about the length of time without food being the key, but also feel the lack of carbs helps, but at the end of the day I can binge on most things, just that lately not as much. It’s always going to be a balancing act working out optimum nutrition against fasting, I think I’m learning.
Have been grappling with Peri-men. not pleasant, up and down, but went to Dr today to get blood tests, so let’s see if there’s something. She took my blood pressure, and said “It’s so low it could make an old lady faint”, I was pleased, I am an old lady, luckily no fainting..
Coffee (or more explicitly caffeine) is next on my hit list….yes I know..If I’m addicted to sugar, I’m even more a coffee addict. I know it has benefits, but reading of the impacts on iron and B12, and that it can increase insulin resistance makes me think it could be wrecking my FD’s, however I think it is different for different folk. I’m going for 2 very stingy cups in the morning, and that’s it…I do drink quite a lot of Rooibos, but coffee seems so tempting ahead of a long stretch of classes, ‘to get me through’ I just don’t think it can be good, constant adrenaline rushes 🙁
I wish I has some amazingly positive news, in the meantime I am sending oodles of positive vibes to all fellow fastees this week, may the force be with you.
cyber hugs to all xxxx
Tango say it’s not so, re coffee!! This old lady is going to faint at that news.😵 But I think coffee is the least of my problems, I’m still working on not eating between meals. I did pretty well last week, ignored lots of rumbles but felt quite good and unbloaty about it. I agree with you about LCHF too, it makes sense re the insulin response.
I do feel as though I’m on the right path combining IF with modified LCHF and no snacking. But darn if those snacks lurking off the trail aren’t a huge distraction. I fell head first into the weeds yesterday! No excuse other than too much vodka the night before, and staring at papers to grade…so I held a mini pity party and decided all of my nutritional info could go jump in a lake for the day🏊 Lol. But today is another FD and another kick in the ass to my system, to combat the kick in the head it got yesterday.
Hey there Spring! Re vinegar, it’s just something Dr Fung and others say you can add to food to lower the glycemic hit. I know some people chug it down, but that wasn’t his angle. I am not using vinegar more than I ever did, usually in salads. Trying to get used to eating more fat, and not with the stuff I would love it with, like bagels! FYI Panera now lists their calories right on the little signs by each thing in the case, and it’s shocking how many are in their pastries, a good 6-700 and they aren’t even huge. Oh hell I could eat one right now, good thing I am 20 miles away from the closest Panera.
Chubs wow can’t believe you are back home and contemplating injections and surgery – seems like just yesterday you were moving up to Canada. Good luck to you as you sort all that out. Ive never had kombucha, sounds like something I’d love and have too much of. Maybe I’d better just run the other way😂
I did look up the butter makes my pants fall off guy, the same general advice just a slightly different perspective, so I’m hoping I can stick with this. I’m intrigued at how much IF really does help the insulin response problem. I want to go for more 24-hour periods between eating. I needed a shot in the arm regarding the benefits of IF so thank you to all who mentioned Dr Fung – Lolly especially for your LCHF tutoring.
Annette, Queen, CaliB and eveyone else snuggled up in the rehab cave, big hugs – stay strong, even if we fall in the weeds, the path is right there🌴💪🌴💕xxx
Tango, I hope the doctor can help you with the peri-meno stuff, it’s really the pits to be pushed around by these damned hormones so much, just when you want to get on with life. I’m very jealous of your blood pressure though 🙂 I started 5:2 as mine was definitely going the other way and I needed meds. Do you normally drink a lot of coffee in a day? I would love to drink more but it wires me up too much and I get very jittery/anxious and can’t sleep so I only have one a day, occasionally 2 but I always regret the second one. Good luck with reducing your intake. Also, I totally agree that reducing carbs helps and I was only referring to the way that weight loss and improvements in HbA1C and lipid profiles occur similarly across a wide variety of diet intervention studies. How the individual experiences the various approaches though and which one suits and will be sustainable is what makes this thread so good.
Haha Jade, vodka will do it every time!! Pity parties are quite okay in rehab as long as they don’t last too long and I suspect yours don’t even get going past midnight before you’ve called the cops and given yourself a stern talking to 😉 Also, I’m not sure you need to worry too much about the coffee unless your intake is high? There were studies indicating a relationship between coffee intake and a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, so additional studies looked at the impact of caffeine on blood glucose and insulin sensitivity to see why that might be the case. The finding is still unexplained but you might find this interesting http://www.mayoclinic.org/blood-sugar/expert-answers/faq-20057941 As is so often the case with the human body, once something ‘goes wrong’ substances/ factors that weren’t an issue may then affect the body differently and this may be the case with coffee (i.e. cause a spike in insulin) when someone already has insulin resistance or Type 2 diabetes.
Okay, I’m clearly rambling now so will get back to work pronto. Super-strong vibes to all on the island. Love Spring xxx
Rats just lost a long post – suffice to say I am happy just Funging along over here, with a shiny new perspective on how fasting can help me become normal, I hope. Thanks for the link Spring – I’m glad to think I can have coffee still! I’m not diabetic, but sure am hoping I’ve been insulin resistant all these years. I’m determined to keep doing IF and avoiding sugar/bad carbs in hopes of becoming normal someday.
Full-on water fast yesterday, how’s THAT for determination. And will break it today with a lunch provided at a meeting here at school. Can you believe, the menu is “salad and fruit.” I mean WTF, where is the sugar and bread, COME ON, this is not like our past lunches. Ha ha, maybe the food revolution has gone mainstream, wouldn’t that just be lovely. Maybe it will happen everywhere (thinking of you Annette!). Hugs all, must go do teacher-y stuff now. 🙂 jade xxxx
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We pay tribute to our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Michael Mosley. Michael was an integral part of our lives, […]
Michael is touring Australia this September! Here's a link to dates and tickets. Hope to see you there.
Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
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15 Jun 16