Hi!

Hope you’re enjoying a good weekend!

CaliB thanks so much for the pizza base recipe, awesome!

Jade and Annette,how great that you’re on holidays! 🙂 Spring will you also be on holiday soon?

Chubster I’ll miss you, and you’re fabulous advice and humour.

Ok here, but am on the marking/grading treadmill, will have a holiday or ‘staycation’ in about 6 weeks 😉

so I got my vitamins confused, I’ve got a Vit D deficiency, so am on some high potency tablets. Am wondering if that was why my knee started playing up, as I never injured it, and there is no Arthritis, curious, anyway it explains the low mood and fatigue. Thanks for wishing me well on the 100 day no booze, am really doing fine today, and despite having a bit of a rubbish week, that part has gone well, I’m very hopeful about the impact. Roll on October…my sister is joining me on it, and we’ve allowed 5 ‘escapes’ just in case, emergency, weddings etc, which I hope not to use. I went to my ‘local’ bar to see this little flamenco group, who perform there regularly, and sipped club soda, I was surrounded by glasses of wine, but luckily the atmosphere carried me through 🙂

Annette I’ll join you on the biscuit and chocolate free zone. Have had some PMT cravings today, not helped by a headache, so have already had an ice-cream and some chocolate. Jade well done for the longer windows without food, I’m also finding I can go longer, but also find there’s a tipping point, and if I leave eating too late, it can go wrong. Adding fats is empowering but can be a nightmare if the whole day turns into into a food fest, as adding the fats PLUS any other foods means the calories are epic. I don’t eat butter nor meats, or bread/pasta/potato but I do have cheddar cheese (the slices) nuts, avocado, full fat yoghurt, cream in coffee and mayo, in small amounts and veg/fruits. Annette I’m a bit of a nut fiend, so am trying to limit them to about 30grms, not every day though. Again it comes back to what’s right for you, that’s why the booze has gone for a while to see the impact…fabulous fasting days to you all!!

Tango

Hello Everyone!
Today is the start of my 8 week challenge to kick the bad habits out into touch and to become slimmer/trimmer and eat as healthy as possible. It has been a tough few weeks and I have seen just how easy it is to let a series of poor judgments around food add up to an incremental weight and inch gain.

Today I stood on the scales(disappointing but not surprised) and have taken the measurements. I have bought a notebook and the plan is to log what I eat and when every day as well as any exercise that I take on top of the 10,000 steps that I plan to take every day. I know that what I eat/drink is the key to being successful.

I am going for a trial Krav Maga lesson this evening which I hope will be fun and give my some upper body strength. Always useful to learn self defence too.

You go Annette!! Sending you cheering applause for your determination and focus! I know you will have a successful 8 weeks and we will all be here to help you through!

I went on a mini vacation to the city and ate ok except for one day we did a food tour– all carbs and sugar!! I drank a little too and today— wow!! Up 5 lbs!! I’m shocked it’s that much as we walked a lot also. I think it was all that sugar and alcohol – which causes me to stop burning fat!!

I’m hoping at least some of it is water weight- I’m back to logging my food and keeping the carbs down. I’m going to do at least a 16 hour fast today. I’ll keep you all posted!

Hello Everyone!

Thank you Lolly, Cali and Spring. Join me, it’s only 56 days.

My determination comes from the fact that my clothes that were loose, are now tight. I have made loads of changes to what I eat and my levels of activity during the past 3 years and I feel so much better as a result.

Exercise is great for toning and shrinking the inches, as well as the happiness factor. I love having some muscular definition in my legs and arms, as well as teeny tiny abs. I suspect that I am fitter now at 55 than when I was at 30.

My first FD in ages today. I have loads to keep me busy and a lovely Sea Bass to look forward to later.

Brilliant Jade!

I finished the last ice cream last night as a reward after my first and free lesson of Krav Maga(an hour an a half of an all over work out). I loved both the ice cream and Krav(rather sore and tired today) but know that the sweet stuff is my undoing. For me it is better just not to have it at all.

I have bought bacon and eggs for my breakfast this week(another experiment) and have talked over the plan to have salad or vegetables with meat(or fish for me)with my remaining son who is overweight. I think that we will be able to make this work between us.

FD for me and managed to push back lunch until 2pm, when I had 2 grilled lamb chops and some cherry tomatoes. Dinner will be a whole Sea Bass with peas and I will still be within 500 calories. My mum was not a good or a happy cook, but I was also slim eating meat/fish and vegetables. Rice and pasta was not something eaten then.

I did feel very tired after wholemeal pasta, so maybe there is something in the ‘some people are more sensitive to different foods than others’.I will have to measure out the nuts too as I suspect that is part of my weight gain too.

I am thinking about some more distance learning in the autumn, with 2 chicks gone and all this time on my hands with a job that is not very inspiring, I think that it is time to get the grey matter going again. My worry(apart from deadlines and essays) is that when it has got very stressful in the past, I have made cakes and then eaten them! I need to have new strategies to cope with the pressures. Any ideas from all of the teachers here?

Yay, another challenge! I really got value out of the last one: I’m still keeping up my 30 minutes a day commitment of walking. I did try increasing it, but my back complained and I listened. There were days, especially in the beginning, when only my promise got me up and moving but I’ve come to enjoy it now.

I think what has helped me maintain this promise was its reasonableness. My previous tendency was to go overboard with rigid goals. One day of non-perfection and it was all over — I had “failed”. Back to the old ways, pass the ice cream, cue the self-loathing.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why I am succeeding now, where I never could before. I truly believe that we are always doing what we want to do. I lived in the land of “should”. I wanted to not be fat, but not more than I wanted to binge. My words were saying one thing but my actions were speaking the truth. The short-term pleasure far outweighed the mythical long-term gain.

Eliminating the sugar has allowed me the clarity of thought to see how to change from within. It really isn’t possible to do this with a foot in two camps. It’s very clear to me that the way I eat now is not a temporary plan so I can resume old eating habits when I reach a goal weight. The difference is, I am eating (and fasting) now in a way I truly love and which makes me feel happy and well. I don’t want to go back.

The way I have done this is to work WITH the quirks of my mind and body. I tested foods, gauged reactions, made choices — and only made changes I was ready to accept and that fit me. Many of these changes have had nothing to do with food but it’s like untangling an enormous knot to get to the central truth. Food was not my problem — it was my solution. The more work I did to disarm the real problems the less I needed the food.

The journey that each of us is taking is unique but there are some universal truths out there. When you are ready, the teacher appears. I know this — because you are all there for me.

Love — Lolly

Good morning dear, lovely Islanders. I’m in Annette!!! I’ll commit to good old 5:2 for the next 8 weeks and to keeping up my 30 minutes of exercise to boot and look forward to progress reports. In the meantime ladies and gentlemen, go to this link and pick out a pair of pink shorts for inspiration… https://www.google.com.au/search?q=image+pink+shorts&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiV-pis_u7NAhUDqJQKHQsOAbUQsAQIHA&biw=1920&bih=920 because of course pink shorts are our Island Flag. I rather fancy the glittery disco-inspired ones myself 🙂

CaliB – all the best with the up coming wedding, such a wonderful way to celebrate. I often think that our western weddings are way to short, especially when people have travelled a long way to be there and it’s all over so soon.

Jade, welcome to rehab my dear friend (and you are not a fat-sucking sloth!) I strongly suspect that post-meal BSL’s would show you less triggered by rice than wheat-based foods and there is increasing evidence to support this hypothesis. It is linked to gut micro-flora and is quite a fascinating area of study. Problem for so many of us on this thread is that we’ve upset the apple cart so to speak by binge eating crap and altered the way our body processes carbs. I was observing my husband over the weekend (as you do) and he’s slim & fit because he’s not a snacker, only ever drinks black tea between meals and never over eats. Consequently he has the health profile of a man 20 years his junior by today’s standards. Me, on the other hand…

Tango, you are so right about exercise. My understanding is that it’s a far more significant indicator of the likelihood of living a long life without dementia than any other single intervention, so that’s a pretty powerful motivator. Sunscreen in the UK… Hmm, I do remember 3 very dismal summers in the mid 1980’s when I lived in the UK, so I hear you!

Lolly, thanks for sharing such positive self-talk, it’s wonderful. I hear the fruit of profoundly changed ways of thinking, and long may it endure. I’ve studied and also received CBT (although my success at practicing it is… fitful to say the least 😉 ) but you’re a shining example of it’s power.

Okay, well I have much work to do. I’m envious of those of you who teach and are on leave as here, university teaching is only rewarded with 4 weeks leave a year and we also teach right across the year with overlapping study periods… I’m lucky to get a week off between my courses starting and finishing 🙁

Happy fasting and exercising and tweaking and changing it up till it works. Love Spring xx

Lolly that’s just perfect, we do what we want to do. And it seems you’ve finally found something you want to do that is also what you “should” do, what a wonderful destination 🎉♥️! It’s a loving way of treating ourselves, I shall keep looking for that marriage of want and should.💕 It’s an interesting journey.

Spring, the shorts!! Love the one with half the bum hanging out, I could give her a run for her money there😂 I think I want the boxer shorts version! Makes a right proper flag🇮🇩(apologies to Monaco).

Tango and Spring, are you paid for all that time? I’m paid for 9 months, so I do get a little testy with committee work during the summer. Typically the deans head those committees, and they’re on 11-month contracts, so they have to be there. Honestly they troll the halls looking for people who’ve popped in for some other reason, they look at you with sad puppy dog eyes, and before you know it you’ve agreed to do something to help them.😩

Just realized that my 3x/week “fast till dinner” pledge might be tough this week. I managed to fast again yesterday until a normal (ok it was a bit large) dinner, so 2 down! Now my problem is many lunch plans starting tmw (it’s hubs’s bd weekend – CaliB, it’s like your wedding celebrations, here his bd goes on for a WEEK). Wow, can’t believe as soon as I make a pledge it seems like Mt Everest. I thought about doing #3 today, but oh hell no, 3 in a row is way too hardcore for me. I’m channeling Lolly here. And Tango, exactly, that’s what I’ve done too. The weekends…. I’ve learned that good fats are fine, but unless I’m sticking to LCHF I need to watch those cals🙄Ha, I watched them all right, it was like an effing parade.

Annette, will there be pressure from the distance learning courses? Can you take some that won’t overload you? Otherwise, I’m a firm believer in exercise for stress relief. A short walk, just to get outdoors, change of scenery. Or I’ve also taken to reading a chapter in some dishy novel, great way to distract my brain. Esp before bed😴 I’m probably the wrong person to ask at the moment, I’m hardly stressed even with some committee work.

So I’ve gone and made sure it won’t be 3 in a row, had a fried egg and a sliced banana w/ natural pb. It was just what I wanted, and no grains, 400 cals. I think I’m making some progress….love from rehab♥️🌴jadexx

Hello Everyone!
I had completely forgotten about my dream to fit into those pink shorts. They have been banished to the back of the cupboard until this Santa belly disappears! Mine are pale pink linen,just above the knee and smart. Perhaps I might be able to wear them for the start of term in September?
Jade-I started a Law Masters a couple of years ago and having completed half the course, sadly my youngest sons’ best friend went missing and was found drowned in the river which runs through this city. He was devastated and needed lots of support, and I decided that after completing that module, I wouldn’t start the next module as i felt that my son needed me.
There are 2 compulsory courses that both begin in the autumn and if I am going to continue, then I need to pick one and get my head into the books again. I will have far more time to devote to the course than I have ever had, if I take the leap.
Keeping the food/exercise log is helping me to stay focused and hopefully I will be able to look back to see what I did when it was going well as well as when it wasn’t. I am keeping to 10,000 steps every day(I do that on my walk to and from work)and find that I really have to work at it when I am home.I am aiming for 3 runs a week and have managed to increase that distance too. Food wise I am aiming for protein/fat with fruit and vegetables/nuts and avoiding bread/pasta/rice. So far so good but it is only day 3! The FD went well too and was far easier than I thought because I ate well and felt satisfied with what I ate and enjoyed it too.I always find that the day after a FD I am looking for food all day, so keeping busy and out of the kitchen is key for me. I managed to talk myself out of having a cake in town this afternoon and just had to accept that I was hungry and was just going to be today, but also that I was going to be fine.
Sorry to hear that several of you are not getting much of a break over the summer. I am term time and my pay is split over 12 months.

Glad that you are up for the challenge, lets see how fabulous we are whether we are in the rehab cave…or not. The pink shorts challenge!

Just when you think you’ve got life all sorted out along comes the unexpected. I’ll be spending the next couple of months taking some treatment that could prove a little trying. So, my 8 week commitment just created itself: my goal is to simply stay my current course despite distraction. All best wishes gratefully accepted.

Thank you so much, Jade. I’ll be getting more info soon on what to expect over the 5 weeks and beyond. The way I see it, I’ll just continue with my food since that’s how I eat now — I think it will be one less concern just to have a routine in place. I will do my best and make adjustments where I need to but one thing I am sure of — binging or having “treats” will solve nothing, and only give me two problems instead of one!

It’s ironic that I haven’t felt this well in years, but I do believe that what I’ve done this past few months will help me now. So I’m grateful for that.

Lolly, I’m wishing you all the very best for the next 5 weeks and praying that you receive the best possible medical care and experience the best possible outcome. I know that the steps you’ve already taken will make a huge difference, and your determination shines through. Good luck and take care, love Spring xx

Big congrats Annette – 3 lbs! I’d say you have a good thing going there. Treat those company days as “days off” to practice eating like a normal human. I.e., fast between meals, have sparkling water with lime instead of cocktails, choose the menu option that isn’t pasta or rice based..and just enjoy! of course you know all that, but practice makes perfect. If dessert must be had lest you appear a martyr, pick the berries with cream or share a mor decadent one with another friend. Enjoy the people more than the food😀 Good luck! And yes yes yes, snacking is bad in many ways. I’m doing a bit of it now as I take meds, but even with slip ups my snacks are smaller. I know insulin is still at play but Rome was not built in a day..,.,how’s that for a rehab haiku.

Sidelined still with the back, we’re supporting the drug industry big time but I suppose that costs less than bail or a good criminal lawyer.ha ha. Hubs is not used to being the chef, luckily our freezer has enough food to last a month or more, because he only knows how to make spaghetti- with jarred sauce of course! Well I’m going to try to enjoy my forced staycation and do some reading. Hope to be back in the saddle soon! Hugs to all you islanders 🔆🌴🌸🔆xxx

Sorry I’ve been MIA– just stressing as my kids passports have hit a snag in the red tape of our government and my trip is getting closer by the day!! I still have to send them to LA for the visas so instead of talking on this thread nonstop about my acute anxiety and frustration I have buried myself in mindless American reality TV of the Bacholrette to get my mind off of it!!

I haven’t read any threads so I have nothing to offer of any importance but I’m not having any more weight loss- very sad about that– heading to my 4 day wedding tomorrow – hoping to not gain anything!!

Wishing you girls all the best- when I’m back on track with my travel documents and not a mess over them I’ll check in more often– wishing you all the best!!

Hello Everyone!
It has been the 3 hottest days of the year when my sister was here for a visit. We have been out and about which has been lovely. We have had lunch, ice cream, dinner, and tea and cake, ice cream, out and i have enjoyed it all. The really sad part is that we both bought a large bag of chocolate each( I blame the extreme heat!) and I had planned to give her mine with a few missing to take back with her. We both forgot and she has left leaving me 2 big bags that have been opened in my fridge….any ideas that remove them from my grasp?

I am doing the same Spring and am also 55. My life is in transition, 2 have recently left home, one is working away for 2 months..and no I hardly cook at all.I am having a huge clear out not only of their stuff left behind but also of ‘stuff’ that I have been give for Christmas/Birthdays and never ever wanted. I have decided that I am only having things in my house that I love or need. Mind you, it is quite carthartic to get rid of stuff, isn’t it?

Hope the laundry looks fabulous, Spring. How is your back, Jade?Is the passport sorted Cali? Tango, don’t forget to measure your waist. I am off out for a walk with my friend now away from the chocolate. My plan is to do another 24 hour fast from after dinner this evening, to try and undo any of the damage of the past few days. I hope that I haven’t put that 3 lb and half an inch back on.

I didn’t do the fast, but will start tonight after dinner and then just do 24 hours without any food at all. The chocolate total is 700gms, each 100gms=500 calories!!!!
There was a grand total of 50gms which were the ones I liked and have now eaten, the rest(soft centres-not my favourites) have been consigned to the bin. They don’t have any wrappers on and are still in their bag. My sister didn’t like the soft centre either, so I don’t think that she would appreciate them either.

I have just ordered a sewing machine with a view to use up the fabric that I found during the grand attic sort, so that I can make curtains/blinds and keep busy out of the kitchen. I want to learn to make clothes for me that I love and that no one else is wearing. I had an tin that all of my sewing stuff was rammed into, now that I have emptied it out and bought myself a sewing box, the idea is that I should be able to keep it all together. It was a bit sad throwing out all of the name tapes though!

The laundry sounds fabulous and the sort of thing that I needed when I had 4 little boys, now there is not much laundry going on here anymore. I don’t miss doing 6 loads in a day!

My de cluttering continues- my mantra is ‘do I love it? do I need it? If it doesn’t fit into that…it goes. It is rather how I feel about the inches on my waist!

Jade-sending hugs an perhaps sleep to get through this until your appointment with the pain specialist.I hope that this isn’t what old age looks like or I will be your Thelma.

I spent my FD priming and undercoating 8 cupboard door that have panes of glass in and a door that I have over the years, stripped off their paint with a whole range of chemicals and a heat gun.I came to the conclusion that I was never going to get it all off, so have slapped the paint on and now they look much much better! It was a tough FD yesterday in that I had planned to go without food until dinner but caved in at lunch time. I think that the problem was that I was too close to the kitchen, a bit lonely on my own all day and it was quite warm. I toyed with going out, but was worried about the food everywhere and my love of ice cream.

I am a bit disappointed as I stood on the scales to find that there is not much difference between the pre and post FD.I suspect that it might take a couple more FD to get back to my pre visitor weight before ‘chocolate-gate’!

Very kind of you to offer your sewing machine Jade. I am not a natural at such things, but out of necessity years ago, I learnt to make curtains when we were too broke to buy any of the size that we needed when the boys were small. Now I have all of this time on my hands and I have the fabric, I would like to use it for something that I would like.

I am quite excited about the machine, which should be here next week. They also run sewing classes above the shop in a a whole range of things, so will have to go to them too. I want to learn to make dresses for me in fabric that I love, that actually fit without altering, I am short but curvy, so that is going to be a challenge! I also have dresses that are too big and if I could alter them, would wear them all through this winter.

How is everyone?

Hello Queen,
I suspect that whoever was encouraging you to have more of anything was simply trying to undermine you, whether they were doing it consciously or not. My friends would never encourage me to have more of anything. Some people are threatened when others lose weight/change shape and thus encourage them to eat/drink more to get back to being nonthreatening. Perhaps you can learn to say a hard ‘no’ with a smile and walk away from them. It works wonders and the look of bafflement on their faces is a complete joy, but you have to sound serious with your ‘no’ or they will try to convince you otherwise. What size is this close family member?

You may not feel full. I saw this programme on the BBC called ‘why are we getting fat?’ by Giles yeo who is a geneticist that has been studying obesity for years.He says that there is a mismatch between a brain that thinks that we are going to starve in an obesiogenic environment, where there is so much food around. He also states that there are more than 100 genes that are linked to obesity, so that many of us are simply fighting our biology.However, exercise can make a big difference in reducing the weight.There was i young man who had the double risk variant of 1 gene and who lost 11 stone by exercising and then by changing what/how much he ate.

There are also a 100 trillion microbes that live in out gut and one called something like Kristen sinella keeps us slim. To have good microbes we need to eat a diverse range of foods that are high in fibre to give us more diverse microbes which means plenty of fruit and vegetables, olive oil, full fat yoghurt in particular but essentially a Mediterranean diet without the pizza and pasta.

Have a look at Jason Fung on YouTube. He talks about the benefits of fasting which has helped me to cut out snacking, however healthy in between meals and to get back to 2 FD a week.

Well said dear Jade 🙂 (even if you are now a grape junkie… 🙂 )

I haven’t given up yet so therefore, I haven’t failed and here I am, Monday morning and beginning a FD regardless of the choices I’ve made up to this point. New Day, New Hope. Actually it’s been going okay lately (just between you and me of course as I’d hate for any pesky Greek gods/goddesses of retribution to overhear)and I’m making hay while the sun shines which admittedly is in short supply here in July. Enjoy the pizza Jade.

So good to see you Queen, and yes, definitely ignore what ‘helpful’ relatives sometimes feel they need to tell you/call you. You know your body so well and we’re all learning so much more about our bodies as we try things out and the science lets us into more of the picture than we had before.

Annette, it sounds like you’ve kicked to the curb whatever was snapping at your heels food wise and I am not at all surprised. Lizards beware!! love Spring xxx

Hi there,

Just catching up here, have had a rough week, and my body has been ‘rebelling’ after a very long term, I tend to start off bright and perky, but by week 13 of the term start to ‘fold’ haha! healthwise and everything wise. Jade hope you’re back issues have improved? but as you say it’s finding the source of the pain. I can totally sympathasize, my back was very sore this week, but has improved a lot, I now have a cold which isn’t very useful 🙁

Annette and Spring, I’m also coming up to 54, and have been going through periods of chucking stuff out, I think it’s a kind of reinvention of who one is? and it can be really carthartic. I agree with you Annette, that if you don’t love it, it needs to go! I’m Feng Shui fan and have my flat divided into different areas, which I’ve just reviewed, especially the money, health and love areas. I still have a bag full of my ex’s clothes which I haven’t really had the courage to go, but it needs to, the ‘chi’ or energy is probably not so healthy.

Have got into a rut with 5:2, so re-read many threads over the weekend, including Jason Fung. I haven’t been able to lose weight really over the last 6 months, still carrying 21 Ibs I would need to get to about 9 stone, I’m also quite short. I’m going to go back to basics on FD’s and try for very strict calories, I think I might have been sneaking in more on FD’s, I might also go to back to back on 2 days a week. I’ve got into a bit of a habit, of eating no breakfast on NFD then eating junk later on ‘cos I deserve it’. I’m still don’t eat pasta, potatoes, or much bread, but will try to eat more lentils/quinoa to get the nutrients. I’d love to be able to get to a goal by October, my bday. I’ve managed 3 weeks with no wine, so happy with that, 79 days to go, and I’m collecting money for a charity. I sometimes think success with this WOL isn’t so much willpower, as being honest with myself recognizing what I really want,
and why I might be sabotaging my best efforts! the answer is probably right under my nose..xxx

T

Hey islanders, just a quick note before I’m off to the doc, wish me luck, I think they’re doing an epidural. I really wish they’d do an MRI and figure out what the f is the matter but I guess if this doesn’t help, they will. Or maybe I’m just too old and not entitled to decent health care. Right, call me a wahmbulance….🚑

Tango, very cute dress pattern. I like the idea of giving yourself a longterm goal. From what I can remember when I was steadily losing on 5:2, I actually felt hunger even on the 5 days. But I was determined to get back down to fit into my clothes, and I did. Still wanted to lose more but the impetus wasn’t the same. Anyway, if you really want to blast away those last stubborn lbs, I recommend treating the 5 days as diet days too, just not as strict. Now I can almost feel others on th forum reading this and saying NO NO it’s not a diet on those 5 days. Well, to bingers it is, let’s face it. Left to my own devices, I’ll eat back the calorie deficit of a FD th very next day. But that’s not to say it is so awfully hard just to restrict calories on the 5 days to something along the lines of 12-1400 cals. It’s just not carefree and fun. What does make it easier though is to ditch sugar and bad carbs, make those 12-1400 cals on the nFDs really count. Fish, veg, banana and peanut butter – yes, that’s a caloric treat but at 300 cals for a banana and 2T natural peanut butter, it’s about as nice a ride as Space Mountain at Disney World and lots cheaper too!

I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but the last few lbs are stubborn. I haven’t lost mine because I haven’t cared that much, my clothes fit, I’m enjoying maintaining etc. but if I truly want to lose them, there’s just going to have to be a bit more hunger endured.

Never mind any of this if you’re doing LCHF. It doesn’t float my boat, so Lolly is the expert there, maybe there is no hunger at all. But I don’t mind hunger. And if you pick whole, nutritious foods, and time your meals so that you have enough cals left at night to have a decent evening meal, it’s not that hard. But bottom line – for me anyway – is that there is “no free lunch” i.e. There is some deprivation to be endured and habits to be broken.

Dang, I must be missing the classroom because that was a stern lecture! As always, please don’t take offense, I am really lecturing myself. For months I’ve wondered why I haven’t lost my last 5 despite fasting and, derrr, it’s because I overeat on my nFDs such that I fully make up the calorie deficit. And don’t even get me started with my “selective hearing” diet, where I get to be LCHF in the morning, Beverly Hlls diet at lunch, and Whole Foods Wonder Trough at night. Yep, guaranteed to work if the goal is to overeat😜.

Love you guys, here’s to another week of experimenting and helping each other succeed.🔆🌴😎xxxx

Hi there!

Jade, I totally agree about the hungry aspect, you’re so right. Some days are so much easier than others, and as you say often better when there are no carbs the previous day. Serves me right to feel hungry when I know this ;-(

Spring, yes totes in synch with you about stress, amazing how hungry I become. I’m hoping this week when classes are over, and I’m doing admin (aka marking/grading) I can enjoy a bit less stress. On the downside we have a family member who is quite ill, so if I suddenly disappear, you’ll know where my head is..

I might remove my scales for a while, and weigh on one day a week, they always lie after FD’s anyway, as the weight settles etc. I tend to be ‘whoosh’ in terms of putting on weight and taking it off 😉

I’m not sure why I’ve found the non-wine 100 days so easy, I think I was ready for it! Nearly a month now, have not really felt the benefit to be honest, but think after 10 weeks one feels better. Food does seem to be much harder, obvs. I read that after 9 days without sugar your body starts to feel the benefit, 9 days doesn’t seem like very long, maybe worth a try.

As always cyberhugs to all, may we continue on this quest.

T

Hello Everyone!
The lasted until lunch time on the FD and then ate light and managed to hold out until my evening meal which was hard. I wonder if it was the carbs the night before that made it so difficult?

The chocolate is still in the bin and I feel strangely powerful having done that too. I do have end of term chocolates which I intend to share at Christmas, but last night there was a siren call to open the smallest/one person box. The first thing is that I don’t really like orange chocolate but my boys do and the second is that I had a small bar of chocolate at my slender friends house(I haven’t had any since chocolate-gate)earlier in the afternoon. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

I had spent the day out shopping with my friend and it was lovely. We stopped for toasted teacake mid morning and then went for lunch at another retail venue. My lunch came with both fries and garlic bread which I thought at the time was excessive, I ate most of the fries and then decided that I had eaten enough and then had a couple of bites of the garlic bread and then pushed it away. I knew that I was on my own in the evening and that I wasn’t going to cook. I could have easily justified eating the lot, but I was full and the garlic bread simply wasn’t as fabulous as my memory of it was and so it was easy to leave the rest.

I am fast coming to the conclusion that I feel much better when I eat real food that is simply prepared. I don’t need to have rice/pasta/potatoes/bread at every meal(also less washing up!) and I also think that I feel more on an even keel without them. Hopefully, there will be some improvement with my waist measurement soon.

Congratulations Lolly. Can you share exactly what you have been doing? Tango, well done on the wine challenge, I suspect that your skin looks much better without the fermented grape even if you cannot feel any difference so far. I was shocked at how much better I felt without sugar(in my tea/jar sauces etc) but most striking was how I felt complete rubbish when I then had a pudding at work-the afternoon was a total struggle in trying to stay awake. Nuts are my ‘go to’ snack now. Thanks for the dress pattern, I can’t believe that I will ever be able to make anything wearable, but I am excited as I wait for the sewing machine to arrive.

Spring, I am not counting up to a TDEE at all anymore. I am simply keeping a record of what I eat and then will re-evaluate at the weekend when the tape measure will be deployed. If I get stuck with a pattern and have no idea what it means then I will call on you to translate for me! Jade-how are you? Is your back getting better?

I hope that you are feeling better, Jade. It sounds like you are happy with your weight and I have to agree that scrawny is not a good look for anyone. My goal is to be strong and healthy, and to heck with what number the scales might say!

I have a ‘tummy’ that I would like to shift, but it may be that after 5 babies I am being rather ambitious as my youngest baby is going to be 20 next month! I do feel that whatever the number on the scales might be, my body is looking the best that it has in a very long time…and I am very happy with that. I am going to concentrate on 2 FD a week, getting in 3 short runs a week(missed several weeks) and going to Krav Maga every week (an hour and a half of physical exercise) and to get 10,000 steps a day in minimum.

Here I am at 8pm all alone and no idea what I would like to eat or even if I am hungry. I have come a long way!